Heartthrob, actor, director, producer, catalogue merchant, environmentalist – Robert Redford is all these and so much more, and there’s another thing we can add to this list, at least for one day: Nearby. On June 1, Robert Redford and his wife, Sibylle Szaggars Redford, will be in Lake Forest and Riverwoods to accept an award from the Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods for their environmental leadership.
The same night, the couple also will present the Chicago-area premiere of The Way of The Rain – Voices of Hope, a multi-disciplinary performance that includes symphony, dance, choir, film, art and the spoken word. The performance is a collaboration of Artistic Director Szaggars Redford and Music Director and Composer Tim Janis.
Tickets are available for the June 1 event, which has three main components:
1. The performance of The Way of The Rain – Voices of Hope, for Brushwood Center, will begin at 4 p.m. at the Gorton Community Center’s John and Nancy Hughes Theater, having been underwritten by Nancy Hughes.
2. The Smith Nature Symposium & Benefit will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods, Riverwoods, with a cocktail reception and opening exhibition of Rain Paintings by Szaggars Redford
3. And at 7 p.m., guests will sit down to the dinner program, moderated by Bill Kurtis and Donna La Pietra with the Redfords as honored guests.
The Smith Nature Symposium & Benefit is a celebration of nature, the arts and luminaries who have made a meaningful contribution to the science of conservation and deepened our understanding of the natural world.
Catherine Game, executive director of Brushwood Center, said Redford and Szaggars Redford are an inspirational couple who use their voices and artistic talents to call attention to the importance of nature.
“They are champions for nature by protecting land, speaking out on issues like climate change, and using the arts to inspire all of us,” added A. Gail Sturm, Brushwood Center board member and chair of the planning committee. “They use their extraordinary talents to inspire, educate and reach people to evoke action to care for our earth, vital to life’s existence.”
In addition to his work as an actor, director and producer, Robert Redford has been an environmental activist since the early 1970s. He has been an advocate for climate change awareness and clean energy for more than 40 years. In 2016 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. He has served as trustee for the Natural Resources Defense Council and is the co-founder of The Redford Center with his son Jamie.
“Bylle & I are honored to receive this award at Brushwood Center, a place that, provokes thought and provides inspiration to protect our natural world,” said Redford.
Szaggars Redford has worked as a multimedia environmental artist for more than three decades, raising awareness through her art of our environmental unsound practices. Since 2012 Szaggars Redford has created art performances as homage to planet Earth and in 2015 founded The Way of the Rain, Inc., a nonprofit to promote public awareness about climate change.
All funds raised from the Symposium directly benefit Brushwood Center’s nature-inspired art, wellness, and education programs. To purchase tickets to the event, visit www.brushwoodcenter.org.
Robert Redford and his wife, Sibylle Szaggars Redford.
The Salk group in full regalia from “The Way of the Rain.”
