News & Events 08/2003

August 28, 2003
Director of Media Relations
413/542-8417

AMHERST, Mass.-The Amherst College Observatory will be open for viewing Mars this Saturday evening, August 30, if the skies are clear. No reservations are necessary, and admission is free. The observatory opens at 9 p.m., although Mars itself will not be visible before about 10:30 p.m. The Observatory is located off Snell St., near Woodside Ave. (www.amherst.edu/about_amh/visit/map/)

This viewing is sponsored by the Amherst Astronomy Association, which holds public viewings at the Amherst College Observatory every clear Saturday night except during winter. The association has a Website at www.amastro.org.

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August 26, 2003
Director of Media Relations
413/542-8417

AMHERST, Mass.- The Emily Dickinson Museum will present the final program in a series called "The Angle of a Landscape," focusing on various aspects of nature and art related to the poet Emily Dickinson and her work, with " 'First - Poets - Then the Sun': Emily Dickinson and Astronomy in Amherst" on Sunday, Sept. 7, from 6 until 8 p.m. The program fee is $15. Because space is limited, advance registration is required; please call 413/542-8161 for reservations and information.

Emily Dickinson's observations of the sky fill her poetry-and that may be no accident. Amherst College in the poet's day was one of the leading institutions for the study of astronomy. The evening program will begin with a consideration of Dickinson's poetic celestial observations led by Martha Ackmann, senior lecturer in women's studies at Mount Holyoke College. Ackmann is a Dickinson scholar and author of The Mercury 13: The Untold Story of Thirteen American Women and the Dream of Space Flight (2003). George Greenstein, Sidney Dillon Professor of Astronomy at Amherst College, will share the rich history of astronomy at Amherst College, including David Todd's contributions to the study of Mars, which passes unusually close to Earth this year. Inspired by these discussions, participants will have an opportunity to gaze at the sky through the refracting telescope at the Amherst College Observatory. Built in 1905 as a technologically advanced astronomy center, the observatory and telescope have been recently restored.

The Emily Dickinson Museum, comprising the Dickinson Homestead and The Evergreens, two historic house museums in Amherst, is devoted to the story and legacy of poet Emily Dickinson and her family. Both properties are owned by the Trustees of Amherst College. The Dickinson Homestead was the birthplace and residence of the poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886). The Evergreens was the 1856 home of the poet's brother and sister-in-law, Austin and Susan Dickinson. Beginning Sept. 1, The Emily Dickinson Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday, from 1 until 5 p.m. The Museum also will be open on Sunday, Oct. 12 Visit www.dickinsonhomestead.org, call 413/542-8161 or write 280 Main Street, Amherst, MA 01002 for more information.

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August 13, 2003
Director of Media Relations
413/542-8417

AMHERST, Mass.Music at Amherst opens its 26th anniversary season of world-class chamber music at Amherst College with the Emerson String Quartet, performing works by Haydn, Shostakovich, and Beethoven, at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24, in Buckley Recital Hall in the Arms Music Building at Amherst College. Tickets to this concert are available only to series subscribers-subscriptions are on sale until Wednesday, Sept. 17-and to students. Five other programs are included in the series.

On Monday, Oct. 20, at 8 p.m., pianist Lars Vogt will perform music of Brahms, Beethoven and Schubert.

On Saturday, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m., the Peabody Trio will present music by Mozart, Schnittke and Schubert.

On Friday, Feb. 13, at 8 p.m., baritone Nathan Gunn will perform lieder and American art songs.

On Saturday, March 27, at 8 p.m., the Brentano Quartet will present music by Beethoven, Chou Wen-chung and Mendelssohn.

On Friday, April 23, at 8 p.m., violinist Christian Tetzlaff, clarinetist Martin Frost and pianist Lars Vogt will present music by Bartok, Janacek and Kurtag.

This schedule is subject to change; latest information can be obtained from the Amherst College Concert Website at www.amherst.edu/~concerts, or by calling the Concert Office at 413/542-2195. Season subscriptions are available until Wednesday, Sept. 17 for $95-$120 ($80-$105 for seniors, and $35-$55 for students). For more information and brochures call the Concert Office at 413/542-2195.

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August 12, 2003
Director of Media Relations
413/542-8417

AMHERST, Mass.-The Mead Art Museum will present Off the Beaten Track: Contemporary Mindscapes, an exhibition of contemporary interpretations of a time-honored topic, the landscape. The show will run from Tuesday, Sept. 9, until Thursday, Dec. 18. In conjunction with the exhibition, conversations with some of the artists will be held on Friday, Sept. 12, and Wednesday, Nov. 5.

Using the concept that one's immediate surroundings provide a springboard to realms that are unexpected, innovative and even provocative, Off the Beaten Track features the work of 12 contemporary artists and underscores the recent prominence that the genre of landscape has attained. The artists included in the exhibition are Hugo Bastidas, Bettina Blohm, Tara Donovan, Julie Hedrick, Gail Gregg, Lloyd Martin, Ezra Parzybok, Shuli Sadé, Adam Straus, Doug Trump, Margaret Tsirantonakis and Grace Bakst Wapner.

Although each artist has his or her own vision, all share certain affinities: some work is cerebral, some whimsical, but all of it explores a traditional subject in a non-traditional manner. This exhibition can in no way be a comprehensive compendium of contemporary landscape, but it brings together twelve engaging voices. The work falls into three loose groups: landscapes that reflect the world and society, magical environments and more abstract dreamscapes.

Off the Beaten Track was organized by Trinkett Clark, the curator of American art at the Mead. An illustrated catalogue is available. The exhibition and publication were supported in part by the David W. Mesker (Class of 1953) Fund and the Department of Fine Arts.

On Friday, Sept. 12, at 4:30 p.m. in Stirn Auditorium, the Mead will present a conversation with two of the artists, Julie Hedrick and Shuli Sadé. Hedrick works in oil and encaustic, creating luminous, abstract landscapes. Sadé produces work that fuses photography and painting as she explores the industrial landscape. The artists will first screen two short films and then discuss their work. This event will be followed by a reception at the Mead. Admission is free and open to the public.

Grace Bakst Wapner will speak on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 4:30 p.m. in Pruyne Lecture Hall (Fayerweather 115) about the evolution of her recent group of ceramic sculpture, "The Scholar's Garden."

The Mead Art Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Thursday evenings until 9 p.m. More information can be obtained on the museum's Website at www.amherst.edu/mead or by calling the museum at 413/542-2335. All events are free and open to the public.

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August 12, 2003
Director of Media Relations
413/542-8417

AMHERST, Mass.-AMHERST, Mass.-The Mead Art Museum at Amherst College will mark the new academic year with an Amherst Fine Arts Faculty Exhibit in the Fairchild Gallery to honor the faculty from the Department of Fine Arts. The exhibit will run from Tuesday, Sept. 9, until Sunday, Nov. 2.

The Fine Arts Faculty Exhibit includes paintings by Joseph Ablow, David Gloman and Robert T. Sweeney; photographs by Stephen Petegorsky and Justin Kimball; prints by Betsey Garand; and sculpture by Carol Keller. The exhibition exemplifies the range of media, subject matter, and aesthetic attitudes practiced and taught by the Amherst faculty.

On Tuesdays at 12:15 p.m. in September and October, the Mead will offer a firsthand opportunity to hear the artists talk about the work in the exhibition.

Sept. 23, Justin Kimball, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art
Sept. 30, Betsey Garand, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art
Oct. 7, David Gloman, Visiting Lecturer
Oct. 21, Carol Keller, Visiting Assistant Professor of Fine Arts
Oct. 28, Stephen Petegorsky (Class of 1975), Visiting Assistant Professor of Art

Other events include a talk by Joseph Ablow, artist in residence at Amherst College, on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 4:30 p.m., in conjunction with his retrospective exhibition in the Eli Marsh Gallery in Fayerweather Hall. On Friday, Oct. 17, Robert T. Sweeney, the William R. Mead Professor of Fine Arts, will give a gallery talk at the Mead Art Museum at 4:30 p.m., to launch the Homecoming Weekend festivities. This event will be followed by a reception in the Museum.

This exhibition and related programming are supported in part by the Associates of Fine Arts. The Mead Art Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Thursday evenings until 9 p.m. More information can be obtained on the museum's Website at www.amherst.edu/mead or by calling the museum at 413/542-2335. All events are free and open to the public.

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