CLS: World Cultures

Broaden your knowledge of world cultures through inspiring lectures, music and photography from around the globe.

Bardin-Niskala Duo

“World Composers”
10:30 a.m., Monday, Aug. 14 | Orchestra Hall
In preparation for their 7:30 p.m. concert at Orchestra Hall, the Bardin-Niskala Duo will discuss composers from around the world and share a taste of their performance.

This duo is comprised of cellist An-Lin Bardin and pianist Naomi Niskala. The women use contemporary classical music to explore identity, fight racism, promote cultural awareness and celebrate humanity. Read more. 

Terry Martin

“Hiking the Camino de Santiago”
10:30 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 15 | Train Station
The Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James) is a world-renowned pilgrimage in Northern Spain that attracts over 300,000 pilgrims annually. Although many hike it today for “spiritual” rather than specifically “religious” reasons, most pilgrims can attest to its extraordinary, life-changing impact.

Terry Martin hiked the Camino in May-June 2016 and then returned to Spain to hike alternative routes in 2017 and 2018, including the Camino del Norte and the Camino Primitivo. As an avid photographer, Martin will share photos and stories from his experience, which was both beautiful and powerfully transformative. For Martin, the Camino served to open his eyes and heart in many ways, revealing the superpowers of love, letting go, gratitude and aesthetic appreciation.

“Trekkin in Nepal”
3:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 15 | Train Station
Nepal is a land of fabled beauty with spectacular Himalayan vistas, dizzying mountain gorges and a profusion of waterfalls, among many other scenic attractions. Nepal boasts a rich cultural history with its blending of Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions. Spiritual practices such as prayer wheels and prayer flags have enabled its people to thrive even amid the daunting challenges imposed by the landscape.

In 2019, Martin did five of the most beautiful treks in the world in five weeks, including the Annapurna Circuit, the Manaslu Circuit, the Langtang Valley Trek, the Gosainkund Trek and the Mardi Himal Trek. He came away with as great a respect for the vibrance and resilience of the Nepalese people and landscape. In this presentation, Martin will share some of the best photos and stories from his trip.

“Wonders of Iceland”
10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 16 | Train Station
The landscape of Iceland can be as bleak and austere as it is sublime and visually stunning. Straddling the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, the island owes its very existence to volcanic activity, which is still evident in its many geothermal features and ongoing eruptions. In addition, the island’s severe winters, strong winds and frequent spring rains make for a harsh and rather inhospitable climate. One soon gains respect for the hardihood of the inhabitants.

In May-June of 2020, Martin spent seven weeks touring Iceland in a rental camper van and doing many hikes, including the Laugavegur Trek, which National Geographic designated one of the top 20 in the world. Though he often shivered from the rain and cold, Martin found the people of Iceland warm and hospitable. In this presentation, Martin will share some of the best photos and stories from his trip.

Terry Martin is a Professor of English at Baldwin Wallace University. Though a lifelong runner and hiker, he only discovered an unsuspected passion for fine art landscape, wildlife and travel photography in his 50s, even while obeying the siren call of the Appalachian Trail and the Camino de Santiago. The practice of photography has taught him to slow down and to be more observant, as well as more attuned to the beauty of both natural and cultural diversity in whatever guise they may appear.  Indeed, for him, the very appearance of a photo op can transform the wettest, coldest, rockiest, muddiest or buggiest trail into a playground of visual and aesthetic delights. Going on pilgrimage has likewise taught him to pack light, let go, trust the universe, cultivate patience and gratitude, and find fulfillment in every step of the way—even if all that remains, admittedly, is a work in progress.

Kathryn Haueisen

“Life in England & New England before the Mayflower Voyage”
10:30 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 17 | Orchestra Hall
In the decades preceding the Mayflower voyage, Europe was a dangerous place for any who defied the will of monarchs and bishops. The English Separatists risked their lives to protest both the Roman Catholic Church and King Henry’s newly Established Church of England. Meanwhile, the Indigenous peoples of what we call New England were dealing with their own desperate situations, including a plague that claimed the lives of nearly three of every four people.

After living a decade in exile in Holland, the English Separatists were eager to establish a place of their own, far, far from King James. Previous detrimental encounters with earlier Europeans made the Indigenous people wary of light-skinned visitors from across the great sea. As they watched Mayflower passengers unload women, children and building supplies, they worried what future challenges awaited them. 

“The First Encounters Between the Indigenous & English Peoples”
Thursday, Aug. 17, 3:30 p.m. | Orchestra Hall
Massasoit Ousa Mequin was the leader of many tribes within the Pokanoket nation. Several years before the Mayflower set sail an English shipmaster had kidnapped 27 of their young men, taking them as cargo to Spain to sell into slavery. Just before the Mayflower arrived, Mequin watched in helpless horror as his people died from diseases introduced by European merchants. In a matter of months nearly three-fourth of his people were in graves. Still, they outnumbered the half-starved English settlers his scouts observed setting up a new community on the site of a village abandoned because of the plague.

The great Indigenous leader knew he had to respond quickly and wisely to the presence of these newest group of Europeans. The result was the first treaty between the Indigenous and English peoples. Both parties honored the treaty for as long as the first generation of leaders lived.

Kathryn Haueisen is an author and retired Lutheran pastor. Her career has included teaching, preaching, leading workshops, writing, public relations and fundraising for small nonprofits and faith-based organizations. Her undergraduate degree comes from Bowling Green State University where she majored in journalism. She earned her Master of Divinity at the Lutheran Seminary Program of the Southwest, an affiliate of Wartburg Theological Seminary. She loves speaking to groups ranging in size from a few to an auditorium full. Some of her favorite topics are the health benefits of journaling, writing one’s personal memoirs for family and prosperity, and the religious/political issues that led to the Mayflower voyage and the resulting impact on the Indigenous people of North America. She lives and writes in Columbus, Ohio.

Carolyn Putney

“The Wonders of India”
10:30 a.m., Friday, Aug. 18 | Orchestra Hall
Join Carolyn Putney, retired curator of Asian art at the Toledo Museum of Art, for an armchair tour of enchanting India. The talk will focus on the major monuments of art and architecture from the Buddhist, Hindu and Mughal traditions, including the Ajanta Cave paintings, the great temples at Ellora and Khajuraho, and will conclude with the ethereal beauty of the Taj Mahal.

Carolyn Putney is a native Floridian who moved to Toledo, Ohio, the day after she finished graduate studies at Florida State University. She began a 38-year career at the Toledo Museum of Art, where she began work as the slide librarian and ended up as Chief Curator and Director of Collections. Her specialty is Asian art and during her time at the museum, she also taught art history courses at the University of Toledo part-time. Her teaching has also included training docents and leading museum and university trips to many places around the world, including England, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, China, India and Turkey. She and her husband continue leading trips in retirement and most recently brought groups to India and Sicily.