The Art in Nature Series is made possible by the Ronald D. Russo Fund and the Barrington Public Library. All programs are free and open to the public.
Lucy Spelman at TEDxProvidence. (Photo by Cat Laine)
Our next Art in Nature program, “Creature Needs – A Generative Art-Science Workshop,” features scientist Dr. Lucy Spelman and writer Susan Tacent from the Barrington-based non-profit Creature Conserve. This generative workshop on Saturday, March 7, from 1-3 pm at the Barrington Public Library is for people interested in creating work in all media about what it means to share our six basic needs – air, food, water, shelter, room to move, and each other – with all creatures.
We’ll explore the science that illuminates the stark choices we face in order to conserve resources and ensure the needs of all species are met, including the animals on our streets, in our backyards, parks, shorelines, rivers, oceans and skies.
Through process-oriented presentation, guided exercises, and open discussion, we’ll weave scientific information into the creative process. We’ll also use our new book, “Creature Needs” as a source of inspiration. Participants are encouraged to bring the sketching or writing materials of their choice as well as empathy and imagination.
No special skills are required for this free workshop. All ages are welcome (children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult).
ABOUT LUCY SPELMAN
“Dr. Lucy” is a world-renowned zoo and wildlife veterinarian, writer, and educator. She has cared for animals in every imaginable setting, from our pets at home to those remaining in the vanishing wild. She also brings artists and scientists together to create new pathways for wildlife conservation, both as an educator at the Rhode Island School of Design and as the founder of Creature Conserve.
She has authored several books, including The Rhino with Glue-on Shoes, the National Geographic Kids Animal Encyclopedia, and Creature Needs: Writers Respond to the Science of Animal Conservation.
ABOUT SUSAN TACENT
Susan Tacent holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Brown University and has taught literature and creative writing at venues including Oberlin College, Roger Williams University, LitArts RI and the Rogers Free Library in Bristol, RI.
Her fiction has appeared in Blackbird, DIAGRAM, Michigan Quarterly Review, Tin House Online, Coolest American Stories 2022, Slice Magazine and elsewhere. Her criticism, interviews and scholarly writing have appeared in The Common, Dostoevsky Studies, The Keats-Shelley Journal, and others.
She is Creature Conserve’s writer-in-residence and co-editor of Creature Needs: Writers Respond to the Science of Animal Conservation, University of Minnesota Press, 2025.