Emory University Libraries and its Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (MARBL) will host the Poetry Society of America’s (PSA) centennial events in the South on Thursday, Oct. 7.
The day’s events start with an afternoon panel and an evening of readings by Southern poets, both free and open to the public, then conclude with a ticketed benefit reception, sponsored by the PSA, MARBL and the Hightower Fund.
Emory is an ideal location for the Festival of Southern Poets because MARBL strives to be a center for Southern verse and poetry in general, with holdings from noteworthy poets like James Dickey to international bards such as Seamus Heaney, according to Kevin Young, curator of MARBL’s literary collections and the Raymond Danowski Poetry Library.
“We chose Emory as the place to have our Southern Centennial event because we admire Kevin Young’s work with the Danowski Poetry Library,” says Alice Quinn, executive director of the PSA. “Emory is a hub for contemporary poetry with major collections of poets’ papers and a lively series of poetry events throughout the year, and Atlanta is one of America’s great literary hotbeds.”
The poets featured at the 6 p.m. readings include Pulitzer Prize winners Claudia Emerson and Natasha Trethewey, MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Award” winner C.D. Wright, and Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award winner Thomas Lux.
“These are some of the best poets around, and this is a great opportunity to see all of these poets at once,” Young says.
The panel of poets at 4 p.m. will talk about their views of Southern poetry and discuss the future of poetry in the South with the audience. “I am looking forward to hearing how these writers view being a Southern poet, how it affects them and what they think about. They are the future of Southern poetry,” Young says.
The schedule is as follows:
• 4 p.m.: “The Future of Southern Poetry,” panel with Beth Bachmann, Sean Hill, Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon and Jake Adam York. Moderated by Kevin Young. Jones Room, Level 3, Robert W. Woodruff Library, 540 Asbury Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322. Free and open to the public. Information: mmcgavi@emory.edu, 404.727.6898, http://web.library.emory.edu/news-events.
• 6 p.m.: “Poets of the American South 1910-2010.” Poetry readings, with Claudia Emerson, Forrest Gander, Thomas Lux, Natasha Trethewey, C.D. Wright, and Kevin Young. Glenn Memorial Auditorium, 1652 N. Decatur Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322. Free and open to the public. Information: mmcgavi@emory.edu, 404.727.6898, http://web.library.emory.edu/news-event
• 8 p.m.: Centennial Benefit Reception – cocktails and hors d’oeuvres by Chef Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene, and informal conversation with the poets following the readings. Woodruff Room, Level 10 (MARBL), Robert W. Woodruff Library, 540 Asbury Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322. Tickets $50; contact Aimee Walker at aimee@poetrysociety.org or 212.254.9628.
The Festival of Southern Poets is one of six PSA regional centennial celebrations across the country, each featuring a different lineup of poets, in various cities including Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and New York City.
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Showing posts with label emory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label emory. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Photo Exhibit at Emory Law Explores the Unexpected
"Point of View," an exhibition of photographs by award winning San Diego artist Dana Levine, is on display at Emory University's Macmillan Law Library through March 8.
The exhibition's title refers to the artist's unique point of view. Levine uses the camera to search for vulnerability and beauty in unexpected, unlikely places. Through color and composition, her images achieve an atmosphere of mystery while at the same time evoking a peaceful serenity.
Levine spent her professional career as a scientist and science educator at a New Jersey engineering college and interactive science museum. After moving to San Diego several years ago, she became a painter and photographer. Today her work is shown in galleries and museums.
"As an artist and a scientist, I can tell you that art and science are not an unlikely combination," says Levine. "Both strive to see nature with a fresh eye. In my work I explore the inner richness of nature and the human form in a visual medium, looking for the structure beneath the surface using the original colors our eyes combine together. My style is impressionism; my ideas expressed in pigments and through the camera lens."
Many of the photographs in the exhibition were taken during a recent trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, for the festival of the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), a weeklong cultural celebration held in cities and villages throughout Mexico where family and friends gather to pray for and remember their loved ones. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, decorating graves using sugar skulls, marigolds, mementos and favorite foods and beverages. Cemeteries fill with those who stay up all night to remember and honor their departed. The origin of the modern holiday can be traced back thousands of years to an Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl (The Lady of the Dead).
Macmillan Law Library is located at Emory University School of Law, 1301 Clifton Rd. NE, Atlanta. The exhibition is free and open to the public during regular library hours:
• Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
• Fri. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Saturday and Sunday, 1 - 5 p.m.
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The exhibition's title refers to the artist's unique point of view. Levine uses the camera to search for vulnerability and beauty in unexpected, unlikely places. Through color and composition, her images achieve an atmosphere of mystery while at the same time evoking a peaceful serenity.
Levine spent her professional career as a scientist and science educator at a New Jersey engineering college and interactive science museum. After moving to San Diego several years ago, she became a painter and photographer. Today her work is shown in galleries and museums.
"As an artist and a scientist, I can tell you that art and science are not an unlikely combination," says Levine. "Both strive to see nature with a fresh eye. In my work I explore the inner richness of nature and the human form in a visual medium, looking for the structure beneath the surface using the original colors our eyes combine together. My style is impressionism; my ideas expressed in pigments and through the camera lens."
Many of the photographs in the exhibition were taken during a recent trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, for the festival of the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), a weeklong cultural celebration held in cities and villages throughout Mexico where family and friends gather to pray for and remember their loved ones. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, decorating graves using sugar skulls, marigolds, mementos and favorite foods and beverages. Cemeteries fill with those who stay up all night to remember and honor their departed. The origin of the modern holiday can be traced back thousands of years to an Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl (The Lady of the Dead).
Macmillan Law Library is located at Emory University School of Law, 1301 Clifton Rd. NE, Atlanta. The exhibition is free and open to the public during regular library hours:
• Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
• Fri. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Saturday and Sunday, 1 - 5 p.m.
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Friday, December 12, 2008
'Celtic Christmas' returns to Emory
James Flannery hosts the "Sixteenth Annual Atlanta Celtic Christmas Concert" Dec. 12-14. This popular event highlights Celtic and Appalachian music, dance and story with Grammy winning banjoist Alison Brown, Risin’ Appalachia and the Elders, The Buddy O’Reilly Band and clog dancers.
Alison Brown, one of the most respected five-stringed banjo players in the world, is noted for her jazz and bluegrass inflected Celtic compositions.
"On a popular level, the concert draws upon the huge contemporary appeal of Celtic music and dance, as exemplified by the phenomenon of 'Riverdance,'" says Flannery. "But beyond that, the concert also reflects the mystical beauty of Celtic spirituality – a tradition dating back to medieval times in which, as Yeats said, 'the presence of God is experienced as 'concrete, flowing and phenomenal.'"
Performances are:
Friday, Dec. 12, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 13, 8 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 14, 2:30 p.m.
Tickets are $25; $20 faculty, staff and discount category members; and $10 for all students and children.
For tickets and venue information: www.arts.emory.edu, 404.727.5050.
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Alison Brown, one of the most respected five-stringed banjo players in the world, is noted for her jazz and bluegrass inflected Celtic compositions.
"On a popular level, the concert draws upon the huge contemporary appeal of Celtic music and dance, as exemplified by the phenomenon of 'Riverdance,'" says Flannery. "But beyond that, the concert also reflects the mystical beauty of Celtic spirituality – a tradition dating back to medieval times in which, as Yeats said, 'the presence of God is experienced as 'concrete, flowing and phenomenal.'"
Performances are:
Friday, Dec. 12, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 13, 8 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 14, 2:30 p.m.
Tickets are $25; $20 faculty, staff and discount category members; and $10 for all students and children.
For tickets and venue information: www.arts.emory.edu, 404.727.5050.
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Friday, August 22, 2008
Temple Bombing Documented in Exhibit at Emory August 23
Fifty years ago, exploding dynamite ripped a gaping hole in the brick edifice of The Temple on Peachtree Street, home to Atlanta's oldest and largest Jewish congregation. The Oct. 12, 1958, attack was linked to an epidemic of hate group activity plaguing the South during the civil rights movement.
The impact of The Temple bombing on Atlanta's Jewish community and on the civil rights movement is documented in a new exhibit opening Saturday, Aug. 23 at Emory University.
"'The Bomb that Healed': Rabbi Jacob M. Rothschild, Civil Rights and The Temple Bombing of 1958," will be on display at Emory's Manuscript, Archives & Rare Book Library (MARBL) in the Woodruff Library building through Jan. 5, 2009.
The influence of the bombing was not what the bombers might have expected, says curator Ellen G. Rafshoon.
"The bombers had intended to intimidate Jews, who were seen as co-conspirators along with blacks in the civil rights struggle, but this act of terror had the opposite effect," says Rafshoon, a history professor at Georgia Gwinnett College. "When The Temple's spiritual leader, Rabbi Rothschild, returned to his office the following day, he was greeted with mailbags filled with sympathetic messages from Atlanta and from across the nation."
The overwhelming support extended to the congregation gave Atlanta Jews the confidence to become more active in bridging the divide between whites and blacks, Rafshoon notes. That is why Rothschild's widow, Janice, has referred to the otherwise tragic event as "The Bomb That Healed."
The exhibition, which draws on Rabbi Rothschild's personal papers and includes letters, photographs and published clippings, will show how the rabbi worked openly to build support for desegregation among Atlanta's religious and civic leaders. For example, he participated in plans to desegregate Atlanta's schools peacefully.
"This was an especially significant achievement, considering that some of Atlanta's Jews feared challenging Atlanta's rigid racial order," explains Eric Goldstein, associate professor of history and Jewish studies at Emory. "They themselves had often been victims of social discrimination, and even virulent attacks such as the lynching of Leo Frank in 1915. They hoped that if they kept a low profile, discrimination would pass, and they would eventually be accepted."
Goldstein explains that with Rabbi Rothchild's encouragement and the more accepting environment they found in the wake of the bombing, many Atlanta Jews found they could confront discrimination, both against themselves and African Americans, and even become leaders in the cause.
One of the most rewarding moments in Rabbi Rothschild's career will be highlighted in the exhibition: the rabbi's successful organization of the South's first racially integrated banquet, which honored Martin Luther King Jr. after he won the Nobel Peace Prize.
That event, held at the Dinkler Plaza Hotel on Jan. 27, 1965, was attended by 1,400 guests. In a letter thanking Rabbi Rothschild for the tribute, which will be on display at the exhibition, King confided that the encouragement he received that night would sustain him during the "many dark and desolate days of struggle" ahead.
The banquet evening, King wrote, "was a testimonial not only to me but to the greatness of the City of Atlanta, the South, the nation and its ability to rise above the conflict of former gen erations."
Other Events Commemorating the Bombing
The exhibition, which is free and open to the public, is being held in conjunction with several other events commemorating the bombing:
Rafshoon will present a slide show about the exhibition; Temple congregants, including the rabbi's widow, Janice Rothschild Blumberg, will share their memories of the attack. 9:45–11:45 a.m., Oct. 12 at The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St., N.E., Atlanta, 30309. For more information and to RSVP, please contact Ronnie VanGelder, program director for The Temple, at rvangelder@the-temple.org.
"Jews in A Changing South," the 33rd Annual Conference of the Southern Jewish Historical Society. Hosted by the Tam Institute for Jewish Studies and Emory University, Nov. 1-3. Lodging at Emory Conference Center hotel; most events on the Emory campus. Registration plus SJHS dues, $160; registration for SJHS members, $125; full-time students, $50. All Atlantans invited to attend special portions of the program at reduced rates. Registration deadline is Oct. 1, 2008.
More Information: "Jews in A Changing South" or email egoldst@emory.edu
Among the conference sessions is "The Bombing and Beyond: Jews, African Americans and Social Change in Atlanta during the 1950s and 1960s," a discussion featuring several activists and politicians of the era and moderated by writer and journalist Melissa Fay Greene, author of "The Temple Bombing." Co-sponsored by The Temple. 7:30 p.m., Nov. 2 at The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St., N.E., Atlanta 30309.
More information and to RSVP: Ronnie VanGelder, program director of The Temple.
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The impact of The Temple bombing on Atlanta's Jewish community and on the civil rights movement is documented in a new exhibit opening Saturday, Aug. 23 at Emory University.
"'The Bomb that Healed': Rabbi Jacob M. Rothschild, Civil Rights and The Temple Bombing of 1958," will be on display at Emory's Manuscript, Archives & Rare Book Library (MARBL) in the Woodruff Library building through Jan. 5, 2009.
The influence of the bombing was not what the bombers might have expected, says curator Ellen G. Rafshoon.
"The bombers had intended to intimidate Jews, who were seen as co-conspirators along with blacks in the civil rights struggle, but this act of terror had the opposite effect," says Rafshoon, a history professor at Georgia Gwinnett College. "When The Temple's spiritual leader, Rabbi Rothschild, returned to his office the following day, he was greeted with mailbags filled with sympathetic messages from Atlanta and from across the nation."
The overwhelming support extended to the congregation gave Atlanta Jews the confidence to become more active in bridging the divide between whites and blacks, Rafshoon notes. That is why Rothschild's widow, Janice, has referred to the otherwise tragic event as "The Bomb That Healed."
The exhibition, which draws on Rabbi Rothschild's personal papers and includes letters, photographs and published clippings, will show how the rabbi worked openly to build support for desegregation among Atlanta's religious and civic leaders. For example, he participated in plans to desegregate Atlanta's schools peacefully.
"This was an especially significant achievement, considering that some of Atlanta's Jews feared challenging Atlanta's rigid racial order," explains Eric Goldstein, associate professor of history and Jewish studies at Emory. "They themselves had often been victims of social discrimination, and even virulent attacks such as the lynching of Leo Frank in 1915. They hoped that if they kept a low profile, discrimination would pass, and they would eventually be accepted."
Goldstein explains that with Rabbi Rothchild's encouragement and the more accepting environment they found in the wake of the bombing, many Atlanta Jews found they could confront discrimination, both against themselves and African Americans, and even become leaders in the cause.
One of the most rewarding moments in Rabbi Rothschild's career will be highlighted in the exhibition: the rabbi's successful organization of the South's first racially integrated banquet, which honored Martin Luther King Jr. after he won the Nobel Peace Prize.
That event, held at the Dinkler Plaza Hotel on Jan. 27, 1965, was attended by 1,400 guests. In a letter thanking Rabbi Rothschild for the tribute, which will be on display at the exhibition, King confided that the encouragement he received that night would sustain him during the "many dark and desolate days of struggle" ahead.
The banquet evening, King wrote, "was a testimonial not only to me but to the greatness of the City of Atlanta, the South, the nation and its ability to rise above the conflict of former gen erations."
Other Events Commemorating the Bombing
The exhibition, which is free and open to the public, is being held in conjunction with several other events commemorating the bombing:
Rafshoon will present a slide show about the exhibition; Temple congregants, including the rabbi's widow, Janice Rothschild Blumberg, will share their memories of the attack. 9:45–11:45 a.m., Oct. 12 at The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St., N.E., Atlanta, 30309. For more information and to RSVP, please contact Ronnie VanGelder, program director for The Temple, at rvangelder@the-temple.org.
"Jews in A Changing South," the 33rd Annual Conference of the Southern Jewish Historical Society. Hosted by the Tam Institute for Jewish Studies and Emory University, Nov. 1-3. Lodging at Emory Conference Center hotel; most events on the Emory campus. Registration plus SJHS dues, $160; registration for SJHS members, $125; full-time students, $50. All Atlantans invited to attend special portions of the program at reduced rates. Registration deadline is Oct. 1, 2008.
More Information: "Jews in A Changing South" or email egoldst@emory.edu
Among the conference sessions is "The Bombing and Beyond: Jews, African Americans and Social Change in Atlanta during the 1950s and 1960s," a discussion featuring several activists and politicians of the era and moderated by writer and journalist Melissa Fay Greene, author of "The Temple Bombing." Co-sponsored by The Temple. 7:30 p.m., Nov. 2 at The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St., N.E., Atlanta 30309.
More information and to RSVP: Ronnie VanGelder, program director of The Temple.
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Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University Helps Bring King Tutankhamun to Atlanta
The Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University brings Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs to Atlanta this fall in partnership with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, National Geographic, Arts and Exhibitions International and presenting sponsor Northern Trust.
Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs will be exhibited in Atlanta's historic Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center from November 15 to May 25. The exhibition, spanning 2,000 years of history, will include more than 130 artifacts from the tomb of Tutankhamun and other ancient Egyptian sites. This is the first time these treasures will be seen in the Southeast. To complement the Tutankhamun exhibition at the Civic Center, the Carlos Museum will showcase at its Emory campus location the photography of Harry Burton, the photographer who documented the Tutankhamun excavation when the tomb was discovered in 1922.
"The Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University is honored to bring to Atlanta one of the greatest artistic and cultural legacies of the ancient world. The people of Georgia will be able to experience first-hand the impact and relevance of these extraordinary treasures and we look forward to offering an array of educational programs to further illuminate the life and times of King Tutankhamun and the great pharaohs of Egypt," said Bonnie Speed, Director of the Carlos Museum.
The Carlos Museum is home to one of the few Egyptian collections in the southeastern United States as well as the only institution in Georgia dedicated to the research and display of ancient Egyptian art and culture. King Tutankhamun, endearingly called the "boy king," will find a welcoming community in which to reside for a short while. Speaking of the Carlos Museum at the April 2 announcement, Mayor Shirley Franklin said, "Those of us who live in Atlanta have access to the wonders of the world's civilizations right in our backyard,"
The Carlos Museum, known for its act of cultural cooperation when it identified and later returned what was most likely the mummy of Pharaoh Ramesses I to his home in Egypt in 2003, is a unique host for the King Tutankhamun exhibition. With scholars, curators, and conservators providing the interdisciplinary research and conservation required to maintain and understand ancient art and artifacts, the King Tutankhamun exhibition will provide rich historic and cultural perspectives to university scholars, academicians, scientists, collectors, students, and exhibition-goers interested in ancient Egypt -- even as it applies to modern times.
The Carlos Museum will lead the development of educational materials in conjunction with the exhibition for elementary, middle and high school audiences. These supplemental materials will be downloadable for free to classrooms across the country and will address topics such as childhood in ancient Egypt and the journey to the afterlife. Peter Lacovara, curator of ancient Egyptian arts and artifacts, said, "As the Carlos Museum's collections grow, they become increasingly important as a teaching and research resource for faculty and students at Emory and other universities." The Carlos Museum along with the Emory community provides a meaningful context for this exhibition and will serve as a research, education, and reflective opportunity for many.
Emory University President James Wagner, said, "Emory's dedication to courageous inquiry and the spirit of global partnerships are qualities we want to foster. The Carlos Museum of Emory University has helped to create a superb opportunity to reflect on and honor the ancient legacies of the world, their profound impact on our lives, and the importance of continued dialogue. We trust that King Tutankhamun's visit will open many doors."
The most recent U.S. tour of King Tut's treasures, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, drew nearly 4 million visitors from 2005-2007, setting records in each city it visited. The 2005 visit marked the first time in more than 25 years that treasures from King Tutankhamun's tomb were shown in the United States.
Tickets can be reserved for the Atlanta run at www.carlos.emory.edu or www.kingtut.org.
Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs will be exhibited in Atlanta's historic Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center from November 15 to May 25. The exhibition, spanning 2,000 years of history, will include more than 130 artifacts from the tomb of Tutankhamun and other ancient Egyptian sites. This is the first time these treasures will be seen in the Southeast. To complement the Tutankhamun exhibition at the Civic Center, the Carlos Museum will showcase at its Emory campus location the photography of Harry Burton, the photographer who documented the Tutankhamun excavation when the tomb was discovered in 1922.
"The Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University is honored to bring to Atlanta one of the greatest artistic and cultural legacies of the ancient world. The people of Georgia will be able to experience first-hand the impact and relevance of these extraordinary treasures and we look forward to offering an array of educational programs to further illuminate the life and times of King Tutankhamun and the great pharaohs of Egypt," said Bonnie Speed, Director of the Carlos Museum.
The Carlos Museum is home to one of the few Egyptian collections in the southeastern United States as well as the only institution in Georgia dedicated to the research and display of ancient Egyptian art and culture. King Tutankhamun, endearingly called the "boy king," will find a welcoming community in which to reside for a short while. Speaking of the Carlos Museum at the April 2 announcement, Mayor Shirley Franklin said, "Those of us who live in Atlanta have access to the wonders of the world's civilizations right in our backyard,"
The Carlos Museum, known for its act of cultural cooperation when it identified and later returned what was most likely the mummy of Pharaoh Ramesses I to his home in Egypt in 2003, is a unique host for the King Tutankhamun exhibition. With scholars, curators, and conservators providing the interdisciplinary research and conservation required to maintain and understand ancient art and artifacts, the King Tutankhamun exhibition will provide rich historic and cultural perspectives to university scholars, academicians, scientists, collectors, students, and exhibition-goers interested in ancient Egypt -- even as it applies to modern times.
The Carlos Museum will lead the development of educational materials in conjunction with the exhibition for elementary, middle and high school audiences. These supplemental materials will be downloadable for free to classrooms across the country and will address topics such as childhood in ancient Egypt and the journey to the afterlife. Peter Lacovara, curator of ancient Egyptian arts and artifacts, said, "As the Carlos Museum's collections grow, they become increasingly important as a teaching and research resource for faculty and students at Emory and other universities." The Carlos Museum along with the Emory community provides a meaningful context for this exhibition and will serve as a research, education, and reflective opportunity for many.
Emory University President James Wagner, said, "Emory's dedication to courageous inquiry and the spirit of global partnerships are qualities we want to foster. The Carlos Museum of Emory University has helped to create a superb opportunity to reflect on and honor the ancient legacies of the world, their profound impact on our lives, and the importance of continued dialogue. We trust that King Tutankhamun's visit will open many doors."
The most recent U.S. tour of King Tut's treasures, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, drew nearly 4 million visitors from 2005-2007, setting records in each city it visited. The 2005 visit marked the first time in more than 25 years that treasures from King Tutankhamun's tomb were shown in the United States.
Tickets can be reserved for the Atlanta run at www.carlos.emory.edu or www.kingtut.org.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
‘Picking Cotton’ Reveals Layers of History
For many people, the phrase “picking cotton” summons images of African slaves toiling against their will on the plantations of the American South. In the Visual Arts Gallery’s exhibition “Picking Cotton…Mississippi to Detroit,” that deeply rooted conjuring from our national psyche has been expertly woven by Nancy VanDevender into a multifarious installation of staged interiors that are at once beautiful and haunting, historical and fictional.
Comprised of layer upon layer of furniture, photographs, videos, hand-drawn tattoos, intricately designed wallpaper, and a racially diverse cast of characters that includes the artist herself, VanDevender’s “parlours” offer a glimpse of her life journey from a pre-Civil Rights childhood in Meridian, Miss., through her recent completion of the MFA program at Cranbrook Academy of Art near Detroit.
“Having been reared in Mississippi I had been told in spoken and unspoken terms of the differences in people accentuated by class structures and appearances,” says VanDevender, who will present an artist’s talk on July 23. “Making assumptions through facades proved inaccurate. Years later, in Detroit, I found a shared history with African Americans whose roots were also in the South. These discovered qualities of sameness are what interest me.”
That shared history is enshrined within VanDevender’s interiors, which draw visitors into spaces filled with lush wallpaper and furnishings. Once inside, close examination of the wallpaper reveals an elaborate collage of fabric, photographs and hand-drawn tattoos primarily depicting elements of cotton picking and processing. Large, vivid photographs of the same tattoos, this time depicted as body ornamentation on models, adorn the walls alongside intimate prints of two women grooming themselves at a dressing table. Every detail carries its own history as well as the history of a specific time, and collectively they tell a story that becomes increasingly resonant for the viewer.
By Mary Catherine Johnson
The exhibit runs through July 31 at the Visual Arts Gallery (700 Peavine Creek Dr.). The artist will speak Wednesday, July 23, at 7 p.m. at the gallery. For more information, call 404-727-6315 or visit visualarts.emory.edu.
Comprised of layer upon layer of furniture, photographs, videos, hand-drawn tattoos, intricately designed wallpaper, and a racially diverse cast of characters that includes the artist herself, VanDevender’s “parlours” offer a glimpse of her life journey from a pre-Civil Rights childhood in Meridian, Miss., through her recent completion of the MFA program at Cranbrook Academy of Art near Detroit.
“Having been reared in Mississippi I had been told in spoken and unspoken terms of the differences in people accentuated by class structures and appearances,” says VanDevender, who will present an artist’s talk on July 23. “Making assumptions through facades proved inaccurate. Years later, in Detroit, I found a shared history with African Americans whose roots were also in the South. These discovered qualities of sameness are what interest me.”
That shared history is enshrined within VanDevender’s interiors, which draw visitors into spaces filled with lush wallpaper and furnishings. Once inside, close examination of the wallpaper reveals an elaborate collage of fabric, photographs and hand-drawn tattoos primarily depicting elements of cotton picking and processing. Large, vivid photographs of the same tattoos, this time depicted as body ornamentation on models, adorn the walls alongside intimate prints of two women grooming themselves at a dressing table. Every detail carries its own history as well as the history of a specific time, and collectively they tell a story that becomes increasingly resonant for the viewer.
By Mary Catherine Johnson
The exhibit runs through July 31 at the Visual Arts Gallery (700 Peavine Creek Dr.). The artist will speak Wednesday, July 23, at 7 p.m. at the gallery. For more information, call 404-727-6315 or visit visualarts.emory.edu.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Ancient African Kingdom Captured in Emory Exhibit
The majesty and mystery of stone monuments from the ancient African kingdoms of Nubia have come to Emory University in an exhibition of photographs from famed New York Times photographer Chester Higgins.
"Nubian Dreams: Images of the Sudan," on view through Aug. 15 in the Schatten Gallery of Emory's Woodruff Library, documents the spiritual and architectural remains of the Nubian civilizations which rivaled those of the pharaohs for control of the Nile.
"In ancient times, Egypt ruled the world," Higgins says. "Then, Nubia ruled Egypt. Most people are pretty familiar with the monuments and personalities of ancient Egypt. What they don't know is that there are more than twice as many pyramids in Nubia as there are in Egypt.
"How those pyramids got there, and who and what history they represent, are details that only have begun to emerge during the last 50 years," Higgins says.
Higgins shot the photographs on several six-week field trips to ancient Nubia – today's southern Egypt and northern Sudan – between 2000 and 2006. A total of 45 images depict primarily pyramids, tombs and temples, most framed against the undulating warm, reddish-brown hues of African desert sands and clear, pale blue skies. A slide show of additional images, as well as a small number of Nubian artifacts such as baskets, beading and woodwork, are included in the exhibition.
"These images capture the spirit of place, concentrating on the remains of ancient sanctuaries dedicated to the belief in African Naturalism," Higgins says. "To me, these images capture the imagination of an ancient people. Here we see the human mind focused on issues of divinity and the sacred life. We see religious metaphors. We see what these ancient people constructed to their faith, believing in a God greater than themselves, with the power of life and death."
Nubian treasures also on display at Emory’s Carlos Museum
The Schatten Gallery showing of Higgins' photography compliments a nearby sister exhibition in Emory's Michael C. Carlos Museum. That exhibition, "Lost Kingdoms of the Nile: Nubian Treasures from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston," features some of the most significant archaeological treasures ever found in Africa. Visitors can gain insight into ancient Nubia by viewing more than 250 objects in gold, silver, bronze, ivory, stone and ceramic dating from 7000 B.C. to modern times.
Higgins will discuss his photography in a free workshop at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 10 in the Carlos Museum reception hall. For more information, contact Priyanka Sinha at 404-727-4291.
Higgins is one of the premier photographers of his generation. An Alabama native, he has been a staff photographer for the Times since 1975. His photographs have appeared in many publications and are featured in the PBS films "An American Photographer: Chester Higgins Jr." and "Brotherman."
He authored the photo collections "Black Woman," "Drums of Life," "Some Time Ago," "Feeling the Spirit: Searching the World for the People of Africa," and "Elder Grace: The Nobility of Aging." His latest book is a 2005 memoir, "Echo of the Spirit: A Photographer's Journey."
Schatten Gallery is located on level three of Emory's Woodruff Library, 540 Asbury Circle, Emory. For more information, contact gallery director Julie Delliquanti at 404-727-0136. The exhibition runs through Aug. 15, and is free and open to the public.
The Carlos Museum exhibition "Lost Kingdoms of the Nile: Nubian Treasures from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston," is within walking distance of the Schatten exhibition at 571 South Kilgo Circle, Emory. For more information, contact Priyanka Sinha at 404-727-4291. The Carlos exhibition runs through Aug. 30. Admission is a $7 donation, free for museum members and Emory faculty, students and staff. Free docent-led tours of the museum depart from the rotunda on level one every Sunday at 2:30 p.m. during the Emory academic year. Call 404-727-4282 to confirm.
"Nubian Dreams: Images of the Sudan," on view through Aug. 15 in the Schatten Gallery of Emory's Woodruff Library, documents the spiritual and architectural remains of the Nubian civilizations which rivaled those of the pharaohs for control of the Nile.
"In ancient times, Egypt ruled the world," Higgins says. "Then, Nubia ruled Egypt. Most people are pretty familiar with the monuments and personalities of ancient Egypt. What they don't know is that there are more than twice as many pyramids in Nubia as there are in Egypt.
"How those pyramids got there, and who and what history they represent, are details that only have begun to emerge during the last 50 years," Higgins says.
Higgins shot the photographs on several six-week field trips to ancient Nubia – today's southern Egypt and northern Sudan – between 2000 and 2006. A total of 45 images depict primarily pyramids, tombs and temples, most framed against the undulating warm, reddish-brown hues of African desert sands and clear, pale blue skies. A slide show of additional images, as well as a small number of Nubian artifacts such as baskets, beading and woodwork, are included in the exhibition.
"These images capture the spirit of place, concentrating on the remains of ancient sanctuaries dedicated to the belief in African Naturalism," Higgins says. "To me, these images capture the imagination of an ancient people. Here we see the human mind focused on issues of divinity and the sacred life. We see religious metaphors. We see what these ancient people constructed to their faith, believing in a God greater than themselves, with the power of life and death."
Nubian treasures also on display at Emory’s Carlos Museum
The Schatten Gallery showing of Higgins' photography compliments a nearby sister exhibition in Emory's Michael C. Carlos Museum. That exhibition, "Lost Kingdoms of the Nile: Nubian Treasures from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston," features some of the most significant archaeological treasures ever found in Africa. Visitors can gain insight into ancient Nubia by viewing more than 250 objects in gold, silver, bronze, ivory, stone and ceramic dating from 7000 B.C. to modern times.
Higgins will discuss his photography in a free workshop at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 10 in the Carlos Museum reception hall. For more information, contact Priyanka Sinha at 404-727-4291.
Higgins is one of the premier photographers of his generation. An Alabama native, he has been a staff photographer for the Times since 1975. His photographs have appeared in many publications and are featured in the PBS films "An American Photographer: Chester Higgins Jr." and "Brotherman."
He authored the photo collections "Black Woman," "Drums of Life," "Some Time Ago," "Feeling the Spirit: Searching the World for the People of Africa," and "Elder Grace: The Nobility of Aging." His latest book is a 2005 memoir, "Echo of the Spirit: A Photographer's Journey."
Schatten Gallery is located on level three of Emory's Woodruff Library, 540 Asbury Circle, Emory. For more information, contact gallery director Julie Delliquanti at 404-727-0136. The exhibition runs through Aug. 15, and is free and open to the public.
The Carlos Museum exhibition "Lost Kingdoms of the Nile: Nubian Treasures from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston," is within walking distance of the Schatten exhibition at 571 South Kilgo Circle, Emory. For more information, contact Priyanka Sinha at 404-727-4291. The Carlos exhibition runs through Aug. 30. Admission is a $7 donation, free for museum members and Emory faculty, students and staff. Free docent-led tours of the museum depart from the rotunda on level one every Sunday at 2:30 p.m. during the Emory academic year. Call 404-727-4282 to confirm.
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