Iowa and Invisible Man: Making Blackness Visible
November 29—December 3, 2011
All events are free and open to the public.
Read the story of the Iowa and Invisible Man project by Brian Dau here.
Black Hawkeyes: Midcentury Memories of
the University of Iowa
Tuesday, November 29, 7 p.m.
Shambaugh Auditorium, UI Main Library
What was it like to be a black individual on the University of Iowa campus in the 1950s? A panel of “Black Hawkeyes” will offer first-hand memories of that period. The panel will be moderated by Professor Richard Breaux, assistant professor in Ethnic Studies at Colorado State University and author of Maintaining a Home for Girls: The Iowa Federation of Colored Women's Clubs at the University of Iowa, 1919-1950 and To the Uplift and Protection of Young Womanhood: African American Women at Iowa Private Colleges and the University of Iowa, 1878-1928.
Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man—A Roundtable on the Literary Past and Theatrical Future of a Great American Novel
Wednesday, November 30, 4-5:30 p.m.
Iowa City Public Library, Room A
When Ralph Ellison accepted the National Book Award for Invisible Man (1952), he reflected on his goals in writing the novel: "I was to dream of a prose which was flexible, and swift as American change is swift, confronting the inequalities and brutalities of our society forthrightly, but yet thrusting forth its images of hope, human fraternity, and individual self-realization." In this roundtable, a group of distinguished scholars join the director/producer and writer who are the first artists ever to adapt the novel to the stage. Together, they reflect on the writer, the literary landscape at mid-century, the power of the novel, and the challenge of bringing this brilliant and powerful page in American history to the stage.
Panelists:
Horace Porter, Wendell Miller Professor of English and American Studies
"Ralph Ellison's Scenes of Instruction"Michael Hill, Assistant Professor of English and African American Studies
Invisible Man in the Political and Literary Context of the Mid-20th CenturyLena Hill, Assistant Professor of English and African American Studies
Reading Invisible Man in the 21st CenturyOren Jacoby, Playwright and Writer for the Stage Adaptation
Bringing Invisible Man into the (Stage) LightChristopher McElroen, Producer and Director for the Stage Adaptation
The Winding Road from the Page to the Court Theatre Stage
Visions in Process: Orations from the University of Iowa's Invisible Man Residency
Wednesday, November 30, 6:30 p.m.
African American Museum of Iowa
Join the conversation about the “Iowa and Invisible Man: Making Blackness Visible” residency. This event, which offers an occasion for public dialogue about the 21st century implications of Ralph Ellison’s ideas about race and democracy, will include a panel discussion about the residency as well as a presentation of scenes from the script.
Panelists:
Christopher McElroen, Producer and Director for the Stage Adaptation
James Randall, Professor of English (retired), Coe College
Shanna Benjamin, Professor of English, Grinnell College
Chad Simmons, Interim Director of Diversity Focus, moderator
For My People: Elizabeth Catlett at Iowa and Beyond
Thursday, December 1, 3 p.m.
Iowa Memorial Union, Illinois Room (348)
University of Iowa Museum of Art chief curator Kathleen Edwards will discuss the work of UI alumna Elizabeth Catlett (MFA ’40) in the context of Catlett’s student experience. Edwards visited with Catlett in Cuernavaca in 2006. Consequently, the UIMA purchased 26 prints for the collection. Edwards’ program will begin with a lecture about Catlett and her work, including Catlett’s sculpture Invisible Man: A Memorial to Ralph Ellison, 2003. After the lecture the audience is invited to view prints by Elizabeth Catlett in the UIMA@IMU Visual Classroom.
Now You See It, Now You Don’t: A Civic Reflection Discussion
Thursday, December 1, 7 p.m.
Shambaugh Auditorium, UI Main Library
This facilitated discussion will focus on issues of perception and difference. How do we see people who are different from us? How do they see us? What defines difference? Who determines that definition? Using a shared text as discussion catalyst, participants will be encouraged to consider the central issues from both societal and personal contexts.
WorldCanvass
Friday, December 2, 5-7 p.m.
Senate Chamber, Old Capitol Museum
“Iowa and Invisible Man: Making Blackness Visible” will be the focus of the live WorldCanvass radio and television program. Produced by International Programs and hosted by Joan Kjaer, WorldCanvass explores topics of international scope with a variety of guests, each with individual perspectives but all speaking to a common theme. Kjaer’s guests will reflect on the life and work of Ralph Ellison and his place among other African-American writers of his era; the first-ever staging of Invisible Man planned for early 2012 in Chicago; the staged reading of Invisible Man at the university; the benefits of integrating performance into the classroom as a teaching tool; and the history of African-Americans at the UI and in Iowa.
Staged Reading, Invisible Man
Saturday, December 3, 7 p.m.
Shambaugh Auditorium, UI Main Library
A unique opportunity to get a glimpse of the new (and first) stage production of Invisible Man, set to open in Chicago in early 2012. The largely local cast will engage with Oren Jacoby’s powerful script, adapted from the Ralph Ellison’s seminal novel.
Invisible Man
Adapted for the stage by Oren Jacoby
Based on the novel by Ralph Ellison
Directed by Christopher McElroen
Thank you
Hancher
Office of the Provost
University of Iowa Libraries
Obermann Center for Advanced Studies
Chief Diversity Office
Iowa House Hotel
African American Studies
English Department
Center for Teaching
African American Council
Humanities Iowa
History Department
American Studies Department
Addition thanks to
UI International Programs, the
University of Iowa Museum of Art, and the
African American Museum of Iowa