"The Art of Peace" Humanities Symposium at Viterbo University the Week of Feb. 22

Monday, February 15, 2016

Feb. 15, 2016

Contact Bill Reese at 608-796-3708 or wjreese@viterbo.edu

“THE ART OF PEACE” HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM AT VITERBO UNIVERSITY THE WEEK OF FEB. 22

LA CROSSE, Wis. – The La Crosse community is invited to join Viterbo faculty, staff, and students in exploring the topic of “The Art of Peace” at the university’s annual Humanities Symposium Monday, Feb. 22 and Wednesday, Feb. 24–Friday, Feb 26.

            National Football League Hall of Fame member and pastor Aeneas Williams will present the keynote address “It Takes Respect” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24 in the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Main Theatre.

            Viterbo’s annual humanities symposium is sponsored by the College of Arts and Letters-School of Humanities. It is designed to provide a common topic that upholds the values of the university’s Franciscan heritage while offering opportunities to apply those values through an interdisciplinary lens.

            The symposium is free and open to the public. The schedule of events:

Monday, Feb. 22

  • 12:20–1:15 p.m. Brown Bag Lunch: “Truth, Justice, and the American Wayward: Possibilities for Truth-telling and Racial Reconciliation in the U.S.” with Matthew Bersagel Braley – Reinhart Center room 107
  • 3:35–5 p.m. Women’s Studies Documentary: Women and Peace with Apryl Denny and Laura Nettles, FSPA – Reinhart Center room 127
  • 6 p.m.  History Book Club: Alfred F. Young’s The Shoemaker and the Tea Party with Andrew Hamilton – Brophy Center room 204

Wednesday, Feb. 24

  • 11:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Lunch sponsored by religious studies and philosophy department – Fine Arts Center Lobby
  • 12:15–1:30 p.m. “Behind the Wall” with Victoria Biggs – Fine Arts Center Lobby. Biggs has taught art and music to both Palestinian and Jewish children in Bethlehem in the West Bank. The presentation will be preceded and followed by original music by students under the leadership of Mary Ellen Haupert.
  • 2–3 p.m. Breakout sessions in response to Victoria Biggs’ presentation.
  • 7 p.m.  Keynote Address “It Takes Respect” by Reverend Aeneas Williams, Ferguson, Mo. Pastor Williams, an NFL Hall of Fame member, was instrumental in promoting peace between police and rioters in dealing with the death of Michael Brown – Fine Arts Center Main Theatre

Thursday, February 25

  • 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Poster presentations from students in Apryl Denny’s Women’s Studies class and Laura Nettles, FSPA’s Peace and Social Justice class – School of Nursing Building Lobby
  • 6 p.m. “Rhetoric vs. Witness: Tolkien’s Response to the Language of Conflict” with Vickie Holtz-Wodzak – Brophy Center room 122

Friday, February 26

  • 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m. Humanities Scholarship Competition
  • 9 a.m.–2 p.m. “Art as a Political Response to Social Justice Issues in Latin America.” Spanish majors will present the lives and works of various Latin American artists. The exhibitions will include musicians, poets, painters, and street artists representing social justice issues with their work – School of Nursing Building Foyer

Ongoing Events

  • “What Does Peace Look Like?” Art exhibit featuring drawings by Asmaa Shwieky’s elementary-aged students from the Shuafat Refugee Camp outside of Jerusalem in response to the question, “What does peace look like?”
  • Flash Poetry Readings
  • Art Exhibit by May Grabli, Arab/Israeli Community Center

 

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