Beyond Cuckoo

I recently took advantage of a ‘Zoom’ presentation from the School for Advanced Research, located in Santa Fe, New Mexico re: Communicating Difficult Topics: Art, Aesthetics and Anthropology in Light in Dark Times. https://sarweb.org/  The two contributors, Alisse Waterston and Charlotte Corden, spoke about their recently published (University of Toronto Press) graphic novel ‘Light in Dark Times’. https://www.lightindarktimesbook.com/

I’m new to the concept of the Graphic Novel and wasn’t sure if it would appeal. However, as I listened to these two accomplished women, I found that the collaboration between writer and artist to be refreshing, clear and concise; invoking the reader’s perception to bring in new and controversial thoughts.

The webinar gave me a chance to ask about the target audience for the book and I wasn’t surprised that it was mainly developed for university classes. However, when it arrived and I cracked it open, I was taken into a world of hope.

Anthropology, the study of that which makes us human, is unveiled and made accessible by the combination of art and profound thoughts that link the past with today’s challenging landscape. Of interest is that these two women hadn’t met until Charlotte Corden attended Alisse Waterston’s farewell address as she left her position as president of the American Anthropological Association. What struck me was that Ms. Corden used a technique I often do when I’m trying to catch the gist of a class, lecture, or presentation—which is to randomly sketch what I hear/see and fill in the spaces with suitable words to remind me later as to what was taught. (More effective than attempting long wordy notes in chicken scrawl.) As I read this book, I realized the effectiveness of graphic presentations that pull out those feelings, that as a reader, we may have buried deep within. An eye-opener for sure.