Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society

We're excited to see that art historian and critic Lucas Gomez-Doyle has published a sharp review of our current gallery exhibition, "Mike Cloud & Nyeema Morgan: Story Structure, Pt. 2," in Newcity.

"Of all the enduring predicaments that continue to reverberate across the contemporary art world, questions of meaning-making and intended function are perhaps the most tantalizing," he writes. "In a cerebrally dexterous and elastic display, the two artists have outmaneuvered the field, flanking normative conventions of 'meaning' from its literal and conceptual margins. How refreshing to be in their presence."

Read the review: https://art.newcity.com/2026/06/15/nyeema-morgan-and-mike-cloud-turn-the-neubauer-collegium-into-a-riddle/

The exhibition runs through June 28. Gallery hours: M-F, 9-4.

Installation photography by Robert Heishman for Bob.

At a two-day workshop last fall, the interdisciplinary group of scholars collaborating on our Humanistic AI project identified three key "research nodes" to focus on. One cohort is exploring the potential of large language models to address humanistic questions through AI-generated simulations. Another is evaluating the potential of AI tools to support the creative process. And the third is diving into all things "slop," examining the historical antecedents, philosophical implications, and creative potential of AI-generated content.

Team members have been pursuing these lines of inquiry in recent months, and they will reconvene at the Neubauer Collegium June 8-10 to share updates and discuss the techniques and methods they have been using. Participants will also develop and get feedback on new project pitches, and the workshop will culminate with a broad discussion about the way that AI technology is shifting the landscape in their respective fields.

Learn more: https://neubauercollegium.uchicago.edu/research/humanistic-ai

IMAGES: Hoyt Long (University of Chicago) moderating a panel discussion with Maria Antoniak (University of Colorado), Atoosa Kasirzadeh (Carnegie Mellon University), and Ted Underwood (University of Illinois) on "Reimagining Humanistic Pursuits in the Age of Generated Media," Neubauer Collegium, Oct. 18, 2025. Photos by Abel Arciniega.

"Let's Get It On: The Wearable Art of Betye Saar," an exhibition exploring the central role of costume design in Saar's early career, opens tonight at Roberts Projects in Los Angeles. The show includes more than 200 objects, including a treasure trove of playbills, drawings, sketches, and photographs documenting her time at the Inner City Cultural Center in the 1970s – as well as leatherwork, jewelry, and ephemera from her personal archive. Together they capture a crucial moment in Saar's career, when she began to pivot from fashion design toward the pioneering work in assemblage and installation that made her an iconic figure in the art world.

We were deeply honored to present the first iteration of "Let's Get It On" in 2025 as part of a series of exhibitions and events linked to our multi-year Panafrica research project, which explored the interwoven strands of Pan-African politics and culture. (The Collegium exhibition featured many works from Saar's archive that had never been shown before; the show at Roberts Projects includes a selection of these plus many more.) Programming for our exhibition included a public reception to celebrate Saar as part of Panafrica Days, a four-day, citywide constellation of activities organized in conjunction with the "Project a Black Planet" exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago.

The celebrations continue this summer with a series of events marking the occasion of Saar's 100th birthday. "Let's Get It On" runs at Roberts Projects through August 22, and a catalogue about the exhibition – featuring a preface by Neubauer Collegium Executive Director Elspeth Carruthers and an essay by our curator, Dieter Roelstraete – is forthcoming.

Learn more: https://www.robertsprojectsla.com/exhibitions/lets-get-it-on-the-wearable-art-of-betye-saar

IMAGES: Betye Saar at the Neubauer Collegium, March 7, 2025. Photos by Abel Arciniega. Details from "Let's Get It On: The Wearable Art of Betye Saar," Neubauer Collegium, Jan. 30 – April 26, 2025. Installation photography by Robert Chase Heishman for BOB.

A mehfil (Arabic: محفل) is an intimate, private, or semi-private gathering in South Asian culture, often held in a living room or salon setting, dedicated to music, poetry, or dance. It emphasizes closeness between performers and audience, and a sense of shared artistic experience.

On May 22 starting at 4:30pm, the Neubauer Collegium's Sonic Borderlands of South Asia research project will present an "Afternoon Mehfil" at Fulton Recital Hall (Goodspeed Hall, 5845 S Ellis Ave). The event will feature a performance by the Modal Collective, a group of University of Chicago musicians and guest artists working at the intersection of performance, improvisation, and intercultural music-making. Members include: Ronnie Malley, Pramantha Tagore, Lara Balikci, Hannah Goldberg, Nathan Friedman, and Lauren Molloy. The concert will also include a series of short performances by musicians from across the University and the wider Chicagoland music community.

Presented by the Sonic Borderlands of South Asia research project at the Neubauer Collegium in partnership with the Department of Music at the University of Chicago and Intercultural Music Production.

Small Press Poetry and the Archive: A Symposium on Editorial Practice
MAY 27, 3:00 – 7:30 pm
Franke Institute for the Humanities

A contemporary wave of independent small presses has promoted innovative archival publishing alongside new experimental poetry. At this event, Neubauer Collegium Visiting Fellow Kai Ihns and UChicago English and Creative Writing Professor Srikanth Reddy will convene a group of editors from some notable publishers—and from UChicago's own graduate-student-run journal, Chicago Review—to present exciting new archival projects and share their editorial philosophy around these dual publishing lines. The symposium will conclude with a poetry reading and a moderated discussion about how these poets' literary practice informs and is informed by their editorial work and perspectives.

Co-Sponsored by the Franke Institute for the Humanities, the Neubauer Collegium, the English Department, and the Program in Creative Writing at the University of Chicago.

IMAGE: City Lights Bookstore via Flickr.

At the Movement Theory Lab's final event of the season this past Monday, Chicago-based artist and performer Courtney Mackedanz presented a riveting, richly complex work in progress titled "Dead End Host." Shaped by their experience of contracting the tick-borne illness Lyme disease, the piece incorporates choreography, an immersive soundtrack, mixed-media stage props, and lighting to trace how the body emerges from and within ecological conditions.

The Movement Theory Lab is a forum for faculty and graduate students interested in dance and movement studies, part of the Arts Labs initiative at the Neubauer Collegium. Please visit our website to learn more.

Photos by Abel Arciniega.