Courtney Ryan
What I study and why: I study how eco-performance (artistic performances in, with, and on the environment) can highlight environmental injustices and imagine a more equitable world. I’m drawn to this work because of the growing climate crises that disproportionately impact low-income and BIPOC communities. While eco-performance won’t solve the “wicked problems” caused by climate change, it can expose their uneven effects and suggest alternative ecological practices and ways of being in the world.
This fall, I am teaching: THTR 209: Theater and Environment, where we will analyze and make environmental art, including digital shorts, film, photography, and music; and THTR 110: World Theater I: Antiquity-19th Century, where we will immerse ourselves in theater rituals from around the globe.
What students can expect from me: In my classroom, I will foster an accountable space (Elise Ahenkorah), where we can learn from one another’s unique lived experiences and bring our whole selves into the art we study and make. We will engage in self-reflective and active learning to challenge our thinking and experiment with diverse ideas and genres.
Getting to know me: I love plants but don’t have a green thumb. Please visit my struggling office plants (and me!) in Room 117 at 248 N. Third St.
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