January 30: Watch John McCormick and John Clark debate whose power is more super

The Indianapolis Committee on Foreign relations hosts a dinner and debate between IUPUI political scientist John McCormick and IndyBuzzer John Clark over the relative merits of US and European power in the 21st century

When: Tuesday January 30, Reception at 5:45 dinner at 6:30, speaker presentation shortly after 7:30 and ends at 9:00
Where: Woodstock Club 1301 W 38th St, Indianapolis, 46208

This will be an interesting and perhaps even important discussion. Much more will be written about it on IndyBuzz and Provocate.org.

John McCormick is professor and chair of political science at IUPUI, and a British national. He specializes on comparative politics, the EuropeanUnion, and transatlantic relations. He is the author of eleven books, the most recent The European Superpower, which argues that the EU is a new kind ofglobal powerhouse that relies on soft power (economic and diplomatic pressure, encouragement rather than coercion) rather than hard power (mainlymilitary force), giving it a significant advantage over the US in the new globalized international system.

John Clark believes that the US is the most powerful country today and will be into the foreseeable future. Part of this power must be hard. Meaningful solutions to the most urgent problems the world faces will require an America that is strong, self-confident, and wise. The current disasters in Iraq and elsewhere created by the Bush Administration have weakened the ability of DC to impose its will around the world (although there is no compelling reason to think this can't be reversed). More critical is to recognize that the nature of problems in the 21st century are changing in ways that diminish the importance of national (or supranational) governments in places like DC or Brussels.

For RSVPs and more details about this event, contact Courtenay Weldon at courtenay@cweldon.net. More details about the substance is the debate will kick off Provocate.org.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out some others dealing with contemporary Europe. Prof. Didier Gondola discusses the explosive ethnic conflicts in France (and elsewhere in Europe). Stefan Halper looks at the "silence of the Rational Center" in US foreign policy from the Europe's eyes. In fact, many discussions this spring will examine the disoriented American "empire."

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January 20: Watch high school brainiacs do battle at the Academic WorldQuest Tournament

Qualifying competition for an Indianapolis high school team of geniuses to represent the city in a national tournament of international knowledge and (let's be honest) trivia

When: Saturday January 20 1:00 PM
Where: Marian College Stokely Mansion 3200 Cold Spring Road

Academic WorldQuest is widely played at the adult and high school levels around the country. It is a team game testing competitors' knowledge of international affairs, geography, history, and culture. You can find out about it here. The World Affairs Councils of America holds a national competition for high schools in DC in April. Last year the Indiana Council on World Affairs sponsored a team from Lawrence North High School ... despite it being their first exposure to the compeition, they did very well. (LNHS: More than just basketball.) This year there will be a competition at Marian College to select the representative to the DC tournament. It will be grueling, check out last year's questions. IndyBuzz has a dream of staging a WorldQuest tournament for all comers in Indianapolis next year, let's check out the competition at Marian College on January 20.

Stretch your brain with questions from last year's Academic WorldQuest. If you plan to attend, please contact Janet Jegen by email or phone (849-2691) so that there will be enough chairs and refreshments for everyone.

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February 13: Get a report on the Catholic Church in Latin America

Fr. José Marins, one of the most influential clerics in the Western Hemisphere, talks about “The Catholic Church in Latin America” at Marian College

When: Tuesday February 13 7:00 PM
Where: Marian College, Mother Theresa Hackelmeier Memorial Library Auditorium

As part of the Franciscan Center for For a Better World” with its founder Fr. Riccardo Lombardi S.J. and coordinated the national Brazilian team. He took part of the Second Vatican Council’s last three sessions as consultant for the Brazilian Bishops; was a consultant to the Medellín Conference, and the communication coordinator at the Puebla Conference. He was in charged of clergy and deacons before the National Conference of Brazil’s Bishops (CNBB); a member of the Conference of Latin American Bishops (CELAM) reflection team and adjunct general secretary to Cardinal Eduardo Pironio. He also served as consultant for the Pontifical Secretariat for Christian Unity from 1973-1979; and during the last 30 years he has coordinated the itinerant team that has served churches of Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia, Philippines, India, Korea, Thailand, Africa and Europe.

In the United States he has been a consultant, professor, and keynote speaker to various Dioceses in different states and in different languages (English, Spanish, and Portuguese).

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out Marian College's earlier talk about post-conflict Central America on February 5. Attend the talks about Mexico that are part of Great Decisions series on February 7 and February 20.

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February 17: Attend the premiere performance of "Dreaming of an Island"

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The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra performance based on Afro-Cuban rhythms, composed by Neil Leonard

When: Saturday, February 17 5:30 PM

Where: Indiana History Center

Tickets: $20 for adults, $10 for students

This is the world premiere of Neil Leonard’s Dreaming of an Island and should not be missed. In keeping with their tradition of performing pieces that transcend the conventional orchestral repertoire, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra brings Neil Leonard’s innovative musical talents to Indianapolis. Dreaming of an Island “explores the island as a metaphor for introspection and as the territory of exiles and immigrants.”

Leonard, composer, saxophonist, and clarinetist, is known for merging technology with music. He leads a cyberjazz ensemble and teaches at the renowned Berklee School of Music in Boston, where he has received the award for ‘most valuable contribution to the Music Technology Division.’ Leonard is also no stranger to Indiana-- he has previously taught workshops at the Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington, including the Second Inter-American Composition Workshop. His current effort reveals his collaboration with wife Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, the Cuban-born visual artist featured at the Indianapolis Museum of Art this spring. They have performed together on several occasions internationally and in the US and are founders and co-owners of the GASP gallery (Gallery Artists Studio Projects) in Boston.

This is a rare opportunity to be immersed in such music that has perhaps dually inspired the art of Campos-Pons and is derived from inspiration she has provided Leonard. Her exhibition, Maria Magdalena Campos- Pons: Everything is Separated by Water, plus two others, AfroCuba: Works on Paper, 1968-2003, and William Rasdell, opens February 25 at the IMA. There are plenty of other performing art events in Indianapolis surrounding these fascinating exhibitions. February 9 the IMA hosts "Nuestra Diaspora: One Beat, One Heart," a tribute to Caribbean dance deeply rooted in the African tradition. Campos-Pons herself performs at the IMA February 24. Check out the Urban Drum Ensemble at the IUPUI School of Music on April 26, when they perform selections with Afro-Cuban beats. See three films that inspired Campos-Pons for free April 28 at the IMA.

In addition to performances, art buffs and amateurs alike should know that there are also several upcoming Cuba-themed lectures planned at the IMA. February 25 (the same day as the opening of the three Cuba-themed exhibitions) Dr. Judith Bettelheim, curator of the Campos-Pons and AfroCuba exhibits discusses the context for the selected pieces at "AfroCuba Through the Artist's Lens." March 20, Krista A. Thompson of Northwestern University talks about the sea as a common metaphor in Caribbean art. Hear a rabbi, a psychologist and a poet discuss various themes present in the art of Campos-Pons April 26 at the IMA. Learn specifically about the recurring theme of Santeria in her art during a guided tour of the Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons: Everything is Separated by Water exhibition April 7 and May 17.

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February 24: Experience performance art by María Magdalena Campos-Pons

A World Premiere Performance of María Magdalena Campos-Pons: Regalos/Gifts

When: February 24 3:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art Pulliam Great Hall

February 25: Get your Cuban groove on at the opening of three Cuban-oriented exhibitions

Opening Night at the Indianapolis Museum of Art for three important Cuban-related exhibitions

February 25

AfroCuba: Works on Paper, 1968-2003 -- This groundbreaking exhibition includes 56 prints and drawings by 26 artists from Havana and Santiago de Cuba. The artists represent a cross section of Cuban society, and their works exhibit a diverse range of subject matter, style and techniques.

Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons: Everything is Separated by Water -- Organized by the IMA, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons: Everything Is Separated by Water will be the first touring mid-career retrospective of this important Afro-Cuban artist’s work, comprising approximately 40 objects produced over the past 20 years. From her earliest relief paintings to her recent room-sized mixed-media installations and large-format Polaroid photographs, Campos-Pons has built a dynamic model of inventive identity. Using art to comment on her imagined displacement from Africa, her actual exile from Cuba, and her experience as a black Cuban woman living in North America, Campos-Pons has re-assembled fragments, symbols and memories of personal and collective history, religion, mythology and art. Many of her works deploy the female body—in its entirety or fragmented—to address the challenges inherent in building a coherent identity in the modern world.

February 25: Talk about "AfroCuba Through the Artist’s Lens"

Judith Bettelheim, professor of art history at San Francisco State University and leading expert on the art of Cuba, gives a talk about "AfroCuba: Through the Artist’s Lens " at the IMA

When: Sunday February 25 1:30 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art DeBoest Lecture Hall (Free)

The kaleidoscope of the contemporary Cuban experience--rife with satire, politics, and religion--becomes vivid in the Forefront exhibition, AfroCuba: Works on Paper, 1968-2003. Dr. Judith Bettelheim, professor of art history at San Francisco State University curated this thirty-five year chronicle of prints and drawings in many styles and techniques by twenty-six artists from Havana and Santiago de Cuba. In this talk, Dr. Bettelheim will provide context for viewing these diverse artworks that present the complexity of Cuba’s military and religious ties to Africa and offer vibrant critiques of contemporary race and social relations.

Judith Bettelheim has been doing fieldwork in the Caribbean consistently since 1975, focusing on Afro-Caribbean culture and festivals. Her doctoral work was on the Afro-Jamaican Jonkonnu festival. Since 1985 she has been doing fieldwork in Cuba. In preparation for the exhibition "Caribbean Festival Arts", Bettelheim visited six different Caribbean countries. She co-curated and co-authored Caribbean Festival Arts, (University of Washington Press: 1988) with John Nunley of the Saint Louis Art Museum. She received an American Council of Learned Societies fellowship for research on Carnaval in Santiago de Cuba in 1989-90 and has returned to Cuba many times, recently leading tours to the Havana Biennial and the Fiesta del Fuego in Santiago de Cuba. Her publications include Cuban Festivals: A Century of Afro-Cuban Culture, 2001 (Ian Randle Press) and AFROCUBA: Works on Paper 1968-2003, published by San Francisco State and the U of Washington Press, 2005.

For a preview, see this nice production about "AfroCuba: Works on Paper"

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out a couple of the discussions of the work of María Magdalena Campos-Pons on March 20, or April 26.

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February 25 – July 15: Dig the African roots of Cuba with Bill Rasdell at IMA

William Rasdell: African Roots in Cuban Soil

When: Opening February 25, through July 15
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art, Star Studio

Indianapolis artist William Rasdell's exhibition in Star Studio will feature digitally altered photographs, video, and sculptures made in response to visits to Callejon de Hamel, an alley in Havana that is the site of Afro-Cuban murals and sculptures by Cuban artist Salvador Gonzalez Escalona. Callejon de Hamel is an active artist community and the site of a weekly Rumba where musicians, dancers, locals, and tourists from around the globe pack the alley. Rasdell has been inspired by the work of Salvador Gonzalez Escalona and by the sights, sounds, and energy of this unique part of Havana. Visitors will be able to explore some of the elements of a Rumba by playing musical instruments, experimenting with hands-on materials and exploring art making processes related to Rasdell's work. In 1996 Bill first ventured to Cuba as a musician researching Afro-Cuban percussion and folklore at the University of Matanzas. Bill regularly utilizes digital technology in the enhancement of his photographs. Working in Adobe Photoshop, he is exploring new areas of creativity producing giclee prints of his work on the finest quality hand made papers.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out the retrospective of Bill Rasdell's work at University of Indianapolis through February 9. You can attend a reception with the artist January 19 from 6:00-8:00 PM.

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March 20: Set sail on a "Sea of Longing" with a lecture about Campos-Pons and Caribbean Art

Krista Thompson explores the role of the sea in the art of María Magdalena Campos-Pons and other contemporary Caribbean artists

When: Tuesday March 20 7:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art DeBoest Lecture Hall

In the Caribbean one could say that everything is connected by water, that many Caribbean people across separate islands share the experience of the sea. In striking contrast to the touristic notions of the Caribbean beach, for many contemporary Caribbean artists the sea occupies a space of ambivalence, a terrain of longing and foreboding, of inheritance and loss, of history and the end of the time, of movement and failed passage, of renewal and death, of connection and separation. Krista A. Thompson, assistant professor of African Diaspora Art at Northwestern University, will explore of how María Magdalena Campos-Pons and other contemporary Caribbean artists use the metaphor of the sea to explore their own complex personal, familial, national, and diasporic histories and futures. Krista Thompson's interests include postcolonial theory and visual culture, race and representation, the imaginative geography of the tropics, Caribbean art, African diaspora performance arts, and photography in Africa and the African diaspora. Her current research examines popular photographic practices in the Caribbean and Southern United States.

Free

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April 7: See Seeing Santería with a Babalawo!

A high priest of Santería leads a tour of the art of María Magdalena Campos-Pons

When: Saturday, April 7, 3:00 pm (Thursday, May 17, 7:00 pm (tour repeats)

Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art: Meet at entrance to Special Exhibitions Gallery

Santería is a New World religion derived from Yoruba (Nigeria, West African) spiritual traditions and Spanish folk Catholicism, practiced by millions in the Caribbean and South America. Growing up in Cuba, the practice of Santería shaped the life of María Magdalena Campos-Pons. Central to Santería are Orishas, multi-dimensional beings representing forces of nature symbolized by colors, numbers, rhythms and more. On "Seeing Santería: A Guided Tour," join Anthony Artis, a.k.a Babalawo Awodele, a Santería high priest, for a fascinating tour through the Campos-Pons exhibition with an eye to the Santería rites, rituals and symbols reflected in her works. Babalawo is directly translated as "father of the secrets". For more on the rituals and divinations that only the babalawo can perform, check this out.

Free with special exhibition ticket ($12) / Free to museum members

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out discussions of the work of Campos-Pons on March 20 and April 26.

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April 26: Converse about the Art of Magdalena Campos-Pons

April 26
Panel Discussion: Art’s Window: A Conversation with the Art of Magdalena Campos-Pons
Indianapolis Museum of Art
DeBoest Lecture Hall
7:00 p.m.
Free
The art of María Magdalena Campos-Pons defies categorization, breaking the boundaries of race, culture and geography, and blurring the lines between photography, installation, and sculpture. Her work begs the question: how do artists construct meaning with the language of the visual arts? How do viewers bring meanings to art? Come to the IMA for a true conversation with art and the universal human impulse to seek narrative in form. Join Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso of Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, psychologist and educator Fayth Parks of Georgia Southern University, and Elizabeth Alexander, poet, as they view the art of Campos-Pons through the window of history, healing, spirituality, and more.

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May 10: Discuss Cuban dissident Zoe Valdes's "Yocandra in the Paradise of Nada"

IMA Salon discussion of Yocandra in the Paradise of Nada by Zoe Valdes

When: Thursday May 10 6:30-8:00 pm
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art, Adult Lecture A

IMA's book discussion program highlights literary works that complement exhibitions. Valdes’ novel describes her series of relationships with allegorical characters, representative of a “wry, if not humorous, indictment of Castro’s Cuba,” writes a critic from the Library Journal. In Valdes’ first novel, she takes us from Yocandra’s revolutionary beginnings to her marriage to an abusive diplomat and finally to her position as a literary editor. Through this journey the reader witnesses the effects of a political regime that has forced her parents and closest friends into exile. As an explorer of the hopeful energies of women in Cuba, Valdes was identified by María Magdalena Campos-Pons as an author who has informed her own art work.

Related exhibition: María Magdalena Campos-Pons: Everything is Separated by Water in Special Exhibitions Gallery of the Indianapolis Museum of Art
Free

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May 17: See Santería at IMA with the Guided Tour "Seeing Santería"

"Seeing Santería: A Guided Tour" explores the roots of Magdalena Maria Campos-Pons's art in Afro-Cuban religion

When: Thursday May 17
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art, Meet at entrance to Special Exhibitions Gallery

Santería is a New World religion derived from Yoruba (Nigeria, West African) spiritual traditions and Spanish folk Catholicism, practiced by millions in the Caribbean and South America. Growing up in Cuba, the practice of Santería shaped the life of María Magdalena Campos-Pons. Central to Santería are Orishas, multi-dimensional beings representing forces of nature symbolized by colors, numbers, rhythms and more. Join Anthony Artis, a.k.a Babalawo Awodele, a Santería high priest, for a fascinating tour through the Campos-Pons exhibition with an eye to the Santería rites, rituals and symbols reflected in her works.

Click here for music from Santeria rituals.

Free with special exhibition ticket ($12) / Free to museum members

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