On Wednesday, March 20, the Year of Ghana exhibit by Lyle Ashton Harris will open at the Kenneshaw State University (KSU) campus in Kennesaw, and it will remain on display at the Fine Arts Gallery in the Joe Mack Wilson Building through April 24. The event is free and open to the public.

Harris, who divides his time between his teaching job at New York University and NYU’s campus in Accra, Ghana, compiled a collage and video body of work on his personal experiences while in the country off-and-on since 2005.

The exhibition seeks to share those memories with the general public, as well as the KSU campus personnel and student body. And they will also be toured during the KSU Year of Ghana Conference, which begins on Friday, March 22 and will run through Saturday, March 23.

The International Conference and Business Forum, dubbed “Ghana: A Model for Democratic Governance, Economic Growth and Sustainable Development?” is being hosted by Kennesaw State University as a part of KSU’s Institute for Global Initiatives.

The call for papers for the conference has been closed; however, registration for the event is still open for students, faculty and the general public. Cost ranges from $50 for KSU students with a meal plan to $100 for other attendees.

Conference cost includes lunch and dinner on Friday, the first day of the event, which begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. and concludes at 7:00 p.m.

On Saturday, the second day of the conference; which begins at 9:00 a.m. and concludes at 3:00 p.m., lunch is also provided at no additional charge.

In advance of the Year of Ghana Conference, KSU will also hold a banquet dinner organized and sponsored by the African and African Diaspora Studies Program on Thursday, March 21 from 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

A pre-conference plenary will commence following the banquet at 6:30 p.m. and will feature Kwamina Panford, Associated Professor of African American Studies, Northeastern University.

The fifth annual African and African Diaspora Studies Student Research and Engagement Conference is scheduled to conclude with a “Spoken Word/Hip Hop” concert by The Ambassador, ending at 10:00 p.m.

KSU’s 13th annual “Phenomenal Women’s Conference” is scheduled to begin on Friday, March 22 at 9:00 a.m. and the first session will feature keynote speaker Linda Anderson, a memory artist.

Other speakers slated for the first session of Friday’s women’s event include personal trainer Tammi Hill, the founder of Maddy Moo purses, Elizabeth Chester, and Erin Wolf, managing partner of Suite Track, as well as Lynn Anderson, the chief talent partner of the Mentis Movement.

Session two, scheduled to run from 11:15 a.m. until noon on Friday, boast speakers like Katie McMahon, a future senior sales director for Mary Kay Industries; Darcy Eikenberg, the founder of Red Cape Revolution, and KSU Coles College of Business Dean Kathy Schwaig, as well as Erik Malewski, of the KSU chief diversity office.

Following lunch, session two of the one-day annual Siegel Institute event will feature keynote speaker Elizabeth Hackett, the chair of the Agnes Scott College Women’s Studies Program. Her speech on the topic of “Miss or Ms Representation: Deconstructing Images of Women in the Media,” will be followed by a panel discussion. The event concludes at 3:00 p.m.

The Phenomenal Women’s Conference is sold out for the 2013 event, but those interested in learning about the speakers and information shared during the conference are encouraged to follow the Atlanta Pop Culture Examiner’s column by clicking on the subscribe link below.

Coverage of the KSU Phenomenal Women's Conference and its participants, as well as the Year of Ghana Conference, will be made available soon.