February 03, 2015
Southern Illinois University Arts and Cultural Events
Feb. 9-22
This weekly email brings together all the arts and cultural events happening in a two-week period at SIU Carbondale. From music to art, film to dance, guest lectures to workshops and theater, you will find the information here. Also, event information is subject to change.
SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK
The keynote speaker for SIU’s Black History Month 2015 is Nikki Giovanni, poet and civil rights spokeswoman. She delivers the address “Human by the Grace of God: A View of Diversity,” at 7 p.m., Feb. 17, in Shryock Auditorium.
She has been called the “Princess of Black Poetry,” and “Living Legend.” Her status as a poet is affirmed through her many awards during a 30-year career as a writer. Her autobiography “Gemini: An Extended Autobiographical Statement of My First Twenty-Five Years of Being a Black Poet,” was a National Book Award finalist. Her book for children, “Rosa,” a biography of Rosa Parks, is a Caldecott Honors Book. Several of her books earned NAACP Image Awards, and her poetry collection “Blues: For All the Changes” reached No. 4 on the “Los Angeles Times Bestseller List” -- a rare achievement for a book of poetry. She also holds a Langston Hughes Medal for poetry.
Giovanni, a Knoxville, Tenn., native who grew up in Ohio, also has award-winning spoken-word recordings to her credit, including the Grammy finalist recording “Nikki Giovanni: Poetry Collection.”
Her list of civic awards and honorary degrees include the inaugural Rosa L. Parks Woman of Courage Award; a Life Membership and Scroll from the National Council of Negro Women; a member of the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame and an Outstanding Woman of Tennessee.
Upcoming Events:
FEBRUARY
9 -- Tribute to Maya Angelou: A Flawless Woman of Our Time. Anna Jackson, a lecturer in the Department of English, will present this tribute beginning at 6 p.m. in the Student Center’s Kaskaskia Room. Angelou, author of “I know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and other best-sellers, appeared at SIU on multiple occasions. This event highlights Angelou’s contributions to the world. This is a Black History Month event.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Nathan Stephens, nathan.stephens@siu.edu or 453-3740; or Lanel Love, llove2@siu.edu or 453-4846.
10 -- Continuing the focus on black women writers is Herstory: Tribute to Black Women Writers, 5-6:30 p.m., Student Center, Illinois Room. This is a Black History Month event.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Nathan Stephens, nathan.stephens@siu.edu or 453-3740; or Lanel Love, llove2@siu.edu or 453-4846.
10 -- Guest speaker: John C. Gaskin III, recently sworn in as a voting member of the NAACP National Board of Directors, and a member of the board’s executive committee, delivers a lecture on “Ferguson and Beyond: Not Just a Moment But a Movement,” beginning at 6 p.m., Student Center Auditorium. This is a Black History Month event.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Nathan Stephens, nathan.stephens@siu.edu or 453-3740; or Lanel Love, llove2@siu.edu or 453-4846.
10 -- Visiting Artist. Steve Young Lee, a ceramicist, presents an art lecture beginning at 7 p.m., Morris Library, John C. Guyon Auditorium. Lee is resident artist director at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts. His work examines the effects of environment, tradition and even superstition overlay our cultural perceptions. The School of Art sponsors this visiting artist.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Diane McClain-Inman, dinman@siu.edu or 453-4313.
10 -- Darwin Week: Evolution Mini-Symposium. 7-9 p.m., Lindegren Hall, French Auditorium. This “All Student Symposium” features student speakers followed by a panel discussion.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Richard Thomas, rthomas@zoology.siu.edu or 453-7425.
11 -- Presentation: “ ‘Shut Up!’ Acknowledge Civil Rights and Black History.” Noel Benson, president of the TRiO Achievers, the registered student organization behind TRiO Student Support Services, offers this presentation, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Morris Library’s John C. Guyon Auditorium. This is a Black History Month event.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Nathan Stephens, nathan.stephens@siu.edu or 453-3740; or Lanel Love, llove2@siu.edu or 453-4846.
11 -- International Festival Food Fair. Members of SIU’s international community join forces to present one of the most important, and certainly the most delicious, part of their cultures -- their cuisines. The ticketed event is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Center ballrooms.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Carla Coppi, ccoppi@siu.edu or 453-7661.
11 -- Darwin Week: Photo and Art Contest on the theme “Prehistoric Life and Diversification,” reception and award ceremony. Event starts at 5:30 p.m., Student Center second floor “Art Alley.”
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Richard Thomas, rthomas@zoology.siu.edu or 453-7425.
12 -- Darwin Week: Lecture and coffee hour. Science writer and fossil fanatic Brian Switek presents a lecture, noon-2 p.m. Morris Library, first floor rotunda, “Endless Tales Most Beautiful -- A Crash Course in Science Storytelling.” Switek is a National Geographic blogger, “resident paleontologist” for the movie “Jurassic World,” and, according to the television network HLN, one of “Twitter’s Eight Coolest Geeks.”
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Kevin Horn, kmhorn@siu.edu or 536-2314 or Richard Thomas, rthomas@zoology.siu.edu or 453-7425.
12 -- Darwin Week: Brian Switek presents “Darwin’s Fossils: Evolutionary Tales from Deep Time,” 7:30 p.m., Lesar Law Building Auditorium. A reception and book signing follow.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Richard Thomas, rthomas@zoology.siu.edu or 453-7425.
12 -- Black History Month: Film screening, “Prom Night in Mississippi,” followed by a discussion, begins at 6:30 p.m., Morris Library, John C. Guyon Auditorium. The focus is on a Mississippi high school that did not host its first integrated senior prom until 2008. Novotny Lawrence, associate professor and chair of the Department of Radio, Television, and Digital Media, will host.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Nathan Stephens, nathan.stephens@siu.edu or 453-3740; Lanel Love, llove2@siu.edu or 453-4846, or Novotny Lawrence, novotnyl@siu.edu or 453-6992.
13 -- International Festival 2015 Cultural Show is a presentation by SIU international students, giving them a chance to showcase aspects of their cultural heritage with skits, dance, music, fashion, performance art and more. These high-quality presentations welcome the SIU community to SIU’s international community.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Carla Coppi, ccoppi@siu.edu or 453-7661.
13 -- Craft workshop: Build a violin from a kit, or rebuild one that is broken during this opportunity to learn about musical instrument construction. For the media, this is a fun photo and feature opportunity. The event is from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Student Center Craft Shop. The fee is $75 for SIU students, $95 for community members. Participants must be 16 years or older. The class must have a minimum of five participants to run. Reserve your spot at the Student Center Craft Shop, 453-3636.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Ron Dunkel, rdunkel@skiu.edu, 453-3636.
14 -- Music Concert: Heartland Honor Choir and Heartland Honor Band. Some of the area’s finest high school band and choir members join to offer a concert and attend workshops during the day. The Heartland Honor Choir concert is 1:30-3 p.m., and the Heartland Honor Band concert is 3:30-5 p.m. Both events are in Shryock Auditorium.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Christopher Morehouse, cmoreh@siu.edu or 453-2776.
15 -- Presentation: “It’s Our History and We Can’t Forget It,” Rock Hill Missionary Baptist Church, 219 E. Monroe St., Carbondale. The event begins at 4 p.m., and is a Black History Month event.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Nathan Stephens, nathan.stephens@siu.edu or 453-3740; or Lanel Love, llove2@siu.edu or 453-4846.
16 -- Black History Month: Lecture, “Awaken the Blind Eye: A Conversation on Systematic Oppression,” 5-6 p.m. in the Student Center, Kaskaskia/Missouri rooms. The Black Affairs Council sponsors the event.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Nathan Stephens, nathan.stephens@siu.edu or 453-3740; or Lanel Love, llove2@siu.edu or 453-4846; or Bryon Taylor, brael.ali13@gmail.com.
17 -- Nikki Giovanni film and discussion, 6-9 p.m., Lawson Hall, Room 161. Giovanni is a poet, writer, commentator, activist and the keynote speaker for Black History Month 2015 at SIU Carbondale. This event gives the community a chance to become familiar with aspects of her work preliminary to the keynote address.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Nathan Stephens, nathan.stephens@siu.edu or 453-3740; or Lanel Love, llove2@siu.edu or 453-4846.
18 -- Black History Month: presentation – “Black Church Women in the Civil Rights Movement,” a look at the importance of women to the civil rights movement, and how they have, as organizers and activists, served as the foundation of the movement. The discussion begins at 6 p.m. in the Student Center’s Mississippi Room. Pamela Smoot, clinical assistant professor of history and Africa studies, and coordinator of recruitment, retention and outreach for the College of Liberal Arts, leads the discussion.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Nathan Stephens, nathan.stephens@siu.edu or 453-3740; or Lanel Love, llove2@siu.edu or 453-4846.
19 -- Lecture: Nikki Giovanni is the keynote speaker of SIU’s Black History Month 2015. She presents “Human by the Grace of God: A View of Diversity,” at 7 p.m., Shryock Auditorium. She will talk about past activism and civil rights and equality efforts in light of current events and contemporary social issues. See more details in the Spotlight of the Week section.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Nathan Stephens, nathan.stephens@siu.edu or 453-3740; or Lanel Love, llove2@siu.edu or 453-4846.
19 -- Illinois GIS Association Regional Meeting: “Building GIS Careers and Collaborations.” GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems. This event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in various locations in Morris Library. This program lineup includes experts who may be available for media interested in technology. The program includes an address from the ILGISA president and SIU alumnus Andrew Vitale; an introduction to SIU’s GIS program, a panel session about GIS careers, and GIS faculty and student research sessions. A registration fee applies for event participants. More information about the Illinois Geographic Information Systems Association is available here.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Laura Germann, felix@siu.edu or 536-3375.
20 -- Black History Month: Voices of Inspiration presents: Black History Musical, 6 p.m., Grinnell Hall, upper level.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Nathan Stephens, nathan.stephens@siu.edu or 453-3740; or Lanel Love, llove2@siu.edu or 453-4846.
21-22 -- Music Festival: Illinois Federation of Music Clubs, a member of the National Federation of Music Clubs. The festival runs from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Feb. 21, and noon to 5 p.m., Feb. 22, at the Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall and various locations in Altgeld Hall. The IFMC hosts music festivals for its members as a way to promote music in all its forms by providing an environment in which performers can receive an educational and constructive evaluation.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Ricky Snowman, ruth_snow@yahoo.com.
21-22 -- Touch of Nature Maple Festival, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Touch of Nature Environmental Center. This photo opportunity-rich event helps families learn about maple syrup production. They can also enjoy a tree identification hike. Tickets are available by pre-registration or at the door for the pancake/maple syrup breakfast, which is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Barbecue is available beginning at noon.
FOR THE MEDIA – Contact Scott Ferguson, tonec@siu.edu or 453-1121.
22 -- Black History Month: Voices of Inspiration presents: Black History Musical, 5 p.m., Hopewell Baptist Church, 400 E. Main St., Carbondale.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Nathan Stephens, nathan.stephens@siu.edu or 453-3740; or Lanel Love, llove2@siu.edu or 453-4846.
CURRENT EXHIBITS:
Art Exhibit: 50th Anniversary of Selma to Montgomery – Morris Library, Hall of Presidents. This exhibit commemorates the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965 that were part of the Selma Voting Rights Movement leading up to the Voting Rights Act. The exhibit runs Feb. 2 – March 14.
University Museum exhibits. Six exhibits currently open. This week note “Cloth as Community: Hmong Textiles in America.” This traveling exhibit runs through March 6. Exhibits USA, a member of Mid-America Arts Alliance, organized the exhibit. There is no admission to University Museum.