44th Annual Atha Lecture: Art, Nature, and Well-being in Museums Today

, September 10, 2026 6:00PM

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September 10, 2026 6:00PM

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Thursday, Sept. 10 | 6-7 pm
Members: $13 | Public: $15 | Students: $9
Atkins Auditorium

What does it mean for a museum to support your well-being and not just your intellect? Join scholar and museum professional Carrie Rebora Barratt to consider the deep, often overlooked connections between art, the natural world, and human flourishing.

Drawing on a broad history of museums and public life, Barratt explores how cultural institutions have long served as spaces of restoration and renewal — from readying the mind and body for experiencing artwork to today's growing movement to harness the power of art for mental and physical health benefits. As she puts it, “Culture hits the source of well-being.”

Barratt will then bring that lens closer to home, reflecting on what the Nelson-Atkins —with its celebrated grounds, beloved collections, and exciting building expansion — is already doing and can do to strengthen its role in the wellness of the Kansas City community.

You’re invited to spend an evening thinking about belonging, beauty, and what museums are for.

About the Speaker

Dr. Carrie Rebora Barratt, PhD is newly appointed as Senior Curator-At Large for American Art at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. In this newly created role, Dr. Barratt will serve as a scholarly and strategic advisor on the museum’s significant American art collections, guiding their growth, interpretation, and institutional positioning as the museum advances its renovation and expansion plans.

Barratt is an art historian, author, and accomplished cultural sector executive with a distinguished record of institutional leadership and transformation. At The Metropolitan Museum of Art, she rose from Curator of American Art to Deputy Director. In 2018, she became President and CEO of the New York Botanical Garden—and its first woman leader—guiding the 250-acre institution through major transition, climate challenges, and wellness for all.

In 2020, she founded The Solace Project, a consulting and creative studio at the intersection of art, nature, and well-being, and has served as curator for the Well-Being Project. She’s consulted with LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton, Chicago Botanic Garden, the South Bend Museum of Art, and other cultural entities wishing to build art programs and enterprise-level thinking. She frequently returns to her favorite research on 18th and 19th century American Art through a Think Tank at Crystal Bridges, a column, and podcast, and is writing a book about Martha Washington and the American Widow. 

The Atha Lecture celebrates the lives and vision of Joseph S. and Ethel B. Atha.

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