On January 29, the Walker Art Center will welcome James Thornton, a leading environmentalist and founder of ClientEarth, to deliver the latest installment of the Mack Lecture Series. Thornton is the second lecturer since the long-running series returned to regular programming in the Summer of 2024, inviting changemakers at the forefront of their fields to share new ideas and alternative ways of working in a rapidly changing global landscape. An innovator of legal strategies that address climate change and environmental degradation, Thornton will discuss approaches to thinking about and tackling these pressing challenges.
Since its inception, the Mack Lecture Series has presented conversations that examine the critical issues of our time by leaders in arts and culture whose ideas inform our world. In June of 2024, filmmaker Sterlin Harjo (Seminole/Muscogee), director and co-creator of the groundbreaking TV series Reservation Dogs, spoke about instigating radical change in the film and TV industry by foregrounding the lives of Indigenous people at all stages of production. Other lecturers have included musician Brian Eno, writer and academic Claudia Rankine, and artist Mark Bradford.
Founded in 2007, Thornton’s ClientEarth sparked a fundamental change in the way environmental protections are made and enforced across Europe. Now operating globally, the organization uses advocacy, litigation, and research to address the greatest challenges of our time–including nature loss and climate change. Thornton was named “one of 10 people who could change the world” by New Statesman, Financial Times gave him its Lifetime Achievement Award, and he has received the Green Leader of the Year Award three times.
Prior to ClientEarth, Thornton worked as an environmental lawyer and social entrepreneur. At the Citizens’ Enforcement Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council in New York, he brought 80 federal lawsuits against corporations to enforce the Clean Water Act. Now based in Los Angeles, Thornton has built strong support from the arts community for ClientEarth and other organizations. He has worked with major galleries and their artists, including Cecily Brown, Rashid Johnson, and Antony Gormley, to raise funds and awareness for the activism of ClientEarth. Thornton is also a Zen priest, poet, and author. His most recent book, Nature, My Teacher, explores how to enter the wisdom of nature so we can save the living world.
ACCESSIBILITY
This event will have ASL interpretation. For information about accessibility, or to request additional accommodations for this program, call 612.375.7564, or email access@walkerart.org.
For more information about accessibility at the Walker, visit our Access page.
ABOUT THE WALKER ART CENTER
The Walker Art Center is a renowned multidisciplinary arts institution that presents, collects, and supports the creation of groundbreaking work across the visual and performing arts, moving image, and design. Guided by the belief that art has the power to bring joy and solace and the ability to unite people through dialogue and shared experiences, the Walker engages communities through a dynamic array of exhibitions, performances, events, and initiatives. Its multi-acre campus includes 65,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space, the state-of-the-art McGuire Theater and Walker Cinema, and ample green space that connects with the adjoining Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. The Garden, a partnership with the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, is one of the first urban sculpture parks of its kind in the United States and home to the beloved Twin Cities landmark Spoonbridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Recognized for its ambitious program and growing collection of more than 15,500 works, the Walker embraces emerging art forms and amplifies the work of artists from the Twin Cities and from across the country and the globe. Its broad spectrum of offerings makes it a lively and welcoming hub for artistic expression, creative innovation, and community connection.
The Mack Lecture series is made possible by generous support from Aaron and Carol Mack.