Reflections on the impact of the ISM's Religion, Ecology and Expressive Culture Initiative

The ISM’s unique Religion, Ecology and Expressive Culture (REEC) Initiative has continued to thrive in its second year of programming. The initiative seeks to support and amplify the work of scholars, artists, and practitioners who are working in diverse media and genres at the intersections of three fields: religion, the environment, and the arts, all broadly construed. The initiative funds projects that speak to one or more of the following broad themes: Extraction and Disposal in Expressive Culture; Ritual Natures: Expressive Culture and the Natural Forms of Trees, Water, and Rocks; and Sacred Cosmologies, Environmental Change, and Expressive Culture. In the 2024-25 academic year, the REEC initiative supported five projects and also hosted a number of other opportunities for conversations and exchange between grantees and the Yale community, and amongst the Yale community. 

The first project of the year, “Ave Maris Stella: Sing to the Stars”, directed by Lisa Mischke, was linked with the REEC theme “Sacred Cosmologies, Environmental Change, and Expressive Culture.” It featured an extraordinary musical ensemble (pictured below) who performed medieval, contemporary, and new music with a range of musical instruments, that centered on the story of the universe as propagated by Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme, and interpreted by feminist theologian Glenys Livingstone. Performed at Yale’s Leitner Family Observatory, the performance was supplemented by extraordinary visuals of the cosmos and was attended by a capacity crowd. 

The second project of the year, aligned with the REEC theme “Extraction and Disposal in Expressive Culture,” was a compelling exhibition by Lance Flowers titled “Take Me As I Am: Redemption And Grace for the Discarded,” curated by Robert Hodge. This exhibition featured mixed-media artworks made from repurposed materials, highlighting the resilience and vibrancy of Houston’s Third Ward district.

The third project was an exhibition titled “Symphonia: Dialogues of Landscape, Ritual, and Resilience,” which showcased the works of four Chicago-based artists: Joanne Aono, Karen Azarnia, Jon Seals, and Michelle Wasson. Curated by Jon Seals and Karen Azarnia, this exhibition incorporated agricultural fabric, soil, and water harvested from the represented environments, addressing the REEC themes of “Sacred Cosmologies, Environmental Change, and Expressive Culture” and “Ritual Natures: Expressive Culture and the Natural Forms of Trees, Water, and Rocks.” It encouraged contemplation and dialogue, creating an immersive experience for viewers.

Alongside the exhibit, Jon Seals also led an en plein air workshop (pictured below) in Yale’s Marsh Botanical Gardens where participants selected a plant in the greenhouse to study and paint. 

The fourth project featured an extraordinary intellectual collaboration between musicians, ethicists, and scientists. The event entitled “Liminal: Coastal Science in Sacred Music” featured the Coastal Futures Conservatory and brought together the EcoSono Ensemble which performed music made with data produced by the Virginia Coast Reserve Long-term Ecological Research site about sea level rise, oyster reef restoration, shorebird extinction, and seagrass meadows. Linked with the REEC theme “Sacred Cosmologies, Environmental Change, and Expressive Culture”, the event was interspersed with symposial reflections and featured speakers and performers including Matthew Burtner, Karen McGlathery, Willis Jenkins, and Yale guest musicians. 

The final project of the year, “The Chapel in the Hive” was a forty-minute live performance by poet/scholar Joseph Campana and composer/performer Kurt Stallmann, and was linked to two REEC themes, namely “Sacred Cosmologies, Environmental Change, and Expressive Culture” and “Ritual Natures: Expressive Culture and the Natural Forms of Trees, Water, and Rocks.” In the project, Campana and Stallmann drew from history and natural history to dwell on the sacred character of nature through the powerful but diminutive figure of the honeybee. Drawing on multiple literary and spiritual traditions, the performance and post-performance discussion evoked and immersed participants in a multidisciplinary exploration of environmental issues with a specific focus on biodiversity and multispecies worlds, and a long history of human devotion to bees.