Originally published October 4, 2021.

ODU Libraries have begun their events for the Fall 2021 Themester, which is “designed to serve as a bridge between academic exploration and the social issues surrounding us today.”

This is the first Themester ODU has ever had and is intended to be an interdisciplinary-themed semester dedicated to exploring arts and social justice. It presents classes, events, and lectures in a collective learning environment centered around social justice and the arts.

ODU Libraries is hosting a ‘Norfolk 1919’ exhibition in the art gallery section of the Perry Library as a part of the Themester. It consists of selected images from a photographic collection of small businesses owned and operated by immigrants and African American business owners from 1919 in Norfolk, VA. More information about the collection can be found in a video here.

Many classes created for the Themester are in progress, such as “Art for Social Justice,” which is one of the classes leading “Crafting Conversations” in Brock Commons on Monarch Way. Also called yarn bombing, students are creating works out of yarn using fibers to create interactive works of art around and on the stage. Everyone is welcome to join in and add their own works.

ODU Libraries is also hosting a “Poems From the Holocaust” event on October 20, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The evening is a night of remembrance for the youngest victims of the Holocaust, highlighting “Poems From the Holocaust” written by composer Allan Blank. The text features poetry and drawings based on children’s poetry found at the concentration camp Terezin. It was liberated in 1945.

There will also be a “Disability and the Arts” event performed by dancers from the Dancing Wheels Company, which is an ensemble of stand-up and sit-down dancers. It will feature pieces created by disabled choreographers and will be followed by an artist Q&A. Performed in University Theater, the show will take place on October 21 at 7:30 p.m.

More information about ODU’s Themester events can be found here, and ODU Library events can be found here.