Humanities Day 2024: Touch Rare Books, Explore Ancient Artifacts, Listen to Live Music
Join us as we celebrate what makes the arts and humanities distinctive at the University of Chicago. Explore topics such as Bob Dylan’s bridges, Plato and Descartes on Halloween, and the archaeology of Sinbad the Sailor.
Spend the entire day at Logan Center for the Arts and commemorate its 10th anniversary or visit other unique locations throughout campus.
The Keynote Session with ethnomusicologist Philip V. Bohlman starts the day at Logan Center Performance Hall. Other highlights include a jazz ensemble playing at the Logan Café, tours of the vanessa german exhibit, 100 Years of the Epigraphic Survey in Egypt exhibit, open art studios by master’s degree students, sessions on Bob Dylan’s music, a living sculpture, magical voices, and archaeology.
After the Keynote, you can explore the ISAC Museum, Weston Game Lab, Special Collections in the Regenstein Library, Neubauer Collegium, Smart Museum, and much more. Learn about ancient pottery, philosophy, Hispanic print culture, rare book collections, experimental performance games, and less commonly taught languages.
Extend Your Campus Visit to the Evening
Annual Halloween Concert: Spooky Storms and Haunted Seas at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., Mandel Hall
University Symphony Orchestra with Barbara Schubert, conductor
The incredible power of nature, portrayed with the dramatic intensity of a full symphony orchestra. This captivating program—enhanced by costumes, storytelling, and special effects—includes Tchaikovsky’s early tone poem “The Storm,” plus excerpts from Debussy’s magnificent “La Mer”, Grofé’s pictorial “Grand Canyon Suite,” Borodin’s fanciful opera-ballet “Mlada,” Wagner’s monumental “Die Walküre,” and John Williams’s celebrated “Jurassic Park.” The Hyde Park School of Dance enlivens the evening with its creative choreography, brilliant costumes, and skillful dancing. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Admission is free. Donations requested at the door: $10 general, $5 students/children.
Humanities Day, an annual tradition at the University of Chicago since 1980, celebrates the arts and humanities in October every year through interactive discussions, performances, and tours featuring the work of our award-winning faculty in the Division of the Humanities. To see recordings from previous years of Humanities Day lectures, visit our YouTube channel.
