Conference on World Affairs – Touch Drawing Gallery

 
The Conference on World Affairs, sponsored by the University of Colorado Boulder, is a premier forum for discussion of world affairs, attracting a diverse group of experts from around the world. The goal is to engage, educate, and inspire University of Colorado students, faculty, and staff; the greater Boulder community; and the people of Colorado and the nation to exchange ideas, acquire knowledge, and gain new insights. CWA week is a festival of ideas featuring 200 panels, 100 speakers and performers, over 5 days, attracting more than 70,000 in cumulative attendance each year.
 
My husband Ross Chapin and I were both invited to be a part of the 2019 CWA Week. Ross was on 7 panels and also spent a day with the University design students. I was a formal part of one panel each day, drawing on stage and sharing what I was doing with the participants. But I like to fully immerse myself when I do Interpretive Touch Drawing, so I selected 3 more sessions to draw on each of the 5 days, 19 panels in all. Each session was in a different location on campus, so I had to be really portable. See me below with my drawing materials and box that I used as a table. Scroll down to see the galleries. When you enlarge an image, you will see which session it was inspired by. Custom signed fine art prints available in 3 sizes. A link to order is below each image.  Contact us to inquire about originals. Find out more about Interpretive Touch Drawing.
 
 
Deborah carrying her TouchDrawing materials around campus, photo Ross Chapin

TUESDAY April 9

It’s Not ALL Bad News: Doing Good For Humanity
Nancy Donaldson, Nancy Janus, Morgan Keay, Marcelle M. Wahba, Moderator: Kurt Firnhaber

Keynote: Disrupting the Status Quo… By Design
Leyla Acaroglu – Moderator: Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano, Presented in Partnership with the Women’s Foundation of Colorado

Stories Women Tell: Sharing the Defining Moment in Their Journeys
Nancy Janus, Christina Lowery, Lydia K. Murithi, September Penn, Susi Snyder, Touch Drawing: Deborah Koff-Chapin,  Moderator: Pesha Rudnick

The Era of Identity Politics: Ways our religious, racial, ethnic, and social backgrounds influence the way we think about politics.
Ana Cabrera, Steven Hayward, Elizabeth Eastman, Lis Smith, Moderator: Albert Hand

 

WEDNESDAY April 10

Analogies and Anecdotes: Crafting Creative Connections: Interactive panel with writing prompts/short exercises to engage and discuss with the audience.
Priya Jha, Carolina Quiroga-Stultz, Mary Reynolds Thompson, Moderator: Eric Klinger

Mobilizing Your Passion
Alexander Bard, Matija Goljar, Conor Lyne, September Penn,
Touch Drawing: Deborah Koff-Chapin, Moderator: George Deriso

Social Media: Twenty Years Later
Ali C. Barta,  Jason Breed, William Hertling, Reza Ramazani, Moderator: Casey Fiesler

Magic in Mentoring: Experience creates support and fresh eyes generate innovation.
Kimberly Y. Moore, Moderator: Lisa Morzel

 

THURSDAY April 11

Wisdom Worldwide: How cultures define the concept of wisdom.
Christopher Horsethief, Julia Spicher Kasdorf, Moses Ma Christopher, M. Thomforde, Peter J. Whitehouse, Touch Drawing: Deborah Koff-Chapin, Moderator: Jane Brautigam

Women Left Behind: The cost of gender and racial inequality.
Nancy Donaldson , Priya Natarajan, Michelle Thaller, Teresa Younger Moderator: Eliza Woloson

 A Discussion of “Becoming” by Michelle Obama
Margo Squire, Mary Reynolds Thompson, Moderator: Kate Thompson

 

FRIDAY April 12

Saving the Planet: All Countries on Deck
Cassandra Brooks, Lyssa Freese, Bonnie Keeler, Alexander Verbeek, Moderator: Max Boykof

Disruptive Technology Keynote: The Internet and Humanity
Berit Anderson, Moderator: Alison Cool

Rhythm and Words: An unpredictable improvisation panel combining movement, music and spoken word.
Rony Barrak, Thom Rotella , Michael Spencer, Mary Reynolds Thompson, Touch Drawing: Deborah Koff-Chapin

Where Has the Silence Gone?
Rony Barrak, Ross Chapin, Michael Spencer, Mary Reynolds Thompson, Moderator: Dean Katherine Schultz

 

SATURDAY April 13

Peace Through Poetry
Lisa Graves Basia Irland, Julia Spicher Kasdorf, Mary Reynolds Thompson, Moderator: Brian Buckley 

What I Learned From Remarkable People
Andrew Lehren, Ann Reynolds, Tali Weinberg, Moderator: Rita Klees

“A Big, Beautiful Wall” A discussion of U.S. immigration policy.
Maya Averbuch , John C. Eastman, Nadia Firozvi, Reza Ramazani, Touch Drawing: Deborah Koff-Chapin, Moderator: Lee Shainis

A Conversation with Amy Klobuchar: Molly Ivins Memorial Plenary
Senator Amy Klobuchar, Moderated by CU history professor Tom Zeiler

This Post Has 5 Comments

  1. Deborah Eimers

    How delightful!

  2. Jen

    What a beautiful opportunity, Deb!! Congratulations <3

    1. Deborah Koff-Chapin

      Thanks Jen – it was especially wonderful that Ross and I were both invited – We usually go to very different conferences. There were journalists, scientists, designers, political thinkers – sometimes I wasn’t sure what to say in conversation while waiting on a foos line – when the man next to me was the president of the Ploughshares Fund, for instance. (A major aniti-nuclear organization)

  3. Katrice Balmer

    So much inspiration. Perhaps another deck of cards is coming 🙏. Your first version of the Soul Cards is my daily guidepost. Thank you

    1. Deborah Koff-Chapin

      Katrice – Actually – YES, I am seriously looking at two possible decks to be released in 2020, the 25th anniversary of SoulCards 1. One would be more of the same – SoulCards 3. the other just faces….trying to decide whether to do one or both…..

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