by Adam Lord
Witness to Change: Community Conversations on Coastal Impacts is an adult reading and discussion program, led by scholars, that offers participants the opportunity to learn more about issues arising from the complex and changing human relationship with water. See how these issues are both local and global, and join your neighbors in an exploration of how others are adapting to our changing world. Discussions will incorporate history, memoir, and fiction texts.
According to The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, “Every human being has a relationship with water. It forms our bodies, drives our commerce, and defines many of the places we live. Since civilization began, people have attempted to control water—keeping it close, but in its place. But what happens when the relationship with water changes? How do we react when the sea rises, when land is lost, and when flooding affects our homes? Witness to Change offers a place to have these conversations.”
Participants are encouraged to join any or all of the planned discussions to be hosted by LSUA’s Dr. Elizabeth Beard, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and Dr. Mary Treuting, Dean of the College of Social Sciences.
The date of each book discussion is as follows:
-
March 24, 2022, 5:30 pm – Rising by Elizabeth Rush
-
April 7, 2022, 5:30 pm – The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi
-
April 21, 2022, 5:30 pm – Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
-
April 28, 2022, 5:30 pm – Bayou Farewell by Mike Tidwell
The first ten registrants to each discussion with receive a free copy of the book. Discussions will be held in person at the museum and streaming on the museum’s Facebook page. Facebook participants will be able to add to the discussion by submitting questions in the comment section.
The discussion series coincides with the Smith & Wisznia Collection, which will be on view from March 5 – June 18, 2022. The Smith & Wisznia Collection is comprised of contemporary works created by artists living and working in New Orleans post-Katrina, representing the art renaissance experienced during the rebuilding and rebirth of the city.
