The College of Arts & Sciences’ Arts Unplugged series brings research and creative works into the public sphere for discussion and inspiration. These engaging events invite a broad audience to explore the work of scholars, faculty and creative luminaries across disciplines in arts and sciences to celebrate the impact that work continues to have on humanity.
Upcoming AU Events
Experience “Music Unbound: From Stage to Screen with Michael Abels”
Join us for two events celebrating the artistry of Michael Abels, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer behind the scores of Jordan Peele’s “Get Out,” “Us,” and “Nope.” Abels’ work transcends boundaries, also including powerful concert compositions such as “Omar,” an opera co-created with Rhiannon Giddens.
Friday, March 6
Kick off the experience at Cornell Cinema with a 7:15 p.m. panel discussion between Abels and Cornell faculty, exploring how music shapes storytelling on screen, followed by an 8 p.m. screening of “Us,” featuring Abels’ spine-tingling score. The film and discussion are free and free popcorn will be served!
Faculty panelists include:
- Ambre Dromgoole, assistant professor, Africana studies and music
- Igor Santos, assistant professor, music
- Samantha Sheppard, associate professor, performing and media arts
- Ashley Smith, assistant professor, media arts, sciences & studies, Ithaca College
Saturday, March 7
The celebration continues at Bailey Hall with a Cornell Wind Symphony concert at 7:30 p.m., preceded by a 6:30 p.m. panel between Abels and faculty members Seema Golestaneh, associate professor, Near Eastern studies; Jorge Grossman, professor, music, Ithaca College; and James Spinazzola, Barbara & Richard T. Silver ‘50, MD ‘53 Associate Professor and director of winds, Cornell Department of Music.
Abels joins as guest composer for the concert, alongside soprano Lisa Williamson, flutist Juliana Pepinsky and clarinetist Louis Arques. The program includes Abels’ “Unbound” and “Winged Creatures,” selections from “Omar” and Duke Ellington’s “A Tone Parallel to Harlem.”
Don’t miss this opportunity to experience music that moves from the big screen to the concert stage. All events are free and open to the public!
News about Arts Unplugged
Past events
The Iliad in Ithaca: Re-reading the Trojan War
Wednesday, March 12 and Thursday, March 13
Virtual kick-off panel Wednesday, March 12: 4:30-6 p.m., eCornell, featuring Emily Wilson in conversation with faculty and students Register here.
Reading Thursday, March 13: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Groos Family Atrium, Klarman Hall
Please join us for an all-day public reading of portions of Homer’s “Iliad,” in a translation by Emily Wilson. The cast of readers will include students, faculty, staff and community members. You’re welcome to drop in when you can or stay for the day!
You’ll also be able to:
- View items from this period from the library and anthropology collections
- Create your own piece of writing on papyrus
- Listen to student responses to the text interspersed between passages
The Iliad in Ithaca
Carl Sagan's 90th Birthday: A Celebration
On what would have been Carl Sagan's 90th birthday, Cornell’s Carl Sagan Institute (CSI) celebrated his legacy in an interdisciplinary weekend of science, music, family activities and more as part of the College of Arts & Sciences’ Arts Unplugged series. Sagan’s longtime collaborator and widow Ann Druyan, an Emmy and Peabody award-winning writer, producer and director, opened the event.
In addition to tributes from loved ones and admirers, the four-hour program in Call Auditorium -- streamed live to an audience of more than 2,000 – presented CSI researchers’ latest interdisciplinary research on the search for life beyond Earth that is advancing Sagan’s legacy, musical performances and, fittingly, a greeting from NASA astronaut Don Pettit from the International Space Station.
Nabokov, Naturally: An exploration of Vladimir Nabokov as writer and “butterfly man”
Click here to view a recording of the keynote presentation
Click here to view a recording of the live panel discussion
Vladimir Nabokov's legacy at Cornell is not limited to the world-famous literary works he produced here. The university's natural and built environments also provided powerful material for his lifelong pursuit of butterflies within their geo- and biodiverse ecosystems.
Our one-day event offered hands-on ways to discover Nabokov through his butterfly collection, his writing and other relics of his time at Cornell contained in the university’s Rare and Manuscript Collection and the Cornell University Insect Collection. We discussed his scientific, literary and artistic pursuits.
Building an Ark: A Conversation with Pioneering Artist Laurie Anderson on Innovation and Storytelling
Click here to view the event recording.
The College of Arts & Sciences was thrilled to host multimedia artist Laurie Anderson for our fall Arts Unplugged event, which brings research and creative works into the public sphere for discussion and inspiration.
Our Sept. 26 event featured a conversation between Anderson and Music Professor Judith Peraino. The pair explored the arc of Anderson's creative career, discussed the intersection of technological and artistic innovation, and offered some glimpses into Anderson’s next project.
From the Big Red to the Red Carpet: A two-day visit with alumni filmmakers Scott Ferguson ‘82 and Michael Kantor ‘83
Cornell alums Scott Ferguson and Michael Kantor reflected on their award-winning careers in film and television production. The pair — Cornell classmates — discussed their parallel paths in narrative and documentary filmmaking from their student days at Cornell to their current roles as executive producers of HBO’s “Succession” and the PBS series “American Masters,” respectively.
Aftershocks: Geopolitics Since the Ukraine Invasion
As the war in Ukraine raged on, we hosted a panel of leading journalists and scholars covering Russia, Europe, China and the global political landscape, who discussed how international relations, security, trade and economics are shifting in ways not seen since World War II.
Science of the Very, Very Small
The “science of the very, very small” offered possible solutions for everything from the energy crisis to disease. Ideas that once existed only in science fiction are becoming reality and Cornell scientists are leading the way in nanoscale and quantum materials research. In this virtual Arts Unplugged, we explored some of these exciting innovations – and their ramifications for human society.
Cornell According to Sound
Our third event in the series featured a sonic look at campus, brought to us by Chris Hoff ’02 and Sam Harnett, creators of The World According to Sound. The duo spent the fall semester finding and recording sounds across the university – from fish and frogs, to Latin speakers and dirt. Along with four performances at the Schwartz Center, listeners were able to visit five pop-up listening stations across campus to help them become more aware about the role and impact of sound in their lives.
Cornell Celebrates Toni Morrison
The College hosted a yearlong series honoring our beloved alumna and literary icon on the 50th anniversary of her first book, "The Bluest Eye." Events included a “Toni Morrison at 90” colloquium to honor Morrison’s 90th birthday, a reading of “The Bluest Eye,” which included authors Ta-Nehisi Coates, Tayari Jones and Edwidge Danticat, activist Angela Davis, poets Sonia Sanchez and Kevin Young, as well as U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. Other events virtual screening of “The Pieces I Am,” a documentary of Morrison’s life at Ithaca’s Cinemapolis theatre, an exhibit at Cornell University Libraries and a quilting project.
Words from a Bear
Cornell’s newest film professor, Jeff Palmer, shared advice for creating a Sundance documentary and screened his latest feature film during our second Arts Unplugged event at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. “Words from a Bear,” Palmer’s first feature film, explores the creative works of N. Scott Momaday. Our event also included a talk by Gus Palmer, professor emeritus at the University of Oklahoma, and one of the narrators of the film.
Odyssey in Ithaca
From tales of sinking ships to murderous fights to bedroom shenanigans, a cast of 75 readers told the story of Homer’s “Odyssey” during a daylong event in Klarman Hall, our inaugural Arts Unplugged event. The reading, spearheaded by Athena Kirk, assistant professor of classics, featured speakers from the community and local colleges, state and local representatives, as well as special audio segments from Annie Lewandowski, senior lecturer in music.