Syracuse Sun

In today’s interconnected world, cultural competency, critical thinking, and innovative problem-solving are important proficiencies that are highly sought after by employers. The Institute for the Future predicts that 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 have not yet been invented, highlighting the need for adaptable graduates. The humanities play a vital role in cultivating skills such as agility, resilience, and flexibility by broadening students’ worldviews and exposing them to diverse cultures, perspectives, and experiences.

For the last 21 years, the Syracuse University Humanities Center’s Syracuse Symposium has done just that through a public series of art exhibitions, lectures, film screenings, workshops, and musical performances which encourage people to think critically about important questions and reflect on their values and beliefs.

“Syracuse Symposium’s free, inclusive programming is so important to creating a sense of purpose and contribution larger than our individual selves,” says Vivian May, professor of women’s and gender studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and director of both the Humanities Center and Central New York Humanities Corridor. “Symposium’s diverse lineup of immersive experiences in the arts and humanities helps to humanize large-scale problems and to imagine how we can make a difference together.”

Each year’s symposium programming centers around a theme, with this year’s being “community,” as chosen by the center’s advisory board. May notes that the range of events will engage attendees in conversations about social justice and well-being while also demonstrating how community is vital to achieving more just and equitable futures. For example, a lecture and workshop with prison studies scholar Brandon Erby will highlight how incarcerated individuals are developing communities to foster a sense of belonging and emotional support as they work to prepare for life after release. Another art exhibition and film screening will highlight how women artists in the Mithila region of northeast India are using art to challenge longstanding gender-based violence and patriarchal structures to foster empowerment and social reform.

“This fall’s lineup invites us to immerse in a rich array of cultural forms to consider how community can be imagined and built but also undermined,” says May. “Our fall offerings underscore the humanities’ central role in how we craft identity and forge community, including in contexts of constraint; in how to confront myriad forms of violence rupturing our communities; and in how we imagine community differently and tap into its possibilities in more just ways.”

Fall Symposium Events at a Glance

Friday, Sept. 6

Gordon Parks’ Curated Photographs – During his career as a photojournalist from the 1940s to the 1970s, Gordon Parks illuminated issues of race relations, poverty, civil rights, and urban life in America. An exhibition of his works will be on display at the SU Art Museum’s Joe and Emily Lowe Galleries through Dec. 8. At the Sept. 6 event, Aileen June Wang , associate curator at Kansas State University’s Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art will discuss Parks' wide-ranging artistic ideas.

Wednesday, Sept. 11

River Stories: A Research Methodologies Workshop – Swati Chattopadhyay from UC-Santa Barbara will introduce participants to new methodologies in researching architectural space through colonial lenses. The workshop includes selected archival materials from Special Collections Research Center along with a walking tour of Erie Canal.

Thursday, Sept. 12

The Architecture of Sovereignty: Making & Unmaking British Empire – Chattopadhyay will present on analyzing architecture's role in understanding sovereignty related to colonialism.

Friday, Sept. 20

“Weird Barrio” Exhibition Opening – La Casita Cultural Center commemorates Latine Heritage Month with an exhibition featuring Puerto Rican artist Manuel Matías' dioramas depicting Latino experience.

Friday Oct.,18

Rupture Resistance & Community: Crisis Against Women – An exhibition at SU Art Museum & film screening "Sama In Forest" showcasing women's empowerment through storytelling/art near India-Nepali border.

Sunday Oct.,20

Healing Trauma Through Poetry & Music – Composer Kurt Erickson & poet Brian Turner discuss collaborative works blending compositions/poetry reflecting on Pan Am Flight bombing/Iraq war experiences.

Thursday Oct.,24

Rockets for Sake Of Poetry – Eduardo Kac revisits key highlights emphasizing current space artworks.

Thursday Nov.,7

Imagining Freedom: Developing Communities In Prison – Brandon Erby discusses incarcerated individuals building communities inside jails focusing on emotional well-being/reintegration.

Unpacking Prison Podcasts – Erby hosts workshop detailing podcasting skills/community building among incarcerated individuals.

Learn more about this year’s Syracuse Symposium.

###