eInside Events

Raiment for Liturgy Opens March 8 at the Kent State University Museum

The Kent State University Museum will
present Raiment for Liturgy: Vestments,
an exhibition of religious garments and
textiles from the museum's permanent
collection, from March 8 through
February 2014.

The Kent State University Museum presents Raiment for Liturgy: Vestments, part of the university collection located in the Higbee Gallery, from March 8 through February 2014. The Kent State University Museum is located at 515 Hilltop Dr. on the corner of Main Street and South Lincoln Street in Kent. Hours are Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:45p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 4:45 p.m.

The exhibition will highlight a variety of religious garments and textiles from the Kent State Museum's permanent collection, many of which are made from lavish materials.

"The Roman Catholic Church decreed that vestments be made of silk, the most expensive and precious of all textiles, because bishops and priests celebrating mass should wear only the finest materials," says Museum Director Jean Druesedow. "For this reason, many of the vestments in the exhibition are made of luxurious woven silks brocaded in gold and silver or embroidered in polychrome and precious metallic threads."

Shannon Rodgers acquired liturgical vestments as part of the collection that formed the original gift establishing the Kent State University Museum. Along with these pieces, Raiment for Liturgy includes textiles from the Fulton-Lucien Collection, acquired in 1986, and the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College, transferred to the Kent State Museum in 1995. These pieces were collected primarily as examples of the textile art of the 17th and 18th centuries.

"Together, these vestments serve as a survey of the extraordinary textile art of the periods of their creation," Druesedow says.

Admission to the Kent State University Museum is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for children under 18. Entry to the museum is free with a Kent State University I.D. and free to the public on Sundays. The museum also offers free parking. For more information, call 330-672-3450 or visit www.kent.edu/museum.

Opened to the public in October 1985, the Kent State University Museum was founded with an initial contribution from New York dress manufacturers Jerry Silverman and Shannon Rodgers. Their gift included 4,000 costumes and accessories, nearly 1,000 pieces of decorative art and a 5,000-volume reference library. In the 1960s, Shannon Rodgers began collecting what is now considered one of the finest period costume collections in the United States, today totaling more than 40,000 pieces.

The Tarter/Miller collection of some 10,000 pieces of glass formed the second major gift to the museum. Together with the other decorative arts collected by Rodgers and Silverman, the museum holds one of the most comprehensive teaching collections of fashionable design from the 18th century to the present.

The museum receives support from an Ohio Arts Council Sustainability Grant.

Shel Holtz to Keynote Sixth Annual YouToo Social Media Conference Focusing on Social Visualization and Gamification

Shel Holtz, principal of Holtz Communication and
Technology, will serve as keynote speaker at the Akron
Area Public Relations Society of America’s YouToo Social
Media Conference on April 19 at Kent State University.

Principal of Holtz Communication and Technology Shel Holtz will discuss social visualization and gamification strategies and tactics as the keynote speaker at the Akron Area Public Relations Society of America’s YouToo Social Media Conference on Friday, April 19, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Kent State University’s Franklin Hall.

“The rise of social visual communication, with platforms like Pinterest and Instagram, require communicators to think about how images can convey messages, tell stories and engage audiences when they stand alone,” Holtz says. “Gamification also presents communicators with new ways to engage audiences, adding game elements to more mundane activities. The question for both is, how do communicators apply them so they won’t just be another shiny object in the communications toolkit but rather help move the needle?”

Five-time winner of IABC’s Gold Quill award, Holtz has nearly 35 years of experience in organizational communications in corporate and consulting environments. His experience includes corporate public relations, crisis communications, media relations and more. Holtz also has expertise in strategic communications planning, communications research and the integration of technology into communications strategies. He speaks frequently on different topics, such as strategic organizational communication and the application of online technology. Holtz just celebrated his eighth year of podcasting with “For Immediate Release: The Hobson and Holtz Report.”

Kevin Dugan will serve as the opening speaker at the social media conference. Dugan is the director of
marketing at Empower Media Marketing and founder of the Bad Pitch Blog. He has won six national awards for his work in public relations. Dugan is an expert in social media, marketing communication, public relations and media relations.

The conference, co-sponsored by the Akron Area PRSA and the Kent State Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), also will have breakout sessions in the morning and afternoon, as well as panel discussions by experts discussing social visualization and gamification more in-depth.
YouToo Conference sponsorship is open to both businesses and individuals and supports the YouToo Scholarship Fund, the Kent State University PRSSA Chapter and the Akron Area PRSA Chapter. For more information, contact Sarah Lane at slane@uakron.edu or 330-972-7429.

For more information, conference pricing and updates about the YouToo Social Media Conference, visit www.youtoosm.com. Also, find YouToo on Facebook, Twitter or via email at youtoosm@yahoo.com.

Department of Pan-African Studies Presents “Hidden Colors 2: An Evening with Anthony T. Browder”

The Department of Pan-African Studies and the Center of Pan-African Culture, in collaboration with Cleveland’s ASHE Cultural Center, is proud to announce "Hidden Colors 2: An Evening with Anthony T. Browder," on Friday, March 15, at 7 p.m. in Room 214, Ritchie Hall. There will be a special screening of Hidden Colors 2 on Friday, March 8, at 7 p.m. at the same location in Ritchie Hall.

Hidden Colors 2 is the follow up to the critically acclaimed 2011 documentary about the untold history of people of African and aboriginal descent. This installment of Hidden Colors goes into topics, such as the global African presence, the science of melanin, the truth about the prison industrial complex, the hidden truth about Native Americans and much more. Hidden Colors 2 is directed by The New York Times best-selling author and film producer, Tariq Nasheed.

Anthony T. Browder is an author, publisher, cultural historian, artist and an educational consultant. He is a graduate of Howard University’s College of Fine Arts and has lectured extensively throughout the United States, Africa, Caribbean, Mexico, Japan and Europe on issues related to African and African American history and culture. He is the founder and director of IKG Cultural Resources. He has traveled to Egypt 47 times since 1980 and is currently director of the ASA Restoration Project, which is funding the excavation and restoration of the 25th dynasty tomb of Karakhamun in Luxor, Egypt. He is the author of six publications, including From the Browder File and Nile Valley Contributions to Civilization.

This program is free and open to the general public. For more information, call 330-672-2300 or email mokantah@kent.edu.

Mothers, Mentors and Muses Fourth Annual Scholarship Fundraiser Reception

Honorees of the 2012 Mothers, Mentors
and Muses award pose together for a
photo at the Kent Student Center.

On Tuesday, March 12, the Women’s Center at Kent State University will host the fourth annual Mothers, Mentors and Muses Scholarship Fundraiser reception. The event will take place at the Kent Student Center Ballroom from 5-7 p.m.

The event honors women nominated as any of three roles: a mother – someone who has helped “birth” new ideas and thoughts in others and has also served as an overall nurturing individual, a mentor – an individual who has been both a role model and a trusted counselor to others, or a muse – an individual who has inspired both creativity and academic enthusiasm in others.

This year, Jennifer Kulics, student ombuds and president of the Women’s Center Board, will speak at the event.

The Women’s Center, which was established in 1996, has been focused on advancing women in their academic careers. Funds raised at the event will fund $500 scholarship awards for two Kent State University female students. This scholarship has benefited 16 students since its introduction in 2003.

Online registration has closed. Registration will be available at the door on the day of the event. Cost is $40 for faculty/staff and $10 for students.

For more information about the Women's Center, visit www.kent.edu/womenscenter.

Kent State University Student Choreographers Unveil Exciting New Dances

"Cre-8-tivity” showcases new choreography by junior
and senior dance performance and dance education majors
and minors at Kent State.

Kent State University’s School of Theatre and Dance will continue its 2012-2013 production season with the “BFA Senior Dance Concert/Student Dance Festival “Cre-8-tivity.” Performances will take place on Friday and Saturday, March 15-16, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, March 17, at 2 p.m. in the Louis O. Erdmann and William H. Zucchero Theatre (E.Z. Theatre) located in the Music and Speech Center.

Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for Kent State faculty and staff, $12 for seniors, and $8 for students with valid ID/under 18. Tickets can be purchased by calling 330-672-2787 or online at www.dance.kent.edu. Tickets for Kent Campus students are free with a valid student ID through the box office. The box office is open weekdays from noon to 5 p.m. and one hour prior to each performance. Visa, MasterCard, checks and cash are accepted. Free parking is available and the theatre is fully accessible.

“Cre-8-tivity” showcases new choreography by junior and senior dance performance and dance education majors and minors at Kent State. In addition, dance performance major and B.F.A. candidate Lauren Kengla-Graber will perform a solo created for her by Assistant Professor Erin LaSala. These premiere performances will offer audience members the opportunity to view original works that showcase the versatility and creativity of the choreographers.

The concert will present a dynamic array of works about overcoming adversity, recognizing important relationships, finding stillness within chaos and looking for control. Thirty-six dancers will perform in nine different pieces of modern and contemporary choreography

“The Unknown,” choreographed by Kengla-Graber, contrasts two couples as their relationships transpire and change as they grow. One relationship will evolve as the couple begins their lives together after college, while the other will experience the dark emotions that come with a break-up. The dance reflects the contrasting emotions present in this life-changing experience.

“Color Me,” choreographed by student director of the senior dance festival Emily Perrott, encourages the dancers, as well as the audience, to identify the things or people in their lives who keep them going through all of life’s continuous battles. Each dancer receives their sense of strength and life through the piece’s soloist, who is there to lift them, encourage them and give them their color. Every dancer gets their push from the soloist, just as the color white reflects all colors, giving color to the universe.

In “Game Changer,” choreographer Stacey Ubelhart illustrates the meaning of silence in loud chaos. Eight dancers fill the space with large, quick, fragmented movements, searching for a moment of stillness in an abundance of motion.

Choreographer Shayna Fischer was inspired by her experience as an intern at a dance therapy workshop. “Under the Sun [a time to dance]” strives to show the audience that dance can bring light to the darkest of places and that everyone has dance in their heart.

The BFA Senior Dance Concert/Student Dance Festival offers audiences a diverse selection of modern and contemporary dance. Audience members are sure to find something that inspires, entertains and moves them.