Concerns about the present and future danger of the 2019 novel coronavirus will be addressed by an expert panel on a special WorldCanvass called "Coronavirus: Perceptions and Precautions" to be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m., February 21, in 1117 University Capitol Centre (UCC). The event is free and open to the public.

A 2018 study showed that in a moment when public distrust and concern about fake news abounds, museums remain one of the few institutions that we overwhelmingly trust.

What does the museum of the 21st century look like? What does it house? What is its role in the community? Does it see itself differently than museums of the past? And how do galleries, libraries, archives, and museums capture the zeitgeist of the time and reinvent themselves as expectations change? Join us for the first WorldCanvass program of 2020, when our guests will explore the future of museums. WorldCanvass begins at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 6, at MERGE, 136 South Dubuque Street. The event is free and open to the public with a pre-show reception from 5-5:30 p.m.

UI alum and world renowned opera singer Simon Estes was awarded the 2019 International Impact Award as part of this special program of WorldCanvass.

The voice of Simon Estes is an example of music fostering humanity, opportunity and positive change on an international scale.

The October 9 WorldCanvass program covered an array of research breakthroughs taking place at the University of Iowa.

This season of WorldCanvass opened with "Art and the Face of War: Goya and Tolstoy." By examining two masterworks that centered on the Napoleonic Wars, we gain an insight into this period of human struggle.

UI President Bruce Harreld will present the 2019 International Impact Award to internationally acclaimed opera singer Simon Estes in a public ceremony at the beginning of the November 21 WorldCanvass program. Following the presentation of the award, Estes will be interviewed by WorldCanvass host Joan Kjaer about his young life in Centerville, Iowa, his long and successful international operatic career, and the racism he faced in both the European and American contexts as his talents carried him to greater heights but his color often prevented consideration for stage appearances. This special event, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7 p.m., November 21, in the Recital Hall of the Voxman Music Building, on the corner of Burlington and Clinton Streets in Iowa City. All are invited to a pre-show reception from 6:30-7 p.m.

WorldCanvass guests on October 9 will take us inside the groundbreaking history of space research at the UI, describe their research into 'chemo brain' or the cognitive deficits that can occur after chemotherapy, and detail a research collaboration that aims to provide weather and climate information to farmers to help them make key decisions at different times of the year. Join us at the next WorldCanvass for an intriguing conversation about research breakthroughs and the many unexpected but essential discoveries that flow from them. The live event is free and open to the public. The program is held at MERGE, 136 South Dubuque Street, in Iowa City from 5:30-7 p.m., with a pre-show reception from 5-5:30 p.m.

Join us on Thursday, September 19, for “Art and the Face of War: Goya and Tolstoy,” the first program in the new season of WorldCanvass. While Spanish painter and printmaker Francisco de Goya and Russian writer Leo Tolstoy were separated by time and space, the two created incomparable masterworks centered on the tragic events of the more than decade-long Napoleonic Wars. We’ll view that momentous period of human struggle and suffering through Goya’s shocking collection of prints called “Disasters of War” and Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace,” exploring not only the original works but also later interpretations through film and opera. WorldCanvass is free and open to the public. The program is held at MERGE, 136 South Dubuque Street, in Iowa City from 5:30-7 p.m. with a pre-show reception from 5-5:30 p.m.

The final production of our tenth season inaugurated this year's Provost's Global Forum, "Why School? International Perspectives on Education and Social Transformation."  Host Joan Kjaer and expert panelists discussed school and educational systems around the world, and how schools are both products of society and a process for effecting changes in society.  Panelists answered questions such as: What is the purpose of schooling in society? And what are the relationships between educational reform, globalization, and social change?

This production of WorldCanvass opened the two-day international and interdisciplinary colloquium "Reading and Re-translation," which focused on the current state of research on reading and re-translation.  Host Joan Kjaer invited guests, many of whom presented at the colloquium, to explore the act of reading and dive into this space where social and symbolic power is enforced.