Think Mac Hall is too busy? Trod upon one foot too many? Been bumped into for the last time? Well, if your problem is finding a place to sit at lunch, consider heading over to the Nickle Arts Museum.
Thursday, Sept. 16 marked the second anniversary of the Museum for Lunch program which is a series of lectures given in the Main Gallery during the lunch hour every Thursday.
“The lectures start at 12:10 p.m. and end at 12:50,” said Curatorial Assistant Colleen Sharpe. “It gives students a chance to get to and from classes and University support staff to get back to their desks by the end of the lunch hour.”
The program hopes to draw members of the U of C community this fall with a variety of speakers and topics: from numismatics to film, from artists to members of the Faculty of Medicine.
“[Museum For Lunch] is a way of outreaching to the campus,” continued Sharpe. “It’s about getting beyond textbook academia on a daily basis, seeing things in a new way that’s more approachable.”
For instance, Women’s Perspectives on Poverty: A Photo Voice Project, the talk scheduled for Sept. 30, will be given by Faculty of Medicine Member Cathie Scott, who will talk about the photo project which is part art show, part social commentary and part annual report.
“The museum is kind of unto itself. We’re on campus, but we aren’t affiliated with a faculty,” said Sharpe. “Which is why it’s great to have people coming to speak from different faculties.”
Sharpe refers to Dr. Maurice Yacowar, from the Department of English, Dr. Jennifer Eiserman and Robert Kelly, both of the Department of Art who are appearing Nov. 25, Nov. 18 and Dec. 2, respectively.
But Museum for Lunch isn’t just helping the Nickle Arts Museum to become a larger part of campus life, it’s helping to keep campus life interesting, providing students with a relaxed environment where they can eat their lunch while taking in new ideas.