Vivienne Rowett is an Old Testament/Hebrew Bible scholar and award-winning artist who uses material culture, stitching, sewing, knitting, and weaving, to interpret biblical texts. Through a medium often dismissed as “women’s work,” Ms. Rowett incorporates contemporary culture alongside an historical and theological analysis providing new insights into biblical texts. Ms. Rowett’s “textile exegesis” is grounded in academic research imagined within a domestic space. Topics addressed in Ms. Rowett’s work include praise, division, love, mental health, war, and trauma. Her approach directly engages religious studies, women’s studies, Judaic studies, and visual and performing arts, supporting the Humanities Institute’s mission. The purpose of the art exhibition, public lecture and two teaching sessions is to offer students, faculty, and the community a new way into the text, one that engages academic approach while honoring the human experience.

This lecture will be held in-person from 7-9pm on Mon. 2/27 at the Barone Campus Center (Oak Room) and via livestream.  Register here The lecture is sponsored by the Humanities Institute and the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies and co-sponsored by the departments of WGSS, VPA, and Religious Studies. The exhibition is on display through April 15th in the DiMenna-Nyselius Library (lobby and lower level).