“Who IS South End Newark?”

Date of Event: April 8, 2013

Posted: April 1, 2013

GRANVILLE, Ohio—“The past year has seen a lot of discussion about Main Street and Wall Street, but very little about the side streets that most of us live on,” says Amanda Gunn, an associate professor and chair of the Department of Communication at Denison University. With this in mind, Gunn themed a senior seminar class around the question of “Who is South End Newark?” Her class worked with residents of South End Newark, holding in-depth interviews, and working to answer the basic question: how do members of this community identify themselves? An exhibition of their work will take place from Monday, April 8, through Monday, April 22, in the William Howard Doane Library (400 West Loop), with an opening reception taking place at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 8. The reception and exhibition are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Gunn at 740-587-6396 or visit www.denison.edu. 

The one-to-three hourlong interviews between the students and members of the community were audio-recorded, and the interviewees were photographed. Anne Crowley, director of educational technology, assisted the students in creating shorter podcasts from the interviews. These podcasts will be featured at the exhibition, along with posters of the residents overlain with poems the students wrote about each interviewee, using their own words.
 
About the seminar, Gunn said, “We can offer a considerable amount of statistics to describe the area. However, statistics never paint the full picture, and can often distort the story of the people that call it home. The goal of the course and research project was to generate the space for the people living and working in the South End to be able to define their own lives. The photographs and the poems bring to life the reality that in the midst of these real challenges live real people with hopes and dreams.” She adds, “This community represents towns all over America that people drive through every day, but who don’t understand the folks who live in them.”

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING, Denison University, Granville—Exhibition: “Who is South End Newark?” opening reception at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 8, exhibition continues through through Monday, April 22, in the William Howard Doane Library (400 West Loop). Free and open to the public. For more information, contact Amanda Gunn at 740-587-6396 or visit www.denison.edu.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name
Ginny Sharkey
Position Title
Media Relations
Primary Email
sharkeyv@denison.edu
Business Phone
(740) 587-6266
 

For more information, contact Media Relations.


Denison University, 100 West College Street, Granville, Ohio 43023
© 2013 Denison University • 1-800-DENISON