photo of a man speaking at conference seminar with the audience in the background

Keithley Symposium—“Troubling Thoughts”

Contemporary American sculptor and installation artist Jim Hodges will present the keynote address for the inaugural Keithley Symposium.

His keynote address, titled “Troubling Thoughts,” will be held Thursday, Sept. 27, from 5 to 6 p.m. in Tinkham Veale University Center, Ballroom A.

This event is free open to the public. Register for the event.

About the talk

In his address, Hodges will reflect on his experiences with The Thinker at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Since he first encountered it at the museum’s south entrance in 2012, this work has raised questions for Hodges about art’s power in relation to its original function.

Now, six years later, Hodges’ own sculpture, Untitled (bridge of harmony) sits on the north lawn in the museum’s Donna and Stewart Kohl Sculpture Garden, where it was installed in 2014.

Hodges considers the potential for “liveness” in objects and the role of museums in making that “liveness” possible through their stewardship and the narratives they create.

About the Keithley Symposium

The Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities, the CWRU Department of Art History and Art, and the Cleveland Museum of Art will co-sponsor the symposium.

The symposium will take place over two days, with Hodges’ keynote address on the CWRU campus and panels and gallery workshops at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Get the symposium details.