Extreme Heat: Rowan Bathhurst, Kei Ito, and Rachel Stein address Climate Change through Science-Informed Art

The Center for Innovation, Research, and Creativity in the Arts (CIRCA) presents Rowan Bathhurst, Kei Ito, and Rachel Stein in a conversation about Climate Change through Science-Informed Art. This event will take place at The Crow’s Nest in downtown Baltimore, where all three artists are in residence.

Founded in 2024 by Leo Martinez-Diaz, The Crow’s Nest is an art incubator in Baltimore that provides studio, social, and exhibition space for artists seeking to address the twin challenges of climate change and environmental justice through artistic expression and cultural production. In summer 2025, the Crow’s Nest launched the Extreme Heat Fellowship to support the work of three Baltimore-based artists, Rowan Bathurst, Kei Ito, and Rachel Stein to address the growing public health threat of extreme heat in Baltimore and in urban areas around the world. The three fellowship winning artists were given studio space, honoraria, and opportunities to work with public health researchers from Johns Hopkins University. The artists will present their resulting works in artist talks and in an accompanying exhibition at the Crow’s Nest.

Rowan Bathurst is a painter living and working between Baltimore and São Paulo, Brazil. Her practice centers on portraiture, primarily depicting women, drawn from her own photographs of close friends and incorporating landscapes and visual elements inspired by her time living in rural Brazil and travels across continents. Kei Ito is an interdisciplinary artist whose work is centered around utilizing the conceptual framework of photography to visualize the invisible. Rachel Stein is an interdisciplinary artist and educator who aims to activate the mind and body through immersive installation that encompasses video, photography, soundscapes, and interactive sculpture. Learn more about all three artists on CIRCA’s event page.

Admission is free.

The Crow’s Nest is located at 116 W. Mulberry Street, Baltimore, MD 21201.

Van transportation will be available from and to UMBC. Please visit here to reserve a space.

Image: Kei Ito, Zen for a Dying Planet, gelatin silver chemigram

This event is funded in part by the Arts+ Initiative.