Arboretum Art Installation : Signing On by Patrick "Pato" Hebert
Monday, September 20, 2010 - Sunday, October 3, 2010 All Day
"In all of my sculptural work, whether based in objects, installation, language, or performance, I am en-gaging with site and space as materials," says artist artist Patrick "Pato" Hebert.
"My work also queries how an audience becomes a community and whether shared social engagement might become more animated, channeled, and wielded through art. I want to hone a praxis of strategic interconnectedness. I study the spatial dimensions of light, the personal and cultural meaning embodied in materials and place, the political challenge of indeterminacy, and the spiritual value of uncertainty. I hope that this work constitutes critical yet visceral sculpture and photography that is intimately compelling."
Signing On: Creative Interventions and the Mobilization of the Imagination
Tuesday, September 21, 2010 - Friday, October 29, 2010 8:30 AM - 10:00 PM
McCabe Lobby, McCabe Library
"[My work] queries how an audience becomes a community and whether shared social engagement might become more animated, channeled, and wielded through art, says artist Patrick "Pato" Hebert.
"I want to hone a praxis of strategic interconnectedness. I study the spatial dimensions of light, the personal and cultural meaning embodied in materials and place, the political challenge of indeterminacy, and the spiritual value of uncertainty. I hope that this work constitutes critical yet visceral sculpture and photography that is intimately compelling."
Lecture by artist Patrick "Pato" Hebert
Thursday, September 23, 2010 4:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Kohlberg, Scheuer Room, Kohlberg,
"My conceptual sculptures and installations are concerned with interpersonal ethics, the dynamics that operate in social sites, and a greater awareness of our spatial, temporal, and emotional realities says artist artist Patrick "Pato" Hebert.
"Formally, I am often drawn to simple, vernacular materials while seeking to deploy them in surprising and poetic ways. In all of my sculptural work, whether based in objects, installation, language, or performance, I am engaging with site and space as materials. My work also queries how an audience becomes a community and whether shared social engagement might become more animated, channeled, and wielded through art. I want to hone a praxis of strategic interconnectedness. I study the spatial dimensions of light, the personal and cultural meaning embodied in materials and place, the political challenge of indeterminacy, and the spiritual value of uncertainty. I hope that this work constitutes critical yet visceral sculpture and photography that is intimately compelling."
Star Trek Joins Orchestra 2001
Sunday, September 26, 2010 7:30 PM - 12:00 AM
Lang Music Building - Lang Concert Hall
Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi), one of the stars of the long-running TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation, joins Orchestra 2001's artistic director and pianist James Freeman to narrate Richard Strauss's monodrama Enoch Arden, based on a long narrative poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Completing the program are two tango-inspired works by the Argentine-American composer Osvaldo Golijov.
Cooper Series events are free and open to the public; there is no reserved seating. Event details may be subject to change without notice.
Lecture: The Yes Men
Thursday, October 7, 2010 4:30 PM - 12:00 AM
LPAC Cinema, Lang Performing Arts Center,
Through actions of tactical media, The Yes Men raise awareness about problematic social issues; most frequently, attention is brought to situations in which a person or group-notably corporations and government organizations-benefits to the detriment of others.
To date, the duo (Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno) has produced the two films The Yes Men (2003) and The Yes Men Fix the World (2009), in which they practice a concept they call "identity correction," impersonating entities they dislike and sometimes using elaborate props. Their mission statement is to tell the truth and expose lies. From their offices in Milwaukee, they create and maintain fake websites similar to ones they intend to spoof, which have resulted in numerous interviews, conferences, and TV talk-show invitations. The Yes Men have collaborated with other groups of similar interest, including Improv Everywhere and Steve Lambert.
The Yes Men Performance Activism Workshop
Friday, October 8, 2010 2:00 PM - 12:00 AM
LPAC Frear Ensemble Theater, Lang Performing Arts Center,
The mission statement of The Yes Men is to tell the truth and expose lies, which they do through actions of tactical media. The Yes Men raise awareness about problematic social issues; most frequently, attention is brought to situations in which a person or group—notably corporations and government organizations—benefits to the detriment of others.
To date, the duo (Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno) has produced the two films The Yes Men (2003) and The Yes Men Fix the World (2009), in which they practice a concept they call "identity correction," impersonating entities they dislike and sometimes using elaborate props. From their offices in Milwaukee, they create and maintain fake websites similar to ones they intend to spoof, which have resulted in numerous interviews, conferences, and TV talk-show invitations. The Yes Men have collaborated with other groups of similar interest, including Improv Everywhere and Steve Lambert.
Gallery Exhibition: The Paintings of Samuel Bak: Holocaust History and Memory
Thursday, October 21, 2010 - Sunday, December 12, 2010 All Day
Lang Performing Arts Center - List Gallery,
Bak's paintings express the impact of the Holocaust on the once-vibrant Jewish culture of Eastern Europe, bearing witness to genocide while demonstrating the human capacity for persistence, transcendence, and healing.
Born in 1933 in Vilna, Poland, Samuel Bak was recognized from an early age as possessing extraordinary artistic talent. When Vilna came under German occupation in 1940, Bak and his family moved into the Vilna ghetto and later to a labor camp, from which he was smuggled and given refuge in a monastery. At the war's end, he and his mother were the only members of his large family still alive.
Lecture by Samuel Bak and Lawrence Langer
Thursday, October 21, 2010 4:30 PM - 12:00 AM
Lang Performing Arts Center - LPAC Cinema,
Samuel Bak, artist and Lawrence Langer, emeritus professor of English at Simmons College, will give a joint lecture before the Oct. 21 gallery opening reception of The Paintings of Samuel Bak: Holocaust History and Memory.
Symposium: Vilna: Jerusalem of the North
Friday, October 22, 2010 12:30 PM - 12:00 AM
Professor of History Robert Weinberg will moderate a symposium featuring artist Samuel Bak; Theodore Weeks, associate professor of history at Southern Illinois University Carbondale; and Jeffrey Veidlinger, professor of history at Indiana University‚Bloomingdale.
This event is planned in conjunction with the List Gallery show The Paintings of Samuel Bak: Holocaust History and Memory, which is on display Oct. 21-Dec. 12, 2010 in the Lang Performing Arts Center.
Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca Lecture and Demonstration
Thursday, October 28, 2010 10:00 AM - 12:00 AM
LPAC Pearson-Hall Theatre, Lang Performing Arts Center,
Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca brings to the stage the essence, purity, and integrity of one of the world's most complex and mysterious art forms.
All aspects of flamenco (dance, song, and music) are integrated and given equal weight in the presentations of Noche Flamenca, creating a true communal spirit within the company—the very heart and soul of flamenco. Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca are recognized as the most authentic flamenco touring company in the field today. Artistic Director Martin Santangelo
Greening the Rust Belt: Urban Agriculture and Food Security in Detroit and Philadelphia
Thursday, October 28, 2010 3:45 PM - 12:00 AM
Lang Performing Arts Center - LPAC Cinema,
Representatives from Detroit and Philadelphia will participate in this panel discussion about the challenges faced by each city's green movement.
Both cities face similar problems: a dearth of healthy food and an abundance of abandoned land. The five activists and entrepreneurs will explain the complex issues surrounding land reclamation and food access as well as the solutions that their organizations offer.
The panel will include Malik Yakini, chairman of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network; Mike Score, president of Hantz Farms; Randall Fogelman, special project manager, Eastern Market Co.; and Lisa Mosca '94, garden coordinator of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Pat James, director of education at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, will serve as moderator.
Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca Master Class
Thursday, October 28, 2010 4:30 PM - 12:00 AM
Lang Performing Arts Center - LPAC Boyer Dance Studio,
Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca are recognized as the most authentic flamenco touring company in the field today.
Artistic Director Martin Santangelo brings to the stage the essence, purity, and integrity of one of the world's most complex and mysterious art forms. All aspects of flamenco (dance, song, and music) are integrated and given equal weight in the presentations of Noche Flamenca, creating a true communal spirit within the company—the very heart and soul of flamenco.
Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca Performance
Friday, October 29, 2010 8:00 PM - 12:00 AM
LPAC Pearson-Hall Theatre, Lang Performing Arts Center,
All aspects of flamenco (dance, song, and music) are integrated and given equal weight in the presentations of Noche Flamenca, creating a true communal spirit within the company—the very heart and soul of flamenco.
Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca are recognized as the most authentic flamenco touring company in the field today. Artistic Director Martin Santangelo brings to the stage the essence, purity, and integrity of one of the world's most complex and mysterious art forms.
Quakers and Slavery, 1657-1865: An International Interdisciplinary Conference
Thursday, November 4, 2010 - Saturday, November 6, 2010 All Day
More than two dozen scholars will participate in this conference, which aims to examine the history, literature, and culture of the Quaker relationship with slavery, from the Society of Friends' origins in the English Civil War to the end of the American Civil War.
In 1657, George Fox wrote to "Friends beyond sea, that have Blacks and Indian Slaves" to remind them that Quakers who owned slaves should be merciful and should remember that God "hath made all Nations of one Blood." His argument may seem far from radical today, but it initiated more than two centuries of Quaker debate and activism over the problem of slavery that would ultimately see Friends taking key roles in abolition and emancipation movements on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond.
It was, however, by no means inevitable that Quakers would embrace antislavery. In the 17th century and most of the 18th century, Quakers were divided on the issue—particularly in the British American colonies—with some denouncing slavery and others owning slaves. In the 19th century, Quakers were more unified in their opposition to slavery but encountered a range of spiritual, political, and personal challenges while taking their antislavery message to a wider world.
Keynote Speakers: Gary B. Nash, University of California—Los Angeles, J. William Frost, Swarthmore College James Walvin, University of York. Conference Details:
www.quakersandslavery.org
Benjamin Bagby Performs Beowulf
Friday, November 5, 2010 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Lang Music Building - Lang Concert Hall
World-renowned performer of medieval music Benjamin Bagby, founder of the group Sequentia, will chant portions of the Old English poem Beowulf, while accompanying himself on a replica of the six-string Anglo-Saxon harp or lyre found at Sutton Hoo, an Anglo-Saxon burial site in Suffolk, England.
The performance is as close as anyone can come to actually being in an Anglo-Saxon hall and hearing the poem chanted in its original language. Modern translations are projected onto a screen beside or above the singer so that the audience can follow the meanings of the Old English poetry.
One reviewer says, "When Benjamin Bagby speaks, it is as if a thousand years have disappeared." Another says, "He is a captivating storyteller who molds each word like a carefully carved stone."
Cooper Series events are free and open to the public; there is no reserved seating. Event details may be subject to change without notice.
Tan Dun and Wu Man: Chinese Visions in Concert with Orchestra
Sunday, November 7, 2010 3:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Lang Music Building - Lang Concert Hall
The celebrated
pipa (Chinese lute) virtuoso Wu Man joins Orchestra 2001 as soloist in two works by Tan Dun — the Academy Award-winning composer of the score for
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; the opera
Tea; and
The Map — as well as a new piece written for the occasion by May T'Chi Chen. Music inspired by Scottish and Peruvian traditions completes this international program.
Cooper Series events are free and open to the public; there is no reserved seating. Event details may be subject to change without notice.
Soulfège in Concert
Friday, November 12, 2010 8:00 PM - 12:00 AM
LPAC Pearson-Hall Theatre, Lang Performing Arts Center,
Critically acclaimed Soulfège (pronounced 'sOl-fezh) is a Afropolitan fusion band has electrified and inspired audiences with driving rhythms, tight harmonies, powerful lyrics, and an inspiring message of political engagement. The group embodies a vivid new voice in the increasingly monotone world of urban music.
Founded by Derrick N Ashong (aka DNA) and Jonathan M Gramling, musicians and social entrepreneurs who met in a Harvard University choir, Soulfège represents a unique blend of hip hop, reggae, funk, and West African highlife.
The band's founders also created "Take Back the Mic®" a movement to put meaning back into today's music and challenge a new generation to assume the mantle of responsible leadership.
Ashong and Gramling are joined in their musical mission by hip hop drumming phenomenon Stix Bones, Berklee grad and funk/rock bassist Alex Staley, Ghanaian percussion prodigy Atta Addo, and keyboard wizard Micah Hulscher.
Alturas Duo Performance and Lecture
Friday, February 11, 2011 8:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Lang Music Building - Lang Concert Hall,
With a fiery repertoire ranging from South American to classical to brand-new commissioned music, the Alturas Duo delivers high-energy concerts and is recognized as one of the most entertaining ensembles in the chamber music world today.
The Alturas Duo are Scott Hill (guitar) and Carlos Boltes (viola/charango). Derived from the poem "Alturas de Macchu Picchu" by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, the name "Alturas" is Spanish for heights. The only group of its kind, the duo regularly premieres new commissions, arrangements, and transcriptions, and has received the ASCAP-Chamber Music America Award for Adventurous Programming.
Langston Hughes Jazz Project
Wednesday, February 16, 2011 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Lang Performing Arts Center - LPAC Pearson-Hall Theatre
Langston Hughes' Ask Your Mama: Twelve Moods for Jazz featuring the Ron McCurdy Quartet.Written but never performed by Hughes, Ask Your Mama: Twelve Moods for Jazz includes live music, poetry performed through spoken-word performances and imagery video.
The poems will be read aloud with live jazz accompaniment featuring The Ron McCurdy Quartet and video images of the Harlem Renaissance by African-American artists and photographers.
Reaching to the Stars: African American Physicists and Astronomers
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 4:30 PM - 12:00 AM
Science Center 101 - Chang Hou Hall
In celebration of Black History Month, Swarthmore will host three preeminent African American scientists in a symposium on the future of their fields.
Associate Professor of Astronomy at the University of Wisconsin Dr. Eric Wilcots, former NASA Astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison, and Chief and Planetarium Director for the Franklin Institute Dr. Derrick Pitts will enlighten and entertain as they discuss the future and science of space and space exploration in a post-Avatar world as well as the specifics of their own paths to success.
This event is sponsored by the William J. Cooper Foundation and organized by the Black Studies Program and the Physics and Astronomy Departments.
Hands Across the Water�An International Festival of Sign Language Poetry
Wednesday, March 16, 2011 - Friday, March 18, 2011 6:00 PM - 11:00 AM
Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility - Lang Center, Keith Room
Over the course of three days, sign language poets from the United Kingdom and the United States will come together and work with Swarthmore students and faculty and members of the Philadelphia deaf community to explore and celebrate the beautiful and rich art form that is sign language poetry. The event will be organized as part of the work of Rachel Sutton-Spence, Cornell visiting professor to Swarthmore for 2011�2012. Sutton-Spence has worked on creative sign language for several years, especially researching and promoting British sign language poetry (
www.bristol.ac.uk/bslpoetryanthology). The festival will include a "public conversation" between the British and American poets identifying national, cultural, linguistic, and personal differences in their work, to which members of the College will be invited; poetry workshops for signers and nonsigners to compose signed poetry and discuss its features; and an open performance of poems in British sign language and American sign language. Hands Across the Water will give College members a unique opportunity to discover sign language poetry from the United States and also from another deaf community where traditions, language, and culture are different.
Hands Across the Water�An International Festival of Sign Language Poetry
Wednesday, March 16, 2011 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility - Lang Center, Keith Room
Over the course of three days, sign language poets from the United Kingdom and the United States will come together and work with Swarthmore students and faculty and members of the Philadelphia deaf community to explore and celebrate the beautiful and rich art form that is sign language poetry. The event will be organized as part of the work of Rachel Sutton-Spence, Cornell visiting professor to Swarthmore for 2011�2012. Sutton-Spence has worked on creative sign language for several years, especially researching and promoting British sign language poetry (
www.bristol.ac.uk/bslpoetryanthology). The festival will include a "public conversation" between the British and American poets identifying national, cultural, linguistic, and personal differences in their work, to which members of the College will be invited; poetry workshops for signers and nonsigners to compose signed poetry and discuss its features; and an open performance of poems in British sign language and American sign language. Hands Across the Water will give College members a unique opportunity to discover sign language poetry from the United States and also from another deaf community where traditions, language, and culture are different.
