This event is free but ticketed. Ticketing details will be available soon.
The internationally acclaimed artist Cig Harvey will deliver the University of Notre Dame's John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values’ annual Ruskin Lecture on the theme of beauty during the 2027 Notre Dame Arts Biennial. 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. Harvey’s talk will engage photography as a method of storytelling and explore the role of research and writing in her creative practice. She will discuss how her work employs sensory experience and examines the ephemeral nature of light, color, and vision.
Audience Q&A will follow, moderated by Lida Zeitlin-Wu, assistant professor of film, television, and theatre.
This year's Ruskin Lecture celebrates the 208th birthday of John Ruskin, a Victorian art critic turned social commentator.
Meet the Artist
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.
Learn more about Cig Harvey at Notre Dame
About the Venue
The DeBartolo Performing Arts Center is located on the south side of the University of Notre Dame campus and directly north of Eddy Street Commons. Free parking is available daily after 4:00 pm in the Stayer Center parking lot, just north of the center. Patrons may now receive free event parking at the Eddy Street Commons Parking Garage by bringing your event tickets and parking ticket to the DPAC Ticket Office to receive a pre-paid parking voucher.
An accessible lot for disabled patrons is available immediately adjacent to the center; a valid hangtag or license plate is required. There is a ten-minute parking zone on the north drive of the center for ticket pick-up; during inclement weather you are welcome to drop off guests in this area and proceed to parking.
Visit DPAC’s website for more information on ticketing, travel and parking, and accessibility details. The Ticket Office will work with you to create a comfortable and enjoyable experience; please contact the Ticket Office at (574) 631-2800 with any questions.
Funding & Support
This lecture is organized and funded by the Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values. Additional funding is provided by the Glynn Family Honors Program, where Harvey will be the Glynn Family Visiting Professor. Venue and staffing support provided by DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.
Cig Harvey's lecture is a signature program of the 2027 Notre Dame Arts Biennial and is supported with funding from the Notre Dame Arts Initiative.
Image: Studio Portrait. Photo by Greta Rybus, courtesy of Cig Harvey.