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News & Events
Actors, authors and artists to lead Tolerance Month activities
Theatrical productions, readings by published poets and spoken word performances are among the events slated for Antelope Valley College’s celebration of Tolerance Month in March, which will incorporate Women’s History Month and Bridges Festival.
Events will take place at the Lancaster campus, 3041 W. Ave. K, Lancaster.
Call for more information, (661) 722-6300, ext. 6354.
Wednesday, March 3, 7-10 p.m.
Lost in Translation—Is Language Possible? (site tba)
UCLA’s Zaia Alexander will head a panel which will look at the challenges of moving not only from one language to another, but also from one era to another and one sexuality to another. Even if we speak and write English fluently, that hardly guarantees success, not least of which because there is not one English, but hundreds. Is it all hopeless? Can one language or set of experiences ever be successfully translated? The panel includes Charles Hood, who is at work on a project drawing from his ethnopoetic studies in New Guinea, and Daniel Vilmure, who is the author of Toby’s Lie and other boundary-breaking fiction, as well as being somebody who has lived and taught in the Middle East on two different Fulbrights. Other panelists tba.
Tuesday, March 4, 7 p.m.
KLOS radio personality Frank Sontag (SSV 151, the Board Room)
Wednesday, March 5, 6-9 p.m.
Medea Images: Mad Women, Monsters, & the Female Maligned from Greek Tragedy to Fatal Attraction (SSV 151, the Board Room)
As writer Virginia Woolf points out, while most women have been "all but absent from history," their counterparts in mythology, folklore, and literature are often "infinitely beautiful and hideous in the extreme." The projection of woman into a larger-than-life Other—whether goddess, temptress, or evil-doer—varies among cultures but always indicates something about the role of women in that time and place. Join Language Arts faculty Jeffrie Ahmad, Mark Hoffer, and Santi Tafarella as they survey maenads, murdering mothers, the Malleus Maleficarum, madwomen in the corner office, and other extreme portrayals of over half the human population.
Thursday, March 6, 7-10 p.m.
From Virgin to Drag Queen: Representations of Elizabeth I in Art and Film (SSV 151)
Somewhere between Boadicea and Mrs. Thatcher, England had another tough female ruler: Queen Elizabeth I. Initially, she was a great disappointment to her father, Henry VIII, because he was desperate for a male heir. However, out of his three children, she was the one who most closely resembled him as a ruler. Unlike him, she didn't marry six times, or even once (perhaps she was put off a little by the fact that her father beheaded her mother). She did a man's job while portraying herself as a mythical virgin. From the 1500s on, artists and moviemakers have tried to capture her unique persona. Painters have given us an ethereal fiery queen, impenetrable under layers of make-up and jeweled clothing, and surrounded with symbols. Casting directors have seen her in such tough actresses as Bette Davies, Glenda Jackson, Judi Dench, and Cate Blanchett. The movie Orlando melds the masculine and feminine aspects of her persona in the form of Quentin Crisp in drag. Join Dr. Rachel Jennings, Dr. Matthew Jaffe, poet Melanie Jeffrey, and Brit Lit teacher Lynn McDonie as they explore some of these expressions of our fascination with Elizabeth.
Friday, March 7, 7-10 p.m.
Then & Now: Pride & Prejudice (SSV 151)
Originally published in 1813, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice remains one of the most popular novels of all time. But why? What makes a story about the politics of marriage in Georgian England endure? We will watch the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice with this question in mind. The film follows the five Bennet sisters on their quest to marry well in class-conscious England. In her Oscar nominated performance, Keira Knightly plays the delightfully witty, yet quick to judge Elizabeth Bennet who verbally spars throughout the film with the wealthy and proud Fitzgerald Darby. Judi Dench and Donald Sutherland join the cast in small but captivating roles. From the film's celebrated art direction of the English countryside, we will watch as the characters of Pride and Prejudice navigate the treacherous battleground of courtship. Following the film, the presenters will examine why this story continues to resonate with audiences by discussing some of the novel's themes: the politics of gender, the ethics of care, class distinctions, family values, and manners. Presenters Scott Covell and Angela Koritsoglou are interested in exploring how Austen's characters are defined differently by these themes.
Tuesday, March 11,
1-2 p.m. (library plaza and/or cafeteria),
8-9 p.m. (SSV 151)
Douglas Kearney & Vejae Jennings, spoken word performances
CalArts poets Kearney and Jennings bring their hip-hop sensibility and passionate performing styles to AVC for two spoken word performances. Very fast, very fun, and, at times, very adult. Please be aware that event includes strong language and mature themes.
Wednesday, March 12, 7-9 p.m.
“Still Life,” reception featuring the art work of Thomas Müller ( Art Gallery)
Thomas Müller will present a time-based installation titled “Still Life” that explores notions of impermanence and mortality through simple materials and gestures. By stripping objects and images down to their bare essentials, the work points to the fragility of “objectness” and the tenuousness of meaning.
Thursday, March 13, 7-10 p.m.
Women and the Holocaust (SSV 151)
Bobbie Harris, teacher of our Holocaust Literature class, joins Dr. Susan Lowry to present the particulars of women's lives during the Holocaust, including what it was like to be physically in jeopardy at all times, how one dealt with children and motherhood, and the special concentration camp created just for women and children. Come hear about the particular heroics of Jewish women in WWII Europe.
Friday, March 14, 7-9 p.m.
Saturday, March 15, 7-9 p.m.
Vagina Monologues (Blackbox Theatre)
A poignant and hilarious tour of the last frontier, the ultimate forbidden zone, The Vagina Monologues is a celebration of female sexuality in all its complexity and mystery. In this stunning phenomenon that has swept the nation, Eve Ensler gives us real women's stories of intimacy, vulnerability, and sexual self-discovery. Witty and irreverent, compassionate and wise, Eve Ensler's Obie Award-winner masterpiece gives voice to women's deepest fantasies and fears, guaranteeing that no one who sees it will ever look at a woman's body, or think of sex, in quite the same way again.
Monday, March 17
2-3:30 p.m.
Franco-Caribbean Art: An Introduction and Invitation (site tba)
Join our Festival’s artist-in-residence Maxence Denis as he gives an overview (in French and English) of the promise and fulfillment of visual art in the Caribbean, with a special emphasis on works from the French portion of the heritage. He will review his own work, including his main video installations, and explain what his project will be while in residence here, and how members of the community can collaborate in making art.
3:30 – 5 p.m.
Art workshop with Maxence Denis (site tba)
Is the Antelope Valley “Art”? Can be beauty and insight be found here? Musicians, art students, film majors, writers, faculty, and community members will meet with Mr. Denis today in order to collaborate on ideas for a “guerilla theatre” project—some type of artistic response to the landscape and political identity of the Antelope Valley. They will also consider options for installation art. Ready to make a movie or create an art piece and have it shown to an amazed and appreciative audience? Here is your chance.
Tuesday, March 18
5-7 p.m.
“Brown and Black and White All Over”—storytelling event with Antonio Sacre (SSV 151)
Antonio Sacre is a nationally-known Cuban-American whose cassettes and performances have won many awards. This powerful solo theatrical performance examining issues of racism and justice premiered in New York City and played to cultural acclaim and sold out theaters in Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington DC. Mr. Sacre often appears on NPR and is a frequent guest at theatre events and arts festivals. This event appropriate for ages 17 and up, due to adult language and themes.
7-9 p.m.
Négritude Then and Now—is there such a thing as a “Black” artistic identity? —M. Furusa, M. Denis, others (SSV 151)
Négritude was a literary and political movement developed in the 1930s by a group that included African politicians, Caribbean radicals, and writers like the poet Aimé Césaire. They found solidarity in a common black identity as a rejection of Colonial French political and social values. They believed that celebrating the shared black heritage of members of the African diaspora was the best way to fight against Eurocentric political and intellectual domination, and so sought a separate identity based in their own language and traditions. What has been the legacy of such beliefs, and do they still apply today? Panelists will include Vejea Jennings, an AVC adjunct and African-American poet who had done work with cyberart at CalArts; Dr. Gouveia-Marks, Language Arts Dean whose experiences in the multiple languages of Trinidad have given her special insight into the multiple layers of identity; Zimbabwe writer and African Studies expert Munashe Furusa, author of The Borders in All of Us; and Haitian artist Maxence Denis, filmmaker and UNICEF grantee.
Wednesday, March 19, 7-10 p.m.
Current Topics in Women’s Health (SSV 151)
For Women's History Month, Kathy Bingham and Susan Lowry will be presenting and discussing with the audience issues surrounding medical breakthroughs concerning Women's Health. The falling rates of breast cancer, new methods of birth control (and the problems with them), the drug that takes {{ away ?? }} women's monthly periods (good or bad?), and anything else that is current in Women's Health.
Thursday, March 20, 7-10 p.m.
“My Color is Not My Name”—Racism and Tension in the Antelope Valley (SSV 151)
Does our community have a “race” problem? If so, is it oppression of whites against African-Americans, the misunderstandings of African-Americans and Hispanics, or some other, as-yet undiagnosed problem? This will be a frank, honest look at current racial tension. During the Civil Rights era, Jesse Jackson and Cesar Chavez worked side by side in protest marches. Can we images blacks and Latinos working like that here and now? What has changed, and what misunderstandings does each side face? Panel will include
Sandy Corrales-Eneix, Robert Alvarado, Darren Parker, and Nadia Sanko, a PhD candidate at UCLA who teaches an innovative seminar called “Afro-Hispanic Literature and Popular Cultures.” Dr. Jackie Fisher moderates.
Friday, March 21, 6-9 p.m.
Through Deaf Eyes (SSV 151)
Duane Rumsey will lead a discussion of the ideas raised by Through Deaf Eyes, a film which explores nearly 200 years of deaf life in America. The film presents the experiences of American history from the perspective of deaf citizens. Interviews include actor Marlee Matlin, I. King Jordan, other community leaders, historians, and deaf Americans with diverse views on language use, technology, and identity. Six artistic works by deaf media artists are woven throughout the documentary to complement the core of the film.
Saturday, March 22, 7 p.m.
“Coming to America—Transformations,” one-woman play with Stephanie Satie (Blackbox Theatre) This moving work presents a gallery of women whose lives have been transformed, first by extraordinary events in their country of birth, and then by their response to America. The characters are real women from around the world, including a woman from Afghanistan, for whom Satie wears an authentic burqua.
Monday, March 24, 7-9 p.m.
I (Don’t) Want my MTV: ten videos you’ve never seen (but will love once you have) (site tba) Maxence Denis will share examples of art videos, student work, and short films which are unknown in the U.S., but whose insights and raw-edged charm will open your eyes—and your heart. Translations will be provided for those items which are not in English and which are not subtitled.
Tuesday, March 25, 3-5 p.m.
Battle of the Bands (+ world music) (library plaza)
Thursday, March 27 3-5 p.m.
Student writing workshopswith guest artists (SSV 151)
Advanced writing students will meet in small group tutorials with each of the off-campus presenters. Admission will be by portfolio submission, handled by Charles Hood. Focus will be on revising for craft, finding a voice, and understanding others.
7-10 p.m.
Crossing Borders, Building Bridges: a celebration of differénce—poets Eloise Klein Healy & Lee Herrick, Maxence Denis (SSV 151)
Please join Eloise Klein Healy, Lee Herrick, and Maxence Denis as they share their love of language, their insights into the human condition, and their surprise, sorrow, and joy at being alive on this planet. Our week’s culminating event will include a premier screening of the video collaboration Mr. Denis made during his residency at Antelope Valley College. All three main speakers will share from their best but previously published art, as well as material from projects currently in progress. Question and answer period will follow, as will a book signing and informal reception.
Friday, March 28
4-7 p.m.
The Black Dahlia (SSV 151)
On the evening before taking off for a tour of related sites, professors John Toth, John Hall, and Janice Hall will present an overview of the life and bizarre death of Elizabeth Short, aka "The Black Dahlia," the inspiration for numerous novels, films, and investigative works over the decades up to the present day. Theories and possible solutions will be discussed, and filmed material related to this notorious homicide will be included in the evening’s overview.
7 – 10 p.m.
Tolkien's Women (SSV 151)
In this Women's History Month-themed lecture, Carolyn Burrell and Dr. Lowry will lead a discussion about the nature of JRR Tolkien's female characters, as well as the role of women in his life. With the help of the audience they will examine why women find Tolkien's works so compelling, despite the fact that they seem so one-dimensional.
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