August 23, 2017

‘Gumbo in the Big Easy’ is the theme of BCC’s Fall Cultural Arts Series

Kevin Belton Chef Kevin Belton of PBS’s New Orleans Cooking with Kevin Belton will prepare a classic creole/Cajun meal while discussing the vibrant history of New Orleans cuisine in an event on Sept. 13 at 6:30 p.m. in Marriott Hall’s demonstration kitchen. Pre-registration is required for this event. Cost is $10 and attendance is limited to 95 people. Download image

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue’s Black Cultural Center will take people to New Orleans - both literally and figuratively - during its Fall Cultural Arts Series.

“Gumbo in the Big Easy” will highlight the intersections of history and culture in New Orleans, including the city’s food, music, poetry, dance, fashion and more.

“New Orleans has a rich and vibrant culture,” said Renee Thomas, director of the Purdue Black Cultural Center. “The African American community played a vital role in creating the authentic masterpiece of New Orleans. Through our programs, the Purdue and Greater Lafayette community will learn how the preservation of African cultural practices and heritage were absorbed into the city’s overall culture.  This rich cultural heritage still thrives today and are visible in the city’s architecture, cemeteries (burial grounds), music food and festivals.”

 The series will include a cooking demonstration by chef Kevin Belton of PBS’s New Orleans Cooking with Kevin Belton. Belton will prepare a classic creole/Cajun meal while discussing the vibrant history of New Orleans cuisine. Pre-registration is required for this event, which will be held Sept. 13 at 6:30 p.m. in Marriott Hall’s demonstration kitchen in Room 148. Cost is $10 and attendance is limited to 95 people.

“Chef Belton has led more than 7.000 cooking lessons at the New Orleans School of Cooking,” said Thomas. “He will prepare a variety of delicacies utilizing the ‘holy trinity’ of cooking - chopped green peppers, onions and celery - while also weaving in stories of the unique Cajun and Creole culture.”

Cha Wa BCC Friends and Family Day will be held at the Black Cultural Center Nov. 4, immediately after the football game against Illinois. Mardi Gras Indian funk band Cha Wa will lead a “second line” parade from Ross Ade Stadium to the BCC. Download image

BCC Friends and Family Day will be held at the Black Cultural Center Nov. 4, immediately after the football game against Illinois. Mardi Gras Indian funk band Cha Wa will lead a “second line” parade from Ross Ade Stadium to the BCC. Participants can strut their stuff “New Orleans style” while waving handkerchiefs to a blend of hip hop, jazz and funk style music and make their own Mardi Gras mask.

Other upcoming events, which are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted, include:

Thursday (Aug. 24), 4-6 p.m., BCC parking lot: Boilerfest new student orientation. Boilerfest is an introduction to the Black Cultural Center, various student organizations, campus support services, faculty, administrators and community groups. Boilerfest is an event filled with music, live entertainment, food and fun that also features performances by BCC performing arts ensembles.

Sept. 22-24, Homecoming 2017, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Rho Sigma chapter will celebrate its 75th anniversary. Omega men and PBAO alumni from across the globe will rekindle old friendships and establish new ones throughout the weekend.

Sept. 25, 6 p.m., Stewart Center’s Loeb Playhouse, 2017 Cumming-Perrucci Lecture presents Anita Hill Reimaging Equality: Inclusive Communities in Post-Obama America. With political and social landscapes changing, Hill will discuss how society address questions of equity, including sexual harassment and assault, gender and racial economic gaps and leadership disparities. Co-sponsored by College of Liberal Arts, Center for Faculty Success, Office of Multicultural Programs, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

Sept. 28, 7 p.m., Stewart Center Room 206, Congo Square African Roots in New Orleans with Freddi Williams Evans. She will tell the fascinating history of Congo Square, a place where enslaved Africans congregated Sundays in New Orleans. A space that signified cultural memory, traditional spiritual practices and artistic expression.

Oct. 2-Dec. 15, Black Cultural Center, Multipurpose Room II, New Orleans photography exhibition featuring Mark Simons and William Caise. Simons is a campus photographer who utilizes his talent of taking images to help Purdue communicate stories and connect people. Caise, the BCC assistant director provides leadership for the BCC Gordon Parks Ensemble that explores African-American experience through photography. The exhibit highlights images from the Purdue BCC Research Tour to New Orleans in 2008.

Oct. 6-10, research tour, New Orleans. Only open to current members of the BCC performing arts ensembles. Participants will visit historical landmarks and museums, collect personal narratives from residents of New Orleans and engage in scholarly discussion with topic experts and masterclass instruction with local arts organizations.

Oct. 20-21, 7 p.m., Black Cultural Center Multipurpose Room I, BCC Coffee House Performing Arts Ensemble Showcase. Performing Arts Ensemble Showcase will present a glimpse of the material acquired during the fall research tour to New Orleans.

Nov. 2, 7 p.m., Stewart Center Room 310. Mona Lisa Saloy, author and folklorist, educator and scholar. An award-winning author of contemporary Creole culture and poetry, Saloy’s narrative poems tell the day-to-day lives of Black New Orleans and the rare magic in the culture. This event is co-sponsored by the Purdue Honors College.

Dec. 1, 7 p.m. – Stewart Center’s Loeb Playhouse. Cultural Arts Festival Featuring BCC Performing Arts Ensembles. New Orleans is the focus of the 2017 Cultural Arts Festival. This show will feature poetry, music and drama dance — all in celebration of New Orleans. Admission is $7 for general public and $5 for Purdue students.

Dec. 7, Purdue Memorial Union, South Ballroom. Dance Class with Jeffrey Page. MTV’s Video Music Award winning and Emmy Award nominated choreographer, Jeffrey Page will offer an energetic fusion of traditional African dance, hip-hop, funk and soul master dance class. Page has trained and worked with Beyonce, FELA! and more. Co-sponsor of the event is the Purdue Honors College.

Dec. 15 – Feb. 25, Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, 102 S. 10th St., Lafayette. “Moving Parts” Thomas Lucas and Hummingbird Press Editions Lafayette Museum of Art. Lucas received a BFA in Printmaking at Tyler School of Arts, Temple University. He received his MFA from The School & the Art Institute of Chicago. He was the former visual arts chair at The Chicago Academy for the Arts and is now the director of printmaking at Lillstreet Art Center. Co-sponsor of the event is the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette. 

Writer: Tim Doty, 765-496-2571, doty2@purdue.edu

Source: Renee Thomas, 765-494-3091, rathomas@purdue.edu

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