As part of the series, Bonnie Urciuoli, professor of anthropology, will lecture on, "What's in an accent? The construction of person and place in the process of speaking." The talk will take place on Monday, Jan. 29, at 4:15 p.m. in the Red Pit.
The American South is a diverse region with a rich and complex history. However, for much of Hamilton's student population of mostly Northerners, this region represents a largely unknown and mysterious territory. This Kirkland Project programming seeks to explore the ways that the South is, and always has been, a site of remarkable political diversity, resistance and struggle for progressive ideals. The focus on the arts will explore a variety of creative genres produced by a broad range of Southern artists.
Past events of the series include:
Panel Discussion, "Southern Accents: Representation and Resistance through the Arts," with Hamilton faculty Mark Cryer, Gillian Gane, Lydia Hamessley and Catherine Gunther Kodat.
Footworks: Appalachian Clogging Dance Troupe, Open Workshop/Demonstration of Appalachian Clogging. With "Incredible Feets," Footworks presents a uniquely American story: an exuberant fusion of live music, comedy, singing and a dazzling array of percussive dance forms rooted in different cultures.
A Conversation with Footworks: "African, Native American and Celtic Roots of Appalachian Clogging," Catherine Gunther Kodat, moderator.
"Incredible Feets,"Appalachian Clogging Performance, sponsored by the departments of Music and Theatre and Dance for the Contemporary Voices and Visions Performing Arts series.
"Soul Cycling: A reading by Sharon Bridgforth," author of the bull-jean stories. Using traditional storytelling and nontraditional verse to chronicle the course of love returning in the lifetimes of one woman-loving-woman named bull-dog-jean, the bull-jean stories give cultural documentation and social commentary on African-American "herstory" and survival. Set in the rural South of the 1920s, the bull-jean stories herald the spirit of African-American people.
"Quilts of Color: Three Generations of Quilters in an Afro-Texan Family," Oct. 1-29, Kirkland Art Center. Co-sponsored with the Kirkland Art Center, this exhibit surveys the tradition of quilting since the Civil War, across five generations of an Afro-Texan family. Opening reception.
"Appalachian Ballads, Banjo Tunes and Storytelling: A Performance by Sheila Kay Adams. Co-sponsored with the Kirkland Art Center, Adams comes from a small mountain community in western North Carolina. For seven generations her family has maintained the tradition of passing down English, Scottish and Irish ballads that came over with her ancestors in the late 1700s. Adams is a singer, master storyteller, Appalachian humorist and accomplished 5-string banjo player.
Film, Matewan, a showing of the John Sayles film which features country bluegrass performer Hazel Dickens.
"It's Hard to Tell the Singer from the Song," a documentary about Hazel Dickens, "First Lady" of old-time country and bluegrass, directed by Mimi Pickering.
"An Evening with Hazel Dickens," a showing of the documentary by Mimi Pickering. Hamilton College Chapel. Co-sponsored with the Kirkland Art Center. West Virginia native Hazel Dickens' repertoire of feminist country ballads, bluegrass tunes, union anthems and blue collar laments combines the traditional and the political to fashion a grassroots music for working people everywhere. The video combines interviews with concert performances.
"The Working Girl Blues: When You Are Not What They Think They Want," lecture by Dorothy Allison. Dorothy Allison is a renowned novelist, essayist a, poet and activist. The New York Times Book Review has called Allison's most acclaimed novel, Bastard Out of Carolina, "As close to flawless as any reader could ask for and any writer could hope for and aspire to."
"From the Country to the City: Change in African American Quilt Design," lecture by Carolyn Mazloomi, quiltmaker. Mazloomi, a fiber artist, author, historian and lecturer is acknowledged to be one of the most creative quiltmakers in the U.S. today. She has produced a large body of work, much of it containing references to African American life and history, as well as harkening back to a shared African ancestry.
The Kirkland Project for the Study of Gender, Society and Culture exemplifies Hamilton's commitment to value and seeks intellectual and cultural diversity. Its mission is to build a community respectful of difference not only by raising questions about gender, race, class and sexuality, but also by strengthening what we have.
