Kurt Vonnegut gave dozens of quirky commencement addresses in his lifetime. He made some preposterous claims, made people laugh, and made them think. They were speeches college graduates remembered, says Susan Farrell, an English professor and founding member of the international Kurt Vonnegut Society. Vonnegut’s advice, she says, still matters to graduates today. Click here to read why, and so on.
For more than two decades, the opioid epidemic has raged on in small rural towns and in the suburbs. But what happens when the opioid epidemic collides with the COVID pandemic? Rebecca Hill writes about these “waves” of crises in Bloomington and other southern Indiana communities, and how people are weathering it. Click here to read the story.
“IU 2020” is a documentary series that began in 2016 and follows 12 Indiana University students during the entirety of their undergraduate careers. Jennifer Piurek, director of communications and special projects at IU’s Office of the Provost, wrote about the students and the project — and the free screening on December 8. Click here to learn about “IU 2020.”
‘Paper Pavilions’ is a group exhibition of Midwestern artists, showing virtually and physically at the 411 Gallery in Columbus, Indiana. Curated by Sean Starowitz, the City of Bloomington’s assistant director for the arts, the exhibition allows artists to set the tone for the future of public art. Click here to read a review from writer and photographer Ian Carstens.
