The 2020 Obermann Humanities Symposium, "What Can Museums Become?", will bring together a distinguished group of museum directors, curators, educators and artists who will reflect on the transformative work that museums perform in the twenty-first century. The first keynote speaker will be Johanna Burton, whose expertise in performance studies has inflected her work as a curator, educator, scholar, and now as the Director of the Wexner Center for the Arts at The Ohio State University—one of the...

Museums have never been mere containers for objects, nor should they be. How might we draw strength from existing institutions to enable vibrant futures? How can we expand the communities who feel a sense of belonging within and around museums? What must we confront and transform to make this possible? Join the artists, curators, historians, educators, and thinkers who are asking, "What Can Museums Become?" Keynote speakers include Johanna Burton, Director of the Wexner Center for the Arts at...

Join us on Monday, February 24 from 3:30pm to 5:30PM at the Iowa City Public Library meeting rooms for a panel and small group discussion by history PhD alumni, who will discuss their pathways to career diversity:  Karen Christianson Director, Department of Public Engagement, Newberry Library Sylvea Hollis Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow, National Park Service Eric Zimmer Historian, Vantage Point Historical Services This event is part of Humanities for the Public Good, an Andrew W...

With attention drawn to events at the border, it can be easy to overlook the population of immigrants who live in fear of being deported or having family members deported. The effects of raids and other maneuvers by Immigration and Customs Enforcement have deep impact on the overall health and well-being of Latino/a/x communities here in Iowa and across the country. The possibility of raids and deportation cause anxiety and depression, which affect the workplace and schools, as well as the...

Learn about the Summer 2020 Humanities for the Public Good Internship program. In addition to learning about the opportunities, expectations of participants, application process, you will also have the chance to talk with one of last year's interns and hear about their experience. 

In this one-day symposium -- part of our yearlong Mellon Foundation-funded Sawyer Seminar on “Imagining Latinidades: Articulations of National Belonging” -- three speakers will examine the potentials and pitfalls of imagining Latinidades in the Midwestern U.S. Building off the past success of the Latina/o Midwest Symposium, this kickoff event for the spring semester will draw attention to the ways in which Latina/o/x space and identity might be imagined and practiced outside of traditionally...