Facets of Freedom

OCH events explore a theme that divides us deeply

The Work of Sovereignty

Freedom.

“Few words stir more agonized debate just now than freedom,” says Oklahoma Center for the Humanities Director Sean Latham. “We value it deeply, yet remain divided by what it means in our individual, social and political lives.”

That dichotomy spurred Latham and The University of Tulsa’s Oklahoma Center for the Humanities to offer a spring lineup of events that delved deeply into freedom.

“Our events at OCH have explored reproductive rights, indigenous sovereignty, American history, campus speech and the world of classical Greece, with the aim of opening a space for the kind of informed, civil debate on which our democracy depends,” Latham said.

Two exhibitions and symposia sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities anchored the semester’s programming. OCH’s January exhibit explored the foundations and potential of Oklahoma’s 13 historic all-Black towns. In February, local and state leaders, historians and other experts studied these all-Black spaces and their promise of freedom and opportunity for Black Oklahomans during a symposium that drew more than 100 attendees from across the state.

In March, OCH opened a second NEH-funded exhibit titled The Work of Sovereignty. In addition to providing 13 paintings of her own, OCH Fellow Carly Treece curated the work of 15 other contemporary Native artists, which were paired with historical documents organized by OCH Assistant Director Dayne Riley to show the struggle for Native sovereignty throughout the history of Oklahoma and ways contemporary Native American artists exercise sovereignty and reinterpret the land.

Accompanying this exhibit was a three-day symposium, co-organized by the university and TU’s College of Law. The event featured leading thinkers in law, history, art and culture, who explored the complex history and future of Native sovereignty.

OCH – along with TU’s Women and Gender Studies program, the Office for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and University of Tulsa Institute for Trauma, Adversity and Injustice – hosted a third symposium in March focused on the future of reproductive freedoms in Oklahoma and across the nation. Panelists discussed teaching reproductive rights in the classroom and Indigenous approaches to reproductive care.

More than a two dozen free, public talks covered current threats and challenges to freedom, Latham noted, including two events on Ukrainian punk music and identity, an evening with a Russian writer who chose exile at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a talk on artificial intelligence and its relationship to academic freedoms.

Underscoring the programming was Oklahoma Center for the Humanities’ move to TU’s new downtown property at 101 E. Archer St., which will allow the organization to accommodate more visitors and host larger events.

“With the acquisition of 101 Archer, the university now serves as the gateway to the Tulsa Arts District, welcoming campus and community alike to this diverse crossroads of art, creativity, commerce and ideas,” Latham said. “Our programming will draw on the distinctive tools of the arts and humanities to address some of our most urgent challenges and opportunities.”

2023-24 Oklahoma Center for the Humanities Theme: Movement

“The least movement is of importance to all nature. The entire ocean is affected by a pebble.”

Blaise Pascal, French theologist, mathematician and philosopher

Throughout the 2023-24 academic year, TU’s Oklahoma Center for the Humanities will explore the theme of movement, from the subtle yet resonant trembling of Pascal’s pebble to the massive technological changes that seem to make each new year a revolution. The theme will touch on everything from dance to politics, disability studies to civil rights, artistic innovation to musical structure and urban design to historic Route 66. A select group of fellows will work as an interdisciplinary think tank in the heart of downtown Tulsa to help us develop upwards of 40 inclusive public programs – all based in 101 Archer and culminating with the 2024 Switchyard festival.

To learn more, visit humanities.utulsa.edu.