what people are saying about Haumea Ecoversity

The moment I heard Cathy talk about her work at the HomeTree Ardnaculla Summer School in the Art & Ecology session, I knew I needed to take her course on ecoliteracy. Cathy has a deep passion for all she shares, so informed, compassionate and full of hope, just what we need. Like so many despairing in the fog of overwhelm from the collapse of Mother Earth’s beautiful life in every form, Cathy and Nikos’ guidance, resources and love have given me renewed hope and courage to spread the words of their wisdom.

Eternally grateful, Oonagh, Wild Kitchen

This is such a wonderful course! As an emerging artist who recently completed a Masters in Fine Art with a focus on performance, this course feels very timely and relevant for all artists.

I particularly enjoyed the emphasis on language and terminology to inform artistic practices, as well as understanding the difference between empathy and compassion when it comes to fostering resilience and navigating ecological anxiety and existential dread!

Thank you so much Cathy and Nikos!

I am very appreciative of the Kilkenny Arts Office bursary which enabled me to participate in this course – míle buíochas!

As part of my role as lead artist with Corca Dhuibhne Inbhuanaithe – A Creative Imagining to explore ways in which farmers on the Dingle Peninsula can diversify to address climate change (funded by the inaugural Creative Climate Action Fund), I was supported to work with Dr Cathy Fitzgerald as a mentor.

Cathy provided crucial context for the work and references to other interesting creative-led community climate and biodiversity projects. I also took part in both Haumea Ecoversity Essential Ecoliteracy and Earth Charter ethos courses which were valuable and insightful. I’m also looking forward to working with Cathy again on my next Creative Climate Action project.

As the 2022 Platform 31 Artist for Clare County Council, I was able to avail myself of several mentoring sessions with Cathy. She’s a very intelligent and sensitive mentor who listened carefully to my many different needs, gave good advice and was very encouraging.

Cathy was very empathetic about all the challenges I was facing. As an eco-arts practitioner, I’m well aware of the complexities of our multiple ecological crises, and of how overwhelming our reality can be.

But Cathy has great vision and values in this area and was a true inspiration. She has a huge scope of knowledge, and easily directed me towards many inspiring eco-philosophers and artists whose work continues to support my practice.

Cathy was an excellent mentor to me, she opened me up to lots of new areas of research and inspired me with recommendations of similar artists working in my field. She has a vast knowledge of eco issues and how we can start to address them as artists. She has a holistic and gentle approach and you can tell how passionate she is for working towards an eco-inclusive worldview. After finishing the mentoring sessions I feel excited about my new journey – 14 June 2023

As a writer and dancer, the ecoliteracy course with Cathy Fitzgerald was invaluable for my practice.

Especially the modules covering arts and community engagement and maintaining hope and resilience when faced with adversity.

Many thanks to the Kilkenny Arts office for the bursary which enabled me to participate in the course.

I live in the north of Ireland and am hoping in the next years to develop a permanent native woodland and wooded pathway for everyone in the town.

This will be a collaboration strengthened by working with others around a shared vision. “We will never bring forth what we haven’t dared to dream or learnt to imagine” – Joanna Macy

I could not even be considering such a project now if I hadn’t been a part of this Ecoliteracy course – Cathy and Nikos’ huge generosity of spirit in sharing so much rich knowledge and insight is humbling and so inspiring to me.

Without this course, I believe I would still be stuck in global grief.

I am very grateful to you both, thank you.

As an artist and educator, I wanted to sign up for Cathy’s Ecoliteracy course to support my teaching and learning within an educational context, and to support my own practice and research.

The content is rich and vast and I could not have imagined the extent of Cathy’s commitment to building such a holistic and rigorous course. It was really inspiring.

Furthermore, the online Zoom session meant you were not engaging with this material on your own; there is support and valuable discussion opportunities. Through doing the course, it has certainly improved my awareness of ecoliteracy; I can identify the gaps in my knowledge while also expanding on the knowledge I already have. I would do it again!

“I was drawn to this course without really knowing much of what it would cover, and all I can say is that I am so grateful I jumped in. It marks a pivotal point in my understanding of my work and empowered me to value my role as a musician and writer in the world today. If you’re an artist (and everyone’s an artist of some kind) who feels powerless in the face of the ecological crisis — this course is for you.

The course content is rich, factual, philosophical, soulful, and beautiful — where Earth crisis can cause one to want to look away, this course instead invites you in, offers a sense of opening, and hope, and doesn’t shy away from calling artists into their place as the leaders of change.

Both Cathy and Nikos bring a wealth of wisdom and experience, and their particular viewpoints and backgrounds complement each other so well.

The course is self-paced, which I appreciate now that I can look back on everything (there is so much great linked material), but I actually enjoyed moving through each module week-by-week at the pace of the course: it was a healthy challenge for me.

As a result of what I learned and the people I met, I felt empowered to consider myself an eco-artist. I also felt that I was able to start visioning future projects in a new and more Earth-centric light.

I believe that there’s something in this for anyone who has an art practice of any kind. The very act of placing your art within the collective is not only a gift to yourself — it’s a gift to the world.

Do it!”

The Haumea Ecoversity Ecoliteracy course in early 2023 was a great way to begin the year. It really expanded my thinking about the climate emergency and my response to it. Lots of new vocabulary and perspectives. And the chance to do this in a group setting was wonderful. I look forward to engaging with the community that Cathy and Nikos are building in this space, for mutual support, encouragement and ideas.

The state of the planet is a challenging and confronting area where I can often feel overwhelmed. With the Haumea Ecoversity Ecoliteracy course, Cathy and Nikos provided a balance of information, care and inspiration to those who are finding ways to move their work into this area. The breadth of the course was truly stimulating; science, philosophy, art and spirituality all played a part in the multidimensional approach. This made it much easier to find places where I can use my skills.

There is a lot to absorb and I will be following up with generous suggestions for reading, films and sites to explore. I know this is going to have a long-lasting effect on my practice in the future.

I feel better equipped to communicate the essence of my work now.  The Haumea Ecoversity Ecoliteracy course content underpins the creative self-care, and earth-care work I have been doing for a long time. Up to now, it’s been hard to find words for something I just know in my heart.   www.sui.ie

Ecoliteracy is a knowledge form I sought before I knew it had a name. Cathy’s mentoring gave me a framework to slot my thinking into and join up the dots I have been working to uncover through my artwork over the past decade. Her generous and careful approach to one-to-one mentoring came at a crucial time for me thinking about the use of plants in my work and helped me understand the wider concerns surrounding my research. Cathy helped me see that there is a greater international network of thinkers past, present and future that I can tap into.

In the months after our mentoring session, I felt a definite shift into a new awareness and a passing of a significant threshold since thinking more consciously about ecological practice; which once passed, you can’t go back from. That ecoliteracy has a name and is a process that can be worked on (over a lifetime) is incredibly enabling. I thank Cathy deeply for her support and engagement with my work.

Cathy has been a wonderful mentor in the past few weeks, full of knowledge, thoughtfulness, and genuine deep love and care for ecology as a theoretical subject and a lived experience. Even from the first session I felt immersed in a new way of thinking holistically about this vital subject matter.

It goes without saying that these sessions with Cathy have shifted my perspective and got me to ask some pretty fundamental questions of myself and my work.

She has been a great teacher and support for my upcoming project at IMMA Dublin and I look forward to continuing the dialogue.

Working with Cathy was a wonderful experience, learning about the deep history of ecologically-engaged artwork, and being exposed to new ideas and processes which will continue to resonate in my own practice.

Author of ‘Ways of Being: Beyond Human Intelligence’ 2022

It was a privilege to participate the Cathy’s Earth Charter course. I was so impressed by the breadth of her approach incorporating spiritual, moral and practical guidance on the Earth Charter.

Also, I was moved by its relation to me as a human, an artist and a part of a World community.

She and Nikos were inspiring and provided me with a huge injection of new knowledge. I will continue to pursue the path of the ecosocial path that I find my practice on but with now a framework of the Earth Charter and an awareness of other practitioners who are similarly engaged.

Participating in the Haumea Essential Ecoliteracy course was akin to being in a thriving ecosystem filled with layers of abundance. Great attention to detail, wide-ranging and varied lessons and resources.

This has been a wonderful, supportive journey. I have gained fresh insights for ways to articulate my work and processes and have a sense of lineage and foundation within these perspectives. I have also gained new creative connections which was a delightful surprise too.

Many thanks to Cathy, Nikos and Martin. Your wholehearted approach and authentic community-orientated spirit have really inspired me.

Participating in the Haumea Essential Ecoliteracy course has been such an enriching experience.  It opened the door to a whole new area of learning for me which impacts my work as a musician and teacher.  Engaging with the course has also brought a deeper appreciation of the non-human world to my daily life – a real gift in these challenging years.  Practically speaking, the course has given me ideas for projects to develop, and the confidence to engage in discussion about ecological issues and my response to them as a musician.

I would recommend this course to anyone who is curious about the times we are living through and our artistic, societal and cultural responses to them.

The Haumea Ecoversity Ecoliteracy course is a must for anyone serious about understanding the depth and potential for their work in the context of the arts, humanity, and the planet.

Cathy and Nikos bring their full hearts to the work and provide a supportive learning experience, rich with experience and wisdom.  I really enjoyed the community of artists and am excited about the new direction of my work! Would love for a community to form around this work.

I’m usually an independent but in this case happy to be a Cathy and Nikos/Haumea groupie—the Earth needs us to come together.

Over the past year I was attending pilot programs of The Haumea Ecoversity on Ecoliteracy, Creativity as an Act of Love and their Earth Charter course. The material we studied was of great thinkers and scientists of the environmental movement, as well as the academic work of both Cathy Fitzgerald founder and teacher & philosopher Nikos Patedakis. They were phenomenal in their breadth of knowledge,  fastidious in their references and footnoting, and always insightful.

Inspired by the rigour of their scholarship, I see now a duty to tackle subjects I had discounted as being beyond my role as painter of slow / low tech tendencies who had become petrified of the all-pervasive power of the web. Thus I have become keener to learn more about endemic local phenomena, such as Cryptogamic life or in the ethnographic study of local buildings techniques..)

From this I realise we each ought to better understand the biological intricacies that support us. We need to insist upon such an education as a basic pre-requisite for our children and our leaders. We need to be more as the anthropologist, farmosopher or geologian would be in our concern with overall cosmic pattern or laws. Nature is artist before us,  whose beauty and complexity should not be diminished while we engage in making ourselves a quick buck or two. Students of both economic schools of business, as well as ecology, would save a vast fortune if they could study here first and acquire the taste for the long term view on how we can define what Oikos and good housekeeping really ought to be.

Cathy and Nikos – I am in awe of how you are so positive and impactfully moving the whole concept of ecoliteracy forward. I found your Essential Ecoliteracy course fantastic. It had a deep impact on my work as a visual artist. The resource materials provided are far superior to those of many heavily funded academic post-grad courses I have completed. Thank you!

My experience of the two courses with Cathy Fitzgerald and Nikos Patedakis is one of the most enriching of my life. I attended the Ecoliteracy for Arts Professionals and The Earth Charter courses this year (2021).

The Haumea Ecoliteracy course first gave me a rich foundation in philosophical, scientific and cultural/arts practices, ideas and values.

The Haumea Earth Charter course focussed on values and paradigms, those invisible things that wield their subtle power in the shaping of our world. It was encouraging to find out how much work has been done in developing these values in the Charter.

To find out that there are so many groups and individuals working skilfully to bring about change and to restore our living world was uplifting. The wealth of resources shared by Cathy is vast and empowering. I am currently reading through some ofthe recommended books. The role of the arts in this crucial time of change is immense. As artists, creatives and educators we are storytellers, and stories and images are powerful tools for change. Cathy gave us a new language to share our experience of eco-related grief and gifted us with us a reservoir of practical and imaginative tools to share in our facilitation and art making. I am now more than ever aware of interconnectedness, of being part of a community of life on this planet.

Nikos philosophical insights and the meditative practices he brought into the sessions grounded those ideas into experience. The ecological crisis is also a crisis of the imagination and the spirit. An “inner and outer” approach to ecological change made this course unique.

The support of such a diverse and strong group was vital in bringing energy to the online sessions and in creating a sense of community, something much needed when confronting the reality of environmental collapse. The group discussions were fascinating.

Thank you Cathy and Nikos for your important work.

Paola Catizone: Creator of Breaking Cover, Art and Ecology Encounters Programme at IMMA

As a teacher in the New Zealand vocational science education sector I have for some time been wanting to find a way of encouraging learners to explore the wider environmental impacts of their chosen fields. I first heard of the Earth Charter through a conversation with Cathy and thought it might be provide a useful lens through which students could view and analyse the activities of the various industries they were hoping to work for in their careers.

I’m very pleased to have then taken the Haumea Earth Charter course. The content of the course comprehensively covered the EC pillars in a way that was both engaging and sympathetic to the audience. I particularly enjoyed being part of the eclectic group taking the course, as it allowed a wide range of opinions to be aired using everyday language. This experience will greatly assist me in communicating wider concepts to my own groups of learners, who also come from diverse ethnicities and social backgrounds.

I would like to thank Cathy for all her work on the Ecoliteracy and Earth Charter courses, for her generosity in sharing her knowledge and experiences, and for her energy and effort protecting the planet. It has been a truly transformational journey for me.

It is testament in itself that I take every opportunity to work with Cathy, Nikos and Haumea. Whilst I am not a ‘perpetual course attendee’, I have found a deep need to be present with what Haumea offer for learning.

Having just completed the ‘Earth Charter Values’ course the richness and kind learning has served to offer me new forms of practice, new ways of considering and new connections to others with similar concerns.

The course has had a marked, immediate impact on what and how I engage with others through my practice. Learning the guiding principles of The Earth Charter, acquiring the language to share them through discussion, dialogue, examples and research has had a profound change on how I view my practice and place within this living world. The philosophies of care and compassion that underpin the Earth Charter are beacons of hope and positivity in very challenging times.

Cathy, Nikos and Martin have an ability to build positive, deeply rich courses that speak to the best within us. They recognise the capacity and creativity within participants as well as their voice as essential to shared learning and the creation of a peer learning environment.
The (Peoples) Earth Charter is a rich and enlightening document drawn together by wise peoples from many traditions. It offers a pathway for co-existing in the living world. The Haumea Course navigates the course whilst embodying its principles.
I am immensely grateful for having attended this course, learning a little of what was offered and sharing that journey with other travellers. Thank you.

I was first introduced to the Earth Charter during one of Cathy’s courses about Ecoliteracy, and immediately I wanted to learn more. Taking part in the Haumea Earth Charter course has helped me to understand the scope of the work of caring for our planet, and to begin to find a personal role I can take in the work. I met a wide range of people from all over the globe which helps me to understand the deep nature of the work, as well as sense the connections all around our globe.

I had an idea in my mind of what the Haumea Ecoliteracy course was going to be but from the first lesson my mind was expanded in ways that is truly inspirational.

I am very grateful for Cathy and Niko’s generosity in sharing their wisdom and knowledge, I feel I have finished a Masters Degree.

Thank you!

I did not know exactly what I was looking for when I signed on to Cathy Fitzgerald’s ecoliteracy for the arts course. I was stalled in my own project, and felt that what I was missing might be found here. You don’t know what you don’t know, and the scope and depth of this course for me had profound effect and consequence. I got what I was after and some more besides. This course encompasses many complex concepts. You will be challenged and invited to go deep with your own understanding and your own feelings. Cathy has a wealth of expertise that spans ecology, science, art and along with philosopher Dr. Nikos Patedakis, I was afforded one on one attention to deal with interests particular to me and my practice.

It was a great privilege also, to share this journey with a stimulating group of people who contributed uniquely to this learning experience, as we were all tasked to apply the course material specifically to our own work.

Six months later, I am still wading through fascinating suggested reading materials. That’s the important thing for me, nothing ended. This course is about access, about opening a door, about enabling and awakening, about the sharing of knowledge and a passion for life and for the living, about care, compassion and willingness to engage, about carrying something of vital importance forward into the work and into the world.

I am very grateful to Cathy and to Nikos, for their passion, generosity and skill, for all I have learned and continue to learn. For anyone reading this and thinking about doing this course…book it now.

I am quite amazed at how much I loved the Haumea course. I didn’t believe that an online course could have such an impact on my life and art. I felt like I landed in ‘my tribe’…ecosocial artists engaging with creativity and climate action with compassion, kindness and commitment. I loved the weekly sessions and looked forward to going through the amazing material Cathy sent us every week. I was so impressed at how she and Nikos engaged and gave feedback.

I am so impressed with Cathy’s integrity, focus and commitment to this amazing planet, with which we live. I walk the land where we live with a renewed sense of purpose. I have just finished the course and miss it.

I feel that Cathy and Nikos walk the talk and have so much to share. I am very grateful for the experience.

I found Cathy popping up in my arts practice research over several years and was so pleased to have the opportunity over Lockdown 2020 to undertake her online Haumea ecoliteracy course. Cathy’s knowledge, the Haumea course and the inspiring people it connected me with, sustained my thinking over this period. The structure of the course, the ensuing discussions, the shared concerns and thoughtfulness of approaches has continued to accompany me since. Thinking about eco literacy and current pushes to reconnect to Nature illustrates the ecological crises we face, there is the assumption we are disconnected, standing separate. Whilst the sense of separation may be strong it is illusory. The real reconnection required of us is to the awareness of humanity’s essential connection to all life and our place and function within a healthy ecosystem. I hope that I can continue on this journey of learning and watch with interest and pride the work that Cathy and others are undertaking to awake us all from our deep sleep of ignorance.

“The ‘Creativity as an Act of Love’ course with Nikos shares similar challenges, joy, intimacy and honesty to the Haumea Ecoliteracy course. It also helped me reframe my own philosophy, not only in facing the Ecologic and biodiversity challenges ahead but with deeper explorations into compassion, dangerous philosophies and a range of practical tools. Nikos’ depth of knowledge, patience and humour has created another valuable path for exploration. Its a path that offers a lifetime of discovery yet with immediate and measurable benefits.’

The course opened up my practice to the huge potentials that exist outside the confining definitions of art world art practices. It gave me language and understanding of how to define what work I’d like to do through my practice. It gave me a concise network of information that would have taken me years to amass myself. When I realised that my ‘living life’ is really my art practice.. how to live well in these times and to share this. This thought has allowed me to totally reframe what I hope to do.

This is a comprehensive learning course in ecoliteracy, well presented and supported and is learner-friendly for all levels. I found the course to be great value for money and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone wishing to learn more about ecoliteracy and the practical applications of the language and ideas covered in the course. The compassionate support of the course tutors is also invaluable as part of the course.

It’s great to read about the impact Cathy Fitzgerald’s Haumea is having on people’s lives. Having watched her thinking and approach evolve over many years now, the comments above seem to me an entirely appropriate response to what is a valuable resource for all those concerned with developing a better understanding of the relationship between art and ecology. Knowing how much work has gone into putting the course together, I would highly recommend this course.

Dr. Iain Biggs Educator | artist | researcher – Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Dundee, a Visiting Research Fellow at Bath Spa University, supervising/advising doctoral students in Scotland, Ireland and England.

Cathy’s 7-week Haumea Online course on ecoliteracy, in conjunction with Dr. Nikos Patedakis’ philosophical contribution, contained invaluable analysis tools and well as precious soul food!

I urgently recommend the Haumea Essential Ecoliteracy course, seven weeks of delving into current thinking and practices are held together by Cathy’s gentle committed presence with Nikos Patedakis’ philosophical support.

What is terrifying about the way the world is now, becomes manageable, as we discover there are ways through, and this course is one of them.

This course has brought clarity and motivation to my artistic and anthropological practice.

With scientific rigour, spiritual richness, creative sparkle and sensitivity it offers a deeper appreciation of the world and all we share it with.

As an artist with a concern about our communities and environment this course was invaluable in helping me communicate confidently about my work. The course offers a supportive environment to delve deeper into important compassionate ecological practices.

I would like to thank you Cathy for the course. I think this kind of education, all you delivered–was so comprehensive and so good–I feel like I have been studying for two years! It is worth spreading and could be a part of a study program at a university 🙂 You inspired me to develop my activity as an ecosocial art practitioner.

I aim to develop ecological art projects for junior high schools, take students to the forests and develop creative-learning situations in nature. Like the German artist Tino Sehgal, I lost the interest in creating pleasing decorative things to sell. I’ve became more aware of the urgency of other methodologies for art now. Eventually, I imagine I will work exclusively with natural material like plants, wood and stone, but the most important is to make people embrace different ways of knowing to live well with all of Earth’s inhabitants.

I found Cathy’s Haumea Online 6-week Essential Ecoliteracy course and mentoring inspiring on a number of levels. Educationally, I found Cathy to be a teacher who communicates with gentleness and conviction and the topics covered are varied and interesting with access to the work of many outstanding thinkers and artists. I learnt much and became a lot more ecoliterate ( although I still have a way to go).

As a visual artist, I felt I had joined a community of people, a network of artists, both in Ireland and around the world who have a common understanding, who share information and have the potential to act as a support to one another. Personally, the course led me to begin meditating on a regular basis after trying unsuccessfully for many years.

One of the artists/philosophers referred to on the Ecoliteracy course wrote: “When the student is ready the teacher will appear”. I am glad that Cathy and her course appeared when they did.    Thank you Cathy!

I was one of Cathy’s supervisors for her PhD, and indeed I think I was the main impetus in helping her to decide on pursuing what is always a demanding project, not least when it takes the form of both theory and practice, as it did in her case. Cathy is committed to environmental ideals, and combines (unusually) a deep feeling for nature with a skilful ability to navigate contemporary digital platforms. Her wide-ranging interests span her own forestry project, an important input at political level, and her key interventions as an artist and cultural practitioner.

Having viewed Cathy’s presentations on various occasions and in different forums, I have no hesitation in recommending her as an inspired and inspiring instructor.

Particularly in these times when everything seems (by necessity) to be going digital, Cathy’s input is extremely important – given that, in the long term, environmental degradation is at least as concerning as the present pandemic, and may be intimately connected to it as a causal factor as well, due to (e.g.) agribusiness, factory farming, animal exploitation and, of course, deforestation.

Cathy’s work offers a practical antidote to the threat posed by global warming, species extinction and the myriad other examples of humanity’s depredations on nature. I am delighted to see her work flourishing at this time, when it is so greatly needed.

I highly recommend Cathy’s 6-week Eco-Literacy course to anyone wishing to explore ways of deepening into creative relationship with the whole living Earth community.

The modules are thought provoking and inspiring, the other people in the course are all doing interesting work and Cathy creates a vibrant space for the cross-pollination of ideas. Cathy is a fountain of kindness and generosity.

Her enthusiasm, encouragement, and knack for making connections was greatly appreciated. I felt warmly welcomed, seen, heard and encouraged to share my voice, experience and opinions in the live group meetings and private discussions.

As a creative generalist, I’m always dreaming up new Life-enhancing practices to add to my work and this course was filled with so much inspiration, fuel for continued dreaming and small sweet steps for inspired action.

The content and network of support arising from this community of artists and change-makers could take you in a million creative directions!

Cathy Fitzgerald’s Ecoliteracy course far surpassed my expectations in materials presented and discussions. It is a valuable course at so many levels.

I’ve been a practicing ecoartist for 12 years and educator for 25; despite my background, Cathy’s course was rich in knowledge that will continue to aid me in my teaching, personal studio practice, and ever-expanding community based art & ecology stewardship.

Even in grad school, I never came across eco information or had discussions this rich in content and heart.

I first met artist -researcher Cathy twelve years ago in my home town of Carlow, Ireland. Her course is packed with valuable resources, video links and readings.  Fellow artists, educators and policy makers from all over the globe met on the weekly zoom meeting ,  using the material for that week we explored ecological insights that promote paradigm shifts.

On our final week participants presented our own socio eco practices to the group, learning a little bit more of the people who had been raising questions during the previous weekly sessions. After two weeks I am still reviewing many of the readings and links on the course referencing the renowned and also the less known movers and shakers in the world of ecological thinking and eco-social art practices […]

I would highly recommend this online course for artists and creatives and policymakers who wish to inform their practices / educational programs and policies.  [from a review of Cathy’s Haumea Ecoliteracy course, Summer 2019]

The Haumea online ecoliteracy course provides participants with an essential toolkit to help them assemble a framework, within which to situate and develop their own eco-creative practices. Students are introduced to a wonderfully diverse range of perspectives, ranging from the philosophical to the psychological, from the sociological to the scientific, and how these distinct fields all intersect, impact and impinge upon current ecological concerns as well as exploring the ways in which they can help inform art practices.

All this material, which may seem daunting at first, is presented in an easy-to-follow format, making it both accessible and engaging. Cathy is a compassionate and accomplished guide, leading her students through eco-literary forests of thought with both clarity and deftness.

The weekly online discussions were also something to look forward to. They were hugely helpful and cordial, fostering a warm and intimate sense of community among the participants. It made the course much more participatory, engaging, and, most importantly, enjoyable. I have really missed these group discussions since completing the course.

I heartily recommend this course to anyone interested in learning more about the relationships between art and ecology.

I had the pleasure and honour of participating in Cathy’s first 6-week Online Ecoliteracy course. I felt immersed in a process that was deeply informed and considered with a group that had a wealth of different experiences. I felt the learning environment was clearly held by Cathy’s inclusive, knowledgable and articulate approach alongside her collaborators.

As a dance artist I feel the course gives me clear guidance as to other areas, for example science and ethics, that can inform how I articulate my work and its value. I now feel that I will be able to take informed action on climate and biodiversity issues in a way that relates to my values and creative practice. Thanks Cathy!

Ok, the preciousness of Cathy lies in her very unique combination of skills; a profound knowledge (scientific, artistic, activist, ecoliterate), an intrinsic sensitivity toward the natural world, and a loving nature, which seems to emanate from all of her doings; whether in one on one conversation, in her own creative practice, or thru the computer screen all thru the online course.

In these crucial times in history, this innovative and artistic community is of profound importance. I experience the course to provide both scientific knowledge on the current shape and state of things, and creative inspiration, on how artistry can be used as a strong environmental voice. The course presents a very holistic approach to the processing and set of actions one can take, to help reshape the correlation between us and the natural world.

So if you ever get the opportunity to participate in one of her courses, workshops or any kind of collaboration, simply soak up her passion and competence, and know, that you will be enriched!

‘Just as in her own art, where she is growing a forest, in her teaching she draws together the disparate roots, branches, leaves, seeds and flowers, leaving a healthy forest to flourish for itself. I am very grateful.’ I took part in the first pilot 6-week course on ecoliteracy that Cathy and her colleagues through Haumea organised.

This course, the other participants, the structure and the resources, were all equally measured, equally insightful. Delivered with Cathy’s enthusiasm and positivity, and her sense of inclusion, we were introduced to connected ideas of nature, art and society. The course materials covered the experiential, the geographical, the scientific, and the artistic.

It is easy to recommend Cathy’s own work, and her education. Her knowledge on disparate topics, and her willingness to share this knowledge, are tremendous. Every participant brought something different: writers, artists, philosophers all shared their perspectives as part of the course.

Cathy’s way is to connect the people and the ideas. Just as in her own art, where she is growing a forest, in her teaching she draws together the disparate roots, branches, leaves, seeds and flowers, leaving a healthy forest to flourish for itself. I am very grateful.

Cathy was extremely helpful and supportive as an interviewee for my undergraduate thesis, which was an exploration of how permaculture design principles might be applied to an art practice. Her explanation of her own work with continuous cover forestry gave me clear, practical examples of the kinds of ideas I was investigating.

I also benefited from Cathy’s extensive knowledge and understanding of eco-social art practices as she was able to guide me to the work of writers, artists, curators who are active in this area, and also to specific texts.

As well as being useful for thesis itself, the benefit of this knowledge extends into a much wider context as it provides me with more of a framework and vocabulary to bring my interest in ecology into a practice in contemporary art.

15/6/2020

It was a great pleasure to attend Cathy’s first ecoliteracy workshop. One of the most important aspects of the workshop for me was how it reflected the breadth and depth of Cathy’s understanding and passion for developing the interrelationship between art, ecology and sustainability. Cathy shared her knowledge of environmental thinkers and philosophers with such warmth, openness and generosity. She has truly opened up a new way of thinking about social practice for me, and she also introduced me to a host of thinkers whose work is exciting and challenging.

Cathy has an extraordinary mind which is deeply analytical and equally creative. Her training and love of science and research is matched by her creative socially engaged practice which brings science and art together in her unique way.

I would urge anyone with an interest in ecology, art and sustainability to take Cathy’s classes and workshops. Her willingness to share her work and nurture that of participants is evident in her warmth, sincerity and passion for her work. She is a phenomenal teacher with so much to share.

If life gifts you the opportunity to work with Cathy Fitzgerald, consider yourself lucky. If you are a policy-maker, please listen to her wise counsel. If you are considering signing up for one of her courses, do so posthaste. If you are a patron of the arts, get out your checkbook and put a lot of zeroes after that first positive integer.

Cathy is an incredible resource for art education institutes, art organizations and individual artists of all kinds. Go to Cathy to increase ecoliteracy (eco-wisdom, eco-cultural skill) and rejuvenate your own art practice or that of your students and/or community. Bringing ecology and art together is essential right now, and Cathy understands the social, political, scientific, philosophical, and creative challenges it presents.

Cathy has an excellent mind, both creative and analytical. She has education and training in the sciences, including a long stint as a research tech, yet she retains the sensitivity and soul of an artist.

Cathy’s work as an artist reminds me of a lecture Toni Morrison gave, in which the Nobel laureate lamented that the problem with so much of the art these days is that it isn’t *about* anything. As a philosopher I can confidently say that Cathy’s work is not only about something, but it’s about some of the most important things.

Whether you seek out Cathy as an artist, teacher, collaborator, or adviser, you will find her a delight to engage with, and a genuinely warm and ethical person. I encourage you to work with her and to support her work.

Cathy is an inspirational teacher, artist and friend who has enriched my understanding of ecocide and climate chaos immeasurably.

I was embarking on a composition project and knew that I wanted to connect my music and creativity with an eco-practice but had no tools or deeper understanding other than my flailing sense of impotence in the face of climate chaos. Cathy guided me through resources, philosophers, activists, books and videos with a light and generous touch. I came to understand the importance of joining with others, of finding ways to express grief, of finding the courage to keep speaking truth to power and understanding the importance of every tiny action we make.My project is now ongoing with support from the Irish Arts Council.

Cathy, you have my deep gratitude and my admiration for your knowledge and your dedication.

3/3/2020

I attended Cathy’s first ecoliteracy workshop, having struck up a friendship after hearing her speak at the Conference of Irish Geographers (2018) on art and sustainability. I was struck then by her ideas, and felt immediately the importance of her work. Here was someone finally articulating and speaking about issues with the urgency which I felt at the time, but which was not yet mainstream in public discourse.

Cathy spoke courageously about the sixth extinction, climate change, culture as the fourth pillar of sustainability and through her workshop, introduced me to a host of authors, ideas, and environmental philosophers whose work must be read in this time of change and upheaval.

I continue to admire and deeply appreciate her honesty and courage in speaking about these issues, urging us to strive for a human morality that includes all living beings and reconnects us to ourselves, each other, and the natural world. Shakespeare counsels that we must “Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers the o’erfraught heart and bids it break”. Cathy’s work and friendship have helped me and many others give that sorrow words, giving us tools to keep going at a time when our hearts are close to breaking as we bear witness to the multiple global crises that are unfolding.

I completed a Masters in painting in 2017. As a long time professional artist I attended Cathy’s first ecoliteracy workshop in November 2019.

I was not sure what to expect but was hoping for high standards I was not disappointed. She had a well thought out plan. What I found most impressive apart from her intellectual modesty and approachability, was the generosity with which she shared her concerns and interests. The quality and delivery of the information she imparted on the general field of eco art research was very useful and an inspiration.

A great educator and super mentor. I look forward to her forthcoming online course.

Cathy helped guide me through one of my projects responding to the ecological crisis.

Coming from Dublin and having had no formal education in the area of ecology, I found the research-heavy going at first.

But Cathy gave me the confidence to pursue. She was clear and concise and generous with her knowledge.

The project has since been selected for New Irish Works 2019 and I am indebted to Cathy for all her support!

3/5/2020