Where the Wild Things Are: Renowned Nature Artist to Speak on Painting in the Great Outdoors, November 9

Chestertown, MD, October 28, 2005 — Washington College's Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies presents "Painting the Environment: A Lifetime of Adventure," a lecture by artist Julie Jeppsen, Wednesday, November 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the College's Litrenta Lecture Hall of the Toll Science Center. The event is free and open to the public.

An acclaimed oil painter, Jeppsen specializes in her vivid depictions of nature scenes involving horses, bears, wolves, and other wildlife.

Growing up under the open skies of Wyoming and Utah, she developed an early appreciation of nature and notes, "Being outdoors inspires me to paint." A firm believer that nature is the best teacher of color, lighting, value, and composition, Jeppsen paints with live models, be they pointing golden retrievers by the side of a river or charging bears in the open wood.

Characterized by bold colors, applied wet on wet, Jeppsen's work has appeared in annual art shows across the nation, including the Russell Show in Great Falls, Montana, and the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston, South Carolina.

A Color-Blind Society: Myth or Reality? Discussion November 3

Chestertown, MD, October 28, 2005 — Washington College's Center For The Study of Black Culture is sponsoring a discussion series titled, "A Color-Blind Society: Myth or Reality?" The first forum will take place on Thursday, November 3, at 7:00 p.m. in the Hynson Study Lounge. The entire campus is invited to participate.

The purpose of the discussion series is to heighten community awareness of contemporary racial identity issues, provide a safe place for students to openly reflect and honestly discuss these issues, and initiate a dialogue that will lead to a more unified and trusting campus community.

Two forums—one for fall, one for spring-have been designed specifically to engage Washington College students. This Thursday, representatives of student organizations will to come together and share their experiences dealing with (or not having to deal with) racial and ethnic identities in their clubs, sororities, fraternities, and athletic teams.

For more information, e-mail mstevens2@washcoll.edu, or contact Nina Wilson, Diversity Advisor, at ext. 7457 or nwilson3@washcoll.edu.

Art Scholar Investigates Turner's Slave Ship, November 9

Chestertown, MD, October 27, 2005 — Washington College's C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, in conjunction with the Department of Art, presents as part of the American Pictures Series, "Turner's Slave Ship as American Picture: Color and Painting in New York City at the End of Reconstruction," a lecture by Eric Rosenberg, Wednesday, November 9, at 4:30 p.m. in the College's Hynson Lounge. The event is free, and the public is invited to attend.

Rosenberg will discuss Joseph Mallord William Turner's famous painting, The Slave Ship(Museum of Fine Arts, Boston), which was embroiled in Reconstruction-era controversies over the direction of American art and social relations when it was exhibited in New York City between 1872 and 1876. As a result of the painting's extremism of technique and subject matter, anxieties arose regarding the importance of color as a cultural marker and indication of identity.

Rosenberg, who is Chair of Art History at Tufts University, specializes in modern and contemporary American art and is the author of articles appearing in several journals and exhibition catalogs, including Art History, Appendx, Friedle Dzubas: Critical Painting, and Art History and its Institutions.

The lecture is part of the American Pictures Series, which examines individual works to reveal their historic and artistic meaning. Past lectures have featured artists ranging from Gilbert Stuart to Mark Rothko. The series is cosponsored by the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience and the Department of Art at Washington College. Drawing on the special historical strengths of Washington College and Chestertown, the C.V. Starr Center is dedicated to exploring the early republic, the rise of democracy, and the manifold ways in which the founding era continues to shape American culture.

For news about upcoming events at the C.V. Starr Center, visithttp://starrcenter.washcoll.edu/, or by call Program Manager Kees de Mooy at 410-810-7156.

Tea Party Crashers? Professor's Course, Student's Research Raise Historical Questions

Chestertown, MD, October 26, 2005 — When junior Erin Koster—a history, American studies, and secondary education major from Tranquility, New Jersey—took C. V. Starr Scholar Adam Goodheart's course "Chestertown's America" last year a Washington College, she didn't know that historical research can sometimes stir people's passions, especially in a 300-year-old colonial town like Chestertown, Maryland.

Assisting Goodheart with his research on the famed 1774 Chestertown Tea Party, an event celebrated by the town every May with a reenactment on the Chester River, Koster discovered that history is not always as it seems and can be more complex than we imagine it. As George Washington once wrote, "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily," and that is what Goodheart and Koster did.

The results of their research have just been published in the Autumn 2005 of The American Scholar, Phi Beta Kappa's quarterly academic journal.

Read "Tea and Fantasy: Fact, Fiction, and Revolution in an American Town" (PDF).

Cloak & Dagger, Written by Senior Brian Cornelius, Premieres on the WC Stage, November 4 and 5

Chestertown, MD, October 26, 2005 — Washington College's Drama Department presents "Cloak & Dagger," a senior playwriting thesis by Brian C. Cornelius and directed by Carrie Chapter, Friday and Saturday, November 4 and 5, at 8 p.m. in the College's Tawes Theatre.

Marking Cornelius' playwriting debut, "Cloak & Dagger" focuses on a young, struggling writer who unwittingly falls into a web of espionage. As the story unravels, he becomes at odds with the truth in the outside world and within himself. According to Cornelius, "Initially, I saw Cloak & Dagger as a cinematic story but, as I developed it for the stage, it allowed me to flesh out the characters and really explore them."

Impressed by Cornelius' vision and outcome, director Carrie Chapter notes, "The whole experience of putting this play together has been very fresh and intriguing. It's thrilling to be a part of this premiere play."

No reservations are required and the public is invited to attend this free performance. For show information, call 410-778-7835 or e-mail drama_tickets@washcoll.edu.

Philosopher Sheds Light on the Postmodern Ego, November 3

Chestertown, MD, October 26, 2005 — Washington College's Department of English, Department of Philosophy, and Philosophy Club, with help from the Sophie Kerr Commitee, present "The State of the Postmodern Ego," a lecture by Dr. John Hurley, Thursday, November 3, at 4:30 p.m. at the Rose O'Neill Literary House. The event is free, and the public is invited to attend.

A professor of philosophy at the University of Hartford, Hurley will discuss the four well-known themes in the postmodern movement—its interdisciplinary structure, its dearth of grand narratives, the absence of a logocentric deus ex machina, and the virtual status of the human body—as they relate to literary criticism. He will also relay his belief that the underlying state of the postmodern ego embraces the full implication of the cogito in all of its forms.

Hurley is the author of two philosophy-focused novels, Diary of the Attending Rays (Potes & Poets Press, 1999) and Those Brownsville Blues (Potes & Poets Press, 2001).

The talk is sponsored by the Sophie Kerr Committee, which works to carry on the legacy of the late Sophie Kerr, a writer from Denton, Md., whose generosity has done so much to enrich Washington College's literary culture. When she died in 1965, Kerr left the bulk of her estate to the College, specifying that one half of the income from her bequest be awarded every year to the senior showing the most "ability and promise for future fulfillment in the field of literary endeavor" and the other half be used to bring visiting writers to campus, to fund scholarships, and to help defray the costs of student publications.

WC's Nu Delta Alpha Honor Society Steps out for Community Dance

Chestertown, MD, October 25, 2005 — Washington College's Dance Honor Society, Nu Delta Alpha, announces, "Get Up and Dance," their Second Annual Community Dance Day, Saturday, November 5, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the College's Johnson Lifetime Fitness Center.

The free event is open to children K-8 and no prior dance experience is necessary.

Under the direction of Professor Karen Smith, the members of Nu Delta Alpha will offer instruction in hip-hop, Broadway dance, and creative movement. As an additional community service project, Alicia Moore, chapter president, and other members of the society will be teaching dance classes to students at Garnett Elementary and Kent County High School on November 2.

Nu Delta Alpha is a nationally recognized dance society that attracts students with a desire to pursue dance beyond actual movement. The society places an emphasis on honor and recognizes academic achievements, technical performance abilities, community service, and scholarly achievement related to the field of dance.