Convocation 2020

For Convocation this year, we wanted to do something more intimate and collaborative; something that makes creative use of remote technology and meets everyone in this community wherever they happen to be at the start of this term. To that end, we have created a Convocation Podcast, which combines audio contributions from students, faculty, and staff all centered around the theme of community, connection, and togetherness. 

How to attend:
Listen using the Soundcloud link below, listen through B-RAD, or read transcripts of the speeches. 

———
Bennington College Convocation
Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Convocation Speaker
Manuel Gonzales, Literature Faculty Member

Additional Remarks
Tonya Strong, Director of Admissions
Flo Gill '22, SEPC Chair
Laura Walker, President

Reading of an excerpt of the Commencement Statement
Jennifer Rohn, Drama Faculty Member

Music
Sound Constructions (2018 | Documentation Excerpt)
by Senem Pirler, Nina C. Young, Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti
———

The Music of Convocation

Sound Constructions (2018 | Documentation Excerpt) by Senem Pirler, Nina C. Young, Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti

Sound Constructions is a site-specific performative sound installation created on and for the Montalvo Arts Center. Using a combination of found objects from the grounds, such as eucalyptus tree barks, and sound sculptures built from industrial materials, the mobile sculptures invite interplay. By choosing specific found objects, we amplify only certain sounds that normally might not be heard. The installation and our improvisation is an exploration of these objects and presence, asking: How does taking things out of their natural environment create tension? As we have collected these things in order to build an environment, how do we touch them, give them focus, and ultimately let them go? 

Resources for Well-Being 

SEPC Chair Flo Gill '22 has created a resource document in which she has compiled the information new (and current) Bennington students might need to know about how to access campus support systems. 

Read the guide > 

Convocation Through the Years...

As we celebrate the start of another academic year with Convocation, we think of former faculty member Milford Graves, whose iconic "heartbeat" drumming rhythms and spirited performances were a signature part of Convocation for many years. 

In 2018, Graves was diagnosed with amyloid cardiomyopathy, otherwise known as "stiff heart syndrome," and was told he had six months to live. Today, however, Graves is still living at his home in Queens, both exceeding his medical expectations and furthering his lifelong work on heartbeats—now using his own health as a subject, as was recently featured in The New York Times.