This week, two collaborations have caught my eye, thoughtful contemplations about how artists and thinkers can enhance one another’s work in vibrant ways.
The first collaboration is an Artist’s talk sponsored by the Art Department of the University of Mississippi. On Thursday, November 4 at 5pm, they’ll be hosting an online conversation with Memphis artist Hamlett Dobbins and his friend and fellow artist Tad Lauritzen Wright. The two began collaborating as the Mellow Mountain Coalition in 2008, passing paintings back and forth, and producing vivid and expressive abstractions in a joyful artistic dialogue.
The second collaboration is between two teaching scholars and the National Civil Rights Museum, who will host a workshop specifically for educators hoping to broaden the way they talk about the civil rights movement in the classroom. On Saturday Nov 6 at 9am, Dr. Charles McKinney, historian and director of the Africana Studies program at Rhodes College, will offer a talk about the participation of thousands of ordinary yet brave activists who took extraordinary actions during the Civil Rights movement. He’ll be joined by Dory Lerner, the director of K-12 education at the museum, who’ll discuss resources and approaches for Teaching Civil Rights inclusively. The workshop is online limited to 40 participants, so if you know an educator who would appreciate this opportunity, direct them to our Facebook page or Spotlight website.
