by Shannon Kelly ’26 on October 2, 2025
Campus
On Thursday, Sept. 25, Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar, Dr. Shannon Jackson, gave a talk in Ruane LL05 regarding the importance of publicly engaged art, the threats that currently face the arts, and the interconnectedness between democracy and expression. Dr. Jackson prefaced the talk by stating that Phi Beta Kappa, which is the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society for arts and sciences, will be celebrating its 250th anniversary in 2026. Phi Beta Kappa was founded during the American Revolution, and thus, the United States will be celebrating 250 years this upcoming year as well.
Dr. Jackson started her talk by asking a vital question—how to sustain the love of learning at this moment in time, when institutions that we have relied upon for as long as we can remember are changing. She connected Providence College’s mission statement, which emphasizes the importance of bringing veritas to the challenges that we currently face, being in contemplation, and upholding the common good for all. Dr. Jackson also repeatedly stated that all domains of knowledge must be considered to truly promote civic virtue.
In light of the talk being titled “The Arts, Democracy, and Public Life,” Dr. Jackson initially engaged with the students and faculty by asking what words or phrases came to mind when asked about the term “the arts.” She asked the same question regarding the terms democracy and public life, which generated a fruitful conversation.
Dr. Jackson brought up the importance of the First Amendment, while also tying in the ways in which artistic expression goes hand in hand with freedom of speech. Her touchpoints for this part of the talk were public expression, resistant expression, commandeering culture, and the collective system at play. She delved into our nation’s history, while acknowledging that art does not always promote democracy.
Dr. Jackson spoke about totalitarianism, while relating this to the present day through the current administration shutting down spaces and places of art that do not agree with the opinion of the President. She gave countless examples, including the firing of former President of the Kennedy Center, Deborah Rutter, the erasure of “race-centered ideology” from the Smithsonian Museum, and the recent controversy with Jimmy Kimmel over comments he made regarding the death of Charlie Kirk. Dr. Jackson called us to acknowledge the cultural turn in our federal government and question why it is happening.
Dr. Jackson talked a lot about the need for cultural practices that encourage the use of all sensibilities, her hope that publicly engaged art can once again reenchant citizens, and the weight that rests in cultivating lives of contemplation. We all must reckon with—and be sensitized to— what being a true member of the public in a democratic space actually means. Dr. Jackson called upon the audience to question both what it means to trust and what it means to be trustworthy. In our fragmented nation, even when public trust is frayed, it is critical that we are able to sow faith in one another and in our institutions. The importance of creative resistance was expressed throughout the entirety of Dr. Jackson’s talk. Here is the link to read about Fall of Freedom, which seeks to unite the arts community in defiance of authoritarian forces: https://www.falloffreedom.com/.