Art, Poetry and Big Questions Take Center Stage at Laurel Ridge Humanities Week

Laurel Ridge Community College will celebrate the humanities with a week of discussions, art, film, and student creativity during Humanities Week, scheduled for March 16–20 on its campuses and online.

The weeklong series of events is designed to highlight the importance of subjects such as literature, philosophy, art, and cultural studies while showing students how those fields connect to real-world careers and community life.

Events begin Monday, March 16, with a careers panel featuring professionals working in humanities-related fields. Panelists include Laurel Ridge Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences Nicole Munday, author and Laurel Ridge Professor Emeritus Brent Kendrick, language educator and global cultural specialist Katrin Venema, and Jennifer DeHaven, executive director of Literacy Volunteers Winchester Area.

The discussion will focus on employment pathways and the skills students gain through humanities studies. The panel is hosted by Phi Theta Kappa and will be held in person at the Middletown Campus and online.

Throughout the week, speakers and faculty will lead conversations that connect humanities topics to modern issues. On Tuesday, March 17, professors Margaret Ross, Addie Jones, and Jessi Lewis will discuss ethical questions surrounding artificial intelligence in the classroom during a session titled “What Your Professors Wish You Knew About AI.”

Later that day, Laurel Ridge art professor Monica James will host a conversation on public art and murals with artists Abigail Gómez, founder of Arte Libre, and Athena Scott, a Philadelphia-based artist. The session will also include a live painting demonstration.

On Wednesday, March 18, Laurel Ridge alumnus Chad Lewis will return to campus for a presentation on illustrating children’s books and the creative process. Lewis is now a professor of visual communication and design at Kent State University.

The same afternoon, students will take center stage at an open-mic-style coffeehouse event featuring readings, performances, and artwork from Laurel Ridge students and campus clubs.

Events continue Thursday with a conversation between English professor Jessi Lewis and poet and writer Sean Murphy about storytelling and building community through poetry, publishing, and podcasts. Later in the day, sociology students will host a screening of the short film Ismail, followed by a discussion exploring empathy and human experiences.

Most sessions will be livestreamed, allowing participants to join remotely from the Fauquier Campus or online.

Lewis, who organized Humanities Week for the college, said the events aim to spark meaningful conversations about the role the humanities play in everyday life.

“So much about the world shows the value of empathy, self-expression, ethics, and our social fabric,” Lewis said. “We have a great need, even an urgent one, to gather and have conversations about what it means to be human. This is a start.”

The humanities include fields that examine human culture, creativity, and social interaction. College leaders say these subjects help students develop skills such as communication, critical thinking, and cultural awareness that apply across many careers.

Organizers hope the week’s events will encourage students to explore those disciplines and invite community members to join the conversation.

Humanities Week events are open to Laurel Ridge students, employees, and the public. A full schedule and links for livestreamed sessions are available at laurelridge.edu/HW.