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The McKelvy House Scholars invite the campus to join a dinner discussion of issues posed by the Williams Visual Arts Building’s Remembrance exhibit of Russian art Sunday evening.
The meal will begin at 6 p.m. at McKelvy House, 200 High Street. Led by George Armah ’08 (Accra, Ghana), a double major in math and psychology, the discussion will start at 6:30 p.m.
Armah has titled the discussion “Sankofa: Remembrace.” The word “sankofa,” loosely translated from a language spoken in Ghana, means “return and get it.” It is depicted by a symbol resembling a c-shaped bird with its head facing backwards and refers to “remembrance.”
The discussion will begin by examining the emotions behind the works in Remembrance: Russian Post-Modern Nostalgia on view at the Grossman Gallery, what has inspired the pieces, and what vision others have of the U.S.
The second part of the discussion will deal with “sankofa” or the issue of remembrance. Armah seeks to explore the role history plays in shaping actions of today. He asks whether Lafayette’s history affects today’s students and how important it is to remember the past.
In addition, Armah will address the comment “This exhibition encourages students, faculty, and the public to contemplate the various freedoms we experience in America – and the limitations as well,” by Jim Toia, director of the Grossman Gallery, and examine the meaning of freedom within the context of students’ freedoms at Lafayette and at a national level.
Links to web sites on the discussion topics as well as more information about the McKelvy House Scholars program are available on the group’s blog web site.
Since 1962, the McKelvy House Scholars program has brought together Lafayette students with a wide range of majors and interests to reside in a historic off-campus house and share in intellectual and social activities. Sunday dinner discussions that engage the students in debate and exchange of ideas are the hallmark of the program; several Wednesday discussions have been added as well. Most members also contribute to the annual McKelvy Papers, written on a topic of each person’s choice. McKelvy Scholars participate in activities together such as field trips to plays, concerts, and exhibits, and sponsor events for the campus as well.
Past discussions
Sept. 20 — The Powerful Thrust of Language on Civic Arousal
Sept. 14 — Apathy
Sept. 11 — Why Do We Care about One Another?
Sept. 4 — Oil
Previous years
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