The Redemption Center – Sometimes you get more than 5 cents
One of the greatest joys of teaching at Paul Smith’s College over the last few years has been to learn my way through the emerging field of Environmental Humanities. Many of you know how much authors like Dante, Chaucer, Galileo, Shelly, Dario, and more have molded and shaped my musical life. The increasing urgency of climate change has given birth to a new field of Humanities that focuses upon our relationship to the natural world. While looking at these older texts through a new environmental lens, we add more contemporary thinkers like Rachel Carson, Aldo Leopold, Robin Wall Kimmerer and even our current Pope Francis as voices that are helping explore new ways to share, preserve, and be inspired by the wilderness.
The Redemption Center is deeply immersed in these ideas. This jazz/gospel chamber opera confronts the paralysis that emerges from the relentless flood of bad news on climate change. What happens if we can receive more than 5 cents when we bring our returnable cans back? What might an ecological redemption look like?
This piece is shaping up to be a high energy romp through the biggest global questions we face. Look for updates as the show takes form for a performance late in 2024.
The Redemption Center is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Videos
The Redemption Center: Sometimes You Get More than 5 Cents is grounded in the emerging field of Environmental Humanities. These videos explore some of the big ideas of Environmental Humanities from the perspectives of the Sciences, Education, cultural narratives, and the traditional Humanities including the medieval poet, Dante. These videos feature Craig Milewski (retired Paul Smith’s College professor of the Sciences), Joseph Henderson (University of Vermont professor of Environmental Education), and Ronald Herzman (retired Distinguished Teaching Professor of English at SUNY Geneseo).
These videos were sponsored by a Humanities New York Vision/Action Grant.
Intro to Environmental Humanities: What Authors should we start with?
Glenn McClure and Craig Milewski
The Relationship between Humanities disciplines and the Sciences
Glenn McClure and Craig Milewski
Finding our Place in the Natural World
Glenn McClure and Craig Milewski
Environmental Humanities and Education
Glenn McClure and Joe Henderson
New Narratives in Environmental Education
Glenn McClure and Joe Henderson
Environmental Humanities in the Western European Tradition
Glenn McClure and Ron Herzman
Environmental Humanities and Dante
Glenn McClure and Ron Herzman
Sponsored by a Humanities New York Vision/Action Grant
