Event Descriptions

• Tues. April 2, 7:00 p.m.
  Modern Leonardos: Artist-Scientists and What They Tell Us About Educating for Innovation
  Robert Root-Bernstein
  Tuesday, April 2, 7 p.m.
  Davis Auditorium, Palamountain Hall
  
  Many people maintain that knowledge has become so specialized that Renaissance individuals such as Leonardo da Vinci are no longer possible. Not only are they possible, they exist, unrecognized, in large numbers and are, like their Renaissance forebears, responsible for many important modern inventions and discoveries. Understanding how such modern Leonardos work can tell us important things about educating for innovation. An artist, humanist, and professor of physiology at Michigan State University, Robert Root-Bernstein is the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant and author of Discovering: Inventing and Solving Problems at the Frontiers of Science (1989), and Sparks of Genius: The Thirteen Thinking Tools of the World's Most Creative People (1999). Skidmore is hosting Professor Root-Bernstein’s visit in collaboration with SUNY Adirondack.
• Wed. April 3, 11:30 a.m. to noon
  Computer Science Art Show
  Atrium, Murray-Aikins Dining Hall
  
  The intersection of art and technology provides a unique opportunity for creativity. To showcase the creativity of Skidmore computer science students, students in CS106 – with just eight weeks of programming experience – are challenged to create art using picture collages or using chromakey (green screen) substitutions solely using Java programming. In this exhibit they show the results.
• Wed. April 3, 7:00 p.m.
  Who Are You?
  A lecture by Kip Fulbeck
  Gannett Auditorium, Palamountain Hall
  
  Professor of art at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Kip Fulbeck is a pioneering artist, author, and filmmaker who deals with issues of multiracial identity. Part poet, part comedian, and part pop culture critic, Fulbeck moves past "diversity" as a conversation only about race, inspiring audiences to tackle the larger questions of who we are as individuals, how we define ourselves, and how we engage with those around us. At UC Santa Barbara, Fulbeck has received the Distinguished Teaching Award and has been named an Outstanding Faculty Member five times. Sponsored by the Office of Student Diversity Programs with generous support from Arts Administration, Asian Cultural Awareness, Asian Studies, CODA, Education Studies, Gender Studies, Speakers Bureau, Intercultural Studies, IGR, Office of the Dean of Special Programs, Opportunity Programs, Management and Business, Psychology, Social Work, and Tang Teaching Museum.
• Thurs. April 4, 5:30 p.m.
  Careers That Make a Difference: Alumni Perspectives
  Murray-Aikins Dining Hall, 2nd Floor
  
  Skidmore alumni who have built socially responsible careers return to campus to share their perspectives on ways to make a difference through work. Among those returning: Rebecca Jarczynski ’02, Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation; Victoria Malaney ’10, Skidmore Student Diversity Programs; Joshua Relin ’00, University of Massachusetts at Amherst Counseling Services; Kasha Rzbczyk ’07, Tenacity Boston; Evan Scheider ’97, Office of NYS Senator Neil Breslin; and Jacqueline Abodeely ’97, New York State Park Police (retired).
• Thurs. April 4, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
  The Mythic Figure Opening Reception
  Schick Art Gallery, Saisselin Art Building
  
  The Mythic Figure presents works by sculptors William Tucker and Ed Smith and painter Pamela Avril. These three contemporary artists take inspiration from classical mythology and, using the human figure as a source and a subject, often make work that is life-sized or larger-than-life. They reflect the universal struggle toward self-knowledge and attest to the relevance of mythology in contemporary culture. On view through May 19, The Mythic Figure is co-curated by two faculty members: sculptor John Galt and painter Paul Sattler, who directs the Schick Gallery. Gallery hours: Monday–Thursday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sat–Sun, 12 noon– 4 p.m.
• Fri. April 5, 6:00 p.m.
  Entrepreneurship and Entertainment
  F. William Harder Lecture by Paula Wagner
  Gannett Auditorium, Palamountain Hall
  
  Paula Wagner has worked in the top ranks of the entertainment industry as a talent agent, producer and studio executive. Wagner began her career at CAA where she spent 15 years representing clients such as Sean Penn, Oliver Stone and Robert Towne. In 1993, she launched Cruise/Wagner Productions with her former client, Tom Cruise. C/W produced many successful films such as the Mission Impossible franchise, as well as Narc, The Others, Vanilla Sky and Elizabethtown. Wagner was co-owner and CEO of United Artists Entertainment from 2006 to 2008. The mother of Zachary, Skidmore Class of 2010, she is currently developing films and producing through her new company, Chestnut Ridge.
• Fri. April 5 and Sat. April 6, 8:00 p.m.
  Sun. April 7, 3:00 p.m.
  An Evening with the Ballets Russes
  Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall, Arthur Zankel Music Center
  
  With staging by dance professor Denise Warner Limoli, Skidmore ballet and modern-dance students will perform three famous ballets from Diaghilev's Ballets Russes: Les Sylphides (Fokine/Chopin), L'Apres-midi d'un Faune (Nijinsky/Debussy), and Firebird (Limoli after Fokine/Stravinsky). Filene Scholar Daniel Pravder ’16 will play solo piano for Les Sylphides, while the Skidmore Orchestra, conducted by music professor Anthony Holland will perform the other pieces. Production design by Denise Warner Limoli, sets by Garett Wilson, costumes by Kim Vanyo, lighting by Shawn DuBois. Admission: $8 adults, $5 seniors and Skidmore community; free for Skidmore students and children 13 or under.
• Mon. April 8, 8:00 p.m.
  How to Raise an Ox: Ways of Self-Realization in Yoga, Daoism, and Zen
  A lecture by John Koller
  Gannett Auditorium, Palamountain Hall
  
  Among various formulations of Zen’s stages of realization, the 10 Oxherding Pictures are the best known. Referencing these, John M. Koller, professor of Asian and comparative philosophy at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will explore how the yoga, Daoist and Zen traditions come together in their attempts to explain how we can become fully and authentically ourselves. Koller, whose research has probed Buddhism and psychoanalysis and the philosophy of religion, is the author of five books, including Asian Philosophies. His lecture is sponsored by the Department of Philosophy and Religion.
• Tues. April 9, 2:10 p.m.
  Focus on Interaction Design, Part I: Alumni Career Panel
  Filene Auditorium, Filene Hall
  
  Art, computer programming, and entrepreneurship come together in this exchange led by four of Skidmore’s most accomplished alumni in interaction design: Jon Hills ’97, Zach Gage ‘07, Charlie Whitney ‘06, and Brian Kelley ‘00. They will discuss the satisfaction they derive from creating compelling digital experiences, how they got started, employment opportunities in interaction design, and options for graduate study. Hills is founder and creative director of Domani, a prominent digital agency in New York City. Gage, an interactive artist, has been featured in The New York Times Magazine and Wired for his success as an independent game developer. Whitney is a freelance programmer specializing in installation and real-world interactive work and projection. Kelley is an entrepreneur who cofounded Reputation Defender (now Reputation.com) in 2006.
• Tues. April 9, 6:00 p.m.
  The Mythic Figure Artists' Discussion
  Davis Auditorium, Palamountain Hall
  
  Sculptors William Tucker and Ed Smith and painter Pamela Avril will discuss their work, on view in the Schick Gallery’s Mythic Figure exhibition through May 19. All three take inspiration from classical mythology, using the human figure as a source and a subject and often making work that is life-sized or larger-than-life. They reflect the universal struggle toward self-knowledge and attest to the relevance of mythology in our contemporary culture.
• Tues. April 9, 7:30 p.m.
  Focus on Interaction Design, Part II: The Future of Interactivity
  Filene Auditorium, Filene Hall
  
  Art, computer programming, and entrepreneurship all come together in this exchange led by four of Skidmore’s most accomplished alumni in interaction design: Jon Hills ’97, Zach Gage ‘07, Charlie Whitney ‘06, and Brian Kelley ‘00. They’ll explore powerful new forms of interaction that are emerging on the Web and on devices, show examples of interactions they have personally produced or that they particularly admire, and discuss the strategic objectives and creative processes that generated them.

  Jonathan Hills is founder and creative director of DOMANI, a prominent digital agency in New York City. Zach Gage is an interactive artist who has been featured in The New York Times Magazine and Wired for his success as an independent game developer. Charlie Whitney is a freelance programmer specializing in installation and real world interactive work and projection. Brian Kelley is a serial entrepreneur who cofounded Reputation.com and ReputationDefender.com in 2006.

• Wed. April 10, 5:30 p.m.
  Remembering Fictions: Our Own and Others' Constructions
  Davis Auditorium, Palamountain Hall
  
  Alan Scoboria, a clinical psychologist in the Behavioral, Cognitive, & Neuroscience Program at Windsor University, and Elizabeth Marsh, a cognitive psychologist in the Psychology and Neuroscience Program at Duke University, will discuss their intriguing research into sources of memory confusions in our everyday lives. Professor Scoboria will discuss how easily we can come to believe imagined scenarios of possible life events originated from experienced events, while Professor Marsh will discuss our tendency to incorporate into our knowledge about the world details we encounter while reading fiction. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Psychology Department, the Neuroscience Program, and the Office of the Dean of Faculty/VPAA.
• Thurs. April 11, 8:00 p.m.
  Ecological Design
  A lecture by John Todd
  Filene Auditorium, Filene Hall
  
  John Todd is a pioneer in ecological design and engineering, with a specialty in food production and living systems for water purification. The founder of John Todd Ecological Design, he has constructed dozens of innovative waste-water treatment systems. His company is a leader in the use of natural systems for the removal of chemicals, petroleum hydrocarbons, endocrine disruptors, and other pollutants.
• Thurs. April 11, 8:00 p.m.
  Faculty Recital: Pola Baytelman
  Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall, Arthur Zankel Music Center
  

  The program will include pieces by Scarlatti and Mozart performed on the Anton Walter fortepiano, along with compositions by Schubert, Crumb, Ginastera, and Mendelssohn. Baytelman has performed extensively as a recitalist, with chamber music groups and as a soloist with orchestras in Chile, Europe and throughout the United States.

• Fri. April 12, 2:45 p.m.
  Kenneth A. Frierich Business Competition: Final Round
  Payne Presentation Room, Tang Museum
  
  Six teams of students selected in the competition’s first round now vie for a $20,000 first prize, $10,000 second prize, and $5,000 third prize. The annual competition was launched in 2010 by Kenneth Freirich ’90, president of Health Monitor Network. This year’s finalists are Seth Berger ’14, East Coast Lacrosse; Jasmyn Elise Story ’15, Forcast; Alexander Nassief ’16 and Brianna Barros ’16, Rum Dogs; Kelsey Yam ’13, Soccer Without Borders; Magdalene Andreoni ’13, The Cookie Jar; and Julia Paino ’13, Wildland Security.
• Fri. April 12, 8:00 p.m.
  Dance Department Senior Capstone Concert
  Dance Theater
  
  Skidmore dance majors from the class of 2013 present an evening of capstone projects. The program features three original group works that reflect the interests the student-choreographers developed at Skidmore, from the literary to the musical. In addition, five seniors will perform solos, from traditional to postmodern, choreographed or restaged for them by professionals.
• Fri. April 12, 8:00 p.m.
  Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
  Janet Kinghorn Bernard Theater
  
  Set in 19th-century England, this musical thriller tells of barber Benjamin Barker. After being unjustly imprisoned in Australia by a lecherous judge who ravaged his wife, Barker returns to London as Sweeney Todd and sets up business above Mrs. Lovett's pie shop, but his vengeance expands beyond the judge to include his customers, whom Mrs. Lovett happily grinds up in her popular meat pies. Directed by theater professor Carolyn Anderson, co-created and designed by artist-in-residence Garett Wilson, music directed by Emma Weiss '13. The play repeats April 13–14 and 18–21, with matinees at 2 p.m. on Sundays. For tickets: 518-580-5439.