April 14, 2015
Southern Illinois University Arts and Cultural Events
April 21-May 5
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. Event information is subject to change.
SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK
The 42nd Annual Great Cardboard Boat Regatta is April 25, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
This famous event is a long-standing part of the SIU’s spring tradition. Contestants negotiate a course on Campus Lake using boats constructed primarily or wholly from cardboard, including boats built on the shore of the lake the day of the event. The rules are pretty simple: create a boat entirely of corrugated cardboard of any thickness and hold it together with glue, caulk, tape or a similar binding agent and add some simple waterproofing. Then put the boat in the water and the person-power to make it go.
Contestants have plenty of opportunities to win awards – if they aren’t first through third in the race in their category, they might have a shot at the Titanic Award for spectacular sinking.
Alpha Chi Sigma, a professional and social fraternity for men and women in the chemical sciences, sponsors the event.
Upcoming Events:
APRIL
22 – Guest speaker. Distinguished Speaker Series features Michio Kaku, a theoretical physicist described as “an American futurist,” who will discuss “The Future of the Mind,” at 7:30 p.m. in the Student Center ballrooms.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Cindy Miller, cmiller@siu.edu or 453-7423 or Vanessa Sneed, vsneed@siu.edu or 453-7419.
23 – Music performance. The SIU Combined Orchestras present an end-of-the-academic year performance featuring the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the SIU Civic Orchestra and the SIU Junior Orchestra. Edward Benyas, Jacob Tews and Angela Grimmer conduct. Tickets are $12, $6 for students and free for music majors with a School of Music Student Pass.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Frank Grzych, grzych@siu.edu or 536-8742.
23 – Cultural event. African Student Council Food Fair, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Student Center Ballrooms A and B. The African Student Council is a home for African students who are pursuing their education at SIU. The RSO sees itself as a bridge between African students and faculty, and a vehicle for social interaction and change.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Adedibu Adesokan at fuadadesokan@siu.edu.
23 – Art reception. The 37th Annual Purchase Awards reception, 5-7 p.m. in Art Alley, on the second floor of the Student Center. All SIU students are eligible to enter artwork in the Purchase Awards competition. A faculty and staff committee judges the entries and selects finalists for the Purchase Awards display April 14-May 4. The Student Center purchases one or two pieces each year to become part of the permanent collection. The winners are announced during the reception – at about 5:30 p.m.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Alex Martin, amart@siu.edu or 453-3472.
23-26 – Theater production at McLeod Theater. “The Children’s Hour,” a drama about the power of lies and moral righteousness. The play boasts a large cast showcasing the SIU community. “The Children’s Hour” plays at 7:30 p.m. except on April 26, when the showing is at 2 p.m. The Sunday performance is preceded by a lecture by visiting guest artist Bob Schanke. That lecture begins at 1 p.m. in the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts Dean’s Conference Room, adjacent to the McLeod Theater. Tickets are available in advance at the McLeod or SIU Arena box offices, by phone at 453-6000 or online at theater.siu.edu. Tickets are also available at the door beginning one hour before each performance.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Vincent Rhomberg, mcldpub@siu.eu or 453-7589.
25 – 42nd Annual Great Cardboard Boat Regatta, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Mary Kinsel, mkinsel@chem.siu.edu or 453-6428.
26 – Sustainability event, 1-4 p.m. Touch of Nature trail stewardship activity – rebuilding the Rocky Ledges Trail. Volunteers should meet at the Learning Center in Camp II at Touch of Nature – signs will help guide you.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Steve Gariepy, mammoth@siu.edu.
26 – Astronomy Observation, 9-11 p.m. The SIU physics department invites the community to the Neckers Hall rooftop observation deck to view Venus, Jupiter, Orion’s Nebula, Saturn and more, and to hear a presentation about the night sky. Children accompanied by adults are welcome.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Bob Baer, rbaer@physics.siu.edu or 453-2729.
27 – Music recital. The SIU Guitar Ensemble presents a concert of classical guitar music beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Old Baptist Foundation. There is no admission fee for this event.
28 – Concert. SIU’s Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra and the SIU Concert Choir join with their counterparts from Southeast Missouri State University for a grand presentation of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in Shyrock Auditorium. Sara Edgerton, professor of cello and string bass at SEMO, conducts. Tickets are $20, student tickets are $8. The same performance is also held at SEMO’s River Center on April 27.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Edward Benyas, benyas@siu.edu or 453-5834.
29 – Guest speaker. The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute welcomes John Tillman, CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute, to discuss “Free Market, Income Disparities and Government Spending.” This event is a luncheon, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Carbondale Civic Center. Those attending should register at rsvp@paulsimoninstitute.org.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Carol Greenlee at cgreenlee@siu.edu or 453-4078.
29 – Concert. Disney comes to the Old Baptist Foundation! Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (the SIU Epsilon Kappa Chapter) and Sigma Alpha Iota present a free evening of Disney soundtrack music beginning at 5 p.m. Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is the oldest and largest national professional music fraternity for men. Sigma Alpha Iota is an independent organization open to SIU women who participate in a School of Music ensemble.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Douglas Worthen, worthen@siu.edu or 453-5832.
30 – Concert. The SIU Symphonic Band presents a spring concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Shryock Auditorium. The Symphonic Band is a large ensemble that non-music majors with previous performance experience may join. Many SIU symphony members are also members, often playing their secondary instrument in the band. Tickets are $12, with student tickets at $6.
30 – May 2. Performance. “The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse.” Performances are at 8 p.m. in the Kleinau Theater (on the second floor of the Communications Building). This performance, directed by Elyse Pineau, is an adaptation of the novel by Louis Erdrich. It tells the story of Fr. Damien Modeste, born Agnes DeWitt, and the Ojibwe community where the priest served, the mysteries of sainthood, the resilience of the community, and the malleability of gender and memory. Tickets are $7, with student tickets at $5.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Craig Gingrich-Philbrook, craiggp@siu.edu or 453-2291.
MAY
1 – Guest musician. Jonathan S. Allen visits from the University of Iowa to present a concert and teach a master class in trombone. The recital is at 1 p.m. in the Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall. There is no admission fee.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Jessica Butler, j.butler@siu.edu or 536-8742.
1 – Concert. Spring is jazzy at SIU with the Combined Spring Jazz Concert, featuring the faculty ensemble New Arts Jazztet, and the SIU Jazz Combo. This free concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in Altgeld Hall, room 112.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Phil Brown, philbrown@siu.edu or 618/303-8051.
1-2. Illinois Junior Academy of Science State Expo. SIU hosts the state’s science fair in the SIU Arena (unless otherwise noted). A full description and schedule is available at the website. Here are the highlights. May 1 – Paper presentations: 2-5 p.m.; Illinois State Science Fair Banquet – 6:30-8:30 p.m., featuring Boyd Goodson, SIU professor of chemistry and biochemistry “Putting a New ‘Spin’ on MRI,” Student Center ballrooms; astronomy observation: 8:45 p.m. at the Neckers Hall Astronomy Observation Deck. May 2 – Project judging: 9 a.m.-noon; Awards: 3:15 p.m.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Kathleen Pericak-Spector, sspector@math.siu.edu or 453-6569.
2 – Concert. Southern Illinois Flute Choir Spring Concert. The flute choir is made up of SIU and Carbondale-area community members. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Carbondale (214 W. Main St.)
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Douglas Worthen, worthen@siu.edu or 453-5832.
3 – Eco event. Touch of Nature Trail Stewardship. Two sessions are available to those who’d like to learn about trail restoration by helping out at the Rocky Ledges Trail at Touch of Nature. Volunteer 9 a.m.-noon, or 1-4 p.m. Meet at the Learning Center in Camp II at Touch of Nature on Giant City Road. Once you are in the Touch of Nature grounds, signs will guide you to Camp II.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Steve Gariepy, mammoth@siu.edu or 453-1121.
5 – Concert. The SIU Concert Choir and the SIU Choral Union bring an evening of “Soul Singing at SIU” with a presentation of Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass, and other choral music celebrating the African-American music heritage. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in Shryock Auditorium. Tickets are $12, $6 for students.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Susan Davenport, sgds@siu.edu or 453-2466.
AT THE MUSEUM:
University Museum exhibits: Master of Fine Arts Candidates Thesis Exhibitions join the schedule from now through the end of the spring 2015 semester. On exhibit April 21-May 8 is the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts MFA Students, with a reception April 23 at 7:30 p.m. On exhibit May 1-8 are MFA candidates Adam Cohen (glass) and Robin Gordon (metalsmithing), with a reception May 8 at 4 p.m. There is no admission to University Museum.