a2ru National Conference Agenda

July 22, 2014

The tentative agenda for the a2ru 2014 National Conference at ISU is now available. The conference, which takes place November 5-8, 2014, focuses on arts-integrative research, curricula, and creative practices that faculty conduct at a2ru partner institutions and beyond. The agenda contains information on presentations and events. It is located on the a2ru events page and can also be downloaded by clicking here. The hashtag for the conference is #a2ruEdge.

The theme for the a2ru 2014 National Conference is Edge Effects, which serves as an apt analogy for the great wealth of arts-integrative interdisciplinary research, curricula and creative practices in which a2ru partners engage. At these edges scholars and creators from the arts and other disciplines form unique relationships, make creative and scholarly adaptations and, in many cases, create new fields, knowledge and modes of creative expression.

The “edge effect” refers to the changes in population and diversity of species where habitats meet, compete and overlap. In these boundary spaces, or edges, ecologists often find greater numbers of species from both habitats, as well as greater biodiversity than found in either. The edge is where we find plants and animals from each habitat that form unique relationships, make adaptations and contribute to the emergence of new species.