According to Project Director Charlotte Pfeiffer, "Celebrating Cultural Diversity" will explore the reflection of culture in literature, the visual arts, and music. The project will consist of programs on the African-American, Chinese, Hispanic, Indian, Japanese, and Native American cultures. The audiences for the programs will include middle school, high school, and college students as well as adults in six south Georgia counties: Berrien, Cook, Crisp, Irwin, Tift, and Turner. The first program will begin Feb. 1, and events are planned through the end of April.
"I am excited that audiences in six different counties will have the opportunity through the various events to learn about cultures different from their own," Pfeiffer, a former Professor of English at ABAC, said. "I am particularly happy that the project will bring five outstanding African-American, Hispanic, and Asian artists and scholars to our area."
In celebration of Black Awareness Month, the first program of the project will feature an exhibit by African-American artist Henry Pernell Johnson Feb. 2 - 14 in Cordele and Feb. 19 - 28 at ABAC. The exhibit is open to the public.
Poet, short story writer, and novelist Anthony Grooms will also be a featured guest in February. During February and March, four ABAC professors will participate in Women's History Month with the presentation of the lecture series, "Literature as It Reflects Culture." This portion of the program will feature talks on the writings of Japanese author Ariyoski Saawako, Native American author Louise Erdrich, Hispanic author Isabel Allende, and Indian author Jhumpa Lahiri. Other guests will include Mihoko Tsutsumi, a musician from Japan, Hispanic author Judith Ortiz-Cofer, and Chinese artist Dr. Lee-jan Jan.
This project is supported by the Georgia Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities and through appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly.
For additional information on upcoming events, contact ABAC's Division of Humanities at (229) 386 - 3250.
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