Humanities & Community: The Animal World

Time: 6:00-8:00pm

Dates: March 20, March 27, April 3, and April 10

The animal world gives us images of beings beyond human quirks and dangers. As
symbols, as emblems, and as narrative figures, the animals, our cousins, are
our shadow selves. The poet Mary Oliver said:

“here is
such shyness, such courage!
here is
the shining rudimentary soul”

We can't resist cat pictures on the internet. Frans de Waal reminds us how smart animals are. While one of Thomas Edison's early movies is about electrocuting Topsy the elephant, now Barnum and Bailey retires elephants rather than kill them. Roger Thwaites and Charles Foster write books about how to become animals. Led by the prominent artist Mary Vernon, this course offers the opportunity to attend to animal images in film, in photography, painting, and sculpture.

Lecturer:

Mary Vernon serves as Dean of Fellows, Dallas Institute; Professor Emerita, SMU. Her art represents the United States in several overseas embassies. Her pieces are on display at the U.S. Department of State, The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, The Belo Foundation, the U.S. Department of State, the Meadows Museum, as well as in many other corporate and private collections. In 2016, the Meadows School established the Mary Vernon Painting Prize in her honor, an annual award to help outstanding undergraduates launch their art careers.

**Please note that parking is not included in the price of the course. Free street parking is available along Routh Street or for purchase in the lot located at 2711 Routh Street.