March 1st - 2nd, 2024

City in Green: A Forum on Nature, Art, and Urban Wellbeing

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC

As part of the Kennedy Center’s REACH to FOREST festival, Therme US is hosting a two-day forum on nature, art, and urban wellbeing entitled City in Green. City in Green will explore various themes including the physical and mental health benefits of being in nature, environmental justice, and how art and science together deepen our understanding of nature in cities.
 
As part of the forum, Therme US is hosting multiple events both on-site at the Kennedy Center and off-site throughout the District.

Kennedy Center Events

Panel Discussion | We Are Connected Through Trees: New Frontiers of Biophilia

Friday March 1, 6-7:30 PM
Justice Forum at the REACH, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
 
This panel brings together artists, activists, designers, and scientists to explore the impact of nature on human wellbeing from diverse perspectives. Panelists will discuss cutting-edge projects that are reinvigorating our relationship to the natural world – from experiments in biophilic design, community-led forest bathing and radical art installations that “rewild” our built environment. Dance Exchange, a DC-based dance collective, will open the panel by facilitating a movement experience aimed at grounding the participants in a sense of interconnectedness and offering a brief physicalized introduction to some of the concepts that will be included in the panel conversation. This event is free and open to the public.


Panelists include: 

  • Anjan Chatterjee, Professor and Founding Director, Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, University of Pennsylvania
  • Robert Hammond, President & Chief Strategy Officer, Therme US
  • Ana Ka'ahanui, Forest Therapy Guide and Co-founder, Capital Nature
  • Precious Okoyomon, Artist 
  • Sara Zewde, Founding Principal, Studio Zewde 


Photo credit: Diana Pfammatter

REGISTER HERE

Panel Discussion | Wellbeing for All: Centering Equity and Community in Green City Projects

Saturday March 2, 6-7:30 PM
Justice Forum at the REACH, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

This panel explores the role of nature in urban life through the lens of environmental activism, public policy and architecture. Panelists will discuss the impact of green infrastructure on the wellbeing and health of communities and share insights learned from people-centric approaches, highlighting the crucial role that the arts have played in shaping their work. This event is free and open to the public.
 

Panelists include: 

  • Craig Dykers, Founding Partner, Snøhetta 
  • Benita Hussain, Tree Equity Chief Program Officer at American Forests 
  • Irfana Jetha Noorani, Artist & Cultural Producer 
  • Brenda Richardson, DC environmental activist 

REGISTER HERE

East of the River Events

Community Gathering | Cultural Exchange Project

Friday March 1, 10:30 AM - 12 PM

Kennedy Center's Youth Ambassador for the Arts & Environment, Aneeshwar Kunchala, and two students from the Amazon in Brazil will connect and speak with children on Friday, March 1st, in Ward 8.
 
This is a closed event by invitation only.











Community Gathering | MĀK (My Ancestral Kitchen) Apothecary & Salon

Saturday March 2, 12:30-2:30 PM
THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave SE
 
Therme US is hosting an artist tea salon that will bring visiting artists and designers from within the Therme network into dialogue with local DC artists in Ward 8. The event will be moderated by Melani Douglass, a healer, conceptual artist, and curator based in historic Anacostia. Douglass is the founder of the Family Arts Museum, a migratory institution focused on the celebration of family as fine art, home as curated space, and community as gallery.
 
This is a closed event by invitation only.