A public online event and video featuring students sharing some of their work from Sarah’s multidisciplinary Winter 2020 class dedicated to climate change at the University of Regina.
Students shared work from the multidisciplinary course, “Engaging Climate Change: Creativity, Community, Intervention,” that Sarah developed for the Winter 2020 semester at the University of Regina, Saskatchewan. Due to pandemic social distancing measures, the April 11 public event that had been incorporated into the syllabus was moved to take place online. It was an honour to have the event hosted by Now What?! The art of being fully human in a time of crisis, an online platform designed to bring people from around the world together on issues of climate change for virtual conversations and new modalities of participatory dialogue in service to initiatives for change.
Students presented on a range of topics and in various formats exploring climate and personal change, human impacts, Indigenous perspectives on life and land, reconciliation, and the interconnectedness between all species and Earth. Their work includes eco-friendly photography development, a singalong of an original composition, a primary educational school mini-unit, a personal reflection on being a climate activist, reconsideration of an essay from a new perspective, a carbon footprint survey, a motivational speech, considerations of animal and nonhuman welfare, audio art, video, digital photography, sculpture, and actions for change.
FORMAT
Each student presented for 5-7 minutes. After all the presentations (about 90 minutes), audience participants moved between breakout rooms to visit the students for discussion on their topics.
RECORDING OF EVENT
That was great ! I was really touched by all of these young people. What a world they are coming into. I was really touched to tears a couple of times. And how wonderful to see you at work , so beautiful and skilled and helping them to become conscious of the challenges and of their own creativity. So, thank you, Sarah, I loved it !
(Joyce Bethune, Regina, SK)
LINKS TO STUDENT WORKS
Lauren Wilson – Changing the Box, reflections on personal change video
Mika Abbott – Punctured (Prairie Landscape), digital photographs and scanned images, 2020 webpage
Kaitlin Krasushaar – Grades 2/3/4: The Climate and Interdependence lesson plan blog page & materials
Esperanza Sánchez Espitia – Animal Resilience in Times of Climate Change video
FUNDING
Support for the online hosting of Field Trip: Changing the Climate event was gratefully received as a grant from the Sustainability and Community Engagement Fund at the University of Regina.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
MAP 300AQ/400AD: Engaging Climate Change: Creativity, Community, Intervention, is a multidisciplinary course that explores climate change and environmental concerns, with a focus on resilience, community, Indigenous perspectives, science, artist engagements, local/global projects, and thinking outside the box in the face of change. Assignments are applied and/or artistic explorations of course themes.
This course was initiated, developed and taught by Sarah Abbott, Associate Professor in the Department of Film, Faculty of Media, Art, and Performance, University of Regina. It was offered in the Fall 2020 and Fall 2021 semester. More information about the class, related public events and student work is available here.
CARBON FOOTPRINT CALCULATOR used in class.
IMAGE CREDITS
Photo layers of event image: 1) Caribou by Esperanza Sanchéz Espitia; 2) “Iceberg near Bylot Island” by susanvg, Creative Commons.
Image design by Sarah Abbott
