United
Nations  A Time for Renewal | Media
Advisory
United Nations 60th anniversary |
Forum
The fourth lecture in the Lectures and Conversations Series will be held on Monday, 14 November 2005, in the Dag Hammarskjöld Auditorium, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.. The lecture will take the form of a panel discussion on the topic " From collections to connections: information and knowledge for global decision-making ". This panel discussion also marks the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, to be held from 16 to 18 November 2005 in Tunis , Tunisia .
Participants in the panel discussion:
Ms. Jan Beagle - Assistant-Secretary-General for Human Resources Management (moderator)
Ms. Clare Hart – President and Chief Executive Office of Factiva, a Dow Jones and Reuters Company
Mr. Lawrence Prusak – Scholar in Residence at Babson College in Massachusetts
Dr. Thomas Davenport – Professor, President's Chair in Information Technology and Management at Babson College in Massachusetts
Organizer: The Dag Hammarskjöld Library, Outreach Division, Department
of Public
Information with the support of the Government of Sweden.
For more information see website: www.un.org/depts/dhl/events/lectures/index.htm
Exhibition
Connecting the world by art and goodwill is one of the missions of the “Uniting Painting”, a fine art creation by Ranan Lurie, which was opened in the United Nations Headquarters Visitors' lobby on 1 November.
Conceived by Mr Lurie in 1968, the “Uniting Painting” unites an expanding group of countries in one large international exhibit spanning continents. “Mr. Lurie's epic painting is a glorious attempt to illustrate the human desire for, and our need for, mutual understanding and togetherness, using the common language of art to -- quite literally -- connect people around the globe”, says United Nations Under-Secretary-General Shashi Tharoor, Chairman of the United Nations Exhibits Committee.
The art starts as a motif painted on canvas panels, descending from the ceiling in the Headquarters main Visitors' Lobby. The same motif glides onto a carpet specially designed by the artist for the large ceremonial stairs. It then reaches the outdoors, via the Canadian doors, continues across the public plaza down the stairs to the promenade, and "flows" into the East River . The “Uniting Painting” then resurfaces at the southern tip of Roosevelt Island , before commencing its journey to connect with the rest of the world.
“The painting may start on canvas, but then detaches itself from the confines of the traditional canvas material”, explains Mr. Lurie. “Once the motif reaches the floor, it will weave its way into carpet, be carved into wood, or be chiselled in marble, depending on the ground's character. From now on, anyone can walk or even dance on it.” Other locations of the “Uniting Painting” ( London , Athens , Limassol, and Jerusalem ) will be represented in a companion photo exhibit in the Visitors Lobby. Mr. Lurie has received requests from other countries to join the worldwide project
The artwork can be viewed at the United Nations (Visitor's Lobby) until the beginning of 2007.
For more information, visit the website for the exhibit at www.rananlurie.com .
Exhibition
The exhibition “Action: Art Center and the United Nations” highlights collaborations between several United Nations agencies and designmatters@Art Center, the College's initiative exploring social and humanitarian applications of design and responsible business practices.
As the first design institution to be designated a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) by the United Nations, Art Center is uniquely positioned to demonstrate how designers can embrace a social and humanitarian agenda for engagement, action and intervention in response to the global issues confronting our world.
With “ACTION,” Art Center is honored to join the international community as it celebrates the 60 th anniversary of the United Nations, and is pleased to provide California audiences with the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the UN Millennium Development Goals of halving poverty by 2015, and meeting the challenges of a changing world with a renewed vision toward progress for peace and human dignity.
The exhibition is on view at Art Center 's Public Education Gallery at its South Campus in downtown Pasadena until 19 December 2005.
Website: http://www2.artcenter.edu/designmatters/un/action/action.html
The media advisory is prepared by the Partnership Unit, CSS, Outreach Division, DPI.
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