Lawrence B. Dumas Domain Dinners
Originating in the Office of the Provost in 1998, Lawrence B. Dumas Domain events showcase Northwestern’s signature interdisciplinarity and foster faculty interactions across departments and disciplines at Northwestern.
The events serve as a launching point for various endeavors at the University and catalyze numerous other existing research initiatives. Most recently, events have convened faculty around topics related to sustainability, aging, synthetic biology, quantum information science, the human-computer frontier, migration, neuroscience, music, water insecurity and global poverty.
Now co-hosted by the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost, future Domain Dinners will be aligned with University priorities.
Mission and Purpose
The mission and purpose of Domain Dinners are to:
- Highlight and amplify important and interdisciplinary research of Northwestern faculty, providing a small snapshot of the work being conducted in the broader area.
- Reinforce and amplify University strategic priorities and other institutional priorities.
- Stimulate and nurture connections and collaborations among faculty and between faculty and Northwestern leadership.
Attendance at Domain Dinners is by invitation only and is designed primarily for tenure-line and other research-active faculty at Northwestern who have a strong interest in interdisciplinary and cross-campus collaboration.
Fall 2024 Dinner
From left to right: Özge Samanci, Michael Rakowitz, Ryan Dohoney, Natasha Trethewey
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
HIDDEN KINSHIP: THE ARTS IN CONVERSATION
When encountering an artist’s work, rarely do we see the processes that have gone into the making of it: the scholarly questions being asked, the kinds of research undertaken, the conversations initiated with other fields of study. At this event, four artists—a musicologist, a visual artist, a graphic novelist/media artist, and a poet—discussed the hidden kinships of their work and dug deep into the interdisciplinary nature of their obsessions, making visible the intersections between their research and practice. Whether finding beauty in the elegant equations of mathematics, philosophy, and logic; examining narratives in medicine and anatomy, the environmental sciences, and history; or discovering inspiration in the precision and design of engineering, architecture, or biology, they showcased how their creative processes are enriched and shaped by cross-disciplinary influences and collaborative dialogues.
Bringing together scholars from across Northwestern, this iteration of the Lawrence B. Dumas Domain Dinner series offered a unique glimpse into the fusion of diverse perspectives that drive innovation in the arts.
Ryan Dohoney, Professor of Musicology and Director of Graduate Studies in the Bienen School of Music and core faculty member in Comparative Literary Studies and Critical Theory in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, explored the ways in which we “see” music and “hear” painting and drew upon examples from experimental composers including Joan La Barbara, Wadada Leo Smith, Sylvano Bussotti, and others. He showed how musicians use the human voice as a powerful medium for translating between visual and aural domains. He offered a live demonstration, realizing a graphically notated score from the McCormick Library of Special Collections’ holdings.
Michael Rakowitz, Professor of Art Theory and Practice in Weinberg, presented work that he has made over the past two decades that focuses on the reappearance of lost material cultural heritage, whether architectural, archaeological, or culinary.
Özge Samanci, Associate Professor of Radio/Television/Film in the School of Communication, shared excerpts from her work and explored the recurring visual metaphor of the ocean as indestructible and vulnerable. She explored humanity’s problematic relationship with vast natural spaces through images, storytelling, computation, and chemistry.
Natasha Trethewey, Board of Trustees Professor of English, Director of Graduate Studies, and Director of Litowitz Graduate Program in Creative Writing in Weinberg, read from her work and discussed representations of “The Miracle of the Black Leg.” Dating back to the 12th century, the myth of the miracle transplant, performed by two patron saints of medicine—the brothers Cosmas and Damian—is an enduring metaphor that can illuminate aspects of American history and our contemporary moment.
History
The Lawrence B. Dumas Domain Dinner program originated in 1998 as a result of the strategic planning process for "The Highest Order of Excellence," the University's strategic plan at the time. Since its inception, the program has hosted nearly 100 dinners and engaged hundreds of faculty presenters and thousands of guests.
The Domain Dinner program is named for Lawrence B. Dumas whose influence and impact on Northwestern are immeasurable. Dumas joined the faculty in 1970 and was a founding member of the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology. Throughout his time at the University, he rose through the ranks of faculty and eventually led the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences as Dean from 1988 to 1996. Dumas then took on the role of Provost, which he passionately fulfilled until 2007. His legacy and leadership live on in myriad areas of the University, including the Lawrence B. Dumas Domain Dinner program.
Past Events
Past Domain Dinners have covered a wide range of topics and involved hundreds of faculty members. See a complete list of past dinners.