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ISHA seminars run for a year, and are organized around specific themes. Fellows take it in turns to lead the discussion, pursuing a particular project in which they are interested. Though the theme is common to all, Fellows inevitably approach it from their own points of view and disciplinary perspectives. The result is an interdisciplinary exchange which provides intellectual stimulation and furthers the individual and collaborative work of all concerned. The basis for discussion may be a formal or informal presentation; a set of readings (or images, or music); a piece of writing or work of art composed by the presenter(s); or some combination. The ethos is democratic and interactive, allowing for free-flowing discussion and stimulation. Below you will find a desciption of our current
seminar, as well as a list of the Fellows and their projects. For a record of past
seminars see our Archive. ISHA 2008-2009: Public Thought, Public Art, Public Effect The relation of the worlds of thought and art to the public sphere is a matter of perennial contemplation, and it is time to consider it again. We live in an era of intense challenge, political, economic, cultural, ecological, yet it is not clear how those in the worlds of scholarship, writing, or art should respond. Scholars, writers, and artists in various times and places have done so in various ways. Some have gone to the barricades; some have taken on the mantle of public pronouncement (Zola, J'Accuse); some have felt that public involvement would betray the intrinsic commitment of their work; some have felt their truest contribution must be through the very forms of their thought or art. As Gabriel García Márquez put it, "The writer’s duty—his revolutionary duty, if you like—is to write well." Currently in the USA we confront a dizzying array of tendencies. This has been an era of documentary, taking on highly important issues. Questions of public space and public memory have come to the fore in relation to issues of design and artistic practice. Universities have in some ways opened their doors, working with local communities, or sending students to work with communities farther afield. Yet it has also been a period of retreat, of anti-intellectualism more generally, where finding a public voice is by no means easy. What examples can we find? What forms of inspiration? Or caution? What principles should guide us? It is with some of these questions in mind that ISHA has designed a year-long seminar around the theme of Public Thought, Public Art, Public Effect. Our fellows for the year are as follows. Milan Dragicevich (Theater): Tyrants and Avenging Angels: Milosevic and the West in the Theatrical Arena. Contact Milan Dragicevich. Sally Galman (Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies): Public Intellectuals in the Landscape of "Care": Pre K-12 Teachers, Identity, and Work. Daniel Gordon (History): The Headscarf: A Comparative View of Law and Public Culture. Elizabeth Krause (Anthropology. Joseph Krupczynski (Art, Architecture and Art History): Engaged Spatial Practices in the Public Realm. Contact Joseph Krupczunski. Young Min Moon (Art, Architecture and Art History): Public Moments: Recent Dialogic Practices from South Korea. Contact Young Min Moon. Sabina Murray (English): Rendered Contemporary: The Art of Adapting Fiction to Film. Shawn Shimpach (Communication). Frank Sleegers (Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning): Temporary Public Art - A Strategy to Rebuild Shrinking Urban Communities. Contact Frank Sleegers. Jenny Spencer (English): Politics and Live Performance in Contemporary British Theatre. Contact Jenny Spencer. Leah Wing (Legal Studies): Murals in the North of Ireland/Northern Ireland. Contact Leah Wing. James Young (Judaic and Near Eastern Studies): Memory at Ground Zero. Contact James Young.
The seminar for 2009-10 has not yet been announced. When it is, a copy of the call for applications will be linked here. Suggestions As part of the inclusive ethos of the ISHA seminar, we welcome suggestions for future topics or themes. If you know of others who would be interested in such a topic, please let us know that too. Contact ISHA with suggestions. |