‘Night of Ideas’ to explore creative connections

TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY

TXST event will feature over 100 speakers and performances

“Night of Ideas” promises a late-night marathon of talks, screenings, exhibitions, workshops, performances and conversations. The sessions on March 27 will feature more than 100 speakers, artists, filmmakers, musicians and students from Texas and around the world. The events will be open to the public.

The theme of this year’s event is “Enlightenment Now! — Ideas and Stories to Make Impact.” The program explores how ideas, creativity, and public dialogue can come together in ways that inspire new connections and new ways of thinking.

“Creativity emerges from the unexpected mixing of ideas, art, knowledge and human stories,” said Louie Dean Valencia, NEH Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at Texas State University and Director of the Texas Center for Public History. “I hope this evening gives people the chance to ex- perience that kind of serendipity for themselves.”

Co-organized with the Embassy of France through Villa Albertine and the Consulat Général de France à Houston, activities will take place across the TXST campus starting at 6:30 p.m. in the Taylor-Murphy, Lampasas and Comal buildings.

“Night of Ideas” will feature 15-minute discussions, 30- to 45-minute workshops, film screenings, exhibitions and musical and creative performances, along with keynote presentations. Last year’s program drew nearly 700 attendees and featured approximately 75 performers, speakers and workshop leaders.

Among the featured guests this year is TXST alumna Orquidea Morales, now an assistant professor at the University of Arizona.

Morales researches the intersection of Latine Studies and Horror Studies. She is currently writing a manuscript examining the evolution of La Llorona, a vengeful ghost in Mexican and Latin American folklore, in Mexican and U.S. film.

Morales also co-hosts the podcast “Monstras,” which explores Latine and Latin American folklore, legends, true crime and the supernatural. During “Night of Ideas,” Morales will discuss her research and host a screening of “The Curse of La Llorona.”

Karen Gaytán will also speak at the event. Gaytán is an Emmy-winning documentary film producer and TXST alumna. She will present a preview of her new documentary project, “Traviesa,” which profiles Laredo’s first Olympian, Jennifer Lozano. Gaytán’s work has been featured on major platforms including Hulu, National Geographic, Apple TV and PBS.

Musical performances will include Mela Sarajane Dailey, a Grammywinning vocalist known for her work with the choral ensemble Conspirare. Recently featured in “Fiddler on the Roof” with the Austin Opera, Dailey is also founder of the American Artists Project, which provides music lessons to underserved communities.

International guests Segni Mossi – interactive educators and performance artists from Italy – will lead a creative workshop and performance exploring movement, drawing and expression.

Berkeley sociologist and computer scientist Jeffrey Lockhart will discuss communicating knowledge with public audiences at the intersection of computer science, the humanities and the social sciences.

Additional workshops will include a session hosted by the Austin Film Festival featuring five filmmakers discussing their journeys in screenwriting, directing and producing.

Other guests will include: Jairo Melo-Flórez (UC Santa Barbara): Historian and digital humanities specialist whose work focuses on archives, preservation, and digital collaboration.

George Krause: Acclaimed photographer and Guggenheim fellow.

Carrie Fountain: Poet, novelist, children’s book author, former Texas Poet Laureate and literary curator at the Wittliff Collections.

Barry Underhill: Filmmaker and photographer whose work has documented hip-hop culture and is held in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

A full schedule and more information can be found at nightofideas. wp.txstate.edu.