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The UMKC Trustees and College of Arts and Sciences are proud to introduce the Marilyn T. and Byron C. Shutz Lecture Series starting Fall 2021. This annual series will host lectures, seminars, and workshops in fields such as creative writing, literature, and art history.


For its inaugural year, the Marilyn T. and Byron C. Shutz Lecture Series was entitled "SPEAK UP! Building Racial Justice through Art, Pedagogy, and Writing." Organized by the departments of Art and Art History and English, this program brought together speakers from around the nation with expertise in the fields of studio art, art history, composition, rhetoric, creative writing, and literature.
SPEAK UP: Building Racial Justice through Art, Writing, and Pedagogy
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2021-2022 Shutz Lecture Series Events

Re-Envisioning Native American Identities in Visual Art and Literature

Thursday, September 16, 2021

This roundtable explored interconnections among art, cultural appropriation, and indigenous rights. It was moderated by Lisa Tatonetti (Professor of English at Kansas State University) and featured Gregg Deal (artist and activist), Kate Morris (Professor of Art History at Santa Clara University), and Malea Powell (Professor of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures at Michigan State University).

Watch recorded panel

 

Cultivating Antiracist Assessment Practices: A Faculty Workshop Series

Thursdays, October 14, 21, and 28, 2021

This three-part workshop encouraged participants to interrogate their biases while developing and implementing antiracist classroom assessment practices. It was led by Antonio Byrd (Assistant Professor of English at University of Missouri-Kansas City), Virginia Schwarz (Assistant Professor English at San Francisco State University), and Lizbett Tinoco (Assistant Professor of English at Texas A&M University).

Watch Workshop #2

Watch Workshop #3

 

Reimagining Suppressed Histories of Racial Violence

Thursday, November 4, 2021

This panel explored how photographs have shaped the perception of Black subjects and historical events. Artist Isaac Julien discussed his recent film installation Lessons of the Hour which reimagines the life of statesman and freed slave Frederick Douglass. Art historian Krista Thompson examined the circulation of a photograph depicting Paul Bogle, the leader of the 1865 Morant Bay Rebellion, who called for justice for all the people of Jamaica. The conversation was moderated by Cristina Albu (Associate Professor of Contemporary Art History at University of Missouri-Kansas City).

 

The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop-in-Action with Felicia Rose Chavez

Thursday, February 17, 2022

In this seminar, participants engaged in anti-racist creative writing strategies, empowering students to claim ownership not only of their work, but also of their working relationships with professors and peers. The session offered 20 specific, practical take-aways to re-conceptualize critique and encourage everyday anti-racist action. For more information, please visit The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop website.

 

Curating Art as Racial Justice Practice

Thursday, March 17, 2022

This panel addressed how curatorial practice can contribute to racial equity and enhance solidarity between diverse audience groups. It brought into discussion the strategies used by museums to acknowledge the legacy of colonial histories, dismantle exclusionary policies, and serve the interests of specific local communities. Led by Stephanie Fox Knappe (The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art), Valerie Cassel Oliver (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts), and Jade Powers (Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art). The conversation was moderated by Cristina Albu (Associate Professor of Contemporary Art History at University of Missouri-Kansas City).

Watch recorded panel

 

Technologies of Recovery: Representing Black Voices in Digital Humanities Scholarship

Thursday, April 14, 2022

This panel explored how the use of digital humanities allows for the recovery of black voices through the scholarship of Kim Gallon (Associate Professor of History at Purdue University), Nicole N. Aljoe (English and Africana Studies at Northeastern University), and Adrian Wisnicki (Associate Professor of English and Faculty Fellow of the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities, University of Nebraska-Lincoln).

Watch recorded panel

 

Entangled Histories: Weaving Identities through Imagery, Language, and Textiles

Thursday, April 28, 2022

This panel examined how painful memories of racial abuses are integrated into texts and material objects which speak to the prolonged psychological and physical impact of social injustice. It brought together Nicole R. Fleetwood (Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication at NYU), Sara Sonié Joi Thompson-Ruffin (fabric artist and designer), and Kenturah Davis (artist). The conversation was moderated by Cristina Albu (Associate Professor of Contemporary Art History at University of Missouri-Kansas City).

Watch recorded panel