Come curious. Leave inspired.
For those near and far, we invite you to start the year with us through a range of events, performances, exhibitions, podcasts, and more.
In addition,听.
ArtSci On Your Own Time
Podcast: (Henry Art Gallery)
Frequencies is a creative audio project where a cohort of artists, writers, and community members are invited to contribute sonic responses to the Henry鈥檚 exhibitions. The series serves as an aural companion to the work on view and can be experienced either in-gallery or before or after visiting. In lieu of a traditional museum guide in which historical and contextual insights are gleaned, these responses provoke further thought and exploration demonstrating that interpretations of contemporary art can be as varied as the individuals who encounter it.
Book: (History)
This book examines spaces, practices, and ideologies of incarceration in the ancient Mediterranean basin from 300 BCE to 600 CE. Analyzing a wide range of sources鈥攊ncluding legal texts, archaeological findings, documentary evidence, and visual materials鈥擬atthew D. C. Larsen and Mark Letteney argue that prisons were integral to the social, political, and economic fabric of ancient societies. Ancient Mediterranean Incarceration traces a long history of carceral practices, considering ways in which the institution of prison has been fundamentally intertwined with issues of class, ethnicity, gender, and imperialism. By foregrounding the voices and experiences of the imprisoned, Larsen and Letteney demonstrate the extraordinary durability of carceral structures across time and call for a new historical consciousness around contemporary practices of incarceration. .
Dive deeper with Letteney during the , , and .
Week of January 5
January 7 | (Music)
A free lunchtime performance featuring UW School of Music students in the North Allen Library lobby. Presented in partnership with UW Libraries. Free.
January 8 | (Jackson School of International Studies)
Alongside China鈥檚 rapid economic growth and urbanization, the country has witnessed an unprecedented wave of rural-to-urban migration. Educating this large population poses considerable challenges to the nation鈥檚 household registration (hukou)鈥揵ased education system. Addressing the educational needs of migrant children is not only essential for promoting social equity and cohesion, but also carries profound implications for China鈥檚 long-term economic development and social progress. Since the central government issued a 2001 directive requiring destination cities to provide public education for migrant children, their access to urban schools has improved substantially, however, reforms related to high school admissions have progressed more slowly. This lecture addresses the data gathering structure created by the author and examines how these policies influence family migration decisions and the educational outcomes of migrant children. Free.
January 8 | (Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture)
Part of Burke鈥檚 Free First Thursday series, the museum opens its collections spaces from 4:30 to 7:30鈥疨M. Visitors can explore behind鈥憈he-scenes labs and storage, and speak with researchers, staff, and volunteers about their work. Free.
January 9 | (School of Drama)
School of Drama faculty Nikki Yeboah, Jasmine Mahmoud, and Odai Johnson share recent scholarship on women and performance, followed by conversation. Coffee provided. Free.
Closes January 11 | 听(Henry Art Gallery)
Spirit House investigates how contemporary artists of Asian descent challenge the boundary between life and death through art. A thematic exploration of the work of thirty-four Asian American and Asian diasporic artists, Spirit House asks the question, what does it mean to speak to ghosts, inhabit haunted spaces, be reincarnated, or enter different dimensions? Inspired by spirit houses, small devotional structures found throughout Thailand that provide shelter for the supernatural, this exhibition considers how art can bridge the gap between this world and the next. Free.
Admission to the Henry is free to all visitors.
Week of January 12
Online – January 12 | 听(Jackson School of International Studies)
Presented by Edward Alden, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations; John Koenig, U.S. Ambassador (ret.) and UW Lecturer; and Jacqueline Miller, President and CEO of World Affairs Council-Seattle. Trump in the World 2.0 is an online series of talks and discussions featuring guest speakers and faculty exploring global perspectives on a second Trump administration. Free.
UW students: Interested in taking this as a 2-credit/no credit course? Visit MyPlan for complete course details.
Online – January 12 | (Simpson Center for the Humanities)
Drawing on his new book, Pan-African Futurism, Dr. Reginold Royston will discuss technology and role of Pan-Africanism in the fields of international development, diaspora and politics in Ghana and beyond.
January 13 | (School of Art + Art History + Design)
The question to consider during dinner and conversation: How can we bring together emerging, established, and elder leaders in the conversation around liberation? This program is part of the year-long Liberation Book Club series exploring liberation through shared texts, art, film, music, and workshops. Free.
Online option – January 14 | Philosophical Nonviolence and the Democratic Ideal with John Wood Jr. (Public Lectures)
Too often, democracy is narrowly defined by the act of voting, reducing the citizen鈥檚 role to mere electoral participation. However, a truly thriving democratic society is one in which full inclusion is built upon a foundation of cultural goodwill between distinct communities. This vision of a beloved community鈥攔ooted in the philosophy of nonviolence鈥攚as championed by Martin Luther King Jr. It is this philosophy that we must revive to bridge the deep political and cultural divides that threaten American democracy today. Free.
January 15 – 18 | (featuring UW School of Music faculty and students)
In addition to papers by scholars from around the country, the festival features keynote talks and performances by internationally acclaimed musicians and writers. Free.
January 16 | 听(Political Science)
As a part of the Severyns Ravenholt Seminar in Comparative Politics, this lecture features Jihyeon Bae, Ph.D. Student.听Free.
January 17 |听(Meany Center for the Performing Arts)
Karim Sulayman 鈥� lauded for his 鈥渧elvety tenor and pop-star charisma鈥� (BBC Music Magazine) 鈥� joins guitarist Sean Shibe, whose 鈥渕usic-making is masterful, beautiful and convincing in every way鈥� (The Times, UK), for an intimate recital of music ranging from the Middle Ages to the present. This compelling musical journey examines the close cultural and musical ties between East and West, reflecting the artists鈥� personal experiences with roots in Lebanon and Japan.
Week of January 19
January 22 | (School of Music)
The acclaimed piano鈥損ercussion quartet Yarn/Wire performs contemporary works by UW composition students and alumni in an evening of innovative new music.
January 22 – 25 | (Dance)
The inaugural Grad Lab Concert debuts an evening-length work co-created and performed by UW MFA candidates Jake Bone, marco farroni leonardo, Alice Gosti, Jillian Roberts, and Tracey Wong. Through five distinct artistic perspectives, the piece weaves a vibrant tapestry of movement鈥攅xploring lineage, experimentation, and care.
Online – January 22 | 听(History)
Catherine Conybeare is the first woman to write a biography of Augustine since Rebecca West. She has received awards and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies and the National Endowment for the Humanities, amongst others. She is the Leslie Clark Professor in the Humanities at Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania.听Free.
Online option – January 22 | (Jackson School of International Studies)
Professor Nicholas de Villiers of University of North Florida, contends in his book that we need to theorize both queer time and space to understand Taiwan-based director Tsai Ming-liang鈥檚 cinematic explorations of feeling melancholy, cruisy, and sleepy. Building on those arguments, this presentation starts with a reading of Tsai鈥檚 short film It鈥檚 a Dream (2007)鈥攕et in a movie theater in Malaysia鈥攁s a microcosm of Tsai鈥檚 themes and motifs of sleep/dreaming, cruising, nostalgia, and the space of the cinema. It then addresses Tsai鈥檚 鈥減ost-retirement鈥� (after 2013) films and museum installations, including the queer Teddy award-winning digital feature film Days (Rizi, 2020) shot in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Thailand, and the short film The Night (2021) shot in Hong Kong in 2019. Free.
January 22 | (Stroum Center for Jewish Studies)
Mark Letteney will be joined by Stroum Center faculty and history professor Joel Walker and classics professor Sarah Levin-Richardson to discuss the book, unpack what role prisons played in ancient societies and how this history continues today, and answer questions. Free.
January 23 | (Meany Center for the Performing Arts)
Celebrated Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes performs an eclectic solo recital featuring works by Schumann, Jan谩膷ek, and Kurt谩g.
January 23 | (Classics)
This year’s McDiarmid Lecture features Kirk Ormand (Oberlin College). Free.
January 23 | (Political Science)
Presented by Barry Rabe,Arthur F. Thurnau Professor Emeritus; Professor Emeritus of Public Policy; Professor Emeritus of Environmental Policy; Professor Emeritus of the Environment; Professor Emeritus of Political Science. Free.
January 25 | (Burke Museum)
Uncover an ancient marine creature in the dig pit, compare your footprint to a giant sauropod, and learn about the mighty animals of the Mesozoic.
Week of January 26
Online – January 26 | 听(Jackson School of International Studies)
Presented by Roberto Dondisch, Distinguished Fellow Stimson Center; Lecturer, 乱伦社区 and Bonnie Jenkins, U.S. Ambassador (ret.); Visiting Professor, George Washington University. Trump in the World 2.0 is an online series of talks and discussions featuring guest speakers and faculty exploring global perspectives on a second Trump administration. Free.
UW students: Interested in taking this as a 2-credit/no credit course? Visit MyPlan for complete course details.
January 28 | (Stroum Center for Jewish Studies)
Miriam Udel will discuss her new book, Modern Jewish Worldmaking Through Yiddish Children’s Literature. Free.
January 29鈥�31 | (Meany Center for the Performing Arts)
Ephrat Asherie鈥檚 choreography remixes street and club dance styles with the live Latin jazz of Grammy鈥憌inner Arturo O鈥橣arrill in Shadow Cities.
January 29鈥揊ebruary 8 | (School of Drama)
In this new translation of Chekhov鈥檚 鈥漵erious comedy of human contradictions鈥�, a group of artists and dreamers meet in the countryside and wrestle with the costs of ambition, unspoken longings, and the harsh realities of artistic pursuits. Set against a backdrop of love, passionate aspirations, and the search for meaning,听The Seagull听captures the fierce hopes and quiet heartbreaks of an artistic career.听 Directed by MFA Student Sebasti谩n Bravo Montenegro.
January 30 | (German Studies)
Presented by Alexandra Sterling-Hellenbrand, Professor of German and Global Studies at Appalachian State University.听Free.
ArtSci Roundup goes monthly!
The ArtSci Roundup is your guide to connecting with the UW鈥攚hether in person, on campus, or on your couch.
Previously shared on a quarterly basis, those who sign up for the Roundup email will receive them monthly, delivering timely updates and engaging content wherever you are. Check the roundup regularly, as events are added throughout the month. Make sure to check out the ArtSci On Your Own Time section for everything from podcasts to videos to exhibitions that can be enjoyed when it works for you!
In addition, if you like the ArtSci Roundup, sign up to receive a monthly notice when it’s been published.
Do you have an event that you would like to see featured in the ArtSci Roundup? Connect with Lauren Zondag (zondagld@uw.edu).uw.edu).