This fall, the Briscoe Center will bring to campus a variety of speakers and collection donors.
On October 9 the center will host an evening with filmmaker Douglas Sloan, whose documentary in progress, The Moment of Truth, uses photojournalist Eddie Adams’s iconic Vietnam War image, “Saigon Execution,” to launch a broader inquiry into the power of images. The questions and concerns raised by The Moment of Truth speak to the dangers we face when it comes to reading visual media without fully understanding the context. Sloan has extensively utilized the Briscoe Center’s Eddie Adams Photographic Archive while working on the documentary, unearthing a surprising backstory behind one of the world’s most recognizable images. We’ll have a chance to enjoy a special clip that will give us an overview of Sloan’s documentary followed by a Q&A.
Later in October (on the 17th and 18th respectively) we’ll welcome former CBS news writer and author Alison Owings, and open a new exhibit highlighting the Center’s news media industry collections. Alison was a news writer for Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather and is now a celebrated author in her own right. The Briscoe Center has a collection of her news writing from her television days which contain significant documentation on the discrimination charges brought against WRC/NBC in the 1970s. She will speak on the issue of gender discrimination in the media. The following day, the center will celebrate the opening of The Pioneers Who Changed Television, which looks at the evolution of the news media industry over the last 50 years. More information on the exhibit will follow in our October e-news.
Finally, on Nov. 1 the center will host Dr. James Galbraith, a professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, who will reflect on his personal experiences during 1968. Jamie has been a colleague of mine here at UT for many years. His fascinating story from 1968 includes time spent in Paris, a city that witnessed unprecedented student-led protests; Chicago, which hosted the chaotic and violent Democratic National Convention; and Prague, which saw Soviet tanks roll in over the summer in order to end the “Prague Spring,” a season of liberal and democratic reforms. I don’t know anybody else who can claim to have been in all three places during 1968! Jamie’s lecture promises to bring a unique perspective on a torrid year.
We hope you can join us for these events, and others in the future. For all events, self-parking will be available in the Manor Garage. You’ll be receiving a follow up invitation in your inbox but feel free to RSVP early to guarantee a seat: briscoecenterevents@austin.utexas.edu or (512) 495-4609. This semester’s events, along with the many graduate and undergraduate classes that we now host, show how the exciting potential of the center’s newly renovated spaces (opened last year) is being unlocked and realized. It’s very pleasing to see how our mission has been significantly enhanced through the renovation process.
In conclusion, I want to recognize the life and legacy of Darryl Heikes, who died last week, aged 79. Darryl was one of his generation’s leading photojournalists. For decades, he provided in-depth coverage of presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and his images appeared many times on the front pages of the New York Times, the Washington Post and many other publications. In addition, he was a gifted sports photographer covering the Olympic Games in Mexico City (’68) Munich (’72) and Montreal (’76). He retired in 2001 and donated his archives to the Briscoe Center in 2006. Darryl will be missed by his family, friends and colleagues — and the body of his work will continue to inform, surprise and inspire students and scholars for many years to come.
