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The Arts And Global Change: More in common than one might think…

Written by Kimberlin Torain, Senior in Anthropology; Theatre Minor         

 

IMG_0904                                                        ANCS Executive Director Rich Holly discusses the intersections of arts and sustainability.

Recently, ARTS NC STATE staff attended the North Carolina State University Global Change Symposium, which focuses on networking and community-building to explore how NC State can most effectively respond to issues associated with global change. It was held by the Department of the Interior’s Southeast Climate Science Center in partnership with the Global Environmental Change and Human Well-being Faculty Cluster. ARTS NC STATE’s interest in the symposium was driven by the desire to highlight global change and sustainability through the arts, as well as to inspire. ARTS NC STATE has a commitment to creating dialogue and positive action, with collaboration from other departments for upcoming projects and performances. NC State LIVE director Sharon Moore and Music Department Professor Dr. Peter Askim have the spotlight for projects they are working on currently.

NC State LIVE, under the direction of Sharon Moore, is making plans to host The Nile Project at the university in spring 2017. The Nile Project is a collective of musicians from eleven Nile-basin countries; they operate with the broad objective of addressing issues of sustainability, transboundary cooperation, and new ways of thinking. Their power comes from their residency model format – to study and understand key issues affecting the Nile River, and to inspire, educate, and network with university students and citizen activists to cultivate the sustainability of their own ecosystem. Mina Girgis, musicologist and Nile Project co-founder, visited NC State this past August, and is eager to bring the Project here because of the university’s deep commitment to sustainable practices. NC State LIVE will collaborate with the Water Resources Research Institute on campus and the University Sustainability Office to host a week of workshops, panels, and performances with the musicians. Topics of interest include Musical Collaboration and Water Cooperation, Race Relations and Environmental Justice, Civic Engagement and the Management of Water Resources, and Arts Entrepreneurship.

IMG_0899                             Sharon Moore and Dr. Peter Askim discuss upcoming NC State LIVE & Music projects relating to sustainability.

Dr. Peter Askim, has help to conduct, in conjunction with Earth Month and NC State sustainability Fund, the Raleigh Civic Symphony, an NC State Orchestra, a performance of Richard Blackford’s The Great Animal Orchestra Symphony on April 24, 2016. It is based on field recordings by Dr. Bernie Krause of animals in their natural environments, touching on issues of animals, the environment, sustainability, and the human/animal/environmental interactions and impacts. the GAOS seeks to bring together diverse groups who are interested in an informative, emotionally engaging, and enjoyable musical  and educational experience. The performance will be at the center of a series of events, which may include lectures, panels, posters, and an informative Q & A session. Dr. Askim hopes that this performance enables arts and the sciences to cross boundaries, and to encourage discussions by scientists, audiences, and the greater NC State and Triangle communities alike.