Washington College, Smithsonian Museums Join Forces for 'American Pictures' Lecture Series

Chestertown, MD — Washington College announces a pioneering partnership with the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. This spring the three institutions will launch the American Pictures Distinguished Lecture Series, a highly original approach to history and the visual arts with an all-star lineup of speakers.

On four Saturday afternoons in March, April and May, leading figures of contemporary culture—the critically acclaimed novelist Allan Gurganus, world-renowned musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson, Pulitzer-Prize-winning historian Garry Wills and the celebrated actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith—will each unravel the meaning behind a single powerful image in American art. In the process, they will explore how works of art reflect American identity, provide a window into our shared history, and inspire creative minds in many fields.

The series director is Adam Goodheart, director of Washington College's C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, who has worked closely with the two museum directors and their staffs, as well as with members of the college's Department of Art and Art History.

"We are thrilled to have this opportunity to work with two of the country's most important museums, to support new work by leading figures of American culture, and to build bridges between Washington College and Washington, D.C," said Washington College President Baird Tipson.

Each of the guests was invited to choose as a subject any work of American art or portraiture that especially 'spoke to' him or her. The images that they came up with range from an oil portrait of Walt Whitman to one of the most searing silkscreen images by Andy Warhol.

"This is a wonderful collaboration—one that serves the mission of both the College and the museums," said Carolyn Carr, Acting Director of the National Portrait Gallery. "For the National Portrait Gallery, a two-dimensional portrait of a renowned individual is an entry point into the multifaceted world of history, art, and biography. The distinguished speakers in this series are cicerones, leading the audience into the rich arena that is the past."

"The Smithsonian American Art Museum is happy to partner with Washington College and the National Portrait Gallery on these exciting interdisciplinary presentations," said Elizabeth Broun, the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Margaret and Terry Stent Director. "The series highlights the transformative power of art that inspires us all."

The lectures will be held in Washington, D.C., in the recently renovated Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture (formerly the Patent Office Building), which is home to the two Smithsonian museums. The 1836 landmark recently reopened after a six-year, $300-million renovation, inspiring the Washington Post's architecture critic to enthuse: "Arguably, it's the best public building in Washington ... [visiting it is] a gratifying, at times exhilarating, experience."

The inaugural lecture on March 8 features Allan Gurganus, who will discuss Thomas Eakins' famous portrait of Walt Whitman. The subject is especially appropriate—during the Civil War, the poet famously nursed wounded soldiers in the museums' historic home, which was being used as a hospital at the time. A painter as well as a writer, Gurganus is the author of, among other books, the bestselling Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All and Plays Well with Others.

On March 15, Laurie Anderson will explore Andy Warhol's "Electric Chair." On April 26, Garry Wills will talk about Eakins' mysterious and evocative painting "William Rush Carving His Allegorical Figure of the Schuylkill River." And on May 10, Anna Deavere Smith will examine Ruth Orkin's photograph "Member of the Wedding, 1950: Ethel Waters, Carson McCullers, and Julie Harris."

"At a time when images pervade our lives in ways difficult to imagine even a decade ago, and leading colleges and universities are rethinking their curricula in terms of visual as well as written literacy, a series like this is especially valuable," said Professor Donald McColl of Washington College. "We in the Department of Art and Art History are pleased to continue our longstanding partnership with the Starr Center, and we look forward to the collective conversations to follow."

Support for the series comes from the Hodson Trust, the Starr Foundation and other donors. Thanks to a generous gift from Valliant & Associates, Washington College will provide free bus service from Chestertown for students, faculty and community members who wish to attend the lectures. These trips will include informal tours of the two museums and time for dinner in Washington. For detailed information on the series, which will be free and open to the public, visit the Starr Center's website, http://starrcenter.washcoll.edu.

All lectures will take place at 4:30 p.m. in the museums' Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium. No reservations are required. Free tickets are available beginning at 3:30 p.m. at the G Street lobby information desk. Doors open for each lecture at 4 p.m. The museums are located at Eighth and F Streets, N.W. Washington D.C., just above the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metrorail station. For additional information about the museums, directions and parking information, visit ReynoldsCenter.org.

About the sponsors

Washington College

Founded in 1782 under the personal patronage of its namesake, Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, upholds a tradition of excellence and innovation in the liberal arts. The American Pictures lecture series is a project of the college's C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience and the Department of Art and Art History.

Smithsonian American Art Museum

The Smithsonian American Art Museum, the nation's first collection of American art, is an unparalleled record of the American experience. The collection captures the aspirations, character, and imagination of the American people across three centuries.

National Portrait Gallery

The National Portrait Galley tells the stories of America through the individuals—poets and presidents, visionaries and villains, actors and activists—who have built our national culture. It is where the arts keep us in the company of remarkable Americans.

February 7, 2008

Global Climate Change, 'Geo-Pragmatism' Discussed at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — Washington College's Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies will present "The Case for Geo-Pragmatism in an Age of Climate Crisis," a lecture/booksigning by Jonathan T. Isham Jr., Ph.D., Luce Professor of International Environmental Economics at Middlebury College, at Litrenta Lecture Hall on Thursday, February 21, at 7:30 p.m.

Dr. Isham's current research focuses on building what is known as "the New Climate Movement." He teaches classes in environmental economics, environmental policy, global climate change and other topics at Vermont's Middlebury College.

Dr. Isham is co-editor of Ignition: What You Can Do to Fight Global Warming and Spark a Movement and Social Capital and Economic Development: Well-Being in Developing Countries. His work has been published in Economic Development and Cultural Change, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Society and Natural Resources, The World Bank Economic Review and numerous other journals. He also has published book chapters in volumes from Ashgate Press, the New England University Press, Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press.

The Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies was established at Washington College in 1990 to focus attention on and augment study in the fields of aquatic and environmental studies. The Program supports lectures and symposia featuring visiting scientists and other professionals on matters of environmental interest, particularly relating to the Chesapeake Bay.

Litrenta Lecture Hall is located in the John S. Toll Science Center. Admission to "The Case for Geo-Pragmatism in an Age of Climate Crisis" is free and open to the public.

February 7, 2008

Idiots'Fest 2008 Celebrates Literature, Music In Chestertown

Chestertown, MD — Idiots'Books, a subscription-based series of volumes on a wide-ranging diversity of subject matter, will celebrate its loyal followers with "Idiots'Fest 2008: Subscribers That Rock," a two-day literature and music festival, at Washington College's Rose O'Neill Literary House (407 Washington Ave.) on Friday, February 15, and at the Bookplate (112 S. Cross St.) on Saturday, February 16.

The husband-wife team of writer Matthew Swanson and illustrator Robbi Behr, the producers of Idiots'Books, will be joined by special guests Jim Shepard, Brian Slattery, Drew Bunting, Brian Wecht, Rich Flynn, Aidan Shepard and Victor Wishna.

The Friday gathering at the Rose O'Neill Literary House will run from 6 to 8 p.m. While Behr and Swanson read from their work, they will be accompanied by Brian Slattery and Drew Bunting on a variety of traditional folk instruments.

Saturday's doings at the Bookplate will begin at 2:30 p.m. and include a performance by New York standup comedian Victor Wishna, another musically accompanied reading by Behr and Swanson, a musically augmented reading by Slattery (who in addition to being a musician is the author of the novel Spaceman Blues and other works), a lecture titled "String Theory for Idiots" presented by Dr. Brian A. Wecht of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University, and a reading by author Jim Shepard, a finalist for the 2007 National Book Award in Fiction.

Shepard then will be available for a booksigning from 5:30 to 6 p.m. At 6 p.m. a $10-a-head dinner will be served. The Rev. Drew Bunting and his band "Textual Healing" will cap off the festivities with a peformance from 7 to 10 p.m.

Aside from the Saturday dinner fee, admission to all Idiots'Fest events is free and open to the public. For more information on Idiots'Fest 2008, visit http://www.idiotsbooks.com/STR_about.html.

February 7, 2008

Spike Lee's Acclaimed Katrina Documentary Screened at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — The C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience and the Washington College Film Series will present a special two-part screening of Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" at the Litrenta Lecture Hall on Sunday and Monday, February 17 and 18, at 7:30 p.m. Parts I and II will be screened on Sunday night, Parts III and IV on Monday night.

Lee's harrowing 2006 HBO documentary chronicles the horrors wrought by Hurricane Katrina and the government's failure to respond adequately in the aftermath. The Washington Postraved, "It is the anger that cuts deepest—a righteous, laser-focused anger born of betrayal, laced with sadness, a lumbering anger that pumps like blood through the veins of Spike Lee's masterly Katrina documentary...."

Litrenta Lecture Hall is located in the John S. Toll Science Center. Admission to "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" is free and open to the public.

February 7, 2008

Student-Curated Exhibition Opens at the Custom House

Chestertown, MD — The C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at Washington College announces the opening of a new photo exhibition, "Architect of Democracy: Photographs from the Career of Senator Birch Bayh." Curated by Washington College junior Jasper Colt, the exhibition blends historic images from Senator Bayh's storied career with recollections taken from an oral history interview Colt conducted earlier this year.

Senator Bayh, one of the nation's most influential progressive legislators, is soon to be one of Washington College's most illustrious alumni. On February 22, 2008, the college will award him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws in recognition of his lifelong commitment to opening the doors of opportunity to all people, particularly minorities and members of marginalized groups. Senator Bayh has been a Senior Fellow at the C.V. Starr Center since 2006; Architect of Democracy constitutes the Center's own gesture to honor a distinguished American and valued member of the Washington College community, and to mark Senator Bayh's 80th birthday, which he celebrated in January.

Throughout his 18 years in the U.S. Senate (1963-81), Senator Bayh championed civil rights and education. He authored Title IX of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which prohibited gender-based discrimination in schools receiving federal funding, and served as a co-sponsor of both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments, he also drafted the 25th and 26th Amendments, which created a more democratic procedure for Presidential succession and lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, respectively. To this day, Senator Bayh remains the only person since the Founding Fathers to have drafted more than one amendment to the Constitution. The exhibition includes striking images of many powerful historic moments, including the fight to pass the Equal Rights Amendment and the aftermath of the 1970 shootings at Jackson State College. Most of the photographs are from Senator Bayh's papers at Indiana University Bloomington.

At Washington College, Senator Bayh recently led the Senatorial Colloquy on American History and Politics, which featured a series of public conversations between distinguished current and former members of the United States Senate. He and his guests—Senators Gary Hart, Paul Laxalt, Dale Bumpers, and Richard Lugar—shared recollections of their experiences in public life and offered reflections on challenges confronting the nation. The Colloquy also included a series of student seminars in which 16 undergraduates discussed issues such as civil rights and electoral reform in a small-group setting with Senator Bayh.

Exhibition curator Jasper Colt '09, a history major and member of the 2007 Colloquy, drew upon his knowledge of photography to oversee the design and installation of the exhibition. A budding oral historian, Colt also devised a creative way to weave the images together with Senator Bayh's own words. "I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to learn from and interview such an influential politician and genuinely kindhearted person as Senator Bayh," he said. "The experience has inspired me both as a student of history and as a citizen."

Colt, an aspiring educator who hopes to someday teach at both the secondary and collegiate level, is currently a Student Associate at the Starr Center, where he assists with Center events and pursues his own research projects. "I'd predict that this exhibition is only the first of many creative avenues Jasper will find to share history with others," said Jill Ogline, the Center's associate director. "His passion for authentic voices will make him an influential and memorable teacher. We're pleased to be able to support his work."

Established in 2000 with a grant from the New York-based Starr Foundation, the C.V. Starr Center explores our nation's history—and particularly the legacy of its Founding era—in innovative ways. Through educational programs, scholarship, and public outreach, and especially by supporting and fostering the art of written history, the Starr Center seeks to bridge the divide between past and present, and between the academic world and the public at large. From its base in the circa-1746 Custom House along Chestertown's colonial waterfront, the Center also serves as a portal onto a world of opportunities for Washington College students. Its guiding principle is that now more than ever, a wider understanding of our shared past is fundamental to the continuing success of America's democratic experiment.

Architect of Democracy will remain on display at the Custom House through March 7th. The building is open to the public during normal business hours. Please contact the Starr Center's Jenifer Endicott at 410-810-7161 or jendicott2@washcoll.edu with any questions about viewing the exhibit.

February 7, 2008

African-American Poet Dudley Randall Remembered at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — The life and accomplishments of a pioneering African-American poet and publisher will be explored in "Dudley Randall and Broadside Press: A Legacy of African-American Poetry and Institution Building" at Washington College's Hynson Lounge on Wednesday, February 20, at 7:30 p.m.

The lecture by Gloria House, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Humanities and Director of the African and African-American Studies Program at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, is being presented by the Goldstein Program in Public Affairs.

The son of a minister and a teacher, Dudley Randall was born in Washington, D.C., in 1914. He developed his lifelong passion for poetry at an early age. After serving in the military during World War II, Randall attended Wayne State University, earning a B.A. in English; he subsequently earned his master's degree from the University of Michigan.

While pursuing his career as a librarian, Randall also produced a prodigious amount of verse. One of his most famous poems, "The Ballad of Birmingham," was written in response to the infamous 1963 bombing of a Baptist church in which four girls were killed.

Randall established the Broadside Press in 1965, and numerous topical poetry collections followed throughout the turbulent '60s and '70s. In 1981 Mayor Coleman Young officially declared Randall the Poet Laureate of the City of Detroit. Randall passed away in 2000.

Gloria House is an ideal individual to present a summation of Randall's life and works; she herself has served for three decades as a Board Member of Broadside Press. In addition to her professorial duties at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dr. House is the author of is the author of several books of poetry, including Blood River and Rainrituals, as well as a book of commentary on environmental issues, Tower and Dungeon: A Study of Place and Power in America.

The Louis L. Goldstein Program in Public Affairs was established in 1990 to encourage students to enter public service by introducing them to exemplary leaders, both in and out of government. The Goldstein Program has hosted journalists, political activists, foreign policy analysts, diplomats, military commanders and government officials of both national and international stature.

The Goldstein Program sponsors lectures, symposia, visiting fellows, student participation in models and conferences, and other projects that bring students and faculty together with leaders experienced in developing public policy.

Hynson Lounge is located in Hodson Hall. Admission to "Dudley Randall and Broadside Press: A Legacy of African-American Poetry and Institution Building" is free and open to the public.

February 7, 2008

Modern Literature Meets Traditional Printing at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — An innovative modern fiction magazine and the traditional art of printing have formed a felicitous union: Washington College's Literary House Press has hand-printed and bound a fine press, limited edition of the 100th issue of One Story magazine.

Based in the College's famed Rose O'Neill Literary House, the Literary House Press draws on traditional printing methods—including lead type and hand presses—with modern technology to emphasize the unique beauty and power of the printed word. Literary House Press broadsides have featured such sterling authors as Toni Morrison, Mary Karr, John Barth, and William Warner.

One Story is a non-profit literary magazine that features one great short story mailed to subscribers every three weeks. The publication's mission is to "save the short story" by publishing in a friendly format that allows readers to experience each story as a stand-alone work of art and a simple form of entertainment. One Story is designed to fit into a purse or pocket.

In the past five years One Story has grown to have more than 4,000 subscribers. A hotspot for emerging writers, its stories have been reprinted in Best American Short Stories, Best New American Voices, and other anthologies. Many One Story writers have gone on to publish their first books.

In January, One Story produced its 100th issue with "Beanball," by Ron Carlson, a frequent contributor to The New Yorker and one of the best regarded story writers in the country. To recognize One Story, the Literary House Press recruited Washington College alumnus and master printer Jim Dissette to design and produce a fine press accompaniment in an edition of 100.

The publication of "Beanball" was supported by the Maureen Jacoby Endowment for Editing and Publishing at Washington College. The books, which feature original illustrations by Mary Rhinelander and are hand-bound in a hard-cover foil-stamped spine, will sell for $75.

Carlson is the author of nine books of fiction, most recently the novel Five Skies, published by Viking Press. He directs the graduate program in fiction at the University of California-Irvine.

The Lit House Press's "Beanball" was unveiled to the reading public at the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) 2008 Conference and Bookfair in New York City on February 1.

For more information on "Beanball," or to find out about joining the One Story subscription list, visit http://one-story.com/. For more information on the Literary House Press at Washington College, go to http://lithouse.washcoll.edu/.

February 7, 2008