Arts & Ideas

Introduction

Framingham State University is proud to present Arts & Ideas 2019-2020: a year of must-see speakers, performances, exhibitions and films, exploring the theme of ROOTS/ROUTES.

Roots are worth digging up. Be they the multi-faceted roots of a persistent social problem, or the radical, hard-to-hear “root” of a controversial issue, roots determine who and what can thrive. Come hear Kevin Flike talk about the roots of PTSD; Rebecca Puhl on the roots of size discrimination; poets Chet’la Sebree and Clint Smith on the deep roots of racial injustice in America; and Susan M. Schneider on the behavioral roots behind climate change denial (and avoidance), which, once exposed, promise a projected route forward.

Come enjoy the border-crossing musical roots of our Midday Series performances, and Grammy-award winning percussionist Eguie Castrillo’s eleven piece salsa band; the hidden roots which connect Shakespeare to Hip Hop, or Homer to the epic spoken word performances of two-time national slam poetry champion, Guante.

Routes are worth mapping – old and new. Our series traces the route from slavery to the sugar bowl, from Turkish hair to Israeli wigs, from an Irish play to its Nigerian adaptation, and for the protagonist of Garth Davis’ film, Lion, the long route home to a lost self. As a campus deeply invested in the wisdom of diasporic voices and the rights of immigrants, we are thrilled to host poet MartÍn Espada, muralist Esteban del Valle, memoirist Reyna Grande, and fiction writer Grace Talusan. On the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, come witness the route back into the shadows of Łódź: the Polish ghetto revisited in memory, photography and documentary film. Come witness a route forward in the work of Keisha Greaves, who, with her line Girls Chronically Rock, creates inspired fashion celebrating individuals with Muscular Dystrophy and other Chronic Illnesses.

Do not miss the chance to be part of this riveting, diverse series!

To view the complete Arts & Ideas Brochure, click here.

Top of Page Image Captions from left: Rebecca Puhl; Regie Gibson; Conquistador Subway, by Esteban del Valle.