Brushwood Center works collaboratively with community partners, artists, health care providers, and scientists to improve health equity and access to nature in Lake County, Illinois, and the Chicago region. We engage people with the outdoors through the arts, environmental education, and community action. Brushwood Center’s programs focus on youth, families, Military Veterans, and those facing racial and economic injustices.
Brushwood Center was founded as Friends of Ryerson Woods in 1984. Thanks to the leadership and vision of Nora and Edward Ryerson and other local families, Ryerson Woods is now enjoyed by thousands of visitors each year. Brushwood Center, a 501c3 nonprofit, operates in the historic Brushwood home at the Ryerson Conservation area, through a license agreement with the Lake County Forest Preserves.
From the beginning, Brushwood has centered its work on connecting communities with the benefits of the arts and nature. That has taken many forms over the years, from nature hikes to art exhibitions, classes to colloquia, symphony concerts to bird-watching expeditions, and environmental justice projects. Today, Brushwood Center approaches its work with an invigorated focus on community partnerships, inclusion, and the promotion of arts and nature for personal and community wellbeing.
Brushwood’s public art programs, classes, concerts, markets, and exhibitions reflect diverse voices exploring themes on equity, justice, and the impact of nature on well-being.
Current and Upcoming Events at Brushwood:
In the Gallery:
The Evolution of Brushwood,July 12 – August 22, 2026
Public Programs:
To Life: Jews Exploring Nature, with Joel Greenberg, August 1 from 1:30pm-2:30pm
BASE: Create & Sip – Doodle Embroidery, August 19 from 7pm-9pm
Powering the Future: Solar Power at Brushwood Center, August 22 from 1:30pm-2:30pm
Nature Book Club, August 29 from 10am-11:30am
BrushwoodArtists in Residence
Black Moon Trio – Ensemble-in-Residence
Kathryn Haydon – Poet-in-Residence
Heeyoung Kim – Artist-in-Residence
HEN:
Health, Equity, and Nature Accelerator, launched in 2021, was born in response to growing community demand and momentum for systemic change to address inequities at the intersection of health, climate, and nature.
The Accelerator activates equitable nature-based solutions through community and healthcare partnerships. The Accelerator is an expansion of Brushwood’s community engagement, advocacy, and research initiatives. While Brushwood has always focused on serving the Lake County community through programs, the pandemic led us to explore the root causes of health inequities and nature access through environmental justice in Lake County. The Accelerator amplifies impact through cross-project alignment using community-driven practices, while sharing key results for scalability and collaboration.
Smith Nature Symposium:
Hosted by Brushwood Center for more than forty years, the Smith Nature Symposium has brought people together to celebrate nature and imagine healthy and thriving human and ecological communities.
The annual Smith Nature Awards Dinner is Brushwood Center’s largest fundraising event of the year, and all funds raised from the evening directly benefit Brushwood’s programs for youth, families, and Veterans across the community. It also is where Brushwood Center presents the Environmental Leadership Award to individuals who have made a meaningful contribution to the conservation of the natural world. Recent recipients include Robin Wall Kimmerer, Dr. Mona Hanna, Baratunde Thurston, Cristina Mittermeier, and Paul Nicklen.
From the Ground Up: A Call to Reimagine Our Place in Nature
Honoring 2026 Environmental Leadership Award Recipient, Karenna Gore
Saturday, October 10, 2026 at 6pm
Coming Soon: Brushwood to Expand
Brushwood will break ground on renovations to expand performance and gallery spaces,
creating more space for audiences and programs.
Brushwood’s Impact in the Past Year:
- 300+ Artists and musicians work with Brushwood to connect our community to nature and the arts, using art as a tool for change
- 20,000 participants increased their sense of wellbeing and connection to nature through our programs, initiatives, and events
- 90+ Community partners co-created art and nature events, programs, classes, and series
- 900+ Veterans and Military community members impacted through At Ease programs
- 2500+ Youth and families served through our community initiative, It’s A W.I.N. (Art and Wellness in Nature)
- 1,500 Nature Explorer Backpacks / Mochilas de Explorador distributed throughout Lake County
All Are Welcome!
All are welcome at Brushwood Center to experience the warmth and charm of the historic Ryerson estate, nestled deep in the tranquil wooded sanctuary of the Edward L. Ryerson Conservation Area in Riverwoods, Illinois. Brushwood’s venue rentals are an extension of its mission of improving health equity through community, nature, and the arts. Brushwood cordially invites rental inquiries from community members, organizations, artists, businesses, teachers, and health workers to provide spaces for connection and collaboration.
The art gallery and the majority of public programs at Brushwood Center are offered to the community free of charge. For select concerts and special events, tickets are available for purchase often with a number of pay-what-you-can and complimentary tickets set aside for Veterans and community partners.
Brushwood Staff:
Catherine Game, Executive Director
Parker Nelson, Director of Public Programs and Music
Julia Kemerer, Director of Arts and Administration
Ashley Cullen-Williams, Senior Program Director
Mirja Spooner Haffner, Director of Development |
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