Things to Do, March 25-April 1, 2016

"Piazza dei Ponziani" painting
Stan Taft/Provided
"Piazza dei Ponziani," a 2015 oil painted on aluminum by associate professor of art Stan Taft, is among the works in "Cornell Art Faculty 2016" at the Johnson Museum.

Silent drama in Sage

World-renowned musicians Alicia Svigals and Marilyn Lerner will perform their original score to the 1918 German drama “The Yellow Ticket (Der Gelbe Schein)” in a free screening Thursday, April 7, at 7:30 p.m. in Sage Chapel, presented by Cornell Cinema.

The film stars Pola Negri in a dual role as an adolescent Jewish girl from Warsaw and her mother. The young girl, Lea, travels to Russia to visit her dying father and, due to anti-Semitic restrictions under martial law, is forced to lead a double life as a sex worker and a medical student. Made at the end of World War I and on the eve of the Russian revolution, the film features footage of the former Jewish quarter of Warsaw and its people.

Svigals, a leading klezmer violinist and a founder of the Klezmatics, has written for violinist Itzhak Perlman, the Kronos Quartet, playwright Tony Kushner and singer Diane Birch, and has also collaborated with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, poet Allen Ginsburg and many others. Lerner is a jazz pianist and improviser whose career includes deep explorations of traditional and free jazz, new music-tinged improvisation and Ashkenazic folk music. She has appeared with Tito Puente and Steve Lacy and performs with the Ugly Beauties Trio and avant-garde Ig Henneman Sextet.

The program is cosponsored by the Jewish Studies Program, the Department of Music, Cornell Council for the Arts, CU Klezmer Ensemble, Cornell Institute for European Studies, Temple Beth El Arts Committee, Tikkun v’Or and the Wharton Studio Museum.

Cornell Cinema is on break March 26 through April 5. Screening before the break: “Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words,” March 25 at 7 p.m. 

High Five events

To celebrate the excellence of Cornell employees, High Five Recognition Events will be held Tuesday, March 29, in Ithaca, Geneva and New York City. All Cornell employees are invited to take a break and enjoy refreshments with colleagues at any of these events:

  • Ithaca campus, 10 a.m., four locations: Duffield Hall atrium, at the Workday table; East Hill Office Building atrium; Weill Hall, main atrium; Klarman Hall atrium.
  • Geneva campus, 10 a.m., Barton Lab lobby.

In New York City:

  • Cornell Cooperative Extension NYC,11 a.m. at 40 E. 34th St., Manhattan, conference room; and 89-62 164th St., Queens, conference room.
  • Cornell Alumni Affairs and Development, 9:15 a.m., 230 Park Ave., Suite 1510.
  • ILR Extension, 10 a.m., 16 E. 34th St., fourth floor conference room.
  • Cornell Tech, 9:30 a.m., 111 Eighth Ave., 15th floor C.

The High Five Employee Recognition Program is sponsored by Human Resources.

Faculty art

Recent works by faculty in Cornell’s Department of Art, including paintings, drawings, sculpture, prints and photography, are on display at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art through April 3.

Art faculty practitioners are invited to exhibit at the Johnson every two years, providing an opportunity for the university community and the public to reflect on the relationship between education and practice.

The artists featured are Morgan Ashcom, Michael Ashkin, Roberto Bertoia, Leslie Brack, Renate Ferro, Bill Gaskins, Jean Locey, Elisabeth Meyer, Alva Mooses, Carl Ostendarp, Stephanie Owens, Gregory Page, Maria Park, Barry Perlus, Jolene Rickard, David Snyder and Stan Taft. All deeply engaged in studio-based teaching, they strive to develop students into confident and independent artists.

The exhibition was organized by Andrea Inselmann, curator of modern and contemporary art and photography, and curatorial assistant Sonja Gandert. The museum is open year-round Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursdays until 8 p.m. through May 5. Admission is free.

Animals and Medicine

Students in grades 9-12 can explore veterinary medicine through the Animals and Medicine youth program, April 15 through May 6 at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Taught by Cornell veterinary students, the four-week mini-course meets Friday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m. and caters to students with a sincere interest in biology, medicine and animals. Lessons will incorporate guest presentations by veterinary professors.

Each week will focus on a different animal species or group of animals, such as cats, dogs, horses and dairy animals, with learning about different anatomies and physiological systems and hands-on activities, including practicing a physical exam.

The registration deadline is April 1. To register, contact 4-H administrative assistant Athena Steinkraus at ahs38@cornell.edu. Enrollment is limited and parents are welcome to stay during classes. The $50 registration fee covers the cost of all program material and resources, including a pizza party.

The program is organized by the Vet College and the 4-H program of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, which provides equal employment and program opportunities.

Animals and Medicine was recently recognized with an Excellence in Animal Science Program honor from the statewide Association of Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Educators.

Wavves, Slope Day tickets

The Cornell Concert Commission presents indie rock band Wavves, Friday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m. in Bailey Hall. Reserved-seating tickets are available online at www.CornellConcerts.com.

Tickets are $8 and $10 for Cornell students with ID, $10 and $15 for the general public, plus applicable fees. Ticket prices are $5 more the day of show. An opening act will be announced.

Undergraduate guest tickets, alumni and graduate/professional student tickets for Slope Day 2016 on May 12 are also on sale now.

‘Shape Shifting’ exhibit

Artist James Kennedy brings architectural ideas to canvas in a unique way, creating forms and compositions guided by intuitive compositional strategies.

A selection of his work is on display in “James Kennedy: Shape Shifting,” through April 29 in John Hartell Gallery, Sibley Dome. The exhibition is curated by Mark Morris, visiting associate professor and director of exhibitions in the College of Architecture, Art and Planning.

Kennedy has likened his works to landscapes, sites constructed for architectural impositions and as paracosms – other worlds where architectural ideas play out. His projects are built up as layers of canvas and paint, and often conceived as shallow reliefs, with repetition of like elements, iterations of shape and scaling of projected objects that pull his larger works into the realm of murals. Kennedy has recently started to develop model sculptures as analogues to his paintings.

The gallery is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A closing reception will be held Friday, April 29, at 5 p.m.

Media Contact

Melissa Osgood