11 Jun Thanks and Looking Forward from the IHC
June 11, 2021
Dear Campus Community Members,
As our academic year draws to a close and we look forward to the reopening of the campus in the fall, it is my great pleasure to announce the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center’s 2021-22 public events series theme:
Regeneration
Broadly, regeneration refers to the creation of new lives and forms, in contexts ranging from the biological recreation of cells, tissues and organs, to the “regenerative design” of architectural structures that model the integrity of the natural world, to religious or spiritual renewal.
Drawing from the humanities and its sibling fields, including environmental and urban studies and social psychology, the IHC’s 2021-22 public events series Regeneration will explore how societies and cultures in previous historical eras have moved from crisis and upheaval into periods of sustainable and equitable regeneration. The series will also consider the institutional transformations, creative expressions, activist interventions and philosophical recalibrations needed to establish foundations of solidarity upon which new futures can be realized. Regeneration is also about intergenerational futures: how we are connected to past generations, how we care for the multiple generations of the present and how the worlds we make will enable future generations to thrive.
I urge you to contact me with your ideas and suggestions for series speakers and events at derwin@ihc.ucsb.edu.
Lastly, I want to acknowledge the IHC staff’s extraordinary work this past year. They responded tirelessly, professionally and creatively to the challenges brought on by the global pandemic. IHC Associate Director Erin Nerstad, Assistant Director Adam Morrison and Senior Artist Paula Schaefer transitioned our public events series Living Democracy to a webinar format, which included ASL and Spanish interpretation for all events. IHC Business Officer Ceanna Bowman, together with Contracts and Grants Coordinator Courtney Richardson and Payroll and Financial Assistant Mackenzie Maynard, handled an unprecedented volume of financial transactions, despite severe staffing shortages. Under the guidance of the Director of Isla Vista Arts Anna Jensen and the Director of Magic Lantern Films D.J. Palladino, programs such as the WORD Magazine course and journal and Magic Lantern film screenings and events were active and popular, successfully engaging students and audiences through an online format. Thanks to these dedicated and skilled staff members, the IHC upheld its mission to serve the campus and broader community through its public events series, graduate student trainings, community programs and financial services.
Thanks also go to you, our IHC community members, for continuing to partner and engage in our programs and events through this difficult year. I look forward to seeing you at the IHC, as soon as we may once again come together. In the meantime, I wish everyone a summer of renewal and regeneration.
Best wishes,
Susan Derwin, Director
Interdisciplinary Humanities Center