Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

  The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will hold an online artist March 9 talk with Michelle Vitali, a working forensic artist and professor of art at Edinboro University.             Vitali was teaching human anatomy, scientific illustration, painting and commercial illustration at Edinboro when she was asked to serve as the court sketch artist for the federal criminal trial of Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, the defendant in the widely known “Collar Bomb” or “Pizza Bomb” robbery of a PNC Bank in Erie.  That experience whetted her interest in the area of forensic art, specializing in facial reconstruction.             Vitali has worked with historic remains ranging from 1,500-year-old Mayan remains to those of Civil War soldiers. Her work in this area has included using three-dimensional digital scans and improving methods of using those to create approxi...

                Ebo Barton, a spoken-word artist from Seattle  BRADFORD, Pa. – While many activities have been canceled by the pandemic this year, the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s popular annual One World Cultural Festival will go on celebrating the rich and diverse cultures of the campus just has it has for more than 20 years. This year, however, it will take place online.             Organizers said they never considered canceling the annual festival, which will take place Saturday. There’s even a chance for the public to partake in online concerts, demonstrations and lectures.             “We know that the Cultural Festival has always been popular with the Bradford community,” said festival co-chair Amy Bilezikian, director of student engagement and assessment. “We made sure we found ways that members of the...

  Join Pitt-Bradford professor, Orin James, virtually for the program, The Art of Cartooning: A Look at Jackie Ormes. She was the first nationally recognized female African-American cartoonist. This program, delivered via Zoom, will be held on Wednesday, February 24 at 6:30 p.m. To register, please visit http://www.orinjames.com/signupsheet.htm

  Dr. Donald Ulin, associate professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, has edited and annotated a book of letters from a 19th-century Quaker woman living on the Ohio frontier to her family in England, including Mary Howitt, one of the most popular writers of her day.             “Writing Home: A Quaker Immigrant on the Ohio Frontier,” published by Bucknell University Press covers five years of letters from Emma Alderson, ranging from messages of longing for her family written while still docked off Liverpool, England, to descriptions of ante-bellum Cincinnati, where she and her husband settled after a journey by canal to Pittsburgh and a posh steamship trip down the Ohio River.             The letters, Ulin said, describe in depth many of the experiences of immigrants at the time – a two-month voyage by sailing ship, the challenges of winter, first impressions of a new land and people, the trials o...

 The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will celebrate Black History Month with online talks, discussions and concerts from renowned poet Nikki Giovanni, music executive Mathew Knowles and Pitt-Bradford faculty.             To sign up for events or find out more about Black History Month at Pitt-Bradford, visit www.upb.pitt.edu/black-history-month. All events listed are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.             Keynote speakers Giovanni, an internationally known poet, writer and social justice activist, and music industry leader Knowles will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. on Feb. 11 and 18, respectively.             Giovanni is a seven-time NAACP Image Award winner and the first recipient of the Rosa Parks Women of Courage Award. She holds the Langston Hughes Medal for Outstanding Poetry and is the author of 28 books, many of which have appeared on the Best Seller lists of...

  The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has launched a new online publication that gives first-year students an opportunity to have their writing published.             Founded by composition instructor Matthew Salvia, Bradford Writes! features exemplary student essays in a number of genres typically required of first-year students – narrative, analysis, argument and research.             “There’s a lot of research in composition theory that students are much more likely to apply themselves to their work if it’s for more than a grade,” Salvia said.             With the help of faculty in the composition and first-year seminar programs as well as the Writing Center at Pitt-Bradford, Salvia solicited submissions from students. After selecting items to publish, he worked with the students through an editi...

  -- For the first time, the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s award-winning literary magazine, Baily’s Beads, will be published online.             The 2021 edition will be unveiled at an online event at 7 p.m. Feb. 3. The event will include the Baily’s Beads tradition of an open mic. For login details, email Dr. Nancy McCabe, professor of writing and Baily’s Beads adviser, at ngm4@pitt.edu .             Additionally, the event will celebrate the awarding of first place with special merit by the American Scholastic Press Association to Baily’s Beads 2020 edition edited by 2020 graduate Taylor Tarahteeff, which focused on local and regional history, including historical photographs. The magazine also received an award for outstanding theme.             McCabe said the magazine staff had to make two m...

Saw them last night in Bradford. AMAZING!

http://wesb.com/liveline-ondemand/

Beth Ann Fennelly, poet laureate of Mississippi, will speak March 19 at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.             Her talk, which will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Mukaiyama University Room of the Frame-Westerberg Commons, is free and open to the public. The presentation is part of the university’s Spectrum arts series as well as programming for Women’s History Month.             “I am really excited about being able to bring Beth Ann to campus,” said Dr. Nancy McCabe, professor of writing and director of the writing program.             “I read one of her poems 20 years ago and was so bowled over by it that I’ve followed her career closely ever since. My students have loved the work of hers that I’ve assigned in class. I’ve heard her speak and found her riveting, with a wicked sense of hu...

Bradford Landmark Society photo Calling all armchair historians! The 2020 edition of Baily’s Beads, the award-winning literary magazine created by University of Pittsburgh Bradford students, is seeking submissions for a writing contest. Editor Taylor Tarahteeff, an interdisciplinary arts major from Bradford, selected the theme of “Past, Present, and Future” for the 2020 issue and hopes to represent the rich local history of McKean County. “Bradford is a city built on a complex and fantastic heritage! Everyone you meet has a story to tell about the glitz and glamor of this bustling oil town,” Tarahteeff said. “We wanted to recognize the writers in our community and represent the pride and legacy of the area.” The guidelines for the contest are as follows: Create a piece of prose, poetry or artwork in any genre, focusing on McKean county history. Suggestions for topics include oil history, natural disasters, family occupations, Bradford during prohibition, architecture, railroa...

New York punk queen and poet Patti Smith collides with Sam Shepard in 1972 Greenwich Village. The result is a cyclone of creativity that marked the second half of the 20th century. From squaller to iconic status, their paths are tracked through song and story. A special presentation in conjunction with Women’s History Month. A play with music by Dana Marks. Musical Direction by William Dawson. Produced by Little Green Pig Theatrical Concern. HORSES March 5, 2019 Studio Theater, Blaisdell Hall FREE

Do you want to learn more about gardening? The day will comprise of breakout sessions that will have something for the gardener of every level!! Whether you are a beginner gardener looking to enhance your home's curb appeal, a more experienced gardener, or a master gardener looking to expand your knowledge, there will be a session for you!! There are three block sessions. Each session is broken into three groups - beginner, advanced and a hand's on (make/take) project. Attendees can attend the session of their choice. Session 1 includes workshop topics, "Beginner's Guide to Gardening and Updating your home's curb appeal," "Get a closer look!" (a microscopic look at mosses, liverworts, ferns and flowers) and a hand's on (make/take project) "Mushroom log" project. Session 2 includes a hands on (make/take project) "Build your own table top Zen Garden", "Best Lawn Around," and a presentation regarding "Inv...

Feb. 22 at Pitt-Bradford's Bromeley Family Theater: Four Broadway Performers join together to sing some of the best music of Broadway, while sharing their personal stories from their individual journeys —  in this intimate, funny & entertaining evening of music, laughter & dreams!  This extraordinary group of artists met while performing in  “PHANTOM: The Las Vegas Spectacular”   and together formed their own highly-acclaimed spectacle that continues to thrill audiences everywhere:   THE PHAT PACK! THE PHAT PACK  opened in the fall of 2012 in Las Vegas to rave reviews, and standing ovations!   The show headlined for almost a year at The Plaza Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas, followed by a highly successful run in the Windows Showroom at Bally’s Hotel And Casino, overlooking the world famous Las Vegas Strip! THE PHAT PACK  brings you Music, Laughter & Dreams –  These Broadway Performers (formerly with PH...

Students and faculty will present “The Vagina Monologues” next week at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. The shows will take place at 8 p.m. Feb. 19 and 20 in the Studio Theater in Blaisdell Hall. Tickets are $3 each for the public, $2 for faculty and staff, free for Pitt-Bradford students and $1 for other students. Proceeds from the show benefit the Bradford YWCA and V-Day, an organization that promotes ending violence against women and girls through performances of Eve Ensler’s Tony Award-winning show. Ensler interviewed more than 200 women of various races, ages, and sexual orientations, discussing their experiences as women and their perspectives of stigmas surrounding topics such as abuse, rape and the LGBTQ+ community. Her interviews became the basis for “The Vagina Monologues,” which debuted in 1994 in New York City. Both empowering and educational, the production challenged the heavily conservative, patriarchal narrative commonly unaddressed by society. It encou...

A still photo from the documentary “Man on Fire” about racism in Grand Saline, Texas, and a 79-year-old minister who set himself on fire to draw attention to it. The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will present the award-winning documentary “Man on Fire” next week along with a question-and-answer session with the filmmaker. The film will be shown at 7 p.m. Feb. 15 in the Bromeley Family Theater in Blaisdell Hall. The documentary is part of the On Screen/In Person tour, a program of the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation made possible through the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts. It is also being presented in conjunction with Black History Month events.             “Man on Fire” is about Charles Moore, a 79 year-old Methodist minister from Grand Saline, Texas, who committed his life to being a social justice warrior. He defended gay rights, promoted racial equality, and overall strived to help those who were marginalized. His...

Artist Monica Haller The Veterans Book Project, an art collaboration by Monica Haller, opens at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford this week. The exhibition will be up Feb. 7 through March 14 in the KOA Art Gallery inside Blaisdell Hall on campus. An opening reception and gallery talk will take place at 7 p.m. Feb. 7. Gallery hours are 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public. The Veterans Book Project consists of 50 books, each written by individuals with firsthand experience of the current American wars. Most of the bookmakers are veterans; some are family members of soldiers, and others are Iraqi or Afghan civilian refugees. Haller’s aim in creating the Veterans Book Project has been to provide a framework for veterans and others to talk about their memories of war, and to offer exhibitions of the project as quiet spaces for contemplation and thoughtful di...

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will hold its popular annual One World Cultural Festival Feb. 24. The festival celebrates the many different cultures represented by the Pitt-Bradford student body, faculty and staff and the surrounding community. This year’s celebration will feature the band Erie-based band One World Tribe and the theme “We are one.” Festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Frame-Westerberg Commons. Food from four regions (Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America) will be served at tasting stations with authentic recipes coming from student members of the Cultural Festival planning committee. Between bites, festival goers can visit international displays and booths with activities for all ages, including creating dream catchers with Pitt-Bradford Habitat for Humanity; “Be a Traveler, not a Tourist” with the Hospitality Organization of Students at Pitt-Bradford; henna designs and bubble tea with the Asian Culture Association; drum circle sponsored by the Pitt-...

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will debut the Pitt-Bradford pep band at Wednesday's men's and women's basketball doubleheader against Penn State-Altoona. "We are super excited about the very first performance of the newly formed Pitt-Bradford Pep Band," Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Bret Butler said. "There is nothing like hearing a good pep band at a basketball game – the performances by the musicians add much excitement and enhance the overall experience. "This has been something that we conceived about 18 months ago, and I am so pleased that we have received some great advice from Patty Colosimo, Jeff Guterman and Dr. Joshua Groffman – who has volunteered his time and brilliant abilities to direct the band. We could not have done any of this without their collaboration. "We also appreciate the advice and support of Dr. Brad Townsend, the Pitt Marching Band Director. Not only did Brad give Josh and I sound advice, but he al...