UCSD Visual Arts Doctoral Research Colloquium

Join us for the annual Doctoral Research Colloquium on Friday, March 6th! The colloquium features talks by UCSD Visual Arts PhD students along with a keynote lecture by a speaker who has influenced their practice, Professor Gerardo Aldana, from UC Santa Barbara. The Colloquium will be followed by a Reception and Screening for the collaborative exhibition in the SME Gallery.

1:00 p.m. — Keynote Lecture: Gerardo Aldana, UC Santa Barbara
2:15 p.m. — Panel 1: Clarissa Chevalier, Mingyong Cheng
3:00 p.m. — Panel 2: Xuexi Dang, Daniel Arcand, Andrea Chavarin
4:15 p.m. — Panel 3: Doreen Rios, Jae Hwan Lim
5:00 p.m. — Responses and Roundtable Conversation
5:30 p.m. — Reception in the SME Gallery
7:00 p.m. – Screening and closing event for the collaborative exhibition in SME Gallery

Gerardo Aldana is a professor of Chicana/o Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research takes a history of science and indigenous studies approach to exploring Mayan hieroglyphic history, with a focus on astronomy. Throughout his research, for example in The Apotheosis of Janaab Pakal: Science, History and Religion at Classic Maya Palenque and Calculating Brilliance: an intellectual history of Mayan Astronomy at Chich’en Itza, he investigates cases of historically contingent invention and discovery within indigenous Mayan scientific practice. More recently, his research has led to further exploration of what he refers to as “oracular science” within ancient Mesoamerican astronomical practice. At the core of this exploration is a 14th century indigenous Mayan hieroglyphic manuscript comprising primarily divination almanacs and astronomical tables.