Spotlight on Care

This session features poet and associate professor of English Megan Kaminski and alumna, writer, and artist Lesley Ann Wheeler (PhD, 2020) in discussion about their recently published Prairie Divination deck. Learn about the origins of the project, a product of generative and reciprocal relationships, and how it continues to support collaboration, care, and friendship. We’ll wrap up the session with a special Earth Day oracle reading and conversation.

In “A Burst of Light: Living With Cancer,” Black lesbian feminist Audre Lorde argued, "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare." This session features an opportunity to discuss the appropriation of Lorde's concept of self-care. We will explore the relationship between self-care and feminism as well as the increasing commodification of self-care under capitalism. Led by Meg Williams, PhD, Assistant Director, Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity and Najarian Peters, JD, Associate Professor of Law.

That’s right, this session calls you to rest. Inspired by the work of Tricia Hersey, the Nap Bishop, and her initiative, the Nap Ministry, assistant professor of curriculum & teaching, M’Balia Thomas, will lead a discussion about her decision to consciously slow down and deepen her research and teaching, and what the art of reorienting from a model of productivity has made possible. Following, attendees are invited to participate in a community rest-in.

In an era of accelerating crisis, how might we “come back down to Earth” and collectively embrace limits in ways that help us build more caring, just, and sustainable
communities? Our human abilities, knowledge, and lives are limited, yet we have the chance to learn. And as a society we need to learn to respect and live within the ecological limits of the planet. Aubrey Streit Krug, Director of Ecosphere Studies at The Land Institute, will lead a session exploring questions and practices around limits, sufficiency, creative learning, and care. Streit Krug’s recent articles include “Ecospheric Care Work” and “A Social Perennial Vision.”

How inclusive are our communities? What paths should be taken in supporting future communities? This week’s session features community leader, Inoru Morris, president of the Kansas City Center for Inclusion and PhD student in the School of Public Affairs & Administration at KU. He will lead a conversation that centers inclusive
community-building, gender equity, and representation.

Recently, media outlets have offered space for a conversation that many of us know all too well--that of depletion with no reprieve in sight, and specifically, within the realm of higher education. What do scholars observe about trends in burnout and demoralization across the nation? And how might ideas like Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone’s “Active Hope,” revitalize us?

Casey Mesick Braun (Curator of Global Indigenous Art at the Spencer Museum of Art), and Cara Weeks Neuburger (ATR, LCPC at Sunflower Art Therapy), will co-facilitate a session that explores how art can promote well-being, adaptability, and self-care. Casey will lead a slow exploration of a newly commissioned artwork currently on view in the exhibition Healing, Knowing, Seeing the Body at the Spencer Museum of Art, offering an opportunity for pause, reflection, and contemplation. Cara will then guide us through an art-making activity to promote creative ways for self-care.

How might thinking with plants and animals allow us a different lens through which to see our present world and histories—and help to imagine futures? What do we learn when we seek alternative sources of wisdom, ones that resist narratives of productivity, accumulation, and disposability? How can we practice listening to our intuition, to our own heart? This session will explore and inspire the cultivation of personal and creative practices that deepen our relationships with the more-than-human persons who live with and around us. We’ll explore possibilities for collaboration through a look at the prairie divination project, a brief introduction to divination, as well as a shared practice. Led by poet and associate professor of English, Megan Kaminski.

Led by the Graduate Student Collective of the Center for Compassionate & Sustainable Communities, this session focuses on sustainable community building at a time when feeling isolated is easy. Discussion will include ideas for creating community. CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) will also be available to help answer questions; offer resources; and share guidance for how to maintain healthy relationships with our surrounding environments.

It has been a year since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 virus a pandemic. Associate professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration Ward Lyles studies and teaches about disasters, policy, and people, and he has observed how local responses to COVID have repeated many of the system failures seen in disasters like Hurricanes Katrina and Maria. Discussion will include questions like: How has (and hasn’t) COVID fundamentally altered our lives? How we can build community in this new ‘normal’? What types of compassionate leadership are we observing at the grassroots level to meet current need? What types of compassionate leadership remain absent, and where might we look for that leadership--or create it ourselves?

This session features guided discussion to consider ways in which we can--as individuals and as larger departments/offices/programs--reflect the principles of generous thinking, as described by Kathleen Fitzpatrick in her 2019 book Generous Thinking: A Radical Approach to Saving the University. Attendees are encouraged to view her keynote talk that launched the KU Summit on Community-Engaged Learning and Scholarship on January 27, viewable at the KU Libraries YouTube channel.

This session features the work of artist Jill Downen, an associate professor of sculpture at the Kansas City Art Institute. Her current series, Speak Truth, interrogates the notion of ‘truth’ in 2020 and invites participants to offer sound clips of their personal truths. Downen creates original works on paper with these data, building a collaborative body of work, informed by many and diverse perspectives. Session attendees will consider personal truths and have a chance to discuss them in concert with voices shared through Downen’s series.

This session features an opportunity to create an action plan for developing a climate of care. Led by Mary Fry, Professor in the Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences, in the School of Education and Human Sciences, this session is an extension of Dr. Fry’s presentation from Oct. 29. Participants will have a chance to consider spaces in their lives where they can employ these strategies to foster positive growth and make a plan. It is not necessary for you to have attended Oct. 29.

We’re holding space for a community check-in. This time is set aside for open discussion, related to the well-being and care of ourselves and the community.

This session features a presentation by Caleb Morse, Collection Manager, at the R.L. McGregor Herbarium on west campus. Caleb will speak about his work with plant specimens and how that has changed during the pandemic. Participants will have an opportunity to be outside and find leaf specimens in their neighborhoods before returning for a conversation about what we collected. Caleb works at the Biodiversity Institute and Kansas Biological survey, where he manages collections, aids in identification of plant specimens, and also occasionally teaches field botany.

Join for an exploration of the Spencer Museum of Art’s 2020 Common Work of Art. Translated Vase, 2007, by South Korean artist Yeesookyung 李受俓 (b.1963), is a ceramic sculpture, made of reassembled pieces that asks us to consider what it means to create, to repair, and to transform. In a 2018 interview, the artist cited a desire to celebrate “the vulnerability of the object and ultimately myself.” Discussion hosted by Celka Straughn, Deputy Director for Public Practice, Curatorial and Research, Andrew W. Mellon Director of Academic Programs and Ashley Offill, Andrew W. Mellon Curricular and Digital Projects Coordinator.

As the weather begins to change, and the outdoor activities we’ve enjoyed all summer wind down, we find ourselves spending more time inside. At the same time, election season is taking over a lot of media channels. This session is dedicated to connecting us to free resources, accessible via our local libraries, at KU and in Lawrence. It will also provide suggestions for finding credible sources of information.

This session explores Softening Mindfulness Practice. Attendees will gain skills for practice in softening around physical and emotional sensations. Led by Merrill Evans, CARE Coordinator, Watkins Health Services, KU.

We offer this space for students, staff, and faculty to come together in community. This week will focus on things we’ve come to understand differently this year, and specifically, the lessons we have learned while living through a pandemic. The Spotlight on Care series will continue to develop responsively to the needs of those it serves.

This session explores the role, sacrifices, and experiences of our bodies during times of trauma, by considering ourselves within a larger ecosystem. Led by Assistant Professor of Curriculum & Teaching, M’Balia Thomas, this session will include independent outdoor meditation; discussion around Environmental Apartheid, Ecological Trauma, and Sacrifice Zones; and an opportunity to establish a focus for the week.

These sessions center "How to be an Antiracist," by Ibram X. Kendi. Excerpts include: Chapters 1-3 and Chapters 16-17.

These sessions center "Generous Thinking: A Radical Approach to Saving the University," by Kathleen Fitzpatrick. Excerpts include: pp. 1-15, 26-45, and Chapter 1.

Improve your seated and standing posture by learning about the bones, muscles, and proper alignment of the pelvis and by learning targeted stretches and body-rolling exercises. Led by Holly Krebs, Certified Rolfer at Kinetikos Bodywork Therapy. No equipment is required, though a chair and a foam roller or tennis balls will be helpful during demonstration.


This final session of the academic year will be a chance to have lunch together. We’ll check in with each other, reflect on what we’ve learned and enjoyed through this series, and consider ideas for its future. Join us for a midday break.

An introduction to Qi Gong, a gentle, moving meditation that coordinates activity and breath to get into a state of flow. Led by Julie Bear Don’t Walk, Licensed Acupuncturist and National Board Certified Chinese Herbalist, of Julie Bear Don't Walk Acupuncture and Integrative Health.

Gain understanding of what disempowers us, and learn skills for building resilience through emotional processing and empowerment practices. With Barbara Gilbert, clinical and community psychologist.

A yoga session to help you get moving and to relax. Led by Wanwan Cai, yoga instructor at OmTree Shala.

This session will focus on building contemplative and creative practices to find meaningful connection among humans, plants, and animals in times of uncertainty. Join poet and professor of English Megan Kaminski in an introduction to eco-poetics, divination, and plant thinking.

A yoga session that targets areas most ill-affected by sitting at a desk all day. Led by Sarah Sally Birmingham, yoga instructor at Be Moved Studios. No equipment is required, though a folded blanket or towel or cushion will be helpful for positions that involve sitting on the floor.

Learn to use the mindfulness practice of gratitude to guide your choices and decisions, even in times of uncertainty. With Sami Aaron of The Resilient Activist.

A discussion and workshop around local food systems and access with grower and activist Pantaleon Florez (Maseualkualli Farms), followed by an introduction to the process of seed starting. Learn about local resources for growers and community gardens.

Learn about ways to integrate structure into your daily life by actively identifying activities and behaviors that align with personal goals, as well as those that don’t. Address restlessness and anxiety-driven decision-making by developing a plan to put into practice. Led by Pamela Brown and Kyle Devlin of Better Self Nutrition.

Touch base and discuss ideas for topics we might explore in this series through May. Attendees are encouraged to share a current favorite activity that engages care.

De-Roling from Work
Learn about de-roling, a drama therapy technique to encourage work/life balance. Led by Jane Barnette, Associate Professor of Theatre & Dance at KU.

Ceramics & Intersectionality
Using her own life experiences as a starting point, Ashlyn Pope discusses how she uses social and historical information to bring awareness to and acknowledgment of intersectionality through her artistic research and practice. This discussion will center the intersection of clay and healing. Led by Ashlyn Pope, 2019-2020 Ceramics Artist in Residence at the Lawrence Arts Center.

Communication for Intimacy
Learn powerful communication tools to heal, strengthen and uplift your relationships. Led by D.A. Graham, KU University Ombuds.

Softening Mindfulness Practice
Learn how to practice softening around physical and emotional sensations. Led by Merrill Evans, CARE Coordinator, Watkins Health Services, KU.

Emotional Intelligence
An introduction to emotional intelligence and how it can link to well-being to support care for oneself and others, led by the KU Public Management Center.

Mindfulness in the Museum
Explore visual embodiments of mindfulness in the collection of the Spencer Museum of Art, led by Kristan Hanson graduate student in Art History and Andrew W. Mellon Coordinator, Academic Programs, and Kris Ercums, Curator for Global Contemporary & Asian Art, Spencer Museum of Art.

Manifesting Healing
A writing and performance workshop exploring self-love and self-realization, led by visiting artist River Coello.

Yoga for Wellness
A session devoted to better understanding the history and benefits of yoga, with a 25-minute guided yoga session to develop tools that can be implemented off the yoga mat (at your desk, work, and in your daily life). Led by Nikki Cohen, a graduate student in the clinical psychology department.

Resilience is Relational
Resilience is key to enduring and bouncing back from difficulties, but it can’t be achieved alone. Led by Ward Lyles, Associate Professor in the School of Public Affairs & Administration.