arts@MIT - News & Announcements




	News & Announcements Daniel Goodman's Memorial Day Piano Concert at MIT to Feature "Babar the Elephant" Youngsters and adults alike will enjoy the sounds of elephants playing in the forest, driving cars and dancing at a wedding in Francis Poulenc's musical setting of "The History of Babar" for piano and narrator to be performed Monday, May 26 (Memorial Day) at 1:30 p.m. in MIT's Killian Hall. The concert is a charity benefit, with proceeds benefiting organizations providing food assistance for the hungry. From MIT Engineer, Acting, and Hazardous Waste all in a Day's Work for MIT Alumna Helen McCreery Each year, a handful of MIT graduates complete demanding requirements to major in theater, music or art in addition to one of the engineering or science disciplines for which MIT is so well known. Not many manage to juggle careers in both fields. Helen McCreery, 23, is following her passion for both environmental engineering and theater arts. Herb Pomeroy Memorial Concert: Celebrating MIT's Father of Jazz MIT will celebrate the life of Herb Pomeroy with a concert on Saturday, May 10, at 8 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium. Performers will include the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble, Frederick Harris, Jr. Music Director; MIT Alumni Jazz Ensembles, and special guests Jamshied Sharifi, Greg Hopkins, Magali Souriau, Everett Longstreth, Ran Blake, Jeff Galindo and Mark Harvey. The concert will feature a world premiere by Sharifi for jazz orchestra and other works especially composed for Herb Pomeroy by Souriau, Hopkins and others. A pre-concert talk, "Remembering Herb Pomeroy," moderated by Mark Harvey in which MIT alumni and community members share their memories of Herb Pomeroy will take place at 7 p.m. Concerto Competition winner Jennifer Lai '11 to perform with MIT Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition winner Jennifer Lai, a freshman at MIT will be the solo pianist in a performance of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with the MIT Symphony Orchestra (MITSO) on Friday, May 9, at 8 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Ave. Interview with the dean: Deborah Fitzgerald, SHASS (School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences) An interview with Dean Deb Fitzgerald, dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, in which Fitzgerald discusses SHASS's impact on the international-education aspect of MIT and the school's future MIT's Makan wins Rome Prize MIT assistant professor Keeril Makan, a musician and composer acclaimed for his technique of layering recorded and live sounds, has been awarded the prestigious Rome Prize by the American Academy in Rome for 2008-2009. Don Byron is at home in MIT's envelope-pushing culture (Photo gallery) Grammy-nominated clarinetist and composer Don Byron has built his career on exploring and redefining all styles of music. It's no surprise, then, that the internationally acclaimed musician feels right at home in MIT's boundary-pushing culture, where theory and practice routinely collide. Junot Díaz wins Pulitzer Prize MIT professor Junot Díaz' critically acclaimed debut novel, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," enjoyed another wondrous round of literary praise today, winning the Pulitzer Prize for fiction just one month after receiving the National Book Critics Circle Award for best novel of 2007. MIT Wind Ensemble releases world premiere recordings of three mavericks "Solo Eclipse," the MIT Wind Ensemble, directed by Frederick Harris, Jr., has released their debut CD on Albany Records. The recording features world premiere recordings by three of today's most innovative performer-composers, all commissioned by the MIT Wind Ensemble. Alumna Elaine Chew to present concert-conversation on 'The Mathematics in Music' Pianist-engineer Elaine Chew will explore mathematical principles in music through the performance of contemporary pieces that employ rhythmic, melodic, and tonal combinations, permutations, and transformations. "The Mathematics in Music -- a concert-conversation with Elaine Chew" will take place at 4 p.m., on Monday, May 12, at MIT's Killian Hall. Van Zante's photo-essay book looks back at 1867 New Orleans "New Orleans 1867: Photographs by Theodore Lilienthal," a new book of essays on rediscovered photographs of New Orleans in 1867, written by the curator of architecture and design at the MIT Museum, shows how the city tried to rebuild its economy and retrieve its prestige in the aftermath of war. CC@MIT to stage QED Catalyst Collaborative at MIT (CC@MIT), a collaboration between Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Underground Railway Theater (URT) presents preview performances of Peter Parnell's QED as part of the 2008 Cambridge Science Festival presented by the MIT Museum. Written by Peter Parnell, QED is about Richard Feynman (1918-1988) who earned his undergraduate degree from MIT in 1939 and a Nobel Prize for his work in quantum electrodynamics in 1965. BSO to premiere Harbison commission The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), conducted by James Levine, will present the world premiere of John Harbison's Symphony No. 5 on April 17-18, at 8 p.m. in Symphony Hall (301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston). The BSO's program will also include a performance of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde. New York exhibits showcase MIT's arts clout MIT artists, designers and architects are filling some of New York's most prominent and competitive exhibition spaces this year with works that disrupt traditional distinctions among art, technology and performance. Andrea Frank's book, exhibit showcase MIT faculty and their visions for the future When Andrea Frank came to MIT in 2003, she found exactly what she expected, and more: World-class minds were conducting cutting-edge research throughout the Institute, and they would eagerly discuss their work when she asked them about it. South African writer, publisher, musician & DJ Ntone Edjabe to visit South African writer, publisher and DJ Ntone Edjabe will present a talk titled, "Chimurenga, Felasophy and the Quest for Lightness in the new South Africa," at MIT on Monday, April 28, at 7 p.m. in Room N52-337 at 265 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. Book critics honor Díaz with top novel prize MIT professor Junot Díaz has won the National Book Critics Circle 2007 award for fiction for his first novel, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao." "I'm proud that the invented lives of a Dominican family could reach into so many hearts -- proof positive that the particular is the universal," Diaz told the MIT News Office in an email from Rome, where he is on a one-year fellowship in literature. New Harbison CD released by BMOP A recording of MIT Institute Professor John Harbison's Ulysses--Complete Ballet (1984, rev. 2003) was released on March 1, 2008, on BMOP/sound, the new signature record label of BMOP (Boston Modern Orchestra Project). Congolese playwright/socio-political activist Thierry Nlandu to visit MIT University of Kinshasa Professor Thierry Nlandu, will be at MIT April 7-25 for MIT's Abramowitz Artist-in-Residence Program. Presently the Executive Secretary of the Provincial Government in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nlandu teaches Anglo-American literature at the University of Kinshasa and is a founding member of Groupe Amos in Kinshasa. A public talk titled, "Picture Book on Participatory Democracy: An Art's Act of Resistance against Façade Democracy," will be presented on April 14 at 7 p.m. in Room N51-337. List Visual Arts Center's new web site sheds light on MIT's hidden art treasures The List Visual Arts Center has just made MIT's public art collection more accessible to the public with a new web site, http://listart.mit.edu. Inspired by MIT's OpenCourseWare program, the new List site, launched Feb. 19, is designed to offer people who may not be able to visit campus a chance to see its art collection and to use List Center materials, according to List Director Jane Farver. Video of Jay Silver's "Drawdio" Musical pencil developed as "human touch" project Video of Jay Silver's "Musical Bodies" Project debuted at Boston's Museum of Science's Seamless: Computational Couture Fashion show on Jan 30, 2008) Mary Morwaread Farbood, SM '01, PhD '06: Award-winning harpsichordist creates Hyperscore From a very young age, Mary Farbood's passion has been music."I still remember begging my parents to let me take piano lessons when I was five years old," she says. Happily, they acquiesced when she was seven, and today she's a visiting assistant professor of music and music professions at New York University. Compton Gallery's DUSP show eyes urban design, civil protest Urban Design and Civil Protest, a new exhibition conceived as a multimedia laboratory for examining the social and spatial dynamics of protests, will be on view from Feb. 28 to June 9 in the MIT Museum Compton Gallery. New York Talk Exchange (NYTE)--senseable city lab project on view at MoMA What does the telecommunications traffic flowing in and out of New York City reveal about the city that never sleeps? To find out, researchers from the senseable city laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created a novel project that reveals the complex dynamics of talk that exist between New York and other cities around the globe. The project, called New York Talk Exchange (NYTE), is based around an analysis of telecommunications traffic flowing to and from New York City and will debut Feb. 24, 2008, as part of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) exhibition, "Design and the Elastic Mind." Genomics through the eyes of an artist (Daniel Kohn writes on his partnership with Broad Institute.) My partnership with the Broad did not begin with any literal connection between my own art and scientific imagery. While some artists today incorporate science by depicting cells, petri dishes, or biological processes, I have always been more interested in places, both the outward appearance of a space and the intangible qualities that are invisible yet somehow perceptible. Dramashop turns 80, two years after celebrating its 50th season. (But who's counting?) When more than 80 Dramashop alumni returned to MIT in 2005 to celebrate what they thought was the club's 50th anniversary, they were in for a surprise. Some of the club's members brought evidence that a recalculation was in order: anecdotes and memorabilia going back much earlier than 1955. Chris Janney SM '78: Mr. Multimedia (Music + light + architecture) Artist and architect Christopher Janney, SM '78, is a multimedia multitasker. His current workload includes finishing a sound and light installation for a housing development in Leeds, England; designing a 10-story parking garage with colored glass corners in Fort Worth, TX; and collaborating on a performance project with musician Herbie Hancock. Wearing their art on their sleeves: Grad students' fanciful clothing designs reflect emotions MIT students are always in motion, so their projects for the advanced visual design course, Give Me Shelter, featured clothes and accessories to help navigate the gaps between work and home, self-confidence and unease, and under- or over-stimulation The art of communication: Making MIT arts info more accessible MIT is making it easier for students, faculty and staff to learn about the hundreds of energizing performances, lectures and other art events taking place at the Institute. Toy soldier: At play with Barry Kudrowitz, MIT toy designer 'Tis always the season for Barry Kudrowitz to think about toys. A doctoral student in mechanical engineering, Kudrowitz specializes in toys: He plays with them; he designs them; and he pioneered MIT's first course in toy design, now in its third year. Making their own music: MIT students craft their own instruments When some MIT students want to hear the sounds of success, they go right to the source and build their own instruments. And whatever notes emerge, the result is always the same: Hands-on work is its own reward. James Prigoff '47 -- Former executive, now photographer, documents spray-can art John156. Dizney. Blade. These are just a few of the graffiti artists James Prigoff '47 counts among his friends. Prigoff is a world-renowned photographer, author, and lecturer on murals and graffiti, or spray-can art. His love of photographing in public spaces began more than 30 years ago, and "Spraycan Art," the 1987 book he coauthored, has sold 200,000 copies. Faculty, alumna win US Artists grants Three current MIT faculty members and an MIT alumna (Don Byron, Maggie Orth, Nader Tehrani, Evan Ziporyn) have been named United States Artists (USA) Fellows. The USA grants program supports a diverse array of living American artists in visual, literary, performing, design, media, and crafts and traditional arts. Alum Ronald C. Wornick donates collection to MFA Ronald C. Wornick SM '60 describes the artwork he has collected as "good friends you welcome into your living conditions." (The Tech, 11/16/07) Bàkks and polyrhythms: sabar drumming at MIT--Rambax, Patricia Tang, Lamine Touré (Soundings, Fall 2007) Rambax is a Senegalese drumming and dance ensemble that studies the art of sabar, a musical and dance tradition of the Wolof people of Senegal. Rambax (pronounced Rahm-bach, a vocal mnemonic for a signature sabar rhythm), was founded in 2001 by Associate Professor of Music Patricia Tang. Value of the Arts: Arlene and Harold Schnitzer say the arts are essential because they help expand the mind (Spectrum, Summer 2007) When Harold Schnitzer was a student at MIT, he rarely had time to visit a museum or attend the symphony. But his interest in art was piqued when, in 1961, his wife opened an art gallery in Portland, Oregon. Alum's passion for drumming turns to steel design (Adam Simha '88) Adam Simha '88 formed his first impressions of MIT as a toddler. That's when he began his frequent visits to campus with his father, O. Robert Simha, MCP '57, who was director of planning at the Institute from 1960 to 2000. Echoes: Rebecca Rice Dance Company (video) The Rebecca Rice dance company performed on campus in a lecture/demonstration recital of dances set to music by MIT composers John Harbison, Institute Professor, and lecturer in music Elena Ruehr. Origami Mens et Manus: fold the MIT seal in 3 easy steps (video) Graduate student Brian Chan demonstrates how to fold the MIT seal "Mens et Manus," his original origami design, and one of the winning entries for the 2006-2007 MIT Origami contest. Musician Don Byron to be Visiting MLK Prof Composer and clarinetist Don Byron, who's explored and redefined musical styles from klezmer to classical to hip-hop to R&B and every known form of jazz has been appointed a Martin Luther King Jr. Visting Professor, the first full-year MLK appointment in music and theater arts. Grad student revives Rivera's 1933 mural It was perhaps the most famous act of artistic destruction in modern history. After renowned Mexican artist Diego Rivera refused to alter a mural commissioned for the Rockefeller Center in New York City, the painter was sent packing and the 1933 mural demolished. Ben Wood, a second-year graduate student in visual arts in the Department of Architecture, has long been fascinated by murals. He became intrigued with the controversy over Rivera's original commission and the copy the artist later painted in the Palacio De Bellas Artes Museum in Mexico City. Shannon collection shows wit and whimsy MIT Museum receives toys & contraptions created by the 'father of information theory' What's new at the Lewis Music Library? Books and some of the CDs that have been received in the Lewis Music Library so far this month. Mitchell book portrays bold new campus architecture The stories behind the conceptualization, design and construction of the Stata Center and four other major buildings--Kevin Roche's Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center, Steven Holl's Simmons Hall, Charles Correa's Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex and Fumihiko Maki's new project for the Media Laboratory--are contained in William J. Mitchell's new book "Imagining MIT: Designing a Campus for the Twenty-First Century." Chris Adler '94 premiered new work at Carnegie Hall Chris Adler '94 went to MIT to study mathematics and physics, never imagining that he would become a successful musician and composer. "Music had been a passion and a hobby," he says. "I never intended to go on with it. But then I met and studied with composer and professor Evan Ziporyn. It allowed me to consider music as a possibility, and it just went from there." (Technology Review, March-April 2007) 'N (Bonaparte)' is third in Laura Harrington's war trilogy The winter/spring 2007 issue of TheatreForum magazine, a prestigious venue for new works of drama, will include a script by Laura Harrington, lecturer in theater arts at MIT since 1995. Harrington's play "N (Bonaparte)," which premiered at Boston's Pilgrim Theatre Company in 2005, is a tragicomedy about the deposed French emperor, set on the island of St. Helena where Napoleon is in exile. Among its characters are an Irish doctor, a pandering valet, the dead empress Josephine, Joan of Arc and a lot of rats. For much of the play, Napoleon reposes (fully clothed) in a bathtub. Math major pursues theatrical career Math major Sameera Iyengar '93 initially took a theater course just to fulfill the MIT humanities elective--but her work with Michael Ouellette, now director of theater, changed her focus. "I still loved math," she says, "but the kick I got from theater was something else!" MIT novelist makes his peace with war stories At first glance, Adjunct Professor Joe Haldeman appears to be a man of contradictions--a pacifist who writes about war, a former astronomy major who has spent his career working in the arts. But for Haldeman, the author of dozens of novels, short stories and poems, complexity is what makes life interesting. Building a better violin bow? Sounds good! Diana Young, a Ph.D. candidate in the Hyperinstruments Group of the MIT Media Lab, has developed a new electronic sensing system to measure minute changes in the position, acceleration and strain of a violin bow. The Arts complement life at MIT Alumni Association article, 6/8/2006 MIT poet develops 'seeing machine' Elizabeth Goldring, an MIT poet has developed a small, relatively inexpensive "seeing machine" that can allow people or visually challenged like her, to access the Internet, view the face of a friend, "previsit" unfamiliar buildings and more. MIT World Video Link: Art & Technology Panel discussion with Alan Brody, Associate Provost for the Arts and Professor of Theater; Jay Scheib, Assistant Professor of Theater; Krzysztof Wodiczko, director, Center for Advanced Visual Studies; & Evan Ziporyn, Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Music. Part of a weeklong celebration for the Inauguration of Susan Hockfield as MIT's 16th president (May 4, 2005). Office of the Arts/News Office seeks art news Have you recently received an honor for your artistic accomplishments? Are you starring in an off-campus play, giving a concert or undertaking an unusual art project? Whether you're a faculty member, staff member or MIT student, the Office of the Arts wants to know. Arts-related news may appear on this page or in Tech Talk's "Awards and Honors" column. E-mail ideas to Mary Haller at haller[at]media.mit.edu. MIT World Videos--Media in Transition: The Work of Stories Part I--Migratory Narratives: Why Some Stories Replicate Across Media, Cultures, Historical Eras Part 2--Why are Stories Violent? MIT World Video: Lecture on Swiss Design "The Art of Structural Design: A Swiss Legacy"--lecture by David P. Billington, Gordon Y.S. Wu Professor of Engineering, Princeton University. Lecture showcases the work of Robert Maillart, Othmar Ammann, Heinz Isler and Christian Menn, and illustrates a Swiss tradition of 20th century bridge building. Presented in conjunction with exhibit at the Compton Gallery through December 30, 2004. MIT World Videos--2004 Max Wasserman Forum on Contemporary Art: The University as Patron of Cutting Edge Architecture Presented in celebration of the opening of the Stata Center for Computer, Information and Intelligence Sciences. Part One: Provides an overview of MIT's architectural history as well as the history of campus design in general. Featured speakers: Jane Farver, director, MIT List Visual Arts Center; James Ackerman, Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Fine Arts Emeritus at Harvard University; Kimberly Alexander, architectural historian. MIT President Charles Vest shares his insights about the Stata Center and overseeing one of the most ambitious building initiatives in MIT history. Part Two: Architecture Professor William J. Mitchell, head, MIT Media Arts and Sciences leads a lively and insightful panel that features two Pritzker Prize Laureates-- Frank Gehry and Robert Venturi. 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