COD to Host Free 39th Annual Midwest Conference on Mesoamerican Archaeology and Ethnohistory March 11 and 12

College of DuPage will host the 39th Annual Midwest Conference on Mesoamerican Archaeology and Ethnohistory on Friday, March 11, and Saturday, March 12, in the Culinary & Hospitality Center, Room 1020, on the College's main campus, 425 Fawell Blvd., in Glen Ellyn.

This conference is free and open to the public.

Sponsored by the College of DuPage Liberal Arts Division and the Latin American Studies Committee, the conference will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 11, with a keynote presentation delivered by Dr. Elizabeth Pope, Research Assistant and Collection Manager in the Department of African Art and Indian Art of the Americas at the Art Institute of Chicago, who will speak on the history of the Art Institute's collection of Mesoamerican Art, the arduous process of opening the institute's new galleries in 2010 and composing the forthcoming institute catalogue. A reception will follow the keynote presentation.

Preceded by a light breakfast at 8 a.m., the symposium will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 12, and will feature papers and presentations throughout the day.

Hosted by COD for the first time this year, this conference brings together archaeologists, art historians, ethnographers, students and other scholars interested in the history and culture of the Mesoamerican region, highlighting current and ongoing research.

"We are thrilled to be hosting this prestigious conference featuring experts in Mesoamerican studies versed in a broad range of disciplines and regions and periods of study," said COD Art History instructor David Ouellette. "This event also encourages attendance and participation of students as much as professionals, which makes it an important and appropriate event to bring to the college."

Those interested in delivering a presentation during the symposium are asked to email a brief abstract to Matt Krystal (mbkrystal@noctrl.edu) by Monday, Feb. 15. Presentations will be 15 minutes long with an additional five-minute discussion period. Students in particular are encouraged to attend and present.

For more information on this event, please contact David Ouellette at ouelletted@cod.edu or (630) 942-2586.