| Date: | 09/05/2008 |
| Location: | Montana Musuem of Art & Culture, PAR/TV Center |
| Notes: | Asian Exhibits Open At Montana Museum Of Art & Culture Two exhibitions that feature ceramic artworks and a collection of Southeast Asian textiles will open Friday, Sept. 5, at the Montana Museum of Art & Culture, located in the Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center at The University of Montana. “Weaving Cultures…Highlights of the Helen Cappadocia Collection of Southeast Asian Textiles” will be on view in the museum’s Meloy Gallery. A collection of ceramic artworks by Steven Young Lee titled “notions…” will be in the museum’s Paxson Gallery. The exhibitions will be at the museum through Saturday, Oct. 25. The textiles in “Weaving Cultures…” – 74 pieces out of the more than 600 comprising the Helen Cappadocia Collection – range from historical pieces to traditional and contemporary works. The textiles are exhibited in two groups. One focuses on pieces produced by the various Thai Lao groups who lived in Northern Laos, Thailand and China in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The other focuses on contemporary textiles created by Hmong refugees living in Thailand and the United States and more traditional pieces, many of which were made in Laos and date back to the first half of the 19th and 20th centuries. The exhibition includes textiles created by Hmong communities in Missoula. The majority of the textiles in the exhibition were never intended to be presented in the context of an art gallery. Most of the hand-stitched and woven fabrics, which have survived relatively intact, were made to serve specific and practical functions in domestic and religious life. But such utility has not inhibited the creation of beautiful and exquisitely complex objects that demonstrate the establishment of sophisticated aesthetic traditions which have stood the test of time. Fashioned into costumes, collars, skirts, money vests, story cloths, blankets and prayer shawls, the textiles have been used to identify and honor family members, language groups and spiritual forces. The museum’s exhibition “notions…” features a selection of ceramic artworks by Lee, who is the resident artist director at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Helena. “The objects I create often refer to the form, decoration, color and materials of historical ceramics, yet ask viewers to confront their contemporary context,” Lee said. “These parallels can exist in my work through decorative motifs or traditional visual surfaces on forms of various origins.” Three events in conjunction with the exhibitions will be held at the museum’s Meloy Gallery. They are free and open to the public. Lee will give an artist talk at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9. A panel discussion titled “Hmong Culture – Conversation and Context” will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9. Panelists include anthropologist Suzanne Bessac, UM anthropology Professor G.G. Weix and a representative from the Hmong community. At 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, the museum will present “A Conversation with the Collector: Helen Cappadocia.” MMAC hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 4 to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. There is no charge for admission, and free parking is available near the northwest corner of the PAR/TV Center. For more information, call 406-243-2019 or go to the museum’s Web site at http://www.umt.edu/montanamuseum. |
| Date: | 10/01/2008 |
| Location: | 7 pm, UC Theater |
| Notes: | Hiroshima Survivor To Speak At UM Shigeko Sasamori, a survivor of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, will speak about the experience at The University of Montana on Monday, Sept. 15. The event begins at 7 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom. Sasamori will be accompanied by Steven Leeper, chair of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation. Her presentation is part of "The Legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki," a semester-long exhibition at UM to educate the community on the attacks and the aftermath, raise awareness about the consequences of nuclear war and share a message of peace. All events are free and open to the public. As part of the exhibition, a film series featuring five movies about Hiroshima and Nagasaki begins Wednesday, Sept. 10. All films will be shown at 7 p.m. Wednesdays in the University Center Theater. Charles Exley, UM assistant professor of Japanese, will introduce each film. The film series schedule is: • Sept. 10: "Barefoot Gen." • Oct. 1: "Hellfire: A Journey from Hiroshima." • Oct. 15: "Black Rain." • Oct. 29: "Yasukuni." • Nov. 12: "Kamikaze Taxi." The exhibition also includes the display of 30 posters through Dec. 1 in the lobby of UM's Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library. Roundtable discussions also are planned for later in the semester. For more information call Exley at 406-243-5301 or Noriko Seguchi, UM assistant professor of anthropology, at 406-243-2693. |
| Date: | 10/01/2008 |
| Location: | see text |
| Notes: | President Dennison's Office Hours Each semester, President Dennison welcomes members of the campus community to meet with him to discuss issues and topics of their choice. The President's office hours for fall semester are: • Wednesday, Oct. 1: 1-3 p.m. • Friday, Oct. 17: 1-3 p.m. • Thursday, Oct. 23: 9-11 a.m. • Tuesday, Oct. 28: 8-10 a.m. • Wednesday, Nov. 5: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. • Monday, Nov. 10: 3-5 p.m. • Thursday, Dec. 11: 2-4 p.m. Please call 243-2311 or e-mail prestalk@umontana.edu to make an appointment to meet with President Dennison during these times. |