Canopy
Canopy is Wellcome’s citizen art and science festival and network, bringing health to the heart of climate action.
Canopy: a tent or tree cover; a place of exchange, of shade, and of shelter, and, on our heating planet, important for protecting life.
We're launching Canopy in September 2024 at the American Museum of Natural History and on Governors Island, home of The New York Climate Exchange. The launch will accompany the first-ever health theme at Climate Week NYC.
Canopy addresses the need for joyful cultural work to shift attitudes and policies when it comes to climate and health. Canopy’s aim is to democratize public conversations about climate through the lens of health, and create a large, open and inclusive atmosphere where everyone is welcome to have a say. It celebrates equitable approaches to adaptation and mitigation.
What is Canopy?
Canopy is hosted by Wellcome and Climate Group, and developed in collaboration with City University of New York. It involves an extraordinary group of researchers, artists, policymakers, designers, youth leaders and advocates who are:
- seeking to better understand the health impacts of climate change
- advocating for a health perspective in climate change conversations
- developing evidence-based solutions to protect health
- building and nurturing international collaboration
Canopy welcomes everyone from powerful decision-makers to the general public to have their say on climate and health – sharing knowledge, creating rapport and accelerating policy change. It includes exhibitions, artwork by youth leaders, public programming, walks, and a publication exploring the challenges and opportunities for health and climate action.
Pressing play on the video above will set a third-party cookie. Please read our cookie policy for more information.
Find out more about Canopy, Wellcome’s citizen art and science festival and network.
As climate change reshapes our lives, what stories of transformation and dreams of a healthier future do you carry with you? Introducing Canopy.
A canopy is a tent or tree cover, a place of exchange, of shade and of shelter and on our heating planet, important for protecting life.
It's also our broad and encompassing call to work together towards the collective health of humans and the planet in a changing climate.
Canopy is Wellcome's citizen art and science festival and network, bringing health to the heart of climate action.
We're launching Canopy in September 2024 at the American Museum of Natural History and on Governor's Island, home of the New York Climate Exchange. The launch will accompany the first ever health theme at Climate Week NYC. Canopy addresses the need for joyful cultural work to shift attitudes and policies when it comes to climate and health.
It's aim is to democratize public conversations about climate to the lens of health and create an open and inclusive atmosphere. And, it involves an extraordinary group of researchers artists, policy makers, designers, and youth leaders who are advocating for a health perspective in climate change conversations.
Canopy welcomes everyone to have their say on climate and health, sharing knowledge, creating rapport, and accelerating policy change
Healthier futures for everyone
In developing this programme, we have worked with an extraordinary group of researchers, artists, policymakers, designers, youth leaders and advocates who are leading the way with their generosity, humility, and determination.
We have also had the pleasure and privilege of working closely with Canopy’s writer-in-residence, Priya Basil.
To mark the first time that health has been a theme at Climate Week NYC, we have collaborated with Priya to assemble a publication featuring conversations with some of the people who have informed and inspired us.
The following question animates this publication, and our collective work: “As climate change reshapes our lives, what stories of transformation and dreams of a healthier future do you carry with you?”
Canopy is informed and inspired by our Climate and Health programme.
Canopy has been developed by Wellcome in collaboration with:
Priya Basil, Canopy writer-in-residence
Canopy events
Expand the event title for the time, location and event description.
Date: Saturday, 21 September 2024
Time: 11:00 – 12:30 and 14:00 – 15:30 EDT (1.5 hours each)
Location: Governors Island, New York
Led by Melting Metropolis historian Dr Kara Schlichting and Kendra Krueger from the Community Sensor Lab at CUNY, this is a playful, embodied, mark-making experience that explores our sensory experience of summer in the city.
Discover how, why, when and where heat moves through the city, how our bodies are impacted by it, and how this is tracked and engaged with by the scientific and local community.
Please note that this is an outdoor activity suitable for 14yrs+ who are comfortable walking/standing for up to one hour at a time. Walkshop starts at the Soisson's Arch, Governors Island ferry landing.
Get tickets for the Environmental Walkshop
Date: 23 to 30 September 2024
Location: American Museum of Natural History, on the Donor Wall in the Gilder Center, New York
This exhibition is on display at the American Museum of Natural History, in the Ellen V Futter Gallery, Richard Gilder Center. It captures the portraits and voices of people all over the world, including scientific researchers, policymakers, students, Indigenous Land Stewards and museum visitors.
This Inside Out Action and exhibition, organised by AMNH and Wellcome, asks people to share their stories and dreams of a healthier future in the face of climate change.
The Inside Out Project is a global art platform created by French artist JR that helps communities around the world stand up for what they believe in and spark global change by taking local action. Since the Project’s creation in 2011, over 560,000 people have participated in 152 countries and territories.
Date: Wednesday 25th September 2024
Location: American Museum of Natural History, Richard Gilder Center, New York
The Tomorrow Party is a co-creative futures method for policymaking and systems change. The playful, convivial event generates policy insights grounded in people’s first-hand experiences and shaped by their hopes for the future. The Canopy Tomorrow Party will be an opportunity to time travel together to COP30 - and beyond - to imagine what playful, collaborative and participatory approaches to creating a healthier future for all could look and feel like.
Date: Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Time: 19:00 – 20:00 EDT
Location: American Museum of Natural History, Richard Gilder Center, New York
Climate action rooted in science empowers us to create a resilient future, where cultural strategies and policy change transform challenges into opportunities for a healthier and more equitable world.
Join us this Climate Week for a conversation that will explore innovative perspectives and approaches that help us live as part of natural ecosystems, and address the pressing global challenge of climate change on health.
Museum President Sean Decatur will moderate this conversation, investigating the pivotal roles of scientific research, policy initiatives, and cultural strategies in creating actionable solutions that aim to create a more sustainable and healthier future for all.
Panelists: Dave A. Chokshi, Jainey K. Bavishi, Priya Basil, Tolullah Oni.
Get tickets for the panel event
Date: Thursday, 26 September 2024
Time: 18:30 - 20:30 EDT
Location: Our Lady Star of the Sea (white church on Gov Island), New York
A short film screening, music, and discussion on how to democratize conversations about climate through the lens of health, bridging divides across communities and bringing together arts, policy and research.
This event will feature youth leaders from Place4Hope, an online programme driven by a global community of young leaders who come together to co-create art works that address the urgent themes of planetary health and climate justice.
Moderator: Rebecca Hayes Jacobs (CUNY)
Panelists: Aish Machani (Global Citizens’ Assembly Network), Kimberly Ong (National Resources Defense Council), Leyla Hasanova (Youth Climate Champion for COP29 Azerbaijan) and Micaela Martinez (WE ACT for Environmental Justice).
Find more events about climate and health at the Climate Week NYC events calendar.
Related content
