Kris Groberg and John Cox will give presentations as part of the Spirit Room's February Armenian lecture series. The lectures are complements to the exhibit "God-Given: Cultural Treasures of Armenia."
Groberg, assistant professor of visual arts, will present "Reading Norik: Iconography as Art" on Thursday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m. She will focus on the tradition of Repoussé decoration as seen in Eastern European hand-crafted art in icons and gospel books, an old tradition in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Slavic world.
Cox, chair of history, philosophy and religious studies, will present "Armenia's Place in the Caucasus and the World," on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. He will provide a basic introduction to Armenian history from the beginnings of Armenian civilization, through the period of its early conversion to Christianity, up to its independent statehood and geo-political situation today. He will discuss the centuries of interactions with the Ottoman Turks, the Russians and the various peoples of the USSR. Cox also will pose a few of the big contested questions from Armenian history and offer a few thoughts on patterns in Armenian's cultural and historical record.
The Spirit Room is located at 111 Broadway, Fargo. For more information, call 237-0230.