Renowned author Yaa Gyasi, whose novel Homegoing won the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Award for best first book and the Pen/Hemingway Award among others, will be our guest for “The Ghanaian-American Experience in Literature and Art” on the first WorldCanvass of 2021. Joining her will be fellow author and graduate of the UI Writers’ Workshop D.K. Nnuro and Associate Provost and Dean of International Programs Russ Ganim. Nnuro will engage with Gyasi writer-to-writer in a special interview segment introduced by Ganim. The one-hour program, hosted by Joan Kjaer, begins at 7 p.m. on February 24. WorldCanvass is free and open to all. Register here.

Joan Kjaer and guest panelists discussed the impact of COVID-19 and whether teaching and learning has been forever changed on this December 8 WorldCanvass.

On November 16, the 2020 International Impact Award and UI Global Student Awards were presented during WorldCanvass. Access the recording and read the media coverage.

The changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic have impacted every person, every industry, every region, and every communal activity for nearly the whole of 2020. Even after the much-hoped-for vaccine is developed and distributed, some believe that life and work patterns have been forever altered. What comes next in the field of global education is the subject of the December WorldCanvass on the topic “Teaching and Learning Post-COVID.”  WorldCanvass will be held virtually through Zoom, from 5:30-7 p.m. on December 8.

Sarah Lande, a lifelong proponent of citizen diplomacy and key figure in the history of Iowa's relationship with China, and Patrick and Susan Keefe, whose commitment to serving the health needs of under-resourced and marginalized communities has taken them to many parts of the U.S. and the world, are the recipients of the UI's 2020 International Impact Award. UI President Bruce Harreld and International Programs Associate Provost and Dean Russell Ganim will present the International Impact Awards during WorldCanvass, the official kick-off for the UI celebration of International Education Week (November 16-20).  Recognition will also be given to Mishma Nixon and Nicholas Stroup, recipients of the UI's Global Student Awards.  WorldCanvass will be held virtually this year through Zoom, beginning at 5:30p.m. on November 16.

The International Impact Award recognizes distinguished alumni and other individuals with significant ties to the UI who have made important contributions internationally or, in the case of international alumni, abroad in their home countries. It honors exceptional individuals in any field who have made sustained and deep contributions internationally or in the U.S. to promote global understanding.

On Thursday, October 22, host Joan Kjaer and guests held a robust discussion surrounding the present-day challenge of pursuing racial justice.

Human beings are meaning-making creatures, and in tumultuous periods of history many turn to the arts for solace, instruction, and delight. Poets and novelists, painters and sculptors, composers and choreographers—all seek to frame their particular experiences in enduring works of art, which can help us articulate those bewildering questions that in extremis may beset us at any moment.