The Campus Activities Board will host its first A.C.T.S. lecture series starting on Monday, March 26, at 7 p.m. A.C.T.S., which stands for Arts, Culture and Technology Series, will consist of two separate lectures discussing topics that pertain to college students in today’s culture.
The March 26 lecture will feature Dr. Donna Bowman, associate dean of the honors college at the University of Central Arkansas, who will speak on the topic of “Gun Cozies and Yarn Bombs-Making Fabric as a Political Act.”
“It’s about people who do traditional crafts and use those crafts for political messages,” Bowman said. “I want to look back at the history of fabric making and why it’s associated with women and look at the gendered history of fabric making. Making fabric and giving it a political meaning gives something material to the message. It’s different, making something that connects it to history that you can see.”
Bowman said the theme goes all the way back to historical times. She said she wants to show why the domestic arts were practiced by women and how people of the 20th century and 21st century used them in political form, which she refers to as “craftivism,” often practiced by women in political demonstrations and protests targeting the corporate world and globalism.
Senior Alan Elrod, who works for CAB, said that A.C.T.S was something CAB has been wanting to do for a while to help inspire college students.
“Our goal is to have something creative and interesting for students from people in the area,” Elrod said. “We wanted something that would be different, expansive and interesting. We want it to be a celebration of ideas.”
Elrod said he thought the lectures would possess much of the same feel and characteristics as TED Talk, a series of online lectures that focuses on technology, education and design. Elrod also said the lecture series will be held at Midnight Oil to help provide an environment and atmosphere that is open for conversation afterwards.
The second lecture in the series will be held on April 16, with Keith Crawford, founder of Arkansas Tweet Up and a collaborator of Refresh Central Arkansas, speaking.
