Winter Arts and Culture at Elizabethtown College

ELIZABETHTOWN, PA (01/10/2014)(readMedia)-- February events at Elizabethtown College explore the music of Old Vienna, Eros, animation, religious freedom, Japanese paper cutting and government shutdowns, along with theatre, film, business, art and the Amish. The full Elizabethtown College events calendar is available online: http://www.etown.edu/newsandevents/cultural/index.aspx.

7 p.m.

Tuesday, February 4

Faculty Scholarship Series -- "Christianity, Eros and the Song of Songs"

Susquehanna Room, Myer Hall

What should we do about the Song of Songs? For roughly two millennia, this biblical book has been read by Jews and Christians as a theological witness to God's love for God's people. In the last century, however, biblical scholars insisted that Song of Songs is, in fact, about eros -- human sexual desire. This presentation addresses ways in which the Song of Songs can contribute to conversations about human sexuality through reflection on understandings of the self and the divine within a Christian theological framework.

Dr. Christina Bucher, the Carl W. Zeigler Professor of Religion at Elizabethtown College and current chair of the Department of Religious Studies, earned her doctoral degree in religion from Claremont Graduate University in 1988. She earned her master's degree in theology from Bethany Theological Seminary in 1977 and is an alumna of Elizabethtown College's class of 1975. As a Faculty Fellow at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, she researched Pietist and Anabaptist views of the Song of Songs. She also has presented scholarly papers at regional, national and international meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature on the interpretation of Song of Songs, including interpretations in visual art.

Bucher serves on the editorial board of the Believers Church Bible Commentary, the board of Trustees of Bethany Theological Seminary and the governing board of the Elizabethtown College Alumni Peace Fellowship.

Reception at 7 p.m.; presentation at 7:30 p.m., followed by Q&A.

Cost: free

Sponsor: Susan Traverso, provost and senior vice president

Contact: Nancy Kaufhold at kaufholdn@etown.edu or 717-361-1416

7:30 p.m.

Monday, February 10

Concert: "A Journey to Old Vienna - An Evening in Three-Quarter Time"

Leffler Chapel and Performance Center

Performance by Phyllis Drackley, soprano.

Cost: free

Sponsor: Fine and Performing Arts Department

Contact: Amy Reynolds at 717-361-1212 or reynoldsa@etown.edu

7 p.m.

Wednesday, February 12

Lefever Lecture -- "Soul Liberty: The meaning and significance of religious freedom in America"

Gibble Auditorium

Dr. Charles Haynes, director of the Religious Freedom Education Project and a senior scholar the First Amendment Center/Newseum, Washington, D.C., writes and speaks extensively on religious liberty and religion in American public life.

This year's Lefever lecturer, Haynes speaks on "Soul Liberty: The meaning and significance of religious freedom in America." Best known for his work on First Amendment issues in public schools, Haynes has been, over the past two decades, the principal organizer and drafter of consensus guidelines on religious liberty in schools. He endorsed a broad range of religious and educational organizations. In January 2000, three of the guides were distributed by the U.S. Department of Education to every public school in the nation.

Haynes is author or coauthor of six books, including "First Freedoms: A Documentary History of First Amendment Rights in America," published in 2006, and "Religion in American Public Life." His column, "Inside the First Amendment," is published in newspapers nationwide.

A founding board member of the Character Education Partnership, he also serves on the steering committee of the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools and the American Bar Association Advisory Commission on Public Education. Haynes chairs the Committee on Religious Liberty of the National Council of Churches. He is U.S. advisor for Face to Faith, a program of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.

Dr. Haynes is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Emory University Medal in 2005, the First Freedom Award from the Council for America's First Freedom in 2008, and the Religious Liberty Award from the North American Religious Liberty Association in 2013.

Widely quoted in news magazines and major newspapers, Haynes is a frequent guest on television and radio, has been profiled in The Wall Street Journal and on ABC's "Evening News" and, in 2008, received the Virginia First Freedom Award from the Council for America's First Freedom.

He earned a master's degree from Harvard Divinity School and a doctorate from Emory University.

The Ernest W. Lefever Visiting Fellow in Ethics and Culture Endowed Fund was begun in 1999 to honor Ernest W. Lefever '42 for his lifelong contribution to fostering a deeper understanding of the vital role of ethics in our public life. Each year, one fellow visits Elizabethtown College for two days to share professional experiences that emphasize the moral dilemmas in contemporary American life. The chief purpose is to give the campus community an opportunity to meet with outstanding leaders who have grappled with the issue of ethics and culture in their professions.

Cost: free

Sponsor: Dean of Faculty and Politics, Philosophy and Legal Studies

Contact: April Kelly-Woessner at 717-361-1285 or kellya@etown.edu

8 p.m.

Wednesday, February 12

"Animation and Film" with Dash Shaw

Bowers Writers House

If you think cartoons are for kids or if you ever wanted to turn your doodles into true art come out to listen to award-winning animator and cartoonist Dash Shaw as he discusses his work. Shaw is a cartoonist and animator in New York, N.Y. His graphic novel "New School" was released from Fantagraphics Books. His other books include "Bodyworld" and "Bottomless Belly Button." His animated works include the Sigur Ros video "Seraph," "Wheel of Fortune," and the IFC series "The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century AD."

Cost: free

Sponsor: Bowers Writers House

Contact: Jesse Waters at writershouse@etown.edu or 717-689-3945

dashshaw.tumblr.com

7 p.m.

Thursday, February 13

International Film Festival – "Totsi"

Gibble Auditorium

Presenting stories inspired by transformation. Films will be presented in their respective languages, subtitles in English.

An amoral teenager develops an unexpected paternal side in this powerful South African drama. Tsotsi is the street name used by a young Johannesburg delinquent who has taken to a life of crime in order to support himself. He comes from a blighted upbringing -- his mother died slowly from AIDS-related illnesses, and his father was torturously abusive. He developed a talent for violence borne of necessity as well as taking strange pleasure in hurting other people. Tsotsi shoots a woman while stealing her car, and only later discovers that her infant son is in the back seat. Uncertain of what to do with the baby, Tsotsi takes the boy home and tries to care for it -- going so far as to force a nearby single mother to nurse the baby. In time, Tsotsi learns the basics of child care, and the presence of the baby awakens a sense of humanity in him that life on the street had stripped away.

Cost: free

Sponsor: Office of International Student Services and High Library

Contact: Kristi Syrdahl at syrdahlk@etown.edu or 717-361-1594

8 p.m.

Thursday, February 13; Friday, February 14

Theatre: "These Shining Lives"

Tempest Theatre

The true story of four women, empowered by entering the workforce, as they paint glow-in-the-dark watch faces at Chicago's Radium Dial Co. in the 1920s. The workers' newfound independence is rocked when it's discovered that they've been in contact with dangerous materials. This is a story of survival in its most transcendent sense, as the women refuse to allow the company that stole their health also kill their spirits.

Cost: $6; call 717-361-1170 or e-mail boxoffice@etown.edu

Sponsor: Fine and Performing Arts Department

Contact: Michael Swanson at swansonm@etown.edu or 717-361-1160

11 a.m.

Friday, February 14

M&M Mars Executive Lecture Series: Ron Carkoski, president and CEO, Four Seasons Family of Companies

M&M Mars Room, Leffler Chapel and Performance Center

M&M Mars partnered with the Elizabethtown College Department of Business to create an Executive Lecture Series geared toward bringing senior level executives from various industries to talk about their businesses and engage the audience in discussions about programs that are offered to customers.

Ron Carkoski, president and CEO, Four Seasons Family of Companies speaks.

Cost: free

Sponsor: Business Department

Contact: Lisa Rosenberger at rosenbergerl@etown.edu or 717-361-1982

1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, February 15

Japanese Storyteller Performance and Japanese Paper Cutting Performance

Gibble Auditorium, Esbenshade Hall

Rakugo and Kamikiri performing arts come to Elizabethtown College campus.

Ryuutei Saryuu entertains with rakugo, a traditional storytelling performing arts. Most of the stories are comical, but there also are touching stories and love stories. Most were developed in the Edo period, about 300 to 400 years ago, while new stories have been created, too. It is somewhat similar to watching opera/theatre (e.g., Shakespeare's play); you know the whole story and how it ends but still enjoy it.

Kamikiri performer Hayashiya Niraku brings the performing art of paper cutting. The performer cuts a piece of paper in a very short time, sometimes taking requests from the audience. Right on the spot, they cut what they are asked. One remarkable thing about this performance is that the silhouette is cut in one stroke, so the rest of the paper shows the same image – Very exciting to watch!

This program is supported by the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Languages (UISFL) grants.

Cost: free

Sponsor: Center for Global Understanding and Peacemaking, the Department of Modern Languages and Asian Studies

Contact: Nobu Takahashi at takahashin@etown.edu

8 p.m.

Saturday, February 15

Theatre: "These Shining Lives"

Tempest Theatre

The true story of four women, empowered by entering the workforce, as they paint glow-in-the-dark watch faces at Chicago's Radium Dial Co. in the 1920s. The workers' newfound independence is rocked when it's discovered that they've been in contact with dangerous materials. This is a story of survival in its most transcendent sense, as the women refuse to allow the company that stole their health also kill their spirits.

Cost: $6; call 717-361-1170 or e-mail boxoffice@etown.edu

Sponsor: Fine and Performing Arts Department

Contact: Michael Swanson at swansonm@etown.edu or 717-361-1160

7 p.m.

Monday, February 17

Diversity Film Festival: "Do the Right Thing"

Gibble Auditorium

The Diversity Film Series features closed-captioned movies addressing race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic stratification, culture, and politics.

"Do The Right Thing" is a 1989 American drama film produced, written and directed by Spike Lee, who also is a featured actor in the movie. The film was inspired by an actual incident in Howard Beach, N.Y. A group of white kids chased down and killed a young black man. The story takes place on the hottest day of the summer and revolves around Sal's Famous Pizzeria, apparently the only white-owned business in the Brooklyn neighborhood in which the film is set.

Sal and his sons, Nino and Vito, are not without racist tendencies. Nevertheless, they manage to coexist with their black customers. Rather than being a film about clear rights and wrongs, "Do the Right Thing" is, a cultural potpourri, a detailed portrait of an ethnically diverse contemporary urban American neighborhood.

In the first three quarters of the film, Lee masterfully establishes the tone and texture of the neighborhood by introducing the audience to a series of interesting characters whose lives intermittently intersect. The tensions, which build throughout the film, eventually explode in what is among the most controversial endings in cinematic history.

Discussion: Dr. Fletcher McClellan, Dean of the Faculty and professor of political science.

Cost: free

Sponsor: Academic Advising

Contact: Jean-Paul Benowitz at benowitzj@etown.edu or 717-361-1110

7:30 p.m.

Monday, February 17

Monday Concert Series

Leffler Chapel and Performance Center

Rebecca Mindock, oboist in the Mobile Symphony and Wyoming Symphony, performs the music of Bach, Douglas, Britten, Schwantner and Saint-Saens. Mindock, an assistant professor at the University of South Alabama, is joined by pianist Dr. Justin Badgerow, assistant professor at Elizabethtown College.

Cost: free

Sponsor: Fine and Performing Arts Department

Contact: Amy Reynolds at 717-361-1212 or reynoldsa@etown.edu

noon

Tuesday, February 18

Presidential Community Enrichment Series – Kyle Kopko

Susquehanna Room, Myer Hall

Dr. Kyle C. Kopko, assistant professor of political science and director of the pre-law program and legal studies, discusses the recent government shutdown and the gridlock and polarization in Washington D.C. "Government Shutdowns and Polarizing Politics: Is this the New Normal in Washington?" focuses on reasons why this happened (changes in elections, fewer Southern Democrats, more money in the political system, etc.) and discuss what this type of gridlock and polarization means for future government budget showdowns and future elections.

Cost: $10, but registration is required by contacting iaenrichseries@etown.edu

Sponsor: Office of the President

Contact: Jennifer Landis at 717-361-6410 or landisj@etown.edu.

8 p.m.

Tuesday, February 18

"The Cutting Edge Of Peace" with John Rudy

Bowers Writers House

Elizabethtown Peacemaker-in-Residence John Rudy shares narratives from his experience of traveling all over the world, working for peace and harmony. Rudy has more than 30 years of learning from his mistakes in as many Asian and African countries. He has been privileged to participate in some of the unfolding stories told by heroes and heroines of peace. Rudy currently is intrigued by subtle energies, mystery, change processes and the role of the human heart in peace-building.

Cost: free

Sponsor: Bowers Writers House

Contact: Jesse Waters at writershouse@etown.edu or 717-689-3945

7:30 p.m.

Thursday, February 20

Kreider Lecture: "Amish Women's Literacies"

Bucher Meetinghouse, Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies

Vi Dutcher, professor of rhetoric and composition and director of the writing program at Eastern Mennonite University, discusses the literacy practices of female members of a particular northeastern Ohio Amish community. Whether it be writing as a scribe for a newspaper column, making cards to send to shut-ins, handing down time-honored recipes to younger women, contributing to a circle letter, writing poetry for friends and family members, or writing a letter to "The Blackboard Bulletin" editor in order to impart wisdom to a young Amish woman teaching school, a northeastern Ohio Amish woman practices literacy that is both public and private and always sacred.

These women use literacy tools they have inherited and selected, shaping them to meet their needs while, in turn, meeting church-appointed communal needs.

Cost: free

Sponsor: Young Center

Contact: Young Center at youngctr@etown.edu or 717-361-1470

8 p.m.

Thursday, February 20; Friday, February 21

Theatre: "These Shining Lives"

Tempest Theatre

The true story of four women, empowered by entering the workforce, as they paint glow-in-the-dark watch faces at Chicago's Radium Dial Co. in the 1920s. The workers' newfound independence is rocked when it's discovered that they've been in contact with dangerous materials. This is a story of survival in its most transcendent sense, as the women refuse to allow the company that stole their health also kill their spirits.

Cost: $6; call 717-361-1170 or e-mail boxoffice@etown.edu

Sponsor: Fine and Performing Arts Department

Contact: Michael Swanson at swansonm@etown.edu or 717-361-1160

11 a.m.

Friday, February 21

M&M Mars Executive Lecture Series: Stefanie Patounas, controller, The Boys and Girls Club of Lancaster

M&M Mars Room, Leffler Chapel and Performance Center

M&M Mars partnered with the Elizabethtown College Department of Business to create an Executive Lecture Series geared toward bringing senior level executives from various industries to talk about their businesses and engage the audience in discussions about programs that are offered to customers.

Stefanie Patounas, controller with The Boys and Girls Club of Lancaster speaks.

Cost: free

Sponsor: Business Department

Contact: Lisa Rosenberger at rosenbergerl@etown.edu or 717-361-1982

8 p.m.

Friday, February 21

Reading – "Spiritualism and Sufism" with Stewart Bitkoff

Bowers Writers House

What is the soul? Does it have a mind? Do our spiritual selves have a way to be nurtured or even healed? While we may not answer these issues, Dr. Stewart Bitkoff, Bowers Writers House guest, offers his own perspective on the spiritual nature of our lives and how a recognition of our spiritual essence is a wonderful thing.

Bitkoff, a spiritual traveler, is a longtime advocate of Sufi mysticism and the perennial philosophy. He holds a doctorate in education and served on the faculties of multiple colleges and universities. His book, "Sufism for the Western Seeker," published in 2011, was nominated by "Foreword Magazine" for the Adult Non-Fiction Religious Book of Year Award, placing fourth.

Stewart is a frequent contributor to online venues "Philadelphia Spirituality Examiner," "Wisdom Magazine," "New Age Journal," Ezinearticles.com, Witchvox.com, "Mystic Living Today," "New Age Spirituality" and two spiritual blogs caravanofdreams.com and mysticsaint.info.

Cost: free

Sponsor: Bowers Writers House

Contact: Jesse Waters at writershouse@etown.edu or 717-689-3945

2 p.m.

Sunday, February 23

Theatre: "These Shining Lives"

Tempest Theatre

The true story of four women, empowered by entering the workforce, as they paint glow-in-the-dark watch faces at Chicago's Radium Dial Co. in the 1920s. The workers' newfound independence is rocked when it's discovered that they've been in contact with dangerous materials. This is a story of survival in its most transcendent sense, as the women refuse to allow the company that stole their health also kill their spirits.

Cost: $6; call 717-361-1170 or e-mail boxoffice@etown.edu

Sponsor: Fine and Performing Arts Department

Contact: Michael Swanson at swansonm@etown.edu or 717-361-1160

4 p.m.

Thursday, February 27

Reception and Talk: John A. Hancock

Lyet Gallery, Leffler Chapel and Performance Center

Hancock's image-objects started for this exhibit, as most of his work does, with direct observation. Through editing, abutment and overlays ... organic and geometric passages interrupt realism with abstraction. In this way, these works on Mylar disrupt most of the conventions of landscape, still life and portraiture.

Born in 1956, the artist lived throughout the Southeast and Midwest. He was encouraged in his early curiosity about culture, nature and my love of travel. Currently, he lives in Waynesboro, Va., a small town nestled in the shadow of the Blue Ridge range of the Appalachians.

Before moving there in the fall of 2000, he lived in the lush upper coastal plain of eastern North Carolina where he began his career as an artist/professor.

Besides making art and teaching, he takes an avid interest in walking through old neighborhoods and the countryside; bird watching, reading, and cooking.

Hancock is now an adjunct associate professor of art at Blue Ridge Community College. He has judged art shows and curated exhibitions of contemporary work. He is always creating new work and working at getting exhibitions. Most of his work has been created in drawing, or painting. In painting, he prefers watercolor or includes watercolor with other material. He has expanded his drawing from working on paper to the use of larger, installation sized drawing on Mylar.

The exhibit continues 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through February 28.

Cost: free

Sponsor: Fine and Performing Arts

Contact: Milt Friedly at friedlmd@etown.edu or 717-361-1385

7:30 p.m.

Thursday, February 27

Lecture: "Narrating the Harrowing Journey of Four Hutterites During the Great War"

Bucher Meetinghouse, Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies

Duane Stoltzfus, professor of communication at Goshen College and copy editor for "The Mennonite Quarterly Review," presents highlights of the story of four Hutterite men who were chained in the dungeon at Alcatraz when they refused to perform military service during World War I.

The experiences of David, Joseph and Michael Hofer, and of a brother-in-law, Jacob Wipf, came to be regarded as exhibit-A among accounts of prisoner abuse during the war. Two of the Hofer brothers died at Fort Leavenworth in 1918.

Stoltzfus, who also is a former New York Times staff editor, describes the research process that led to his recent book, "Pacifists in Chains," including visits with descendants of the four men and a tour of the basement cells at Alcatraz.

Cost: free

Sponsor: Young Center

Contact: Young Center at youngctr@etown.edu or 717-361-1470

11 a.m.

Friday, February 28

M&M Mars Executive Lecture Series: Dr. Thomas Winpenny, professor of History, Elizabethtown College

M&M Mars Room, Leffler Chapel and Performance Center

M&M Mars partnered with the Elizabethtown College Department of Business to create an Executive Lecture Series geared toward bringing senior level executives from various industries to talk about their businesses and engage the audience in discussions about programs that are offered to customers.

Dr. Thomas Winpenny, professor of History at Elizabethtown College speaks.

Cost: free

Sponsor: Business Department

Contact: Lisa Rosenberger at rosenbergerl@etown.edu or 717-361-1982

Elizabethtown College, located in historic Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is a private coed institution offering more than four dozen liberal arts, fine and performing arts, science and engineering, business, communications and education degrees. Learn more: http://www.etown.edu/about/

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Harvey

Communications Manager

Marketing and Communications

Elizabethtown College

harveye@etown.edu

717-361-6412 (o)

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Posted Friday January 10, 2014 at 06:01 am by Elizabethtown College