Past Events

• 

  Jan

  27

  6:00pm - 7:00pm

  Conversations at the JNBC: Rob Emlen

  Nightingale-Brown House

  This weekly series brings together local artists, architects, writers, thinkers, musicians at the Center for Public Humanities to discuss their work with the public, every Thursday at 6 pm. A short presentation will be followed by Q&A and a convivial gathering in a fairly intimate setting. 

  Today, Rob Emlen, the University Curator and Senior Lecturer in American Studies at Brown, and will speak on “Making a Campus on College Hill in the 1950s: Sacrificing an Historic Neighborhood to Build a Better College”.

  The Conversations Series is funded by the Marshall Woods Lectureship Foundation of the Fine Arts.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  Conversations at the JNBC: Rob Emlen

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Dec

  16

  6:00pm

  Conversations at the JNBC: Howie Sneider and Islay Taylor

  Nightingale-Brown House

  This weekly series brings together local artists, architects, writers, thinkers, musicians at the John Nicholas Brown Center to discuss their work with the public, every Thursday at 6 pm. A short presentation will be followed by Q&A and a convivial gathering in a fairly intimate setting. Space is limited, please rsvp at: https://bit.ly/JNBC_Conversations_Fall21

  Today, The Steelyard’s Howie Sneider, Executive Director, and Islay Taylor, Associate Director, in charge of residency programs, will talk about the work of this organization, one of the most exciting educational artistic enterprises in our city.

  The Conversations Series is funded by the Marshall Woods Lectureship Foundation of the Fine Arts.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  Conversations at the JNBC: Howie Sneider and Islay Taylor

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Dec

  9

  6:00pm

  Conversations at the JNBC: Brett Smiley

  Nightingale-Brown House

  This weekly series brings together local artists, architects, writers, thinkers, musicians at the John Nicholas Brown Center to discuss their work with the public, every Thursday at 6 pm. A short presentation will be followed by Q&A and a convivial gathering in a fairly intimate setting. Space is limited, please rsvp at: https://bit.ly/JNBC_Conversations_Fall21

  Today, Brett Smiley, former Chief of Staff for Governor Raimondo and Director of the Department of Administration is a candidate for Mayor of Providence and will talk about his vision for our city.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  Conversations at the JNBC: Brett Smiley

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Dec

  2

  6:00pm

  Conversations at the JNBC: Thalia Field & Thangam Ravindranathan

  Nightingale-Brown House

  This weekly series brings together local artists, architects, writers, thinkers, musicians at the John Nicholas Brown Center to discuss their work with the public, every Thursday at 6 pm. A short presentation will be followed by Q&A and a convivial gathering in a fairly intimate setting. Space is limited, please rsvp at: https://bit.ly/JNBC_Conversations_Fall21

  Today, Thalia Field, Adele Kellenberg Seaver Professor of Creative Writing and Faculty Director of the Brown Arts Institute will discuss her new book, ‘Personhood’ in a conversation with Thangam Ravindranathan, Associate Professor of French at Brown University.

  The Conversations Series is funded by the Marshall Woods Lectureship Foundation of the Fine Arts.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  Conversations at the JNBC: Thalia Field & Thangam Ravindranathan

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Dec

  2

  12:00pm - 1:00pm

  Black Out: Remixing Racist Wallpaper

  Nightingale-Brown House

  Join artist Jazzmen Lee-Johnson (MA’16) as she shares her process of disrupting the problematic wallpaper installed at the Nightingale-Brown House through Remix as an artistic form of discourse. Remix samples primary sources, manipulates, recycles, repositions and transforms them into a new material reality.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  Black Out: Remixing Racist Wallpaper

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Dec

  1

  6:00pm - 7:00pm

  Youth Activism Building Student Power

  Nightingale-Brown House

  Eugenie Rose Belony, an 11th grader at Providence Career and Technical Academy and Demi Egunjobi, a 10th grader at Classical High School are Providence Student Union’s Youth Leadership Team Co-Directors. They will present on what Providence Student Union is, the work they’ve done, and what it’s like to be a youth activist + organize during a pandemic. PSU is regarded as one of the leading youth activist organizations in Providence, with a record of fighting for and achieving student and youth rights. Current initiatives include Counselors Not Cops, Fix Our Schools, and #OurHistoryMatters.

  Note: this talk will take place on Wednesday evening rather than the usual lunch-time hour.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  Youth Activism Building Student Power

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Nov

  18

  6:00pm

  Conversations at the JNBC: Priyadarshini Himatsingka

  Nightingale-Brown House

  This weekly series brings together local artists, architects, writers, thinkers, musicians at the John Nicholas Brown Center to discuss their work with the public, every Thursday at 6 pm. A short presentation will be followed by Q&A and a convivial gathering in a fairly intimate setting. Space is limited, please rsvp at: https://bit.ly/JNBC_Conversations_Fall21

  Today, Priyadarshini Himatsingka, a Providence-based jewelry artist with degrees from NYU and RISD, will present her work and discuss the impact of her cultural heritage.

  The Conversations Series is funded by the Marshall Woods Lectureship Foundation of the Fine Arts.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  Conversations at the JNBC: Priyadarshini Himatsingka

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Nov

  18

  12:00pm - 1:00pm

  Cultural Democracy as an Act of Collective Imagination

  Nightingale-Brown House

  As an artist and organizer, Jordan Seaberry make paintings and policies in equal measure. Policy is an extension of the paintings, and the paintings are generative spaces for the organizing. In this conversation, we’ll discuss how (and why) artists should become embedded, indebted and integral to the efforts to change political landscapes in our communities. This conversation is open to all folks who engage with political work, creative work, and everything in between!

  Jordan Seaberry is a painter, organizer, legislative advocate and educator. Born and raised on the Southside of Chicago, Jordan first came to Providence to attend Rhode Island School of Design. Alongside his art, he built a career as a grassroots organizer, helping to fight and pass multiple criminal justice reform milestones, including Probation Reform, the Unshackling Pregnant Prisoners Bill, and laying the groundwork for the “Ban the Box” movement in Rhode Island. Jordan serves as Co-Director of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, a people-powered nonprofit agency, and most recently worked as the Director of Public Policy at the Nonviolence Institute. He serves as Chairman of the Providence Board of Canvassers, overseeing the city’s elections; as a Board Member at New Urban Arts in Providence; and as a Board Member for Protect Families First, working on community-oriented drug policy reform. Jordan maintains a painting studio in Providence, and has displayed works at institutions such as the RISD Museum, the deCordova Museum, the Crystal Bridges Museum, the Boston Center for the Arts, and exhibition spaces in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and elsewhere.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  Cultural Democracy as an Act of Collective Imagination

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Nov

  16

  12:05pm - 1:00pm

  Curatorial Accountability

  How can curators use the content of the world around them to create a better one? Moving on from the assumed hierarchical reliance of curators on artists and artworks, Rob Blackson will explore the expanding limits of curatorial work when applied to social, cultural, and economic need. Through examples of past and current curatorial work, Blackson will discuss how such efforts foreground reciprocity and accountability to the needs of multiple publics.

  Robert Blackson is the co-director of curatorial programs and curator of citywide initiatives of Philadelphia Contemporary. From 2011 - 2021 he was the founding director of Temple Contemporary at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture, USA. Prior to moving to Philadelphia from the UK in 2011, Blackson was curator of public programs at Nottingham Contemporary and curator of BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle/Gateshead. Temple Contemporary’s signature initiatives include Funeral for a Home (2013-2014), reForm with Pepón Osorio and the Fairhill community (2014-2015), Symphony for a Broken Orchestra (2016-2019), and 100 People Listening: A Shared Decade, 2021 - 2031. Rob’s curatorial purpose focusses on the ways in which programming of, by, and for a community leads to targeted impact. Over the past nine years, his work has illustrated a curatorial shift in the way programs can be crafted to build a healthy mutuality of institutional momentum and social purpose.

  Moderator: Susana Turbay

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  Curatorial Accountability

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Nov

  11

  6:00pm

  Conversations at the JNBC: Njaimeh Njie

  Nightingale-Brown House

  This weekly series brings together local artists, architects, writers, thinkers, musicians at the John Nicholas Brown Center to discuss their work with the public, every Thursday at 6 pm. A short presentation will be followed by Q&A and a convivial gathering in a fairly intimate setting. Space is limited, please rsvp at: https://bit.ly/JNBC_Conversations_Fall21

  Today, Njaimeh Njie, artist and multimedia producer from Pittsburgh, and the inaugural Edward Mitchell Bannister Artist in Residence at the JNBC will present some of her recent work and discuss her thoughts about a work for Brown University.

  Listen to the audio recording of this presentation and view slides here.

  The Conversations Series is funded by the Marshall Woods Lectureship Foundation of the Fine Arts.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  Conversations at the JNBC: Njaimeh Njie

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Nov

  8

  9:00am - 9:00pm

  Exhibition: Climates of Inequality: Stories of Environmental Justice

  URI Feinstein Providence Campus, 80 Washington Street, Providence,

  The Center for Public Humanities at Brown University, the URI Providence Campus, and the Tomaquag Museum present Climates of Inequality: Stories of Environmental Justice, an International Traveling Exhibition and Story Exchange Project Exploring the History and Future of Climate and Environmental Justice.

  Climates of Inequality: Stories of Environmental Justice is a participatory public memory project sponsored by the Humanities Action Lab and created by university students, educators, and community leaders in more than twenty cities across the United States and around the world. 

  Brown University students partnered with a Rutgers University-Newark-led coalition of 500 university students, scholars, and frontline communities from 22 cities to create the traveling exhibition, which launched in Newark, NJ, on October 3, 2019. Providence has joined these communities from across the hemisphere to explore the deep historical roots of climate inequality and environmental injustice in their localities, share personal experiences, and develop strategies for change. Through virtual reality, moving audio testimony, and historical imagery from each community, the exhibition explores how the climate crisis and environmental injustice is intensifying inequality—and how the experiences of the hardest-hit communities hold the key to confronting these issues and finding ways to move forward.

  Brown University’s contribution to the exhibition includes a section titled, “Amplifying Narragansett Voices on Land and Survivance.” Created through a partnership with the Tomaquag Museum, this student-curated installation explores Indigenous survivance in the face of colonial ecological exploitation and violence and shares the story of the Narragansett Nation and its role within a larger struggle to address historical and ongoing injustices. “Amplifying Narragansett Voices” bears witness to Indigenous self-determination and healing, documenting how the Narragansett Nation continues to fight for access to land and resources, ensuring environmental health, and preserving lifeways.

  Climates of Inequality includes a complementary exhibition curated by Miranda Worl (MA’22), titled, “Local & Indigenous Artists on Climates of Inequality.” 

  Climates of Inequality is a project of the Humanities Action Lab, a collaboration between Brown University and 21 others, led by Rutgers University-Newark, working with community organizations and public spaces to foster new public dialogue on contested social issues, through public humanities projects that explore the diverse local histories and current realities of shared global concerns. Partner communities are: Amherst, MA; Bogota, Colombia; Chicago, IL; Durham, NC; Greensboro, NC; Indianapolis, IN; Mayaguez, PR; Mexico City, Mexico; Miami, FL; Milwaukee, WI; New Brunswick, NJ; New Orleans, LA; New York, NY; Newark, NJ; Northridge, CA; Philadelphia, PA; Providence, RI; Riverside, CA; Saratoga Springs, NY; Tempe, AZ; Twin Cities, MN; Nassau, The Bahamas.

  This project was made possible in part by Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Rutgers University-Newark School of Arts and Sciences, the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage, and the Tomaquag Museum.

  Special thanks to URI Providence for hosting this exhibition at their campus.

  Exhibition: Climates of Inequality: Stories of Environmental Justice

  JNBC Exhibitions
• 

  Nov

  4

  6:00pm

  Conversations at the JNBC: Becci Davis

  Nightingale-Brown House

  This weekly series brings together local artists, architects, writers, thinkers, musicians at the John Nicholas Brown Center to discuss their work with the public, every Thursday at 6 pm. A short presentation will be followed by Q&A and a convivial gathering in a fairly intimate setting. Space is limited, please rsvp at: https://bit.ly/JNBC_Conversations_Fall21

  Today, Becci Davis, an Artist, Adjunct Lecturer at Brown University, and 2021 Guest Lecturer at Mount Holyoke College will talk about her recent projects that use water as a medium to explore collective memory through interactive installation, performance, and multisensory experiences. 

  The Conversations Series is funded by the Marshall Woods Lectureship Foundation of the Fine Arts.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  Conversations at the JNBC: Becci Davis

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Oct

  28

  6:00pm

  Conversations at the JNBC: Eric Nathan

  Nightingale-Brown House

  This weekly series brings together local artists, architects, writers, thinkers, musicians at the John Nicholas Brown Center to discuss their work with the public, every Thursday at 6 pm. A short presentation will be followed by Q&A and a convivial gathering in a fairly intimate setting. Space is limited, please rsvp at: https://bit.ly/JNBC_Conversations_Fall21

  Today, Eric Nathan, Associate Professor of Music, Brown University, will discuss and present some of his recent work on the JNBC’s 1942 Steinway Baby Grand Piano in the music room.

  The Conversations Series is funded by the Marshall Woods Lectureship Foundation of the Fine Arts.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  Conversations at the JNBC: Eric Nathan

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Oct

  28

  12:00pm - 1:00pm

  Indigenous DC: Native Peoples and the Nation’s Capital

  Join Elizabeth Rule (Chickasaw Nation) to go behind the scenes of her iOS mobile application, the Guide to Indigenous DC. Through community collaboration, this mapping project highlights sites of Indigenous importance, demonstrating how the nation’s capital is, and always has been, Native land. She will also discuss the transformation of this public history project into her forthcoming full-length manuscript, Indigenous DC: Native Peoples and the Nation’s Capital.

  Dr. Elizabeth Rule (Chickasaw Nation) is Assistant Professor of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies at American University. Rule’s research on Indigenous issues has been featured in the Washington Post, Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien, The Atlantic, Newsy, and NPR. She is also a published author, releasing articles in American Quarterly and the American Indian Culture and Research Journal. Rule has two forthcoming monographs. The first, Reproducing Resistance: Gendered Violence and Indigenous Nationhood, analyzes the intersection of violence against Native women, reproductive justice, and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women; this work received the Julien Mezey Award from the Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities in 2020. Rule’s second monograph, Indigenous DC: Native Peoples and the Nation’s Capital, analyzes historical and contemporary sites of Indigenous importance in Washington and compliments her Guide to Indigenous DC mobile application. Previously, Dr. Rule has held posts as Director of the Center for Indigenous Politics and Policy and Faculty in Residence at George Washington University, MIT Indigenous Communities Fellow, Postdoctoral Fellow at American University, and Ford Foundation Fellow. Rule received her Ph.D. and M.A. in American Studies from Brown University, and her B.A. from Yale University.

  Indigenous DC: Native Peoples and the Nation’s Capital

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Oct

  21

  6:00pm

  Conversations at the JNBC: Ultramoderne’s Yasmin Vobis and Aaron Forrest

  Nightingale-Brown House

  This weekly series brings together local artists, architects, writers, thinkers, musicians at the John Nicholas Brown Center to discuss their work with the public, every Thursday at 6 pm. A short presentation will be followed by Q&A and a convivial gathering in a fairly intimate setting. Space is limited, please rsvp at: https://bit.ly/JNBC_Conversations_Fall21

  Today, Ultramoderne’s principals Yasmin Vobis (Assistant Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design) and Aaron Forrest (Associate Professor in Architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design) will talk about some of their work and their interest in ‘Vacant Providence.’

  The Conversations Series is funded by the Marshall Woods Lectureship Foundation of the Fine Arts.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  Conversations at the JNBC: Ultramoderne’s Yasmin Vobis and Aaron Forrest

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Oct

  19

  12:00pm - 1:00pm

  Beyond the Trail of Tears: K-12 Education about Native Americans at the National Museum of the American Indian

  For centuries, Native Americans have been depicted as backward savages. Such beliefs have been perpetuated by people and institutions to justify horrendous treatment and to serve political and economic purposes. Native American content in K-12 education is inaccurate and incomplete. Such omissions and insufficient knowledge perpetuate stereotyped and racist thinking and behaviors toward Native Americans and leave generations of Americans with an incomplete understanding of U.S. and world history. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian is engaged in Native Knowledge 360°, a national initiative to transform K-12 education about Native Americans.

  Edwin Schupman, a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma, is the manager of Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°) at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. NK360° is a national initiative aimed at improving education about Native Americans through new classroom resources, teacher professional development programs, and a growing partnership network with Native communities, teachers, state education agencies, and other organizations. Ed began his career in the field of American Indian education in 1988 working for ORBIS Associates, an American Indian education firm, creating culture and standards-based lessons on Native American topics, training teachers nationwide, and evaluating educational projects. At the Bureau of Indian Education, Ed co-wrote a culture-based health and wellness curriculum and developed a national teacher training program. In 2004, he joined the education staff at the National Museum of the American Indian.

  Beyond the Trail of Tears: K-12 Education about Native Americans at the National Museum of the American Indian

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Oct

  12

  12:00pm - 1:00pm

  CANCELED: Cultural Democracy as an Act of Collective Imagination

  Nightingale-Brown House

  As an artist and organizer, Jordan Seaberry make paintings and policies in equal measure. Policy is an extension of the paintings, and the paintings are generative spaces for the organizing. In this conversation, we’ll discuss how (and why) artists should become embedded, indebted and integral to the efforts to change political landscapes in our communities. This conversation is open to all folks who engage with political work, creative work, and everything in between!

  Jordan Seaberry is a painter, organizer, legislative advocate and educator. Born and raised on the Southside of Chicago, Jordan first came to Providence to attend Rhode Island School of Design. Alongside his art, he built a career as a grassroots organizer, helping to fight and pass multiple criminal justice reform milestones, including Probation Reform, the Unshackling Pregnant Prisoners Bill, and laying the groundwork for the “Ban the Box” movement in Rhode Island. Jordan serves as Co-Director of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, a people-powered nonprofit agency, and most recently worked as the Director of Public Policy at the Nonviolence Institute. He serves as Chairman of the Providence Board of Canvassers, overseeing the city’s elections; as a Board Member at New Urban Arts in Providence; and as a Board Member for Protect Families First, working on community-oriented drug policy reform. Jordan maintains a painting studio in Providence, and has displayed works at institutions such as the RISD Museum, the deCordova Museum, the Crystal Bridges Museum, the Boston Center for the Arts, and exhibition spaces in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and elsewhere.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  CANCELED: Cultural Democracy as an Act of Collective Imagination

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Oct

  7

  6:00pm

  Conversations at the JNBC: Marthe Rowen

  Nightingale-Brown House

  This weekly series brings together local artists, architects, writers, thinkers, musicians at the John Nicholas Brown Center to discuss their work with the public, every Thursday at 6 pm. A short presentation will be followed by Q&A and a convivial gathering in a fairly intimate setting. Space is limited, please rsvp at: https://bit.ly/JNBC_Conversations_Fall21

  Today, Marthe Rowen, architect, educator and artist, will present some of her recent travel drawings at the intersection of time and space, and in particular her unique panorama drawings on a transcontinental Amtrak journey.

  The Conversations Series is funded by the Marshall Woods Lectureship Foundation of the Fine Arts.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  Conversations at the JNBC: Marthe Rowen

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Oct

  7

  12:00pm - 1:00pm

  The Historical Fantasy of Esek Hopkins

  Nightingale-Brown House

  How can our process be care-centered? How do we reckon with the past and reimagine the future? “The Historical Fantasy of Esek Hopkins” is The Haus of Glitter’s original activist dance opera – the culmination of our 2 years living in the former home of Esek Hopkins, commander of the slaveship “Sally” (hired by the Brown brothers). Learn more about how The Haus of Glitter is working to disrupt the archives, activate public space and rethink how we memorialize. To read more: www.hausofglitter.org

  MATTHEW ROLANDO GARZA (he + they) is a Queer Tejanx/Latinx performance artist, Contemporary Afro-Latin choreographer, healer & educator. Recently named the Inaugural Artist in Residence for the Providence Arts + Culture + Tourism Department and Parks Department for the Historic Esek Hopkins Homestead & Park, Garza was also awarded the 2019 RI State Council for the Arts Fellowship in Choreography for their work as Creative Director for the TAPA Dance Company & Dean of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at TAPA: Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts in downtown Providence. A founding member of the Glitter Goddess Collective & Haus of Glitter Dance Company, he is also a Senior Company Member of New Works/World Traditions Dance Company; an Art21 Educator; an Instructional Coach & Curriculum Designer for Project Wayfinder; an adjunct professor in the Theatre Department for CCRI’s program in the Men and Women’s prisons; a Community Organizer & Resident Artist for PRONK: Providence Honk Fest; and an Anatomy & Yoga/Asana Instructor for Yoga Alliance Teacher Certification Trainings, with an emphasis on inclusivity, transformative justice, & community healing. Garza holds a B.A. in Education History from Brown University ’11 and a dual M.A. in Educational Theatre & Social Studies Education from NYU. In their free time, Garza enjoys glitter, painting, singing, practicing/teaching yoga, dismantling institutional oppression, eating spaghetti, and making masks/costumes.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  The Historical Fantasy of Esek Hopkins

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Oct

  6

  10:00am - 4:00pm

  EXHIBITION: Defiant Spirits: Fernando Brito’s Sinaloa

  Nightingale-Brown House

  Defiant Spirits is an exhibition of the Mexican documentary photographer Fernando Brito’s moving images of life in Sinaloa, a province that has been wrecked by the struggle between one of the most powerful drug cartels in the world and the Mexican government. The exhibition includes five photographs from Brito’s award-winning series, Tus Pasos Se Perdieron con el Paisaje/Your Steps Were Lost in the Landscape (begun in 2010), of corpses found dead in the Mexican landscape, most of them victims of the drug wars. In them, Brito juxtaposes the brutality of the bloodied, lifeless bodies with the impossible beauty of the surrounding landscape, lending these photographs the epic feel of 19th-century paintings of war. Twenty photographs in the exhibition are from Brito’s more recent series, which shows Sinaloans’ resilience in the face of this violence. These images show Sinaloans’ religious rites, festivals, and other celebrations of local history, underscoring the centrality of performance in building community.

  Defiant Spirits was curated by Didier Aubert, Director of American Studies at Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris, and was shown previously at Fordham University and at Yale University in 2019. 

  Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm (closed on weekends and holidays)

  Closing Reception: Wednesday, November 3, 5:30-7pm.

  This exhibition is co-sponsored by a grant from the Brown Arts Initiative.

  Masks are required inside the Gallery at all times (regardless of the vaccination status).

  EXHIBITION: Defiant Spirits: Fernando Brito’s Sinaloa

  JNBC Exhibitions
• 

  Sep

  30

  6:00pm

  Conversations at the JNBC: Bonnie Honig

  Nightingale-Brown House

  This weekly series brings together local artists, architects, writers, thinkers, musicians at the John Nicholas Brown Center to discuss their work with the public, every Thursday at 6 pm. A short presentation will be followed by Q&A and a convivial gathering in a fairly intimate setting. Space is limited, please rsvp at: https://bit.ly/JNBC_Conversations_Fall21

  Today, Bonnie Honig, Nancy Duke Lewis Professor for Political Science and Modern Culture and Media will talk about her new book: Shell Shocked: Feminist Criticism after Trump.

  The Conversations Series is funded by the Marshall Woods Lectureship Foundation of the Fine Arts.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  Conversations at the JNBC: Bonnie Honig

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Sep

  30

  12:00pm - 1:30pm

  Mass Incarceration is a Feminist Struggle: Voices of Formerly Incarcerated Women

  Virtual

  1.2 million women are under correctional supervision in the United States, yet the narrative of mass incarceration often ignores the gendered aspects of punishment.
  
  This panel centers on the voices and experiences of incarcerated women and their work to build communities free of mass incarceration. As society pushes for an end to mass incarceration, what do we want a future society to remember about the abolitionist efforts of today?
  
  This event launches the Mass Incarceration Lab Archive at the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America, and is a Humanities Lab project led by Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve, Associate Professor of Sociology at Brown University. The Humanities Lab Initiative is generously funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

  
  Speaker Biographies

  Cherie Cruz is a first-generation college graduate who transcended her own personal and family history of three generations of incarceration and involvement with the criminal legal system to now hold two degrees from Brown University, A.B. Cum Laude. Cherie uses her experience of being directly impacted by the War on Drugs in empowering and lifting up the voices of people who have also been directly impacted. This includes advocating for the Right to Vote, parent’s right to volunteer in school, parental rights, Fair Chance Licensing, decriminalization of substances, and more. Cherie was named ACLU of RI Lay Leader of the Decade in 2019, and is a JLUSA Leading with Conviction 2020 Alum. Cherie, along with fellow Rhode Islanders, co-founded the Formerly Incarcerated Union of RI, a membership-driven non-profit organization, founded and led by people who have been directly impacted by the criminal legal system. While continuing to advocate to reduce the barriers to successful reentry, FIU continues to build collective leadership to ultimately reach the goal of reducing the prison population until one day we can shut them down.

  Aminah Elster is a campaign and policy coordinator with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners, where she leads its work on reproductive oppression in women’s prisons. Aminah’s motivation to achieve racial and gender justice is rooted in her direct experiences navigating intersecting identities. She is committed to fighting the impacts of decades of systemic oppression and liberating criminalized survivors. Aminah is a researcher and University of California Berkeley alum. In addition to organizing with the Berkeley Underground Scholars, she is also an organizer with Survived & Punished CA, and co-founder of Unapologetically HERS (Healing Experiences Through Research Solutions).

  Daniela Medina earned her MSW with a concentration in Strengthening Organizations and Communities from the University of California, Berkeley in 2021 and her B.A. in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley in 2019. She is from Oakland, CA, and has worked closely with Berkeley Underground Scholars for several years supporting formerly incarcerated students like herself. She is an award-winning expert on higher education for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, an experienced program manager, and a thought leader. Daniela previously worked at Community & Youth Outreach, providing direct service support to those reentering the community after incarceration. She is a certified life coach, a previous Young Professionals of Color Fellow with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, and was an inaugural Perez Research Fellow at Bright Research Group. Daniela is also the co-founder and host of the Berkeley Underground Scholars podcast, On The Tier.

  
  Facilitator Biographies

  Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at Brown University and an affiliated scholar with the American Bar Foundation in Chicago, IL. She is an affiliated fellow with Brown University’s Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice (CSSJ) and the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America (CSREA). She is the author of Crook County: Racism and Injustice in America’s Largest Criminal Court (2016) and The Waiting Room (2018). She is the generator and faculty lead for the Mass Incarceration Lab @ CSREA, generously funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
  
  Esteem Brumfield was born to civil rights activists in the Bay Area. Esteem cultivated a deep sense of social responsibility, passion for human rights, and a love for the Bay Area. His interests center on law, health, and alternatives to incarceration. Particularly, his work examines the relationship between incarceration, mental health, and public health outcomes. He is currently pursuing a Masters of Public Health at Brown University and plans to enter law school to study constitutional law. As a Fulbright Fellow to South Africa, he researched the relationship between learning disability accommodations and rehabilitation within the Western Cape’s prison system. Prior to pursuing his masters, Esteem served as a Public Health Commissioner for Alameda County and reviewed the health effects of incarceration within the county. He holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

  Mass Incarceration is a Feminist Struggle: Voices of Formerly Incarcerated Women

  Humanities, Identity, Culture, Inclusion, Social Sciences
• 

  Sep

  30

  12:00pm - 1:00pm

  Potshots at the Empire from the Tattered Hot Air Balloon of the Arts

  Join us for a shaky and not-undangerous hot air balloon ride where we’ll confect and drop and debate the ramifications of dropping various volatile arts projects onto the fortifications of the contemporary Empire, below. Afterwards over virtual tea we’ll discuss the ethical and political imperatives of creating and curating and making magic in ruined times.

  Lawrence-Minh Bùi Davis, PhD is Curator of Asian Pacific American Studies at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, where he oversees the Smithsonian Literature + Museum Initiative, devoted to rethinking collective responsibility for what we write and read, and why. Lead organizer for the Asian American Literature Festival, co-hosted by the Smithsonian, Library of Congress, and Poetry Foundation, he is also a co-founder of the pop-up Center for Refugee Poetics and founding Director of the arts antiprofit The Asian American Literary Review. He is currently ranked as the 9th best ice cream maker in human history.

  Potshots at the Empire from the Tattered Hot Air Balloon of the Arts

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Sep

  23

  6:00pm

  Conversations at the JNBC: Bob Azar

  Nightingale-Brown House

  This weekly series brings together local artists, architects, writers, thinkers, musicians at the John Nicholas Brown Center to discuss their work with the public, every Thursday at 6 pm. A short presentation will be followed by Q&A and a convivial gathering in a fairly intimate setting. Space is limited, please rsvp at: https://bit.ly/JNBC_Conversations_Fall21

  On September 23, Bob Azar, Deputy Director, Providence Department of Planning and Development and Professor of the Practice of Urban Studies at Brown University will present challenges and ideas for our city’s urban future.

  The Conversations Series is funded by the Marshall Woods Lectureship Foundation of the Fine Arts.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  Conversations at the JNBC: Bob Azar

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Sep

  16

  6:00pm

  Conversations at the JNBC: The Avenue Concept’s Fran Loosen and Nick Platzer

  Nightingale-Brown House

  This weekly series brings together local artists, architects, writers, thinkers, musicians at the John Nicholas Brown Center to discuss their work with the public, every Thursday at 6 pm. A short presentation will be followed by Q&A and a convivial gathering in a fairly intimate setting. Space is limited, please rsvp at: https://bit.ly/JNBC_Conversations_Fall21

  Today, The Avenue Concept’s Fran Loosen (Engagement and Advancement Strategist) and Nick Platzer (Mural Program Manager) will talk about the work of the art organization that has altered the face of Providence over the previous decade like no other.

  The Conversations Series is funded by the Marshall Woods Lectureship Foundation of the Fine Arts.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  Conversations at the JNBC: The Avenue Concept’s Fran Loosen and Nick Platzer

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Sep

  9

  6:00pm

  Conversations at the JNBC: Martha L Werenfels

  Nightingale-Brown House
  This weekly series brings together local artists, architects, writers, thinkers, musicians at the John Nicholas Brown Center to discuss their work with the public, every Thursday at 6 pm. A short presentation will be followed by Q&A and a convivial gathering in a fairly intimate setting. Space is limited, please rsvp at: https://bit.ly/JNBC_Conversations_Fall21

  On September 9th,  Martha L Werenfels, FAIA, Senior Principal at DBVW Architects, will discuss some of her favorite, and often quirky, projects as a preservation architect in Providence. (One of those was the restoration of the JNBC in 1995).

  The Conversations Series is funded by the Marshall Woods Lectureship Foundation of the Fine Arts.

  *All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must wear masks indoors, unless in a private, non-shared space or when actively eating. In addition, social distancing of at least six feet must be maintained when unmasked. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear a mask outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible. Event attendees, including visitors and guests, must comply with all COVID-19 University policies and protocols in place at the time of the event.

  Conversations at the JNBC: Martha L Werenfels

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Jul

  22

  12:00pm - 1:00pm

  Afro-Virginia: Black Placekeeping and Power.

  Justin Reid, Director of Community Initiatives, Virginia Humanities and Manager, Virginia General Assembly African American Cultural Resources Task Force.

  Reid will discuss Virginia’s contemporary Black cultural rights movement and his work promoting transdisciplinary, self-determined Black cultural placekeeping.

  Afro-Virginia: Black Placekeeping and Power.

  JNBC Lectures
• 

  Jun

  19

  2:00pm - 3:00pm

  Snowtown Discovery Walk

  Rhode Island State House

  Join the Snowtown Research Team for a series of walking conversations about Snowtown, a small mixed-race Coveside neighborhood, now gone.

  The Snowtown Project Research Team has been delving into archives to help reconstruct a neighborhood on the North Shore of the Providence Cove. Home to a variety of people sometimes unwelcome in the established center of Providence, a diverse group of folks built their homes and businesses here alongisde many others just passing through.

  This is an important site of Black history, labor history, immigrant history and women’s history as well as redevelopment, racist violence and memory, and our work reflects these many interwoven threads.

  We welcome you to walk with us through the area, to look at old maps and new vistas, to remember the history and to think, together, about what it means to us today.

  Length is approximate and includes about 1 hour of walking and optional post-walk dialogue. Please be prepared for the weather and the terrain.

  Meet on the grounds of the RI State House, at the “Grand Stairway” on Gaspee St, across from the Amtrak Station.

  Spaces are limited. Registration is required here.

  Snowtown Discovery Walk
• 

  Jun

  19

  11:00am - 12:00pm

  Snowtown Discovery Walk

  Rhode Island State House

  Join the Snowtown Research Team for a series of walking conversations about Snowtown, a small mixed-race Coveside neighborhood, now gone.

  The Snowtown Project Research Team has been delving into archives to help reconstruct a neighborhood on the North Shore of the Providence Cove. Home to a variety of people sometimes unwelcome in the established center of Providence, a diverse group of folks built their homes and businesses here alongisde many others just passing through.

  This is an important site of Black history, labor history, immigrant history and women’s history as well as redevelopment, racist violence and memory, and our work reflects these many interwoven threads.

  We welcome you to walk with us through the area, to look at old maps and new vistas, to remember the history and to think, together, about what it means to us today.

  Length is approximate and includes about 1 hour of walking and optional post-walk dialogue. Please be prepared for the weather and the terrain.

  Meet on the grounds of the RI State House, at the “Grand Stairway” on Gaspee St, across from the Amtrak Station.

  Spaces are limited. Registration is required here.

  Snowtown Discovery Walk
• 

  Jun

  19

  10:00am - 11:00am

  Snowtown Discovery Walk

  Rhode Island State House

  Join the Snowtown Research Team for a series of walking conversations about Snowtown, a small mixed-race Coveside neighborhood, now gone.

  The Snowtown Project Research Team has been delving into archives to help reconstruct a neighborhood on the North Shore of the Providence Cove. Home to a variety of people sometimes unwelcome in the established center of Providence, a diverse group of folks built their homes and businesses here alongisde many others just passing through.

  This is an important site of Black history, labor history, immigrant history and women’s history as well as redevelopment, racist violence and memory, and our work reflects these many interwoven threads.

  We welcome you to walk with us through the area, to look at old maps and new vistas, to remember the history and to think, together, about what it means to us today.

  Length is approximate and includes about 1 hour of walking and optional post-walk dialogue. Please be prepared for the weather and the terrain.

  Meet on the grounds of the RI State House, at the “Grand Stairway” on Gaspee St, across from the Amtrak Station.

  Spaces are limited. Registration is required here.

  Snowtown Discovery Walk