On Monday, February 27 at 7 p.m., the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies will present “Weaving Biblical Stories Through Women’s Work”: A Textile Exegesis With Vivienne Rowett at the Barone Campus Center Oak Room and via Livestream. Please register online to attend the in-person lecture. 

Vivienne Rowett is an Old Testament/Hebrew Bible scholar and award-winning artist who uses material culture, stitching, sewing, knitting, and weaving, to interpret biblical texts. Through a medium often dismissed as “women’s work,” Ms. Rowett incorporates contemporary culture alongside an historical and theological analysis providing new insights into biblical texts. Ms. Rowett’s “textile exegesis” is grounded in academic research imagined within a domestic space. Topics addressed in Ms. Rowett’s work include praise, division, love, mental health, war, and trauma. Her approach directly engages religious studies, women’s studies, Judaic studies, and visual and performing arts, supporting the Humanities Institute’s mission. The purpose of the art exhibition, public lecture, and two teaching sessions at Fairfield is to offer students, faculty, and the community a new way into the text, one that engages academic approach while honoring the human experience.

In addition to the lecture, Rowett's work will be featured at the DiMenna-Nyselius Library from January 17-April 15, 2023. 

The event is sponsored with Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Religious Studies, and Visual & Performing Arts. Reservations are requested for this lecture. Please contact the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies for more information about other Bennett Center events, visit fairfield.edu/bennett.