Oglethorpe students, faculty and staff were invited to the Oct. 9 City Council meeting for the reading of a proclamation by Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst declaring October Arts and Humanities Month.

The invitation acknowledges the importance of Oglethorpe’s arts and culture programs and facilities in Brookhaven. Oglethorpe’s Conant Performing Arts Center and the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art are the only venues of their kind in the city.

“Literature, theatre, dance, art and music capture our history, build bridges amongst us, provoke dialogue and often raise important questions,” the proclamation states. “The Arts are vital components of education, teaching students to observe closely, interpret creatively, and think critically, and participating in the Arts ignites wonder and imagination.”

Elizabeth Peterson, director of Oglethorpe’s museum, was recently named to the new Brookhaven Arts Advisory Committee, formed to study the entire arts landscape in Brookhaven to identify and evaluate potential public, performing, visual and cultural art projects and report their recommendations to City Council.

The Oglethorpe University Museum of Art is currently running two exhibitions examining the influence of Eastern culture on Western art, including concerts and lectures throughout the semester. Oglethorpe Theatre’s production of Cabaret starts October 19.

President Larry Schall, front holding proclamation, with faculty, staff, and students at the Brookhaven City Council meeting.