Lecture Series
9/21 Noon-1:15 P.M. Global Health Governance: Ebola and HIV/AIDS Pamela A. Zeiser, associate professor of political science. Building 4/Room 1705
9/28 1:30-2:45 P.M. Life and Death: How Changes in Nutrition Have Affected Global Health and Longevity David T. Courtwright, presidential professor and distinguished professor of history. Building 4/Room 1705
10/5 Noon-1:15 P.M. The Mortality Effects of Public Health Policy: An International Collaboration Sericea Stallings-Smith, assistant professor of public health. Building 4/Room 1705
10/12 Noon-1:15 P.M. The Relics and Remains of the Ancient Paquiméans Gordon Rakita, professor of anthropology and director of academic technology. Building 4/Room 1705
10/19 Noon-2:45 P.M. Señorita María, la falda de la montaña (Miss María, Skirting the Mountain) A film screening and conversation with director Rubén Mendoza, moderated by Constanza López, associate professor of Spanish. Co-sponsored by the LGBT Resource Center, the Latin American and Caribbean Council, the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, and the Department of English. Building 14A/Room 1314
11/2 Noon-1:15 P.M. The Biology of Aging, and the Potential for Treating Aging as a Disease John Hatle, professor of biology. Building 4/Room 1705
11/16 Noon-3 P.M. Second Annual UNF International Research Symposium Building 4/Room 1705
Spring 2018: New and Old
Fall 2017: Friends and Foes
Spring 2017: Unseen Forces
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Chau J Kelly, Associate Professor of History.
Dr. Kelly’s talk focused on her efforts to bring to light the event of the forgotten poisoning of 37 Malangali children in 1934 and to better understand the complexity of the situation. She discussed the difficulty working with the three layers of historical memory—the official colonial record, the official finding of the inquest and the community narratives and the decades of silence which have been filtered through anthropologists and the nationalist leader. She described ways that ideas about witchcraft influence how different phenomena are interpreted in this culture and impact the uses of medicine. Dr. Kelly explained the circumstances that may have caused the poisoning and the gaps in storyline that she has been working on reconstructing. She addressed as well the families’ reactions to the events that took place during and after the poisoning and the colonial state’s response. Lastly, she explained how she discovered this tragedy and the research process she has used to investigate what happened. (Facebook post)
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Ambassador Nancy Soderberg, Visiting Distinguished Scholar and Director of Public Policy Initiatives.
Ambassador Soderberg reviewed the activity of the new administration in the first two weeks, along with the impacts of the executive orders that have been issued. She discussed Trump’s choices to lead the the foreign policy and national security teams, and considered issues that the administration may have to address during the President's first 100 days in office. She pointed in particular to the possibility of an early showdown with Russia, and threats from North Korea, Iran, and China, as well as challenges related to climate change, international alliances, cyber and terrorist attacks, and trade. Ambassador Soderberg closed her talk with two pleas, asking the audience to be active participants in the democratic process and to engage with people of differing opinions, by listening to and respecting them. (Facebook post)
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Suzanne Ehrlich, Assistant Professor of Exceptional, Deaf, and Interpreter Education.
Professor Ehrlich discussed the global deaf community and the need for more global education for signed language interpreters. She explained that the deaf community involves a diverse array of people and organizations, including deaf individuals, interpreters (signed and spoken), academic institutions, community agencies, and international associations. She pointed out that American Sign Language (ASL) is not universal, and that a system called International Sign is used instead as an entry point for discussion between those who speak different signed languages. The reasons behind her call for global education include expanding worldviews, increased concern for social justice, the need for democratic decision-making, the low numbers of students studying world languages in America compared to Europe, and a rise in multinational corporations. Professor Ehrlich also considered the factors that inspired her interest in multiculturalism and a global perspective within interpreter education. (Facebook post)
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Curtis Phills, Assistant Professor of Psychology.
Professor Phills discussed differences in stereotypes in the U.S. and U.K. in relation to particular racial groups. He also explained research that demonstrates connections between male attributes and a social group as a whole but there are no connections between the female attributes and the social group. Part of Professor Phills' research focused on how there is no link between the women of a social group and the female stereotypes. He provided definitions for key terminology, including "stereotype," "gendered stereotype," "prejudice," "intersectional invisibility," and "self-esteem." Intersectional invisibility is when a person who possesses multiple subordinate group identities (female and ethnic minority and homosexual, etc.) is rendered invisible related to those with a single subordinate identity. Professor Phills proposed that one reason why people stereotype is that putting others down results in positive feelings in the person doing the stereotyping, lifting that individual's own self-esteem. He further explained that after a threat to self, people tend to increase out-group bias to protect self-esteem. Professor Phills suggested that one strategy that can be used to reduce bias is help participants see out-group members as individuals and not representatives of their group. (Facebook post)
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Paul Fadil, Professor and Chair of the Department of Management.
Professor Fadil discussed a broad view of culture and its impact on the way that professional interactions take place. He proposed that a good cross-cultural manager observes social dynamics; listens carefully; approaches situations individually, not as manifestations of generalized rules; remains flexible; relies on intuition; and focuses on the big picture. He explained that culture is learned, shared, trans-generational, patterned, adaptive and, most importantly, symbolic. Professor Fadil considered how culture influences perception, causing categorization, and leading in turn to stereotyping. He suggested that to overcome this cycle, we must consider people as individuals, not as members of groups. Professor Fadil proposed that people in diverse cities, such as Miami and New York City, interact well because their daily interactions with people of other backgrounds counter the tendencies of ethnocentrism and parochialism. He addressed the practical side of these considerations by reflecting on how cross-cultural competency is key to success when doing business in an international context, focusing on his experiences leading international negotiating teams, as well as his research on attitudes toward doing business with partners of various nationalities. (Facebook post)
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Dr. Sérgio Luís Boeira, Professor, Department of Administrative Science, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil.
Professor Boeira explained that Guerreiro Ramos was a transdisciplinary author who was marginalized by both the political right and left in Brazil for his criticisms of conventional and supposedly revolutionary positions on the history of literature and the relationship between art and politics. In his last work "New Science of Organizations: A Reconceptualization of the Wealth of Nations," Guerreiro Ramos criticized the market-centric society and proposed the delimitation of the economic system. Professor Boeira argued that to properly measure the wealth of a nation, one needs to include the two types of wealth that are left out of the Gross National Product (GNP): the ecological and the social or cultural. If there is no delimitation, countries with more industrialization will dominate others with greater biodiversity and socio-diversity. Professor Boeira tied Guerreiro Ramos’s work to contemporary issues including energy production, global warming and climate change. He pointed out that Latin America currently produces a small amount of energy through sustainable, renewable sources, and that recently the solar and wind energy markets are becoming more competitive economically, which will benefit Latin America and help de-concentrate the wealth of nations geographically. (Facebook post)
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Scott Cave, Ph.D. Candidate in History, Pennsylvania State University. Cosponsored by the UNF Latin American and Caribbean Council and the UNF Department of History.
Professor Denise Bossy introduced Cave, who graduated from UNF in 2010 with a major in history and minors in Spanish and communications, and in 2012 completed the UNF Master of Arts in History. His presentation on 3/31 dealt with his doctoral research into Madalena, an Indigenous woman who served as a translator after she was captured by the Spanish in 1539. Through his archival work, Cave has traced the complex history of Madalena, who when first enslaved was subjected to sexual violence and hard labor. Not long after, she was sent to Havana where she became a servant to the wife of the governor of Cuba, and learned about Christianity and Spanish culture. After spending ten years abroad, she was put on a voyage back to Florida to help preach Catholicism. All traces of Madalena disappear after the death of the preacher whom she accompanied. At the end of his lecture, Cave asked the audience to consider how many other similar stories of Indigenous people are missing in the history of the Conquest. (Facebook post)
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Rosa De Jorio, Associate Professor of Anthropology.Professor de Jorio discussed the history of women’s formal associations in French Soudan (today’s Mali), from 1955 to 1960. As she explained, these groups were often founded by the educated elite, and focused on issues such as modernizing women’s household chores, increasing awareness about women’s legal rights, salary adjustment and the rights of working women, the establishment of nurseries and kindergartens, and the creation of other family benefits. These groups worked as well to spread information about the their own activities and promote education and employment opportunities for women. The women in these organizations faced many challenges, including rumors started by their husbands or the placing of stringent domestic requirements upon them by their husbands in order to discourage or make impossible their participation. Women leaders were eventually forced to dissolve their organizations and expected to join the Socialist party to fight for independence. As Professor de Jorio explained, the short life, contentious character, and elitism of these first women’s organizations, partly explain why the history of these groups has since been largely forgotten. (Facebook post)
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Nataliya Roman, Assistant Professor of Communication.
Professor Roman discussed her recent research on media coverage of the ongoing conflict, the bloodiest Europe has seen since the 1990s. Professor Roman’s study was a comparative analysis of news stories related to the conflict on the most popular network television newscasts in Ukraine, Russia and the United States In examining these sources, she analyzed the language used to describe the conflict, the types of interviewees featured, as well as the number of times that civilian and military deaths and casualties were mentioned. Professor Roman ended her talk by sharing some of the conclusions of her study: that the Ukrainian and Russian stations provided largely one-sided coverage; the U.S. network relied to a large extent on U.S. official sources; and there were significant differences in the coverage of deaths and casualties, with the Russian news reporting civilian casualties the most. (Facebook post)
Fall 2016: Contested Spaces
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Sucheta Pyakuryal, Assistant Professor of Political Science.
Dr. Pyakuryal's talk focused on the historical causes of tensions and insecurities between the nations of South Asia. As she explained, many difficulties arose due to religious differences and the division of territories centered on separating the religious groups. The growing popularity of nationalism based around these religions has caused further alienation between ethnic groups and nations alike and a rise in animosity. Dr. Pyakuryal's talk discussing the tumultuous relations between the nations of South Asia was a perfect starting point for this semester's theme of "Contested Spaces." (Facebook post)
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Brandi Denison, Associate Professor of Religious Studies; Sarah Caissie Provost, Assistant Professor of Musicology; and Ben Thompson, Deputy Director, MOCA Jacksonville.
Speaking from the perspectives from their different disciplines, the panelists worked with the audience to examine processes of cultural appropriation and notions of authenticity. Examples that were raised to illustrate the ideas in play were drawn from a variety of cultural spheres, including music, visual art, clothing, film, and sports. The panelists concluded by considering how students of International Studies can benefit from understanding ways that culture changes hands and from questioning of claims of cultural purity. (Facebook post
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Dr. Constanza López, Associate Professor of Spanish.
Dr. Lopez discussed the use of graffiti in Medellín, Colombia, to transform areas of violence into vibrant pieces of art that reinvent history and culture to focus on hope and peace between all groups. She also spoke of another type of graffiti, less colorful and detailed, that is used to protest the femicide and the other forms of abuse of women that plague Colombia and the world in general. (Facebook post)
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A discussion with a panel of UNF student panelists Josef Kim (Psychology undergraduate), Ricder Ricardo (Art and Design undergraduate) and Angel Kalafatis (Psychology graduate student), moderated by Nicholas de Villiers, Associate Professor of English and Film. Cosponsored by the UNF LGBT Resource Center.
The discussion focused on questions of gender and sexuality through the lens of the panelists' personal experience, academic work and artistic endeavors. Along with an audience comprised of UNF students, faculty and staff, the panelists explored regional and national differences related to gender, sexuality and rights; the various attitudes, both legal and societal, toward genders and sexuality not perceived as "normal"; the nuances of language related to how we discuss or label sex and gender identities; and the possible benefits of decriminalization of sex work on both the LGBT community and society as a whole. As the fifth event in the "Contested Spaces" Fall 2016 International Studies Lecture Series, this open dialogue brought attention to issues of gender, sexuality and rights not only other countries, but in the United States as well. (Facebook post)
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Dr. David Schwam-Baird, Associate Professor of Political Science.
Dr. Schwam-Baird addressed issues in numerous Middle Eastern countries surrounding notions of identity. Most countries in the region, as he explained, are comprised of a variety of ethnic groups who speak different languages and many times practice different religions. The post-WWI creation of new states by Allied powers exasperated regional tensions by arbitrarily forming borders with little thought given to the different cultural groups being grouped together or split apart. National identities are hard to cultivate, then, in this region, a situation that has allowed the extremist group ISIS to gain footholds by touting a goal of the creation of a unified Islamic nation. His talk challenged students to consider how these dynamics might play out in the future, and what the map of the Middle East might look like as conflicts over identity and nation continue to define political struggles in the region.
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Mina Baliamoune-Lutz, Professor and Kip Fellow of Economics.
Professor Baliamoune–Lutz began with an overview of globalization as a process that affects the environment, as well as culture, political systems, patterns of economic development and the wellbeing of people around the world. She addressed potential benefits of globalization—including larger markets, more capital flows and cultural rapprochement—and also potential downsides, such as overproduction, outsourcing of jobs and depletion of natural resource. Professor Baliamoune–Lutz discussed the uneven effects that globalization has on a regional level, as a process that benefits some regions more than others. As examples, she pointed to striking disparities in the amount of Foreign Direct Investment and access to technology in different parts of the globe. She then examined this issue of imbalance from the perspective of gender, comparing the potential benefits to woman—including employment opportunities, enhanced work conditions, and access to skills, finance and technology—to the reality of losses, or no net gains, for women. The disparate effect of how globalization impacts women is a result, she pointed out, of such factors as women’s continuing lack of access to education and technology, their overrepresentation in low-skill work, their lack of ownership of productive assets, as well as cultural and legal systems that are biased against them. Professor Baliamoune-Lutz pointed out the paradox that in many countries, "globalization might constrain women to quit school and work in low-skill jobs." To counter the idea that such gender imbalance is present only in the developing world, she showed data from the 2015 Human Development Report (hdr.UNDP.org), locating the United States between Rwanda and Tunisia on the United Nations Development Programme’s Gender Inequality Index. Professor Baliamoune–Lutz concluded by observing that globalization is part of a historical trend that will continue into the future, and we therefore must find ways to “capitalize on its positive effects and minimize (if not eliminate) its negative effects.” In her final remarks, she urged women to embolden themselves and to insert themselves into positions of achievement—as women have done throughout history. (Facebook post)
Spring 2016: Sameness/Difference
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Nicholas de Villiers, Associate Professor of English and Film.
This event inaugurated the Spring 2016 International Studies Senior Seminar Lecture Series, titled "Sameness/Difference." In his talk, Professor de Villiers’ considered theoretical viewpoints on tourism and the way we, as tourists, experience peoples and places. He then discussed the existence of a body of cinematic work that engages with these questions. He illustrated his ideas through a series of short selections of various films, in which he challenged audience members to analyze the dynamics of cross-cultural perception and communication. (Facebook post)
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JeffriAnne Wilder, Associate Professor of Sociology.
In her talk, Professor Wilder discussed the idea of colorism as a framework for understanding discrimination in the U.S. and around the world. She provided specific examples of how colorism has played out within the U.S. African American community, as well as within other racial and ethnic groups in other countries. (Facebook post)
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Moderated discussion and Q&A: Sheila Goloborotko, UNF Assistant Professor of Printmaking and exhibition co–curator/participating artist, and Catherine Graffam, participating artist.
The members of the Senior Seminar were joined by students from the Department of Art and Design to view and discuss “The Other: Nurturing a New Ecology in Printmaking,” an exhibit of work by women printmakers co–curated by Jim Draper, Coordinator of UNF Art Galleries, and Sheila Goloborotko, UNF Assistant Professor of Printmaking. After a brief introduction by Draper and Goloborotko, participants explored the exhibition, and then reconvened for a conversation with Goloborotko and transgender artist Catherine Graffam, both of whom have work included in the exhibit. The discussion began with a consideration of the technical processes involved in printmaking, and then moved on to the role of gender in the production of art and in the valuation of art as a commodity. The highlight of the event was the opportunity to speak with Graffam and Goloborotko personally about how they approach their own work, and to understand the stories behind the pieces they have on display in “The Other.” The International Studies Program would like to thank Draper, Goloborotko and Graffam for making this experience possible. We are also grateful to MOCA Jacksonville and the UNF LGBT Center, who cosponsored the event.
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Brandi Denison, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies.
Professor Denison discussed the appropriation of Native American rituals by mainstream white U.S. society, from the nineteenth century to the present, taking as her starting point the “snow dances” performed on various occasions in Colorado since the 1960s. She encouraged the audience to consider not only how Native American religious practice has been packaged for white audiences, but also how those traditions, and the social customs surrounding them, have been transformed by contact with mainstream U.S. culture. Professor Denison asked us to think critically about discourses of cultural authenticity, and to question the notion of ritual as fixed practice, inviting us to see it instead as the shifting reflection of an ongoing process of change and adaptation. Just as Professor Wilder did the week before, Professor Denison challenged us to see differently social mechanisms at work within the United States, and at the same time provided a framework for thinking about other societies around the world, as well as how we interact with other cultures across international boundaries.
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Patricia Geesey, Professor of French and Chair of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures.
Pointing to the actual diversity of French society, Professor Geesey addressed the long history of Muslim–Arabs in France, beginning with France’s military conquest of Algeria in the first half of the nineteenth century. She highlighted the largely overlooked role of the North African troops that fought on behalf of France in World Wars I and II, and the presence of Muslim–Arabs in France as soldiers, guest workers and immigrants throughout the twentieth century. Professor Geesey considered how the unraveling of France’s colonial project in Algeria in the mid-twentieth century impacted attitudes toward France’s Muslim–Arab population, and pointed to key moments in the efforts of that community to assert a bicultural identity within a system that rejects such a paradigm. Professor Geesey also examined how the French concept of laïcité has contributed to tensions between Muslim–Arabs and French institutions that, by defending official secularism, have fostered a sense of isolation and rejection among France’s Muslim–Arab communities. We are grateful to Professor Geesey for this talk, which provided critical background for understanding recent tragic events in France, as well as a framework for thinking about attitudes toward ethnic, religious and cultural plurality, in France, in our own society, and around the world.
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Panelists: Josh Gellers, Assistant Professor of Political Science; Mitch Haney, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Chair, Department of Philosophy; Margaret C. Stewart, Assistant Professor of Communication; and Karthikeyan Umapathy, Associate Professor of Information Systems. Cosponsored by the UNF Digital Humanities Initiative.
This interdisciplinary event provided an opportunity to consider the role of technology in our lives on personal, societal and international levels. (Facebook post)
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Daniel Watkins, Assistant Professor of History.
Professor Watkins’s talk related to his current work editing a volume of essays questioning traditional approaches to understanding the Enlightenment. His presentation addressed his own contribution to that collection, an article examining the role of the Society of Jesus in the period following the French Revolution. Professor Watkins explained the fierce rivalry between the Jesuits and the adherents of Jansenism, a movement within Catholicism that shared certain features with Calvinism. Professor Watkins invited audience members to consider the role of Enlightenment ideas in this ostensibly theological conflict, and pointed to the relevance of this controversy for understanding frictions over religious practice and the Republican ideal of Laïcité in today’s France. In this way, Professor Watkins's talk connected with Professor Geesey’s presentation a few weeks earlier, and touched on themes we have considered throughout the semester. (Facebook post)
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We are especially grateful to panelists Paul Carelli, Assistant Professor of Philosophy; Aaron Creller, Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Florida Blue Center for Ethics Post–Doctoral Fellow; Sarah Mattice, Assistant Professor of Philosophy; and Yongan Wu, Associate Professor of Chinese. Our panelists drew from their research and personal experiences to lead us in an engaging dialogue about the obstacles we face when trying to understand China from the outside, and the ways that stereotypes and misunderstandings play out in cultural, political and economic interactions. They also addressed problems inherent in referring to China as a singular, unified entity, and considered the implications of China's internal complexity and diversity for the ways we engage with that nation. (Facebook post)
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Anne Pfister, Assistant Professor of Anthropology. Cosponsored by the UNF Latin American and Caribbean Council.
Professor Pfister’s talk related to field research she conducted at a school for deaf children in the Mexican capital. She invited the audience to reflect upon their own experiences with language in childhood, as well as on the way we access culture through language. She then shared examples of photographs taken by the deaf youth with whom she worked as part of a participatory research project. She discussed how these images reveal these children’s attitudes toward the world around them, as well as how they highlight the culture they constructed within their own community. The discussion that followed included some consideration of societal attitudes toward deafness in Mexico and institutional impediments to providing more extensive resources to this under-served population. Professor Pfister’s lecture closed the Spring 2016 series by providing a unique opportunity to think of research as process that can be collaborative and highly personal. (Facebook post)
Fall 2015: Movement and Migration
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Sarah Caissie Provost, Assistant Professor of Music
Professor Sarah Caissie Provost reviewed traditional ideas regarding the African and Latin American influences of jazz, and then examined historiographical discourses that have attempted to deny those influences, arguing for jazz as a form of expression that is purely "American." She examined some possible explanations for these arguments, considering attempts by white musicians and the nascent recording industry to appropriate jazz, as well as ideas expressed by African American pianist Mary Lou Williams, who posited that authentic jazz was rooted the experience of slavery in the U.S., making talk of African and Latin roots irrelevant. (Facebook post
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A round-table conversation led by Constanza López, Assistant Professor of Spanish and Director of Voces y caras: Hispanic Communities of Jacksonville. Thomas Carpenter Library Special Collections Reading Room.
Professor Constanza López and UNF students Liana Llerandi and Saúl Grajeda shared their insights with us about how gender is lived in the context of immigration. Students from the International Studies Senior Seminar and other guests enjoyed a lively conversation with the panelists about issues related to discrimination, stereotypes, biculturalism, sexual orientation, gender identity, generational divides, and opportunities to effect change. The session ended with a viewing of the fall 2015 exhibit of the project Voces y cara: Hispanic Communities of Jacksonville, on display outside the Special Collections Reading Room on the first floor of the Thomas G. Carpenter Library. (Facebook post)
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Professor Josh Gellers of Political Science discussed the precarious state of climate refugees, whose status is not defined under current international law. He examined several case studies in which populations are on the move or are under imminent danger as a result, directly or indirectly, of climate change. He also discussed possible ways to address to what many regard as an impending crisis. (Facebook post)
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Chris Baynard, Department of Economics and Geography.
Professor Baynard introduced participants to the concept of story maps, a tool for narrating experiences and communicating research results through the use of images and geographical data. He walked us through how to create story maps using two free online applications, Google Picassa and ArcGIS. Professor Baynard provided detailed instructions for getting started with these tools, and encouraged participants to consider how they might utilize story maps in an academic and professional context.
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Sarah Mattice, Assistant Professor of Philosophy.
Professor Mattice challenged us to consider approaches to building “interpretive bridges,” or understanding what the world looks like from different cultural perspectives, using China and Confucianism as an example. She discussed the Western tendency to think of China as “inscrutable,” and proposed that understanding Confucianism is a key to crossing that cultural divide. She offered caveats for how we think about Confucianism and vocabulary for talking about a Confucian world view. She discussed the importance that Confucianism places on learning and the way Confucian thought conceptualizes human relationships, suggesting that these are two critical ideas for understanding the Chinese culture of today. She also offered insights into the relationship between language and culture, proposing that an understanding of how a language functions is essential to gaining access to the worldview of its speakers. (Facebook post
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Greg Helmick, Assistant Professor of Spanish.
Professor Helmick began by contextualizing his work through a brief mention of key books on border culture, including several dedicated to the Caribbean. He then reviewed historical factors central to understanding the cultural and racial makeup of today’s Caribbean, and in particular the contemporary realities of the island of Hispanola, shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. He discussed bachata as a product of migration (and affinity for "foreign" Mexican forms of music) and merengue as a product of border culture, playing samples of both, alongside Haitian méringue. Professor Helmick explained the use of merengue as a nationalist symbol by the Trujillo regime and the systematic devaluation of bachata as an inferior cultural product linked to notions of poverty and blackness. He then discussed the fiction of Dominican-American novelist Junot Díaz as a form of cultural anthropology, in which the author examines Dominican national identity through music. He finished by reading an excerpt of a work in progress examining this topic in relation to Díaz’s novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.
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Professor Miguel Martínez, Assistant Professor of Spanish Literature, University of Chicago.
Professor Martínez discussed his work with a series of Early Modern Spanish texts produced in Asia that reflect a complex interplay of written languages, visual codes and cultural systems. Professor Martínez discussed some of the challenges of working with these multilingual texts, most of which remain unpublished in manuscript form. He invited us to consider these documents within the larger body of writing documenting the Spanish colonial experience, and suggested ways that these texts can expand our understanding of cultural exchanges and processes in the period. This event was co–sponsored by the UNF Latin American and Caribbean Council and the UNF Asia Council. (Facebook post
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Moderated discussion and Q&A with the artist: Ian Johnston and Ben Thompson, MOCA Curator of Collections.
On Friday, November 13, the students in the International Studies Senior Seminar visited the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville to meet Canadian artist Ian Johnston and explore his newest work, “Fish Tales,” part of MOCA’s Project Atrium series. A project that has evolved in part through the Johnston’s travels around the world, “Fish Tales” fits into the artist’s larger body of work dealing with consumerism and the disposable nature of modern culture. Joined by Ben Thompson, MOCA Jacksonville Curator of Collections, Johnston discussed with us the development of “Fish Tales,” and helped us to understand the larger context of his sculpture. Together with Johnston and Thompson, we then viewed “Fish Tales” and explored the Atrium space it occupies, on the final afternoon of Johnston’s installation process. This event provided a unique opportunity for us to consider our course theme, “Movement and Migration,” in relation both to the economic and environmental realities of today’s globalized world and to the process of creating an art in an international context. Our visit to MOCA was also a singular opportunity to speak in a personal way with an artist about the ideas and lived experience behind his work. We would like to thank MOCA Jacksonville and guest artist Ian Johnston for their generosity in making this experience possible.
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