Ten years ago, the Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society was established at the University of Chicago, bridging connections between academia and the arts. Since its inception, the Collegium has funded nearly 140 research projects tackling issues like climate change and democracy.
"Our mission is to demonstrate how important qualitative or humanistic thinking is to solving the biggest problems that we face," stated Tara Zahra, Roman Family Director and Professor of East European History at UChicago.
To mark its tenth anniversary, the Collegium is hosting exhibitions linked to Panafrica: Histories, Aesthetics and Politics. This includes a major exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago and 'Panafrica Days' from March 5-8 in Chicago.
The London-based Otolith Group collaborated on Mascon: A Massive Concentration of Black Experiential Energy, featuring a mural at the Art Institute lobby and a film essay at the Collegium gallery. Another exhibition, Let’s Get It On: The Wearable Art of Betye Saar, opens January 30.
In 2021, UChicago political theorist Prof. Adom Getachew led a project funded by the Collegium exploring Pan-Africanism's impact on Black politics and culture. The group conducted research across continents and curated Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica at the Art Institute of Chicago.
"We purposely used the term 'planet,'" said Getachew. "The hope is people think expansively about how this set of ideas and arguments are transforming on a planetary scale."
Getachew found curating an art exhibition expanded her scholarship. "Many people think of Pan-Africanism as people on the streets," she said. "One interesting thing about our works is considering spaces like homes as places where individuals articulate Pan-African visions."
According to Getachew, the Collegium's resources allow scholars to explore diverse research outcomes beyond traditional academic outputs.
In 1974, artist Betye Saar visited an art conference in Los Angeles where she encountered a Bamum chieftain’s robe that inspired her future work. Saar recalled it felt "almost like an electrical shock." Her creations became part of a movement centering African aesthetics among Black creators in past decades.
Saar's work will feature alongside her early career pieces in Let’s Get It On: The Wearable Art of Betye Saar opening January 30 at Neubauer Collegium. She will also participate in Panafrica Days discussions from March 5-8 across Chicago.
Tara Zahra highlighted future collaborations driven by their motto: "The solution is human." Zahra emphasized humanistic thinking's role in addressing ethical concerns related to technology-driven solutions for global issues.
"There's a lot of focus on technology as a solution for big human problems," Zahra said. "But I think humanistic thinking plays a critical role."