Coming to Campus

Artist and former local resident Susan Neet Goodwin will discuss the pottery village of Alasora, Madagascar ­– where she has taught – on Sunday, March 19, at 1 p.m., in Konover Auditorium.

In her talk, “Alasora, Madagascar: A Traditional Pottery Village Works to Overcome Poverty,” Goodwin will explore the efforts of the potters to learn, expand, and develop objects for sale into a small but developing tourist market, while trying to overcome difficulties related to infrastructure, energy supplies, and changing markets.

The talk precedes a public reception for the opening of Goodwin’s exhibit, Preserving Identities, which will be on display in the Gallery on the Plaza at Homer Babbidge Library through May 19. The reception will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. in the library’s Stevens Gallery.

Goodwin says of her work: “The reality for many people the world over is that they struggle tenaciously to maintain their culture. The identifying specifics that help to define a culture are reflections of people’s lives. Often those details are visually stunning and intriguing. Consider Himba skin, coated with butterfat and ochre, a protection from desert insects and intense sun. Likewise, envision Malagasy cemetery sculpture, Lapp clothing, and New England stonewalls. The list is endless.”

A graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Goodwin holds a master’s degree in education from UConn. She lived in Storrs for many years while teaching art at Tolland High School and Woodstock Academy.

For more information on Goodwin, go to www.susanneetgoodwin.com. For information on the other artists whose work will also be on exhibit at the University Libraries, see www.lib.uconn.edu/Exhibits.