In an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and automation, the distinctly human capacity for creativity has never been more vital for building resilient communities and fostering the understanding needed in moments of deep division.

“Creativity is so fundamental to everyday life: it opens up imaginations, helps build meaningful connections, drives problem-solving and innovation, and feeds the soul,” says Vivian May, director of the Syracuse University Humanities Center.

The Syracuse University Humanities Center's spring programming for the Syracuse Symposium demonstrates this multifaceted power of “CREATIVITY” through events that span art, literary translation, textile arts and video production. Participants can engage with or witness creativity as a mode of healing and as a medium for social change. Events range from writers navigating trauma to translators bridging languages, and youth filmmakers envisioning hope to artists with disabilities exploring environmental concerns. The programs center marginalized voices—incarcerated individuals, refugees, teenagers and disabled artists—while bridging communities through collaboration.

The humanities offer essential tools for navigating this moment. Creative thinking lies at the heart of a liberal arts education, which offers students the chance to experiment, become more agile thinkers and be open to the world's wondrous complexity. The liberal arts' emphasis on creative and critical thinking means that students who are driven to address challenging problems, including human harms and injustices, have the tools they need to make a positive impact. Students in the College of Arts and Sciences are invited to become ethical leaders equipped to listen to opposing viewpoints, facilitate dialogue in divided spaces and pursue change through community partnership.

"A liberal arts education invites us to come together to pursue life's most expansive possibilities,” May says. “The Humanities Center is proud to help advance our shared creative potential as a community and showcase all the liberal arts can do."

Syracuse Symposium events are free and open to the public. This programming is made possible with support from the Office of the Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives.

Spring Events

Jan. 24 | 10 a.m.–2:00 p.m.

Stitching our Stories: Threads of Self, Community and Future—Part III

Organizers from the College of Arts and Sciences, iSchool, College of Visual and Performing Arts, School of Education, and Hendricks Chapel Quilters continue their series of “sew-in” workshops, celebrating creative expression as refuge. The January session contemplates ideas of Community. (See also Feb. 28)

Jan. 29 | 7–8:30 p.m.

Is Writing Enough? Creativity, Incarceration, and Trauma

In this public talk hosted by Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition, writers Moira Marquis and Johnny Page explore creative self-expression as a path to healing for those who have experienced harm, particularly when that harm is compounded by the criminal legal system.

Jan. 30 | 9:30 a.m.–Noon

The Sentences That Create Us

In follow-up to their community dialogue, Johnny Page and Moira Marquis guide workshop participants through writing exercises interspersed with conversation, designed to help them find their voices and tell their stories.

Feb. 7 | 3–5 p.m.

Our Place in Space: A Creative Voyage

Teens with a Movie Camera, a collaboration between local media artists and Syracuse youth, offer fresh perspectives on what it means to find—and make—one’s place in the universe. This showcase marks the grand opening of TwMC’s month-long exhibition, “VISIONS OF HOPE,” at ArtRage Gallery.

Feb. 28 | 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Stitching our Stories: Threads of Self, Community and Future—Part IV

Hands-on workshop participants reflect on questions of Imagined Futures: “What do I envision for a more just and liberated future? How can I express those dreams?” (See also Jan. 24)

March 21 | 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Celebrate Threads of Self, Community and Future

This half-day celebration puts the finishing stitches on a four-part “Threads of Self” quilting series. Facilitators and guest designers reflect on the creative results of these themed workshops. (See also Jan. 24 and Feb. 28)

March 26 | 12:30–2 p.m.

Creativity in Translation: Workshop

A workshop with Ibtisam Azem, author of The Book of Disappearance, and her translator, Sinan Antoon, explores the creative negotiations involved in translation, facilitated by Sevinç Türkkan (Writing Studies, Rhetoric, and Composition). Laura Fish (Syracuse University Press) discusses the legal and practical aspects of publishing translated work.

March 26 | 6-7:30 p.m.

Creativity in Translation: Readings

Hear bilingual readings from Ibtisam Azem’s Arabic-language novel االختفاء سفر, and Sinan Antoon’s English translation, The Book of Disappearance, followed by a conversation guided by PEN-nominated translator Sevinç Türkkan (Writing Studies, Rhetoric, and Composition).

April 16 | 5 P.M. Reception and 6:30 p.m. Lecture

Eco-Crip: Exploring the Intersections of Disability Identity and the Environment Through Artistic Practice

In this Center on Disability and Inclusion event, co-presented by Visiting Artists Lecture (VALS) VPA and the SU Art Museum, Alex Dolores Salerno and Francisco echo Eraso consider the intersections of disabled identity and ecological crisis.

April 17 | Noon–2 p.m.

Eco-Crip: Community Workshop on Stimming and Craft Processes

Artists Alex Dolores Salerno and Francisco echo Eraso demonstrate how sensory processes like fiber-based crafting can connect makers to their larger communities, ecologies, and environments. Hosted by the Center on Disability and Inclusion and the SU Art Museum.