Meet Arianna Genis, the University of Minnesota’s second Visionary Community Fellow supported by the Institute for Advanced Study and Liberal Arts Engagement Hub. Genis is challenging one-dimensional narratives of Latino identity and building something far more powerful: a research-backed, community-rooted movement that connects culture, storytelling, and political action across the Midwest.

The Institute for Advanced Study is delighted to announce four new Research and Creative Collaboratives advancing interdisciplinary research, scholarship, and creative practice. Their projects explore topics such as the relationship between labor and scholarship; ethical avenues for collaborative knowledge production with incarcerated students and alumni; data-driven approaches to public accountability and civic trust; and community-based agricultural practices that support environmental stewardship and culturally grounded food systems. 

The IAS announces eleven new Residential Faculty Fellows for 2026–2027 from across the humanities, social sciences, arts, and design. Their projects address urgent issues including equitable health systems, Indigenous sovereignty, the local impact of forever chemicals, and methods of resistance and refusal.

Dr. Bianet Castellanos, Professor of American Studies and Director of the Institute for Advanced Study, was invited to curate a table display at the Weisman Art Museum which is on view now as part of the Librería Donceles exhibit.