Rice Events Schedule

  • March 3, 4pm – Unveiling of the Blank Slate Monument at Rice

Unveiling the “Blank Slate Monument” at Rice University.

 

  • March 21, 9pm – Performance by The Joy of Djembe Drumming Ensemble

Celebration of the presence of the “Blank Slate Palimpsest Monument” at Rice University. We will offer drinks and appetizers celebrating black culinary culture.  Sponsored by Hanszen College.

 

  • Wednesday, March 22, 12pm – Picnic at the Monument

Rice students are invited to bring their picnic blankets and chairs to hang out and interact with the Blank Slate Monument, or just stop by to grab some food and hear some announcements about this important piece of public art and how Rice students are using it to study racial justice movements. Sandwiches provided by the students of the Museums and Cultural Heritage Program.

 

  • Thursday, March 23, 8pm – Talk by Historian Gerald Horne

Public Talk on Monuments and Race by celebrated author Dr. Gerald Horne, who has published over 30 books on issues of race and racism and holds the Moores Professorship of History and African American Studies at UH. This talk will inaugurate the Hanszen College 2023 Aaron Seriff Distinguished Lecture Series, organized by the Hanszen Academic Mentors Committee.

 

  • Thursday, March 30, 6-8pm – Public Art in Public Places
Rice University invites the campus community and the wider public to visit the interactive statue entitled Blank Slate Monument. Light refreshments will be served around the monument, followed by an indoor panel discussion on the significance of the statue’s tour through historic and public spaces across the US. Special attention will be given to the historical context of the statue’s installation at Rice University and its subsequent move to Galveston for the celebration of Juneteenth.

6:00pm Meet & Greet with light refreshments at the Blank Slate Monument

6:30pm Panel Presentations in PCF Tent #4 (behind Blank Slate Monument)

 

The Journey of the Blank Slate Monument:

An ArcGIS StoryMap Project

Precious Akinrinmade, Swetha Kesavan, Yoonseo (Anna) Cho, Mariah Bender, Phoenix Orta

Rice University

A Blank Slate for a New Rice University:
Public Art in Public Spaces on Our College Campus
Portia Hopkins and Molly Morgan

Rice University

The Journey continues: Where do we go from here?

Samuel Collins, III

Nia Cultural Center, Galveston

Food provided by Everythang Smoked Food Truck

 

 

  • Wednesday, March 31, 12pm – Picnic at the Monument

Rice students are invited to bring their picnic blankets and chairs to hang out and interact with the Blank Slate Monument, or just stop by to grab some food and hear some announcements about this important piece of public art and how Rice students are using it to study racial justice movements. Sandwiches provided by the Center for African and African American Studies.

 

  • Monday, April 3, 8pm – The Art of Healing

A documentary about the work of artist Kwame Akoto-Bamfo and his mission to educate his audiences about the role artwork plays in healing the pain and trauma of the transatlantic slave trade.  It shows aspects of how he conceptualizes and creates his pieces and begins with a look at the crafting of The Blank Slate Monument.
This film is not yet released for general audiences, because it is being entered in various film festivals. This will be a one-time special screening for the Rice audience.

Ice cream will be provided by Sweet Space Truck.