Art, authors, dance and discussions on campus this month

Maayan Sheleff's "Frankie," an interactive robot installation.

You’ll be thankful for all the arts and events available at Connecticut College during the month of November. The following are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted:

Through Dec. 5: “high reps/low sets,” an exhibition by Visiting Artist Jessica Tam, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Cummings Arts Center Joanne Toor Cummings Gallery. Tam’s serial paintings and prints explore how repetitions and revisions produce changes, mutations and visual narratives. Using source material from contemporary myths and sensational mass entertainment such as professional wrestling, she takes an image with a history of cliché and repeatedly produces altered versions of that image, creating unfamiliar ways to experience the familiar. For more information, contact Deborah Radachy at darad@conncoll.edu.

Nov. 1: Dance Club Fall Performance, 7:30 p.m., Martha Myers Studio in the College Center at Crozier-Williams. Featuring choreography by Connecticut College students. Tickets are $6; $4 for students and seniors. For more information, contact Aimee Couture at aimee.couture@conncoll.edu.

Nov. 3-7: Contemporary French Film Festival, screenings at 7 p.m., Room 210 of Blaustein Humanities Center. Films to be shown, in order, are "Renoir," "Ernest & Celestine," "Blue is the Warmest Color," "Stranger by the Lake" and "Grigris.” A faculty member will lead a discussion after each film. Opening reception on Monday, Nov. 3, at 6:30 p.m.; closing reception to follow the final film. Sponsored by the Connecticut College Department of French, with support from the Department of Film Studies, the President’s Fund for Faculty-Student Engagement, Information Services and the Toor Cummings Center for International Studies and the Liberal Arts. For more information, contact James Austin at james.austin@conncoll.edu.

Nov. 6: “A colorful conundrum: how different colors of light regulate a symbiotic interaction below ground,” by Jeanne Harris, associate professor of plant biology at the University of Vermont, 4:30 p.m., New London Hall Room 101. For more information, contact Liz Smith at liz.smith@conncoll.edu.

Nov. 7: “Reclaimed Sounds: A Saxophone Recital,” 7:30 p.m., Evans Hall in Cummings Arts Center. Adjunct Instructor of Music Joshua Thomas performs works for the concert saxophone and explores preexisting sounds set in a new context, ranging from Greek harmonies in Terzakis's "Der Holle Nacklang I" to the sounds of Eddie Van Halen and Victor Wooten in Schumacher's "Deconstructing" series. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $5 for students and seniors, and free to Connecticut College students. For more information, contact Terry Wisniewski at terry.wisniewski@conncoll.edu.

Nov. 8: onStage at Connecticut College presents “Tea for Three: Lady Bird, Pat & Betty,” 7:30 p.m., Evans Hall, Cummings Arts Center. Elaine Bromka starred as eight First Ladies opposite Rich Little in the PBS show “The Presidents” and was so intrigued by their stories that she worked with playwright Eric H. Weinberger to create this behind-the-scenes look at Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon and Betty Ford. Tickets are $18; $16 for seniors; $9 for students. For tickets and information, call 860-439-2787 or visit onstage.conncoll.edu.

Nov. 9: “Enhancing Wildlife Habitat: Landscaping for Seasonal Food and Cover with Native Plants,” an Arboretum lecture and tour, noon-5 p.m., 33 Gallows Lane. Peter Picone, longtime wildlife biologist with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, will help gardeners make a difference to wildlife by the kinds and arrangement of plants in their yards. After a one-hour lecture, attendees will visit the Arboretum’s native plant collection to see some of the species in real life. Co-sponsored by Wild Ones. Registration is required, and the cost is $5 for Arboretum members, $10 for the general public. For more information, contact Christine Donovan at cdonova3@conncoll.edu.

Nov. 10: “How Positive Emotions Shape Affiliation Goals and Interactions,” a Fall 2014 Psychology Department Colloquium Series event, 4:30 p.m., Room 106 in Bill Hall. For more information, contact Nancy MacLeod at nancy.macleod@conncoll.edu.

Nov. 15: Handel’s “Messiah,” 7 p.m., Evans Hall in Cummings Arts Center. The Connecticut College Chamber Choir and Orchestra, together with vocal ensemble Camel Heard, present Part 1 and selections from Parts 2 and 3 of Handel’s beloved oratorio, culminating in the “Hallelujah Chorus.” The performance is directed by Assistant Professor of Music Wendy Moy. Tickets are $5 for general admission, $3 for students and seniors, and free to Connecticut College students, staff and faculty. For more information, contact Terry Wisniewski at terry.wisniewski@conncoll.edu.

Nov. 17: The Ammerman Center for Arts and Technology’s New Media Colloquia Series brings to campus interactive artist Maayan Sheleff, who will discuss "Frankie," her interactive robot installation that explores what it’s like to be human, 4:30 p.m., Room 014 of Olin Science Center. Shereff's projects involve the exploration of social and political issues, mostly through new media, the moving image and performance. For more information, contact Libby Friedman at elizabeth.friedman@conncoll.edu.

Nov. 18: Harpsichord Master Class with Linda Skernick, 7:30 p.m., Fortune Recital Hall in Cummings Arts Center. For more information, contact Terry Wisniewski at terry.wisniewski@conncoll.edu.

Nov. 20: “An Evening with Colum McCann and Jessica Soffer ’07,” 7:30 p.m., the 1941 Room of the College Center at Crozier-Williams. Authors McCann (“Transatlantic” and “Let the World Spin”) and Soffer (“Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots”) will discuss their work at the Daniel Klagsbrun Symposium on Creative Arts and Moral Vision. The two will be interviewed about mentoring by Blanche Boyd, Weller Professor of English and Writer-in-Residence, at 4:30 p.m. in the same room. The authors’ latest books will be available for purchase and signing.

Nov. 21-23: Theater Department Production: "Information for Foreigners," 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with matinee performances at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Frank Loomis Theater, 33 Gallows Lane. Written at the outset of Argentina’s Dirty Wars in the 1970s, the play is a site-specific tour that leads the audience through a series of harrowing scenes blurring the line between neighbor and enemy, government and mob, even audience and performers. Tickets are $12; $6 for students. For more information, contact Stephen Luber at sluber@conncoll.edu.

Nov. 22: Higher Edge Presents: "Dancing for Degrees!" 6 p.m., 1962 Room of the College Center at Crozier-Williams. The Connecticut College Office of Volunteers for Community Service and Higher Edge, a nonprofit which guides low-income and first-generation students through enrollment, retention and graduation from college, will host this fundraising event featuring community leaders. For more information, contact Kiesha Henry at kiesha.henry@conncoll.edu.

October 30, 2014