For Immediate Release:

DECEMBER PUBLIC PROGRAMS

 
The City University of New York Graduate Center announces the following public programs to be held during the month of December at the Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue at 34th Street.

Through Saturday, December 8       

Jim Dine Selected Prints, 1996-2006 
(art exhibition) Tuesday – Saturday, 12:00 – 6:00 PM
The Amie and Tony James Gallery presents this exhibition of forty-seven prints, two livres d’artiste (books illustrated by the artist), and a recently published portfolio highlighting the technical innovation and deeply personal imagery of the Pop Art master’s printmaking oeuvre. Jim Dine Selected Prints, 1996-2006 features such recurrent subjects as Dine’s iconic hearts, robes, and self-portraits, as well as captivating images of flowers and birds that have a highly personal significance for the artist. Of particular importance are the many recent prints inspired by the hero of Carlo Collodi’s celebrated children’s tale, The Adventures of Pinocchio: Story of a Puppet. The gallery is located on the first floor of the Graduate Center; free, for information contact 212-817-7394.

Monday, December 3

Josh Fox and The International WOW Compnay
(reading & discussion) 6:30 PM
At this evening with New York director and writer Josh Fox, he will present excerpts from a new work, show excerpts from his first feature film Memorial Day, and discuss the state of the American theatre.  Presented by the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center; free, for information contact 212-817-1860.

Tuesday, December 4

Sepharad: Preservation and Innovation in Sephardic Music
(concert & discussion) 6:30 PM–9:30 PM
The Foundation for Iberian Music presents a concert by Smadar and Asefa followed by a panel discussion centered on the role of modernity in Sephardic music. Curated by Samuel Thomas and introduced by Antoni Piza, director of the Foundation for Iberian Music; $10 suggested donation, for information contact 212-817-1819.

Wednesday, December 6

An Evening with French Playwright José Pliya
(reading & discussion) 6:30 PM
Excerpts from José Pliya's play Cannibals will be read, directed by Robert Lyons, artistic director of the Ohio Theater. A discussion with Ellen Lampert-Greaux and Philippa Wehle will follow the reading.  Presented by the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center; free, for information contact 212-817-1860.

Thursday, December 7

Hotel Books: Wayne Koestenbaum & Edmund White
(book talk) 4:00–6:00 PM
Wayne Koestenbaum, author of the recently published Hotel Theory, and Edmund White, author of a new novel, Hotel de Dream, discuss their work. Presented by the Ph.D. Program in English; free, for information contact 212-817-8315.

Monday, December 10

Active Liberty, Modern Liberty: The Benjamin Constant Moment in America

(conference) 4:00–8:00 PM
Keynote speaker:  Stephen Breyer, Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court and author, Active Liberty: Interpreting Our Democratic Constitution.  A founding father of modern liberalism, Benjamin Constant’s thoughtful distinction between ancient and modern liberty has taken on new meaning nearly two centuries later for many prominent intellectuals. This half-day conference will unite world-renowned jurists, historians, political philosophers, and legal academics for a discussion about the contemporary meaning of liberty and the ways in which Constant’s work still structures our ideas of liberty and democracy. Other speakers include Charles Fried, Harvard Law School; Philippe Raynaud, Universite de Paris II (Panthenon-Assas); Patrice Higonnet, Harvard University; and Jeremy Jennings, Queen Mary, College of London.  Presented by the Center for the Humanities; free, for information contact 212-817-2005.

Students for A Democratic Society: A Graphic History
By Harvey Pekar, with Paul Buhle, editor, and illustrations by Gary Dumm
(book talk & signing) 6:30–8:30 PM
Harvey Pekar, author of the autobiographical comic book series American Splendor and subject of, as well as actor in, the Academy-Award nominated film American Splendor (2003), will deliver a talk on comics and politics, sign books, and participate in a panel discussion that includes Paul Buhle, former SDS-NY regional officer and editor of the 1960s SDS magazine Radical America, Weatherman Jeff Jones, and members of the New SDS. The program is on the occasion of the December 10 opening, in the Exhibition Hallway, of The SDS Comic Show, a traveling exhibit that draws upon Students for A Democratic Society: A Graphic History. Presented by the Gotham Center for NYC History; free, for information contact 212-817-8474.

An Evening with Theatre Artist Rodrigo García
(performance) 6:30 PM
This evening features the New York premiere of Rodrigo García 's Accidens (matar para comer).  The work is written and directed by Rodrigo García and performed by Juan Loriente. A Q & A with the artists will follow.  Presented by the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center; free, for information call 212-817-1860.

Wednesday, December 12

The Holocaust in Hungary: A Lecture in Honor of Randolph Braham
(discussion) 6:15 PM
Istvan Deak, Seth Low Professor Emeritus at Columbia University, lectures in honor of Professor Braham's 85th birthday. He will focus on the honoree's views and writings on the Holocaust in Hungary. A specialist in the history of Central and East Central Europe, Dr. Deak is the author of many books, including The Lawful Revolution: Louis Kossuth and the Hungarians, 1848-1849 and Beyond Nationalism: A Social and Political History of the Habsburg Officer Corps, 1848-1918.  Presented by the Rosenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies; free, for information contact 212-817-1949.

Caught Between Two Worlds
A film by Simin Farkhondeh & Persheng Sadegh-Vaziri
(film screening) 6:30–8:30 PM
Depicting the lives of Iranian exiles in in the U.S., this documentary tackles acculturation, language, and the traumas of revolution, as well as the hostage crisis, religion, and life in post-9/ 11 America.  Presented by the Middle East and Middle Eastern American Center: free, for information contact 212-817-7570.

Thursday, December 13

Music in Midtown
A Recital for Flute and Piano with Robert Dick, flutes, and Ursel Schlicht, piano
(concert) 1:00–2:00 PM
Faculty member Robert Dick describes himself as "a musician with 21st-century skills and 18th-century attitudes, being totally at home as a performer, composer, and improviser." He has often been referred to as "the Hendrix of the flute" because of his revolutionary musical approach and the ultra-high intensity level of his performances. Ursel Schlicht is an internationally active pianist, composer, improviser, scholar, and educator. She has played improvised music, jazz, new music, and world music throughout Europe, North America, Russia, Mexico, and Australia. Program in Music; free, for information contact 212-817-8607.

Site-Specific Theatre: Performance and the City
(performance & discussion) 6:30 PM
The evening includes work from three artists who utilize city space in surprising and challenging ways and a discussion with Aviva Davidson, Dancing in the Streets; Melanie Joseph, The Foundry Theatre; Noémie Lafrance, Sens Production; Aaron Landsman, Brooklyn-based writer and performer; and Neil Smith, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and Geography and the Director, Center for Place, Culture and Politics at the Graduate Center. Presented by the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center; free, for information contact 212-817-1860.

Queer Darwin
(discussion) 7:00–9:00 PM
While Queer Theory has rigorously explored the implications of Marxist and Freudian thinking over the years, Darwin and Darwinian ideas remain an under-explored and even ignored area of inquiry for scholars working in the area of Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Studies. Yet today the influence of Darwin is everywhere in evidence in numerous scholarly fields, just as are the controversies that Darwinian concepts have created among social and religious conservatives. This panel brings together humanists and scientists for an exploration of the intersections between Queer Theory, sexual selection, and evolution. Participants will include Valerie Rohy, Professor of English, University of Vermont, and Joan Roughgarden, Professor of Biological Sciences and of Geophysics, Stanford University.  Presented by the Center for the Humanities; free, for 212-817-2005.

Tuesday, December 18

The Art of Yiddish Drama: Modernity Confronts Tradition
(reading, discussion, & film screenings)
6:30 PM evening program; 2:00–6:00 PM film screenings
The evening program includes an interdisciplinary panel discussion on the place of Yiddish drama in world theatre, as well as staged readings of scenes from modern English adaptations of three neglected plays by Sholom Asch, I.D. Berkowitz, and Peretz Hershbein.  Panelists include: Rachel Dickstein (Ripetime) Daniel Gerould (The Graduate Center); Stefan Kanfer (author, Stardust Lost: The Triumph, Tragedy, and Mishugas of the Yiddish Theater in America); Neil Pepe (Atlantic Theatre Company); Alyssa Quint (Princeton University, Jewish Studies Quarterly); and Alisa Solomon (Columbia University, theatre critic for the Village Voice). From 2:00 to 6:00 PM excerpts from films based on the Yiddish plays will be screened. Presented by the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center; free, for information call 212-817-1860.