“Masterpieces of art can translate nature for us.” Though originally stated by Dr. Drew Harvell, a marine biologist and professor at Cornell University, these are the words which served as inspiration for Stanley awardee Jacquelyn Whitman, who recently utilized sculpture and ecology in her research to illustrate the anthropogenic effects humans are having on the environment.

The European Studies Group and the French and Italian Forum will co-host an upcoming talk, "Le Soleil Couchant by Théophile Gautier (1830): An Introduction to Reading French Poetry." Featuring guest speaker Geoffrey Hope, a professor of French at the UI, a reading and discussion will take place on the poetry of Théophile Gautier, in honor of the retirement of Professor Wendelin Guentner.

The UI South Asian Studies Program (SASP) will host an upcoming lecture featuring artist and art historian, Seema Srivastava. This event is free and open to the public, and will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 24, 2016, in room 116 of Art Building West.

Ben Mauk is a 2012 graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop who earned a Fulbright Study/Research Grant to Germany. In this article, Mauk reflects upon on the work of fellow UI alum, Patrick Reed, who graduated with a Master in Fine Arts in papermaking and bookbinding from the UI Center for the Book in 2013 and also earned a Fulbright Research/Study Grant to Germany.

While Abby Restko was in college at the University of Iowa, she embarked on a study abroad experience in Venice, Italy. Restko, who was a majoring in marketing with a minor in art, knew then that she should have a jewelry store that offered Murano glass locally. So she opened Glassando in a small space in the Old Capitol Mall just a week after graduation in 2005.

The last hundred years of isolation and political turmoil in China have denied its artists participation in the international art community. As such, China is often only referenced by its increasing economic and political power despite remarkable innovations in contemporary Chinese art. Although many artists were forced underground or killed during the Cultural Revolution, China’s artists are flourishing with increased access to global communication and information.

A city is a work of art. With layers upon layers of history and meaning, a city can be unraveled at the seams and exposed. No matter the age, architecture and art will unfold around you as you turn corner after corner—taking in what it has to offer.