The University of Toledo Department of Art and the Roger Ray Institute for the Humanities will present a screening of the documentary “Krzysztof Wodiczko: The Art of Un-War,” followed by a discussion with Wodiczko and filmmaker Maria Niro.
The event will begin at 1:30 p.m. Friday, April 12, at the McMaster Center in the Toledo Lucas County Public Library, 325 N. Michigan St. in Toledo.
The documentary explores the life and work of renowned artist Krzysztof Wodiczko, who has examined the profound impact of violence on humanity and the transformative power of art as a medium for public discourse for five decades, rising to prominence with public projections on architectural facades and monuments in the 1980s.
“Krzysztof Wodiczko: The Art of Un-War” follows his site-specific installations that have captivated global spectators, compelling them to confront the realities of war, militarization, xenophobia and displacement.
Wodiczko is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania, a professor emeritus of art, design and the public domain at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and former director of the Interrogative Design Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Niro is an award-winning artist and filmmaker whose work has been broadcast on television and screened globally. She is a member of New Day Films, a filmmaker-run distribution company founded in 1971 by Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Julia Reichert.
UToledo’s Dr. Barry Jackisch, director of the Roger Ray Institute for the Humanities and associate professor in the Department of History, and Dr. Mysoon Rizk, professor in the Department of Art, will moderate the post-screening discussion with Wodiczko and Niro. Wodiczko will participate virtually from New York City, while Niro will join them onstage at the McMaster Center.
The Toledo Lucas County Public Library will co-host the free, public event, which is supported by an Ohio Humanities Spark Grant awarded to the Department of Art and the Roger Ray Institute for the Humanities, both in the College of Arts and Letters.
Filmmaker Maria Niro, left, and artist Krzysztof Wodiczko.
This program has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in the program do not necessarily represent those of Ohio Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The Roger Ray Institute for the Humanities advocates for and supports the study of human culture — from a great variety of fields — at all levels of learning and scholarship, through both disciplinary and interdisciplinary means. It seeks to sustain the work of humanities-related inquiries at UToledo and foster the dissemination of that knowledge and expertise to a larger community of learners, both inside and outside higher education.
For additional information on the film screening and discussion, go to the Roger Ray Institute for the Humanities website.
