CFA Shines When Dance, Music, and Design Come Together for the CSJ Center for Reconciliation and Justice Symposium

Every winter since 2013, the CSJ Center for Reconciliation and Justice hosts its signature event: the CSJ Center for Reconciliation and Justice Symposium. This year's symposium, titled "Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor: (Re)igniting the Voice of the Marginalized," featured "An Evening of Art and Music for the Care of People and Planet" - an inspiring collaboration with LMU College of Communication and Fine Arts that combined music, dance, and design with messages reminding us of our shared humanity, interconnectedness, and commitment to a just world for both people and planet.

The evening's program, held in the atrium of University Hall on Tuesday, February 4, featured a dance performance led by dance instructor Laura Ann Smyth; a musical performance led by Tania Fleischer, senior lecturer of music and director of chamber ensembles; and a collaborative design project that featured posters communicating the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, led by Garland Kirkpatrick, professor of graphic design, and Jennifer M. Ramos, professor of political science and international relations. Of her work on this year's symposium, Ramos said, "My participation in the symposium is informed by my role as a teacher-scholar of international relations to build awareness and inspire action on pressing global issues. Moreover, in my role as International Programs and Partnerships' (IPP) director of global learning, I am tasked with leading LMU's United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Initiative that aligns well with the Laudato Si '- the theme of the symposium."

The special musical selection, titled "Song for Japan" by Steven Verhelst, was originally composed for trombone quartet in response to the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku, Japan. Fleischer created an arrangement of the piece for wind sextet, as these were the instruments she had in her chamber music class this semester. "The tone of this piece, poignant, somber at times, but with a distinct feeling of hopefulness, seemed like a good fit. Then, the wildfires happened, so the piece took on a whole new meaning for the performers: the music speaks not just to Japan's experience in 2011, but to our shared vulnerability to environmental forces and the remarkable human capacity for resilience and rebuilding," said Fleischer.

The performances took place surrounded by a series of framed posters displayed on easels, created by the visual communication designers in Kirkpatrick's class. For this project, IPP acted as the "client," requesting designs centered on the UN SDGs and then receiving feedback from Ramos and Associate Provost of IPP, Roberta Espinoza. "We've had a long-standing tradition of trying to explore this idea of the Jesuit principle of eloquentia perfecta - this notion of perfect elocution - and we do it. We aim for that through the visual arts, particularly through visual communication design," said Kirkpatrick. Of his collaboration with Ramos, Kirkpatrick said "We clicked - this was a perfect fit for the class. It is the perfect content to investigate these aspects of sustainable development, those goals which sit naturally in the vision of the University . . . it translates very well through the arts."

Throughout history, the arts have helped us heal and find strength together. "An Evening of Art and Music for the Care of People and Planet" is a great reminder that education is not just about developing professional skills, but finding a moral purpose for what we do; an opportunity to perform in service of social and environmental justice that gives real-world meaning to the practice of art.

"It was a very fluid, playful creative exchange . . . it takes the right kind of partnerships. Right? Subject matter. And the students are way open to this stuff. So, I love it. It's big, it brings the subject matter alive, particularly in these times," said Kirkpatrick.

Bryant Keith Alexander, Dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts, was in attendance.

"We are forever grateful for the collaborative spirit and invitation of the CSJ Center for Reconciliation and Justice. Their commitment to reflective action in the service of reconciliation and justice applied in this symposium, created the perfect participation for the performing and fine arts," said Alexander. "That evening in the atrium of University Hall transformed a pedestrian location (a crossroads of daily activity), into a serious place of contemplation. Location and activity forever teach us the difference between place and space, with the latter being the socializing practices of engagement in location that dynamizes human social relations; as well as how such contemplative engagement has the potential to transform our relationship to selves, others, and our planet."