Program: Portrait of a Goth – In conversation with historian Douglas Boin

Presented from/by: The Art Institue of Chicago

Program: Lisa Çakmak, curator and chair of Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium, joins Chicago-born author and historian Douglas Boin for a talk about the origins of the Goths in the ancient Mediterranean—and for an important conversation about the need to include the art and stories of overlooked individuals and marginalized communities in our histories and museums. Few figures are more infamous than the man who sacked Rome in 410 CE, Alaric the Goth. Yet Roman artists, ever dismissive of foreigners, largely turned both Alaric and the Gothic people into caricatures of wild, uncivilized barbarians. Introducing audiences to the story of Alaric’s life, as well as highlighting pieces from the Art Institute’s collection

About the Speaker: Boin’s research has been featured by NPR, the Atlantic, the Economist, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, NBC news, the Boston Globe, and the Spanish newspaper El País. Two of his essays on the history of Rome were published by Time magazine — ”What We Get Wrong about the Fall of Rome” and “An Ancient Roman Lesson in the Power of Welcoming Immigrants.“ His advocacy on behalf of cultural heritage was featured in the International New York Times.

This program is free. It is not an IWA program.

Please Register at Portrait of a Goth—In Conversation with Historian Douglas Boin (The Art Institute website. Only name and email needed)

Also please register here on the IWA website so we know how much interest we have in the arts.