At a meeting organized by The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, in partnership with Joel Dinerstein of the Department of English and Rebecca Snedeker of the New Orleans Center for the Gulf South, a group of leading New Orleans-based artists, scholars and cultural leaders gathered to discuss the vital role that the arts play in shaping society.

Jews in New Orleans have shaped the commerce, culture and philanthropy of the city during nearly the entirety of its 300 years of existence.

Newcomb Art Museum will host a two-part, carnival-theme workshop on Jan. 25 and Feb. 1, during which participants will decorate shoes in the style of the Krewe of Muses’ signature throw.

The New Orleans Center for the Gulf South has partnered with Prospect New Orleans to offer “Dark Matter: An Evening with Cauleen Smith and Courtney Bryan,” a conversation between colleagues who create boundary-pushing art; and “Heart and Land: An Evening with Monique Verdin,” during which the artist will discuss the trajectory of her work.

Consumptive Chic: A History of Beauty, Fashion, and Disease by 2010 School of Liberal Arts graduate Carolyn Day chronicles curious connections between tuberculosis and women’s fashion during the late 18th and early 19th centuries in Europe.

Chia-Chee Chiu fosters the growth of students as a middle school principal and cultivates Asian-American writers as a board member for the nonprofit organization Kundiman.

Yuchen Zhang, assistant professor of management at the Freeman School of Business, found that the amount of tech jargon featured in a Kickstarter project’s description could affect its financing.