Fall Photos: The Combat Paper Project

Drew Cameron, an Iraq war veteran, is co-founder of Combat Paper Project, a project in which veterans and the non-veteran community use traditional hand papermaking techniques to transform military uniforms into paper, prints, books, and art. He writes “All of our experiences are encoded within the material items we carry about. With clothing, and military uniforms, our personal geographies, memories, and accomplishments are carried in the woven threads. Through the hand papermaking process, the clothing is deconstructed, transformed, and altered into paper sheets that accentuate those individual and collective stories.”

His talk on Monday, September 28, 2015 at 4:15pm in the Usdan University Center, Room 108 covered the history of the project, the collaborative art-making process, and how the work generates both art and conversation about collective responsibilities and shared understanding of war. Additionally, he held an Interactive Workshop on  Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, 2015 in the Usdan University Center Multipurpose Room as well as an Interactive Demonstration on Saturday, September 26, 2015 at Corwin Stadium on Andrus Field.

Click here to view the full album on flickr. Images by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.

The Combat Paper Project
The Combat Paper Project
The Combat Paper Project
The Combat Paper Project
21348346684_f7f1d2bb3f_z
The Combat Paper Project
21349957983_361f954e33_z
The Combat Paper Project
21348320254_f1a7a5e9fb_z
The Combat Paper Project
21971109495_eb51086060_z
The Combat Paper Project

Fall Photos: Eiko Otake’s “A Body in Places” at Russell Library

Dancer/choreographer Eiko Otake, visiting Artist in Dance and East Asian Studies, presented an intimate performance this fall. In this dance of solitude and fragility, Eiko explored the characteristics of each specific place and exchanged an intimate gaze with each viewer. Audience members were welcome to stay and speak with the artist.

Click Here to view the full album on Flickr. Photos by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.

Eiko Otake: A Body in Places
Eiko Otake: A Body in Places
21982947731_9100e68b33_z
Eiko Otake: A Body in Places
21785833729_5c11870197_z
Eiko Otake: A Body in Places
21351588373_1e2ba8a1b0_z
Eiko Otake: A Body in Places
21961002932_2931ffe08a_z
Eiko Otake: A Body in Places
21972681945_11a8e7089a_z
Eiko Otake: A Body in Places

 

Fall Photos: Opening Reception for “R. Luke DuBois – In Real Time” Exhibition

Genre-defying composer, artist, and performer R. Luke DuBois utilizes data to create maps, scores, and videos that explore subjects including the Iraq War and the census; and that raise questions of artistic agency, privacy, and fair use. Organized as a database of his projects and concerns, the exhibition R. Luke DuBois: In Real Time is the first major gallery presentation of his work and includes recent and commissioned pieces that take as their basis real-time data flows, topical statistics, and contemporary media footage. The gallery opened on September 16, 2015 in the Main Gallery, Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery.

Click Here to view the full album on Flickr. Photos by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.

Opening Reception: R. Luke DuBois - In Real Time
Opening Reception: R. Luke DuBois – In Real Time
Opening Reception: R. Luke DuBois - In Real Time
Opening Reception: R. Luke DuBois – In Real Time
Opening Reception: R. Luke DuBois - In Real Time
Opening Reception: R. Luke DuBois – In Real Time
Opening Reception: R. Luke DuBois - In Real Time
Opening Reception: R. Luke DuBois – In Real Time
Opening Reception: R. Luke DuBois - In Real Time
Opening Reception: R. Luke DuBois – In Real Time
Opening Reception: R. Luke DuBois - In Real Time
Opening Reception: R. Luke DuBois – In Real Time

Fall Photos: Common Moment – Class of 2019

The First Year Matters “Common Moment” was planned and produced by Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts as part of New Student Orientation for the Class of 2019. Many cultures celebrate water as a life-giving force. In keeping with the “Feet to the Fire: Comparison”  theme, drummers and dancers representing several different cultures led students in a once-in-a-lifetime performance on Foss Hill on Friday, September 4, 2015.

Click here to view the full album on flickr. Photos by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.

21783061290_0b308f1a21_z
Common Moment
21348424664_a4e79c8e17_z
Common Moment
21783060360_8b2c0b848c_z
Common Moment
21980951821_a4a3ceb111_z
Common Moment
21783062250_439049121c_z
Common Moment
21980950791_526914f5f8_z
Common Moment

  

2015-16 Season Now On Sale! World, U.S., New England, CT Premieres

This year, we are looking forward to introducing you to artists who are asking important questions about our world today, questioning why things are the way they are, and helping us to envision how they might be.

Dorrance Dance make their Connecticut debut on September 25 and 26 as part of the Performing Arts Series.
Dorrance Dance make their Connecticut debut on September 25 and 26 as part of the Performing Arts Series.

Michelle Dorrance, described by the Chicago Tribune as “edgy, seductive and smart,” brings Dorrance Dance to the CFA Theater September 25 and 26. You’ll have the chance to see tap dancers push the boundaries of what tap dance looks and feels like: her company will dazzle you as they transform the stage into one sonic instrument.

At a time when our country is struggling to find its way in terms of race relations, we’ve invited writer/performer Daniel Beaty to campus for a residency that includes the October 9 performance of Mr. Joy, his highly acclaimed tour de force solo show about a community’s efforts to heal in order to dream again.

Composer, visual artist, and new media innovator R. Luke DuBois takes over the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery from September 16 through December 13 with his exhibition In Real Time, creating maps, scores, and videos that use real-time data flows and media footage to raise questions of artistic agency, privacy, and fair use. In time for the election season, the CFA has commissioned him to create a new work using research generated by the Wesleyan Media Project.

Dancer/choreographer Eiko Otake returns with a series of intimate performances in unlikely places, including a commissioned work in honor of the 100th-anniversary of Wesleyan’s Van Vleck Observatory.

This year’s Navaratri Festival of Indian music and dance features one of the world’s greatest veena players, Sri Rajhesh Vaidya, on October 10, and Bharatanatyam dancer Alarmél Valli on October 11.

All this shares the fall schedule with performances by faculty and students, including the final class performance by students of Adjunct Professor of Music Abraham Adzenyah, who is retiring after teaching Ghanaian drumming at Wesleyan for the past 45 years. You won’t want to miss that concert on December 4.

As always, we hope you will look to the CFA as a place of enlightenment and enjoyment in the months ahead.

Sincerely,

Pamela Tatge
Director
Center for the Arts

Spring Photos: Thesis Art Exhibition

Zilkha Gallery showcased the work of the Class of 2015’s thesis students in the Department of Art and Art History’s Art Studio Program. Each student was invited to select a single work from their Senior Thesis Exhibition for this year-end showcase of drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, mixed media, and architecture curated by Professor of Art Tula Telfair P’13. Ms. Telfair talked about the exhibition on May 23, 2015 in the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery. Co-sponsored by University Relations. Click here to view the full album on flickr. Images by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.

Thesis Art Exhibition
Thesis Art Exhibition
Thesis Art Exhibition
Thesis Art Exhibition
Thesis Art Exhibition
Thesis Art Exhibition
Thesis Art Exhibition
Thesis Art Exhibition
Thesis Art Exhibition
Thesis Art Exhibition
Thesis Art Exhibition
Thesis Art Exhibition

 

Spring Photos: Feet to the Fire – Riverfront Encounter

This event celebrated the river as a source of cultural inspiration and creativity on May 9, 2015 at Harbor Park in Middletown. “Feet to the Fire: Riverfront Encounter” featured live music, visual art installations, plein air painters, a kids’ activity zone, environmental education exhibits, as well as a craft fair and farmer’s market–all designed to bring patrons closer to the rich culture, history, and science of the Connecticut River.

Click here to view the full album on flickr. Images by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.

Feet to the Fire: Riverfront Encounter
Feet to the Fire: Riverfront Encounter
Feet to the Fire: Riverfront Encounter
Feet to the Fire: Riverfront Encounter
Feet to the Fire: Riverfront Encounter
Feet to the Fire: Riverfront Encounter
Feet to the Fire: Riverfront Encounter
Feet to the Fire: Riverfront Encounter
Feet to the Fire: Riverfront Encounter
Feet to the Fire: Riverfront Encounter
Feet to the Fire: Riverfront Encounter
Feet to the Fire: Riverfront Encounter

Spring Photos: Senior Talks in the History of Art

Seniors in the Art History Program of Wesleyan’s Department of Art and Art History presented their talks: Alexa Burzinski, Brandon Eng, Rachel Pei Hirsch, Samuel Usdan, and Gavriella Wolf on April 20, 2015 at 41 Wyllys Ave in Room 112. Click here to view the full album on flickr. Images by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.

Senior Talks in the History of Art
Senior Talks in the History of Art
Senior Talks in the History of Art
Senior Talks in the History of Art
Senior Talks in the History of Art
Senior Talks in the History of Art
Senior Talks in the History of Art
Senior Talks in the History of Art
Senior Talks in the History of Art
Senior Talks in the History of Art
Senior Talks in the History of Art
Senior Talks in the History of Art

Spring Photos: Beyond The Veil

Coordinated by the Muslim Coalition of Connecticut, this exhibition showcased photographs by regional artists that highlighted the daily lives of Muslim women in Connecticut and their contributions to society. The show explored the diversity and complexity of this community on April 14, 2015 at the Green Street Teaching and Learning Center at 51 Green Street in Middletown, CT.  Click here to view the full album on flickr. Images by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.

Beyond The Veil
Beyond The Veil
Beyond The Veil
Beyond The Veil
Beyond The Veil
Beyond The Veil
Beyond The Veil
Beyond The Veil
Beyond The Veil
Beyond The Veil
Beyond The Veil
Beyond The Veil

 

 

 

“Summer at the CFA” to include U.S. debut jazz; world premiere classical music

SUMMER AT THE CFA
June 30 – July 23, 2015
CFA Summer BrochureSUMMER AT THE CFA: EVENING PERFORMANCES
1. Las Cafeteras – Wednesday, July 1, 7pm, CFA Courtyard (Rain location: Crowell Concert Hall); FREE!
2. Regina Carter Quartet (U.S. Debut) – Thursday, July 16, 8pm, Crowell Concert Hall
3. Work-In-Progress Showing of /peh-LO-tah/ and Conversation with Marc Bamuthi Joseph – Thursday, July 23, 8pm, CFA Theater, FREE!

SUMMER AT THE CFA: FREE AFTERNOON TALKS AND PERFORMANCES
4. Elizabeth Willis: Live Poetry – Tuesday, June 30, 12:10pm, CFA Hall, FREE!
5. Taking Over Space: Exploring Three-Dimensional Paintings by Marela Zacarias – Tuesday, July 7, 12:10pm, CFA Hall, FREE!
6. This Is It! The Complete Piano Works of Neely Bruce: Part VI (World Premiere) – Sunday, July 12, 3pm, Crowell Concert Hall, FREE!
7. How to Seduce an Audience? A Talk by Tamilla Woodard and Ana Margineanu – Tuesday, July 14, 12:10pm, CFA Hall, FREE!
8. Okwui Okpokwasili: Embodied Performance/Making the Invisible Visible – Tuesday, July 21, 12:10pm, CFA Hall, FREE!

SPECIAL EVENTS
9. Blackbird: A Benefit Concert for the Stephanie Nelson Memorial Scholarship Fund – Saturday, July 25, 8pm, Crowell Concert Hall

Programs, artists, and dates are subject to change.

Click here to buy your tickets online.