2018-2019 Sagan National Colloquium
Art and Engagement
This year the SNC focuses on the myriad ways that art can impact our world. We invite you to meet with artists, writers, playwrights, dancers, singers, and thinkers and learn how they are creating change through their artistic practices, scholarship, and service.
We understand art to be an essential part of building cultural heritage, a framework for understanding ourselves in the present moment, and a means for imagining a collective future. It is a core component of a liberal arts education because it opens new spaces for critical thinking and allows people to describe their experiences. Historically, art has played a role in shaping political power, communicating scientific discoveries, recording history, and giving form to the sacred. Art has also been engaged to affect positive social change, notably in American Civil Rights and Feminist struggles. Today, community art is often used as a means to connect disparate communities with resources.
We believe that artists can help us imagine what our tomorrow may look like, so we can make better decisions today. Join us in celebrating the arts at OWU and learn about the critical role they play in developing thinking across disciplines.
Exhibits
Join us for an art exhibit at the Ross Museum or one of its satellite galleries and see why the museum is a vibrant space for cultural community at OWU and in Delaware. Connect with colleagues, friends, and curators during public receptions, workshops, and lectures.
Workshops
Become part of a performance. Explore strategies for community organizing. Re-imagine time through an Afro-futurist lens. These hands-on opportunities will allow small groups to engage directly with artists and connect art practices to your own life. Make sure to register in advance!
Lectures
Listen to a critically acclaimed Native American author read her work. Hear how writers can use their art to engage in political activism. Discover the ways that art historians play a crucial role in environmental issues today. Attend a lecture to learn how experts in various cultural fields are working to shape our world.
Performances
Join us for a choral performance that showcases how music can heal and support communities or treat yourself to a performance of an iconic play and support OWU’s Department of Theatre & Dance. These performances will entertain, challenge, and make you think.
