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| * Black Cultural Center |
August 2, 2007
Black Cultural Center announces fall 2007 Cultural Arts Series
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - |
Participants will study how the blues shaped key ideas in American culture including literature, dance and drama, said BCC director Renee Thomas.
"We are confident there will be something for everyone in this fall's slate of events and would like to encourage the entire community to participate," Thomas said. "The calendar includes the artistic literary and cultural richness of African-Americans, past and present.
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All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Upcoming events include:
* Aug. 23 – The Black Cultural Center’s Annual Boilerfest New Student Orientation will be from 4-6 p.m. in the BCC parking lot, 1100 Third St. Boilerfest is a new student orientation festival that allows campus leaders and student organization members to gather in an informal setting. The event features live entertainment by BCC Performing Arts Ensembles. Refreshments will be served.
* Aug. 25 - Related to the semester-long theme will be the "Uptown Jazz and Blues Festival" in downtown Lafayette from 5 p.m. to midnight, presented by the Lafayette-West Lafayette Development Corporation. Admission $6 in advance, $8 at the gate.* Sept. 15 – "Friends and Family Day" with the theme, "Now That’s the Blues!" will follow the Purdue football game and will feature Miss Bessie’s Juke Joint, where actors from the Black Cultural Center will portray blues people who might have visited such a place. Listen to blues music and learn the history behind it through performers, storytelling, children's activities and a sampling of southern cuisine.
* Sept. 20 – The Juneteenth Legacy Theatre from Louisville will present the "Juneteenth Cotton Club Revue" at 7 p.m. in Stewart Center’s Fowler Hall. The show is a musical tribute to legendary blues singers Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington and Lena Horne. Songs performed will include "St. Louis Blues," "Summertime," "God Bless the Child" and many others.
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* Sept. 25 – Michael Eric Dyson will present a lecture on "African-Americans in the Academy: Climate and Conflict" at 8 p.m. in Stewart Center's Loeb Playhouse, sponsored by the Black Graduate Association and the Office of the Provost. Dyson has been called a "street fighter in a suit and tie" and has written several national bestsellers on subjects ranging from Martin Luther King, Jr. to gangsta rap. Dyson discusses topics such as Bill Cosby and Hurricane Katrina.
* Oct. 3 – The August Wilson Song Book, a collection of songs from Wilson’s 10-play dramatic cycle will be presented at 7 p.m. in Stewart Center’s Fowler Hall. Each character sings of how they either lost their song (identity) or re-discovered it.
* Oct. 5-9 – Students from the Black Voices of Inspiration choir, Haraka Writers creative writing group, Jahari Dance Troupe and the New Directional Players drama group will travel to Memphis, Tenn. and the Mississippi Delta region as part of a field research tour with a focus on the blues.
* Oct. 19-20 – The four performing arts ensembles will perform the semester Coffee House Showcase at the Black Cultural Center at 7 p.m. both days.
* Oct. 26-28 –Homecoming 2007 activities with the Purdue Black Alumni Organization include tailgating, dances and an open-microphone event that will feature alumni members of the Haraka Writers presenting a range of pieces including love poetry, social commentary, comic routines and personal confession pieces.
* Nov. 8 – Sterling Plumpp will present his works at 7 p.m. in Stewart Center, Room 214.
Plumpp’s poetry is often based on blues and jazz rhythms and has won numerous awards including the Richard Wright Literacy Excellence Award. Plumpp has published 12 volumes of work including "Velvet Be Bop Kente Cloth,""Blues Narratives," and "Black Rituals."
* Nov. 30 – The BCC performing arts ensembles will present the annual Cultural Arts Festival at 7 p.m. in Stewart Center's Loeb Playhouse. This year’s festival will culminate the semester-long focus on the blues. Tickets are $7 for the general public and $5 for Purdue students.
Established at Purdue in 1969, the Black Cultural Center is nationally recognized and acknowledged by the Association of Black Culture Centers as one of the best centers of its kind. Thomas said the center helps black students gain a greater understanding of their heritage and supports and enhances cultural diversity on campus and in the community.
More information about the Black Cultural Center and additional programs and events not part of the Cultural Arts Series is available online at https://www.purdue.edu/bcc.Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, maggiemorris@purdue.edu
Sources: Renee Thomas, (765) 494-3091, rathomas@purdue.edu
Cara Hines-Pham, BCC contributor, (765) 494-3092, cshines@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
Students from Purdue University's Black Cultural Center will travel to Memphis, Tenn., during the fall semester as part of semester-long exploration of the blues tradition. (Photo supplied)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2007/BCC-memphis.jpg
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