Indiana University South Bend’s Office of Community Engagement and the South Bend Museum of Art will welcome Dr. Zachary Schrank to the Pop-Up University presenter’s stage on Thursday, April 18 at 5:00pm. This informal, free, public event will be held at The South Bend Museum of Art (120 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Dr. S., South Bend, Indiana).
The public is invited to join us as Dr. Schrank presents: “Indiana Transformation: Human Impacts on the Hoosier Landscape.”
5:00 P.M. – RECEPTION and EXHIBIT VIEWING
6:00 P.M. – ARTIST/FILMAKER TALK with Q&A
7:00 P.M. – EXHIBIT VIEWING and NETWORKING
We are living amid a profound era of transformation on Earth driven by diverse human activities reshaping our planet. Our modern civilization depends upon unprecedented levels of energy, relentless resource extraction, land alteration, and the constant flow of goods for a global economy. These changes reflect the emerging Anthropocene epoch, marking humanity’s dominance over Earth. Yet, because these changes are global in scale it often feels like they are far away.
Coinciding with the unveiling of the photographic and videographic exhibition, “Liminal: Indiana in the Anthropocene” at the South Bend Museum of Art, this Pop-Up University Lecture aims to illuminate what it looks like to live in the Anthropocene within our immediate surroundings. Through an art-centric lens, merging surreal aerial imagery with an original musical score, the exhibit invites audiences to reimagine Indiana from a novel perspective. It prompts us to hover above, observing the state’s integration into planetary dynamics and experiencing transformations that elude easy understanding yet evoke a sense of familiarity.
Join us between 5:00 and 6:00 P.M. to view the exhibit and enjoy light refreshments. Stay for the artist/filmmaker talk at 6:00 P.M. Linger for Q&A, informal conversation, exhibit viewing, and networking from 7:00 – 8:00 P.M.
Pop-Up University events are free and open to public. Attendees are invited to arrive early to purchase dinner, snacks, coffee, tea, cocktails, and mocktails. Depart at 7:15 or stay late for informal discussion and networking.
About the Speaker: Zach Schrank is a 9th generation Hoosier, sociology professor, and director of the Center for a Sustainable Future at Indiana University South Bend. He regularly teaches social theory, consumer society, and environmental sociology courses. In 2020, he co-directed the documentary Big Enough, Small Enough: South Bend in Transition. In 2023 he directed the film Liminal: Indiana in the Anthropocene, which won the Indiana Spotlight Award at the Heartland International Film Festival. Both films are available through Hoodox; a streaming platform that exclusively features nonfiction, Indiana-based films.
About Pop-Up University: Pop-Up University is a series of brief off-campus talks by IU South Bend faculty on topics of interest to the public. All events are FREE and open to the public.
I am looking forward to this talk!