Student conversation with U.S. Ambassador Victoria Kennedy

When U.S. Ambassador Victoria Kennedy paid her first official visit to Carinthia on Monday, November 14, 2022, students from the Department of English had the rare opportunity to sit down and discuss U.S. related topics with the high-ranking official. Victoria Reggie Kennedy, sworn in as Ambassador to the Republic of Austria by U.S. President Joe Biden on November 16, 2021, took up her service in Vienna in January 2022. After the ambassador was received by the Chairman of the Senate of the University of Klagenfurt, Prof. Martin Hitz, and a delegation from the Department of English, a small group of our students had the chance to meet and engage in a roundtable discussion and Q&A with the ambassador.

Topics addressed were the work and role of an ambassador in Austria, the history of Austrian-American relations, the English & American Studies program and Game Studies, women’s rights in the U.S. & around the world, the effects of the pandemic on the U.S., the midterm elections & presidential candidates 2024, and Joe Biden’s climate change policy. The Department of English was delighted and honored to host the event with Ambassador Kennedy on the eve of its 50 Years Anniversary in 2022.

 

The Department of English would like to invite all of its students to our Hello-Ween Welcome Party

We look forward to seeing you there!

Old Masters: Exhibition of Australian Indigenous Art

On the occasion of the guest lecture on Australian Indigenous Art, delivered by Ruth Constantine (Second Secretary of the Australian Embassy in Vienna), the Australian Embassy made available an exhibition on traditional indigenous art curated by the National Museum Australia. Under the title of “Old Masters”, the exhibition, which consists of 15 roll-up panels showing traditional bark paintings, can be visited in the corridor on the East side connecting the central with the southern wing of the university. This exhibition is an Austrian premiere and is related to the seminar on Australian Indigenous Literature: Art and Authenticity taught by Daniela Miksche. The exhibition will be displayed until mid-May.

Guest lecture: “The Old Masters continuing to teach contemporary Australia” – A presentation about the Old Masters Exhibition from the National Museum of Australia

Guest Lecture, Ms Ruth Constantine; Australian Embassy

Location: HS 6 (Mensagebäude)

Date/time: March 24, 10:00-11:30

 

Abstract

 

Aboriginal Art, in particular the so-called ‘traditional’ forms such as the “Old Masters”, has become immensely popular worldwide. For example, such works are highly sought after by Australian and international tourists and examples can be found in many homes, businesses and public venues. The designs are also used on clothing, furniture, stationary, and a range of other products. For the most part, however, while admired for its artistic and cultural authenticity – a characteristic that authenticates a tourist’s experiences – many of the acquirers are unaware of the Iconography, or religious and secular symbolism and conventions, behind such works.

Australia has many Aboriginal Cultures. There is not one pan-Australia Culture, although there are often strong similarities in the cultural beliefs and practices of neighbouring groups.

Fortunately, nowadays the artists share the stories with us, and we can identify what part of the painting refers to what aspect of the story. Nonetheless, the full meaning – and the ability to fully read the pictures in their entire cultural context – remains the preserve of the artists’ cultures themselves. Through looking at the symbols and structures of the works, we can rapidly identify what part of Australia, and what cultural groups, they come from.

 

About the speaker:

Ruth Constantine

Second Secretary, Australian Embassy and Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Vienna.

Ms Constantine is an Australian diplomat currently posted with bilateral and multilateral accreditations in Vienna, Austria with prior service in Hanoi, Vietnam. Her experience in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade includes roles in the US and Indo-Pacific Strategy Division, the India Economic Strategy Taskforce and the National Security Strategy Branch in International Security Division. Prior to joining DFAT, Ms Constantine worked as an ethnographic and political consultant for a Yangon-based non-government organisation and undertook postgraduate research on migration and trafficking in Myanmar and Thailand. Ms Constantine holds a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours and the University Medal from the University of Queensland.

 

Contact:

Alexander Onysko, Department of English