Romance language department brings discussion about arts and diplomacy

Scholars, diplomats and artists alike can agree that music really is a universal language.

Tonight, “Diplomacy and the Arts, Then and Now” will explore the relationship between arts and diplomacy from the early modern era up until today. 

Ellen Welch, organizer for the event and associate professor in the romance studies department, said “Diplomacy and the Arts, Then and Now” will feature conversations between artists, diplomats and researchers and will also include audience interaction. 

“This year I thought it would be fun to have a round table — to think outside of the box,” she said.

Tonight's event will feature six guest speakers spanning different backgrounds and disciplines. The speakers will give their takes on arts and diplomacy. Thirty minutes will be allowed for discussion among the panelists before the conversation is turned over to the audience for commentary.

“This will be a very experimental and free-flowing conversation,” Welch said.

Questions such as “What kind of diplomatic work can the arts perform?” and “What is the relationship between the arts and government?” can be expected.

Tonight's public conversation is a kick-off event for the Dorothy Ford Wiley Compact Seminar on Pre-Modern Diplomacy and the Arts, which will take place Friday.  

Both events are sponsored by the Department of Romance Studies and the Program in Medieval and Early Modern Studies Dorothy Ford Wiley Fund. 

One of the panelists, Rebekah Ahrendt, is an assistant professor of music history at Yale University, and she will be representing a more historical side for the discussion. 

Ahrendt said that ideally, arts and music are used as a neutral space for people to meet and discuss things together.

“Of course, it’s so much more complicated than that,” she said. “What kind of art, what kind of music, what kind of values are being represented?”

Another panelist, Shirlette Ammons of Durham, is a poet and musician as well as a past resident artist in the U.S. Department of State's “Next Level” hip-hop diplomacy program. 

“I’ll be talking about my goals as a performer, the conditions under which I work as an artist and the way diplomacy affects the type of work I produce,” Ammons said.

Ahrendt said that this event will appeal to anyone with an interest in international relations, public affairs, arts and literature. She hopes that the audience will learn about the many different perspectives on the topic.

Welch said she is also looking forward to learning from the discussion and from the different panelists.

Ahrendt, Welch and Ammons all said the arts, whether literature or music, can be used to bridge cultural boundaries.

“It sounds cliche, but music is a language that everyone speaks,” Ammons said.

“Music can be a tool for building relationships across all things that intend to keep us separate.”

@MariaMullis2017

arts@dailytarheel.com