This exhibition explores themes of flight, journey, and migration through Samuel Bak’s oeuvre. His work, informed by his experiences as a forced migrant and refugee in the aftermath of World War II, offers a potent reminder of the humanity of migrants, their dreams of freedom, their flight from oppression, their search for home, and the fraught journey they undertake in the hope for a better life. As the poet Warsan Shire notes in Home, her response to the harsh reality if life as an undocumented refugee in Europe in 2009, “No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark.” The exhibition paintings depict the ordeal of upheaval but also the hope and tenacity of those fleeing violence. Flight and Hope will situate Bak’s works as part of a broader conversation about the status of refugees in 2023, the rising number of forced migrants across the globe, and the impact of changing demographics on the political discourse. Nebraska has been the new home for thousands of resettled refugees since the late 1970s, following conflicts in Vietnam, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Syria. Refugees have built new homes, created communities, and businesses in our state, turning the state in a “global heartland.” Statistics and research often dehumanize the experience of forced migration. Bak’s paintings remind us that those undergoing this traumatic displacement are human; that individuals caught in conflict long for peace and a home; and that hope is, despite all odds, eternal. The Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 A.M. - 4 P.M., Thursday 10 A.M. - 6 P.M., and Sunday Noon - 4 P.M. The museum is closed on holidays and during UNO academic breaks.
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UNO European Studies Conference keynote lecture: Ilse Koch on Trial (Read More)
Dr. Tomaz Jardim's keynote address at the 2023 UNO European Studies Conference will be "Ilse Koch on Trial: Gender, Violence, and Making the 'Bitch of Buchenwald'.” Tomaz Jardim is Associate Professor of History at Toronto Metropolitan University, where he teaches on modern Europe, the world wars, and the Holocaust. Prior to his arrival at TMU, he taught at Concordia University in Montreal and held a fellowship at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. His first book, The Mauthausen Trial: American Military Justice in Germany was published by Harvard University Press in 2012, and explores the role of U.S. military commission courts in punishing concentration camp perpetrators. His new book, Ilse Koch on Trial: Making the ‘Bitch of Buchenwald,’ appeared on Harvard University Press in April 2023. It explores how gendered perceptions of violence and culpability drove Ilse Koch's zealous prosecution at a time when male Nazi perpetrators guilty of greater crimes often escaped punishment or received lighter sentences. The in-person event will be at the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center. To access the live stream, register with this link.
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2023 Race, Religion, and Social Justice Conference (Read More)
Tri-Faith Initiative and the University of Nebraska Omaha’s (UNO’s) Religious Studies department are hosting the second annual Race, Religion, and Social Justice Conference at the Tri-Faith Commons. This year's theme is "Building Bridges of Hope." The conference will feature compelling storytellers, academic research, and workplace practices. Breakout topics will include: Diversity, equity, access, and inclusion (DEAI) Religious institutions, businesses, and schools responses to injustice and reconciliation Religious diversity within communities of color Political polarization and democracy Racial diversity within religious traditions Registration is required: $49.99 regular price, free for students with valid I.D. View the conference page here. View the registration page here.
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Making ‘Barlaam and Josaphat’. Buddha: A Christian Saint? (Read More)
Could you ever imagine that one of the most popular saints in the Christian calendar of the Middle Ages was... Buddha? In this captivating lecture, Katarina Livljanic (Ensemble Dialogos) will lead us through one of the most intriguing labyrinths of medieval world. Through maps, videos, and music, she will make us retrace her steps in a multitude of libraries and archives worldwide, in search of Barlaam and Josaphat, and show how she brought back to life the incredible story of saints Barlaam and Josaphat, a Christianized version of Buddha's life, which crossed over at least four religions and was transmitted through almost all the medieval languages. Due to weather conditions, this previously in-person event has been changed to an online event. A Zoom link can be requested here. The event is organized by UNO Medieval/Renaissance Studies, Cathedral Arts Project, and College of St. Mary, with the support of Humanities Nebraska, the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. Sponsored by UNO History, Religious Studies, English , Art & Art History, Foreign Languages Departments, and the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences.
Nobody’s Listening, a groundbreaking, award winning virtual reality (VR) experience and immersive exhibition that commemorates the Yazidi genocide committed by ISIS in northern Iraq, will make its premiere in the United States at UNO. Initiated and sponsored by UNO’s Sam and Frances Fried Holocaust and Genocide Academy, the exhibition will be on display at the UNO Art Gallery from January 9 to February 23, 2023. It will then move to universities affiliated with the Consortium of Higher Education Centers for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Studies, which held its first regular meeting at UNO in December 2019. Open during gallery hours, Monday though Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
On the Inside is a group show of LGBTQ+ artists who are currently incarcerated. The art is made from basic materials the prisoners have access to behind bars: mostly letter sized paper, dull pencils, ball-point pen ink tubes (the hard shell is deemed too dangerous), and unlikely innovations such as using an asthma inhaler with Kool-Aid to create an airbrushed painting. The exhibit is the culmination of a multi-year project conceived of by Tatiana von Furstenberg in collaboration with Black & Pink. The project started with a small ad in the Black & Pink newsletter, a monthly publication filled with prisoner-generated content, sharing stories about prison life. Ignited and inspired by this call for art, more than four thousand pieces were submitted.
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Virtual and In-Person: Black Studies Alumni Panel (Read More)
Hear from alumni from the Department of Black Studies. This event is part of the celebration of 50 Years of Black Studies at UNO. The event will have limited seating and will also be available on Zoom. You can register for the event here: https://unomaha.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lTH3PIV3SqaG_J_AsqGeaQ
In November 1969, the activism and personal sacrifices of the Omaha 54 played a pivotal role in the creation of the Department of Black Studies. This event is part of the celebration of 50 Years of Black Studies at UNO. The event will have limited seating and will also be available on Zoom. Register for the event here: https://unomaha.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OoSr_JO-TzK3fcf7CBzvVw
Based on the Human Library, a Living Library is an event full of meaningful conversations that break through the expectations and labels we place on others. Instead of getting information from a printed book, attendees are invited to have one-on-one conversations with real people (“Human Books”) with a variety of backgrounds and experiences to learn more about people and ideas different from their own. This event is a collaboration between UNMC's McGoogan Library and UNO Libraries. March 24, 2022 – Living Library at UNMC's McGoogan Library from 11 A.M. to 2 P.M. April 7, 2022- Living Library at UNO's Community Engagement Center from 4 P.M. to 7 P.M.
Based on the Human Library, a Living Library is an event full of meaningful conversations that break through the expectations and labels we place on others. Instead of getting information from a printed book, attendees are invited to have one-on-one conversations with real people (“Human Books”) with a variety of backgrounds and experiences to learn more about people and ideas different from their own. This event is a collaboration between UNMC's McGoogan Library and UNO Libraries. Register here. March 24, 2022 – Living Library at UNMC's McGoogan Library from 11 A.M. to 2 P.M. April 7, 2022- Living Library at UNO's Community Engagement Center from 4 to 7 P.M.
