Wayne State University in Detroit has a prominent role in a major international arts conference to be held in Brazil May 21-25. The university's College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts is planning the four-day event, which is themed "African Influences in the Visual Arts of the Americas," in cooperation with three universities in the city of Salvador, Brazil. The partner universities are the Federal University of Bahia, State University of Bahia and UNIFACS, a private higher education institution.

WSU President Irvin D. Reid, who will speak at the opening session, hopes the conference can be a catalyst for ongoing dialogue between Detroit and Salvador, both large cities where the influences of the African Diaspora are strong. Broadening the university's involvement around the globe is among his initiatives.

The conference is believed to be one of the first ever-involving cooperation between a university in the United States and Brazilian higher education institutions to discuss the influence of African art. It is an outgrowth of a Fulbright research and teaching grant that took WSU professor Marion Jackson of the art and art history department to the city of Salvador during the past year to study and teach about the influence of African art.

Jackson points out that the visual arts in the United States and Brazil reflect a complex mix of European, African and indigenous cultural traditions that result in rich and varied artistic expressions. In her keynote lecture, she will highlight similarities and differences among artists in the two countries, as their works have reflected conditions of slavery, liberation and globalization.

Also making presentations and exhibiting their work will be two artists who are art and art history department faculty members at WSU. Peter Williams will address themes of identity, racism, fine arts and popular culture as expressed in his work. His recent works exploring the theme of the "Neo-Negro" have received national attention, and one of his works hangs in the Contemporary Galleries at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Robert Martin, who works primarily in the video and electronic arts, will reflect on the synergistic relationship among human beings, computers and cultures. Martin creates much of his work using computers to produce interpretive images, and he will describe his techniques.

Among other Detroit-area artists participating in the Salvador conference will be Tyree Guyton of Detroit's Heidelberg Project fame; Lester Johnson, professor of drawing and painting at the Center for Creative Studies; Bamidele Demerson, director of exhibitions and research at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History; and Al Hinton, professor of art at the University of Michigan.

The United States Consulate in Rio de Janeiro is cooperating in the conference by providing simultaneous translation of speakers' comments in both English and Portuguese. The Ford Motor Company Fund is helping support Wayne State's involvement.

Reid points out that the conference is another vehicle for building international bridges. "Detroit and Salvador have a lot in common," he said. "Both are large, old cities in the process of revitalizing themselves and both have significant African American populations. This conference will be a critical step in our establishing closer relations with South America, Brazil and particularly Salvador. Our students, faculty and higher education institutions will benefit immensely. This conference is only a beginning in sharing what we have in common, and we look forward to continued cooperation with our higher education partners in Brazil."