Thanks to a generous bequest from the late Dr. Iris Annette Pearce, Rhodes enjoys a range of Shakespeare-related resources unique among American liberal arts colleges. The Pearce Shakespeare Endowment was established in 2007 to enrich courses in Shakespeare and support events for the entire campus.
Funds generated by Dr. Pearce’s gift aid Shakespeare studies through lectures by visiting scholars; conferences and symposia; support for research; productions of plays; periods of residence by performing artists; and other innovative programming to enhance Shakespeare at Rhodes and in the greater Memphis community. Key institutional partnerships have helped bring these events to a wide range of audiences.
"The Pearce Endowment provides a wonderful set of resources for Shakespeare studies at Rhodes. The events that it supports both on and off campus bring together world-class scholars and performers to speak to each other and, even more importantly, to students. Because these lectures, symposia, and performances are integrated with ongoing coursework, Rhodes students have the opportunity to think about Shakespeare — and their own work — beyond the boundaries of the classroom." — Andrew Miller, ′11
Marjorie Garber, April 10-12, 2024
Renowned humanities scholar Marjorie Garber returns to Memphis April 10–12, 2024; her visit is co-sponsored by the Pearce Shakespeare Endowment and the Project for the Study of Liberal Democracy, Rhodes College; and the Naseeb Shaheen Memorial Lecture Series and the Marcus W. Orr Center for the Humanities, University of Memphis.
Since serving as our Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar at Rhodes in 2014, Garber has published three more books: The Muses on Their Lunch Hour; Character: The History of a Cultural Obsession; and, most recently, Shakespeare in Bloomsbury, praised by the TLS as “a delight to read … beautifully written, and beautifully presented … a constant source of illumination.”
On Wednesday, April 10, Garber will lead a discussion at the University of Memphis about the recent history and current state of the academic humanities (12:00–1:30pm; African American Reading Room, Patterson Hall 221). Following an afternoon interview with WKNO’s “Checking On the Arts,” Garber will conduct a Meeman Center class on her books Shakespeare After All and Shakespeare and Modern Culture (5:30–7:00pm; King Hall).
On Thursday, April 11, the Rhodes College Wilson Humanities committee will host Garber for a conversation about her experience directing Harvard’s Humanities Center as well as serving as the President of the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI) (2:00–3:00pm; Spence Wilson Room, Briggs Hall). Garber will then offer opening remarks at Rhodes’ 21st Annual Symposium on Gender and Sexuality Studies (3:30pm; Blount Auditorium), reflecting upon why continuing research in this field remains vital. The Rhodes College Bookstore will have copies of her landmark study Vested Interests: Cross-Dressing and Cultural Anxiety available for purchase and signing (Blount Lobby). Later that evening, Garber will give a reading from her most recent book, Shakespeare in Bloomsbury, at Novel bookstore (6:00pm; 387 Perkins Extension).
On Friday, April 12, Garber will deliver the keynote luncheon address at the 29th Annual Conference of the Association for Core Texts and Courses (ACTC). Her talk is titled Displacement: Shakespeare, Freud, and the Place of the Humanities (12:30–1:45pm; Heritage Ballroom, Sheraton Downtown Memphis). This luncheon is free to registered ACTC guests, but please note that seating is limited, so pre-registration is required. Following her lecture, registered ACTC guests are also welcome to attend a panel discussion about Garber’s Shakespeare After All, winner of Phi Beta Kappa’s Christian Gauss Award. Respondents include Rhodes professors Daniel Cullen and Stephen Wirls as well as Carol McNamara (2:00–4:30pm; Magnolia Room, Sheraton Downtown Memphis).