Uncommon Exchanges welcome at Tulane

The Newcomb Art Museum presents a new conversation series in which the Tulane and New Orleans communities are invited to interact with diverse experts from the Gulf South region.

Produced in partnership with A Studio in the Woods, ByWater Institute and New Orleans Center for the Gulf South, “Uncommon Exchanges” uses the arts as a catalyst for unique conversations bridging different disciplines.

The conversation series is envisioned as a way to present workshops that establish commonalities. It was created to give those outside of the Tulane community unique access to the expertise found within the university. By pairing professors, artists, scholars and experts from various disciplines “this new series not only leverages Tulane and regional expertise in diverse areas of knowledge, it also furthers President Fitts’ vision for working across disciplines as a model for the future,” said Monica Ramirez-Montagut, director of the Newcomb Art Museum.

“We believe this can be one of the most gratifying experiences for those that continue to be intellectually curious.”

Monica Ramirez-Montagut

The first program in the series begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21. Rebecca Snedeker, executive director at the New Orleans Center for the Gulf South, will moderate a conversation between Emilia Oddo, assistant professor of classical studies in the Tulane School of Liberal Arts, and Mead Allison, professor and chair of the Department of River-Coastal Science and Engineering in the Tulane School of Science and Engineering.

The discussions will take place inside the museum and are intended to be intimate and interactive.

“The spontaneous nature of the conversations will provide the audience with the exciting opportunity to experience firsthand the potential revelation of a new idea or definition,” said Ramirez-Montagut. “We believe this can be one of the most gratifying experiences for those that continue to be intellectually curious.”

A second “Uncommon Exchanges” is scheduled for March 21 at 6 p.m. with artist Tia-Simone Gardner and Tulane Department of English chair and associate professor Mike Kuczynski.