In this ongoing Smart series, University of Chicago instructors and their invited guests enter into dialogue about one artwork on view in a current exhibition. Highlighting objects that spark the curiosity and interest of scholars across disciplines, these conversations always conclude with an opportunity for attendees to join the discussion. 

Jennifer Spruill, Associate Senior Instructional Professor in the Social Sciences, and Feitler Center Undergraduate Scholar João Pedro launch this year's series with a conversation in Smart to the Core: Wise to Power, focusing on Zhang Dali's Demolition—World Financial Center.

Presented by the Feitler Center for Academic Inquiry. Free, drop-in program. Meet inside the galleries. 

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS

Jennifer Spruill is an Associate Senior Instructional Professor in the Social Sciences Collegiate Division and Co-Chair of the Power, Identity, Resistance Core sequence.  She holds a J.D. and a Ph.D. (Anthropology) from the University of Chicago and her current research concerns hate speech law in the U.S. and Germany.  She's taught with Smart exhibitions and collections for many years and was delighted to assist with the curation of Wise to Power.  

João Pedro is a fourth-year in the College, double majoring in Economics and Art History with a specialization in modern and contemporary Latin American art. He has interned at the Hyde Park Art Center and is part of the Student Committee of the Renaissance Society. João has also contributed as an Arts Writer to the Chicago Maroon. In his second year, João took Power, Identity, Resistance with Professor Jennifer Spruill and was part of the curatorial team for Smart to the Core: Wise to Power.

IMAGE:

Zhang Dali, Demolition — World Financial Center, 1998-2001, Chromogenic print, Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago. Purchase, Paul and Miriam Kirkley Fund for Acquisitions, 2004.122