What's Happening at The Griot Institute
Upcoming Events
Bill T. Jones at Bucknell
This four-part event series is not to be missed! On January 23, 2012, listen to Bill T. Jones share his observations about directing, choreographing and the life of an artist during "An Evening with Bill T. Jones." On January 31, participate in the Last Night On Earth discussion group and view the accompanying demonstration by the Bucknell dance faculty. View A Good Man during the screening on February 7, and be sure to attend the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company's performance of Body Against Body on February 11. For more information, times and locations, please click here.
Photo by Kevin Fitzsimons/Courtesy Wexner Center for the Arts
Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson: An American Origin Story
Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson: An American Origin Story seeks to explore and examine the various narratives of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson interdisciplinarily in terms of their historical and contemporary resonances and significances. Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, Secretary of State, U.S. President, and founder of the University of Virginia, during his lifetime and into to 21st century, has been implicated in a relationship with one of the more than 100 people he enslaved, a woman named Sally Hemings. This Bucknell Griot Institute series examines the Hemings-Jefferson historical narrative in terms of its potential to illuminate the trajectory of American race relations and to examine the fundamental divisions between the ideals of the country and its realities. It will interrogate the narrative from multiple disciplinary perspectives and employ the expertise and artistry of guest lecturers and performers in order to present the various nuances and dimensions of the tale. The series is open to the university community and the general public. Click here for more information.
Recent Events
The Dancing Mind Challenge
On November 19, 2011, The Griot Institute for Africana Studies, along with its partners, sponsored the Dancing Mind Challenge. This event, based on Toni Morrison's reflections in her essay "The Dancing Mind," was an opportunity for Bucknell students, faculty and staff and community members to "unplug" for six consecutive hours and commit to reading for six hours.
