Graul Chair in Arts and Languages
Past Graul Chair events
A look at previous events held under the guidance of Suki Kwon, who assumed the role of the Endowed Chair for the Graul Chair in Arts and Languages in 2023.
Fall 2024
Global Cinema Series - South Asia Regional focus Film Screenings
Dates: Sept. 18, Oct. 17 and Nov. 7 (2024)
A series of film screenings, showcasing diverse regional and thematic cinema, from colorful musicals to compelling social dramas. Films in the series included "Joyland," "Clay Bird" and "Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani." Discussion leaders for the films included Shazia Rahman (Department of English), Haimanti Roy (Department of History) and Simanti Dasgupta (Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work).
Lecture: Can the Indian Constitution be Popular?
Date: Nov. 21, 2024
Speaker: Arvind Elangovan, historian, Wright State University
M.C.: Caroline Waldron, Department of History
About: This lecture will explore the role of the Indian constitution in the recent elections, examining whether it truly represents the people or if there are deeper complexities in its relationship with the state and democracy in India.
Music and Dance Performances
Date: Nov. 22, 2024
Generously supported by the India Foundation
Art director: Ryu-Kyung Kim
M.C.: Sharon Gratto
Program details: Pre-concert in lobby of Roger Glass Center for the Arts, The UD Gamelan Ensemble: Presented by Heather MacLachlan, Cultural Center of India, Padma and Company: Modern Dance: Tarangam dance and Rangila, Duo Concert with Rahul Deshmukh (Tabla) and Ashish Deshmukh (Sitar). Traditional Indian instruments, bringing the sounds of India to UD, Indian Traditional Dancing with Kathak performance by Ms. Asawari Deshmukh, World Music Choir, directed by Ryu-Kyung Kim, featuring songs from Bollywood movies and the final number featured all artists and ensembles performing together.
Spring 2024
Graul Chair Global Cinema Series: "Stop. Zemlia" (Krystyna Gornostai
Dates: Feb. 15, 2024
About: "Stop. Zemlia" (Krystyna Gornostai, 2021) is a Ukrainian-language film set in Kyiv, following the lives of teenagers and their experiences with friendships and infatuations. The film provides insights into common social and emotional issues, complemented by a panel for historical and artistic context. Panelists included Kristen Altenau Keen, Assistant Dean of Students and Director, Brook Center, and Jaro Bilocerkowycz, Associate Professor in Political Science (discussing Ukraine since independence).
Chisme Symposium: 'The Virgin of Guadalupe'
Date: March 7, 2024
Speaker: Judith Huacuja, Ph.D., Chicana Scholar and Art Historian
About: The Chisme Symposium began in the 2021-22 academic year as a space to engage in topics on the margins of religion and discourse. In 2022, topics on methodology and what is taboo to discuss laid the foundation for the Chisme Symposium. This year, the Symposium engages various topics on Mary. The second session of Chisme Symposium in the 2023-24 academic year highlights the work of Dr. Judith Huacuja on the Virgin of Guadalupe.
"Along the Silk Road" Music Concert
Date: March 3, 2024
Organizer: Bach Society of Dayton
About: Pre-Concert Talk: by Latif Bolat on the Baglama, a long-necked lute, followed by a concert featuring a selection of ethnic music from countries along the Silk Roads. The event will be live streamed and recorded.
Lecture on the Silk Roads
Date: March 18, 2024
Speaker: Dr. Amir Kalan, McGill University
Title: "The Silk Roads as a Reservoir of Complex Language and Literacy Practices"
About: A discussion on non-Western literacy practices and intellectual traditions along the Silk Roads, focusing on translingual and multi-semiotic texts. The event will be live streamed and recorded.
On the Noodle Road: Author talk and cultural experience
Date: March 21, 2024
Title: Culinary and Social Exchanges on the Silk Road
Speaker: Jen Lin-Liu; M.C. by Dr. Bobbi Sutherland, Associate Professor of History, UD
About: Choir performance by the Bach Society of Dayton; Tabla drums solo performance by Rahul Deshmukh; Indian vocal performance by Ajay Ponkshe; and Noodle Tasting from regions along the Silk Roads; Talk on "Culinary and Social Exchange on the Silk Road," followed by Q&A in the Gallery and Lobby; Book-signing session.
Fall 2023
Theater for Healing: Finding a Healing Clown Within You
Performed and led by Prof. Jerome Yorke, an Assistant Professor of Physical Theatre
Dates: Aug. 18, Sept. 20, Oct. 8, 2023
About: Enjoy a pre-concert performance inspired by the Poetry Korean Art Song program. Prof. Yorke uses theatrical clowning as a way to heal the spirit. Much like an appetizer, this performance will excite your emotional palate and help prepare you for the Poetry Korean Art Song concert, which featured Snow (sweet and romantic), Flowery Clouds (uptempo), Wooden Tombstone (lyrical, Korean Civil War markers for unburied soldiers), Pear Flower Rain (lyrical), One-Heart Flower (soprano) and Longing for Mountain (soprano).
Halloween on the Greens
Date: Oct. 31, 2023
About: Take a break from your stress and come play! Prof. Jerome will help you discover your own healing clown through guided participatory theatre activities based on gameplay and spectatorship. This Halloween-themed event is open to everyone, and costumes are welcome.
Cinema Therapy: Film Journeys, Healing Destinations
Curated with a discussion led by Dr. Hsuan Tsen, a Senior Lecturer of Art History
Dates: Oct. 6, Nov. 10, Dec. 1, 2023
About: Films can transport us, entertain us, and challenge us. This is similar to the process required to heal ourselves or empathize with the struggles facing people in our lives. The world often presents us with visions of healing that are warm, soft, comforting. Anyone who has worked through injuries — whether physical or emotional— knows that the journey is more likely to be arduous and doesn’t have a clear end. The Cinema Therapy film series will consist of a selection of three films that explore different ways in which film can help us in these journeys.
The Quiet Girl (2022, written and directed by Colm Bairéad) Art Street, Studio E
In the summer of 1981, nine-year-old Cáit was struggling to find a place in her large, dysfunctional, and financially stressed family and at school. Her parents, who are expecting yet another child, decide to send her away to spend the summer with relatives. While there, she finds a place where she might belong and that her presence might help the adults heal as well. This film about the healing power of kindness, is almost entirely in Irish.
Past Lives (2023, written and directed by Celine Song) Art Street, Studio E
Nora and her family move from South Korea to North America when she’s a teenager, leaving behind her friend Hae Sung, just as a possible relationship was beginning to blossom. Set across a span of 24 years, and culminating in Hae Sung visiting Nora in New York City, this film explores love and loss, and the consequences of the choices we make in life. Often billed as a romance, this film explores emotions connected to experiences that we all experience in life, including leaving home.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor (2018, directed by Morgan Neville) Art Street, Studio E
Fred Rogers set out to be a Minister. By the time completed his studies at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary he knew his vocation was to reach children and their families through children’s programming on television. The show he created, Mister Roger’s Neighborhood, was at once safe and comforting but also unafraid to tackle the events of the day. This documentary of Mister Rogers and the show he created provides insight into the power kindness can have, and the courage required to sustain it.
Solace in Nature: Korean Lyric Songs Concert
Organized by Dr. Kyung Kim, a voice music professor at the University of Dayton
Date: Oct. 8, 2023
Participating Artists: Ryu-Kyung Kim, Andrea Wells, David Sievers, Maya Vansuch, Tifton Graves, Devlan Taylor and Ji-Hyang Gwak
Writing for Health & Healing: A Workshop series
Led by Dr. Liz Hutter, an English professor at the University of Dayton
Dates: Oct. 4 (Workshop No. 1), Oct. 18 (Workshop No. 2), Nov. 1 (Workshop No. 3), 2023
About: This series of three workshops invites participants to explore the ways writing— words, images, and stories — fosters an intimate understanding of healing and its role in the health of our bodies, minds and spirits. Participants may join one or more workshops and need only bring their curiosity and a willingness to listen, reflect and write. Each workshop will provide one or more guided writing activities to explore the health of our physical bodies, to examine emotions around experiences of health/illness and to honor the rituals we create/practice when we or someone we care about is in need of healing.
Healing through the Bookbinding; A Series of Bookbinding Workshops
Led by Narae Kim, an Art Therapist/Book Artist
Dates: Oct. 6-7, 2023
About: Discover the therapeutic art of bookbinding in our 'Healing Through Bookbinding' workshops. Participants engage in the mindful process of crafting a book from scratch, finding relaxation and rejuvenation in the rhythmic repetition of binding and the joy of creation. Join us to experience tranquility and foster self-discovery through this age-old craft guided by Narae Kim, a book artist and practicing art therapist, as well as the collector behind the Narae Artists' Books Collection at the Roesch Library.