NU Faculty Curate Exhibit That Explores Justice Through the Lens of Contemporary and Historical Experience

Dr. Paula Kot, associate professor of English, Dr. Jim McCutcheon, associate professor of Spanish, Dr. Lisa Williams, associate professor of management, and Dr. Donna Thompson, professor of psychology, recently collaborated to curate an exhibition at the Castellani Art Museum that explores the concept of dignity: what threatens it, what reaffirms it, and how art offers space for reflection, dialogue, and transformation.

The exhibition, "Dignity: Art as a Lens for Social Justice," is rooted in the university's Catholic and Vincentian mission and inspired by "Dignity," a 1972 black and white photograph by Robert E. Dorksen in the CAM's permanent collection. Using that work as a conceptual starting point, the faculty chose additional works from the CAM's collection that would provoke thoughtful conversation around identity, justice, and social complexity.

The selected works by artists such as Barbara Kruger, Reginald Marsh, Norman Rockwell, Milton Rogovin, Cindy Sherman, and Nancy Spero engage with various aspects of identity, including ability, race, culture, socio-economic status, religion, and gender; invite reflection on the complex ways dignity has been questioned, impeded, and withheld; and affirm the enduring struggle for recognition and the power of justice.

For the past few years, NU faculty have been exploring ways to use the CAM's collection to facilitate classroom conversations about social justice. A new interdisciplinary minor supported by an NEH grant provided the opportunity to create a cross-disciplinary central event that would connect students and faculty across the university to start those conversations. Since the exhibition's opening in October, faculty have been encouraged to integrate it into their courses, and students have been invited to write reflections to help shape the dialogue in the gallery.

"That engagement - across disciplines, classrooms, and communities - is exactly what this exhibition is about," said the professors. "Our hope is that these works will inspire students to think deeply not just as scholars, but as citizens. This show is designed to support their academic and personal growth."

"Dignity: Art as a Lens for Social Justice," is on exhibit at the CAM through May 17, 2026.