Women, beauty and power, Islamic calligraphy and fossils highlight next series of Syracuse Symposium events

Women, beauty and power, Islamic calligraphy and fossils highlight next series of Syracuse Symposium eventsMarch 18, 2002Judy Holmesjlholmes@syr.edu

A leading scholar on South Asian art, Islamic calligraphy and the beauty of fossils are among the highlights for the next series of events and exhibitions in the 2002 Syracuse Symposium, “Exploring Beauty” at Syracuse University. All of the events are free and open to the public.

The Syracuse Symposium is an annual University-wide intellectual and creative festival hosted by Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences in collaboration with schools and colleges from across the University. The opportunities provided by the symposium are consistent with initiatives in the University’s Academic Plan directed at expanding opportunities for multidisciplinary intellectual discourse for students.

The upcoming events are:

? Keynote speaker Vidya Dehejia, deputy director and chief curator of the Smithsonian Institution’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art, will present “Women, Beauty and Power” at 7:30 p.m. April 1 in the University’s Shaffer Art Building Shemin Auditorium;

? Sylvia Safiya Godlas, author of “Doorways to Islamic Art” (AWAIR Arab World and Islamic Resources, 1996), will present “Doorway to Islamic Art: Islamic Calligraphy” at 7:30 p.m. April 3 in the Hall of Languages, Room 102;

? Norm Barker, a biomedical/scientific photographer on the faculty of Johns Hopkins University, will present “Ancient Microworlds at the Interface of Art and Science” at 7:30 p.m. March 29 in the Watson Auditorium in Watson Hall;

? A photography exhibition, “Ancient Microworlds: The Inner Beauty of Fossils,” works by Barker and Giraud Foster, a physician, biochemist, researcher, archaeologist and photographer. The exhibition will be held in the Hendricks Chapel Noble Room March 26 through April 25. The building is open 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week; and

? “American Beauty: Aesthetics and Ordinary Life,” presentations from members of the University and Syracuse communities, 7:30 p.m. April 3 in the Hall of Languages, Room 102.

Vidya Dehejia ranks as among the world’s leading experts on South Asian Art. She has curated many major exhibitions, including the famous “Devi: The Great Goddess” and “India Through the Lens: Photography 1840 to 1911,” each of which culminated in scholarly publications of the same name. She also edited the acclaimed “Representing the Body: Gender Issues in Indian Art” (Kali for Women, 1997). She is an expert on the theoretical bases for the portrayal of visual narratives in the context of painting and sculpture in India; she knows Sanskrit and is conversant in Tamil as well as a range of modern Indian languages. In addition to her scholarly work, she has narrated documentaries for the Discovery Channel and has written books on Indian art for children.

Sylvia Safiya Godlas is an artist who specializes in Islamic ceramics as well as global geometric art. She was a member of the design team for the recent addition to the Prophet’s Mosque and supervised the production of carvings for the domes. She co-founded Wisdom Expressions, which creates programs and curricula incorporating art, spirituality and mental health for diverse and special populations. She teaches “Global Arts for Global Heats” for adults with psychosocial challenges at Advantage Behavioral Health Systems in Athens, Georgia.