The University of New Mexico Arts of the Americas Institute (AAI), the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) and the City of Albuquerque's KiMo Theatre will host an international conference, free and open to the public, to explore “Religion as Art” at the NHCC Wednesday, May 12, through Friday, May 14.
The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the main focus, but proceedings will also include discussions of Sufism and Yoruba beliefs related to artistic expression.
The three-day conference features 32 scholars on eight panels in an interdisciplinary framework incorporating experts from the arts as well as the social sciences, humanities, physical sciences, medicine and law.
In conjunction with the conference, a concert will be held at the KiMo Theatre on May 13 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 for seniors/students, and $8 for adults, and are available through www.ticketmaster.com or through the KiMo Box Office, 768-3544.
The concert highlight is the premiere of a symphonic piece composed by internationally renowned composer Arturo Márquez based on the Guadalupe cult and religious belief. The UNM Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Jorge Pérez-Gómez will perform the piece. Other performances include a group on the Bata Drums, Arabic music performed by Ali Racy and Souhail Kaspar, a performance by Turkish musician Latif Bolat, musical narrations of Guadalupe, Orisha and Sufi poems, devotional songs and more.
Steven Loza, Ph.D., director of the UNM Arts of the Americas Institute, planned the conference. Loza, who is a noted ethnomusicologist and author of several books including, “Barrio Rhythm: Mexican American Music in Los Angeles,” and past director of the UCLA Mexican Arts Series, will facilitate the following panel discussions in the NHCC Wells Fargo Auditorium:
• Wednesday, May 12, 3:30 – 6 p.m., Panel 1: The Spirit of Guadalupe: Religion as Art in New Mexico
7 – 9 p.m., Panel 2: The Spirit of Guadalupe: Immigration, Economics, and Human Rights
• Thursday, May 13, 8:30 – 10:30 a.m., Panel 3: Visual and Media Art, Aesthetics, Religion, and the Legacy of Our Lady of Guadalupe
11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Panel 4: Guadalupe and the Historical Interpretation of Religion as Art
2 p.m. – 4 p.m., Panel 5: Musical Relationships of Faith and Art
7 p.m. – Concert Performance (KiMo Theatre)
• Friday, May 14, 9:30 a.m. – noon, Panel 6: Comparative Concepts: Guadalupe and the Orishas of Africa, Cuba, and Brazil
1– 3:30 p.m., Panel 7: Religion, Art, and Musical Expression: Comparative Perspectives
4 – 6 p.m., Panel 8: Guadalupe and the Native American Experience
“ Research and theoretical discourse centering on Guadalupe and the other cross-comparative topics of the conference necessitates interdisciplinary methods,” Loza said. “La Virgen de Guadalupe especially demands such scholarly treatment because of the intercultural relationships represented by her and the interactive and diverse means and practices of individuals devoted to her.”
“To many, la Virgen transcends the issues and categories of class, ethnicity, gender, age, ideology and even religion. As scholars, how do we account for such possibilities?” Loza added. “We cannot exclusively rely on preconceived methodologies or theory. The goals of the proposed conference include not only a critique of this heated argument, but a matrix of both intellectual and intuitive alternatives.”
Among scholars invited to present at the conference are Francisco Miranda Godínez, professor of history at El Colegio de Michoacán, Mexico; Akin Euba, professor of music at the University of Pittsburgh, and Ali Jihad Racy, UCLA professor of ethnomusicology.
A sampling of local presenters include Tobías Durán, director of UNM's Center for Regional Studies, Enrique LaMadrid, acting director of UNM Chicano Studies and professor of Spanish; Miguel Gandert, UNM professor of art and photography; Janice Schuetz, UNM professor of communications and religious studies; Maria Williams, UNM professor of music; and Margaret Montoya, UNM law professor.
UNM Press will publish proceedings of the conferences. Additionally, a professional recording of the symphonic piece by Arturo Márquez will be produced through a CD and/or DVD production with notes and will be released and published jointly by the UNM Arts of the Americas Institute. The UNM Symphony Orchestra will record the piece under the direction of Pérez Gómez.
The conference is also sponsored by UNM Center for Regional Studies, the Guadalupe Institute, UNM Latin American and Iberian Institute, UNM Division of Student Affairs, Instituto Cervantes, UNM Religious Studies Program, UNM Department of Music, UNM African American Studies, University of Notre Dame and UNM Chicano Studies.
For more information or to reserve a space at the conference, call the UNM Arts of the Americas Institute, 277-2286. A full conference description can be seen at www.unm.edu/~aaiinfo/mayconference.htm .
Contact: Laurie Mellas-Ramirez (505) 277-5915
Posted by kwentworth at April 15, 2004 03:37 PM