Arts, nature & the environment
Join us to explore some of the many connections between the Arts, nature and the environment, through our short online and in-person courses.
Our wide-ranging Culture and Humanities programme spans from the Ice Age to today, and across different cultures.
You can explore ‘Art and Environment in Ice Age Europe’, learn about animals in Renaissance Art, or think about environment and politics in indigenous art today. You can consider how Romantic poetry finds new resonance through ‘ecocritical’ readings, or study genre-busting literary non-fiction about the connections between walking and writing in urban, rural and desert landscapes.
You can also complement your studies with courses from our Science and Nature programme, including courses on botany, trees, geology, the Amazon, and the science of climate change.
Explore our exciting programme below!
Filters
- New Nature Writing in fiction and poetryCourse start date: Fri 3 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: David BarnesIn the last 15 years, a new type of nature writing emerged in the UK. It was personal, engaging, and examined the natural world and the environment in fresh and interesting ways. It promised to reconnect a younger generation with the world outside, and to raise awareness of ecological issues in an emotionally resonant way. Includes novels, poetry and memoir by Seamus Heaney, W.G. Sebald, Alice Oswald, Helen Macdonald. Elizabeth-Jane Burnett, Kathleen Jamie.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £90.00 - Geology and LondonCourse start date: Sun 5 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Charles ClarkeExplore how the geology below greater London has shaped its landscapes, infrastructure and built environment, making it such a fascinating and visually diverse city; look at stone types and their effects on the buildings around us.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Lunchtime lecture: Winter Sun: Nancy Holt's land art
Course start date: Wed 8 Feb 2023Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Sarah JaffrayJoin us for an introduction to the work of Nancy Holt, one of the foundational figures of the land art movement.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £8.00 Concession £7.00 - Introduction to botanyCourse start date: Sat 11 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Letta JonesMorning sessions at City Lit followed by a local botany walk in the afternoon: We will search out plants in all their diversity, looking at hedges, borders, grassland, path edges, avenues, rockery, informal and formal areas in the park. The course will be of interest to keen gardeners as well as anyone wanting to know more about everyday plants.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00 - An introduction to ornithology with birdwatchingCourse start date: Wed 22 Feb 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Brenna BoyleImmerse yourself in the fascinating world of birds. This short course has a broad scope: from evolution and global diversity to bird behaviour and song. Learn identification techniques in the classroom, then try out your skills during three guided fieldtrips to London locations.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £70.00 - Representing nature in early modern EuropeCourse start date: Fri 3 Mar 2023
Location on this date: Online
Explore the links between the visual image and ideas of nature in early modernity (c.1500-1750). At this time, tools like the microscope were visualising nature in new ways, changes were afoot in how humans related to animals, and the environments of Asia and the Americas were becoming more familiar to Europeans. We will focus on how artists and skilled artisans engaged with these subjects.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £71.00 - Animals in Renaissance artCourse start date: Mon 6 Mar 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Lydia GoodsonBeasts are everywhere in the art of the Renaissance. Discover why they are there and how artists created the painted and sculpted menageries of both real and imaginary creatures that populate Renaissance art.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Bird identification by sight and songCourse start date: Sat 18 Mar 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Verity MilesSometimes we hear birds before we see them. Find out more about identifying birds by sound as well as sight. Refresh your knowledge of the natural history of birds and what to look for to distinguish different species by sight, song and behaviour.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Natural history journalingCourse start date: Wed 26 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Brenna BoyleNatural history journaling is the insightful and relaxing process of closely observing and recording nature. There are no fixed rules to creating a journal; you could choose to write, draw, photograph or film the nature you encounter. No experience or skills are needed, just come along and try it out. This course promises enjoyment, relaxation, ecological learning and immersion in nature.Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £71.00 Concession £45.00 - More botanyCourse start date: Sat 13 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Letta JonesThis course looks more closely at plants noticing changes in early summer how they are grouped and named. The course includes afternoon walks to Lincoln’s Inn Fields to observe the plants there.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £71.00 - Trees in summerCourse start date: Sat 3 Jun 2023
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Letta JonesThree tree identification walks in Regent’s Park looking at common trees while focussing on bark, twigs, leaves, outline, seeds and fruits aiming to give you the confidence to get to know trees better.Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £71.00 Concession £58.00 - Art and environment in Ice Age EuropeCourse start date: Thu 12 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Simone ChisenaDiscover the artistic treasures of our most remote past, when our ancestors in the Ice Age created beautiful cave paintings and astounding sculpted works.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £71.00
Can't see a course you want?
Add this category to your waiting list to set up alerts and we will update you when new courses are released online.
Add me to waiting list