Topic: liberal arts
![Courtney Bryan Courtney Bryan sits with open piano](/sites/default/files/styles/listings/public/2024-01/Bryan-TH.jpg?itok=sjnfgSJk)
Composer and Pianist Courtney Bryan Receives ‘Genius Grant’
Courtney Bryan, music professor in the School of Liberal Arts, has been named a 2023 “genius grant” recipient by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
![Trenton Holliday Trenton Holliday surrounded by four replica Cro-Magnon skulls](/sites/default/files/styles/listings/public/2024-01/Trent_Holliday-TH_0.jpg?itok=eIJkl1vG)
Cro-Magnons ‘Like You and Me’
Trenton Holliday, professor of anthropology in the School of Liberal Arts, thinks human evolution is cool and hopes you think so, too.
![B. Michael Howard, the former Albert and Linda Mintz Professor of Music, associate professor emeritus and longtime artistic director for Summer Lyric Theatre. pencil sketch of B. Michael Howard smiling with folded arms](/sites/default/files/styles/listings/public/2024-01/MHoward_TH.jpg?itok=DKkXqI7u)
Tribute: B. Michael Howard
B. Michael Howard, beloved music faculty member and longtime artistic director for Summer Lyric Theatre, died on Aug. 12, 2023.
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Shakespeare And Race
The School of Liberal Arts and the Folger Shakespeare Library co-sponsored a scholarly conference and workshop, “Rac(e)ing the Shakespearean Archive: Antebellum, Civil War and Reconstruction New Orleans,” which examined the role of race and modern interpretations in William Shakespeare’s work. Held in February, the conference featured Othello performances with actors of different ethnicities and genders.https://tulane.it/shakespeare-race
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Humanities Consortium
Tulane has joined the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Research University Consortium, which comprises a select group of ACLS associate members that are prominent institutions who play a leadership role in sustaining and enhancing the national infrastructure of humanities and interpretive social sciences research.https://tulane.it/humanities-consortium
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Distinguished Ethnobiologist
William Balée, chair of the Department of Anthropology at the School of Liberal Arts, has been awarded the Distinguished Ethnobiologist Award by the Society of Ethnobiology, the society’s highest recognition of lifetime achievement. Balée was recognized for demonstrating “the ideal of sustained scholarly excellence and leadership, with humble dedication to supporting ethnobiology students both at his institution and in the society.”https://tulane.it/distinguished-ethnobiologist
![Nick Spitzer Nick Spitzer sits with a microphone, headphones and a computer](/sites/default/files/styles/listings/public/2023-06/Nick_Spitzer_TH_0.jpg?itok=kDaY0UoU)
IMPRESARIO of ‘AMERICAN ROUTES’
Nick Spitzer, professor of anthropology, celebrates 25 years as producer and host of the public radio program “American Routes.” Broadcasting from a studio on the Tulane uptown campus, Spitzer continues to be grateful to “meet and converse” with vernacular musical artists as he brings their stories to a million listeners weekly.
![Michelle Gibson Portrait of dancer Michelle Gibson wearing a hat](/sites/default/files/styles/listings/public/2023-06/Michelle-Gibson_TH.jpg?itok=Bvzbag5g)
Impression: Michelle Gibson
Since leaving New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, Michelle Gibson has taken the city’s culture to the world through her own New Orleans second-line aesthetic, a unique blend of dance styles ranging from Afro-funk to jazz.
![Jackson Smith Jackson Smith stands on the grounds of Bastion Community at sunset.](/sites/default/files/styles/listings/public/2023-06/Jackson_Smith_TH.jpg?itok=blrDhaiX)
Impression: Jackson Smith
The resilience and community of New Orleans led Jackson Smith (SLA ’07, L ’18), a Marine Corps veteran who served in Afghanistan, to make the city his home.