February 18, 2015
Southern Illinois University Arts and Cultural Events
Feb. 24-March 10
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. In addition, event information is subject to change. Note that the university’s spring break is March 7-15.
SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK
The theater creates a climate all its own. As February winds down and March begins, SIU offers two theatrical experiences to mark the transition.
“The Whipping Man” cracks onto the stage of the McLeod Theater, Feb. 26-March 1. The play tells the story of a wounded Jewish Confederate soldier who reunites to celebrate Passover with two of his former, now newly freed, black slaves, at the ruin of the soldier’s once-grand plantation. Now, facing each other on more equal footing than previously, the men uncover a tangle of secrets that might prove costly. The play is the recipient of the 2011 John Gassner New Play Award and was praised by theater critics in New York City where it debuted.
“The Whipping Man” performs at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 26-28, and at 2 p.m. on March 1. Tickets are $16, with student tickets at $6. Buy tickets in advance noon-5 p.m. at the McLeod Theater or SIU Arena box offices; by phone at 618/453-6000; or online at the SIU Ticket Office. Tickets are also available at the door beginning one hour before the performance.
Kleinau Theater hosts an intense pair of performances in a double feature weekend: “Under the Mantle” and “Astigmatheism.”
“Under the Mantle” looks at the challenges of daily life and relationships. The author’s description: “We wake up. We eat. We love. We try to focus. We smile for pictures. We filter. We are bored. We fail. We rinse and repeat.” This performance begins there, and challenges the audience to answer the question: ‘why bother?’
“Astigmatheism” looks at religion though a critical feminist standpoint, seeking to use humor rather than scorn in approaching the topic. The author uses her own experiences as she leaned away from religion or faith, and puts it in a universal context.
Performances begin at 8 p.m. in the Marion Kleinau Theater in the Communications Building. Tickets are $7, student tickets, $5. Reservations are recommended, reserve tickets by calling 453-5618. Tickets are also available at the door beginning one hour before the performance begins.
Upcoming Events:
FEBRUARY
24 -- Pizza and Politics: Discussion with Gary Schafer, visiting assistant professor of aviation management and flight and manager, Southern Illinois Airport, 5 p.m., Paul Simon Public Policy Institute lobby. Pre-register by noon, Tuesday, Feb. 24, at rsvp@paulsimoninstitute.org.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Carol Greenlee at cgreenlee@siu.edu or 453-4078.
24-March 1 -- 37th Annual Big Muddy Film Festival. The festival this year brings more than 80 films in a variety of genres to the SIU community. Tickets for SIU students are free. Tickets for others are available as a day pass or a week pass. Film screenings and most other events are in the Student Center or Morris Library.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Stacy Jill Calvert, stacyjill@siu.edu or 453-3785.
25 -- Arts talk with guest artists: “Art, Culture and Civil Rights of New Orleans,” 3:30-5 p.m. in the Lesar Law Building. Robert A. Ketchens and William Burton, Jr., visual artists and members of the 14th Street Artist Community Gallery in St. Louis, share as a goal the depiction of the black American experience through representative art. Their research recently included a study of Delta blues. For this presentation, they will talk about New Orleans jazz. Joining them is Twinette Johnson, law professor at SIU, and the law school’s director of academic support. She will discuss integration and the Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans. A reception follows this event.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Twinette Johnson, tjohnson@siu.edu or 536-8463.
26 -- Black History Month: Time is Illmatic, film screening of a new documentary featuring the street poet and musician known as Nas, beginning at 7 p.m. in Lawson Hall, Room 161.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Nathan Stephens, nathan.stephens@siu.edu or 453-3740; or Lanel Love, llove2@siu.edu or 453-4846.
26 -- Pizza and Politics: Discussion with Gloria Campos -- “Path to Politics: Illinois and the GOP -- A Republican Latina Perspective.” Campos was a Dallas-Fort Worth television news anchor for more than two decades. The event begins at 5 p.m. in the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute lobby. Pre-register by noon, Feb. 26, at rsvp@paulsimoninstitute.org.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Carol Greenlee at cgreenlee@siu.edu or 453-4078.
26 -- Darwin Week event: Science Café: “Science in the Family: Charles Darwin at Home,” a presentation by Richard H. Thomas, associate professor of zoology at SIU Carbondale. This event begins at 7 p.m. at the The Science Center in University Mall.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Richard Thomas, rthomas@zoology.siu.edu or 536-7425.
26 -- Concert: Symphonic Band concert will highlight a student and community ensemble. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m., Shryock Auditorium. Tickets are $12, $6 for students. SIU School of Music students attend free with SIU ID and School of Music student pass.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Christopher Morehouse, cmoreh@siu.edu or 453-2776.
26-28 -- Performance Art Double Bill: “Under the Mantle” and “Astigmatheism.” Performances begin at 8 p.m., Marion Kleinau Theater, Communications Building. Tickets are $7, student tickets, $5. Reservations are recommended. Reserve tickets by calling 618/453-5618. Tickets are also available at the door beginning one hour before the performance.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Craig Gingrich-Philbrook, craiggp@siu.edu or 453-2291.
26-March 1 -- Theater production. “The Whipping Man,” at McLeod Theater, Communications Building. Performances are at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 26-28, and at 2 p.m. March 1. Tickets are $16, with student tickets at $6. Buy tickets in advance noon-5 p.m. at the McLeod Theater or SIU Arena box offices; by phone at 618/453-6000; or online at the SIU Ticket Office. Tickets are also available at the door beginning one hour before the performance.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Vincent Rhomberg, mcldpub@siu.edu or 453-7589.
28 -- Music performance and competition: SIU Jazz Festival, 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m. This all-day event brings area high school jazz bands for a day of performances and workshops in Altgeld Hall and Shryock Auditorium. The event culminates with a performance including SIU faculty and student ensembles. More information on the final concert is yet to come -- watch SIU Today for more details.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Richard Kelley, kelley2@siu.edu.
28 -- Drag Show: Doors open at 7 p.m. The show runs from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Student Center Ballrooms. $6 admission
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Basia Wilias, bwilas@siu.edu or 453-3438.
MARCH
1 – Concert: Eric Mandat and the Southern Illinois Chamber Music Society present a small ensemble and Mandat’s clarinet expertise, 3-5 p.m., Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship, 105 N. Parrish Lane. Tickets are $15, $5 for students, and free for SIU School of Music majors and minors. Tickets available at the door.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Eric Lenz, lenz@siu.edu or 453-5806.
2 -- Scholarship fundraiser: 19th annual Celebrate Women Luncheon, Student Center. The event includes a silent auction, 10 a.m.-1:15 p.m. The luncheon begins at 11:15 a.m. in Ballroom D. This year’s theme is “Celebrate Women: Honoring Inclusive Excellence.” Tickets are $25.
FOR THE MEDIA: For information about covering this event contact Linda McCabe Smith, lsmith@siu.edu or 453-1186.
2 -- Public lecture: Visiting artist. Dana Turkovic, curator, from The Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis. Turkovic has curated exhibits in Los Angeles and New York, London and Oxford. She will discuss professional gallery practices, publication, and the community involvement with the arts. The lecture is at 5 p.m. in Morris Library’s John C. Guyon Auditorium.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Diane McClain Inman, dinman@siu.edu, 453-4313.
3 -- Concert: Klassics for Kids, 10 a.m. in Shryock Auditorium. This free program offers educators and families a chance to bring pre-kindergarten through early elementary school children to an interactive music concert at which they will learn listening skills and the instruments making the music.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Edward Benyas, benyas@siu.edu or 453-5834.
3 – Concert: The annual Stars of Altgeld concert features SIU talent as the winners of the annual School of Music Solo Competition perform with the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra. This year’s concert honors Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in Shryock Auditorium. Tickets are $20, student tickets are $8. Tickets are available online, by phone at 618/453-6000, and at the door beginning an hour before the concert.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Edward Benyas, benyas@siu.edu or 453-5834.
5 -- Science Fair: The annual Illinois Junior Academy of Science Region 8 Science Fair comes to campus for an all-day event in the SIU Student Center ballrooms. Project judging is 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Projects are open for viewing 1-4 p.m. This event brings approximately 400 students to campus as they compete in 18 different categories covering a wide representation of the sciences. SIU faculty and graduate students serve as judges, determining the top 60 projects that will advance to state competition. The state competition will be at SIU this year.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Kathy Pericak-Spector, lpericak@math.siu.edu or 453-6569.
6 – Women’s History Month event: Women Trail Blazers, presentation and reception, 4-6:30 p.m. in the Student Center.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Melinda Yeomans, myeomans1@siu.edu.
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 through March 14.
Art Exhibit: Expressions of Freedom, Morris Library First Floor Rotunda Exhibit Space. The exhibit runs through March 31.
University Museum exhibits: Six exhibits currently open, including “Celebrities and Scintillations: Andy Warhol’s Party.” There is no admission to University Museum.