Events celebrate history of languages throughout America
A&S Communications
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 events
Language, Memory, Future: Celebrating 250 Years of Language in Our Region
Oct. 15 - Nov. 6, 2026
In celebration of 250 years of independence and democracy in America, this series of events celebrates the richness of languages of America focusing primarily on the histories and futures of two regional communities of national importance, the Deaf community and the nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, especially the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ.
ASL English language interpretation will be available at all events.
Film night at Cornell Cinema, Nov. 5
- 4:30 p.m.: “Deaf President Now!” The story of the 1988 student protest at Gallaudet University that led to the appointment of the university’s first Deaf president. The event will include a talk by Greg Hlibok, one of the student leaders featured in the film.
- 7:30 p.m.: “Fancy Dance” tells the story of a woman on the Seneca-Cayuga reservation searching for her missing sister while also introducing her niece to her first powwow.
Keynote talk and performances, Nov. 6
Klarman Atrium and Rhodes-Rawlings Auditorium
- 4:30 p.m.: Keynote talk by Daniel Kaufman, director, Endangered Language Alliance, & Associate Professor, Queens College, "America’s languages under threat: Institutional responses and grassroots resilience"
- 6 p.m.: Reception in Klarman Atrium
- 6:30-9 p.m. Performances by Flying Words Project and the Ongwe'hon:wehkah Smoke Dancers
During intermissions, attendees can try their hand at learning some words and phrases in ASL and Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ. There will also be tables set up with materials for buttons/stickers and other hands-on projects related to language learning.
Other related events:
- "Indigenous Peoples and Languages in the Cayuga Lake Region,” a talk by Kurt Jordan, Professor of Anthropology and American Indian and Indigenous Studies, 6:30 p.m., Oct. 15, Tompkins County Public Library
- Languages at the Brink: A Cornell University Library exhibit focused on endangered languages, opens Oct. 22
- Cornell’s 6th annual World Languages Day, Oct. 24
- “Where ASL Lives: Language, Place, and Deaf Community Identity,” a talk by Brenda Schertz, teaching professor of ASL at Cornell University and coordinator of Cornell’s ASL/Deaf Studies Program, 6:30 p.m., Oct. 29, Tompkins County Public Library
- Indigenous Plants Walk and Talk, 1 p.m., Nov. 6, Cornell Botanic Gardens
- "Languages of This Place: Challenges and Opportunities," CNY Humanities Corridor Workshop, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Nov. 7; email lingdept@cornell.edu for more information.
2,500 years of Democratic Speech
Postponed: new date TBD
You may have noticed a new arrival among the plaster casts of ancient sculptures in Klarman Atrium this year: a portrait of the Greek statesman Demosthenes, dressed in the cloak of an Athenian citizen and holding a papyrus scroll.
Celebrated for his supreme rhetorical skill, Demosthenes overcame physical challenges including a stammer to become one of the leading voices of democratic Athens. His oratory was forged in the intense legal and political debates of the Classical polis and sharpened in the face of the encroaching tyranny of Philip of Macedon. An important model for Cicero in his own efforts to forestall the collapse of the Roman Republic, Demosthenes’ style would inspire the crafting of public speech centuries later, in both Europe and North America.
Join us in Klarman as we channel Demosthenes’ rhetorical skills in a celebration of the role of free speech in democratic societies. The event invites students and faculty to excerpts from key public speeches by ancient figures such as Demosthenes, Cicero and Pericles, and also excerpts from speeches by William Shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln, Toni Morrison, M.A. ’55, and Zohran Mamdani.
The event will be followed by a reception and is a part of the university’s America250 initiative. It is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences together with the departments of classics, government and history and the Humanities Scholars Program.
News about Arts Unplugged
Arts Unplugged
Composer Michael Abels, famous for work on Jordan Peele films, to visit March 6-7
A&S Communications
Past events
Music Unbound: From Stage to Screen with Composer Michael Abels
The March 6-7 Arts Unplugged events with composer Michael Abels shed light on his storytelling magic. Speaking about his film scores, as well as his opera and concert works in two panel discussions, Abels shared insights into his inspirations, his artistic process and the stories he finds worth telling through his music.
He also worked closely with students in the Barbara & Richard T. Silver Wind Symphony and with James Spinazzola, the Barbara & Richard T. Silver ‘50, MD ‘53 Associate Professor and director of winds, who masterfully arranged five of Abels' works for the symphony's Saturday night performance.
The Iliad in Ithaca: Re-reading the Trojan War
Wednesday, March 12 and Thursday, March 13, 2025
The Arts & Sciences community came together for an all-day public reading of portions of Homer’s “Iliad,” from a translation by Emily Wilson. The cast of readers comprised students, faculty, staff and community members. Wilson joined a virtual panel the night before the reading to discuss her process and engage with faculty and students.
This event, held in the Groos Family Atrium of Klarman Hall facing the Temple of Zeus eatery, included:
- Items on display from this period from the Cornell Library and Anthropology collections
- An activity table where visitors could practice writing in Greek on papyrus
- 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.