Canvas & Page
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Barbara Muraca (Oregon State University), 2023 Summer Institute in Environmental Humanities seminar leader
Contents
Our Mission, Your Big Ideas
Play Humanities Theme 2023-2025
Play Courses
Playing Seriously: Reflecting on Play
Creative Explorations: The Playful Spirit of Humanities Labs
Getting Serious about Play
Finding Connection in Motion: Reflecting on Play
Ideas into Impact
Exploring Pink Tourism in Cape Town: Navigating Spaces, Shaping Identities
Student Advisory Board
From Mayflower Hill to Capitol Hill
FAUNA : An Environmental Humanities Literary and Art Magazine
Facing our Future: The Environmental Humanities Initiative
The Colby Summer Institute in Environmental Humanities
Growing Together: Students Shaping Environmental Humanities
Humanities at Work: Summer Internships with the CAH
Fostering Ideas: Faculty Support at the CAH
Faculty Book Celebrations & Course Development Grants
The McFadden Fund for Humanistic Inquiry
Embracing the Unscripted: Reflecting on Play
Driving Dialogue: Collaborative Initiatives Across Campus
Community Partnerships
Beyond Waterville
Staff
Milo Woods Photo Study, Dora Wang ‘22
Murmuration, by CAH Student Research Grant recipient Ava Stotz ‘24
Our Mission, Your Big Ideas
Director’s Note
Reflecting on this past year, I am grateful for the networks of support that have kept the Colby Center for the Arts and Humanities vibrant. Faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, community members, and colleagues in the humanities have all helped support and guide us in mutually supportive networks of community, care, and trust, and we couldn’t be here without your energy.
The work of the CAH runs throughout the year, and begins each year with our annual Summer Institute in Environmental Humanities, where we host over 40 scholars from around the globe to discuss urgent climate issues. Colby students, supported by the Buck Lab for Climate Change, had the unique opportunity to engage with leading thinkers and climate scholars. A major player in the field of environmental humanities, the SIEH continues to define what cutting-edge scholarship and action can look like in today’s world.
Additionally, this year marked the start of our 2023-2025 humanities theme, Play We launched with a dynamic seminar series addressing diverse topics, from the Indigenous roots of lacrosse to mobile phone gambling in Kenya. The conversations sparked by these seminars will continue to enrich our community.
Throughout the year, the CAH supported faculty and students in transforming ideas into reality through film screenings, performances, guest lectures, and collaborations. In March, two of our student advisory board leaders, Rory Hallowell ‘24 and Nate Dunn ‘26, joined CAH leadership at the National Humanities Alliance Advocacy Day. Rory and Nate met with Maine state senators and representatives to Congress to advocate for humanities funding, learning the ins-and-outs of lobbying for meaningful causes that affect Mainers today. It was incredible to see these future stars–truly emblematic of the best of our Colby student body–rise to the occasion with humility and grace.
Moreover, we launched a new fellows program for the 2024-2025 academic year, providing stipends and programming funds to five incredible faculty members working in environmental inquiry or digital scholarship. Our Team Grant program also continued, supporting students working on the digital project “Singing America” with assistant professor of African-American Studies Sonya Donaldson. I’ve been thrilled to hear early reports of both programs, and look forward to fostering and growing them.
Despite the challenges of the past year and those ahead, we celebrate our victories as a way of grounding our work, supporting our communities, and moving forward. In our mission to inspire creativity, critical inquiry, and cultural understanding, we will continue to uplift
diverse voices and highlight the humanities’ relevance to the world today.
It has been a challenging year, and the days ahead may be equally so. We celebrate our recent victories even amidst the difficulties of the present as a way of grounding our work in action, supporting our community, and moving forward even through hard times.
Mission Statement
Your big ideas drive the work we do in the Center for the Arts and Humanities. Through annual humanities themes and labs, we inspire discussions and challenging conversations around campus. Through our internships, research grants, and events sponsored by and focused on students, we raise and amplify the intellectual might and passion of the Colby student body. We empower you to chart your own course inspired by the transformative experience of work, play, and collaboration in the arts and the humanities.
Student
Since 2012, the Colby Center for the Arts and Humanities has supported:
Environmental Humanities Courses
Dean Allbritton Director
P l a y
Humanities Theme 2023-2025
Every year, the Center for the Arts and Humanities organizes a campus-wide theme that unites faculty, staff, students, and the local Waterville community in the exploration of an exhilarating subject. The theme for 20232025, Play , has already fostered a range of conversations, installations, courses, and more across campus and into our community, offering lighthearted experiences and serious explorations in equal measure.
Our yearly seminar series launched in the fall, and featured a range of topics and speakers from near and far. Students across campus participated in courses that looked at Indigenous game-making, performance and fun in the arts, the anthropological study of play, the sociology of Swifties, and more. Our student advisory board hosted a program to reflect and experience childlike wonder, inviting a local Maine-based artist to help facilitate the exploration. We were excited to bring Fatimah Tuggar, interdisciplinary artist and self-labeled “disrupter” to campus to discuss moments of play within her own work. Tuggar visited studio spaces of both students and Lunder Institute Fellows, spoke with students in the classroom, and left a lasting impression on those she met with. In downtown Waterville, the CAH and the Maine Film Center co-hosted screenings of Jumanji and The Edge of Tomorrow to packed houses; the Colby Museum of Art exhibited “Playscape: Contemporary Art from the Colby Museum’s Collection,” a dynamically visual collection that invited visitors into the realm of the playscape. Play was co-organized by CAH Director Dean Allbritton and Assistant Professor of Sociology Jun “Philip” Fang.
We offer our sincerest gratitude to our collaborators and event co-sponsors for the year. Our seminar series was co-sponsored by the departments of Cinema Studies, English and Creative Writing, Government, Sociology, Spanish, the Latin American Studies Program, and the Oak Institute for Human Rights. Fatimah Tuggar’s visit was co-sponsored by the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the Colby Museum, and the Lunder Institute for American Art.
Play
Play is a term that spans a gamut of endeavors in the liberal arts without resolving the tensions. Bounding and bouncing across diverse histories and geographies, play connects action and rest, pleasure and exhaustion, young and old, human and nonhuman, and intellect and whimsy. This two-year theme invites the campus and its community partners to explore, embody, and enact the complications of the theme. Engaging playful paradoxes as well as the inequalities that surround the theme, we ask: Is it work to intellectualize play? How and when is playing around seen as a subversive and even dangerous act? Who gets to play, and who doesn’t? Play, as practice and concept, challenges the demands of intellectual rigor, offering possibilities for haptic engagement, queer curiosities, happenings and actions, and fun.
P
Courses
Fall 2023
AR236: Vienna 1900
Veronique Plesch, Professor and Chair of Art
CI210: Current Trends in Documentary Filmmaking
Erin Murphy, Instructor of Cinema Studies
EN493: Phillis Wheatley (Peters) and Her Literary Afterlives
Sam Plasencia, Assistant Professor of English
HI244: Brothers at War: The Two Koreas, 1945-Present
Inga Diederich, Assistant Professor of History
PL337: Philosophy of Humor
Lydia Moland, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of Philosophy
SP135: Indigeneities in Contemporary Popular Culture in the Americas
Sandra Bernal Heredia, Assistant Professor of Spanish
SP346: Race, Rights, and Land in the Americas
Nicolás Ramos Flores, Assistant Professor of Spanish
TD120: Performing Spaces/Writing the City
Gwynn Shanks, Assistant Professor of Performance, Theater, and Dance
TD264: Colby Theater Company
AB Brown, Assistant Professor of Performance, Theater, and Dance
Bess Welden, Lecturer of Performance, Theater and Dance
WG234: Queer Youth Cultures: Gender, Sexuality, & Race in Children’s Lit
Andrea Breau, Visiting Assistant Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
January 2024
AM228: Nature and the Built Environment
Ben Lisle, Assistant Professor of American Studies
Spring 2024
AA328: African American Girlhood
Sonya Donaldson, Assistant Professor of African-American Studies
AY216: World at Play
Suzanne Menair, Lecturer of Anthropology
G0241: The Politics of Public Policy in the United States
Nicolas Jacobs, Assistant Professor of Government
EN379: Poetry Writing II and TD265 : Design
Adrian Blevins, Professor of English and Creative Writing
Jim Thurston, Associate Professor of Performance, Theater, and Dance
PL352: American Philosophy
Jim Behuniak, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Philosophy
Playing Seriously: Reflecting on P l ay
Philosophers have a reputation for seriousness, which means that philosophizing about humor might seem like a very bad idea. But if humor is one of the ways we play, and play is an important part of being human, then it is fair game for philosophy. So this year, in my “Philosophy of Humor” course and as part of the Play Annual Humanities Theme, we spent a unit talking about play as part of humor. This was both more and less fun than it sounds.
One way of thinking about a joke is that it allows us to play with words. “Why was Cinderella so bad at soccer?” begins one classic joke. “Because she kept running away from the ball” is the answer. This is funny (is it?) in part because it allows us to play with the concept “ball,” noticing that it can mean both something kicked around in a soccer game or a fancy dance at which someone might lose a slipper. For a moment, we are released from taking our language, and ourselves, so seriously, and the joy this release gives us causes us to laugh.
The nineteenth-century philosopher and playwright Friedrich Schiller, for instance, thought that the state of play was the moment at which humans were at their most human: balancing form and content, reason and embodiment, rigor and creativity. “The human only plays when he is in the fullest sense of the word a human being, and he is only fully a human being when he plays,” Schiller wrote.
In some philosophers’ minds, there’s also an explicit connection between play and beauty. The philosopher Immanuel Kant thought that it is only when we pause in our utilitarian conceptualization of the world and play that we can appreciate something aesthetically. When I look at a painting of a tree, I sense that it both is and isn’t a tree. When I see William Jackson Harper portraying Chidi in the philosophical sitcom The Good Place , I know that Harper both is, and isn’t, Chidi. This ambiguity allows me to play, and so to be more at ease than when I simply categorize something as a tree, or a particular person, and move on. Under this description, jokes might be tiny works of art.
But what happens when our play is cruel? In “Philosophy of Humor,” we also talked through several examples of humor and harm. What are our ethical responsibilities when someone tells a sexist joke then claims they were “just joking” and rebukes us for being too serious? Can a comedic roast—in which participants are allowed to insult and mock each other mercilessly—be playful? And what about the opposite cases in which humor can be used to promote justice? When can humorous play be a source of empowerment against systems of oppression? Together, we talked these issues through seriously. And then, at the end of the unit, I canceled the next week’s writing assignment and made my students promise to use that time instead to go out and play.
By Lydia Moland John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of Philosophy
Moland (right) interviews co-star of The Good Place William Jackson Harper on philosophy, comedy, and play.
Moland (right) shares a laugh during an interview on philosophy, comedy, and play with co-star of The Good Place William Jackson Harper.
Photo: Gabe Souza.
Elements of a student collage from “Go For It: Childhood Wonder,” an event hosted by the student advisory board of the CAH and facilitated by Maine-based artist Devin Kelly-Yurdin.
Creative Explorations: The P l ay ful Spirit of Humanities Labs
Ahallmark of the CAH, our Humanities Labs promote experiential learning by incorporating observation, hands-on experimentation, and skill-building perspectives more commonly associated with the natural sciences. Courses across the humanistic disciplines can turn the Colby Museum of Art, Special Collections in Miller Library, or off-campus Labs across Maine into laboratories. Humanities labs add new dimensions to the intrinsic value in studying the humanities.
This past JanPlan, Assistant Professor of American Studies Ben Lisle taught his course “Nature and the Built Environment” as a Humanities Lab. The course focused on built environments and how they order human experience and action, shaping people’s sense of themselves and the world. The students examined how the built environment has influenced and expressed Americans’ relationships with nature. They were able to track how ideas about the natural environment have emerged in different historical and geographical settings and considered the material and environmental consequences of these beliefs. Topics of the course included park design, suburban development, environmental justice campaigns, and green building. In this reading-intensive discussion course, students learned to develop abilities to interpret material, spatial, visual, and historical evidence.
Getting Serious About P l ay
The idea of “play” is being taken seriously across campus as the Colby community dives into the Center for the Arts and Humanities’ newest theme. Through a seminar series, courses, cinema screenings, and more, students, faculty, and staff are invited to think deeply about play: what it means to play, its paradoxes, its history, its inequalities, its darker side, and its power.
Play can be simple, too—an invitation to shake off the staid and expected, to see the world from a new, playful perspective. That’s just what happened at the 206th Convocation in September when the assembled audience stood up and performed a quick rendition of the “Hokey Pokey” at the request of convocation speaker Annie Kloppenberg, associate professor of performance, theater, and dance and inaugural director of the Lyons Arts Lab.
“There’s lots of different ways to approach this in ways that are playful and whimsical, but also in ways that are serious,” said Dean Allbritton, associate professor of Spanish and director of the center. “I think it’s really a nuanced and complex theme.”
Emphasizing the humanities.
The Center for the Arts and Humanities was founded just over a decade ago as a way to return the humanities to the heart of a liberal arts education, even as colleges and universities around the country were seeing dwindling interest in core humanistic subjects such as English, foreign languages, philosophy, and history.
As the center has grown in size and scope, it has become a vital part of Colby’s identity. One way it does that is through annual themes as a way to unite the campus around a central idea that has to do with humanistic inquiry. Previous themes have included Food for Thought, Freedom and Captivity, Boundaries and Margins, and Energy/Exhaustion. Play marks the first two-year theme and it will remain a part of campus life through spring semester 2025.
There are course unit development grants available to help professors fold the theme into their classes, and Allbritton and co-organizer Jun “Philip” Fang, assistant professor of sociology, promise a thought-provoking series of events and speakers.
“In the best form, the theme lets students in Spanish and philosophy and dance and religious studies all talk about the same thing, just through their respective disciplines,” Allbritton said. “And that is ideally what we are doing in the liberal arts.”
The change from one to two years happened because professors were approaching Allbritton last spring to tell him they still had ideas for ways to work last year’s theme into their courses.
“I thought, what if we extend this a little bit and allow a theme to really take root,” he said, adding that some entities, such as the Colby Museum of Art, naturally require more lead time in order to plan events. “I want there to be the time for them to fully invest in something and say, ‘We’ve got a great idea, and we’re going to make it happen.’”
By Abigail Curtis COLBY
The
possibilities are vast.
“We can’t even imagine what can happen in spring of 2025,” Allbritton said. “There could be something huge that starts cooking now and just explodes in a positive way.”
Manifesting the theme.
According to Fang, it has been satisfying to see how the community, especially students, have shown up to learn and participate in the various events and activities. The seminar series takes place on Monday evenings, and he was initially worried that people would be too busy to come. The opposite has happened, and Fang has enjoyed experiencing how the events help bridge disciplinary gaps and create campus-wide interactions involving students and faculty.
“It has been amazing,” he said. “To see how successful these events have been and how they have engaged a kind of campus-wide conversation—not only from students but also from faculty members—has given me a sense of accomplishment.”
Nate Dunn ’27, an economics major who is on the student advisory board for the Center for the Arts and Humanities, said it’s interesting how the theme has manifested in so many different ways around campus. It’s also been important to recognize the myriad ways that people play and how those experiences intersect, he said.
“Everyone has a different way to play—some on the field, others on instruments or through a screen,” he said. “To recognize all of these as meaningful play, that’s something special.”
Rory Hallowell ’24, chair of the student advisory board and a religious studies and American studies double major, said the theme is a way to acknowledge the part of a person that keeps them youthful, creative, and hopeful.
“Our theme of play emphasizes the freedom of the personal spirit … to defy and transgress the constraints and boundaries of reality,” he said. “So that we might explore and live in, at least for a time, the depths of our imagination.”
Exploring through courses and events.
Faculty members and others have found many different approaches to explore the theme. So far, 16 courses affiliated with play are taking place during this academic year.
They include Philosophy of Humor, taught by Lydia Moland, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of Philosophy; Race, Rights, and Land in the Americas, taught by Assistant Professor of Spanish Hector Ramos Flores; Queer Youth Cultures, taught by Andrea Breau, visiting assistant professor of women’s, gender, and sexuality Studies; African American Girlhood, taught by Assistant Professor of African-American Studies Sonya Donaldson; and The World at Play, taught by M. Suzanne Menair, lecturer of anthropology.
Among the play-connected events this fall: a well-attended talk on the Indigenous roots of lacrosse co-hosted by the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and the Colby Athletics Department; screenings of films such as Jumanji and Edge of Tomorrow at the Maine Film Center in Waterville; and, with the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence, a presentation by nationally known video game designer and University of Miami School of Communication Professor Lindsay Grace, who spoke about the intersection of games, human computation, and artificial intelligence.
This week, Juan Llamas-Rodriquez, assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, presented a seminar titled “Playing ‘The Game’ of Migration.” “I love how a theme can
just energize the campus around a thought in different ways,” Allbritton said. “It’s been incredible to see how the theme has sparked new ways of playing across our different institutes and centers and into our local communities.”
Reprinted
Finding Connection in Motion: Reflecting on P l ay
It’s a Saturday morning, and I’m wrapping up one of my intergenerational dance classes that I lead at the Schupf Arts Center in downtown Waterville. As I’m saying goodbye to the often-full room, a family of regulars is waiting to speak with me. Brian and Nette attend almost every Waterville Moves class, dancing alongside their adolescent child Max. Max doesn’t always feel a sense of belonging or connection with others, Nette shares with me, but they thrive here, in this space that emphasizes movement, intergenerational
exchange, connection, and play. Play is not a word I use often to describe my work. think my hesitance here comes from the pressure I feel to legitimize what I do. For many of us, we are taught to think that play is the pursuit of children and not something taken seriously. And maybe that’s what some people need. But as I reflect more on what happens through these experiences, I feel strongly that play can be a productive - even necessary - element for finding new ways of being and doing, especially when partnered with reflection and action.
When we engage in play, we are often asked to establish guidelines, or rules for our engagement. With these in place, we can be curious and generative, and remain open to whatever outcomes emerge; we’ve released ourselves from the pressure of expectations, and the openness that follows is both metaphorical and literal. I believe that play is a full-body experience, engaging our imagination along with physical action. And I think this is what has drawn me to a career as a dancemaker. When stumbled into a dance audition at 18 years old without any experience, I discovered a way to bring my ideas and imaginations into action and a newfound awareness of myself in relation to the world.
Over the past few years, I’ve used dance and movement as a way to bring people together here in Waterville and at Colby College: to surface stories, past and present, around belonging and bridge-building. I’ve developed relationships and collaborations with community partners and created participatory workshops, classes, community programming, and performances. All of this helped premiere a new evening-length, community-based performance, Of This Place. Because of the perceived and real distances many of us feel here, dance has been an important way to do this work. Dance closes the distances and spaces between our bodies and, through the productive uses of play, helps enact new forms of belonging and togetherness. Maybe this is why the Hall School students who were involved are participating more in their classes, or why those Colby students involved are moved to talk about a different sense of place they feel in Waterville, or why Nette, Brian, and Max come to most of the arts events in the Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts, a place they now feel a part of. Whatever the reasons, I know now that my work can hold the levity and power of play, and that these experiences can move us towards new connections.
By Matthew Cumbie Visiting Assistant Professor of Performance, Theater and Dance
Ideas into Impact
Work-in-progress from research grant recipient Ava Stotz ‘24
At the Center for the Arts and Humanities, we are dedicated to fostering intellectual curiosity and creative exploration among our students. Our diverse grant programs provide crucial support for ambitious projects, original
research, and collaborative endeavors. Whether students have a big idea in its early stages, a fully formed research project, or an exciting collaboration with a Colby faculty member, we are committed to supporting their intellectual and creative pursuits.
Big Ideas Grants offer small seed grants to help students pursue projects or events that align with their creative and intellectual interests in the humanities. These grants have funded a wide range of initiatives, including philosophical inquiries, art supplies for new works, and stipends for time to think and create. We aim to empower students to bring their innovative ideas to life, whether through acquiring books on intriguing subjects or participating in workshops and conferences.
Research Grants are available twice a year for original research projects in the humanities. These grants are particularly valuable for students majoring or minoring in the humanities and provide an opportunity to delve deeply into scholarly investigations, potentially leading to significant academic contributions.
Team Grants facilitate high-level scholarly research collaborations between third- or fourth-year students and faculty members. Unlike traditional research assistantships, these grants support equal partnerships, ensuring both students and faculty are compensated for their time and materials. This program encourages interdisciplinary projects and enriches the academic experience through joint scholarly endeavors.
These programs have enabled students to explore bold ideas, undertake significant research, and engage in meaningful collaborations, significantly enhancing their academic and creative journeys. By providing the resources and support needed to bring their visions to fruition, we have seen students achieve remarkable successes and contribute to the rich intellectual community at Colby College.
Pink Tourism in Cape Town, South Africa
“Researching ‘pink tourism’ (otherwise known as gay tourism) in ‘Africa’s Gay Capital’ has been fascinating. Queer eye tours provide a guided history of the gay village, DeWaterkant, providing me insight to this niche industry. As a Black student, visiting Johannesburg was essential to fully immersing myself in the history of Apartheid South Africa. My time in Johannesburg illuminated the realities of life under Apartheid rule. The narratives and histories showcased at Constitution Hill, Nelson Mandela’s House, and the Apartheid Museum gave me invaluable knowledge and understanding that will stay with me for life.”
What Role does Sydney’s Chinatown Play in Shaping the Asian Immigrant Experience?
Over three weeks, my classmate, Adria Wilson, and I explored Sydney’s Chinatown and its intersection with the city’s tourism industry, conducting a qualitative sociological study. Marked by a large Chinese demographic and a constant flow of tourists to the city, Sydney holds Australia’s largest Chinatown. Interviewing a local tour guide and local Chinese residents, we sought to understand how local Chinese residents understand the space compared to a tourist’s perspective amid rising tourism and changes in immigration trends. We conducted observational field studies in Sydney’s Chinatown, once a significant landing ground for Chinese immigrants, as well as its neighboring suburbs which have become new hubs for the Chinese community.
Favour Ajibade ’24
Yunah Jang ’24
Addressing
the Historiographic Gap in the Scholarly Discourse Regarding the Interplay Between Christian Missionaries and Korean New religious Movements (NRMs)
“This JanPlan, supported by a generous student research grant from the Center of the Arts and Humanities, I had the privilege of embarking on a journey to South Korea to conduct archival research for my honors thesis. The focus of my honors thesis is on the development of new religious movements and Christianity in South Korea, and in Korea, I was able to meet with a leading scholar in the field and access documents/other materials that I would not have had the chance to otherwise. Through this opportunity, I was able to delve into the religious, geopolitical, and sociocultural history of the Republic of Korea, on a scale that I would not have been able to imagine. I am looking forward to applying all the newfound knowledge I have attained to my thesis! Thank you to the Center of the Arts and Humanities!!”
Computational Philosophy
“With the Big Ideas Grant, I was able to start researching on how to quantify influence in philosophical texts. It has helped me have lesser challenges in getting resources required for my project in building a corpus of philosophical texts since it has never been done before at a scale that I wish to do.”
Online dating within the Japanese gay male community
“For this project, I went to Osaka and Tokyo to investigate how gay men in Japan apply linguistic strategies and characteristics to craft their introductory messages on dating apps. These photos are taken at Dōyamachō in Osaka, which is a place known for the clustering of queer communities. Using the “nearby” function through dating apps near this area enables me to get access to different users’ profiles, because many of them visit here, especially during weekends. It’s common to see rainbow flags here in Dōyama-chō, which is not common in other places in Japan.”
Korean K-Pop and its Profound Influence on South Korea’s Soft Power and Cultural Diplomacy
“I’m building a website to share my research. In my trip to South Korea I am exploring how food in South Korea shapes the personal Identities among the Korean community. I have had a chances to interview Koreans, Korean Americans, and an Australian who has lived in South Korea for decades to understand their routine and values when they have daily conversations with their friends and family during meal time.”
Observation-Based Ecological Research Through Printmaking
“I’m staying at the Watershed Artist Residency in Bushypark, which is just outside of Galway city. The residency’s location is right on the edge of the Corrib River, and is surrounded by fields. I’ve been spending most of my day outside, since the weather has been agreeable, and have been walking a lot (over 12 miles a day usually). Despite it being the winter time, I’ve had the opportunity to observe a huge variety of bird species, as well as small animals and plants. I’ve also been learning about local fishing practices, oyster farming, and relationships between rural farmers and local wild animal species. During my first
week here I was privileged enough to see a pair of White Tailed eagles at the edge of the river. This kind of eagle is very rare, and was just recently introduced back into Ireland after the population was depleted. They are the largest bird species in the country. It was incredible!”
“I’ve been carving Lino-cut plates from my observations and printing them as well. I’ve had to be resourceful because the studio space here has been too cold to work in, so I’ve learned a lot about utilizing the space that’s available to me (and heated!). I’ve been keeping a regular sketchbook and journal, and can’t wait to utilize the information and inspiration I’m gathering during this trip in my studio at Colby, for my senior exhibition.”
Yumi Kang ’24
Erica Lee ’24
Kalyan Khatiwada ’26
Daniel Zhang ’24
Ava Stotz ’24
Exploring Pink Tourism in Cape Town: Navigating Spaces, Shaping Identities
By Portia Hardy
Some may be surprised to hear that Cape Town, South Africa is home to a “gay village”, but Favour Ajibade (they/ them) went there for precisely that reason. Embarking on a research trip to learn more about the intersection of queer culture and tourism, Ajibade found “pink tourism” (or tourism marketed to the LGBTQ community) to be just what they were looking for. Ajibade shared that their identity as a queer African, paired with their academic and theoretical
pursuits, really impacted how they engaged with this research. Their project on pink tourism in Cape Town was one out of five awarded student research grants from the Center for the Arts and Humanities in fall 2023. In conversation with CAH Program Coordinator Portia Hardy, Ajibade shared that this project represented the culmination of years of research spanning their undergraduate experience at Colby.
With interdisciplinary interests in anthropology and performance, theater, and dance, Ajibade was seeking to join these disciplines and discovered a unique project in Cape Town’s pink tourism industry. “It surprised me,” they explained, “because as a queer African person, I never heard of or knew there was a queer village or a gay village in any parts of Africa. Most people think Africa and gayness do not collide. And I wanted to explore that.” Thinking deeply
about the smaller communities that exist within each culture and extending their values and perspectives to the larger global community is one of the driving forces behind their project. Ajibade thoughtfully described how they “wanted to think about analyzing gay tourism as a microcosm of power dynamics,” believing that “sometimes you can highlight specific cultural bubbles, and that reflects larger societal ties.”
Their research goal was to analyze pink tourism and its connection to the queer communities of Cape Town to find where there might be overlap between this smaller community and the larger world. Ajibade hoped that this trip would help them to gain new perspectives when thinking about different communities and how they engage with each other and society on a larger scale.
As part of their project, Ajibade went on a guided tour of De Waterkant, the heart of Cape Town’s gay district, with the South African tour company Queer Eye Tours. This visit offered Ajibade invaluable insight into the niche industry of pink tourism, an industry which Ajibade explained first became more prominent in the 1970s and since then has been continually growing. “It started in the West and in major places like San Francisco or Amsterdam that had legal, queer rights and also a visible queer community,” Ajibade explained. “Those became sites in which businesses founded by gay people–or those who are friendly to gay people–promoted queerness, and this created a construction of the gay capital.” Ajibade further noted that “gay capital”
is created when people within the queer community buy material goods or services, causing an increase in demand for those goods–such as someone deciding to book a spot in the popular Queer Eye Tours in Cape Town.
Queer Eye Tours began in 2022 as a “luxurious/private tour company dedicated to exposing South Africa’s Western Cape to the LGBTQIA+ community. We are focusing on this niche market, as we believe no one else is doing this to the level we are willing to,” according to CEO and founder Juan Locke, who spoke to Ajibade during their visit. Locke’s aim was to create a tourism company that showcases Cape Town’s history and beauty through a queer lens, adding that “he wanted to capitalize on the fact that there’s queer visibility in Cape Town and that is a rarity across the continent of Africa.”
Venturing beyond Cape Town, Ajibade traveled to Johannesburg to learn more about the legacy of apartheid in South Africa, which “gave me even more of a broader understanding of what pink tourism is in context. Because truly didn’t
fully understand what the influence of apartheid was in cultivating this industry.” In conversation, Ajibade reflected on the transformative nature of their visit to Johannesburg, indicating that it has steered their future research trajectory. In comparison to Johannesburg, they said Cape Town felt like a Westernized version of South Africa. Many people that Ajibade spoke with in Johannesburg said they are still living with the effects of apartheid. One of the defining moments of this portion of the research trip was their experience of the Apartheid Museum, and being able to witness the thoughtfulness and purpose that went into the cultivation of these spaces. As Ajibade noted, it completely changed their perspective of their own research. “I think it has truly changed my life forever because they do not deny the history–they use the history as a means to feel hope for the future. Seeing the hope and the resilience of people in Johannesburg was amazing. I felt that when I left Johannesburg, my brain was bigger. I learned so many new narratives.”
Undoubtedly, Ajibade’s experience in Cape Town and Johannesburg has left a
lasting impression, profoundly altering their perspective. “I learned about the ‘stickiness’ of tourism, and how that relates to me as an individual who does have a marginalized identity, I was able to step into places that I normally wouldn’t have been able to. I’ve experienced that and I’ve learned so much about apartheid.” From this, Ajibade has thought more deeply about their experience and wants to learn more about “understanding the relationships that we as people have to space–how we shape spaces, and how those spaces shape us.” Ajibade shared that the ‘stickiness’ of tourism is their description of how problematic the tourism industry can be, and how important it is to view tourism through multiple lenses. Ajibade recalled a conversation with one of their tour guides, and their subsequent realization of the sharp disparity between black South Africans and non white South Africans who engage in those industries. The black South African tour guide explained that “he gets 10% of the profit for every time a tour comes through. He’s getting the crumbs of the actual profit despite doing all the labor.” This led Ajibade to understand that pink tourism,
as important and as good as it may be for some, is also part of a system of disparities.
Favour Ajibade’s journey into Cape Town’s vibrant queer community has not only expanded their academic horizons but also sparked a profound personal transformation. Through their exploration of pink tourism, Ajibade has learned more about the power dynamics shaping not only the tourism industry but also societal structures at large. From the streets of De Waterkant to the exhibitions of Johannesburg’s Apartheid Museum, Ajibade has navigated the complexities of identity, history, and space with an interdisciplinary lens. Their realization of the “stickiness” of tourism helped them to understand and reshape their relationship with pink tourism. As they bid farewell to these cities, enriched with newfound narratives and perspectives, Ajibade’s research will stay with them and has shaped how they interact with the world. As Ajibade recounts, “I hope to share the perspective that I have, and I hope other people can tap into this, and see how we interact with the world, and how we are all interconnected.”
Student Advisory Board
One of the core goals of the CAH is to support a community of students, faculty, and local residents who are deeply engaged with the arts and humanities. Each of our student advisory board members is a passionate environmentalist, a hard-working student, and a creative thinker. SAB members run environmental humanities workshops, plan and attend events, meet regularly to discuss the environment and humanities at Colby, and produce our environmental humanities literary and art magazine, FAUNA
This year, the SAB’s activities promoted the environmental humanities and celebrated the excitement of the liberal arts. Our students brought their best, whether they were holding biweekly meetings to plan for the year or organizing nature walks and guest speakers at Colby. In December, they held a festive wreath-making event with
local florist Jade Noonan of the Robin’s Nest. In the spring, they sponsored “Go For It: Childhood Wonder,” a program encouraging creativity and child-like wonder. This event produced a community collage “quilt,” with each participant adding a piece of their shared story. Maine artist Devon KelleyYurdin worked with the students to facilitate and guide the artistic direction of the event.
“Go For It” featured a mix of posters and materials gathered from around campus, reflecting the SAB’s eco-friendly goals in hosting sustainable events.
Finally, they poured their energy and creativity into the sixth edition of FAUNA , the environmental and literary arts magazine of the CAH. Through their dedication and enthusiasm, our SAB members showcased their passion for environmental advocacy and the liberal arts.
Student Advisory Board
Chair, Rory Hallowell’24
Vice Chair, Sara Holden’26
Anya Babb-Brott ‘25
“ “A wonderful year for the Center and the Board, we held great events, maintaining tradition and blending in some ingenuity with our theme of Play. As a senior looking to the future and reminiscing about the past, I especially enjoyed our theme. Our events continued to attract and host large audiences, and one can always tell at their finale, that most everyone has had a wonderful time. We are so lucky!”
— Chair, Rory Hallowell ’24
Nate Dunn ‘27
Sophie Shanae Gould Dulabaum’26
Kate Jaffee ‘25
I had so much fun as a new recruit for the EH SAB this year! I never had anything like this in high school, being part of a small group of people who are passionate about environmental humanities and want to share that passion with the rest of campus and the Waterville community. I’m proud of all the events we hosted and works we created this year, and am excited for the future of the board!”
— Hunter Mawn ‘27 (Incoming Vice Chair for the 2024 - 25 academic year)
“Hunter Mawn ‘27
Eden Mayer ‘25
Kathryn Mechaley ‘26
I appreciate how being on the student advisory board has supported me in reflecting on, synthesizing, and discussing coinciding ideas across my science, arts, and humanities classes. I especially enjoy working on our FAUNA magazine, as I love seeing and engaging with the various creative approaches to environmentally inspired art and writing my peers take.”
— Sophie Shanae Gould Dulabaum ‘26
From Mayflower Hill to Capitol Hill
By Rory H. Hallowell ‘24 and Nathan W. Dunn ‘27
It’s not an easy time to be in the humanities. It’s often seen in our news cycles and in stories of universities consolidating departments, programs being cut, and sometimes entire divisions dissolved. At Colby, we are certainly lucky to be in a position where the humanities are promoted and supported by administration, faculty, and staff across all levels. Departments such as the Center for the Arts and Humanities (CAH), started in 2013, have been interwoven into all facets of the learning experience at Colby.
As members of the CAH student advisory board, we have seen how the humanities supplement and increase critical understanding in fields not considered to be in the humanities, and how lessons learned from the humanities continue to grow in importance. When the opportunity
arose to join the CAH at the National Humanities Alliance’s (NHA) Annual Meeting and Advocacy Day, we were excited to bring our work and learning on Mayflower Hill to Capitol Hill.
In our three busy days in Washington, we had the opportunity to hear from and meet some incredible people who promote and advocate for the humanities, including chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities Shelley Lowe, Senator Susan Collins, Representative Chellie Pingree (both of whom were co-recipients of this year’s NHA Humanities Award), and the office of Senator Angus King as well.
Even in the formal award reception, we found connections to our learning here at Colby. In her acceptance speech, Representative Pingree spoke about
Wabanaki baskets and the importance of cultural preservation in rural areas. As some of us may know, the Colby College Museum of Art has a strong collection of Wabanaki baskets and other Indigenous art, which Nathan had the privilege of learning about in his English course as part of an in-museum learning day.
On the first day of the trip, which comprised the NHA’s Annual Meeting, several sessions expanded our knowledge and awareness of the goings-on across the humanities in all senses. A session that stood out to both of us was regarding careers in advocacy and policy post-graduation, featuring a panel of speakers from a variety of roles, all of whom placed their skills acquired in the humanities as a cornerstone. It was fascinating to hear about the different pathways that other young adults have taken post-graduation, and how the humanities have been a critical part of their journeys and continue to support them in their jobs today. Subsequently, another session on the humanities and professional education expanded on the benefit of the humanities in post-secondary schooling, and the specific ways that the humanities benefit various fields.
When we embarked into the halls of Congress on our second day, we found Congresspeople and their staffers to be understanding and broadly supportive of the goals of the NHA and NEH. As part of
our advocacy, we asked Congresspeople to sign onto “Dear Colleague” letters, often circulated around the Hill as a way to gain support for funding and initiatives. This year, the Presidential budget request was published just on the first day of our trip, so we were working on a short timeline. Tied to this, a term frequently used in our advocacy was “parity,” so we advocated for parity in the FY2025 budget for the NEH compared to the National Endowment for the Arts. Historically, these two agencies have been awarded the same amount, but the FY25 budget request had the NEH budget marked for $10 million less than the NEA. In our conversations with Congresspeople and their staff, we clearly outlined our points, heard their feedback, and have been following up since. What truly makes the humanities special is that most everyone has had experiences in the humanities and likely have learned valuable humanistic skills which they now use in their jobs. We certainly saw this in talking to Congressional staff, especially those recently out of college - including some former classmates from Colby!
Returning to Mayflower Hill, we’ve carried a sense of confidence in our work that there is support for the humanities at the top tier of government, and that the humanities are critical for any and every profession. We are again truly grateful for this opportunity from Colby and the Center for the Arts and Humanities.
FAUNA: An Environmental Humanities Literary and Art Magazine
FAUNA is a labor of love crafted by the student advisory board of the Center for the Arts and Humanities with Portia Hardy as editor and staff advisor. FAUNA would not be possible if it weren’t for the students of Colby, who are dedicated to the environmental humanities and who share their wonderful pieces with us. Whether it be prose, poetry, photography, or artwork, we are grateful for the contributions and artwork we receive!
The sixth edition of FAUNA was published in Spring 2023 and features total eclipse photos, poems inspired by the natural world, and short essays that transport you from your current place. The goal of FAUNA is to inspire the Colby campus to grow their own passion for the environmental humanities and to join the SAB in spreading the importance of its study throughout the Colby community and beyond.
“Spiny Surroundings of Big Bend,” Rachel Hernandez ‘27
“Oranges,” Maggie Haran ‘27
“Growing a Better Future,” Cole Burkhart ‘24
“Zebras,” Kathryn Mechaley ‘26
Facing our Future: The Environmental Humanities Initiative
The Environmental Humanities Initiative fosters collaboration among faculty members from diverse disciplines on interdisciplinary courses and offers a world-class Summer Institute in Environmental Humanities, all driven by a shared passion for the environment. Building on a strong Environmental Studies department and a long-standing campus commitment to environmental sustainability, the EH initiative enables and highlights sustained scholarship in cross-disciplinary environmental inquiry at Colby.
This year, the CAH partnered with the department of Environmental Studies to host a series of dinners bringing together faculty
across campus who work in environmental inquiry. In groups both large and intimate, these conversations fostered lively ideas and increased opportunities for collaboration.
The initiative also continues to enhance faculty collaboration through its annual summer institute and yearly faculty seminars on important environmental themes, generating new scholarship to be disseminated throughout the environmental humanities community worldwide. This fall, filmmaker and anthropologist Gustavo Valdivia visited Colby for a mini-residency on glaciated landscapes and the sounds of the Andean anthropocene. Valdivia presented his latest audio recordings of melting
glaciers in South America, documenting the sounds of climate change for students, faculty, and our community.
The initiative supports faculty in developing project-based, laboratory-style, and interdisciplinary courses on historical, cultural, and ethical questions about the environment. It brings leading artists, writers, and thinkers to Colby, enabling new partnerships with a range of scholars, artists, and practitioners from outside the campus community. Fostering deep ties with key partners on campus, the EH Initiative centers the need for humanistic inquiry in addressing the most pressing environmental issues of our time.
The Colby Summer Institute in Environmental Humanities
Since 2019, the Colby Summer Institute in Environmental Humanities has brought together scholars from across the world to collectively explore how this developing field contributes to the theorization, imagination, and practice of socially just and ecologically hopeful futures. We are committed to the inclusion of BIPOC and small island state voices, without which we cannot achieve such futures. For each iteration of the Summer Institute, we bring four of the most respected figures and theorists of the environmental humanities to discuss their cutting-edge research, lead seminars on the most important questions facing our world, and guide workshops where participant work is critiqued and polished. In addition to this intense scholarly engagement, we take part in Maine’s natural and cultural treasures. Participants recharge, forge connections, and find inspiration during excursions to Allen Island, the Colby
arboretum, downtown Waterville and the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, and the Colby Museum of Art. The week-long timeline allows new friendships and professional relationships to develop, creating an enduring network of Institute Alumni Fellows. The SIEH feeds and develops an exciting community of EH scholars at Colby.
The 2023 Summer Institute seminar leaders were Brian Burkhart, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Interim Director of the Native Nations Center at the University of Oklahoma; Ursula K. Heise, Professor of English and Marcia H. Howard Chair in Literary Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles; Barbara Muraca, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Environmental Studies at the University of Oregon; and Craig Santos Perez, Associate Professor of English at the University of Hawai’i, Mānoa.
Summer Institaute Organizing Committee Working closely with CAH staff and the Director, the organizing committee runs all aspects of our annual Summer Institute in Environmental Humanities. The 2024 organizing committee is Dean Allbritton, CAH Director; Portia Hardy, CAH Program Coordinator; Keith Peterson, Associate Professor of Philosophy; Dyani Taff, Assistant Professor of English; and James Taylor, Assistant Professor of Classics.
Leading Scholars in the Field of Environmental Humanities Gather at Colby
By Bob Keyes, Editorial Director for Colby Communications
When eco-poet Craig Santos Perez visited Colby in 2019 to discuss his writing, he was intrigued to learn about the College’s plans to host what was then the inaugural Colby Summer Institute in Environmental Humanities.
Perez, an Indigenous Chamoru from the Pacific Island of Guam, pondered the possibilities of bringing together scholars from around the world to collectively explore how the developing field of environmental humanities would contribute to the theorization, imagination, and practice of socially just and ecologically hopeful futures.
Four years later, Perez was back in Waterville for the 2023 iteration of Summer Institute in Environmental Humanities, an annual gathering of up to three dozen scholars from across the country and around the globe— and spanning academic disciplines—to discuss pressing environmental issues from a humanistic perspective.
Perez, who discussed his own work and the writing of other Pacific Islander writers during his keynote address, said he was honored to be invited to participate. After hearing about the early plans for the institute when he visited Colby in 2019, he was pleased to see what the institute had become.
“I got to hear about the dream four years ago, and so it’s been amazing to me to be here in person and see the vision come to life in really exciting and dynamic ways,” said Perez, a professor of English at the University of Hawaii, Mānoa, where he teaches eco-poetry and Pacific literature.
This year’s weeklong institute opened July 31, the last day of the hottest July on record, during a time of dangerous heat waves across the globe, life-altering rising ocean temperatures, and rampant, out-of-control wildfires. “We have had such good science on all these issues for decades, and the
science continues to improve. But climate change is at its root a cultural problem,” said Assistant Professor of English Chris Walker, who has been active in planning the institute since its inception.
“The humanities think about the lived conditions of all these things. We know the science, but what does it look like and what does it feel like on a day-to-day basis? … Beyond what the science says we should do, what are we really going to do? The humanities can tell us what people think and how we might act and how we might feel when faced with a crisis like this.”
Originally funded by a Mellon Foundation grant and now supported by Colby, the Summer Institute is part of the College’s larger environmental humanities initiative, an emerging, multidisciplinary field that recognizes the failure of the industrial world to address complex environmental problems and the need to question basic, long-held assumptions about human interactions with nature.
In a short time, the Colby Summer Institute in Environmental Humanities has become a leading gathering place for established and emerging scholars. The institute is dedicated to creating space to share research and ideas, building an international network of scholars, and creating opportunities for mentorship and rigorous scholarly engagement.
The institute’s core values are its diversity of ideas, the range of cultural and geographic range of participants, and the willingness of participants to challenge assumptions and press for new ideas and new ways of thinking, said Dean Allbritton, associate professor of Spanish and director of the Center for the Arts and Humanities, which organizes and hosts the institute.
“We look for the people who are doing the most interesting work in the field right now, the people who have the most interesting things to say and who are doing something that feels real and pressing and that can help us have dynamic conversations that actually lead somewhere,” he said.
Cultural tools for climate solutions
The institute focuses those conversations on current and emerging scholarship while taking advantage of Maine’s natural and cultural attributes to encourage participants to recharge, forge new connections, and find new inspirations.
In addition to several days of workshops, seminars, and keynotes at the Chace Community Forum at the Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons in downtown Waterville, institute participants made excursions to Colby’s Island Campus, the Colby-Hume Center, and the Colby Museum of Art.
Mirzam Pérez, originally from Honduras, is a professor of Spanish, digital studies, and European studies at Grinnell College in Iowa. She was pleased to meet colleagues who are thinking about and advancing new ideas. “It’s inspiring to learn about the field and what other people are doing and thinking about in different ways,” said Pérez. “It’s exciting to be here.”
Keith Peterson, associate professor of philosophy at Colby and an institute organizer from the beginning, said the gathering is unique because of its ability to bring together participants whose ideas are often overlooked and undervalued in the larger conversations about the environment. “Involving the people who have historically been excluded is important,” he said. “Getting everyone involved and including as many voices as possible is always a good thing.”
Exploring the pluriverse
Among the topics participants explored during their time in Maine was the international degrowth movement, which advocates for societies that prioritize social and ecological well-being ahead of profits, production, and consumption; the concept of a pluriverse, which implies the existence of many interconnected worlds, including the human world, the natural world, and the spiritual world; the practice of multi-species justice, a theory of justice that emphasizes the interests of humans and nonhumans alike, including other animals and ecosystems; and Wabanaki resilience and sustainability in the face of climate change.
Perez, the Pacific Islander eco-poet, was one of four of the institute’s seminar leaders, who were recruited to present their research, deliver a keynote address, and lead discussion groups. As seminar leaders, they guided week-
long engagements among three dozen scholars, who were chosen from more than 100 applicants representing 14 countries and top U.S. and international universities and liberal arts colleges.
Perez discussed the discipline of eco-poetry, which addresses “the interconnectedness of all things,” he said. “Nature poetry is more about contemplating the sublime. Ecopoetry does that too, but it also looks at deforestation, human-animal relations, and larger issues like climate change.”
Poetry offers the opportunity to move, inform, and inspire people in ways that science does not. “Poetry can really capture the hearts and emotions of the audience and listeners in a way that scientific data or climate-change graphs don’t always capture,” he said. “Poetry can bring out the emotion of what it means to live in a time of climate change.”
Brian Burkhart, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Oklahoma and Cherokee Nation citizen, spoke about Indigenous philosophies related to the land, land ownership, and land-based concepts of well-being and environmental ethics. He also previewed research from his current book project, As Strong as the Land that Made You: Native American and Indigenous Philosophies of Well-Being through the Land.
Ursula K. Heise, chair of the English Department and professor at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at the University of California, Los Angeles, specializes in contemporary literature and environmental humanities, environmental literature, and literature and science.
A Guggenheim Fellow and the former president of the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment, she presented research about multi-species justice in the field of speculative fiction.
Barbara Muraca, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Oregon, whose research focuses on environmental and social philosophy and political ecology, spoke about “post-growth societies,” drawing on ongoing research she is conducting related to her work with the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, which seeks to improve biodiversity, long-term human well-being, and sustainable development.
The College and the Colby Center for the Arts and Humanities supported four students’ involvement in the institute as summer research assistants, including Sammie Chilton ’25, Kate Landis ’25, Kathryn Mechaley ’26, and Sam Mercatz ’26. The students worked on logistics in advance of and during the gathering. The students prepared by reading and discussing the works of the seminar leaders in advance, and they participated in all seminars and keynotes as full participants, asking questions and sharing their ideas and thoughts.
Chilton, an English major with a concentration in literature and the environment, said the
institute helped her think about life after Colby, which likely will include graduate school and all the research, writing, and collaboration that comes with the pursuit of an advanced degree.
“I have been thinking a lot about what I want to do with my degree after college, and working with the institute this summer has been valuable to see what other scholars are doing and what their work actually looks like,” Chilton said. “It’s helpful for me to have an understanding of what I might be doing if I take that route.”
2024 SIEH Seminar Leaders
Reprinted from Colby News, which initially ran this story on August 8, 2023. Photography by Ashley L. Conti.
Jason Moore Marisol de la Cadena Cajetan Iheka Astrida Neimanis
Growing Together: Students Shaping the Environmental Humanities
Each year, the Center for the Arts and Humanities and the SIEH Organizing Committee select a group of 3-4 students to serve as summer research assistants in the Environmental Humanities. The 2024 SIEH Summer Research Assistants are Claire Campbell ‘26, Sammie Chilton ‘25, and Moya Stringer ‘25.
These students bring their enthusiasm, knowledge, and dedication to help organize the Summer Institute in Environmental Humanities and to take part in high-level discussions around the future of the discipline and the world we live in. Their active participation and valuable assistance enable them to cultivate essential skills, fostering their academic growth within the realm of Environmental Humanities at Colby.
During their time as Summer Research Assistants, students have the unique opportunity to engage in a range of enriching experiences. They collaborate closely with faculty members and renowned scholars, gaining insights into cutting-edge research and emerging trends in the field. These interactions foster a vibrant exchange of ideas, empowering students to broaden their perspectives and develop critical thinking skills that will shape their academic trajectory.
“Participating in the SIEH as an undergrad was a true privilege. I feel extremely grateful that I was able to spend the week learning from and thinking alongside such a diverse group of academics. From the Institute, I gained a better understanding of the power of the Environmental Humanities field: its interdisciplinarity. The field encourages thinkers to critically engage with the environment from countless perspectives, employing various methodologies. This engagement unlocks a whole new level of knowledge and possibilities.”
— Claire Campbell ‘26
“The SIEH has been a really engaging and fun experience for me. Getting to participate in seminars and keynotes led by such a cool, interdisciplinary group of people has allowed me to gain a lot of unexpected knowledge, and I can’t help but think how their ideas regarding environmental humanities might weave into my own studies. I especially enjoyed going to Allen Island and learning about land rematriation from Darren Ranco as his work is directly linked to my current History thesis exploring Indigenous water sovereignty. The things I’ve learned during the SIEH will undoubtedly crop up in my research and writing throughout this following year and beyond.”
— Moya Stringer ‘25
“The Environmental Humanities allow us to interrogate foundational narratives and assumptions that shape human relations to the more than human natural world. Through a transdisciplinary approach, the field bridges the traditional divide between humanistic and scientific methods of knowledge production. To me, the Environmental Humanities foster scholarship that develops expansive, creative, and multi-species approaches to environmental issues and allows us to imagine just and creative ecological futures focused on transformation and multi-species justice rather than simply maintaining our ecological and social status quo. As a Summer Research Assistant I hope to work closely with my peers and our faculty mentors to develop a deeper understanding of current topics and questions within the field of the Environmental Humanities. also hope to strengthen my research skills and look forward to learning from the scholars at the Colby Summer Institute in Environmental Humanities.”
— Sammie Chilton’25
Humanities at Work: Summer Internships with the CAH
Colby students connect with Maine communities through paid summer internships at cultural institutions in Waterville and surrounding areas. These internships provide valuable professional experience and opportunities for applied research in the arts. Through these immersive experiences, they gain practical insights and understand the intersection of culture, arts, and community engagement.
The 2024 CAH summer interns are Yazan Bawaqna ‘26, Kenzie Burns ‘26, Sarah Byrne ‘25, Aidan Jones ‘26, Elias Kemp ‘27, Jianing Liu ‘26, Jolynda Saint Vil ‘25, Moya Stringer ‘25, and Lexi Villamin ‘26. They hold internships at the L.C. Bates Museum, Maine International Film Festival, Waterville Public Library, and Sum Camp.
As a production assistant with the Maine Film Center, I’ve been involved in the preparation for an international film festival. For ten days in the middle of July, cinephiles and cinematographers from everywhere will congregate in Waterville to watch 100 independent films made all across the globe—and through this internship, I’ve played a part in making that festival come together. It’s truly exciting work.
—Elias Kemp ‘27
I’m currently interning at Sum Camp and thoroughly enjoying the experience. We’re in the preparation phase, where I’m creating math games and materials for the students arriving in July. I’m eagerly looking forward to working with the kids.”
— Jolynda Saint Vil ‘25
The internship has been great so far! I’ve gotten to do so much interesting handson work with the L.C. Bates Museum’s collections, from preparing hundreds of century-old documents to be archived to photographing some miscellaneous animal skulls to working with the conservator Ron Harvey on preserving historic taxidermy bird specimens. I never thought I’d learn how to clean glass bird eyes.”
— Sarah Byrne ‘25
Working for the film center this summer has truly opened my eyes to the intricacies of a career in the film industry. While it can be a lot of work sometimes, being able to watch so many high quality films has essentially made this position a dream job in my eyes.
I’m very excited to see what the Maine International Film Festival will be like come July.”
— Moya Stringer ‘25
My internship at the Waterville Public Library has been an incredible experience so far! I have worked for the past year and a half at the Colby libraries, but working in the public library has taught me a lot about the differing experiences private and public librarians have. This has really helped me to consider if I want to pursue library science after graduation and I’m looking forward to spending more time with the kind and welcoming community at the WPL.”
—Elias Kemp ‘27
Fostering Ideas: Faculty Support at the CAH
“Black Girls’ Playdate: a Praxis,” featuring Ashley Nicole Baptiste, Associate Artistic Director of the Jersey City Theater Center. The program was devised and organized by Assistant Professor of African-American Studies Sonya Donaldson as part of her course “African American Girlhood”, which was affiliated with the Play humanities theme.
Faculty Book Celebrations
As part of our commitment to fostering a vibrant intellectual culture and promoting the importance of humanities research and scholarship, the CAH sponsored two faculty book celebrations for new works published in the humanities in 2023-2024. These events featured book readings from students and faculty, dynamic Q&A sessions from engaged audiences, and fruitful discussions that continued beyond the events themselves. These events were cosponsored by the English department and the Public Inquiry Humanistic Lab on medicine and race.
Feeling Sick: The Early Years of AIDS in Spain Associate Professor of Spanish Dean Allbritton
Course Development Grants
Each year, the Center for the Arts and Humanities offers a range of course development grants to promote new and exciting research in the humanities and humanistic fields. For courses taught in the 2023-2024 academic year, we also awarded grants across divisions and departments for new courses in environmental humanities, critical race, digital humanities, and medical humanities.
Humanities Labs
Our flagship program of Humanities Labs promotes hands-on experimentation and skill-building that in the past was typically more associated with the natural sciences laboratory approach.
EN386C: Documentary Radio
Zacamy Professor of English Debra Spark
EN398: A Black American Opera Lab: The Poet’s Libretto
Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing Arisa White
Environmental Humanities
RU234: The Many Facets of Russian Nature
Associate Professor of Russian Elena Monastireva-Ansdell
SP297: Deep Ecology in the Human Imagination
Allen Family Professor of Latin American Literature Luis Millones
Digital Humanities
AY265: AI and Inequality
Assistant Professor of Anthropology Farah Qureshi
EN254: Introduction to the Computational Study of Literature
Associate Professor of English Aaron Hanlon
HI349: Almost Asian: Race Mixing & TransRacialism Across Asian Diasporas
Assistant Professor of History Inga Kim Diederich
Critical Race
GM233: Black Germany
Associate Professor of German Alicia Ellis
JS228: Arab Jews in Israel: Navigating
Oppositional Identities
Director of Jewish Student Life and Lecturer in Jewish Studies, Lauren Cohen Fisher
Indigeneity, Race, and Identity
This year, we were delighted to partner with the Critical Indigenous Studies Initiative and the Colby Museum to celebrate its groundbreaking exhibition Painted: Our Bodies, Hearts, and Village, which centers Pueblo perspectives on the contexts that informed the social and cultural landscape of Taos from 1915 to 1927. Featuring the Colby Museum’s collection, including a key group of works from the distinguished Lunder Collection, as well as select loans, this exhibition also sheds light on issues that affect Native people today, in the Southwest and beyond.
AR157: American Art: Identity and Belonging Since 1619
Ellerton M. and Edith K. Jetté Professor of Art Tanya Sheehan
HI276: Patterns and Process in World History
Assistant Professor of History Kelly Brignac
ST112: Science, Technology, and Society
Assistant Professor of Science, Technology, and Society Ashton Wesner
Medical Humanities
We also partnered with the Public Humanistic Inquiry Lab “Perspectives on the Intersection of Race and Medicine”, strengthening our joint commitment to diverse research and course development in the medical humanities. The Public Humanistic Inquiry Lab aims to stimulate campus-wide interest in the medical humanities and critical race studies, create opportunities for Colby faculty to publicly lead in these fields, and support their efforts to promote both scientific advancement and racial justice through their research and teaching.
HI146: Buying Asian Bodies: Selling Peoples and Parts Across the Pacific
Assistant Professor of History Inga Kim Diederich
The McFadden Fund for Humanistic Inquiry
Co-managed by the CAH and the Humanities Division, the Margaret T. McFadden Fund for Humanistic
Inquiry provides support for both individual projects as well as the Public Humanistic Inquiry Lab (PHIL). The fund is the result of a generous $1-million gift from Trustee Anne Clarke Wolff ’87 and Benjamin “Ted” E. Wolff III ’86.
Each fall and spring, the McFadden Fund Committee invites applications from faculty in the Humanities Division seeking funding for a range of projects that support scholarly work. Broadly defined, the McFadden Grants are meant to provide key support for those looking to complete projects related to their research, scholarship, and creative activities. The McFadden Committee for 2023-24 was Dean Allbritton, Mary Ellis Gibson, Russell Johnson, José Martínez, Tanya Sheehan, and Bess Welden.
2023-2024
Grant Recipients
AB Brown
Material production and staging of Ceremony
332, an installation which commemorates people killed by transphobic violence in the United States
Matthew Cumbie
Development and production of expanded site-specific performance of ReWritten
Gary Green
Publication subvention for photography collection Almost Home (L’Atelier Press)
Daniel Harkett
Image permissions and publication subvention in edited volume Animal Modernities (Leuven University Press)
Tiffany Creegan Miller
Professional translation of the bilingual edited volume Kemtzij: Weaving Reciprocal Indigenous Ontologies in Kaqchikel Maya Arts
Sam Plasencia
Digitization of archival works and image permissions for article on early Black activist Rev. Greensbury Washington Offley
Debra Spark
Transcriptions of oral interviews for collection of essays No Coincidence, No Story
Image from the residency of zavé martohardjono, who visited a course with Assistant Professor of Performance, Theater, and Dance AB Brown. Brown received a McFadden Grant in 2023-24.
Embracing the Unscripted: Reflecting on P l ay
By Erin Murphy Instructor of Cinema Studies
I’m currently in the editing phase of production on my first feature-length documentary. This film is a portrait of young artists and activists trying to figure out where they are going, how to get there, and what happens when it all fails. “An Unfinished Kesho Wazo Project” is centered around a youth-led, activist-art collective in Portland, Maine. The collective is called Kesho Wazo, Swahili for “tomorrow’s ideas.”
With moments of humor and joy (and play), but also frustration and deep despair, the film traces Kesho Wazo’s existence over a three-year period—their successes, failures, and a heart-wrenching accusation at the end.
The inability to simply define the group, and their refusal to define it themselves, is one of the things that drew me to this collective. Made up entirely of young people under 21 years of age, Kesho Wazo was nebulous – people came in and out, plans changed, events happened, and then they would reinvent themselves anew. To me,
the spirit of Kesho Wazo was one of play and experimentation—they weren’t bound to the same rules that adults always seemed to have. I wanted to share their spirited approach to art and activism.
I filmed Kesho Wazo for three years and have over 350 hours of footage. This is an unusual amount of footage for a documentary film –typically filmmakers shoot around 150 hours for a feature. Because I didn’t really know where things would lead, I was shooting almost everything they did and following multiple characters. My filmmaking mirrored their spontaneity and playfulness, and I hoped the final film would as well.
But I kept getting feedback from grant organizations and producers who wanted me to clearly define the group and the narrative arc. Since defining the group wasn’t something they did themselves, why would do it for funding? I was stuck. Surely there was a way to tell the story of Kesho Wazo that would make it accessible without having to force them into a clearly defined narrative box.
After fighting with the edit on my own, I brought in Bea Hesselbart, a Maine-based filmmaker, to edit the film. This was the first time I completely gave my footage over to an editor.
Bea is much closer in age to the people in the group than I am. And because she wasn’t in Kesho Wazo, she wasn’t as tied to
certain moments as was. She had “fresh eyes.” After a year of experimenting with different approaches, Bea figured it out. We now have a workable rough cut that mirrors the roller coaster of the group’s existence while tracing the larger themes of this kind of collective work.
The spirit of Kesho Wazo is one of collaboration, playfulness, and spontaneity. We realized the process of editing the film had to incorporate these elements as well—if we were rigid in our approach, I don’t think the film would have ever been finished. Thankfully, we are looking to a late Winter 2025 release.
An
Erin Murphy
Images from
Unfinished Kesho Wazo Project, directed by
Driving Dialogue: Collaborative Initiatives across Campus
The CAH thrives on robust campus collaborations, engaging faculty and students in interdisciplinary inquiry and creative exploration to address contemporary issues. Central to the CAH’s mission are initiatives like the Public Humanistic Inquiry Lab (PHIL), which in 2021-24 examined the intersection of race and medicine. Led by Tanya Sheehan and Jay Sibara, the PHIL fostered interest in medical humanities and critical race studies, supporting faculty in leading public discourse and advancing scientific and racial justice through their public scholarship.
Our commitment to integrating digital humanities into academia is exemplified by the Digital Scholarship working group.
In collaboration with Colby Libraries and the Davis AI Institute, this group equips faculty, staff, and students with digital methodologies for their research through course development grants and workshops. This commitment to innovative scholarship extends to hosting impactful events that bridge various disciplines.
For instance, Ghetto Gastro’s visit to Colby, organized by the Lunder Institute for American Art and co-sponsored by
multiple campus entities, highlighted the intersection of culinary arts with design, music, fashion, and entrepreneurship. Their class visits, panel discussions, and campus-wide dining event inspired by their Black Power Kitchen cookbook fostered dialogue on how food connects communities. Michael-Corey F. Hinton’s lecture, “The Creator’s Game: The Indigenous Roots of the Game Called ‘Lacrosse’,” co-organized by the CAH with the Colby Athletics Department and the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs, drew a packed auditorium and fostered continued conversation around issues pertaining to Native sovereignty in Maine.
The “Rethinking Rural” conference, organized by Assistant Professor of Government Nicholas Jacobs and cofunded by CAH, focused on rural voters and policies affecting areas like those in much of Maine, reflects our dedication to addressing local and regional issues. Of this Place , a community-based performance by Visiting Assistant Professor of Performance, Theater, and Dance Matthew Cumbie, similarly highlighted our local connections to our community. The residency of Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Colson Whitehead, organized by the English and Creative Writing Department, captivated a full audience at the Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts, underscoring CAH’s role in bringing distinguished voices to Colby’s community.
Through these dynamic collaborations, the CAH enriches academic and cultural life on campus, connecting faculty and students with critical issues and fostering a vibrant, interdisciplinary community.
Community Partnerships
The Center for the Arts and Humanities celebrates a decade of close work, collaboration, and dialogue with our Waterville friends and neighbors. Through annual humanities themes, lecture series, and film screenings, we inspire and support the arts and the humanities both on campus and in the community. In close partnership with long-time friends and collaborators at Waterville Creates, we contribute in making Waterville a vibrant hub to experience the arts firsthand.
In 2024, the CAH supported three key programs at Waterville Creates: Students Learning Innovative Creative Endeavors (SLICE), the Youth Arts Access Fund (YAAF), and the Maine Film Center.
SLICE (Students Learning Innovative Creative Endeavors) is a multi-disciplinary arts education and engagement program designed to encourage students ages 13-18 to explore Waterville’s unique, high-quality arts and cultural programs and institutions. This free program directly invites students to
visit the Waterville Opera House, the Maine Film Center, Ticonic Gallery + Studios, and other arts venues to engage in outstanding arts programming and learn more about possible career paths in the creative arts. Waterville Creates publicly launched the Youth Arts Access Fund (YAAF) in March 2022. Designed to remove cost as a barrier to participation in the arts, YAAF provides free access for youth ages 18 and under to any program WC offers, including concerts, plays, movies, art classes, theater camps, and more. In 2024, the fund had nearly 600 participants and provided arts experiences totaling $33,000. Since 2022, YAAF has been accessed 3,200 times, providing $123,000 worth of free arts experiences across all divisions of WC. Youth from over 50 cities and towns have utilized YAAF, with the majority of young patrons coming from Waterville, Winslow, and Benton.
With a number of screenings subsidized by the CAH in 2024, our fruitful partnership with the Maine Film Center has allowed hundreds of area residents to experience the delights of cinema. The Maine International Film Festival (MIFF), of which the Center for the Arts and Humanities is a venue sponsor (this year, at the Waterville Opera House), received its most submissions ever, and is thrilled to showcase over 100 films from around the world, including 19 short and 3 featurelength films made here in Maine. With the support of two excellent Production Assistants, (and CAH interns!), Moya Stringer and Elias Kemp, MIFF held another 10-day celebration this past July 12-21, 2024.
Beyond Waterville C
AH extends its influence and collaboration beyond our campus and town through active participation in various regional and national networks. These partnerships enhance our interdisciplinary programming, foster intellectual exchange, and promote innovative educational initiatives. Below are some key collaborations and affiliations that showcase the CAH’s commitment to making an impact.
New England Humanities Consortium
The New England Humanities Consortium (NEHC) promotes intellectual collaboration, interdisciplinary exchange, and innovative educational, intercultural, and curricular programming among 19 New England Humanities centers and institutes, and the diverse communities they serve. Colby has served as the executive and administrative hub of the NEHC since Fall 2021, with Dean Allbritton as the Executive Director.
National Humanities Conference
Director Dean Allbritton and Assistant Professor of English Chris Walker attended the National Humanities Conference in Indianapolis from October 26-27, 2023. They led a workshop where participants explored expanding environmental humanities programming and responding to the climate crisis at their home institutions. The workshop highlighted programming ideas, potential collaborations with local and regional partners, and emphasized the humanities’ role in addressing climate change.
Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes
The Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI) is a global forum that strengthens the work of humanities centers through advocacy, grant-making, and inclusive collaboration. CHCI fosters cross-institutional partnerships, recognizes regional humanities cultures, and mobilizes the humanities to engage with pressing societal issues.
Liberal Arts Colleges and Small Universities
The Liberal Arts Colleges and Small Universities (LACSU) network promotes collaboration among directors and associate directors of Humanities Centers at CHCImember liberal arts institutions and leaders of humanities initiatives at similar schools. This network addresses unique funding and administrative challenges while leveraging the strengths of liberal arts education. The CAH supported the organization of the LACSU network conference “Bringing the Humanities Back” at Amherst College, designed by Christopher Grobe, Director of the Center for Humanistic Inquiry at Amherst, with special assistance from Dean Allbritton.
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A graphic recording
“Responding to the Climate Crisis: The Humanities in Action”, a workshop led by Dean Allbritton and Chris Walker at the National Humanities Conference in 2023. This image was created by a graphic recorder and shows a visual conversation summary. Image credit: Julia Reich/Stone Soup Creative.
A meeting of Poetry Writing II: Studies in Voice and Topics in Design: Light and Performance, two courses designed in tandem by Professor of English and Chair of Creative Writing Adrian Blevins and Associate Professor of Performance, Theater, and Dance Jim Thurston. The class was Play affiliated.
Staff
Dean Allbritton Director
Associate Professor of Spanish
Ashton Wesner
2023-24 Faculty
Associate Director
Assistant Professor of Science, Technology, and Society
2023-24 Faculty
Coordinating Committee
Laura Saltz, American Studies
Marta Ameri, Art
James Taylor, Classics
Matthew Schneider-Mayerson, Creative
Writing and English
Laura Nüffer, East Asian Studies
Flavien Falantin, French & Italian
Arne Koch, German & Russian
Inga Diederich, History
Kevin Smith, Libraries
José Martínez, Music
AB Brown, Performance, Theater, and Dance
Jim Behuniak, Philosophy
Kerry Sonia, Religious Studies
Nicolás Ramos Flores, Spanish
Contact 4165 Mayflower Hill Waterville, Maine 04901
207-859-4165 humanities@colby.edu
Publication Design
Graydon Manzke
David Rager
Photography
Ben Wheeler: benwheelerphotography.com
Ashley Conti: ashleylconti.com
Gabe Souza: gabesouza.com
Megan Fossa Associate Director
Portia Hardy Program Coordinator
