The Tree of Life: Interconnecting Religions, Artistic Traditions, and Scientific Knowledge Conference
University of Connecticut Humanities Institute Conference Room, Home Babbidge Library 4th Floor, 369 Fairfield Way, Storrs, CT 06269
Conference Program:
| Thursday, April 27 | |
| 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Welcome Lunch |
| 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM | The Majesty and Indispensability of Trees: Where Science and Spirituality Converge Yehezkel Landau, former Associate Professor of Interfaith Relations and Holder of the Abrahamic Partnerships Chair, Hartford Seminary |
| 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Religion, Science, and the Magic of the Kabbalistic Tree [virtual talk] J.H. (Yossi) Chajes, Sir Isaac Wolfson Professor of Jewish Religious Thought, Department of Jewish History, University of Haifa |
| 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Tea |
| 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM | Franciscan Diet, Spiritual Trees: Jacopone da Todi and Dante on Hunger and Thirst Andrea Celli, Associate Professor of Italian and Mediterranean Studies, University of Connecticut |
| 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM | The Vegetable Saint Greg Bryda, Assistant Professor of Art History, Barnard College |
| 5:30 PM | Reception UConn Contemporary Art Gallery, 830 Bolton Road, Storrs, CT 06269 |
| Friday, April 28 | |
| 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM | Breakfast |
| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM | The Tree as an "Animal-esque Plant" (Nabat Hayawani): Arboreal Thoughtscapes in Muslim Majority Lands Over the Centuries [virtual talk] Christiane Gruber, Professor of Art History, University of Michigan |
| 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Wayang Kayonan Puppet: Synthesis of Artisitc Traditions, Religions, Philosophy, and Scientific Knowledge [virtual talk] Nyoman Sedana, Director of Bali Module and Professor at Indonesian Institute of Arts Denpasar |
| 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Lunch |
| 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM | The Cure of Old Age, and the Preservation of Youth Elizabeth Athens, Assistant Professor of Art History, University of Connecticut |
| 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Forging Intimate Connections: Trees, People, Place and Spiritual Well-Being Sohyun Park, Assistant Professor of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Connecticut |
| 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Tea |
| 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM | Arbor Essence William Friedman, Arnold Professor of Organisimic and Evolutionary Biology and Director of the Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University |
| 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM | Unearthing the Evolutionary Past: Progress and Stories from Reconstructing the Tree of Life Stephen Smith, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan |
RSVP
The Tree of Life: Interconnecting Religions, Artistic Traditions, and Scientific Knowledge is presented as a part of The Abrahamic Story of the Tree. UConn Abrahamic Programs support peaceful co-existence and regional academic integration in the MENA region and provide an alternative framework for productive on-campus programing and dialogue at the University of Connecticut. Along with the School of Fine Arts, Humanities Institute, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Human Rights Institute, Asian and Asian American Studies Institute, Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, The William Benton Museum of Art, UConn Hillel, and the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, The Story of the Tree is a semester-long exploration of the Tree of Life in Judaism, Christianity and Islam through art exhibitions, walking tours, performances, and lectures.