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NICHOLAS FRANK
Hermetic Lecture Series
The Hermetic Lecture Series was invented by Nicholas Frank and filmmaker Jennifer Montgomery to encourage non-experts to talk on topics of general interest. The idea is to invite speakers who already have some cultural specialization to address subjects outside their normal range of expertise. For example, Montgomery herself, who has written, produced and directed several independent films, spoke on the phenomenon of Baby Vegetables. Chicago photographer Claire Pentecost spoke on Darkness, Milwaukee performance poet Matt Cook spoke on First Ladies, and Milwaukee film programmer Carl Bogner lectured on Revolving Doors. The lecture series has even generated topics by polling the audience for ideas and randomly selecting one: one such result was Chicago theatre artist Dan Sutherland's lecture on Salt.
Montgomery said the Lecture Series offered her freedom from the usual constraints she felt as an "expert," and that she was free to explore a topic that was interesting to her without feeling like she needed to prove something. Enthusiastic audiences seem to agree that hearing from non-experts is a refreshing change. Frank feels that one of the most interesting aspects of the Series is learning how someone approaches a subject, because the evidence of their approach is more transparent than if the speaker had been intimate with the subject for years. Also, the lectures tend to be far less boring than the term "lecture" implies.
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