Cultural Diversity Awareness Program

“Today, more than ever before in our history, museums are an integral and essential part of the fabric of our civic life in America. Museums help us learn about ourselves, to understand each other, to explore diverse cultures around the world, and they provide us with the tools to face the challenges of the future, grounded in the lessons of our collective history. American museums are a cornerstone of learning and an essential part of any democracy.”

- Beth E. Levinthal, Director, Hofstra University Museum

Using the rich resources of the Hofstra University Museum’s collection and thanks to the generosity of the Hofstra University Office of the President and other funders, the Cultural Diversity Awareness Program features a series of posters that highlight works from around the world dating from ancient to modern times. Located at a number of key campus locations, they provide Hofstra’s students with visually stimulating links to other cultures that promote diversity on campus while enhancing the educational experience. During daily activities such as walking to classes, students will learn about the art, geography, and history of cultures from six regions of the world.

See Photos

Partnering with Margaret Abraham, Special Advisor to the Provost for Diversity Initiatives and Professor of Sociology, the Museum determined that each poster would include the image of the work of art or object, a map of the area of origin, with a highlighted area indicating the specific country where the work was created, artist information when known, medium, and didactic text and information that help explain the meaning of the work.

On Thursday, September 11, 2008, President Stuart Rabinowitz hosted a reception to celebrate the launch of this initiative in Hagedorn Hall.  Click here to see images from this event.

In Grateful Appreciation

We thank the following funders and contributors to this project:  Margaret Abraham, Vicki Dwyer, Hofstra University Office of the President, Hofstra University Office of the Provost, Jenny Hughes, Michael King, Alexandra Miciotta, Bez Ocko, Rick Odell, Roslyn Savings Foundation, Pradeep Singh, and Chandra S. Sunkara.

Slideshow Instructions
• Click on the numbers across the middle to view each image.
• Click on the Play/Pause icon on the lower right to activate or deactivate the automatic slideshow.