Have you registered?

The registration deadline for Becoming Alabama: Who, What, When, Where and Why is January 15!

The two-day public symposium will take place on January 21-22 at the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center. It will feature scholars and professionals exploring the role of the press and media from the 1814 massacre at Fort Mims, a galvanizing event in Alabama and U.S. history, through the Gulf Oil Spill.

The symposium is a Becoming Alabama event. Designed to commemorate major Alabama anniversaries of the Creek War/War of 1812, the Civil War and Emancipation and the Civil Rights era, Becoming Alabama is a statewide initiative begun by the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Rick Bragg will join syndicated columnist Rheta Grimsley Johnson in offering perspectives on writing and media representations of the state. Tony Barnhart, Mr. College Football and CBS Sports journalist, will talk about the state’s fascination with sports. Prominent scholars of history and media from Auburn University, as well as other institutions, will also present on topics ranging from how early newspapers supported an emerging literary culture in the state to how a handful of remarkable editors shaped both Alabama’s opinion and its image.

The conference will kick-off with a pre-conference on Alabama archives that hold newspapers and other media resources. Registration for the conference is $25. Registration for meals, which will feature keynote speakers, is separate. Students may register at no cost. For a schedule and a list of presenters, visit our website or call 334-844-4946.

Becoming Alabama: Who, What, When, Where and Why

Join us January 21-22, 2011 at the Hotel at Auburn University & Dixon Conference Center for a public symposium on the past, present, and future of the press in Alabama.

For more information, view the schedule of events and list of presenters. Registration information may be found here. Questions? Email us or call 334-844-4946.

Lectures Available on iTunesU

Lectures by Ben Cameron and Keith Sawyer are now available on our iTunesU site!

Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration: A Talk by Keith Sawyer
The Arts in Education: A Lecture by Ben Cameron

Let's go fly a kite!

Join us this Friday from noon to 2 pm on Cater Lawn--and fly a kite! We will be celebrating Arts & Humanities Month by making kites. Write a poem or quote, draw a picture, and help celebrate what the arts and humanities do: inspire, elighten, envision, enrich, elevate, challenge, provoke. A light lunch will be provided.

Check out this article from The Corner News for more information!

Creative Conversations at Starbucks

As part of the College of Liberal Arts' Arts & Humanities Month celebration, Tiger Dining presents Creative Conversations at Starbucks. Every Tuesday in October, join us at the Starbucks in the Auburn University Student Center to enjoy performances, readings, and great conversation.

October 5: Music and Theater

Dean's Brass Quintet. Presented by the Department of Music.

October 12: Creative Writing

Readings by Hallie Johnston, Garrard Conley, Allie Bruce, Sarah Jo Turritin, and Peg Daniels. Presented by the Department of English.

October 19: Visual Arts and Music

Presentations by the Association of Visual Arts. Presented by the Department of Art.

Performance by the Department of Music's Woodwind Trio.

October 26: Community Focus

Presentation by Doc Waller, Executive Director and founder, The Layman Group. The Layman Group is a nonprofit multi-disciplinary Arts organization based in Auburn, Alabama. Its mission is to champion the emergence of the arts and creativity as essential ingredients of life.

September Events

September 20: [Arts & Humanities Month] The Synaptic Gap: A play by Professor Christopher Qualls. Biggin Hall 005.

September 21: [Arts & Humanities Month] The Arts in Education: A lecture by Ben Cameron, program director of arts, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Jule Collins Smith Museum Auditorium, 4:00 pm.

September 23: [Composing Communities for the 21st Century] A lecture by Jeffrey Grabill, Michigan State University. Student Center 2227, 3:00 pm.

September 27: [Auburn Connects!] International Film Fest Series: IRON AND SILK (China). Haley Center 3195, 5:00 pm.

Ben Cameron to Speak Tuesday at Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art

Ben Cameron, program director of Arts at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and nationally renowned arts advocate, will speak at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art on September 21, at 4 p.m. A reception will follow the talk and the public is invited.

A former theater professional and current arts activist, Cameron will speak to the role of the arts and creativity in education and civic life, with a special focus on how creativity is an essential quality for success in all fields. His talk is a kick off for the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts first celebration of National Arts & Humanities Month throughout the month of October.

“Ben’s talk will help set the tone for our celebration in October,” Dr. Anna Gramberg, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, said. “We understand how important the arts are for our students in becoming critical thinkers and creative spirits, and we are pleased to provide opportunities outside the classroom for personal and professional development.”

More than ever before, the arts and the qualities they foster deserve a central place in education and in civic life.

“Like it or not, change is the ever accelerating constant that guides our lives today, and like the famous line in Alice in Wonderland, we must run as fast as we can to stay in the game – and if we want to get anywhere, we must run twice as fast as that,” notes Cameron. “Nimbleness, flexibility, responsiveness, creative opportunism: all will be valued as never before.”

Cameron heads up the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s arts funding program. Established by Duke in her will, it supports her desire to assist “actors, dancers, singers, musicians and other artists of the entertainment world in fulfilling their ambitions and providing opportunities for the public presentation of their arts and talents.” As of 2009, the DDCF has awarded more than $2 million in grants to artists and arts organizations.

Please note that Cameron’s program will be Tuesday, September 21, not Thursday as appeared on a recent mailer. Cameron’s talk is sponsored by the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts Department of Theatre and Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities, as well as the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. For more information about the program and CLA’s Arts and Humanities Month celebration, go to www.clacelebrates.org.

Celebrate Arts & Humanities Month with the College of Liberal Arts

The College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University invites you to join its faculty, staff, and students in celebration of National Arts & Humanities Month.

The arts and humanities hold an abiding value to us as citizens and human beings. They help us understand ourselves as individuals and as people who see the world differently. They help us talk about fundamental values and tough issues.

The arts and humanities teach us to think creatively, critically, and independently; to communicate effectively, and to respect individual and cultural differences. They foster an understanding of the human condition and a desire for free exchange of ideas. They invoke social change. They uplift.

Throughout October, the College of Liberal Arts will host performances, lectures, exhibitions, and other special events that offer opportunities to learn about, experience, and participate in the arts and humanities. Please join us at the scheduled events listed here and be sure to check the website and Facebook often for additions to the calendar.

The Auburn Writers Conference is 24 days away!

We are now offering a special student registration rate of $25! For more information, visit www.auburnwritersconference.org.

1934: Artists Respond to the Great Depression

Join us for a lecture this Thursday by Dr. Elizabeth Broun, director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Broun’s presentation will focus on the Smithsonian American Art Museum traveling exhibition entitled 1934: A New Deal for Artists and on art created in Alabama under the WPA auspices. Her appearance is part of the 2010 “New Perspectives” series of programs on Alabama and the Works Progress Administration of the 1930s.

Thursday, September 2
4:00 pm
Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art Auditorium

“New Perspectives” is a project of the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities and is co-sponsored by the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. The project is funded by a generous grant from the Alabama Humanities Foundation, the state agency of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Auburn Writers Conference is fast approaching!

If you have not registered for the first annual Auburn Writers Conference, don't miss your chance!

The Auburn Writers Conference 2010 will feature keynote speaker Julianna Baggott; publishing agent Holly Root; writer and illustrator Elizabeth Dulemba; and young adult authors Rachel Hawkins and Irene Latham. Auburn University's very own Chantel Acevedo, Judy Troy, Peter Campion and Peter Huggins of the College of Liberal Arts' English faculty will participate.

Small-group workshops, panel discussions, and readings will give established and emerging writers perspective, skills, and community. Learn about two new workshops here. You can register online or by mail.

Mary Jane Apartments Come Down

Mary Jane Apartments 052
Originally uploaded by Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities

Between June 21 and June 28, 2010, the Mary Jane Apartments, next door to Pebble Hill, were taken down, making room for a planned conference space to serve the College of Liberal Arts.

The Auburn Writers Conference Blog

Keep up to date with all of the Auburn Writers Conference news by visiting the official blog. The Auburn Writers Conference is also on Facebook and Twitter!

History at High Noon

Beat the heat this summer with Old Alabama Town’s "History at High Noon” lecture series. Bring your own brown bag lunch and enjoy one-hour talks presented by scholars from our Draughon Seminars in State and Local History series.

The Draughon Seminars in State and Local History are funded by the Kelly Mosley Endowment in honor of Dr. Ralph B. Draughon, president of Auburn University from 1946 to 1965, and a historian with a deep commitment to both state history and public education.

This year, the Draughon Seminars are pleased to highlight the Encyclopedia of Alabama, a free online reference resource on Alabama's history, culture, geography, and natural environment.

Each lecture begins at noon in Old Alabama Town's Loeb Reception Center, located at 301 Columbus Street in downtown Montgomery, and admission is free. For more information, call 1-888-240-4500 or visit www.oldalabamatown.com.

June 29: American Naturalist-Author William Bartram, lecture by Kathryn Braund

July 6: Fones McCarthy and the McCarthy Gin, lecture by Angela Lakwete

July 13: Philip Henry Gosse: English Naturalist-Artist in Alabama, lecture by Gary Mullen

Lectures at Tuskegee University

Join us in Tuskegee for two upcoming lectures:

June 22 (Tuesday), 9:30 am. New Perspectives: "Writers of the WPA in Alabama ," Lecture by Bert Hitchcock. Bioethics Auditorium, Tuskegee University. Co-sponsored by Tuskegee University Archives and the Tuskegee University History and Political Science Department.

July 13 (Tuesday), 9:30 am. Speakers Bureau: "Beyond the Culture Wars: What Multilingualism Can Do for Us All," Lecture by Robin Sabino. Bioethics Auditorium, Tuskegee University. Co-sponsored by Tuskegee University Archives and the Tuskegee University History and Political Science Department.

For more information about these programs, visit our website or contact the Tuskegee University Archives at 334-725-2374 or archives@tuskegee.edu.

NYC Launch of "Albert Murray and the Aesthetic Imagination of a Nation"

NYC Launch 2
Originally uploaded by Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities

On June 17, contributors to Albert Murray and the Aesthetic Imagination of a Nation gathered at Jazz at Lincoln Center to celebrate its publication.

Albert Murray and the Aesthetic Imagination of a Nation is published by Pebble Hill Books, a cooperative publishing venture of the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities and the University of Alabama Press.

The collection includes essays on various aspects of Murray's work written by prominent scholars of African American literature, jazz and Albert Murray. It also includes reminiscences from Murray's friends and associates, and interviews with Murray himself. The collection testifies to Murray's place as a central figure in African American arts and letters and as an American cultural pioneer.

Launch of "Albert Murray and the Aesthetic Imagination of a Nation"

Jazz at Lincoln Center will host a panel discussion celebration on the publication of Albert Murray and the Aesthetic Imagination of a Nation on June 17, 7 to 9 p.m. The Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts will host a book talk celebration at the University Chapel on June 30, 4 p.m.

Albert Murray and the Aesthetic Imagination of a Nation, the first book of scholarly and personal essays on the work of a writer who was instrumental in founding Jazz at Lincoln Center, is edited by Dr. Barbara Baker, director of the College of Liberal Arts Women’s Leadership Institute, and features contributions by Dr. Anne-Katrin Gramberg, Dr. Caroline Gebhard, Dr. Bert Hitchcock, Henry Louis Gates, Wynton Marsalis and others.

The Jazz at Lincoln Center panel discussion, which is free and open to the public, will be held in The Agnes Varis and Karl Leichtman Studio at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. The panel includes Baker; Paul Devlin, SUNY Stony Brook; Roberta S. Maguire, University of Wisconsin; Sidney Offit, New School for Social Research; Greg Thomas, jazz educator, print and broadcast journalist, former host of Jazz It Up!; Lauren Walsh, New York University; and more.

The Auburn program will feature Baker, Hitchcock, Gebhard and other contributors and will be followed by a reception. The public is invited. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing at both events.

Albert Murray and the Aesthetic Imagination of a Nation is published jointly by the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities, College of Liberal Arts, Auburn University, and The University of Alabama Press.

Save the Date: The Auburn Writers Conference

On Friday and Saturday, October 8-9, 2010, the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts' Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities and Department of English will host the first annual Auburn Writers Conference. The inaugural theme, The Child on the Page: Writing For and About Children, will focus on writing for and about children and young adults. With topics ranging from character and plot development, the future of books, and agent queries, this conference will bring together local and national authors and aspiring writers.

The Auburn Writers Conference 2010 will feature keynote speaker Julianna Baggott; publishing agent Holly Root; writer and illustrator Elizabeth Dulemba; and young adult authors Rachel Hawkins and Irene Latham. Auburn University's very own Chantel Acevedo, Judy Troy, Peter Campion and Peter Huggins of the College of Liberal Arts' English faculty will participate.

Small-group workshops, panel discussions, and readings will give established and emerging writers perspective, skills, and community.

For a full list of speakers, registration, agenda and more information, please visit The Auburn Writers Conference website at www.auburnwritersconference.org.

Join us for a book talk by Jim Buford

Jim Buford, author of the just released The House Across the Road, will read from and talk about his new work on Thursday, May 6, at 3 pm in the Special Collections and Archives Department of the Auburn University Library.

The House Across the Road is a departure for the former nonfiction writer, whose previous works include the essay collections The Kindness of Strangers, The Best of Times, Pie in the Sky, and a social history, When the Lights Came On.

Join us at the Alabama Book Festival!

Come out Saturday, April 17 to the Alabama Book Festival at Old Alabama Town, Montgomery. We will have a booth with information about the 2010 Auburn Writers Conference!

April Events

Thursday, April 8, 3:00 pm
Book Talk: Kathryn Braund, Fields of Vision: Essays on the Travels of William Bartram, 1739-1823. Special Collections and Archives Department, Ralph Brown Draughon Library.

Thursday, April 15, 3:00 pm
Book Talk: John Sledge, The Pillared City: Greek Revival Mobile. Special Collections and Archives Department, Ralph Brown Draughon Library.

Thursday, April 22, 3:00 pm
Book Talk: Richard Penaskovic, Bobby Brown & Richie Blue: A Spiritual Memoir. Special Collections and Archives Department, Ralph Brown Draughon Library.

Thursday, April 29, 3:00 pm
Discover Auburn: Joe Yeager and Gene Stevenson, "Comer Hall's 100th Anniversary." Special Collections and Archives, Ralph Brown Draughon Library.

Remembering the Scottsboro Trials

On Monday, March 29^th two authors will be on hand to talk about Scottsboro Boys and the trials that followed their conviction. Dr. James Miller, Professor of English and American Studies and Chair of American Studies Department at George Washington University, and Dr. Susan Pennybacker, a modern British and European specialist on the faculty of Trinity College in Connecticut, will speak at 4 p.m. at the University Chapel.



The story of the Scottsboro Boys and subsequent trials began in 1931, when nine black youths were charged with raping two white women. Despite little and contradictory evidence, all nine were found guilty and eight of the defendants were sentenced to death. The trail and the fate of the young men became an international cause and influenced not only the legal system but also American culture at large.

Join us for a panel discussion

Art & Law: An Interdisciplinary Investigation

Thursday, March 25 | 3 pm to 4:45 pm

Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art Auditorium


The panel will feature speakers who are artists and lawyers. They will discuss the role of creativity and critical thinking, drawn from their arts and humanities backgrounds, in their professional careers.

Speakers include Janet St. Denis, a visual artist and lawyer who served as council for Auburn University, Trey Granger, director of the Montgomery Elections Center, and Emil Wright, an Auburn lawyer, physician and musician. A student member on the panel will represent Auburn University's Pre-Law Scholars Program.

The panel discussion is part of an ongoing program this spring and fall to showcase the role of the arts and humanities in university, professional and community life. It is developed under the auspices of the Draughon Center's Breeden Scholar in Residence, Professor Barb Bondy.

"Art and Law: An Interdisciplinary Investigation" is sponsored by the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts, the Association of Visual Artists, the Pre-Law Scholars Program and the College of Liberal Arts Student Council.

March Events

March 2 (Tuesday), 4 pm. New Perspectives: Alabama and the WPA: Nick Taylor, author of American-Made: The Enduring Legacy of the WPA. University Chapel. Press Release (PDF).

March 11 (Thursday), 3 pm. Discover Auburn: Giovanna Summerfield, "Images of Sicilian Women." Special Collections and Archives Department, Ralph Brown Draughon Library.

March 25 (Thursday), 3 pm to 4:45 pm. Panel Discussion: Art & Law: An Interdisciplinary Investigation. Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Press Release (PDF).

March 25 (Thursday), 3 pm. Book Talk: Virginia Van der Veer Hamilton, Teddy's Child: Growing Up in the Anxious Southern Gentry between the Great Wars. Special Collections and Archives Department, Ralph Brown Draughon Library.

March 26 (Friday), 8:30 am to 5 pm. Symposium: Celebrating a Century of Flight: The Wright Brothers in Alabama, 1910-2010. Alabama Department of Archives and History. Press Release (PDF). For more information, visit www.auburn.edu/wrightbrothers.

Symposium on Wright Brothers and Aviation in Alabama

For more information, visit www.auburn.edu/wrightbrothers.

February Events

February 11 (Thursday), 3 pm. Alabama Big Read: Alan Gribben, "The Importance of Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer." Special Collections and Archives, RBD Library.

February 18 (Thursday), 3 pm. Discover Auburn: James Brown, "Growing Vegetables Organically." Special Collections and Archives, RBD Library.

February 20 (Saturday), 9 am--Noon. Workshop: "Five Useful Things You Can Learn About Writing in 180 Minutes," with Richard Goodman, Author of The Soul of Creative Writing. Co-Sponsored by OLLI at Auburn. Lexington Hotel. To register, call 334-844-5100 or click here (PDF).

February 25 (Thursday), 4 pm. Book Talk: Susan Youngblood Ashmore, Carry It On: The War on Poverty and the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama, 1964-1972. Special Collections and Archives, RBD Library.

Beyond the Rhetoric of Crisis: Strategies for Future Success in the Humanities

Join us on Thursday, January 28 at 3:00 p.m. at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art for a panel presentation by Syracuse University Humanities Center founding Director Gregg Lambert and Humanities Research & Grants Consultant Corri Zoli.

Lambert and Zoli will look at how to create concrete strategies that address the key issues involved in current challenges while addressing how and why the historical humanities and the traditional disciplines have changed. They will also discuss how to address the real concerns for the humanities today, including plausible and sustainable solutions.

For more information, read the press release here (PDF) or call 334.844.4946.

Discover Auburn Continues with Dr. Wylin Wilson

Dr. Wylin D. Wilson will present a talk entitled "Christian Identity and Economic Justice in the Rural South" on Thurs. Jan. 21 at 3:00 pm in the Special Collections and Archives Department of the Ralph Brown Draughon Library as part of the Discover Auburn series.

Dr. Wilson is a Scholar-in-Residence at Dunstans Episcopal Church at Auburn University.  Her lecture will focus on the gap in theological and ethical discourse regarding serious consideration of marginalized populations such as rural southern, persistently impoverished African-Americans in the Black Belt.

Discover Auburn is a year-long series that features programs on research, history, and other topics of interest by Auburn faculty, staff, and graduates.  The series will continue on Feb. 18 with a talk by Dr. James Brown entitled "Growing Vegetables Organically."

A reception will follow the program. This lecture is co-sponsored by the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University, Auburn University Libraries, and the Access & Community Initiatives, Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs. For more information on the program and the series, contact the Center at 334.844.4946 or visit www.auburn.edu/cah.

Symposium Video Now Online

Sessions from the Creek War and War of 1812 in the South Symposium are now available free of charge at iTunesU. The symposium, co-sponsored by the CMD Center for the Arts & Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts and Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, with funding from the National Park Service, was held in May 2009 at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art.

Click here to access the sessions in the iTunesU Store.