American landscapes

A new student-organized exhibition at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art surveys American artists’ use of landscape as the country expanded between the middle of the 19th and 20th centuries.

“Shifting Ground,” curated by undergraduate members of the History of Art Majors’ Society (HAMS), includes various depictions of the American frontier, from the Hudson River School to photography of newly christened national parks and images of postwar cityscapes and open roads. Some landscapes selected for display also reflect growing concerns among citizens and artists in the 1960s and ’70s around issues including citizenship, the environment, representation and migration, and searches for a common thread between how particular landscapes are portrayed, and why.

An opening celebration for “Shifting Ground,” hosted by HAMS and the Museum Club, is April 27 from 9 to 11 p.m. in the Wing and Opatrny galleries, free and open to all, with presentations by curators and student educators, art activities and refreshments. Patricia Johanson, whose work is included in the exhibition, gives a free artist’s talk May 3 at 5:15 p.m. in the museum’s Wing Lecture Room. The museum is open until 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through May 10.

The exhibition project was overseen by Leah Sweet, Lynch Curatorial Coordinator for Academic Programs at the museum, and Brittany Rubin, print room curatorial assistant.

After the fallout

Eight people keep culture alive after surviving an apocalyptic event in “Mr. Burns, a post-electric play,” April 27-May 5 at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, 430 College Ave., Ithaca.

The action begins with eight friends gathered around a fire trying to recall the plot from an episode of “The Simpsons” as they escape nuclear fallout. It ends with the same group seven years later as members of a pop culture theater troupe in what’s left of civilization.

Directed by Jayme Kilburn, a doctoral student in the Department of Performing and Media Arts, the play by Anne Washburn is a critique of capitalism and a reminder of the indelible effect of stories, wherever they may be found. It features a score by Michael Friedman and lyrics by Washburn.

Showtimes in Kiplinger Theatre are April 27-28 and May 4-5 at 7:30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee May 5. Tickets are $15 general, $8 for students, senior citizens and the Cornell community, available online or at the Schwartz Center box office, open Monday through Saturday, 1-8 p.m.

The production is co-sponsored by the Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program and Cornell Council for the Arts.

Go skating

Mark the end of winter (finally) with an evening of ice skating at Lynah Rink. The Welcome Weekend Committee hosts free skating Saturday, April 28, 7-9 p.m., with skates provided free.

The Cornell 2021 Class Council presents Skate Night, Friday, May 4, 8-10 p.m. Admission is free, and the cost for skate rental and food is $2. The event is for all ages, and open to everyone.

Tchaikovsky concert

The Cornell Symphony Orchestra plays an all-Tchaikovsky program Sunday, April 29, at 3 p.m. in Bailey Hall, in honor of the 125th anniversary year of the composer’s death. The concert is free and open to the public.

Under the direction of conductor Chris Younghoon Kim, the orchestra will perform Marche Slave (Slavonic March or Serbo-Russian March), commissioned in 1876 for a concert to aid the Red Cross Society during the Serbo-Turkish War; and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique or Passionate Symphony) from 1893, his final completed symphonic work.

Coming up: The Cornell and Ithaca College symphony orchestras will join in the 9th annual Ithaca International Conducting Masterclass, a weeklong series of sessions with master teacher Larry Rachleff and eight young conductors drawn from around the globe. The master classes precede a concert of two major orchestral works, Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony and Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, May 5 at 4 p.m. in Ithaca College’s Ford Hall.

Runway show and tell

Fashion designer Shravan Kummar will present a line of clothing and speak about his designs, May 1 at 5 p.m. in the Human Ecology Commons. A pre-show reception begins at 4:30 p.m.

One of an emerging generation of research-driven designers, Kummar is known for his revival and reinvention of eco-friendly textiles and unusual creations made from unconventional fabrics.

The lecture and runway show are free and open to the public, and presented by the College of Human Ecology’s 2017-18 Nixon Distinguished Speaker Series. The series exposes Cornell students to leading scholars and professionals in the fashion and apparel industry.

Animating Van Gogh

Cornell Cinema presents “Loving Vincent,” May 2-3 in Willard Straight Theatre. An animated mystery about Van Gogh’s final days investigated a year after the painter’s death, the 2017 film shapes its narrative from 130 of his paintings and the models in them.

It is being shown with “The Ballad of Holland Island House” (2015), a painted clay animation short by Lynn Tomlinson ’88, which includes a reference to Van Gogh’s “The Potato Eaters.”

Also showing: “The Incredibles,” April 27 at 8 p.m., in honor of an upcoming sequel, screening at a party in the Willard Straight Memorial Room starting at 7:15 p.m. with free snacks, games and superhero masks; and Lucretia Martel’s 2017 historical drama “Zama,” May 2-3 in Willard Straight Theatre, about a Spanish officer stagnating at his rural post in South America.

Breaking boundaries

Danielle LaGrua ’18 explores the limitations of traditional dance performance and the pressures of being a student in “Containment: defining boundaries, activating outbreak,” a dance concert May 3-5 at the Schwartz Center. The performances are cosponsored by the Department of Performing and Media Arts and the Cornell Council for the Arts.

Performances are May 3 and 5 at 7 p.m. and May 4 at 5 p.m. in the Class of ’56 Dance Theatre. Tickets are $5 at schwartztickets.com and the box office.