Renaissance is a name for a series of dynamic periods when culture and commerce have collaborated to stimulate the urgent changes that each moment demanded. The demand is again palpable today. Responsible scholars, scientists, and political leaders feel the urgency to develop innovative collaborations that advance beyond our existing paradigms of progress that have driven modernity toward the brink of survival for the planet and for its creatures. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals articulate this mandate for ethical and practical
change, but they fall short of igniting the necessary innovation. Already, however, distinguished academics and artists, scientists, and engineers dedicate their individual work to reviving a civic mission beyond institutions of academics and art. We are called on to promote a shared platform of engagement, to make it visible and viable for many more potential contributors. This will launch a collective consciousness that inaugurates a new and urgent Renaissance Now.
