Free webinars examine how arts and culture organizations can lead the way on climate solutions

RHODE ISLAND, October 17 - Providence, RI – The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) has partnered with UMass Amherst Arts Extension Service and Culture Climate Strategy to present a three-part virtual series Culture for Climate Action--Rhode Island. The free webinars cover how arts and culture organizations can and are leading creative climate actions and inspire their board, staff and communities to contribute to an equitable clean energy transition.

"With the climate crisis having an impact on communities throughout Rhode Island, these timely webinars examine how arts and culture organizations can make a difference. The members of the arts and culture community who attend the webinars will learn strategies to empower them to develop, fund and implement creative climate actions and solutions that align with their unique organization's unique mission, values and priorities," said Todd Trebour, Executive Director of RISCA.

The three online sessions, scheduled for Oct. 30, Nov. 6 and 20, noon-1:15 p.m., are geared toward staff and board members involved in the state's arts and cultural sector for organizations that own or lease facilities. Each session will feature a guest presenter from an R.I. arts organization who will share the work they are doing to address climate issues. Space is limited and registration will be given on a first come, first served basis.

Sessions are as follows:

• Creative Climate Action for a Just Transition, Wednesday, Oct. 30, noon-1:15 p.m. Cultivate new narratives for a regenerative climate future in Rhode Island and explore how arts and culture organizations can address climate change.

• Strategies for Organizational Resilience and Sustainability, Wednesday, Nov. 6, noon-1:15 p.m. Explore ways to implement clean energy and enhance resilience in facilities and operations and find various funding and financing options at the state and federal levels.

• Evaluating your Facilities and Operations, Wednesday, Nov. 20, noon-1:15 p.m. Understand how to assess your facilities and set SMART goals for climate action.

Presenters (bios supplied by the speakers) Dee Boyle Clapp, Director of the Arts Extension Service at UMass Amherst, is a sculptor, installation artist and works to bridge art and sustainability. She has taught studio, art history and arts management courses for 25 years at UMass Amherst, museum schools, and community colleges. She is the co-founder of the Arts Entrepreneurship Initiative, the National Arts Policy Archive and Library, and the ArtsHub of Western MA, an online resource for creatives. She founded the Culture for Climate Action pilot project supporting arts organizations transitions to equitable clean energy and use of programming to inspire communities to get involved. Dee created and has taught the groundbreaking course Greening Your Arts Nonprofit Organization since 2010.

She is currently working with colleague Lauren de la Parra and Clean Energy Extension to expand the Culture for Climate Action (C4CA) work to inspire arts leaders to transform their organizations into sustainable, equitable, and resiliency hubs, by reducing their carbon footprint, tapping green/clean energy, creating programming that engages their constituents in joining them to equitably address the climate crisis at their local level.

Lauren de la Parra is an interdisciplinary sustainability consultant, artist, and activist committed to cultivating the intersection of arts and culture, climate action, and community resilience. She has a background in municipal and state climate action, adaptation, and resilience planning with a focus on equity, justice, and regeneration. She has also served as a consultant, researcher, fabricator, installer, and youth mentor on creative climate action projects with individual artists, K-12 schools, nonprofits and local governments across New England and California.

Lauren holds an M.S. in Sustainability Science with a concentration in Urban Sustainability, and a Graduate Certificate in Climate Change, Hazards, and Green Infrastructure, both from UMass Amherst. While at UMass, she co-founded Paperbark, an interdisciplinary magazine of creativity and stewardship around the climate and ecological crises. She is also a Creative Climate Leader certified by UK-based international nonprofit Julie's Bicycle, and an organizing member of the Bay Area nonprofit Art + Climate Action. You can find her at www.cultureclimatestrategy.com.

Cathleen Carr is an arts and culture nonprofit leader currently serving as executive director of newportFILM, a year-round documentary film series based in Newport, RI. An alum of Goddard College in Vermont, Cathleen is a graduate of the New York Community Trust Leadership Fellows program and University of Pennsylvania's Executive Program in Arts and Culture Strategy.

The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts is a state agency supported by appropriations from the Rhode Island General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. RISCA provides grants, technical assistance and staff support to arts organizations and artists, schools, community centers, social service organizations and local governments to bring the arts into the lives of Rhode Islanders. Visit https://www.arts.ri.gov/ for more information. Remember to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).