Cig Harvey

_{“In the time it took to write this sentence somebody died, somebody was born, a language disappeared, a mass shooting occurred, a forest burn began, an insect crushed, an idea inched forward. Searching for and bearing witness to beauty can be a political act.”  –Cig Harvey}

Internationally acclaimed writer and photographer Cig Harvey visits Notre Dame to deliver the John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values’ annual Ruskin Lecture. Known for work that is lush, bold, and intimate, Harvey seeks out beauty, using it as a tool to elevate the experience of the everyday, and encourages her viewers to do the same.

In response to the Reilly Center’s 2026-27 theme of beauty, Harvey’s visit insists that beauty is a radical act. Her talk continues the legacy of John Ruskin, a Victorian art critic turned social commentator, by placing the artist at the center of contemporary discourse.

Credits

Cig Harvey

Cig Harvey is a British-American photographer and writer whose work is in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University, and the Library of Congress, among others. She’s author of five monographs, including her most recent, Emerald Drifters, published in 2025 by Monacelli/Phaidon. Harvey has exhibited and lectured at numerous galleries, museums, and institutions including the Farnsworth Art Museum, Fotografiska, and Stenersen Museum. She’s been the subject of an Oscar nominated short film and has been featured in and published by The New Yorker, Virginia Quarterly Review, and The New York Times. Cig Harvey lives in Maine with her husband, Doug, and daughter Scout. The passing of time and the natural surroundings of her rural home have made her alert to the magic in the mundane.

Cig Harvey

Notre Dame's John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values

The Reilly Center brings the sciences and humanities together to explore the nature and impact of science, technology, and medicine. Through our programs, we inspire reflection on the connections between and across disciplines. Our academic community is dedicated to examining science, technology, and medicine through the lens of the liberal arts to preserve human dignity and support the common good.

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Notre Dame Arts Initiative

Launched in 2024 as a priority of Notre Dame's strategic framework, the Arts Initiative brings together the people and programs of the University’s extended arts community to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and define the arts as central to campus and community life. By transcending conventional boundaries — between art forms and across disciplines — the Initiative mobilizes the transformative power of the arts to advance knowledge, invigorate learning, and foster human solidarity.

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Funding & Support

This is a signature program of the 2027 Notre Dame Arts Biennial, supported with funding from the Notre Dame Arts Initiative.

Cig Harvey's visit is also made possible with funding from the John J. Reilly Center and the Glynn Family Honors Program, where Harvey will be the Glynn Family Visiting Professor. Venue and staffing support provided by DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.