Northwest Art Center Lecture Series Highlights Culture and History of Peru
Linda Olson, chair of the Division of Humanities and professor of art at Minot State University, will present "Peru: History, Culture and Customs," on the Northwest Art Center Lecture Series Monday, January 23, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. in MSU's Aleshire Theater.
Olson, five MSU students, and three students from Valley City State University took part in a five-week study tour to Peru this summer. The tour was headed by MSU Spanish instructor and Peru native Kemerly Moorhouse.
The trip included Spanish language classes, cultural activities and sight-seeing. Travelers lived with host families for a Spanish language immersion experience.
Cities on the itinerary included Lima, the present-day capital of Peru; Caral, the earliest known continuously settled city in the Americas; and Cusco, ancient capital of the Incas. A highlight of the trip was a visit to the recently named New Wonder of the World: Machu Picchu. Travelers explored the Sacred Valley of the Incas; watched a reinactment of Inti Raymi, the winter solstice ceremony performed to honor the sun god of the Incas; and flew over the famous Nazca Lines.
The Nazca lines were of particular interest to Olson, who is noted for her research and documentation of petroglyphs and pictographs in the western United States. Olson was awarded a MSU sabbatical for Fall Semester 2010 to pursue her rock art research.
"As an engaged artist, scholar and professor, Linda Olson models the qualities we hope our students emulate," said Conrad Davidson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of communication arts.
The lecture is free and open to the public. An informal reception will follow the program. Parking in campus lots is unrestricted after 5 p.m.
This project is supported in part by a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funding from the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.
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Published: 01/17/12 |