Stafford Smith and Ritsu Katsumata– Public Lecture and Reception

She developed her innovative fingerstyle acoustic guitar technique while studying music theory and composition at New York University. Williams has released two previous albums, Unwind (2018) and Urban Driftwood (2021), where she introduced unique approaches, such as playing kalimba and guitar simultaneously. Her music also incorporates instruments like the kora, harp guitar and banjo. Despite her use of folk instruments, she resists being categorized, valuing creative freedom over conformity. Her latest record, Acadia, is out from Nonesuch Records.

Exhibition: November 5 – December 15Lecture & Opening Reception: November 5, 5:00 PMSmith (visual art) and Katsumata (electric violin) present their collaborative practice weaving image, sound, history, and memory. Smith draws from comic books, manga, surrealism, Ukiyo-e, anime, and pop culture to examine cultural narratives, while Katsumata creates vivid soundscapes blending classical training with experimental composition. Together, their work explores ancestry, cultural identity, and the stories that connect us.

Gina Siepel: To Understand a Tree encapsulates 6 years in communion with a single tree. Bridging art, ecology, and queer experience, the project approaches wood as a living being and explores interconnection, habitat, and environmental responsibility. Organized by the Museum for Art in Wood and curated by Jennifer-Navva Milliken.

Artist Marie Cochran reimagines the novel "Those We Thought We Knew," by David Joy that explores themes of generational trauma, and betrayal through the story of a young Black artist who returns to her ancestral home. This exhibition is presented in collaboration with Bucknell's Critical Black Studies program.

Tree Time with Dr. John Penniman4:30 p.m.Samek Art Museum, Bucknell University, Elaine Langone Center, top floor701 Moore Avenue, Lewisburg, PAThis talk by Dr. John Penniman, Religious Studies, will explore the significance of trees within multiple religious traditions, with an emphasis on the central role that trees have played in myths, rituals, and ethics. We will discuss how trees have shaped cultural worldviews and, in turn, how these worldviews affect the meaning humans make of trees.

Participation is limited to currently enrolled Bucknell students.