Janus, whose image forms the traditional symbol of the American Academy, is the ancient Roman god of gates, thresholds and transitions. Today, at a moment of fear and foreboding in the United States and in the world, the double-faced iconography of Janus seems particularly relevant. It reminds us to look back into the past and ahead into the future, but also to deliberate what confronts us in the here and now.

In opposition to the fear-filled rhetoric of the incoming administration, the American Academy in Rome Fellows of 2017 seek to make a clear statement about who we are and what we do. Coinciding with Inauguration Day on January 20, we will screen a medley of texts, images, music, and other media that represent what we value as a community and likewise the value of our work in the arts and humanities. Contributors received a set of prompts: What questions motivate your work? How does your work allow you to see and connect with others? And, more broadly, what makes us human?

The screening will be on loop from 6pm to midnight and projected on the entrance facade of the McKim, Mead, and White building, the face of the Academy onto Rome. Additionally, as a symbol of opposition to a rhetoric defined by borders, walls, and exclusion, the large main gate on Via Angelo Masina will be opened wide for the entire day.