Latest arts and research in humanities on display in ‘Visions 2024’
A showcase of current research and creative projects in the humanities, “Visions 2024,” will be held on Thursday, February 8 from 5–7:30 p.m. at the Collins Center for the Arts.
Featuring brief talks from the Collins Center mainstage, video presentations and an informal conversation in the Bodwell Lounge, and exhibitions in the center lobby, “Visions 2024” is sponsored by the Clement and Linda McGillicuddy Humanities Center (MHC) at the University of Maine.
The event, which will highlight research supported by the MHC’s faculty grant and undergraduate fellowship programs, is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
Among the scheduled speakers are professor of history Liam Riordan, who will deliver a brief talk titled “Picturing Maine’s Indigenous Context: Colonialism and the Penobscot,” and assistant professor of history and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies Kara Peruccio, who will discuss her work on suffrage movements in the mediterranean. The CCA lobby will feature installations by UMaine faculty and artists including Susan Smith and Louise Bourne, while the Bodwell Lounge will feature multimedia work by professor of music and MHC director Beth Wiemann, whose site-specific opera and film “I Give You My Home” was supported by an MHC grant.
“The McGillicuddy Humanities Center has been able to support faculty from all corners of the arts and humanities at UMaine, aiding the research of both full- and part-time instructors in these fields,” said Wiemann. “As director of the center, we’re proud of the support we’re able to provide, and as a past recipient of MHC faculty funding, I’m thankful for the Center’s investment in the arts and humanities. We are extremely grateful to Clement and Linda McGillicuddy for their tremendous support in this work.”
Also in the Bodwell Lounge will be current and former MHC undergraduate fellows, students pursuing independent research in the humanities under the supervision of faculty mentors. Those present will include Katie Ritchie, a history and secondary education double major from Northport, Maine who is working on a project titled “Mapping Education: Using Maps to Teach the Holocaust,” and Sarah Renee Ozlanski, a studio art and English double major whose project examines the matrilineal tradition of pisanki, colorful eggs with images written on them through a wax and dye resistance process.
The evening’s programming aims to highlight the diverse interdisciplinary expertise and interests of UMaine faculty and staff involved in research and teaching on campus and outward-facing humanities work. The event also will familiarize the public with the many roles of the MHC — from student fellowships and faculty grants to campus lectures, performances and community outreach.
Established in 2012, the MHC supports excellent teaching, research and public engagement in the humanities to deepen understanding of the human condition. Supported by a naming gift from Clement McGillicuddy ’64 and his wife, Linda, the MHC supports programs that foster intellectual curiosity, critical reflection and creative innovation. Central to the center’s work is the belief that study of the humanities inspires compassion across differences, develops empathy, strengthens critical thinking skills and cultivates the emotional and intellectual agility needed to navigate an increasingly interconnected and complex global landscape.
For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact MHC humanities specialist Brian Jansen at brian.jansen@maine.edu or 207.581.1848.