February 2012

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Donald Campbell: A Retrospective of Selected Works (1957-2011)

Through Feb. 28 at the Marian Graves Mugar Art Gallery, Sawyer Fine Arts Center

The Colby-Sawyer College Fine and Performing Arts Department will host an exhibition, “Don Campbell: A Retrospective of Selected Works (1957-2000),” featuring ceramics, drawings and photography. Refreshments will be provided, and admission is free.

Campbell, a resident of Elkins, N.H., was a professor of art at Colby-Sawyer College from 1960 to 1990, teaching studio courses in ceramics, design and drawing, as well as classes in art history. He served as chair of Fine and Performing Arts Department and was named professor emeritus following his retirement.

Learn more about this event here.

V-Day at Colby-Sawyer: "The Vagina Monologues"

Friday, Feb. 3 – Sawyer Center Theater, 7 p.m.

Colby-Sawyer students, faculty and staff will perform a reading of Eve Ensler's acclaimed play "The Vagina Monologues." This performance is a benefit for The Rape and Domestic Violence Crisis Center and the V-DAY Organization. Strong language and adult themes.

Tickets are $10 for adults/$5 for non Colby-Sawyer students and children. Purchase tickets using our online system here. Please call the Sawyer Center Box Office at (603) 526-3670 for more information.

“The Edge of Each Other's Battles, The Vision of Audre Lorde”

Tuesday, Feb. 7, Clements Hall, 7:30 pm

In this 2003 film, Jennifer Abod documents Audre Lorde's social vision and the translation of that vision into a transnational conference which used her work, while celebrating her life. The film is a tribute to Audre Lorde's legacy of politics and poetry. Primary footage is from the four-day Boston conference, "I Am Your Sisters: Forging Global Connections Across Differences," where 1,200 activists from 23 countries used Lorde's work to address transcultural understandings of race, gender, sexuality, and class. Interviews with organizers/scholars Jacqui Alexander and Angela Bowen are intercut with conference footage, including performances, moving and passionate speeches, and controversies. This video is not a sentimental retrospective of Lorde, but an exhortation to activism that is lifelong and joyous. Admission is free.

This film is part of Colby-Sawyer College's celebration of Black History Month.

Colby-Sawyer's Global Cafe Presents "A Night of Italy"

Wednesday, Feb. 15 – Wheeler Hall, Ware Campus Center, 7 p.m.

Prior to a concert by the Alpine Quartet, come hear last semester's Global Explorations students talk about what it's like to study and live in Florence, Italy. The evening will be accompanied by Italian treats. Admission is free.

Sponsored by The Office of International and Diversity Programs, the Global Cafe is a monthly program focused on culturally diverse performances, films and discussions.

Alpine Quartet Directed by Gabrielle Vanoni

Wednesday, Feb. 15 – Wheeler Hall, Ware Campus Center, 8 p.m.

An evening concert of traditional songs from the Italian Alps. The Alpine Quartet, under the direction of Gabriele Vanoni, will perform the Alpini Songs which dramatize Italian experience during World War I and World War II. The Alpini troops were recruited from the inhabitants of the Italian Alps and their war songs became famous around the world, not only because they tell of war and hardships, but because they convey esprit de corps, the beauty of desire and the undefeatable human heart. The evening will be accompanied by Italian treats. Admission is free.

This event is funded by the Olivetti Series Endowment Fund.

Tom Weiner, Author of Called to Serve: Stories of Men and Women Confronted by the Vietnam War Draft

Tuesday, Feb. 21 – Wheeler Hall, Ware Campus Center, 7 p.m.

Called to Serve: Stories of the Men and Women Confronted by the Vietnam War Draft is Tom Weiner's first book. Tom was drafted in May 1971 and tells his story, as well as the stories of other men and women who were drafted. The book seeks to promote long-overdue healing from the effects of the Vietnam War. It depicts through oral history a wide range of stories and allows the reader to understand what happened to those who served, those who resisted, those who left, those who chose conscientious objection, those who beat the draft and those who loved, counseled and supported. Free.

“Film: Remember the Titans”

Tuesday, Feb. 21 – Clements Hall, Ivey Science Center7:30 p.m.

The true story of a newly appointed African-American coach and his high school team on their first season as a racially integrated unit. Free admission.

This event is part of Colby-Sawyer College's celebration of Black History Month.

Film: "Surviving Hitler"

Monday, Feb. 27 – Clements Hall, Ivey Science Center, 7 p.m.

As a teenager in Nazi Germany, Jutta is shocked to discover she is Jewish. She joins the German resistance and meets Helmuth, an injured soldier. The two become sweethearts and soon co-conspirators in the final plot to assassinate Hitler. “Surviving Hitler: A Love Story” is a true harrowing tale of war, resistance and survival. At the center of the documentary is a love story for the ages, with riveting narration by Jutta herself, original 8mm footage shot by Helmuth and, miraculously, a happy ending. Free.

Screening of “Say My Name”

Tuesday, Feb. 28 Clements Hall, 7:30 p.m.

In a hip hop and R'n'B world dominated by men and noted for misogyny, the unstoppable female lyricists of "Say My Name" (2009)speak candidly about class, race and gender in pursuing their passions as female MCs. This worldwide documentary takes viewers on a vibrant tour of urban culture and musical movement, from hip hop's birthplace in the Bronx to London's grimy Eastside, to Philly, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta and L.A., and points in between. Featuring interviews and musical performances from a diverse cast of women that includes Remy Ma, Rah Digga, Jean Grae, Erykah Badu, Estelle, as well as newcomers Chocolate Thai, Invincible and Miz Korona, this powerful documentary delves into the amazing personal stories of women balancing professional dreams with the stark realities of poor urban communities, race, sexism, and motherhood. Free admission.

This event is part of Colby-Sawyer College's celebration of Black History Month.

Sally Hirsh-Dickinson Discusses her Book Dirty Whites and Dark Secrets: Sex and Race in Peyton Place

Wednesday, Feb. 29 - Wheeler Hall, Ware Campus Center, 7 p.m.

Dr. Sally Hirsh-Dickinson, a former Colby-Sawyer College faculty member, returns to the college to discuss her new book, Dirty Whites and Dark Secrets: Sex and Race in Peyton Place. Hirsh-Dickinson contends the novel scandalized the nation precisely because of the way in which sexuality is conflated with America's problematic relationship with race. This charge is buttressed by the oft-forgotten detail that the fictional Peyton Place was founded by one Samuel Peyton, an escaped slave.

Hirsh-Dickinson argues that the town's inability to come to terms with its black history informs its dysfunctional relationship to sex, power and justice, mirroring America on the eve of the civil rights movement. She writes of New England in the larger American consciousness, touching on discussions of white studies and the racialized lower classes in American fiction. Dirty Whites and Dark Secrets is a thought-provoking study of a genre classic that will speak to both scholars and students about the deeper truths hidden in popular fiction. Free.

March 2012

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Author Bob Harris

Monday, March 19 - Wheeler Hall, Ware Campus Center, 7 p.m.

Bob Harris is an author, comedian, TV writer ("Bones," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"), New York Times contributor, quiz show champ ("Jeopardy!," "Greed"), and former AP award-winning syndicated radio commentator. In 2008, Harriswas hired by Forbes Traveler to circle the globe while helping to compile their annual list of the finest accommodations on earth, but was instead overwhelmed by the brutal contrast between the world's rich and poor. As a result, Bob has now lent every dime of his Forbes paychecks in small amounts to more than 1,500 entrepreneurs in 52 countries on five continents via the online lending platforms Kiva.org, Babyloan.org and Rangde.org. In his upcoming book, The 1st International Bank of Bob, Harris travels across five continents to follow the online loan process from his own desk to the ultimate recipients. Free.

Italian Folk Music Group Newpoli

Thursday, March 22 - Wheeler Hall, Ware Campus Center, 7 p.m.

All alumni of Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory, Newpoli is a group of exceptionally talented singers and musicians that performs Southern Italian folk music, mainly from the regions of Campania and Puglia but integrating a variety of styles such as Tarantella-Pizzica, Tammuriata, Villanella and the Neapolitan Canzone, encompassing music from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. This event is free and funded in part by the Olivetti Series Endowment Fund

Gladys Greenbaum Meyers Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition

Opening reception Friday, March 23 – Sawyer Center, 5-7 p.m.

The Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Colby-Sawyer College will host the annual Gladys Greenbaum Meyers Juried Student Art Exhibition featuring students' recent work in ceramics, drawing, graphic design, mixed and new media, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture.

The exhibition is made possible by a generous endowment gift established by Gladys Greenbaum Meyers, an alumna of the Class of 1939. This event, the college's largest art exhibition of the year, features pieces by student artists which were selected by art faculty members.

Admission is free. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibit runs through April 13.

Film: "The Lives of Others"

Monday, March 26 - Clements Hall, Ivey Science Center, 7 p.m.

In the early 1980s, Georg Dreyman and his longtime companion, Christa-Maria Sieland, are intellectual stars in East Germany, although they secretly don't always toe the party line. When the Minister of Culture becomes interested in Christa, secret service agent Wiesler is instructed to observe the couple, whose lives fascinate him more and more. Free.

John de Graaf Presents: Pursuing Happiness Instead of Chasing Growth

Wednesday, March 28 - Wheeler Hall, Ware Campus Center, 7 p.m.

John de Graaf is a documentary filmmaker with more than 15 national PBS specials. The De Graaf Environmental Filmmaking Award, named for him, is presented annually at the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival in Nevada City, California. He is the co-author of the best-seller "Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic" and the editor of Take Back Your Time: Fighting Overwork and Time Poverty in America. John is the Executive Director of Take Back Your Time and also serves on the board of the national environmental organization, Earth Island Institute. He was the founder of the Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival and is currently writing a new book, What's the Economy For Anyway?. He has taught at The Evergreen State College.

Thomas Jefferson enshrined the right to the pursuit of happiness in our Declaration of Independence and held that increasing the happiness of its citizens was the only “orthodox purpose of happiness.” What if we took his words seriously? Can we even measure happiness? A new science says it's possible and around the world, individuals, organizations and governments are looking for new ways to measure progress that go beyond the Gross Domestic Product. Moreover, the earth's limits and our ecological crises require us to think differently about how much we produce and consume. The Happiness Initiative engages students in a conversation about what really matters for their well-being and how to get more of what matters instead of merely more. John de Graaf, co-director of the Happiness Initiative, will offer a lively and engaging presentation about the project and how Colby-Sawyer students, faculty and staff can get involved. (See www.happycounts.org for more info.)

This event is free.

April 2012

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Spring Theater Production

Thursday-Saturday, April 5-7 – Sawyer Center, 7 p.m.

Check back for more details.

Philosopher Andrew Cutrofello on Hamlet's Melancholy

Wednesday, April 4 - Wheeler Hall, Ware Campus Center, 7 p.m.

Hamlet, the original Man in Black, describes himself as melancholy. What it meant to be melancholy in Shakespeare's day, though, is different from what it means today. Then, it meant to be filled with black bile, to have a certain complexion, to be meditative, and to be capable of communicating with spirits. Today, being melancholy means being sad or depressed. Our sense of the term derives from modern psychologists like Freud. Interestingly, Hamlet fits the new description of melancholy as much as he does the old. Is this a coincidence? In his presentation, Andrew Cutrofello will discuss some of the different ways in which philosophers, literary critics, and psychologists have thought about Hamlet's peculiar disposition.

Andrew Cutrofello is a professor in the Philosophy Department at Loyola University Chicago. His current interests include Kant, continental philosophy, and metaphilosophical reflections on the history and meaning of the analytic/continental distinction. Dr. Cutrofello has published a number of books and articles.

Senior Art Exhibition

Opening reception Friday, April 20 – Sawyer Center, 5-7 p.m.

The Colby-Sawyer College Fine and Performing Arts Department will host its annual Senior Art Exhibition featuring students' work in a variety of media including ceramics, graphic design, painting, printmaking, photography and sculpture.

This annual exhibit features works created by Colby-Sawyer's Studio Art and Graphic Design majors. The works illustrate the seniors' growth as artists and represent a high level of professionalism. The reception will include the presentation of merit and purchase awards.

Admission is free. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibit runs through May 5.

Spring Dance Ensemble

Saturday, April 21 – Sawyer Center, 7 p.m.

Check back for more details.

CSC Singers Spring Concert

Wednesday, April 25 – Wheeler Hall, Ware Campus Center, 7 p.m.

Check back for more details.

May 2012

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Twenty Days in May

Sawyer Center

A collaborative exhibition with the Center for the Arts and the greater Lakes Region community. Opening and official title TBD.