Academic Events

35th Annual Fox-Adler Lecture: 'The Astronomical Sublime: Art, Science, and the Cosmos'
Tuesday, Sept. 17
5:30 p.m.
Gannett Auditorium, Palamountain Hall

Over the last several decades, astronomers have used the Hubble Space Telescope to look deep into the universe, a practice that continues with the James Webb Space Telescope. Elizabeth A. Kessler, advanced lecturer in American Studies at Stanford University, will situate views of deep space within a longer history of the sublime, with a focus on their relationship to 19th century paintings and photographs of the American West. All are welcome to attend. Contact the Office of College Events with questions.

ESS Keynote Speaker Series: 'Historic Progress from the Biden-Harris Climate Agenda: Past, Present, and Future'
Wednesday, Sept. 18
6 p.m.
Payne Room, Tang Teaching Museum
Maggie Thomas, one of President Biden's chief climate advisors, will have a guided conversation with Kris Covey, assistant professor of environmental studies and sciences, and Bob Turner, associate professor of political science, about the Biden-Harris climate policy progress. Contact Anne Ernst with questions or visit the Tang Teaching Museum website for more information.

Tuvan Throat-Singing Workshop with Alash Ensemble 
Monday, Sept. 23 
10:30 a.m.-noon
Ladd Concert Hall, Arthur Zankel Music Center

Alash Ensemble from the Republic of Tuva will be returning to Skidmore to offer a workshop in Tuvan throat-singing. The three multi-instrumentalists who make up Alash — Bady-Dorzhu Ondar, Ayan-ool Sam, and Ayan Shirizhik — perform a set of vocal techniques known collectively as xöömei, which involves producing multiple pitches at one time. Generous funding for this workshop is provided by Special Programs and the McCormack Artist-Scholar Residency Fund. This event is free and open to the Skidmore community and the public. 

PlaceKnowing Solutions Summit
Tuesday, Sept. 24
6 p.m.
Gannett Auditorium

The John B. Moore Documentary Collaborative (MDOCS) and Environment Studies and Sciences welcome the community to a roundtable presentation culminating a weekend of dialogues between Capital Region environmental justice advocates and Indigenous planners/media-makers. This series builds on the new PlaceKnowing podcast series and features Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore of The Aunties Dandelion Media Collective and Ted Jojola of The University of New Mexico's Indigenous Design and Planning Institute. Contact Angela Beallor with questions.

Frances Steloff Lecture: 'And Some There Will Be: Searching for My Slave Roots'
Thursday, Sept. 26
8 p.m.
Payne Room, Tang Teaching Museum

Join author Darryl Pinckney as he delivers the 54th annual Steloff Lecture and recieves an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. Pinckney is the author of two novels, "High Cotton" (1992) and "Black Deutschland" (2016) — as well as several works of nonfiction, including "Blackballed: The Black Vote and US Democracy" (2014). His most recent book is "Come Back in September: A Literary Education on West Sixty-Seventh Street, Manhattan." He will respond to audience questions and sign books following the presentation. All are welcome to attend. Contact Megan Bove with questions or the Frances Steloff Lecture website to learn more.

Distinguished Scholars in STEM Program: 'Discussion about Campus Drug Policies'
Friday, Sept. 27
10:15-11 a.m.
Wyckoff Center

Carl Hart, Mamie Phipps Clark Professor of Psychology at Columbia University and research scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, is an expert on the effects of drugs on the brain, body, and society. He will dialogue with faculty, staff, and administrators about the science to keep in mind when creating campus drug policies. All Skidmore community members are invited to attend. Contact Chris Vecsey with questions. 

'Are We All Fundamentalists?': Salmagundi Magazine 60th Anniversary Conference
Friday, Sept. 27, through Sunday, Sept. 29
7:30 p.m.; 10:15 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; 10:30-1:30 p.m.
Payne Room, Tang Teaching Museum

Are you disposed to cancel persons, ideas, films or books of which you disapprove? If so, are you at least in some degree a fundamentalist? Such questions will be on the table at "Are We All Fundamentalists?," a 3-day symposium that will bring together a dozen of the most distinguished writers and thinkers in the country to discuss and debate critical cultural, political, and racial issues. All are welcome. Contact Robert Boyers with questions or visit the Tang Teaching Museum website for more information.

Dunkerley Dialogue with Mark Dion, Alexis Rockman, Heather Hurst, and AJ Schneller
Tuesday, Oct. 1
6 p.m.
Payne Room, Tang Teaching Museum

Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman, both artists whose works are on view in the exhibition "Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature's Underworld," join Heather Hurst, associate chair and professor of anthropology, and AJ Schneller, associate director and associate professor of environmental studies and sciences, for this year's Dunkerly Dialogue, a program that aims to foster conversation between Skidmore professors and artists. Dunkerley Dialogues are made possible by a generous gift from Michele Dunkerley '80, and this Dunkerley Dialogue is co-presented with the American Federation of Arts, who organized the exhibition. The program is open to all and will include ASL interpretation. Contact Tom Yoshikami with questions or visit the Tang Teaching Museum website for more information.

'Left, Right, & Center: American Political Parties & the Electorate'
Wednesday, Oct. 9
5 p.m.
Payne Room, Tang Teaching Museum

Political Science Professors Ron Seyb and Natalie Taylor talk with Ruy Teixeira, author of "Where Have All the Democrats Gone?: the Soul of the Party in an Age of Extremes," and Matthew Continetti, author of "The Right: the Hundred Year War for American Conservatism," about the shifting composition of the two political parties, the rising number of independent voters, and the implications for the future of American politics. All are welcome to attend. Contact Barbara McDonough with questions or visit the Tang Teaching Museum website for more information.

Annual Arthur Zankel Lecture: 'Entrepreneurship versus Democracy: American Business Culture and the Road to Trump'
Thursday, Oct. 10
5:30 p.m.
Davis Auditorium

American business culture prizes little else as highly as entrepreneurship, which often serves as a synonym for prosperity, innovation, and even freedom itself. But our celebration of entrepreneurship has a dark side. As Erik Baker, lecturer in the History of Science Program at Harvard University, will argue, efforts to promote entrepreneurship have often encouraged deference to charismatic leadership and suspicion of collective action, laying the groundwork for our current crisis of democracy. All are welcome to attend. Contact Pushkala Prasad with questions.

'On Election Security and AI'
Tuesday, Oct. 15
5 p.m.
Payne Room, Tang Teaching Museum

Darrell West, a senior fellow in the Center for Technology Innovation within the Governance Studies program and a co-editor-in-chief of TechTank at the Brookings Institution, and Gaston Wright, director of civic compass at Civic House, discuss election security, misinformation, and AI/Social Media. All are welcome to attend. Contact Barbara McDonough with questions or visit the Tang Teaching Museum website for more information.

'Two Dads Defending Democracy'
Wednesday, Oct. 16
7 p.m.
Arthur Zankel Music Center

Joe Walsh, a former U.S. representative from Illinois, and Fred Guttenberg, a businessman-turned-activist following his daughter’s murder in the 2018 Parkland school shooting, went from arguing with each other on social media and television to engaging in meaningful dialogue. The “Two Dads” forged a friendship through patience and civil discourse, demonstrating how people from opposite ends of the political spectrum can find common ground on contentious issues such as gun safety. As the 2024 election approaches, they share their story as a way forward for civil discourse to make the democratic principle of disagreement possible. All are invited to attend. Contact College Events with questions.

Fall Skidmore Research Colloquium: 'Global Election Fever: What we have learned from recent elections around the world'
Monday, Oct. 21
5:30 p.m.
Wyckoff Center

Join Lucas Parello, assistant professor at Florida Atlantic University; Christopher Whann, political scientist at Empire State College; Mahesh Shankar, director of International Affairs; and Murat Yildiz, assistant professor of history in a discussion moderated by Pushkala Prasad, professor and Zankel Chair in Management and Business. Speakers will focus on recent elections in the Middle East, South Asia and Latin America and discuss connections to upcoming US elections. All are welcome to attend. Contact Pushkala Prasad with questions.

'All the Way With the ERA? The Struggle for an Equal Rights Amendment at Skidmore and Beyond'
Wednesday, Oct. 23
6 p.m.
Payne Room, Tang Teaching Museum

Do we even need an Equal Rights Amendment? Join Professor and Associate Chair of Political Science Katherine Graney and Professor and Chair of History Jennifer Delton as they discuss the ERA's history at Skidmore, its many opponents, and the current campaign to get it passed. All are welcome. Contact Tom Yoshikami with questions or visit the Tang Teaching Museum website for more information.

Post-Election Debrief: A Community Discussion
Tuesday, Nov. 12
6:30 p.m.
Payne Room, Tang Teaching Museum

All are invited to a post-election debrief with Skidmore faculty who will address the questions and controversies that remain following Election Day. Contact Tom Yoshikami with questions or visit the Tang Teaching Museum website for more information.