A Cultural and Cross-Campus Collaboration
During the Fall 2024 semester, Dean Rick Davis taught a class to Honors College students called Opera as Social Change: Loving v. Virginia, as a complement to the world premiere of Virginia Opera's production of Loving v. Virginia, on stages this Spring.
The opera with music by Damien Geter and libretto by Jessica Murphy Moo is based on the story of a young couple’s interracial marriage in 1958 which sparked a case that lead to the Supreme Court and a victory for civil rights in the United States, in 1967. This operatic retelling is based on the true story of Mildred and Richard Loving, a love story that would change the world.
"Opera, with its ability to tell big stories and create strong emotional connections, is an ideal art form to explore our shared histories, both painful and triumphant, as in the beautiful Loving v. Virginia."—Rick Davis
Coming to the Center for the Arts on the Fairfax campus, on May 3-4, 2025.
One of the class assignments tasked students with developing a project in any format (e.g. posters, websites, short videos, essays, compilations, podcasts, etc.) that would become a substantial contribution to the “public dramaturgy” project surrounding Loving v. Virginia. A selection of these works are displayed on this page and will be on display at the Center for the Arts.
Class Goals and Outcomes
- Explore the history and contemporary cultural role of opera, gaining an understanding of the traditions, conventions, and innovations in the artform and situating it in the modern world.
- Develop and communicate a deeper understanding of the importance of the 1967 Supreme Court’s decision in Loving v. Virginia and its contribution to the American civil rights movement historically and today.
- Gain increased understanding of the research and artistic development process leading to the creation of the opera Loving v. Virginia.
- Create original “public dramaturgy” materials to assist a broader audience of students and community members in approaching the premiere production of Loving v. Virginia.
Watch: Lullaby from Loving v. Virginia, by Virginia Opera
George Mason Guest Speakers
Lauren Kelley, Environmental Science, '26
"It is not only a form of folk art that has been used to tell stories and preserve cultures for centuries; quilting, the process of creating something out of scrap, has also been an act of survival for disadvantaged peoples in America."—Lauren Kelley
Brynne Severns, Criminology, Law, & Society and Forensic Science, '25
"The Lovings were reduced to the color of their skin throughout the court proceedings.... "Tell the court that I love my wife" is a perfect representation of what I took away from this couple. Everyone should have the right to be with the person they love. Telling the Lovings story through art reminds us that the fight is not over and allows us to appreciate the bravery involved in fighting for the person you love. "—Brynne Severns
Madelyn Zaleski, Mechanical Engineering, '24
Watch timelapse video of Madelyn Zaleski creating the digital painting Lovers' Hands
"Something that really struck me about the story of Loving v. Virginia was Richard and Mildred's courage and determination to fight for their right to marriage in their home state….for their ability to remain in their home of Caroline county among their friends and family. As someone born and raised in Virginia myself, I would be devastated if I had to move far from here just to live without fear of persecution."—Madelyn Zaleski
Abby Ng, Forensic Science (concentration Chemistry), '26 - Loving v. Virginia digital 'zine
"This dramaturgical project reached me at a time when I was just beginning to get further into the art of zine creation....[It] has, to date, been the largest zine I've personally made. It took me about a week, traveling back and forth between the printers on campus....Cutting, ripping, and pasting parts of UNIQLO magazines, newspaper articles, and photographs was my life for that time—wake up, zine, sleep. But it was very, very fun."—Abby Ng
Kayla Goldschmidt, Government and International Politics, '25
"...I wanted to show how their story largely took place outside of their hometown community and give viewers a sense of the displacement forced upon them....This idea of home being both a physical location and an emotional safe space is something that I personally resonated with, so that was the perspective I had in mind while creating this interactive story map."—Kayla Goldschmidt
Header Image Credit
Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images