MARCH PUBLIC PROGRAMS

The City University of New York Graduate Center announces the following public programs to be held during the month of March at the Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue at 34th Street.  For further information about the Graduate Center, visit www.gc.cuny.edu.

Monday, March 2 through Sunday, April 5:

“Walk-By Movies”
(exhibition) starting at 5:00 PM, James Gallery (outside windows)
The James Gallery's "Walk-By Movies," visible and audible only from the street, presents an urban, pedestrian version of the drive-in theater.  On the heavily trafficked corner of Fifth Avenue and 35th Street, a curated series of films and video programs will be projected onto the gallery wall nightly starting at 5:00 p.m.  Building on the audience of street viewers attracted to the exhibition People “Weekly,” the new series further explores the windowed, street-level location of the gallery.  By selecting works that lend themselves to delimited viewing, while embracing the distinctly urban habits of window shopping and strolling, “Walk-By Movies” provides both a novel method of exhibiting contemporary film and video, and a unique public art experience.  Films change weekly and are to be announced; free, for more information call 212-817-7138; visit www.gc.cuny.edu/events/art_gallery.htm for screening schedule.  Free, for more information call 212-817-7138.

Through Thursday, March 26:

Murray Hill: 1750-2008 -- Images of the Historic Manhattan Neighborhood
(exhibition) Monday–Saturday, 9:00 AM–6:00 PM, Exhibition Hallway
Tracing the history of Murray Hill, this exhibition includes photos and images of the neighborhood from the Colonial days of Murray Farm and the Revolutionary Battle of Inclenberg, to J. P. Morgan’s mansion and the building of Grand Central, to the B. Altman Department Store, where the Graduate Center is now located.  Period scenes are juxtaposed with contemporary views of similar locations and buildings.  The Murray Hill Neighborhood Association curated the original exhibition in 1976 when the neighborhood was designated an official Bicentennial District. Works in the exhibition have been restored and updated by Ray Ring, Director of Exhibitions at the Graduate Center, for this 2009 showing.  Expanded exhibition-related material can be found at http://murrayhill.gc.cuny.edu Free, for more information call 212-817-7394.

Tuesday, March 3:

Great Issues Forum -- Cultural Power: Art
Peggy Ahwesh & Eileen Myles in Conversation
(discussion) 7:00 PM, James Gallery
The James Gallery and the Center for the Humanities' Great Issues Forum present filmmaker Peggy Ahwesh and poet & novelist Eileen Myles in an intimate discussion about art and power. Ahwesh's many experimental films and videos include The Third Body, The Star Eaters and Martina's Playhouse. She is Associate Professor of Film and Electronic Arts at Bard College. Myles's books include the novel Cool for You and the poems Sorry, Tree.  Her collection of essays on art, poetry and queer issues, The Importance of Being Iceland, is forthcoming from MIT/Semiotexte.  Free, for information call 212-817-7138.
 
Wednesday, March 4:

Biography Fellows: Molly Peacock & Mary Anne Weaver
(discussion) 2:00 PM, Martin E. Segal Theatre
Two fellows at the Leon Levy Center for Biography will present their works in progress.  Mary Anne Weaver’s Strange Journey of Ziad Jarrah: The Story of a Terrorist is the biography of the most improbable of the September 11th hijackers. Molly Peacock’s project is an impressionistic biography examining the late-life artistic coming-of-age of Mary Granville Delany, the 18th-century cut-paper botanical artist.  Free, for information call 212-817-2005.
 
Our Future Scientists: A Townhall Meeting
Naturally Obsessed: The Making of a Scientist, plus NPR's Robert Krulwich
(film screening & discussion) 6:30 PM, Elebash Recital Hall
The U.S. is falling behind in the production of new science Ph.D.s. Is there a crisis looming?  Join us for a screening of the new one-hour documentary Naturally Obsessed: The Making of a Scientist by Richard and Carole Rifkind about the struggle to become a scientist and the satisfaction of discovery. Mixing humor with heartbreak, the film tells the story of a trio of irrepressible student scientists who are guided through the emotional ups and downs of a Ph.D. training program by a tough but genial mentor. A discussion with laboratory scientists, following the screening, will address what's needed to maintain an ample pipeline of future scientists. Moderator: Robert Krulwich, National Public Radio. Panelists: Joy Hirsch, Columbia University; Ben Ortiz, Hunter College; Susan Zolla-Pazner, NYU.  Free, but seating is limited and reservations are required. Reservations can be made at www.gc.cuny.edu/events, or by calling 212-817-8215.

Thursday, March 5:



Music in Midtown: Imani Winds

(concert) 1:00 PM, Elebash Recital Hall

Renowned for genre-blurring collaborations and dynamic playing, Imani Winds has carved out a distinct presence in the classical music world with works written for it by established and emerging composers who originate from different points of the globe and use not only classical music but jazz, Middle Eastern, Latin, and harder-to-define sounds. Music in Midtown presents Imani Winds in collaboration with the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert Series.  The program will feature a sneak preview of a new work by Daniel Bernard Roumain, Five Chairs and a Table, which was commissioned by Carnegie Hall as part of its festival Honor! A Celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy. The sneak preview includes a discussion of the new work and the commissioning process. Free, but seating is limited and reservations are required.  Reservations can be made at www.gc.cuny.edu/events, or by calling 212-817-8215.


Friday, March 6:

Is Equality Secular?: Wendy Brown and Joan Wallach Scott
(discussion) 4:00 PM
Two pioneering political and cultural theorists discuss the historic tensions between western secularism and gender equality.  Wendy Brown is Professor of Political Science at the University of California–Berkeley.  Joan Wallach Scott is Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study.  Presented by the Center for the Humanities; free, for information call 212-817-2005.
 
Tuesday, March 10:

Nationalism, Liberalism, and Zionism:
Commemorating the Centennial of the Birth of Sir Isaiah Berlin
(discussion) 4:30 PM, Elebash Recital Hall
In honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sir Isaiah Berlin, a group of scholars will gather to explore Berlin’s ideas concerning nationalism, liberalism, and Zionism and their relevance for the challenges of our time and the future. Participants include Richard Wolin of the Graduate Center, Avishai Margalit of the Center for Advanced Study, and Mark Lilla of Columbia University. Moderated by Joel Rosenthal, President of the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Policy, with opening comments by Graduate Center Provost Chase Robinson. Presented by the Center for Jewish Studies; free, for information call 212-817-2005.
 
Great Issues Forum -- Military Power
(discussion) 7:00 PM, Proshansky Auditorium
Alex de Waal, program director of the Social Science Research Council, and Barry McCaffrey, four-star general of the United States Army (retired) discuss their perspectives on military power. Does military intervention work? What is the role of non-military and multi-national groups in regime change and peace-keeping efforts?  Thomas Weiss, Presidential Professor of Political Science at the Graduate Center, will moderate. Seating is limited, reservations are required. Free, but seating is limited and reservations are required.  Reservations can be made at www.gc.cuny.edu/events, or by calling 212-817-8215.
 
Wednesday, March 11:

Gotham Center History Forum -- Gastropolis: Food and New York City
(book talk & discussion) 6:30 PM
Gastropolis: Food and New York City, edited by CUNY professors Annie Hauck-Lawson and Jonathan Deutsch, explores the personal and historical relationship between New Yorkers and food. Beginning with the origins of cuisine combinations, such as Mt. Olympus bagels and Puerto Rican lasagna, the book describes the nature of food and drink before the arrival of Europeans in 1624 and offers a history of early farming practices. Essays trace the function of place and memory in Asian cuisine, the rise of Jewish food icons, the evolution of food enterprises in Harlem, the relationship between restaurant dining and identity, and the role of peddlers and markets. The essays share spice-scented recollections of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, and colorful vignettes of the avant-garde chefs, entrepreneurs, and patrons who continue to influence the way New Yorkers eat. Free, but seating is limited and reservations are required.  Reservations can be made at www.gc.cuny.edu/events, or by calling 212-817-8215.
 
Thursday, March 12:

Turnstyle Reading Series
(literary reading) 6:30 PM, Martin E. Segal Theatre
Writers and graduating students from the four CUNY MFA Programs in Creative Writing (City College, Brooklyn College, Hunter College, and Queens College) come together for readings of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction at the Graduate Center. Presented by the Center for the Humanities; free, for information call 212-817-2005.
 
Friday, March 13 & Saturday, March 14:

Ephemera: Impermanent Works in the Literary and Visual Culture of the Long 18th Century
(conference) Martin E. Segal Theater
This international symposium will bring together scholars in literary and art historical studies, as well as curators of important collections, to discuss ephemeral materials such as broadsides, pamphlets, chap books, and inexpensive prints. These works were ubiquitous in the visual and literary cultures of the 18-century British Isles, Continental Europe, and North America, yet they have suffered from scholarly neglect, in part because of their very fragility and infrequent survival. For schedule and complete list of speakers, visit http://web.gc.cuny.edu/dept/arthi/ Presented by the Ph.D. Program in Art History; free, to register, please e-mail arthistory@gc.cuny.edu or call 212-817-8035.
 
Monday, March 16:

Great Issues Forum -- Power & Religion: Christian Thought and American Politics
(discussion) 7:00 PM, Martin E. Segal Theatre
Barack Obama’s election is viewed by many as ending a religiously charged era in American political history, but how will the new administration deal with the role of religion in public life? Join two prominent scholars of American civic life for a discussion about the past and continuing influence of religious thought on American politics.  Featuring Randal Balmer, Professor of Religious History at Columbia University, and Douglas Kmiec, Professor of Constitutional Law at Pepperdine University.  John Torpey, Professor of Sociology at the Graduate Center, will moderate. Free, for information call 212-817-2005 or visit www.greatissuesforum.org.
 
Tuesday, March 17:

Experimental Man
(discussion) 6:30 PM, Martin E. Segal Theatre
Best-selling author David Ewing Duncan takes "guinea pig" journalism to the cutting edge of science. His mission, as perhaps the most tested healthy person in history, is to discover what cutting-edge medical technology can tell him, and us, about our future health; the effects of living in a toxin-soaked world; and how genes, proteins, personal behavior, and an often-hostile environment interact within our bodies.  Presented by Science & the Arts; free, for information call 212-817-8215.
 
City of the World -- Sundar Shor
(concert) 7:30 PM, Elebash Recital Hall
The first concert in the third season of the City of the World series features a meeting of Western jazz and South Asian music. Sundar Shor (Hindi for "Beautiful Noise") is a group featuring Carl Clements, Russ Spiegel, Gary Wang, Adrian D’Souza, and Naren Budhakar, all of whom are well versed in both jazz and Indian traditions, and shaped by the intercultural diversity of the New York environment. The compositions by Clements and Spiegel draw from a broad musical palette, melding jazz and Indian music, along with sounds of various musical styles of the world.  Presented by the Ph.D./D.M.A. Programs in Music; free, for information call 212-817-8607.
 
Wednesday, March 19:

Music In Midtown -- American Spirtuals with Roy Jennings
(concert) 1:00 PM, Elebash Recital Hall
This program features a new perspective on some traditional favorites by composer and pianist Roy Jennings, performed by an impressive array of renowned artists including Terry Cook, Diana Solomon-Glover, Nadine Earl Carey, Yvonne Hatchett, and H. Roz Woll. Jennings, who has served as organist at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, has been reworking the genre of the American spiritual, employing an astounding harmonic palette that transforms these familiar works into stunningly moving soundscapes.  Free, but seating is limited and reservations are required.  Reservations can be made at www.gc.cuny.edu/events, or by calling 212-817-8215.
 
Gotham Center History Forum -- Popular Culture and the Garment Center
(discussion) 6:30 PM, Elebash Recital Hall
Warren Shaw will give a 50-minute illustrated talk about the garment district and popular culture. This discussion of the Garment Center will examine the years circa 1920s through the 1970s, covering plays, movies, novels, books, and foodways related to the famous neighborhood. Sponsored by the Leon Levy Foundation's Garment Industry History Initiative.  Free, but seating is limited and reservations are required.  Reservations can be made at www.gc.cuny.edu/events, or by calling 212-817-8215.
 
Friday, March 20:

Women*Writing*Lives
(discussion) 1:00 PM, Martin E. Segal Theatre
How has the writing of women’s biography changed over time? Join award-winning artists, scholars, and writers for a series of conversations on writing family, writing relationships, and creating icons. Participants include Rachel Cohen, author of A Chance Meeting: Intertwined Lives of American Writers and Artists; Blanche W. Cook, author of Eleanor Roosevelt: A Biography, Vol. 1 and 2; Paula Giddings, author of Ida: A Sword Among Lions: Ida B. Wells and the Campaign Against Lynching; Farah Griffin, author of If You Can’t Be Free, Be a Mystery: In Search of Billie Holiday; Brenda Wineapple, author of White Heat: The Friendship of Emily Dickinson and Thomas Wentworth; and actress Kathleen Chalfant.  Presented by the Center for the Humanities; free, for information call 212-817-2005.
 
Monday, March 23:

Celebrating the Living Theatre, with Judith Malina
10:00 AM–8:30 PM (also on Wednesday, March 25), Martin E. Segal Theatre
A two-day celebration of the work of the legendary Living Theatre featuring screenings, readings, discussions, and the presentation of the Edwin Booth Award by the CUNY Doctoral Theatre Students Association. Monday, March 23, will be a day of screenings of documentaries and Living Theatre works from 1965-present. Wednesday, March 25, will feature readings and an afternoon discussion with Marvin Carlson, David Savran, and others. The event will culminate in the presentation of the Booth Award to Judith Malina, in recognition of the Living Theatre's outstanding contributions to the New York performance community. Presented by the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center; free, for information call 212-817-1860.
 
Tuesday, March 24:

The Great Issues Forum -- Power & Fashion
(discussion) 7:00 PM, Elebash Recital Hall
What is the nature of fashion’s influence over national and international identities? How does fashion brand particular countries, lifestyles, and cities on a global scale? New York Times writer Guy Trebay is joined by fashion designers Isabel Toledo and Gabi Asfour for a discussion about the power of fashion.  Eugenia Paulicelli, Professor of Italian and Comparative Literature and founder of the Graduate Center’s Fashion Studies concentration, will moderate.  Presented by the Center for the Humanities; free, for information call 212-817-2005 or visit www.greatissuesforum.org.
 
Wednesday, March 25:

Screening of the Documentary Remember
(film) 6:15 PM, Martin E. Segal Theatre
Remember -- a documentary about four Polish Jewish Survivors who were either helped or betrayed by their Christian neighbors -- was directed by Andrzej Wajda and produced by Steven Spielberg and the Survivors of the Shoah Visula History Foundation. Presented by the Rosenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies; free, for information call 212-817-1950.
 
Thursday, March 26:

New Forms: Biography for the 21st Century
(conference) 1:00 PM, Elebash Recital Hall
The first annual conference at the Leon Levy Center for Biography will explore biography in its many guises. The day features a screening of Werner Herzog’s My Best Fiend: Klaus Kinski and talks by biographers working in a variety of genres and disciplines, ranging from manga to jazz studies. Topics and speakers include:  Literary Biography for the 21st Century (Benita Eisler), The Journalist as Biographer (Darcy Frey), Intersections of Biography and Jazz Studies (Farah Griffin), and Framing Biography in Manga and Anime (Eiji Han Shimizu).  Free, for information call 212-817-2005. More details and a complete schedule are available at www.leonlevycenterforbiography.org.
 
What is Faith Today?: Bryan Turner and Philip Gorski in Conversation
(discussion) 6:30 PM
Two leading social scientific analysts of global religion discuss the nature of religious faith today, the controversial debate over secularization, and the prospects for better understanding of the ever-elusive problem of religious faith in modern society.  Bryan Turner is director of the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Muslim Societies at the University of Western Sydney and Visiting Professor of Sociology at Wellesley College.  Philip Gorski is a Professor of Sociology at Yale University and co-director of Yale’s Center for Comparative Research.  Moderated by John Torpey, Professor of Sociology at the Graduate Center.  Presented by the Center for the Humanities; free, for information call 212-817-2005.
 
Monday, March 30:

Old York Readings and Reflections -- The Rise and Fall and Rise of 42nd Street
(discussion) 6:30 PM, Elebash Recital Hall
The Story of 42nd St: The Theatres, Shows, Characters and Scandals of the World's Most Notorious Street by Mary C. Henderson and Alexis Greene documents the rise and fall of the street's historic theatres, and its comeback as an entertainment center. Panelists to include Alexis Greene, author; Craig Morrison, theatre architect and historian; Howard Kissel, journalist, Daily News. Free, but seating is limited and reservations are required.  Reservations can be made at www.gc.cuny.edu/events, or by calling 212-817-8215.
 
Tuesday, March 31:

Translation and Literary Selfhood
(discussion) 6:30 PM
Poet and translator Rosanna Warren, author of Fables of the Self, hosts four master translators reflecting upon the alchemy of voice, style, and literary selfhood in the art of translation.  Participants include Jonathan Galassi (translator of Eugenio Montale), Edith Grossman (translator of Mario Vargas Llosa), Marilyn Hacker (translator of Venus Khoury-Ghata), and Rika Lesser (translator of Rainer Maria Rilke).  The audience will be invited to join the discussion. Presented by the Center for the Humanities; free, for information call 212-817-2005.