This semester I am teaching, for the second time, a class I first developed in 2021 called Slow Art for Fast Times. We’re studying the Slow movement, the work of a range of contemporary artists, and some the big-picture social/political/economic issues that conspire to force us into patterns of speed, overproduction, and extraction. And because two of my current research interests involve walking and listening, I have made those through lines in this class.

As a way to extend students’ learning beyond the classroom, and as a way to foster connection on our small campus, I’ve organized a semester-long faculty speaker series called Walking the Talk: Listening in our Disciplines. I issued the invitation to my colleagues last fall and I’m grateful for everyone who either volunteered to participate or said yes when I tapped them on the shoulder. The speaker series is free and open to the public and we’re hosting it at Kidron-Bethel Village (part of Bluestem Communities), the retirement facility just adjacent to the Bethel College campus. I gave the inaugural talk last Friday. We had a packed house and it was wonderful to see an intergenerational audience of students, retirees, and community members.

The speaker series will run all semester and I heard from many attendees last week that they are already looking forward to the coming presentations. As am I!

This speaker series will build momentum for a day-long symposium (again, free and open to the public) that I will host on the Bethel campus on April 27, 2024. Walking the Talk: Listening Relationships in a Changing Climate will feature regional speakers from The Land Institute, Washburn University, the Spencer Museum, and the Kansas Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution. Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Sheena Wilson from the University of Alberta, and the Slow Art for Fast Times students will be leading participatory walking/listening activities.

More information to come!