Nuclear Threats Panel Discussion Tonight

The Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies will host an event showcasing selected scholars discussing nuclear threats tonight (Thursday, Mar. 6th) from 5:30-7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries.

Speakers at the event will carry on an open dialogue with the audience prompting attendees to think about the history of nuclear threats, beginning with the atomic bomb blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Moderator Jeffrey Berejikian, associate professor in the department of international affairs, will guide panelists through a discussion of perceptions about nuclear threats today and how they compare with those experienced during the atomic age.

“We want to focus on how much the world has changed in such a short period of time,” said Berejikian. “As moderator, I would like to ask panelists about ‘lessons learned’ both correctly and incorrectly, and then also discuss contemporary nuclear issues.”

Other featured speakers include: Igor Khripunov, Center for International Trade and Security; Loch Johnson, School of Public and International Affairs; and General Pan Zhenqiang, visiting scholar, Center for International Trade and Security. Light refreshments will be served following the discussion and audience question-and-answer session.

Following the panel discussion and reception, the library will screen Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb in the auditorium, introduced by Dr. Christopher Sieving (Department of Theatre and Film Studies). 

These events are two in a series of ten to be hosted by the Russell Library this winter, all inspired by "Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow: Living with the Atomic Bomb, 1945-1965"on display in the Harrison Feature Gallery through March 14. For more information on this or other events in the "Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow" series, see http://www.libs.uga.edu/russell/programs/events or email russlib@uga.edu, or call 706-542-5788.

"Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow" was curated by Michael Scheibach, an independent collector in Independence, Mo, and Leslie Przybylek, curator of humanities exhibitions at Mid-America Arts Alliance. ExhibitsUSA, a national program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, tours the exhibition. ExhibitsUSA sends more than 25 exhibitions on tour to more than 100 small- and mid-sized communities every year. More information is available at www.maaa.org and www.eusa.org.

The display at the Russell Library is supported by the President's Venture Fund, the Georgia Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities and through appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly, the School for Public and International Affairs, the Center for International Trade and Security, and the departments of history, English and film studies.

Storytellers & Scholars Event Tonight at 7PM

"Life in the Atomic Age" will be the theme for a Storytellers and Scholars Event to be held tonight, March 5th, from 7-9 p.m. at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries on the University of Georgia campus.

The program will include live interviews paired with archival footage and oral history clips from the collections of the Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. The program will look at national and international events as well as feature personal stories about Atomic Age happenings.

Three faculty presenters from UGA will reflect on the impact of the Atomic Age on technology, art and architecture. Faculty presenters will include Shane Hamilton (history department), Janice Simon (Lamar Dodd School of Art) and Mark Reinberger (College of Environment and Design).

The program will feature "some great stories from the First Person Project, as well as some excellent archival footage from the time period," said Callie Holmes, an oral history and media archivist at UGA. "One of our favorites so far is a First Person Project interview with a woman who participated in bomb shelter experiments run by UGA's psychology department in the early 1960s."

Jan Levinson, outreach archivist at UGA, said she hopes the event encourages attendees to "consider the impact of events, micro and macro, and how these moments can shape things moving forward."

Attendees are encouraged to dress for an evening in the Atomic Age and wear their finest vintage attire from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Prizes will be awarded for the best outfit of the evening.

This event is one in a series of 10 hosted by the Russell Library this winter, all inspired by the exhibit "Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow: Living with the Atomic Bomb, 1945-1965" on display in the Russell Library Gallery through March 14. For more information on this or other events in the "Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow" series, see http://www.libs.uga.edu/russell/programs/events, email russlib@uga.edu, or call 706-542-5788.

The event is co-sponsored by the Georgia Museum of Art, which is displaying "Art Interrupted: Advancing Art and the Politics of Cultural Diplomacy" through April 20. The exhibition reunites all but 10 of the paintings originally purchased by the U.S. State Department for a traveling project meant to spread the word globally about the wonders of democracy. The original project ended in failure, as the public and press objected to the modernity of the art and to many of the artists' backgrounds. The paintings were sold for pennies on the dollar as war surplus.

"Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow" was curated by Michael Scheibach, an independent collector in Independence, Mo., and Leslie Przybylek, curator of humanities exhibitions at Mid-America Arts Alliance. ExhibitsUSA, a national program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, tours the exhibition. ExhibitsUSA sends more than 25 exhibitions on tour to more than 100 small- and mid-sized communities every year. More information is available at www.maaa.org and www.eusa.org.

This project is supported by the Georgia Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities and through appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly. This project is also supported by partners on the UGA campus, including: the President's Venture Fund, the School of Public and International Affairs, the Center for International Trade and Security, and the departments of film, history and English.

To learn more about the Richard B. Russell Library, visit http://www.libs.uga.edu/russell.
To learn more about the Georgia Museum of Art, visit http://georgiamuseum.org/.

More Great Programs Coming Up Next Week

As our Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow Program Series comes to a close, we'll be hosting four great events next week at the Russell Library. We hope you'll join us at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries to take in a few of the offerings! Have questions? Call 706-542-5788 or email russlib@uga.edu.


Wednesday, March 5, 2014, 7:00-9:00PM
Storytellers & Scholars: Life in the Atomic Age
Location: Large Event Space (Room 285), Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries

Inspired by the storytelling format of the popular radio show This American Life and co-sponsored by the Georgia Museum of Art, the Russell Library will host an event showcasing selected scholars, community members, and archival footage. The chosen theme: Life in the Atomic Age. Featured scholars will include Shane Hamilton (Departmet of History), Janice Simon (Department of Art History), Mark Reinberger (College of Environment and Design), and Callie Holmes (Oral History and Media Archivist, Russell Library). Light refreshments will be served during the event.

Thursday, March 6, 2014, 5:30-7:00PM
Panel Discussion, Nuclear Threats Then & Now
Location: Auditorium (Room 271), Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries

This event will feature a panel discussion focused on American attitudes toward nuclear culture in the wake of 1945 atomic bomb blasts and draw comparisons/contrasts to the current state of nuclear threats worldwide. How did the US government attempt to calm, warn, and protect citizens then? How do they approach these goals today? Light refreshments will be served. Featured speakers will include: Jeffrey Berejikian (School of Public and International Affairs); Loch Johnson (School for Public and International Affairs); Igor Khripunov (Center for International Trade and Security); General Pan Zhenqiang.


Thursday March 6, 2014, 7:00-9:00PM
Film Screening, Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Location: Auditorium (Room 271), Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries

This film series will explore cultural manifestations of nuclear anxiety and the Cold War politics of the time period. Each film in the series is curated and introduced by Dr. Christopher Sieving (UGA Department of Theatre and Film Studies). Light refreshments provided during intermission; doors open at 6:30PM.

More About The Film…
Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964): An insane general starts a process leading to certain nuclear holocaust that a war room of politicians and generals frantically try to stop. Directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Peter Sellers. (Run Tim: 95 minutes)

Friday, March 7, 2014, 9:00AM-4:00PM
First Person Project Interview Day
Meet in Room 268, Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries

This March the First Person Project, an oral history series documenting the experiences of everyday Georgians, invites participants to tackle the topic of security.

Inspired by the Russell Library’s ongoing exhibition, Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow: Living with the Atomic Bomb, 1945-1965, the First Person Project hopes to capture stories that get to the heart of what security means to you. What makes you feel safe and secure as an individual, member of a family or community, or as a citizen living in the 21st century? Exploring the other side of the coin, what stories from childhood or adulthood best describe your fears – how you have confronted them, how they might have shaped you. How do these stories of security and fear intertwine?

Six sets of partners will be accepted for this First Person Project session, scheduled for Friday, March 7th between 9:00am and 4:00pm. Each audio recording session takes one hour to complete. Photographs will also be taken for each session. The Russell Library will archive the interviews to add to its documentation of life in post 20th century Georgia and will provide participants with a free digital download of the recording and photographs. A $10 donation is suggested for each participant pair.

For more information, or to reserve an interview slot, call (706) 542-5788 or email russlib@uga.edu

Panel Discussion on Atomic Culture Tonight!

Tonight (Thursday, February 20th) the Russell Library will host the panel discussion, "Nuclear Anxiety and Civil Defense in Popular Culture" from 5:30-7:00PM in the auditorium (room 271) of the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries.

Join us as speakers explore the cultural impact of the atomic bomb, addressing how films, fashion and comics of the time period were inspired and shaped by both the technology and anxiety of the nuclear age. Featured speakers will include: Kirk Willis, history department; Christopher Pizzino, English department; José Blanco, historic clothing and textiles collection; and Christopher Sieving, department of theatre and film studies. Light refreshments will be served following the panel discussion and audience question-and-answer session.

And as a special treat, stay after the panel discussion for our screening of The Manchurian Candidate, introduced by Dr. Christopher Sieving. Our regular spread of atomic treats will be available during the screening!

 Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow: Living with the Atomic Bomb, 1945-1965"on display in the Harrison Feature Gallery through March 14. For more information on this or other events in the "Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow" series, see http://www.libs.uga.edu/russell/programs/events or email russlib@uga.edu, or call 706-542-5788.

These events are part of a series hosted by the Russell Library this winter, all inspired by "

Tonight's Panel Discussion and Film Screening Rescheduled

Due to inclement weather, the University of Georgia campus will be closed today, Thursday, February 13, 2014.

Tonight's scheduled panel discussion, Nuclear Anxiety and Civil Defense in Popular Culture, has been postponed. This event will now take place on next Thursday, February 20th from 5:30-7:00PM in the auditorium of the Special Collections Building. 

Additionally, tonight's screening of Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb has also been postponed. The screening will now take place on Thursday, March 6th from 7:00-9:00PM, immediately following the panel discussion Nuclear Threats, Then and Now (5:30-7:00PM). We hope you'll plan to join us for this double feature as well!

If you have have any questions please email russlib@uga.edu or call (706) 542-5788.Please mark your calendars with these new dates and we hope to see you soon. 

Nuclear Threats Panel Discussion Postponed

Due to inclement weather, the University of Georgia campus will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday, February 12, 2014.

Tomorrow's scheduled panel discussion, Nuclear Threats Then and Now, has been postponed. This event will now take place on Thursday, March 6th from 5:30-7:00PM in the auditorium of the Special Collections Building. A description of the event is displayed below. If you have have any questions please email russlib@uga.edu or call (706) 542-5788.Please mark your calendars with this new date and we hope to see you on March 6th!

Thursday, March 6, 2014, 5:30-7:00PM
Panel Discussion, Nuclear Threats, Then and Now
Location: Auditorium (Room 271), Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries

This event will feature a panel discussion focused on American attitudes toward nuclear culture in the wake of 1945 atomic bomb blasts and draw comparisons/contrasts to the current state of nuclear threats worldwide. How did the US government attempt to calm, warn, and protect citizens then? How do they approach these goals today? Light refreshments will be served. Featured speakers will include: Jeffrey Berejikian (School of Public and International Affairs); Loch Johnson (School for Public and International Affairs); William Keller (Center for International Trade and Security); Igor Khripunov (Center for International Trade and Security).

On tap this week...

We have our fingers crossed that the coming winter weather front won't delay our programs happening this week at the Russell Library. Below is a list of scheduled events. Check back here on the blog or on our website, Twitter feed, or Facebook page tomorrow morning with updates/confirmations once we see what the weather has in store for Athens, GA.

Panel Discussion, Nuclear Threats Then & Now
Wednesday, February 12, 2014, 5:30-7:00PM
Location: Auditorium (Room 271), Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries

This event will feature a panel discussion focused on American attitudes toward nuclear culture in the wake of 1945 atomic bomb blasts and draw comparisons/contrasts to the current state of nuclear threats worldwide. How did the US government attempt to calm, warn, and protect citizens then? How do they approach these goals today? Light refreshments will be served. Featured speakers will include: Jeffrey Berejikian (School of Public and International Affairs); Loch Johnson (School for Public and International Affairs); William Keller (Center for International Trade and Security); Igor Khripunov (Center for International Trade and Security).

Panel Discussion, Nuclear Anxiety and Civil Defense in Popular Culture
Thursday, February 13, 2014, 5:30-7:00 PM
Location: Auditorium (Room 271), Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries

This event will feature a panel discussion focused on the cultural impact of the atomic bomb addressing how films, fashion, and comics of the time period were inspired and shaped by both the technology and anxiety of the nuclear age. Featured speakers will include: Kirk Willis, (Department of History); Christopher Pizzino (Department of English); José Blanco F. (Historic Clothing and Textiles Collection, College of Family and Consumer Sciences); and Christopher Sieving, (Department of Theatre & Film Studies). Light refreshments will be served.


Film Screening, Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Thursday, February 13, 2014, 7:00-9:00PM
Location: Auditorium (Room 271), Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries

This film series will explore cultural manifestations of nuclear anxiety and the Cold War politics of the time period. Each film in the series is curated and introduced by Dr. Christopher Sieving (UGA Department of Theatre and Film Studies). Light refreshments provided during intermission; doors open at 6:30PM.

More About The Film…
Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964): An insane general starts a process leading to certain nuclear holocaust that a war room of politicians and generals frantically try to stop. Directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Peter Sellers. (Run Tim: 95 minutes)

Monster Movie Matinee Series Starts Tomorrow

What happens when mutant ants attack?

Find out tomorrow, Saturday, February 8th from 2:00-3:30PM when the Russell Library’s Monster Movie Matinee series kicks off with a screening of the 1954 film Them! in the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries.

Join us in the auditorium (Room 271) at 2:00PM. Doors open at 1:30 for atomic age refreshments. The screening is free and open to the public; introduction by Dr. Christopher Pizzino (UGA Department of English). For more information call (706) 542-5788 or email russlib@uga.edu.

More about the film…
Them! (1954): The earliest atomic tests in New Mexico cause common ants to mutate into giant man-eating monsters that threaten civilization. Starring James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, and Joan Weldon. (Run Time: 94 minutes) 

More about Monster Movie Matinee...

The atomic age inspired a host of science fiction movies that guessed at what new technology and the space race might bring. Join us as we screen three classic films from the 1950s exploring aliens, atom bombs, and the threat of communism on Saturday afternoons - our Monster Movie Matinee!. Series curated by Dr. Christopher Sieving (UGA Department of Theatre and Film Studies). The series is inspired by the ongoing exhibition, Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow: Living with the Atomic Bomb, 1945-1965, on display in the Russell Library Gallery through March 14, 2014.

Thanks to our sponsors...
The Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow Program Series was made possible with contributions from several campus partners including The Center for International Trade and Security, The School of Public and International Affairs, the Department of History, the Department of English, and Film Studies. The Russell Library thanks these event sponsors and also our exhibit sponsors, The President’s Venture Fund and the Georgia Humanities Council.

Forum on America's Role in the World this Wednesday (February 5th)

Please join us at our next program in the Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow program series this week!

National Issues Forum, Topic: America’s Role in the World
When: Wednesday, February 5th, 2014; 5:30-7:00PM
Where: Large Event Space (Room 285), Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries

Description: Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has gone from being one of two “superpowers” to being the leading world power, but there are signs that American dominance is eroding as countries like China and India grow and prosper. And new threats have emerged – pandemics, resource depletion, climate change – that no one nation can solve alone. What does all this mean for our national security and our relationships with the other nations of the world? Join us for this deliberative discussion where we weigh the benefits and tradeoffs of three approaches to this issue using an NIF issue guide.

More about the Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow Program Series...
Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow: Living with the Atomic Bomb, 1945-1965, a traveling exhibition that explores the ways in which Americans experienced the Atomic threat as part of their daily lives—at school, in the home, and even at play, is on display in the Russell Library Gallery through March 14, 2014. Inspired by the exhibition, and in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Russell Library, the Library will host a series of eleven public programs during the spring semester, in collaboration with partners across the UGA campus, that spotlight some of the most significant events of the time period and invite attendees to reflect on life in America during the Atomic Age. Programs will include panel discussions, film screenings, community forum and storytelling events, and a day of oral history. More information on the program series is available on the Russell Library website at www.libs.uga.edu/russell/programs/events.

 Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow is curated by Michael Scheibach, an independent collector in Independence, MO, and Leslie Przybylek, Curator of Humanities Exhibitions at Mid-America Arts Alliance. The exhibition is toured by ExhibitsUSA, a national program of Mid-America Arts Alliance. ExhibitsUSA sends more than 25 exhibitions on tour to more than 100 small- and mid-sized communities every year. Mid-America is the oldest nonprofit regional arts organization in the United States. More information is available at www.maaa.org and www.eusa.org.

Thank you to our sponsors...
The display of this exhibit at The Russell Library is supported in part by the President’s Venture Fund through the generous gifts of the University of Georgia Partners and other donors, and by the Georgia Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities and through appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly.

The program series was made possible by contributions from several UGA campus partners including The Center for International Trade and Security, The School of Public and International Affairs, the Department of History, the Department of English, and Film Studies. 

Film Screening of Fail-Safe Tonight!

We're back from the snow day and happy to announce that our Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow Film Series kicks off tonight at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries!

Join us in the auditorium (Room 271) at 7:00PM for a screening of Fail-Safe (1964), introduced by Dr. Christopher Sieving (Department of Theatre and Film Studies). We'll have atomic age refreshments during a brief intermission. Doors open for the event at 6:30. For more information call (706) 542-5788 or email russlib@uga.edu.

More About The Film…
Fail-Safe (1964): American planes are sent to deliver a nuclear attack on Moscow, but it’s a mistake due to an electrical malfunction. Can all-out war be averted? Starring Walter Matthau and Henry Fonda. (Run Time: 112 minutes)

Exhibit on the Atomic Age Opens Jan. 28th @ Russell Library

 Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow: Living with the Atomic Bomb Opens January 28, 2014 at The Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
 
On August 6, 1945, a specially-equipped American B-29 Superfortress dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. On August 9, another atomic bomb fell on Nagasaki. For most Americans, the immediate reaction to the atomic bomb was relief: it had ended the war. But as the United States celebrated, it also braced itself for the uncertain future of the Atomic Age. For the next two decades, the looming threat of Atomic war dominated American society.

Traveling exhibition Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow: Living with the Atomic Bomb, 1945-1965, which opens January 28th  at The Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, explores the ways in which Americans experienced the Atomic threat as part of their daily lives—at school, in the home, and even at play. The show features more than 75 original objects from the era, as well as large-scale graphics, radio broadcasts, and film. Visitors will experience how Americans were flooded with messaging through images and media that depicted the dangers of atomic energy. Although the threat of Atomic annihilation eventually drifted to the background of American consciousness in the late 1960s, the Atomic Age left a legacy of governmental response and civic infrastructure that remains relevant today.

Inspired by the exhibit, the Russell Library will host a series of eleven public programs during the spring semester, in collaboration with partners across the UGA campus, that spotlight some of the most significant events of the time period and invite attendees to reflect on life in America during the Atomic Age. Programs will include panel discussions, film screenings, community forum and storytelling events, and a day of oral history. More information on the program series is available on the Russell Library website at www.libs.uga.edu/russell/programs/events.

The Russell Library Gallery is located inside the Russell Building for Special Collections Libraries; the exhibit is free and open to the public. The gallery is open from 8:00am-5:00pm Monday through Friday and from 1:00-5:00pm on Saturdays. Guided tours of the gallery are available on Tuesday afternoons from 2:00-3:00pm; meet in the 2nd floor rotunda. For more information on the exhibit or program series email russlib@uga.edu or call (706) 542-5788. 

 Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow is curated by Michael Scheibach, an independent collector in Independence, MO, and Leslie Przybylek, Curator of Humanities Exhibitions at Mid-America Arts Alliance. The exhibition is toured by ExhibitsUSA, a national program of Mid-America Arts Alliance. ExhibitsUSA sends more than 25 exhibitions on tour to more than 100 small- and mid-sized communities every year. Mid-America is the oldest nonprofit regional arts organization in the United States. More information is available at www.maaa.org and www.eusa.org.

Thank you to our sponsors...
The display of this exhibit at The Russell Library is supported in part by the President’s Venture Fund through the generous gifts of the University of Georgia Partners and other donors, and by the Georgia Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities and through appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly.

The program series was made possible by contributions from several UGA campus partners including The Center for International Trade and Security, The School of Public and International Affairs, the Department of History, the Department of English, and Film Studies.