Purdue Arts and Entertainment News

September 4, 1998 BCC open house kicks off art exhibition tour WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Visitors to the Black Cultural Center's open house from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, will get the first glimpse of "Art Speaks," a multimedia traveling art exhibit featuring African-American artists from the Midwest. "We plan to take this exciting exhibit to schools throughout the Greater Lafayette area and, hopefully, statewide," said Renee Thomas, director of the Black Cultural Center. The highlight of the exhibit is a limited edition bronze casting of the African-American Civil War monument "Spirit of Freedom." The piece, by Kentucky artist Ed Hamilton, is a replica of the original done in bronze and recently unveiled in Washington, D.C. -- the first memorial in the country to honor the more than 200,000 African-American troops who served in the Civil War. The Art Speaks program is funded by a grant from the Chrysler Corp. The visual and literary exhibition includes a specially designed portable gallery, a video documentary featuring the artists, and the release of a new anthology of poetry entitled "Eclipsing a Nappy New Millennium." The poetry collection is the first of its kind to focus on the work of Midwestern African-American poets. It brings together the works of well-known authors Nikki Finney and Eugene B. Redmond, and it celebrates the literary excellence of many new voices. A copy of the softcover anthology may be purchased at the BCC for $10. CONTACT: Thomas, (765) 494-3091; e-mail, rathomas@hfs.purdue.edu Sneak a peek into 'Private Lives' WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue Theatre opens its 1998-99 mainstage season Sept. 23 with a sneak preview of Noel Coward's "Private Lives." "Private Lives" is a witty, madcap comedy about a divorced couple who meet again while honeymooning with their new spouses. Professor Dale Miller directs the production on the Experimental Theatre stage in Stewart Center. "Private Lives" will be presented Sept. 24-Oct. 4. Performance times are 8 p.m. Sept. 24-Oct. 3, plus a 2:30 Sunday matinee Sept. 27 and a 6 p.m. performance Sunday, Oct. 4. Tickets are $7 for students, $11 for nonstudents. Tickets to the Sept. 23 sneak preview are $4.50. The other plays on the 1998-99 mainstage season lineup are Paula Vogel's 1998 Pulitzer Prize-winner for drama "How I Learned to Drive," Nov. 12-22; Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's production "Into the Woods," presented with Purdue Musical Organizations Feb. 19-27; and Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House," April 15-25. For ticket information, call (765) 494-3933 or stop by the Loeb Box Office. For discounted group ticket sales, call (765) 494-3084. CONTACT: Lori Sparger, Purdue Theatre publicist, (765) 494-3084; e-mail: theatre@purdue.edu Crossover artists bring uncommon music to Purdue WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Bassist Edgar Meyer, banjoist Bela Fleck and mandolinist Mike Marshall will showcase an eclectic mix of musical styles at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, in Loeb Playhouse in Purdue University's Stewart Center. The concert, the trio's only appearance in the region this year, is presented by Purdue Convocations and Lectures. The concert at Purdue will include music from "Uncommon Ritual," the group's recent release on the Sony Classical label. Meyer may be the only member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center to have collaborated with such a broad range of recording artists as James Taylor, Lyle Lovett, the Indigo Girls and the Chieftains. Also a renowned composer, Meyer's recent collaboration with Yo Yo Ma and Mark O'Connor, "Appalachia Waltz," topped the classical music charts for 16 weeks in 1997. Fleck is leader of the avant-garde country/jazz group "Bela Fleck and the Flecktones" and is an acclaimed master of the banjo. Marshall, founder of Modern Mandolin Quartet, helped spearhead the "new acoustic" movement in American music. Meyer, Fleck and Marshall's sound has been described as "equal part elegance and exuberance, with a hefty dose of down-home glee tossed into the mix" by The San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle and as "an imaginative and esoteric tapestry of jazz, bluegrass, Cajun and classical music" by The New York Express Times. Tickets are $18 for the public ($20 after Sept. 21) and $12 for Purdue students ($13 after Sept. 21) at campus box offices or by phone at (765) 494-3933 or 1-800-914-SHOW. CONTACT: Sue Stevens, Convocations publicist, (765) 494-9712; e-mail, snstevens@convos.purdue.edu Compiled by J. Michael Willis, (765) 494-0371; e-mail, mike_willis@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page