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Published on October 23, 2026

On Tuesday, September 29, Dahdaleh faculty fellow Ian Garrett, director of the Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts, producer for Toasterlab, and Associate Professor of Ecological Design for Performance at 91��ɫ, led a seminar on how the arts can address the health impacts of climate change.  

Garrett began with a case study regarding the theatre group Y No Habia Luz, which became secondary responders following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. The idea that having a place to connect in a disaster such as Hurricane Maria is critical. He argued that the play, created by the group La Centinela de Mango, is not often seen as infrastructure regarding disaster planning and recovering, but it could be treated as such due to the connections it creates.

Garrett highlighted important quantitative data from practitioners focused on how the arts can address the health impacts of climate change and what is needed to increase impact, as 69% said the arts are not recognized as legitimate in climate-health.

Next, Garrett discussed how artworks that emphasize beauty, interconnectedness, and solutions is what people are interested in compared to dystopian or fear-based work. Studies found that people want to be future-oriented, and so positive pieces are what resonated more with people compared to catastrophic imagery which was found to reduce engagement.

Garrett then shared multiple case studies showcasing how people engage with the arts surrounding topics of climate change, including Culture Dose for Kids, The Soul’s Journey, New Forest Ancient Thrones, and Hawa Mein Baat. He also shared the three kinds of infrastructure that the arts can provide: physical, social, and epistemic. Using these case studies as examples, Garrett highlighted how impactful the arts can be in addressing anxieties and concerns around climate change.

To conclude, Garrett stressed four policy considerations for Canada: embed arts in existing frameworks, interdisciplinary funding, research and data systems, and institutionalize partnerships. The case studies shared were improvisations to climate disasters the community was experiencing. The arts are integral to disaster infrastructure, and to create these arts focused infrastructures, planning is required.

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Watch the full seminar presentation here:

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