Sacred buildings and sites offer us ways to enter into and better understand the cultures that sanctify them -- from Gothic cathedrals to Muslim shrines, from Buddhist and Hindu temples to New England meetinghouses and American churches.

Compelling in their own right, these buildings are also visible signifiers of spiritual beliefs and practices. How do they manifest the values of the cultures that sanctify them? What do they have in common? Join us at the Vermont Humanities Council's 39th annual fall conference to examine these places and the beliefs and values they embody.

The conference begins Friday afternoon with two concurrent illustrated talks. One is on Islamic sacred sites and the other on pilgrimage sites and their role in preserving and transmitting both religious belief and secular culture.

In the evening, Professor Robert Oden, former president of both Kenyon and Carleton Colleges and a former professor of religion at Dartmouth College, examines the persistent power of place in religious life across a variety of religious traditions.

• Sacred Spaces of Islam with
  Dr. Holly Edwards, Senior Lecturer, Islamic Art, Visual Culture, Williams College.
  
  
• The World of Pilgrimage with
  Dr. Terryl Kinder, Distinguished Visiting Professor, Saint Michael's College.

• The Roles of Sacred Spaces across Belief Systems with Professor Robert Oden, former president of Carleton and Kenyon Colleges and former professor of religion at Dartmouth College.
  
  
• Reception and book signing for White on White: Churches of Rural New England. Meet photographer Steve Rosenthal whose photographs of early churches of New England are on exhibit throughout the conference.

For the convenience of conference-goers,
we are providing an optional Italian dinner buffet
Friday night at the Stoweflake.

During Saturday plenaries, Glenn Andres, professor of the history of art and architecture at Middlebury College, considers the convergence of form and function in New England's iconic meetinghouses; and Dr. Nasser Rabbat, the Aga Khan Professor of Islamic Architecture at MIT, speaks about the importance of three different mosques to the Islamic world.

• The New England Meetinghouse with Dr. Glenn Andres, professor of the history of art and architecture at Middlebury College
  
  
• The Three Mosques with Dr. Nasser Rabbat, Aga Khan Professor of Islamic Architecture at MIT

Breakout Sessions

Morning and afternoon breakout sessions offer conference-goers the opportunity to interact with Professor Oden about what we can learn about Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam from studying their sacred spaces; to consider with Professor Andres how and why American church buildings changed through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; to examine the sacred role of ritual; and to learn about the sacred spaces of many world religions, including Hinduism, Christianity, Native American culture, Judaism, Islam, and Japanese Buddhism.

• Gothic Magnificence with
  Dr. Cecilia Gaposchkin, Associate Professor of History, Dartmouth College
  
  
• The Hindu Temple with Dr. Laura Weinstein, Ananda Coomaraswamy Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston
  
  
• "In the Light of Reverence": Native American Sacred Spaces, Spirituality, and the Law with
  N. Bruce Duthu, Samson Occom Professor of Native American Studies, Dartmouth College
  
  
• Sacred Spaces, Ritual, and Recalling What Matters with
  Dr. Robert Oden, former president, Kenyon and Carleton Colleges and former Professor of Religion, Dartmouth College

Afternoon Sessions

• The Cistercians: Quiet Simplicity with Dr. Terryl Kinder, Distinguished Visiting Professor, Saint Michael's College
  
  
• Inside, Outside, and All Around: Sacred Space in Judaism with Edward Boraz, Rabbi and Executive Director of Dartmouth Hillel and Rabbi of the Upper Valley Jewish Community
  
  
• The Parish Church with Dr. Emily Gray, Assistant Professor of History, Norwich University
  
  
• Sacred Space in Japanese Buddhism with Dr. Allen Hockley, Associate Professor of Art History, Dartmouth College
  
  
• Themes in American Church Architecture with Dr. Glenn Andres, Professor of the History of Art and Architecture, Middlebury College

Throughout the conference, enjoy the exhibit White on White: Churches of Rural New England, featuring Steve Rosenthal's photographs; they are works of art in their own right.

As a convenience to conference-goers we've scheduled an Italian buffet dinner. It is $40 a person and includes tax and tip. Wine and beer will be available at a cash bar. Vegetarian options will be available.

11 Loomis Street
Montpelier, Vermont 05602
Phone: 802.262.2626 x 304
Fax: 802.262.2620 (by credit card)
acaterino@vermonthumanities.org


Rooms at the Stoweflake are $125 (plus tax) single or double on a first-come, first-served basis. For reservations, 800.253.2232 or stoweflake.com. Mention the conference to receive the conference rate (good November 9-10).

Learn more and register today!