January 14th, 2010

From Connie Lester, Redfern: The KSC Music Department welcomes the São Paulo State University Percussion Ensemble for a performance on Tuesday, January 19, at 7:45 p.m. in the Alumni Recital Hall.

The Brazilian São Paulo State University Percussion Ensemble Grupo PIAP was created by John Boudler in 1978 as vehicle for academic and artistic training, and to promote percussion repertoire in Brazil. Since then the group has produced 75 graduates who study, play, and/or teach in several states throughout Brazil and around the globe (read more here). For more information, contact the Music Department at 8-2177.

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Colorful Earth, Iceland, a photograph by Peter Roos (Art) will be among the artworks in the 2010 Biennial KSC Art Faculty Exhibition (courtesy photo).

From Jackie Hooper, Thorne: The 2010 Biennial Keene State College Art Faculty Exhibition will feature ceramics and sculpture by two new faculty members, Paul McMullan and Lynn Richardson, along with long-time faculty Peter Roos, who has added photography to his painterly pursuits. The show will also include recent studio art and graphic design works by faculty members Rosemarie Bernardi, Richard Carlson, Daniel Carr, William Cass, Mary Crawford, Melissa DiPalma, Robert Kostick, Ann LaRoche, Stephanie Nichols, Walter Nicolai, Joan O’Beirne, Yuan Pan, John Roberts, Katharina Rooney, Tanya Rudenjak, and Craig Stockwell.

One of the Thorne’s two galleries will be set aside to showcase works by the three featured artists. McMullan and Richardson, who joined the Art Department in the past three years, will show recent works in ceramics and sculpture, respectively. Roos, who has been teaching at Keene State since 1990, will exhibit recent works in digital photography, a medium he has added to his artistic portfolio since the last faculty exhibit (read more here).

The exhibit opens Saturday, January 23, and continues through Sunday, February 28, at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery. The Friends of the Thorne will host an opening reception Friday, January 22, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public. For information, call 8-2720 or visit www.keene.edu/tsag.

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On November 17, the Art Department officially unveiled a colorful abstract mural created for the newly renovated Huntress basement hallway. Students enrolled in Color Design and Painting, an Integrative Studies Perspective course, taught by instructor Richard Carlson, produced the mural.

The eight-week course introduced 16 non-art-major students to principles of color and design, culminating in a large site-specific wall mural. Students were asked to consider the Huntress lobby’s shape, current wall colors, pedestrian traffic flow, and other design factors. Demonstrating awareness and appreciation for the history, intentions, methods, and aesthetics of site-specific painting (including cave paintings, Islamic tile work, and contemporary Minimal painting) were part of the outcomes for this course.

Carlson has been teaching design and drawing to first-year students for 19 semesters at Keene State. Studio Assistant Kyle Paquette helped students with the technical aspects of the project.

Lynn Roman photo

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From Connie Lester, Redfern: KSC Theatre and Dance students will perform The Threepenny Opera, directed by KSC assistant professor Ron Spangler, Wednesday through Saturday, November 18-21, at 7:30 p.m. at the Redfern Arts Center.

The Threepenny Opera, a musical written by Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill, is an early example of the modern musical comedy genre depicting the dark side of human nature. Set in Victorian England, Brecht uses such characters as Macheath (Mack the Knife), who wants to marry Polly Peachum for reasons other than love, and Mr. and Mrs. Peachum, who control the beggars of London, to exemplify the idea that everybody cheats, and everybody sells someone out. Brecht makes it known to the audience that a fairytale ending can only happen in a play, not in real life.

The Threepenny Opera incorporates a sharp political perspective of the time with the sound of a 1920s Berlin dance band and cabaret. It’s apparent why Threepenny was the inspiration for such contemporary musicals as Chicago and Cabaret.

KSC professor of Theatre and Dance Cèline Perron is designing sets and lighting, and Professor Elisabeth Roos is costume designer for the production. Theatre and Dance faculty members Craig Lindsay and Marcia Murdock serve as technical director and choreographer, respectively. Tickets are available through the box office at 8-2168 or online.

Cast members of The Threepenny Opera (from left): Sara Handspicker, Sam Massahos, Riley Ahern, and Ryan Demers (courtesy photo)

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From Connie Lester, Redfern: The KSC Guitar Orchestra and Latin American Ensemble will perform their fall recital, “Bach to Brazil,” on Wednesday, November 18, at 7:30 p.m. in the Alumni Recital Hall.

The KSC Guitar Orchestra, directed by José Lezcano, will perform Two Chorales by Bach, Concerto in D by Telemann, and Machado’s Dances from Northeast Brazil. Also on the program is Villa-Lobos’ aria from Bachianas Brasilieras No. 5, arranged by Roland Dyens for five guitars and featuring vocals by KSC senior music education major Melissa White (soprano). The KSC Guitar Orchestra is comprised of nine Keene State students and a few members from the community.

Under the direction of José Lezcano, the KSC Latin American Ensemble will perform music from Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. The ensemble features 28 members and includes panpipes, flutes, violin, and other instrumentation. For tickets, call the box office at 8-2168.

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From Connie Lester, Redfern: Norton Owen, director of preservation at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and Maura Keefe, resident scholar there, will present the lecture, “Looking Back at Dance” on Thursday, September 10, at 7 p.m. in Alumni Recital Hall. The lecture will be a lively video-illustrated discussion drawing on decades of rare footage from the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival archives, and it will make connections to the upcoming dance performances in the Redfern Arts Center’s 2009-10 Visiting Artists Series. Admission is free and open to the public.

In addition to the lecture, “Dance on Film: An Interactive Touring Kiosk” will be on campus. This touring installation features video clips of dance performances over the past 75 years at Jacob’s Pillow, each approximately one minute long and accompanied by descriptive text. The video clips feature modern dance pioneering figures including Ted Shawn, Ruth St. Denis, José Limón, and Merce Cunningham, and contemporaries including Tero Saarinen, Black Grace, Doug Varone, Judith Jamison, and many others. Choices may be made according to name, genre (ballet, modern, non-Western, etc.), or era. Viewers may also test their knowledge with a fun guessing function. The kiosk can be enjoyed by individuals or groups and will be free and available to the public September 10 through October 1, Monday through Friday, 12 to 4 p.m., in the lobby of the Redfern Arts Center. For more information call William Seigh, 8-2150.

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The large oil painting, Self Portrait, by senior art major Analesa Perkins, won the People’s Choice Award in “Emerging Art,” the annual KSC art students’ exhibition at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery. (Photo by Peter Roos.)

From Jackie Hooper, Thorne: Analesa Perkins, a KSC bachelor of fine arts student who graduated on May 9, was voted the winner of the People’s Choice Award for a large oil painting called Self Portrait, displayed in “Emerging Art” at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery.

During the first weeks of the annual KSC art students’ exhibition, visitors were invited to vote for their favorite work of art. Perkins won the majority of the 440 votes cast. She will receive a $100 cash award from the Friends of the Thorne along with a People’s Choice Commendation.

Perkins paints portraits because she feels people relate more easily to portraits of others and the emotions they convey. As she explained in her artist’s statement that accompanies her work on display at the Thorne, she paints people she knows.

“I don’t just paint anybody, there has to be a meaning behind the portrait,” Perkins said. “Even though I base the painting on a certain feeling, it’s not necessary for everyone to feel the same way when they view it. I wanted the paintings to be big so that they will engage the viewer. It is important for me to have them feel as though they were standing there watching and feeling each texture.”

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Graphic Design USA has awarded designer Lynn Roman (College and Media Relations) an American Inhouse Design Award for the invitation she created for the Thorne-Sagendorph Art 2008 Gallery Summer Show, “Leonard Weisgard and Others: An Illustrator’s Journey.”

The American Inhouse Design Awards showcases outstanding work by inhouse designers within corporations, publishing houses, non-profits, universities, and government agencies who deserve recognition for their creativity, for the special challenges they face, and for their contributions to their businesses and institutions.

Roman received a Certificate of Excellence. Her work will be eligible for publication in Inhouse Design Awards Annual, and on the GD USA website this year.

Lynn Roman’s award-winning invitation to the Thorne’s 2008 Gallery Summer Show

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On Friday, April 24, Paul McMullan (Art/Graphic Design), the KSC Art Department, and the KSC Safety Committee will host a Ceramic Studio Open House at the newly renovated Whitcomb Ceramic Studio. Over the year, upgrades suggested by an industrial hygienist and theatre and art safety expert were incorporated into the general renovation of the studio – come check out the new space! Workshops with potters Aysha Peltz, Todd Walhstrom, Matthew Towers, and the Town Hill Pottery Airstream Gallery will be part of the celebration. For more information, contact Paul McMullan at 8-2752 or pmcmullan@keene.edu.

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From Jackie Hooper, Thorne: Works by 14 graduating art majors will be showcased in Emerging Art, the annual Keene State College art students’ exhibition, presented by the KSC Art Department from Saturday, April 18, through Saturday, May 9, at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery.

Bachelor of fine arts candidates, graduating seniors, and a selection of students majoring in art will exhibit their paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, and ceramic works. The pieces were selected by Art Department faculty from work students completed in all levels of art classes throughout the academic year. Friends of the Thorne will host an opening reception for Emerging Art on Friday, April 17, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the gallery. Gallery visitors are invited to vote for their favorite artwork for the People’s Choice Commendation, which carries a $100 cash prize and is sponsored by the Friends of the Thorne. The winner will be announced on Monday, May 4.

Also on that Friday, the Art Department will sponsor a Graphic Design Senior Portfolio Review from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Media Arts Center, adjacent to the Thorne. More than 20 graphic design seniors will open their portfolios and showcase their best design work.

The exhibit, reception, and portfolio review are free and open to the public. The gallery is open from noon to 4 p.m., Saturday through Wednesday, and noon to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday. It will be open from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, for Keene State College commencement. For information, call 8-2720 or visit the website.

This oil painting by Peter Kutcher ’09 will be among the artwork in Emerging Art, the annual Keene State Art Students’ Exhibition.

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From Connie Lester, Redfern: Keene State College students from the Theatre and Dance Department will present The Matchmaker, by Thornton Wilder. Directed by PeggyRae Johnson, the play will be staged Wednesday through Saturday, November 19–22, at 7:30 p.m. at the Redfern Arts Center.

Best known for his play Our Town, Wilder turns to Moliere for inspiration for this fast-paced farce. Set in 1880 during stressful economic times, the storyline is a constant banter between the materialistic versus humanistic views of successful Yonkers merchant Horace Vandergelder and the meddlesome matchmaker Dolly Levi upon Mr. Vandergelder’s decision to take a wife. The plot gets wildly complicated when Vandergelder’s clerks, Cornelius and Barnaby, and two young women in a hat shop inadvertently involve themselves in this rollicking quest for adventure.

In addition to the fourteen KSC students in the cast, Liz Panneton ‘09, is lighting designer, and Gillian Clarke-Moon ‘09 is stage manager. Several Theatre and Dance Department faculty members are involved in the production: Craig Lindsay is technical director, Mary Robarge is costume designer, and Jenny Fulton is set designer. Daniel Patterson, chair of the Theatre and Dance Department, is production manager and is making a cameo appearance as Joe, the Barber. Tickets are available through the box office at 8-2168 or online at http://www.keene.edu/racbp.

Courtesy photo: Cast members of The Matchmaker — (from left) Jaime Pearsons as Mrs. Molloy, Kade Hill as Cornelius Hackl, Allison Relihan as Minnie Fay, and Ethan Selby as Barnaby Tucker (under the table) — perform Wednesday through Saturday, November 19–22, at 7:30 p.m. at the Redfern Arts Center

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From Jim Draper, Purchasing: New KSC Assistant Professor of Art Paul McMullan spent the summer sorting out 36 years of ceramic supplies. Last Saturday, his efforts were rewarded when he combined with the KSC Surplus Property Program and sold $3,600 worth of old equipment and supplies.

“What an introduction to Keene State,” McMullan said. “It took a bunch of people to pull this thing together. Environmental Health and Safety Officer Sylvie Rice helped me identify and organize things over the summer. This past week, work-study students Mike Kumpulanian, Brendan Walsh, and Daren Morris provided more help, and on Saturday, KSC Physical Plant workers Nate Demond and Robert MacKenzie provided much of the heavy lifting. We cleaned out years of stuff, and local potters got some real bargains. Now I have room to upgrade and build the program at KSC. Thanks to everyone for their hard work.”

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From Jim Draper, Purchasing: We are cleaning out one of our ceramic studios, and on Saturday, November 1, from 8 a.m. to noon, we will sell the following items:
• Pottery Wheels
• All types of clays
• Assorted finished pottery
• Free used hard kiln bricks
• New G-23 insulating soft bricks
• Ceramic kiln bricks
• Mixing buckets
• Mixers

The sale is on campus at the end of Wyman Way, next to Whitcomb Garage. All is first come, first served, and all sales are cash and carry. Bring a friend, bring a truck, and walk away with a bargain!

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From Bill Menezes, Redfern: Rubberbandance Group, one of Canada’s foremost modern dance companies, will premiere their latest creation, “Punto Ciego” (“Blind Spot”), on Thursday, October 23, at 7:30 p.m. at the Redfern Arts Center.

The company unites world-class dancers from contemporary, classical, ballet, hip-hop, and break-dance backgrounds to investigate human relationships using film, video, and pulsing scores to create evenings of subtle story telling.

The full evening’s work is described as a tragic comedy that explores the relationships among six different people. At times the characters see their relationships only through a lens of virtual reality. During the course of the performance, they will defend their perceptions as well as question them. In the end, they accept their varying perspectives on the reality of these relationships.

Tickets are available through the Redfern box office (8-2168) or online at www.keene.edu/racbp.

Courtesy Photo: Rubberdance Group

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From Connie Lester, Redfern: Four KSC students from the Department of Theatre and Dance will share the stage in Nicky Silver’s unimaginably dark and humorous production, Fat Men in Skirts, directed by KSC assistant professor Ron Spangler.

The play will be staged Tuesday through Saturday, October 14 – 18, at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee at 2 p.m. on Saturday, at the Redfern Arts Center.

Fat Men in Skirts exposes the lives and loves of a dysfunctional family through a macabre storyline that begins with a plane crash. Silver uses extreme emotional situations as the backdrop for this story of savage human behavior, yet at its roots the play is a love story. Due to mature topics and language, this production is not recommended for anyone under 16 years of age. Tickets are available through the box office at 8-2168 or online at http://www.keene.edu/racbp.

Courtesy Photo:
Cast members of Fat Men in Skirts: (from left) Chris Kelly, Hayley Luoma, Greg Parker, and Liz Panneton

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From Connie Lester, Redfern: On Monday, October 13, the Music Department will welcome guest soprano Patricia Caicedo, who joins KSC faculty, José Lezcano (guitar), and George Loring (piano) in a recital at 7:30 p.m. in the Alumni Recital Hall.

The “Musical Journey Through Latin America” program will feature works by composers from Argentina, Spain, Cuba, Brazil, Columbia, and Venezuela, to include De Falla, Ovalle, Villa-Lobos, Dominguez, Carlos Guastavino, Braga, Lezcano, and more. For tickets, call the box office at 8-2168.

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From Jackie Hooper, Thorne: Artists living within 30 miles of Keene and Friends of the Thorne members are invited to enter the 2009 Biennial Regional Jurors’ Choice Competition at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery.

The exhibition, open to artists working in all media, will be displayed Saturday, January 24, to Thursday, February 26. The jurors will be announced on the Thorne’s website. In addition to selecting works to be shown in the Regional Jurors’ Choice Exhibition, the jurors will select artists for various awards, honors, and cash prizes. Gallery visitors will select a People’s Choice Commendation.

Artists may submit one or two works in any medium completed within the past two years. Works done under the supervision of an instructor are not eligible. Entries for the competition must be hand-delivered to the gallery between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday or Saturday, December 12 and 13. For more information about the Regional Jurors’ Choice Competition and to download a Call for Entries form, visit the Thorne website at or call 8-2720.

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From Connie Lester, Redfern: On Wednesday, October 15, the Keene State Department of Music will present KSC faculty member Scott Mullett and his jazz quartet, and Vermont’s leading Carribbean- and Latin-inspired jazz band, Zabap, led by Julian Gerstin, for a recital, at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Recital.

Mullett has played and toured with some of the best big bands in the world, including those of Woody Herman and Artie Shaw, is founder and director of the Keene Jazz Orchestra, and currently teaches students from around the tri-state area.

Zabap incorporates melodies and grooves from Africa and the Antilles, and is lead by Julian Gerstin. He has performed with the Windham Orchestra, Brattleboro Community Chorus, Brattleboro Women’s Chorus, jazz vocalist Samirah Evans, and the Cajun band Lil’ Orphans, and teaches ethnomusicology at Keene State. For tickets, call the box office at 8-2168.

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From Bill Menezes, Redfern: Shakespeare & Company will make its New Hampshire debut at Keene State College’s Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond with Shakespeare’s Hamlet on Tuesday, October 7. The company will perform for area schools at 9:30 a.m. and again for general audiences at 7 p.m. The production is co-presented with the Colonial Theatre of Keene.

This pared-down, revved-up version of Shakespeare’s uncontested masterpiece will be an evening of stunning theater for audiences across the country. The company’s portrayal of the human struggle between two opposing forces — moral integrity and vengeance — was hailed as “galvanizing and bold” by Variety.

For tickets contact the Redfern box office 8-2168 or online at www.keene.edu/racbp.

Courtesy photo
Shakespeare & Company

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Craig Sylvern attended the 2008 Cardinal Saxophone Workshop at the University of Louisville this past July. The workshop attracts professional and student musicians from across the country and includes performances by individuals, chamber groups, and a large ensemble made up of all the participants. This year’s large ensemble included saxophones from the tiny sopranino to the monstrous contrabasso. Craig participated in several performances, one of which included the world premiere of Dance for Two Tenor Saxophones and Piano, a piece written for him by Walter S. Hartley.

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From Bill Menezes, Redfern: The Georgia Guitar Quartet (GGQ) will open the 2008–09 season at Keene State College’s Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond on Saturday, October 4, at 7:30 p.m. The Redfern is dedicating this season of music, theatre, and dance to Keene State’s year-long centennial celebration. The Quartet will also conduct a free and public lecture demonstration at noon that Saturday.

GGQ’s Redfern performance will feature classical works by Michael Praetorius, Domenico Scarlatti, Frédéric Chopin, Edvard Grieg, and Federico Moreno Torroba, among others. In a more contemporary vein, GGQ will play compositions by Kyle Dawkins, Vince Guaraldi, and Nikita Koshkin. Audio clips of GGQ performance excerpts are available at their website. For tickets call 8-2168 or visit www.keene.edu/racbp.

Courtesy photo: Georgia Guitar Quartet

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Aroha Dahm (below), New Zealand artist and Fulbright scholar, will discuss New Zealand culture and the art exhibit “Earth and Spirit: Contemporary Indigenous Art from New Zealand and Australia” at 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 25, at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery. New Zealand’s Honorary Consul to New England, Simon C. Leeming, will join the discussion.

After the discussion, the KSC Film Society will screen two New Zealand films at the Putnam Arts Lecture Hall: Alex, which follows a New Zealand swimmer training for the 1960 Rome Olympics, starts at 7 p.m., and Old Scores, about two old men recreating the controversial 1966 All Blacks/Wales rugby match in New Zealand, shows at 9 p.m. Admission is free to films, the discussion, and the exhibit. For further information, call 8-2720 or visit http://www.keene.edu/tsag/.

Courtesy photo

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From Jackie Hooper, Thorne: On Wednesday, September 17, at 7 p.m.
, the Friends of the Thorne continues its Meet the Monadnock Artists Series with photographer Jeffrey Newcomer from Spofford, N.H.

Newcomer will show his photos and explain the process of using the viewfinder of a camera to create art. For more information call the gallery at 
8 -2720, or visit http://www.keene.edu/tsag.

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From Jackie Hooper, Thorne: Australian and New Zealand artists show contemporary artwork that’s rooted in their indigenous past in an exhibit that opens Monday, September 8, and continues through Sunday, October 19, at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery.

“Earth and Spirit: Contemporary Indigenous Art from New Zealand and Australia” features indigenous art in a variety of media, including paintings and traditional forms such as weaving and carving in wood and jade, and includes carved masks, fiber art, weaponry, and musical instruments.

A reception on Thursday, September 25, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. will include a discussion on New Zealand art and culture and screening of two New Zealand films.

Maori artist and Fulbright scholar Aroha Dahm and New Zealand Honorary Consul to New England Simon C. Leeming will lead the discussion and answer questions at 6 p.m. at the gallery. After the discussion, the KSC Film Society will show Alex, a story that follows a New Zealand swimmer training for the 1960 Rome Olympics, at 7 p.m., and Old Scores, a film about two old men re-creating the controversial 1966 All Blacks/Wales rugby match in New Zealand, at 9 p.m. in the Putnam Arts Lecture Hall. Admission to the films, reception, and exhibit is free. For information, call 603-358-2720 or visit http://www.keene.edu/tsag.

Courtesy Photo
Emu’s Nest, an acrylic painting by James P. Simon, an Australian Aboriginal, is among the 60 artworks exhibited in “Earth and Spirit: Contemporary Indigenous Art from New Zealand and Australia”

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From Jackie Hooper, Thorne: Faith Ringgold, an award-winning author and artist, exhibits a variety of artwork spanning 44 years at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery from Monday, September 8, through Sunday, November 23.

“African/American Influences: The Art of Faith Ringgold” showcases this African American artist’s story quilts, oil paintings from the 1960s, works on paper, and soft sculpture such as masks and dolls. The exhibit includes the original layouts for Tar Beach, Ringgold’s first children’s book, which won more than 20 awards, including the prestigious Caldecott Honor Book of 1992. For information, call 603-358-2720 or visit http://www.keene.edu/tsag.

Courtesy Photo
Groovin’ High, a silkscreen by artist and author Faith Ringgold

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