Purdue News

Black Cultural Center announces fall cultural arts series

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Black-and-white photos of most of the artists are available from Frank Walker, Black Cultural Center, (765) 494-3095.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Twelve events are planned for the Black Cultural Center's fall Cultural Arts Series at Purdue University.

• A BCC open house from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7, kicks off the series with a display of black-and-white photos and text from the Million Man March. The display was created by Frank X. Walker, BCC assistant director and multidisciplinary artist. It focuses on the men, women and families who participated in the march. The BCC is at 315 University St.

• Anthony T. Browder, an internationally recognized artist, author, publisher, cultural historian lecturer and educational consultant, will present a free lecture, "Survival Strategies for Africans in America," at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, in the Drawing Room, Purdue Memorial Union.

• Surfing the Internet is the topic for four free workshops on Thursday, Oct. 2. "Researching the Black Experience in Cyberspace" is scheduled with BCC librarian Dorothy Washington in the BCC library for 9-10 a.m., noon-1 p.m., 2:30-3:30 p.m. and 4:30-5:30 p.m. Participants will learn about searching on the World Wide Web. Registration is required for all four workshops.

• On Saturday, Oct. 4, the BCC teams up with the Greater Lafayette Museum of Art to present "Recalling the Middle Passage," 1-3:30 p.m., at the Greater Lafayette Museum of Art, 101 S. Ninth St. This free event is an artist workshop and slide presentation with illustrator and author Tom Feelings, who wrote "The Middle Passage." Teachers Encouraging Love for Literature (TELL) is co-sponsoring the presentation.

• Actress h.t. McNair will be featured in "Hiding Out" at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16. The drama production is subtitled "What You Do in the Dark Is Going to Come to Light." It focuses on searching for love, security, purpose, acceptance and approval, all in the wrong places. This free show will be staged in Fowler Hall, Stewart Center.

• The BCC Coffee House Series will open Friday, Oct. 24, with an evening of theater and dance featuring the New Directional Players and the Jahari Dance Troupe, two of the BCC's performing arts ensembles. The free performance will be at 8 p.m. in Room 210, Matthews Hall.

• Author and lecturer Earl Hutchinson takes part in the Cultural Arts Series with his presentation, "The Assassination of the Black Male Image." The lecture is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29, in Room 206, Stewart Center. Some of Hutchinson's work is available in the BCC library.

• Float like a butterfly to Fowler Hall, Stewart Center, on Friday, Oct. 31, for "When We Were Kings -- The Untold Story of 'Rumble in the Jungle.'" This 1997 Academy Award winner for Best Documentary Feature Writer features the 1974 heavyweight championship boxing match between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. It begins at 8 p.m. Admission is $2. The film is co-sponsored by the Purdue Student Union Board.

• The Black Voices of Inspiration, the BCC's vocal performing arts ensemble, will present a free campus concert at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6. in the Purdue Memorial Union Ballroom.

• A program in connection with the historically black institution visitation program is scheduled for 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, in Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. The program is yet to be announced.

• "Black Is ... Black Ain't," a film weaving together the testimony of those whose complexion, class, gender, speech or sexuality has made them feel "too black" or "not black enough," will be featured at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, in the BCC Multipurpose Room. This free film features scholars, artists and ordinary African-Americans who recall their own struggles to discover a more inclusive definition of "blackness." A panel of Purdue students will review and discuss the film.

• The 23rd Cultural Arts Festival rounds out the semester Friday, Dec. 5. The cultural extravaganza features the Black Cultural Center's four student performing arts ensembles: the Black Voices of Inspiration, the Haraka Writers, the Jahari Dance Troupe and the New Directional Players. The performance begins at 8 p.m. in Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. Admission is $5 for the public and $3 for Purdue students with a valid ID.

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu

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