News

• March 29, 2021

  Husnaa Haajarah Hashim Sees Poetry as Transformative

  A former Philadelphia Youth Poet Laureate, Penn junior Hashim reflects on her writing and scholarship during this moment when Amanda Gorman, the youngest presidential inaugural poet, is bringing national attention to poetry.

• March 26, 2021

  Middle East Film Festival Highlights Five Directors From Five Countries

  A year ago, what should have been the 10th anniversary celebration of Penn’s Middle East Film Festival had to be canceled as the coronavirus pandemic put the country and the University on lock down. This month, the festival returned in a much different format. On March 23, the Middle East Center (MEC) virtually hosted five filmmakers from across the Middle East for an event called “Five Degrees of Separation: A Dialogue on Middle East Cinema in 2021.”

• March 25, 2021

  Supporting AAPI Artists and Practitioners within the Penn Community

  As we mourn the lives lost in Atlanta last week and persistent, continued, and escalating racial violence directed at Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in the United States, The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation unequivocally condemns racism, white supremacy, and all acts of violence and hate. In response to the urgency of this moment, we are launching a new funding opportunity for AAPI artists and communities. The deadline for submission is May 5th. Applicants will be notified by May 31st.

• March 22, 2021

  Alumna Jessica Vaughn Examines Workplace Space and Culture in ICA Solo Exhibition

  Artist Jessica Vaughn examines the spaces, architecture, and cultures of the American workplace in her first major solo exhibition, now at Penn’s Institute of Contemporary Art. The installation, “Jessica Vaughn: Our Primary Focus Is To Be Successful,” is on view through May 9. “I wanted to explore not only my own personal experiences within these spaces, but also the structures that make this culture exist or gives it life,” she says.

• March 22, 2021

  The 34th Annual Women of Color Award Ceremony Honors Individual Achievements

  The annual Women of Color award ceremony celebrated its 34th year in an online event led by the Women of Color at Penn (WOCAP) Planning Committee and the African American Resource Center (AARC). The awards recognize individuals who have worked to increase respect for women of color at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Pennsylvania Hospital, and the Delaware Valley community. There is also a community member award, as well as the Joann Mitchell Legacy Award, named for the senior vice President for institutional affairs and chief diversity officer at Penn.