Dear Professor,

I am Nancy Wellington Bookhart, assistant professor of Art at Paine College in Augusta, Georgia, and director of The Museum Initiative. I am excited about an opportunity to participate in an annual event in Augusta, Georgia, The Westobou Festival, which is rapidly becoming an art mega fest. This year, Paine College will host three events in conjunction with the festival: The Nina Simone Experience, which is a traveling arts exhibition created by the estate of Dr. Nina Simone, and two accompanying events. The events will take place September 16-24, 2010, on the campus of Paine College.

I’m writing you specifically about The Nina Simone Papers. This symposium will take place on September 16, 2010, to explore the music of Simone and its social impact, particularly regarding issues intrinsic to the Civil Rights Movement.

Simone was a great force in the Civil Rights Movement, through her speeches, her marches, and her music. She protested the atrocities of lynching, the segregation of Jim Crow laws, the brutal killings of four girls, and the deaths of Medgar Evers and Martin Luther King, Jr., in such songs as “Sinnerman,” “The King of Peace is Dead,” and “Mississippi Goddam.”

I invite you and your students to present a paper on the theme of “Dr. Nina Simone, the activist.” The paper should convey how her music reflected the times and shaped her career; it should also emphasize the relevance it has in today’s society. Each participating group (professor and student) will make a 15-minute presentation during the event.

Please send an abstract no later than August 20, 2010, and the final paper by Sept 5, 2010. All accepted proposals will be notified by August 26, 2010. All documents should be sent to Paine College— 1235 15th Street, Augusta, Georgia 30901, to the attention of Nancy Wellington Bookhart. Presentations must be made in person only; video and audio recordings will not be accepted.

I encourage you to seek additional information about The Westobou Festival by visiting www.westoboufestival.com. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact me at Nbookhart@paine.edu, or (706) 294-1369. Again, this will be an exciting event, and I look forward to receiving your submissions.

Sincerely,

Nancy Wellington Bookhart