eInside Events

Wick Poetry Center to Host Poets Karen Schubert and Alex Fabrizio

Poets Alex Fabrizio and Karen Schubert (not pictured) will
present during Kent State's Wick Poetry Center's 2014-2015
reading series on Feb. 11.

Kent State University’s Wick Poetry Center will host poets Karen Schubert and Alex Fabrizio as part of the 2014-2015 reading series. The event will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 7:30 p.m. in Room 306AB of the Kent Student Center. The event is free and open to the public.

The Wick Poetry Center is proud to award Schubert and Fabrizio with publication of their works in the Wick Chapbook Series.

“This year, we’re thrilled to present Alex Fabrizio and Karen Schubert whose works are by turns, fresh and wild, spirited and full of grace,” says Catherine Wing, Kent State assistant professor of English and editor of the Ohio Chapbook Series.

Fabrizio’s work has previously appeared in journals such as Subtropics and Southeast Review, and she is the author of Determinant, selected for publication by the Wick Poetry Center. Fabrizio lives in New York where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University.

Schubert is the author of three chapbooks, including I Left My Wings on a Chair, selected by the Wick Poetry Center. Schubert’s work has appeared in Extract(s), Traveling Stanzas, Poets’ Quarterly, Common Threads and Jenny Magazine. Her awards include a 2012 Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award, a 2013 residency at Headlands Center for the Arts and a 2014 Pushcart Prize nomination. Schubert lives and works in Youngstown, Ohio.

For more information about Kent State’s Wick Poetry Center, visit www.kent.edu/wick.

Cribbs to Host Fourth Annual Athletics Scholarship Auction

Guests will have a chance to meet and greet Josh
Cribbs, NFL player and Kent State University alumnus,
prior to the Fourth Annual Athletics Scholarship Auction,
which will take place at the Memorial Athletic and
Convocation Center on April 24.

Kent State University's Fourth Annual Athletics Scholarship Auction will be held at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center on April 24, and the Department of Athletics is offering a chance to meet and greet NFL and former Golden Flashes star Joshua Cribbs prior to the event.

Everyone who purchases a ticket by Feb. 20 will be entered into a drawing to win two tickets to a VIP pre-party with Cribbs, a 2010 Kent State graduate who will serve as co-host of the scholarship auction.

Former Golden Flash Julian Edelman served as celebrity co-host of last year's auction, which raised more than $100,000 in scholarship support.

The more than 100 items up for bid in both silent and live auctions this year include various trips, a basketball signed by President Barack Obama, travel experiences with Kent State teams, fine jewelry and one-of-a-kind Kent State and sports memorabilia, including a bat from the movie The Natural signed by Robert Redford.

Along with a raffle for the chance to win a two-week vacation to Hawaii, the evening will feature several gourmet food stations, an open bar, a "Wall of Wine" and the chance to meet and mingle with Kent State student-athletes and coaches.

"We have been thrilled with the way the Athletics Scholarship Auction has grown in every year of its existence," says Matthew Geis, senior associate athletic director/executive director of athletic advancement. "This year's auction will be the best yet. The event is always a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the athletic, academic and social success of our student-athletes, and we continue to be excited about the show of support it receives from our department, the Kent State campus and the community."

With the inclusion of Cribbs, Kent State is confident this year's event will break all of the marks set in the previous three years. Cribbs was a record setter as a four-year starter at Kent State from 2001 to 2004 before going on to NFL stardom.

In eight seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Cribbs became one of the franchise's most popular players, while earning three Pro-Bowl selections. After playing for the New York Jets last season, Cribbs signed with Indianapolis midway through the 2014 campaign and solidified the Colts' return game during their march to the 2015 AFC Championship Game.

"Kent State is a special place to me," says Cribbs. "I always look forward to returning to campus. And I'm especially excited to come back for this year's Athletics Scholarship Auction, which is an event that does so much for Kent State's student-athletes."

Tickets for the Fourth Annual Athletics Scholarship Auction are $100 per person. Attendance is limited, so act fast. For more information, contact Alicia Gaffney at 330-672-8399 or visit the auction's website at www.supportgoldenflashes.com/Scholarship_Auction/.

Crooked River Arts Council Announces Music Festival Schedule for 2015

The Crooked River Arts Council has announced its music
festival schedule for 2015. The four festivals will take
place at several locations in downtown Kent.

Kent, Ohio, has quickly become a hot spot for a wide variety of music festivals in the downtown district, many thanks to Crooked River Arts Council, the organization behind many of these growing, popular events. For the four music festivals scheduled in 2015, Wayside Furniture is the title sponsor, and is excited to be a locally owned and operated business that can support the music scene in Northeast Ohio, helping to keep the events free to the public.

All festivals take place at a multitude of locations in downtown Kent, giving attendees the opportunity to select from a wide variety of music and to explore downtown Kent. The official 2015 Crooked River Arts Council music festival schedule is as follows:

• Feb. 20 – Beatlefest (www.kentbeatlefest.com)
• July 17 - Blues Fest (www.kentbluesfest.com)
• Sept. 18 - 'Round Town Music Festival (www.kentroundtown.org)
• Nov. 13 - Reggae Jam: Kent's Reggae, Island Music and Jam Band Festival (www.reggaemeltdown.com)
  

Admission to all of these events is free, and music lovers can walk from venue to venue, enjoying a variety of music throughout the evening. Each website listed will have updated information regarding performance schedules, venue maps, musician bios and more as each event approaches.

After a very successful series of events in 2014, the Crooked River Arts Council was able to “give back” to the arts community by making contributions to the Akron Civic Theater and to Main Street Kent's public arts fund. Also, in cooperation with Woodsy's Music, the council provided funding to make possible the donation of refurbished instruments to several Stanton Middle School students with promising musical futures but limited resources.

Crooked River Arts Council remains committed to showcasing and supporting the arts in Northeast Ohio through these music festivals and various art-related endeavors. Contact Main Street Kent at 330-677-8000 with any questions.

Main Street Kent is a nonprofit organization focused on the revitalization of downtown Kent. It is an affiliate of the national Main Street program and the Heritage Ohio program.

For more information about Main Street Kent, visit www.mainstreetkent.org.

Kent State’s School of Library and Information Science to Hold MuseLab Exhibit Opening

Kent State University's School of Library
and Information Science will host a
reception for its new exhibit "Museality"
on Jan. 28.

The Kent State University School of Library and Information Science will host a reception for its new exhibit in the MuseLab wall gallery – “Museality” – on Wednesday, Jan. 28, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in University Library, Room 330. Light refreshments will be served. All are welcome. RSVP is requested at http://bit.ly/28Jan2015Museality.

“Museality” is intended to be the signature installation that explores the core mission of the MuseLab — a creative and collaborative space for thinking, doing and learning about museal things.

In addition to being the first exhibition in the lab that directly addresses the concept of museality, this is also the first one to be curated by a faculty member since the MuseLab opened in December 2013. Assistant Professor Kiersten F. Latham, Ph.D., who directs the MuseLab and also conducts research on the relationships between humans and physical objects, curated this exhibit.

“Museality” is also the first MuseLab project involving extensive collaboration outside of Kent State. In order to fully explore the concept of museality, actual artifacts, ranging from art to science to history, were needed. (The MuseLab is not a collecting facility.) Partners include the Kent Historical Society Museum, Cummings Center for the History of Psychology and local community members, as well as Kent State School of Art Galleries.

“While this exhibition may seem small in size, it is large in terms of planning, research and coordination of content,” Latham says. “Subtle changes will occur throughout the year, and we hope you will watch for them. For you, as the visitor, it is a chance to think outside, around and over the box.”

Situated on the third floor of the University Library in the School of Library and Information Science, the MuseLab consists of two exhibit spaces (a main gallery inside and a wall gallery outside) and a well-equipped work area. Its mission is to generate and inspire research on museality; to provide an atmosphere of innovation, creation and collaboration among faculty, students and the community; and to allow students in the school’s museum studies specialization to put into practice skills and concepts they have learned in courses.

Installations can vary from quick prototyping projects to more traditional gallery exhibitions. The MuseLab is built around design thinking principles of observation, collaboration, fast learning, visualization of ideas and prototyping; it is a methodology for innovation and enablement.

The wall gallery is open to visitors Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A new exhibit will open in the main gallery in April. Watch for details to come.

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/KSUSLIS_MuseLab.To watch a video about the MuseLab and a recent exhibit there, visit http://bit.ly/MuseLabVideo2014.

The Game of Life Interactive Inequality Simulation Takes Place Jan. 28

Event is a part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at Kent State

Pictured are participants playing the
Game of Life, an interactive
inequality simulation, at last year's event.

The Game of Life, an interactive simulation of how race, gender and sexual orientation can affect individuals differently, will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 28, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Kent Student Center Ballroom. This event is open to all Kent State University faculty, staff and students.

There will be several cohorts going through the simulation; therefore, if you want to participate, plan to arrive between 4:30 and 6 p.m. The planning committee is currently seeking volunteers to serve as actors and facilitators.

The Game of Life event is part of activities marking Kent State’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. The event is co-sponsored by the College of Education, Health and Human Services’ Office of Diversity Outreach and Development and Black United Students.

“The Game of Life is similar to the board game but acted out by the participants and the simulation actors,” says N. J. Akbar, director of the College of Education, Health and Human Services’ Office of Diversity Outreach and Development. “It is a way for individuals within our community to gain a greater awareness of the inequality that exists within our society. It is really a hyper-play on the stereotypes and acts of discrimination that occur around issues of sexuality, gender, race and ability level.”

For more information about this event or to volunteer, contact Akbar at nakbar@kent.edu.