On October 18, the University of Chicago hosted its annual Arts & Humanities Day, drawing more than 4,000 attendees to Hyde Park for a series of events celebrating art, literature, music, and scholarship. This year’s event was held in partnership with Chicago Humanities and featured over two dozen sessions that encouraged dialogue among scholars, students, artists, and community members.
The day included presentations from UChicago faculty alongside visiting artists and authors. Discussions focused on how the arts and humanities shape understanding of identity, history, and values. Deborah L. Nelson, dean of the Arts & Humanities at the university, commented on the significance of this expanded event: “It was a joy to host this new and expanded version of Arts & Humanities Day in partnership with Chicago Humanities. Research and teaching in humanistic disciplines is woven deeply into the fabric of the University of Chicago. And it’s truly thrilling to host occasions where academic expertise in these fields can be in dialogue with audiences beyond our campus community—to collectively celebrate and rigorously explore the writing and art and scholarship that provide deeply meaningful sources of beauty and wisdom to so many.”
Among the highlighted sessions was a conversation between Harvard literary scholar Stephanie Burt and UChicago musicologist Paula Harper examining Taylor Swift’s cultural impact through different academic lenses. Their discussion demonstrated how scholarly research can deepen appreciation for popular culture phenomena.
Another session titled “Studying Oak Woods” brought attention to Oak Woods Cemetery’s historical significance as a burial site for notable Black Americans such as Harold Washington, Ida B. Wells, and Jesse Owens. Faculty members Adam Green, Na’ama Rokem, Emily Crews, along with postdoctoral fellow Pranathi Diwakar’s students who produced audio essays about Oak Woods broadcast on Lumpen Radio, illustrated how firsthand engagement supports cultural stewardship.
UChicago Professor Jacqueline Stewart also discussed her work founding the South Side Home Movie Project—an archive preserving amateur films documenting everyday Black life from 1929 to 1986—and addressed preservation efforts that prioritize donors’ perspectives.
In another presentation focused on musicology, Professor Steven Rings analyzed Bob Dylan’s harmonica technique as an element that interrupts lyrical flow while creating space within his songs: “The harmonica is the only instrument that stops the flow of Dylan’s words,” Rings said. “It occupies the channel of the voice—on the same breath—and noisily blocks language.” He noted how this momentarily deprives Dylan “of words,” offering listeners a different kind of musical experience.
Actor Nick Offerman joined Associate Professor Leslie Buxbaum for a woodworking demonstration at Rockefeller Chapel before discussing his approach to craftsmanship: “We love making things beautiful, but the point of it, all of it, is the attempt at perfection,” Offerman said. “To me it was a wonderful lesson to learn that it will always be flawed but your attempt gets left behind.” Offerman promoted his new book for children and families co-authored with woodshop manager Lee Buchanan during their visit.
Planning is already underway for next year’s Arts & Humanities Day.