Austin Community College (ACC) hosts a day of art, music, and discussion focused on peace and conflict transformation at its 8th Annual Peace and Conflict Studies Spring Symposium 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, April 12, at Eastview Campus, Building 8000 Auditorium (3401 Webberville Road).

This year's theme is "The Borders of Belonging: Art, Conflict Transformation, and Peace." The event will include a conversation with songwriter and musician Alejandro Escovedo and a performance by playwright-performer Jesús I. Valles.

There will also be a panel discussion featuring:

• Phillip Townsend - Neon Queen Collective co-founder
• Fidencio Duran - Painter, muralist, and teaching artist
• Charlotte Gullick - Writer and ACC Creative Writing department chair
• Jason Reed - Texas State University Photography associate professor and Borderland Collective co-founder and director
• Victoria Suescum - Visual artist and ACC Art professor

Throughout the day, participants can explore an art exhibition, booths by community organizations, and live performances by Austin Classical Guitar and ACC's drama, dance, and creative writing departments.

"A major goal of this annual symposium is to unite our community of learners through deep engagement with a particular theme that relates to peace and non-violent conflict transformation," says Dr. Shirin Khosropour, ACC Peace & Conflict Studies director. "It's a day for our students to see connections between the seemingly disparate areas of their educational requirements, their own lives, local and global issues, and learn how they can get engaged in their community."

Hosted by ACC's Peace and Conflict Studies Center, the event is free and open to the public. Lunch is provided with free registration at go.austincc.edu/peace.

For more information, contact Khosropour at shirin@austincc.edu.