Obermann Conversations bring Obermann scholars into informal dialogue with both a public partner and an audience from all walks of life. This year, we hosted Obermann Conversations at the Iowa City Public Library, the Old Capitol Museum, and the UI Main Library. Audiences ranged from undergraduate students to retired community members and represented a wonderful mix of interests. Thank you to our co-sponsor of this series, Little Village.
Hamlet & Quixote: Still Crazy After All These Years
September 21, 2016 at the UI Main Library’s Exhibition Gallery
- Ana Rodríguez-Rodríguez (Spanish & Portuguese, CLAS)
- Blaine Greteman (English, CLAS)
Attendance: 45
Singing as Transformational Practice: From Hospice to Prisons
October 19, 2016 at the Iowa City Public Library
- Rhonda Miller (Music Therapist, Iowa City Hospice)
- Mary Cohen (Music, CLAS)
About this conversation
Watch the video
Attendance: 40
Water, Prairies, and Climate Change: Iowa’s Environment in Historical Perspective
November 8, 2016 at the Old Capitol Museum
- Connie Mutel (IIHR and local author)
- Chuck Connerly (School of Urban & Regional Planning, Graduate College)
About this conversation
Watch the video
Attendance: 43
Becoming Less Alone: Changing the Conversation about Mental Health
December 8, 2016 at the Obermann Center
- Sean Lewis, Director of Every Brilliant Thing and Artistic Director of Riverside Theatre
- Corey Hickner-Johnson, Obermann Graduate Fellow and English PhD candidate (CLAS) with an emphasis on disability studies
- Barry Schreier, Director of UI Counseling Service
About this conversation
Watch the video on City Channel 4
Attendance: 15
Johnson County Historic Poor Farm: New Collaborations
March 22, 2017 at the Iowa City Public Library
- Shanti Sellz (Johnson County Local Food and Planning Specialist)
- Obermann Graduate Institute Fellows with a vision for the Poor Farm property
- Alexandra Drehman (Executive Director of the Johnson County Historical Society)
This conversation included a screening of Taking It to the Streets: Ten Years of the Obermann Graduate Institute, a 17-minute film by Anna Swanson (MFA, Cinematic Arts, CLAS).
About this conversation
Watch the video
Attendance: 20
Aging in Place: Keeping Older Johnson County Residents in Our Neighborhoods
February 15, 2017 at the Iowa City Public Library
- Nancy Hauserman (Professor Emeritus, Tippie College of Business)
- Susan Shullaw (strategic communications consultant)
- Mercedes Bern-Klug (Aging Studies, CLAS)
About this conversation
Watch the video
Read article: “Obermann Conversation focuses on keeping older residents in neighborhoods”
Attendance: 115
The Making of Hot Tamale Louie
April 10, 2017 at the Iowa City Public Library
- John Rapson (School of Music, CLAS)
- Dave Moore (local singer-songwriter)
- Daniel Gaglione (local musician)
About this conversation
Watch the video
Read article: “Fantastical immigrant’s tale inspires multi-genre production”
Attendance: 30