“Weaving Biblical Stories Through Women’s Work” Textiles Exegesis with Vivienne Rowett

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 is to offer students, faculty, and the community a new way into the text, one that engages academic approach while honoring the human experience.

This lecture will be in-person and livestream.