A Life dedicated to the arts and Environment
Remembering Robert Redford
It is with great sadness that Brushwood Center mourns the death of Robert Redford. “His lifetime dedication to the environment and justice was an inspiration to the Brushwood Center community and our commitment to ensuring health equity and access to nature for all,” said Executive Director Catherine Game. “He was a humble but powerful voice in this work, and passionate about the impact of art and nature.”
Robert Redford, Donna LaPietra, Bill Kurtis, and Sibylle Szaggars Redford at the 35th Annual Smith Nature Symposium Awards Dinner
In 2018, Brushwood honored Robert and his wife, Sibylle Szaggars Redford, with our highest honor, the Distinguished Environmental Leadership Award at the 35th Annual Smith Nature Symposium Awards Dinner. As a part of the event, Brushwood presented the Chicago-area premiere of The Way of The Rain – Voices of Hope, for Brushwood Center, for which Sibylle was artistic director and Robert graced the stage. Robert’s comments ahead of the premiere resonate with great clarity today:
“With everything that is going on in the world right now, I believe art plays a critical role in so many issues we are facing today; art nurtures the soul, provokes thought and inspires critical thinking. And during times like these, art can also foster a deeper understanding and connection to the Earth. We desperately need these messages right now.”
“Honoring Robert’s legacy to inspire, educate, and activate people to care for our Earth is central to all that we do at Brushwood Center,” said A. Gail Sturm, Brushwood Center Board Chair. “He understood that art is a basic need of human survival, one of the ways we make sense of our lives, one of the ways in which we express feelings when we have no words, a way for us to understand with our hearts when we cannot with our minds.”
Robert’s powerful words on stage called on each of us to do more for the natural world, recognizing the deeply interconnected relationships of life on this planet. He shared, “Only together, like rain drops, will we be able to nourish the river of life. I do not believe we go up to the sky, unless it is to come down again with the rain.”
We invite you to revisit Robert’s interview with Bill Kurtis and Donna LaPietra at the 35th Annual Smith Nature Symposium and join us in honoring his legacy.
