Joy Kasson will discuss the value and necessity of the creative arts in a lecture Nov. 11 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Kasson is professor of American studies and English and comparative literature at UNC. She is also the inaugural Andrew W. Mellon Distinguished Scholar for Carolina Performing Arts.
Kasson will deliver the 2012 E. Maynard Adams Lecture in the Humanities and Human Values at 4 p.m. in the auditorium of the Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building (UNC School of Social Work). Her free talk is entitled, “Dramas of History and Vision: Three Contemporary Artists and the Necessity of the Arts.”
A banquet honoring Kasson follows at the Carolina Inn. Advance registration for the banquet is required; the fee is $55. Call (919) 962-1544 or e-mail human@unc.edu.
Kasson will consider how the arts today are both abundant and imperiled. How can engagement with the creative arts enrich our lives and spark empathy, critical thinking and humanistic reflection?
She will focus on three American artists and their works that raise questions about justice, citizenship, identity and aspiration:
- Artist Judy Chicago’s multimedia display, “The Dinner Party” (1979).
- Playwright Tony Kushner’s two-part “Angels in America” (1993).
- Choreographer Bill T. Jones’ “Fondly Do We Hope … Fervently Do We Pray” (2009).
The Adams Lecture honors the late E. M. Adams, who was Kenan Professor of Philosophy at UNC. Adams played a pivotal role in the creation of the UNC humanities program.
