U of M international symposium explores the crossroads of architecture, ethics and spirituality- Three day even will join Dakota community elders, world - renowned architects and spirituality scholars - Contacts: Laura Weber, College of Design, (612) 625-6566, l-webe@umn.edu Luisa Badaracco, University News Service, (612) 624-1690, luisab@umn.edu |
The University of Minnesota hosts a first-of-its-kind symposium exploring architecture, ethics and spirituality April 4-6 at Rapson Hall, 89 Church St S.E., Minneapolis. "Sacred Sites/Sacred Rights: Architecture, Ethics and Spiritual Geographies" is free and open to the public. The symposium's series of lectures, panel discussions and workshops will revolve around the central questions of perception, place and ethical landscapes. There will be two tracks to the weekend event, which will run concurrently. The first track is an inter-faith and cross-cultural exploration of sacred spaces as they relate to contemporary politics, identity and belonging. Sessions will include examinations of architecture and the sacred across world heritage, ethics, Abrahamic and eastern religious traditions. The second track brings together community elders of the Native American Dakota community who have worked to preserve sacred spaces against great odds, to examine and recount their history and begin to map the way toward cultural restoration. Speakers include architecture professor Stephan Fai of Carleton University, art history professor Sussan Babaie of New York University, architecture professor Alona Nitzan-Shiftan of Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Mendota Heights Mayor John Huber and Chief Arvol Looking Horse, a UN-honored citizen of the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. For more information on the symposium, visit: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cdescomm/cdes_memo/2008/03/sacred_sites_sacred_sights_arc.html The event is sponsored by the College of Design, the Graham Foundation, the Metropolitan Design Center, Station 19 Architects, AIA-Minnesota, the Institute for Advanced Studies, the Consortium for the Study of the Asias and the Space and Place Collaborative. ---------- |
