Lucrezia Zaina Bequest Lecture 2026 with Justin Randolph Thompson

We are delighted to welcome Justin Randolph Thompson to deliver the latest in the series of annual lectures on subjects of Italian interest, made possible by a generous bequest from alumna, and former lecturer in French and Italian, Professor Lucrezia Zaina.

Justin Randolph Thompson is an artist, cultural facilitator and educator born in Peekskill, NY in ’79. Based between Italy and the US since 1999. Thompson is a recipient of a 2024 MAP Fund Award, a 2022 Creative Capital Award, a 2020 Italian Council Research Fellowship, a Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, a Franklin Furnace Fund Award, a Visual Artist Grant from the Fundacion Marcelino Botin and an Emerging Artist Fellowship from Socrates Sculpture Park amongst others. His work and performances have been exhibited widely in institutions including The Whitney Museum of American Art, the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia and The American Academy in Rome and are part of numerous collections including The Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Museo MADRE. His life and work seek to deepen the discussions around socio-cultural stratification and the arrogance of permanence by employing fleeting temporary communities as monuments and fostering projects that connect academic discourse, social activism and DIY networking strategies in annual and biennial gathering, sharing and gestures of collectivity. Thompson is Co-Founder and Director of Black History Month Florence, a multi-faceted exploration of Black histories and cultures in the context of Italy founded in 2016. Having realized, coordinated, curated, facilitated and promoted over 400 events and with 9 ongoing research platforms, the initiative has been reframed as a research center called The Recovery Plan which is directed by Thompson.

Following the lecture, from 7pm, there will be an Italian themed drinks reception for all.
Italian has been taught at this university since 1881 and today Italian Studies is housed within the Department of Languages, Cultures and Film (LCF). We are a small and friendly community of academic and teaching staff whose research and teaching interests cover contemporary fiction, linguistics, cultural history, film and transcultural studies.
Lucrezia Zaina (also known as Lexie) was a remarkable personality. She was a valued alumna and colleague, who studied French and Italian at the University of Liverpool from 1939-1947. Professor Zaina then became a lecturer in those departments and later Head of Italian from 1964 to 1988. Sadly, she passed away in 2008, leaving the University a generous gift in her Will, which has made these wonderful lectures possible.

Professor Zaina’s Liverpool legacy has extended the knowledge of Italy and Italian culture in our city and, of course, promoted Italian Studies, a field she was passionate about and dedicated her life’s work to.
Legacy gifts, like Professor Zaina’s have a great impact at the University of Liverpool, all are celebrated – whatever their size! After making sure those closest to you are taken care of, you may consider remembering us in your Will. A legacy gift to the university is an extraordinary way to celebrate your life while supporting the causes that are important to you.
What will your Liverpool legacy be?

If you want to make a difference at Liverpool and to our student community through a gift in your Will, please contact Carolyn Jones, Legacy Officer by telephone: 0151 795 1067 or by email: [email protected]

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