Special Events and Lectures

So many opportunities for learning pop up every week that you almost have to check the university events calendar daily to be sure you haven’t missed anything.  Most events are free and open to the public. A campus map will help you find locations and parking options.

Special Events-

Lifelong Learning Evening Course @ WFU Lam Museum

Contact Mimi Komos, or (336) 758-5232 for more information.

This class is an introduction to the visual arts of Africa with an emphasis on how these works relate to global exchanges, movements, and diasporas. Every class features authentic artworks from the WFU Lam Museum of Anthropology collections for close-up inspection. Class topics include how artworks are produced within specific cultural traditions (Yoruba, Kuba, Zulu, Maasai, etc.) as well as how common themes are spread across mediums and materials (sculpture in wood, beadwork, ceramics, textiles, etc.). In addition to visual analysis, this course connects objects to their histories by exploring deep history and archaeology, the influence of African art elsewhere in the world, and the changing social context for art today.

Dr. Andrew Gurstelle is a museum anthropologist and archaeologist. He is the Academic Director of the Timothy S. Y. Lam Museum of Anthropology where he helps students learn to conduct anthropological research and curate exhibits. He actively researches the museum’s 30,000+ objects which allows him to study a broad range of cultures over the past 10,000 years of human history. As a curator, he emphasizes putting objects in historical and cultural context.

Dr. Gurstelle maintains a research interest in the traditional arts of West and Central Africa—the sculptures, masks, musical instruments, tools, clothing, and beadwork taken into museums and galleries during colonialism in the 19th and 20th centuries. Dr. Gurstelle also conducts archaeological and historical research in West Africa, including Ghana, Togo, and Bénin. He directed the Savè Hills Archaeological Research Project in Bénin which examined the early history and development of the Shabe Yoruba kingdom between 1600 and 1960 CE.

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Seeking 15 active readers to meet once a month for 3 months via zoom. This is not your traditional book club! Inspired by my 22 year old who finds this type reading exchange a rewarding experience, a great place to share, stay connected with friends and learn about new books to read. No pre-assigned reading. Email Mimi Komos @  for more information and to register.

How will this work? 

 Meeting #1– Half of the participants, selected in advance, will take 5-10 minutes to share what they are currently reading.  Why are you reading this book?  Is this the type of book you usually read?  Would you recommend it?  Maybe share what is your favorite book. Time will be provided to ask questions.

Meeting #2– The remaining participants will take 5-10 minutes to share, with time provided to ask questions.

Meeting #3– Any updates on your readings?  Have you finished your book?  Did you like it? Has anyone read something another participant recommended or shared?   We will discuss what we might like or not like about this type of experience.  Should we offer it again?

Is there a fee?  No.   

How to register?  Please email Mimi Komos at  or call 336-758-5232.

How many people can register?  15. This will ensure everyone, including the host, will have time to share and participate.

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Lectures

Annual Fall Lecture
Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2025-completed
Time: 6:15 p.m.
Place: Wake Forest University, Porter Byrum Welcome Center
Cost: Free and Open to the Public

More about the lecture and speaker:

Join the campus community for a Lifelong Learning lecture by Dr. Michael Lamb,. The lecture will draw on lessons from America’s founders to explore why character is vital for preserving our constitution and how higher education plays an indispensable role in educating the leaders and citizens of character needed to keep our republic.

Dr. Michael Lamb is the F. M. Kirby Foundation Chair of Leadership and Character, Senior Executive Director of the Program for Leadership and Character, and Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Humanities at Wake Forest University. He earned a B.A. from Rhodes College, Ph.D. from Princeton University, and second B.A. from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. A recipient of teaching awards from Princeton, Oxford, and Wake Forest, he is the author of A Commonwealth of Hope: Augustine’s Political Thought and co-editor of The Arts of Leading, Cultivating Virtue in the University, and Everyday Ethics.

Directions:

Porter B. Byrum Welcome Center, located on the Wake Forest University campus. When you enter the campus from the Reynolda Road entrance, take your first right after the gate house and follow the signs to the lecture. The lecture is free and open to the community.