Events at the Center for Hellenic Studies

June 19-20, 2020. This event celebrates contemporary re-imaginings of Greek culture as they pertain to the ancient and eternal tradition of the Festival of the Delphic Games. The online event invites the global community to engage with ancient Greek art, music, dance, poetry, song, myth, sport and theater in modern iterations through live-streamed performances and discussions, and through the Garden of the Muses, a collection of videos, audio recordings, and articles. Read More...

Fall 2019. This exhibition features watercolor illustrations from Gareth Hinds’s graphic novel adaptations of the epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey. Hinds uses traditional and digital media to create vivid depictions of the action and emotion in each epic. His dynamic color palettes and careful details differentiate the numerous gods and heroes. Read More...

Permanent collection. The Center for Hellenic Studies showcases eighteen portraits of influential black classicists. This historic exhibition celebrates the important role of African Americans in the field of Classics, and provides a unique opportunity to reflect upon the purpose of higher education and its place in the struggle for equality and human enrichment. Read More...

February 26, 2020 at Howard University. Professor Emily Allen-Hornblower (Classics, Rutgers) is moderating an evening of public conversation along with one of her formerly incarcerated students, Mr. Marquis McCray. The evening will include the performance of excerpts from Greek tragedies by two seasoned New York City theater actors. The event is part of the Symposium on Incarceration in honor of Frank M. Snowden, Jr. Read More...

February 27, 2020 at Howard University. For the Eighteenth Annual Frank M. Snowden, Jr. lecture and Phi Beta Kappa Liberal Arts Roundtable, Dr. Folch tell the story of three prisoners in the ancient Mediterranean and explore what their stories tell us about ancient prisons and their modern legacy in a talk entitled, "Prison without Punishment Jail without Justice: Reflections on the History of Incarceration in Classical Greece and Rome".Read More...

February 28, 2020, online. The CHS will host a day-long symposium on prison programming and education, families of the incarcerated, and re-entry and public policy. This event will be live-streamed. Read More...

March 2, 2020. The panel brings together renowned actor E. Faye Butler from the cast of The Amen Corner at the Shakespeare Theatre Company; Nefertiti Burton, professor and chairperson of Theatre Arts at Howard University; and Caroline Stark, associate professor of Classics at Howard University. Over the course of the discussion, the speakers will explore similarities between Baldwin's drama and Greek tragedy, the history of African-American theatre, and the importance of rethinking "the classics."Read More...

October 18, 2019. Michael Herzfeld and Manuela Pellegrino will discuss their recent fieldwork in Greece and Italy, and reflect on the challenges of anthropological writing as activism. Participant observation remains the cornerstone of anthropology, while ethnographers practice "observant participation," engaging actively with the very topics they intend to investigate. Herzfeld and Pellegrino will consider longstanding concerns about the objectivity of anthropological studies, and ethical questions about "giving voice," advocacy, and the need to recognize the inherent ideological dimension of anthropological work. Read more...

June 20-21, 2019. This preview served as a practicum for bringing forth five days of world-class lectures, intensive workshops, leadership initiatives, round-table discussions and performances, held on the mythical, archaeological grounds of Mount Parnassus, led by renowned scholars, artists and sports specialists on the convergence of the manifold arts, inspired by the venerable tradition of The Delphic Games in the sacred landscape of Delphi. Read more...

June 16, 2019. Howard University and the Center for Hellenic Studies celebrate James Joyce and epic literature with readings and dramatic presentations in conversation with Ulysses and Odysseus. The event will feature students enrolled in “Blacks in Antiquity,” a summer course offered by Professor Herron at Howard University. Read more...

May 13, 2019. As part of the European Month of Culture, the Center for Hellenic Studies and the Embassy of Greece in Washington, DC are hosting a lecture recital about the lyricist and poet, Nikos Gatsos. Read more...

April 24, 2019. From philosophical principles to architectural grandeur, reminders are everywhere that the Classical is fundamentally political in the U.S. Yet activism and advocacy are sometimes viewed as distractions from — or even enemies of — true scholarship. Donna Zuckerberg, Jonathan Hsy, and Caroloine Stark will discuss ways to connect and integrate political action with the Classics. Read more...

February 15, 2019. A panel discussion with Carolivia Herron, Molly Levine, and Dan-el Padilla Peralta with moderator Caroline Stark Read more...

November 15 and 17, 2018. Renowned vase-painter Thanassis Katsaras will demonstrate the step-by-step process of decorating Greek vases from his studio in Eleusis via a live video link. He will provide a brief survey of Greek vase-painting and show how ancient potters painted different types of scenes and worked on different surfaces. Read more...

October 19, 2018 Blazing with Blackness will examine the geography and literary presence of black people in ancient Greek literature. In particular, Herodotus' description of the Persian-led, Egyptian expedition to Aithiopia (Hdt. 3.17-26) offers telling insight into the cross-cultural connections among non-Greeks. Read more...

This two-day conference seeks to bring together specialists and investigators from various fields who are interested in the history of commentary and its study, in its theoretical underpinnings and its effects, and in exploring new forms commentary has taken in the information age. The conference will be live-streamed; to view, visit the webpage. Read More...

On May 2, 2018, saxophonist Dimitri Vassilakis performed at the CHS with bassist Essiet Essiet, drummer Sylvia Cuenca, and dancers from Word Dance Theater. Dimitri also commented upon his recent presentation, "Jazz and Democracy,” given at the United Nations-New York. Read More...

From November 15, 2017 to February 28, 2018, the Center for Hellenic Studies showcased a series of paintings and drawings by artist Glynnis Fawkes that represent nearly 20 years of work relating to the landscapes of the Eastern Mediterranean. The exhibited pieces draw inspiration from both the archaeology and mythology of Greece and Cyprus. Read More...

On September 16, 2017, The CHS hosted a closing celebration for the exhibit of paintings and drawings that imagine encounters with the Nereids, the daughters of Nereus, who were divine inhabitants of the sea.. There will be a panel discussion, musical and dance performances, and a reception to follow. Read More...

On Saturday, December 3, 2016, the biannual research symposium took place, featuring six presentations by the fall 2016 fellows. Read More...

May 27-October 31, 2016. Micro-Monuments showcases 32 small-scale sculptures which explore monuments as a universal idea in art. The exhibit features work by members of the Washington Sculptors Group of Washington, DC. First exhibited at the Salzland Museum in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, the exhibit now returns to its city of origin. Read more …

From December 12, 2015-October 2016, fifteen large-scale pigment prints by prolific songwriter, poet, and musician Donovan were on exhibit in the main hall of the library. Inspired by the lyric poetry of Sappho (7th century BCE), Donovan's “Sapphographs” capture, in visual form, the mythic beauty of this ancient artistic tradition. Read more …

On Friday, October 14, 2016 at 7pm, the CHS presented a free screening of "Last Words", an award-winning documentary short about the rediscovery of Cappadocian Greek. Linguist-philologist Mark Janse introduced the film. Read more … 

On Thursday, October 13, 2016 at 6:30pm, Professor Marina Lambraki-Plaka presented select masterpieces of the great Renaissance painter Domenikos Theotokopoulos ("El Greco") including The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, View of Toledo, and The Disrobing of Christ. Read more...

Saturday, October 8, 2016 at 4pm. This program combined a juror’s talk with the selected artists participating in "Micro-Monuments". This talk allowed artists and the public to connect with Anne Reeve as she reveals her ideas, concepts, and reasons for her curatorial selections. It provided a deeper insight into the connection between the artists’ concepts, how it affects the juror’s choices, and vice versa. Read more...

The workshop, conducted by Artemis Herber, took place on Sunday, April 24, 2016 from 11am–4pm, and offered hands-on activities with discarded, found or ready-made objects, exploring principles of vertical structures as architectural elements throughout history as well as today. Participants will were invited to respond to quotes from philosophers, architects, or anthropologists in order to create their own personal physical small–scale sculptures on site at the Center for Hellenic Studies. Read more … 

On Saturday, April 16, 2016 the Center for Hellenic Studies and the Duncan Dance Project brought together the artistic and the scholarly with performances of Isadora Duncan dances as well as discussions on the influence of the Greek aesthetic and philosophy. The program made use of the outdoor spaces around the Center, including the open areas and the courtyard of the library. Read more …