Willson Center for Humanities and Arts
The University of Georgia
The Willson Center’s festival highlights include a visit from Irish sculptor Joseph Walsh, a Cinema Roundtable on AI in filmmaking, a screening of the Peabody-nominated documentary Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse, an art exhibition and talk by Don Chambers, a lecture by Passamaquoddy language keeper Dwayne Tomah, and a fiercely competitive Arts Trivia Night.
Our most recent Delta Visiting Chair was five-time Grammy award-winning musician and humanitarian Angelique Kidjo in September 2026.
Finn Walsh and Eliza Fausset are the latest examples of a strong trend among UGA students who are awarded major national and international scholarships and fellowships: the inclusion of the humanities and/or arts in a broader course of study.
Humanities and arts faculty and students at UGA continued to showcase the world-class quality of their research, teaching, and public engagement during the 2025-26 academic year
The Willson Center supports the teaching appointments of Hannah Grace Howard (left), a postdoctoral research and teaching associate in the Department of Religion, and Leeseul Park (right), a lecturer and Korean Language Program director in the Department of Comparative Literature and Intercultural Studies.
“In my time at UGA so far, I have been thoroughly impressed with the degree of faculty collaboration and support, as well as the engagement of the student body. My work with the Center for Theologically Engaged Anthropology gives me the chance to expand the broader theoretical implications of my work on Orthodox Christianity in Greece and collaborate with scholars at UGA and around the globe. More importantly, however, I really get to see the impact of that research in the classroom when I’m able to have exciting conversations with my students about theopolitics and religious institutions in various social contexts.”
Hannah Grace Howard, postdoctoral research and teaching associate, department of religion
Master quilter Torreah “Cookie” Washington and James Beard Award semifinalist chef Bernard Bennett will engage with Sea Islands communities and visiting learners through programs supported by the Culture and Community project.
The partnership will continue with funding from a second $1 million grant from the Mellon Foundation
Pavlić, Distinguished Research Professor of English and African American Studies, is a recent Willson Center Faculty Fellow who was featured in a February profile for @UGAResearch.
The annual series of public events showcases the richness and diversity of research and practice in the humanities at UGA and throughout our extended community.
Walsh represents the latest example of a strong trend among UGA students who are awarded major international scholarships: the inclusion of the humanities and/or arts in a broader course of study.
Saurabh Anand’s work will be supported by a grant from the LGBTQ+ Heritage Alliance through the NYC LGBTQ Historic Sites Project.
Save these dates for major spring events, many of which will be featured in our Global Georgia series and/or this year’s UGA Humanities Festival
The three-part series focused on generative artificial intelligence and its impact on our land, labor, water, and writing.
Other events include a performance and conversation with Grammy-nominated tenor Victor Ryan Robertson, a Willson Center Cinema Roundtable, and an Arts Trivia Night.
The Delta Visiting Chair for Global Understanding, established by the Willson Center through the support of The Delta Air Lines Foundation, hosts outstanding artists, writers, musicians, and creative thinkers.
