Inspired by Ice

Harvard Radcliffe Institute

2 February 2026

Drawings and prints, as well as sound and music, convey complicated interpretations of ice, environmental history, glaciology, and cultural survival. This event explores the evocative power of art to help us understand the multifaceted impacts of climate change on Arctic communities worldwide.

As climate change remakes the planet, icescapes constitute crucial sites of examination. This program is the second in a two-part series of one-hour webinars offered by Harvard Radcliffe Institute focused on “Ice Humanities.”

Our paired programs explore the cultural, creative, and social dimensions of environmental ice in a time of rapid change and decay. Speakers will connect science and geography with art, music, photography, and history to help us better understand and contextualize the climate crisis.

Harvard Radcliffe Institute gratefully acknowledges the Anson Wright Dean's Leadership Fund, which is supporting this event.

Speakers

Matthew Burtner, composer, Eleanor Shea Professor of Music, Department of Music, University of Virginia; codirector, Coastal Future Conservatory

Isabelle Gapp, assistant professor, Department of Art History, School of Divinity, History, Philosophy & Art History, University of Aberdeen (Scotland); codirector, The Centre for the North

Moderator

William Cheng RI ’23, chair and professor of music, Dartmouth College