Media Mentions July 2022
The latest media mentions, quotes, profiles, and writings from Division of the Humanities faculty, students, staff, and alumni. Visit us on Twitter and Facebook for more updates.
Theaster Gates Unveils the 2022 Serpentine Pavilion in London
Galerie Magazine
Theaster Gates (Visual Arts) opens Black Chapel, an architectural commission by the Serpentine Pavillion in London, as a spiritual place for music, homage, and community.
Academy Museum Appoints Jacqueline Stewart as President and Director
Variety Magazine
Jacqueline Stewart (Cinema and Media Studies) was appointed as the new President and Director of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and was praised for her direction of the museum’s curatorial program. Stewart will guide the vision of the Academy Museum and oversee all aspects of its operations.
Jacqueline Stewart, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Director and President, to Present Exhibition, Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971
RogerEbert.com
Jacqueline Stewart’s (Cinema and Media Studies) new role as President and Director of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has helped amplify the new exhibition. “Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971,” which opens on Aug. 21. “This landmark exhibition seeks to restore lost chapters of American film history as it elevates the contributions of Black artists to present a more inclusive story,” said Ms. Stewart.
Meet the Staff: Sarah Brock
More than 100 staff members work in the Division of the Humanities. We’ll introduce you to our staff in this continuing series.
Sarah Brock
Director of Recruitment
Dean of Students Office
What do you like most about your job?
The best part of my job is connecting with people. Whether that means I'm answering questions from prospective students, learning about faculty research interests, or participating in a lecture or workshop, I like being part of the University community and celebrating it with others.
What was the last good book you read?
Ooh! This is a tough one. I'm an avid reader, I'm not sure that I can pick just one. Recently, I've been into science fiction fantasy. I really enjoyed Nghi Vo's Siren Queen and Tochi Onyebuchi's Goliath. I'm also very much looking forward to R.F. Kuang's Babel.
You might work with me if …
Your work supports prospective students. I believe a successful recruitment strategy touches on everything from the Division's web presence to the way we communicate who we are and what we do. In many ways, my work will intersect with just about every aspect of the Division, so that I can be prepared to answer questions, share resources, and help prospective students truly understand the Humanities at UChicago.
If you could instantly become an expert in something, what would it be? Why?
Hmm, probably I would do something practical like web development. I'm interested in the user experience generally, and I'd love to be able to improve design and engagement online. It would also be a good idea to know how to swim.
Summer Reading Recommendations from UChicago Faculty
Long summer days can offer the perfect opportunity to try a new book. Whether you’re hoping to learn more about the world around us—or trying to dive into a fictional one—University of Chicago faculty members have a recommendation for you.
The Brutish Museums: The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution by Dan Hicks
Recommended independently by literary scholar Julie Orlemanski and art historian Megan Sullivan
Meet the Staff: Louis Guignard
More than 100 staff members work in the Division of the Humanities. We’ll introduce you to our staff in this continuing series.
Louis Guignard
Manager, Human Resources
What do you like most about your job?
I love the opportunity to interact with and learn from diverse professionals
What was the last good book you read?
One of the last good books that I read was Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know by Malcom Gladwell. I also really enjoyed The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love by Bell Hooks.
You might work with me if …
...you need assistance with or have questions about payroll processes and inquiries, recruiting and talent acquisition efforts, or student employment, as well as student and staff onboarding.
What are you most excited about this year?
I'm most excited about getting acclimated to and exploring Chicagoland and all of the culture and food that it has to offer before it gets too cold!
19 UChicago Faculty Receive Named, Distinguished Service Professorships
Nineteen University of Chicago faculty members have received distinguished service professorships or named professorships.
Profs. Marshall Chin, Thomas Ginsburg, Robert Kendrick, Ernst Lengyel, Christian Leuz and Jason Merchant have received distinguished service professorships.
Profs. Matthew Boyle, Jacob Goldin, Colleen Grogan, Tara O. Henderson, Sherwin S.W. Ho, Karen Kim, Guido Lorenzoni, Noémie Ndiaye, Shigehiro Oishi, Adriana Robertson, Tobin Sosnick, Gil Stein and Alan Yu have received named professorships.
Media Mentions June 2022
The latest media mentions, quotes, profiles, and writings from Division of the Humanities faculty, students, staff, and alumni. Visit us on Twitter and Facebook for more updates.
The Academy Museum Names Jacqueline Stewart as New Leader
The New York Times
Jacqueline Stewart (Cinema and Media Studies) is appointed as the new director and president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, “an unprecedented institution for understanding and appreciating the history and culture of cinema, in all its artistic glory and all its power to influence and reflect society.”
Chicago author, professor Jacqueline Stewart named President of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
CBS Chicago
Jacqueline Stewart (Cinema and Media Studies) is featured in this article that discusses her recent appointment, her research and projects in Chicago, and her trajectory and accomplishments at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Academy Museum appoints Jacqueline Stewart to lead as new director, president
Los Angeles Times
Jacqueline Stewart (Cinema and Media Studies) is featured in article about her recent appointment as the new director and president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The article gives an overview of Prof. Stewart’s accomplishments, contributions, awards, creativity and leadership.
Humanities Graduate Students Are Pivotal to the Success of Transcending Boundaries Symposium
Since elementary school, Rachel Chery has been a leader in diversity work. This spring, the Humanities Division doctoral candidate in Music spearheaded the virtual Transcending Boundaries Fourth Annual Research Symposium, April 8–9, with the theme of Disruption and Discovery Preparing for a New Generation of Scholars.
To her surprise, Chery recently received the Departmental Diversity Award for the Humanities Division for her leadership in the realm of furthering diversity on the UChicago campus.
“First and foremost, she was foundational to the organization and success of the Transcending Boundaries Symposium, which was an incredible space for so many beautiful presentations and the building of community,” said Frania Mendoza Lua, doctoral candidate at the Crown Family Center and Chair of UChicagoGRAD Diversity Advisory Board. “I hope everyone who attended realizes how radical and powerful this conference really was at a school like UChicago. Outside of the Diversity Advisory Board, Rachel continues to decolonize music theory syllabi. She starts the classes that she teaches with Nina Simone and that is so important! Her dissertation is also looking to her identity in a field where it is still not common to do so.”
While Chery describes the award as the capstone of what she’s been doing all her life, she was quick to praise the UChicago students who presented intriguing topics during the Transcending Boundaries Symposium.
Three Humanities Division graduate students explored race and the occult, indigenous Mexican language in hip-hop, and Hegel and romantic quest of self in art in their presentations. Jonah Francese, Bre’Anna Girdy, and Manjing Wuang gave their virtual sessions on topics relevant to their UChicago studies as well as to their personal interests.
“My grandmother spoke the Hñähñu language, and I looked at several hip-hop groups that use this language in their lyrics,” said Francese, a PhD candidate in ethno-musicology, who presented Hñähñu Language Revitalization through Indigenous Mexican Hip Hop: Building Towards an Indigenous Hip Hop Futurism. “Using this indigenous language in hip-hop lyrics is an opportunity to teach the language and increase the percentage and number of speakers.”
Humanities Division Returns to Rockefeller Chapel for 536th Convocation
While many still wore masks, graduates celebrated their first Division of the Humanities Convocation ceremony on June 3 in Rockefeller Chapel since 2019 with unequaled joy. It was finally time for the graduates, faculty members, families, and colleagues to move back to a familiar arena, which their pandemic experiences made the celebration more poignant.
“We were delighted to be back in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel commemorating the accomplishments of our graduates and looking toward their bright futures,”
said Anne Walters Robertson, Dean of the Division of the Humanities. “In my experience, the excitement, appreciation, and gratitude of this year’s graduates was unparalleled.”
In addition to celebrating the achievements of more than 150 graduating students with master’s and doctoral degrees, four leaders in the Humanities Division, including Dean Robertson and Dean of Students Shea Wolfe, recognized nine students and faculty members for their achievements.
How Teaching Film Inspired a UChicago Scholar to Bridge Media and Legal Studies
From George Floyd to Laquan McDonald, video evidence has galvanized public reaction in recent cases of police violence. For University of Chicago scholar Salomé Aguilera Skvirsky, representations of police have also become an important subject of interdisciplinary study. As part of her new book project, she will explore how the disciplinarity-specific resources of cinema and media studies can also inform case law.
As a cinema and media scholar, Skvirsky thinks a lot about the evidentiary status of lens-based photographic recordings and the nature of point of view in the moving-image media. She hopes to bring some of the considerable theoretical insights that have been developed in cinema and media studies on the topic of point of view to legal discourses on body and dashboard cameras, as well as on citizen sousveillant filming practices.
“My hope is to develop scholarship that can serve as a bridge between cinema and media studies and legal studies,” she said.
Media Mentions May 2022
The latest media mentions, quotes, profiles, and writings from Division of the Humanities faculty, students, staff, and alumni. Visit us on Twitter and Facebook for more updates.
“Doc Films and Night Owls Collaborate for Movie Screening and Discussion”
The Chicago Maroon
Agnes Callard (Philosophy) and James Conant (Philosophy) Discussed the film "A Hero" and the ethics that drive the film's plot, and the tension between "being good" and "appearing good."
DeafBlind Communities May be Creating a New Language of Touch
The New Yorker
Diane Brentari (Linguistics) expands her knowledge and practice of “Protactile,” created for the DeafBlind as a new tactile language.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Dives Fearlessly Into an Emotionally Feverish Program
WTTW
Augusta Read Thomas (Music) composed “Brio,” an 11-minute piece full of sonic surprises, which was interpreted by the CSO and received audience and critic’s acclaim. “It hooks you from the start.”
Review: The CSO Under the Baton of Karina Canellakis Delivers the Goods
3rd Coast Review
Augusta Read Thomas (Music) was present during the CSO performance of her composition “Brio,” which explored different themes and built momentum for its enthusiastic audience.