Julia Willet

Project Title: Art and the Anthropocene: How art can facilitate social and political change in the face of the climate crisis

Project Description: My project aims to address how and why art has played an integral role in shaping social and political movements, and how these successes can be applied to the problem of climate change. By looking at art, art history, and psychology, I hope to discover what makes the medium unique in its ability to inspire change. However, I also hope to investigate cognitive science, and science communication to explore the link between empirical knowledge and human action. By engaging with environmental and climate sciences I hope to discover the role of art in bridging scientific understanding and collective action in the age of theAnthropocene.

Most Important Accomplishment: It is yet to come.

Reflections on the College Scholar Program: The College Scholar program has allowed me to fully follow my intellectual curiosity without being bound by the confines of a traditional major. As someone who is interested in art, but not solely its creation, I have often felt that I needed to give up one of my interests to pursue a singular discipline. The College Scholar program has allowed me to embrace my passions while also allowing me the opportunity to work with incredible faculty to form the interdisciplinary connections that I so often find myself making between my current classes. Through the freedom to pursue my intellectual curiosity and the collaborations with other college scholars, the program had given me the freedom and space to grow as a student and as a person.