Robert Redford is headed June 1 to the Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods in north suburban Riverwoods, where he and his wife, German-born environmental activist and multimedia artist Sibylle Szaggars Redford, are to be honored for their “environmental leadership” at the center’s annual Smith Nature Symposium and Benefit.
The appearance is to be accompanied by the first Chicago-area performance of “The Way of the Rain,” a multimedia collaboration between Szaggers Redford and musician Tim Janis, alongside others. Previously seen at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 2017 (and also such other venues as the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, as well as Miami and Dubai), “The Way of the Rain” is billed as a music, art and film experience, all “in homage to Planet Earth.” It is designed to explore the impact of climate change through the annual monsoon rains of the American Southwest.
In this performance, the piece will be titled “The Way of the Rain — Voices of Hope, for Brushwood Center,” in acknowledgment of the Brushwood Center’s long-standing role in connecting artists with the environment.
In a statement, Brushwood Center Executive Director Catherine Game called the Redfords “an inspiring couple who use their voices and artistic talent to call attention to the importance of nature.”
This benefit performance, which will feature narration by Robert Redford, is the most ambitious performative undertaking to date at the Brushwood Center, nestled in some 565 acres of woodlands. For tickets or more information, visit www.brushwoodcenter.org
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
cjones5@chicagotribune.com
