Announcements Holly Genovese Announcements Holly Genovese

Announcement: Faith Ringgold and Michele Wallace in Conversation This Thursday!

Continuing a week of not-to-be-missed events, the Center for Art of Africa and its Diasporas and the Art History Department bring artist Faith Ringgold and feminist author Michele Wallace together for a conversation on Thursday, September 12 from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. in the Art Building, Room 1.102. Ringgold is an internationally-recognized artist and Wallace--Ringgold's daughter--is a journalist and scholar best known for her work, Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman (1971).finalringgold_and_wallace_event_posterThe following comes to us from the Department of Art and Art History:

The Center for Art of Africa and it's Diasporas (CAAD), in conjunction with the Art History Lecture Series, presents internationally acclaimed artist Faith Ringgold in conversation with feminist author Michele Wallace.Faith Ringgold is an internationally renowned artist, activist, and storyteller. Her work is held in several museums' permanent collections, notably The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMa), and The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Ringgold’s colorful mosaics are showcased in several city buildings such as the Los Angeles Civic Center/Grand Park and the New York City 125th Street subway station . She is also an acclaimed children’s book author, awarded both the prestigious Caldecott Honor and the Coretta Scott King award for her 1991 book, Tar Beach.Author and Professor Michele Wallace—Ringgold’s daughter—is perhaps best known for her controversial feminist critique of Black Nationalism’s sexist attitudes, Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman (1971). Wallace was Essence Magazine’s Editor at Large (1983) and a columnist for The Village Voice (1995-1996). Wallace holds a BA and MA in English from The City College of New York, and a PhD in Cinema Studies from New York University. She is currently Professor of English at The City College and Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

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Announcements Holly Genovese Announcements Holly Genovese

Announcement: Artist Laurie Anderson Begins Visiting Professorship This Week!

We are thrilled to announce that experimental performing artist and composer Laurie Anderson begins her stint as the C. L. and Henriette Cline Centennial Visiting Professor in the Humanities at UT Austin this week! Anderson will be on campus on and off throughout the semester to present exhibitions, videos, and talks to complement her performance of "Landfall."
anderson
The following comes to us from the Humanities Institute, which is putting on a number of great events featuring Anderson and her work:
A graduate of Barnard College with an MFA in sculpture from Columbia University, Anderson is an experimental performing artist and composer renowned for her innovative use of technology in the arts. This includes incorporating such devices as elaborate installation pieces, voice filters, and improvised musical instruments. Throughout her career she has cast herself in roles as wide-ranging as poet, composer, photographer, filmmaker, vocalist, and instrumentalist.Over the past three decades, Anderson has performed throughout the United States and internationally. Some of her notable works include United States I-V, Empty Places, The Nerve Bible, and Songs and Stories for Moby Dick. She has also presented a number of acclaimed solo works, including Happiness, which premiered in 2001.The first phase of her residency, from September 9-11, 2013, includes a seminar with University faculty and graduate students, and a public showing of Laurie Anderson: Collected Films and Videos, followed by a question-and-answer session. The second visit, from September 25-27, features discussions with faculty and students, and the opening of the Landfall exhibit at the Visual Arts Center. During her final visit, from October 15-17, Anderson will perform with Kronos Quartet in the Texas premiere of Landfall at the Bass Concert Hall. There will be talk-backs after the performance and the following morning (photo: Laurie Anderson performing with Kronos Quartet).To learn more about Laurie Anderson and her work, please visit her official website. A recent interview with Texas Monthly editor Evan Smith on "Overheard" can be viewed here.

Hope to see you this week at "Laurie Anderson: Collected Films and Videos" with Q&A on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom, Salon C, AT&T Executive Education Center. Stay tuned for more announcements of exciting events this week at UT, and stay up-to-date with everything going on by checking out our calendar!

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Announcements, Faculty Research Kate Grover Announcements, Faculty Research Kate Grover

Announcement: More on American Studies and the Texas Bookshelf Project

CaptureLast week, we shared the exciting news from UT Press about their new Texas Bookshelf series, a 5-year, 16-book series from UT faculty centering on what Texas is and means. Today, we have a few more details about the project (and our our faculty members' involvement in the project) from department chair Dr. Elizabeth Engelhardt.And stay tuned this fall for more specific details about each of these four approaches to Texas.

Four core faculty members in American Studies are among the distinguished faculty chosen as authors in the Texas Bookshelf Project. Designed to be the most ambitious and comprehensive publishing endeavor about the culture and history of one state ever undertaken, the book series and website will draw on the state’s brightest writers, scholars, and intellectuals.

Professors Bob Abzug, Elizabeth Engelhardt, Karl Hagstrom Miller, and Shirley Thompson each will write for the series. The Department of American Studies thereby is contributing to the project more authors—in sheer numbers and in percentage of faculty—than any other department on campus. Were we to add in our American Studies affiliate faculty members, we might need to rename it the TexAMS Bookshelf.

In the words of President Bill Powers, “Texas deserves a comprehensive series of books that explores its history and culture. A collaboration between our esteemed faculty and UT Press is the ideal way to produce The Texas Bookshelf and to share the rich resources of this campus with the rest of the world.”

American Studies is proud to participate in the endeavor.

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Announcements Kate Grover Announcements Kate Grover

Announcement: New UT Press Book Series Features 4 American Studies Professors

Texas BluebonnetsWe're absolutely thrilled to share the news with you that four core faculty members of the American Studies department will contribute to a fascinating new University of Texas Press book series, The Texas Bookshelf, that centers on our home state.Bob Abzug, Elizabeth Engelhardt, Shirley Thompson, and Karl Hagstrom Miller will all participate in the sixteen-book project.A few more details from the UT Press:

This project will be the most ambitious and comprehensive publishing endeavor about the culture and history of one state ever undertaken. The Texas Bookshelf will comprise sixteen books and a companion website launching in 2017, all to be written by the distinguished faculty at The University of Texas at Austin. The first book will be a new full-length history of Texas, followed by fifteen books released over five years on a range of Texas subjects—politics, music, film, business, architecture, and sports, among many others.[...]The Bookshelf will be supported by an interactive website that will facilitate an extended online community. Visitors to the site can access related supplemental content, including audio, video, photography, and downloadable readers' guides, as well as links to rich primary source materials located in the magnificent research archives and special collections on the UT Austin campus. Additionally, a schedule of special programs and public events for the university community and general public will be developed in conjunction with the publication of each book.

See the UT Press's announcement for more details, and check back at AMS :: ATX for updates on this wonderful series.

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