 "Photo: Christina Khoumphonh")
Wednesday marked the opening reception for a memorial exhibit dedicated to the late Dr. Elayne Zorn, an Associate Professor at UCF of Anthropology and a well-known enthusiast of Andean studies. Colleagues and former students gathered in the Women's Research Center, celebrating the life of an extraordinary and kind woman.
Dr. Zorn spent over 30 years researching how highland South American indigenous communities cope with globalization, especially through textiles and the arts.
Andean pieces from Dr. Zorn's collection are the main focus of the exhibit, allowing visitors to remember her work as a cultural anthropologist and her passion for Andean weavers and culture.
"She was always concerned about how her work and how her actions would impact other people, and I think that is one of the great things of her legacy that she has left behind," said Dr. Natalie Underberg, co-director of the PeruVine/PerúDigital project and co-founder of the UCF Digital Ethnology Lab, both of which she collaborated with Dr. Zorn.
According to Dr. Underberg, the projects play a vital role in bridging together technology and the representation of certain cultures and were the primary focus of Dr. Zorn until she passed away in June 2010 from melanoma.
As an anthropologist, Dr. Zorn was a strong advocate of preserving culture in the Andes as well as the positive effects of globalization. Before and after her diagnosis in 2005, Dr. Zorn carefully produced works that became important milestones in Andean studies, including her book Weaving a Future: Tourism, Cloth, and Culture on an Andean Island.
According to a pamphlet that will be available at the exhibit Dr. Zorn made it her goal to bring together "a careful analysis of textile traditions" and a thorough understanding of tourism in Bolivia even while her health was at risk.
"She knew what she was doing, she lived it, she breathed it," said Dede Wilson-Mosley, a UCF graduate and former student of Dr. Zorn.
According to Dr. Leslie Lieberman, a close colleague, Dr. Zorn gained a reputation for her "high standards of intellectual rigor and competency."
Although most UCF students were intimidated by the amount of effort she invested in when reviewing their papers and even more by the amount of red ink, their admiration often surpassed their dismay.
"She extended the same genuine, altruistic care to each student," said Wilson-Mosley. "It was the same story, this was who she was. You weren't just a student… she remembered you."
"She was incredibly informative, easy to listen to, hardworking and inspiring," added Amanda Groff, an instructor at UCF and former student. "Even when she was ill, she always had the time to speak with me. She was the perfect example of a strong, independent woman and she will be greatly missed."
With Dr. Zorn's passing, her legacy lives on within her work and through her colleagues. An Elayne Zorn Resource Room in the Department of Anthropology will open on September 24 for UCF students.
A book she co-wrote with Dr. Underberg about the intersection of ethnography and digital media is underway.
Being a highly respected linguist and musician, she produced several Andean albums and played the charango in an Andean band, a small stringed instrument traditionally made with an armadillo shell. Instruments she used and collected can be seen at the exhibit, including Andean textiles with intricate detail.
Dr. Zorn's memorial exhibit will be on display until September 17, 2010 at the Women's Research Center located at 12424 Research Parkway, Suite 360.
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