Arts & Culture

Research opens a new approach to mental illness

Some of the most common mental disorders, including depression, anxiety and PTSD, might not be disorders at all, according to a recent paper by WSU biological anthropologists. The researchers propose a new approach to mental illness that would be informed by human evolution, noting that modern psychology, and in particular its use of drugs like […]

Searching for La Belle Dame

Where in the world had the Clumber Park Chartier disappeared to? Joan Grenier-Winther, a Marianna M. and Donald S. Matteson Distinguished Professor of Foreign Languages at WSU Vancouver, really needed to examine the fifteenth-century collection of poems by Alain Chartier and others. After all, her critical edition and translation of an unusual poem of the […]

Innovative murals created for local elementary school

Imagine a large, outdoor painting that changes colors when warmed by the sun or by the touch of a child’s hand and shifts hues again in cool rain and winter’s chill. Two such temperature-sensitive paintings are among four vibrant murals created this fall at Kamiak Elementary School in Pullman through a unique collaboration between WSU […]

WSU tuba professor releases third solo album

WSU tuba professor Chris Dickey recently released his third solo album, titled “Inventions,” under the Emeritus Recordings label. The album was recorded in the WSU Recording Studio by recording engineer David Bjur. Karen Savage, Sarah Miller, and Martin King joined Dickey for the project. “Inventions” represents Dickey’s ongoing commitment to inclusive programming in art music. […]

Tuba professor teaches and performs in China

WSU tuba professor Chris Dickey traveled to Tianjin, China in August to perform and teach at the 2019 JinBao International Low Brass Festival, an event that attracted approximately 450 performers from throughout China. Dickey, clinical associate professor of music, participated on an international faculty featuring artists from the United States, Denmark, China, Switzerland, and Austria. […]

Exhibit explains significance of ancient tattoo tool

The discovery of the oldest tattooing artifact in western North America earned a WSU PhD student international acclaim from the likes of National Geographic, the Smithsonian, and the New York Times. Now, faculty, staff, and students will have the opportunity to learn firsthand about the ancient implement and the Ancestral Pueblo people of Southeastern Utah […]

WSU professor works with music educators in India

This past summer, Dean Luethi, associate professor and director of the School of Music, made his second trip to India to provide educational materials and training to music teachers. “They’re eager for western pedagogies,” Luethi said. “They hear western music, they want to perform western music, and they want help to be able to teach […]

A guided stroll through the past

When RealWear, a San Jose–based knowledge transfer company, moved into the Artillery Barracks of Vancouver, they essentially became a part of The Historic Trust. With both organizations interested in bringing the local community together, a simple conversation birthed the grand idea of melding together the technology of RealWear, the history of Vancouver, Wash., and the […]

Film documents Chicago’s Black Arts Movement

Two WSU Vancouver professors have chronicled one of America’s preeminent artistic and cultural movements in a new film. “BAM! Chicago’s Black Arts Movement” introduces viewers to more than a dozen writers, artists, musicians and community organizers who were instrumental in the campaign centered on black pride and aesthetic. People like poet Eugene Redmond, musician