Olivia DrakeJanuary 23, 20144min
Anti-racist activist Tim Wise will deliver the keynote address at Wesleyan's Celebration of the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 31. His talk begins at 3:15 p.m. in Memorial Chapel. A reception and book signing will follow in the Zelnick Pavilion. Wise is among the most prominent anti-racist writers and educators in the United States. Named one of “25 Visionaries Who are Changing Your World,” by Utne Reader, Wise has spoken in all 50 states, on over 800 college and high school campuses, and to community groups across the nation. Wise is the author of seven books,…

Kate CarlisleJanuary 23, 20143min
The Center for the Arts has received a grant of $200,000 to support the Muslim Women Voices Project during its 2014-2015 season. The project, part of the Creative Campus initiative, will present theater, music and dance performances by women from nine different countries. The award, announced Jan. 10, is from the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, a national service and advocacy group. APAP distributes the grants (Wesleyan’s CFA is one of six organizations chosen this year), which are funded through the Building Bridges program of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. Building Bridges…

Olivia DrakeJanuary 23, 20142min
Ethnomusicologist Sumarsam, University Professor of Music, received a Henry Luce Fellowship grant worth $5,000 from the American Institute for Indonesian Studies (AIFIS) in January 2014 for his research on “Expressing and Contesting Java-Islam Encounters in the Performing Arts.” Since 2001 due to global geo-politics, issues of religion and culture have been highlighted, especially within Muslim cultures that were repositioning in non-normative ways. "This adjustment, the popular if historically flawed perception of Islam as 'against performing arts' has made for significant dialogue about performing arts," Sumarsam said. "Inserted in a taking its cue from global dialogue between wahabi Islam and westernized global…

Kate CarlisleJanuary 23, 20143min
A $10,000 grant from the state of Connecticut will support local partnerships or “placemaking” by Wesleyan’s Center for the Arts in 2014. The grant, announced this week, will be used to support CFA performances in February and March. The Arts Leadership grant is one of 104 to organizations and individuals around the state as part of the Arts Catalyze Placemaking program of the state’s department of economic and community development. The program was created to invest in the state's arts-based cultural activities, advancing the attractiveness and competitiveness of Connecticut communities. "Supporting the arts in our community is an important part…

Bill FisherJanuary 22, 20141min
Meet Wesleyan's scholar-athletes, and find out how their athletic pursuits play a key part in their Wesleyan education in this new video. Wesleyan's Athletic Department strives to be the most innovative and successful athletic program in the prestigious New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) and a leader at the national level. As an integral part of the overall educational process, athletics at Wesleyan are uniquely positioned to enhance a liberal arts education. Wesleyan coaches share the same goal as the entire Wesleyan community: to transform the lives of our students. [youtube]http://youtu.be/tRecCais9PA[/youtube]    

Bill FisherJanuary 22, 20141min
On Oct. 22, 2013, in a historic San Francisco industrial space that once housed the printing plant of William Randolph Hearst, nearly 100 Wesleyan alumni and friends enjoyed an intimate and thought-provoking conversation with two of the nation's foremost voices on food and the food industry: Michael Pollan P'15 and Jonathan Bloom '99. The occasion was "Table Talk," an event underwritten by generous Wesleyan donors to help support financial aid; the place was The Box San Francisco, in the South of Market district. President Michael Roth welcomed guests to the event and introduced Pollan and Bloom. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adX_2JUPqzM[/youtube] Watch this video…

Olivia DrakeJanuary 22, 20143min
The Center for the Arts received an unsolicited national grant award of $400,000 from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation in November 2013. The CFA is one of five arts organizations that will receive a total of $3.5 million in funding to help further develop long-term capacity to respond to changing conditions in the performing arts sector and the world at large, including those related to demographics, audience behavior and the impact of technology. The grants were not open for application. Instead, an anonymous panel identified five organizations that have demonstrated a sustained appetite to innovate and experiment in ways that…