A frieze is an architectural feature usually on a wall near a ceiling displaying sculpted or painted decoration. There’s one that goes around the top of the Rock Island Public Library’s exterior. If one were to look up at it from street-level, one would be able to see the names of renowned writers of the past, like Dante and Virgil. This particular frieze was put in place to represent the ethnic diversity in Rock Island around the time of the library’s establishment during the early 1900s, bringing the area’s residents together. Nowadays, the Frieze Lecture Series, which has been going on since the late ’90s, does the exact same thing in its own way.
The late Ruth Evelyn Katz was the first to propose an idea for a lecture series brought about by a partnership between Augustana College and the Rock Island Public Library. Each fall since her initial proposal, four members of the Augustana faculty and campus community have been invited to come present in the library’s community room. The series takes on different themes every year. This year, the 27th time it’s happened, the focus will be on democracy in America, due to the coming general election next week.
The process of organizing the series goes like this: Kai Swanson, special assistant to the president at Augustana College, sits down over a coffee with leaders and members of the library’s staff during the early parts of the calendar year. From there ideas are thrown around as to what could pique or capture the public’s interest and be a source for the lectures to address. Names of speakers and presenters are then selected, showcasing the academic awareness of certain scholars associated with Augustana, since they’re all normally professors at the institution.
Augustana announced its new strategic plan around the beginning of 2024. One of the plan’s pillars is for the college to be more engaged in the broader Quad Cities community. In the past, campus faculty has served on city councils, county boards, and other types of commissions.
Swanson said the Frieze Lecture Series reflects the strength of this union between the college and the library. He said it provides members of the community the opportunity to experience what Augustana students get in the classroom each day of the week.
“I would say that the reason this is still a priority for us is it's a tangible way to demonstrate to the city of Rock Island that Augustana is proud of its hometown, and for the community, through the Rock Island Public Library, to also very publicly evince that it's proud of its college,” he said.
There isn’t a one-sided benefit to the organization of this series annually. Lisa Lockheart, the publicity and outreach liaison for the Rock Island Public Library, said libraries connect and bring people together, which is something the accessibility of the resources made available by these events makes possible and easier.
“It's our mission to create community and connect people together, and to consider ideas and other perspectives other than our own,” she said. “It has been a wonderful partnership over the past 27 years with Augustana College, being able to benefit from the intellectual resources of the college, but in a public setting, and increasing that accessibility is certainly something that we treasure.”
Augustana College’s president, Dr. Andrea Talentiono, will lead a lecture on Halloween, called “Teaching (and Living) Democracy on a College Campus.” Two more are to come after that, one on November 7th and the other on November 14th. All lectures begin at 2:00 p.m., and are held at the library in downtown Rock Island, located at 401 19th Street. For more information, those interested can visit the library’s website at www.rockislandlibrary.org, or by calling 309-732-READ.
(Kai Swanson hosts Saturday Morning Live here at WVIK.)
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