Speaker to discuss ‘bling’ impact on culture

Lyneise Williams will be presenting “What About Bling? Considering Hip-Hop Jewelry” at 7 p.m. today in room 202 of the Art Building.

Williams will be discussing how bling hit the rap music scene in the late ’70s and how it continues to be one of the most well-recognized signs of the rap musical genre.

“(Lyneise) presented at the Society of North American Goldsmiths’ annual conference in Cleveland, and I wanted to bring her back to share her research with the rest of the department,” said Kathleen Browne, art professor who specializes in jewelry.

The presentation will explore the impact of hip-hop jewelry on American culture.

Williams is a Carolina Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a 2004 graduate of Yale and has taught courses in African art, African-American art and museum studies. In Fall 2006, Williams will join the art history faculty in the art department at the University of North Carolina.

– Shauna Stottsberry