Bestselling Author Coming to Pitt-Bradford

Sarah Dessen, the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen novels for teens, will speak April 11 at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.

Dessen will share stories about writing and her books, read, and sign books at 7 p.m. in the Harriett B. Wick Chapel. The program is free and open to the public. The Pitt-Bradford hospitality management program will provide refreshments.

A community forum will be held at 5 p.m. in the chapel to discuss how young adult novels can spark conversations about adolescent development and common concerns faced by teenagers.

The interactive discussion, “Talking about the World of Teenagers Using Novels They Read,” will be led by Dr. Rebecca McHugh, assistant professor of psychology. Teens, parents, teachers and anyone else interested may attend.

McHugh will be joined by Mary Anne Polucci-Sherman, a psychologist at Bradford Regional Medical Center, and Suzy Meyer-Page, a counselor at Deerfield Behavioral Health.

Earlier this year, Dessen received the 2017 Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association for her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens.

That writing includes “Dreamland,” “Keeping the Moon,” “Just Listen,” “The Truth About Forever,” “Along for the Ride,” “What Happened to Goodbye?” and “This Lullaby.”

Edwards Award committee chairperson, Joy Milliam, said “The teen years are often filled with anxiety, conflict and a sense of helplessness, but Sarah Dessen’s voice brings comfort, acceptance and love. Her stories lead to answers without condescension. Readers are empowered and learn that they have the ability to overcome their challenges.

In writing a review for her novel “What Happened to Goodbye” in 2011, Susan Carpenter of the Los Angeles Times wrote, “Sarah Dessen is something of a rock star in young adult fiction. Her bestselling coming-of-age novels are warmly written explorations of teens in transition that are, by turns, questioning, humorous and hopeful.”

Dessen’s newest novel, “Once and for All,” set in the world of wedding planning, will be released in June. She lives in Chapel Hill, N.C., where she grew up as the child of two professors at the University of North Carolina.

Dessen’s visit is co-sponsored by the Bradford Area Public Library, Bradford Area School District, Friends of Hanley Library, the Pitt-Bradford Division of Management and Education, Port Allegany School District, the Blaisdell Foundation, and the University of Pittsburgh’s Humanities Center.

Award-winning Teacher, Lax Biographer to Talk About Iconic Olean Poet

Michael McGregor, professor of English and Creative Writing at Portland State University in Oregon, will visit St. Bonaventure University from March 18 to April 3 as the Spring 2017 Lenna Endowed Visiting Professor.

McGregor is the author of “Pure Act: The Uncommon Life of Robert Lax” (Fordham University Press, 2015), which has been shortlisted for numerous awards in biography, American studies, and Catholic publishing and is now being called the definitive Lax biography.

Lax, whom McGregor befriended in Lax’s later years in Greece, was an Olean native and a citizen of the world; a poet, mystic, and visionary; an intimate friend of Thomas Merton; a benefactor of St. Bonaventure University; and the recipient of the first Reginald A. Lenna Visiting Professorship in 1990-1991. Lax died in 2000 at the age of 85.

At the Robert Lax website he manages, McGregor defines the biography’s title:

“Lax pursued an approach to life he called pure act — a way of living in the moment that was both spontaneous and practiced, God-inspired and self-chosen. By devoting himself to simplicity, poverty and prayer, he expanded his capacity for peace, joy and love while producing distinctive poetry of such stark beauty critics called him ‘one of America’s greatest experimental poets’ and ‘one of the new “saints” of the avant-garde.’”

Free and open to the public, McGregor’s public lecture about the life and work of Lax and the writing of “Pure Act” is scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, in the amphitheater of the William F. Walsh Science Center. The title for that lecture is “The Island of Uncommon Life: Robert Lax and the Joy of Uncertainty.”

During his two-week stay, McGregor will mentor student writers and visit classes in creative and professional writing. He is scheduled to converse with faculty and staff about Lax’s life and poetry at a Souper Monday luncheon on March 27.

He will deliver introductory remarks about Lax’s poetry at St. Bonaventure University’s conference on concrete and visual poetry, Never Abolish Chance, to be held March 31 and April 1 in honor of Lax and his contributions to modern poetry. For more information about the two-day conference, contact the conference organizers at concrete@sbu.edu.

McGregor will also meet with the campus slam poetry society Chattertons and with the staff of The Laurel, St. Bonaventure University’s campus literary magazine and the oldest continuously published college literary magazine in the United States.

The Lenna Endowed Visiting Professorship, established in 1990, is funded through gifts from the late Betty S. Lenna Fairbank and Reginald A. Lenna of Jamestown. It is designed to bring scholars of stature in their field to St. Bonaventure University and Jamestown Community College for public lectures.

Seneca Building Renamed Marilyn Horne Hall

As a tribute to the renowned opera star and Bradford native, Marilyn Horne, the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford changed the name of its six-story downtown property from the Seneca Building to Marilyn Horne Hall.

The University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees approved the name change Friday in Pittsburgh.

In May Pitt-Bradford will open a 3,400 square-foot museum in the hall dedicated to Horne, who donated her archives to the University of Pittsburgh.

“Ms. Horne is beside herself with joy and excitement that a building in the place of her birth is being named in her honor,” said Dr. Livingston Alexander, president of Pitt-Bradford.

“She is truly humbled by the honor and looks forward to joining us on May 6 for the dedication and opening of the Marilyn Horne Museum and Exhibit Center in Marilyn Horne Hall.”

Horne, who is Bradford’s most famous native daughter, was born in 1934. Her father, Bentz Horne, encouraged her to pursue her musical dreams. She moved with her family to Long Beach, California, when she was 11 and made her debut when she was 20 at the Los Angeles Opera Guild. Following her father’s death in 1956 in Bradford, she traveled Europe, performing in many productions and receiving rave reviews.

Horne was considered one of the world’s premiere mezzo sopranos for more than 40 years, becoming not only a star of the opera world, but also an ambassador to pop culture through appearances on “The Odd Couple,” “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” “Carol Burnett and Friends” and “Sesame Street.”

The ground-floor Marilyn Horne Museum and Exhibit Center will feature replica costumes, displays that capture the highlights of Horne’s life and career, and interactive features that teach visitors about music and opera.

Marilyn Horne Hall is located on Marilyn Horne Way, which borders Veterans Square on the west end of Main Street in Bradford.

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows built the building as its meeting hall in 1932. In 1985, Dr. Paul Keverline, co-owner of Seneca Eye Surgeons, purchased the building. After Keverline died in a plane crash in 2002, his business partner, Dr. Robert Weiss of Warren, and his wife, Mary, donated the building to Pitt-Bradford.

In addition to the new museum, the ground floor will house a gift shop, café, meeting space and new offices for the Bradford Creative and Performing Arts Center. Upper floors are occupied by the Division of Continuing Education and Regional Development, the Center for Rural Health, and private tenants.

Ceramics exhibit opens Feb. 3 at Pitt-Bradford

Ceramicist Chanda Zea will exhibit modern sculptural work at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Feb. 3 through March 3.

An opening for the exhibit, “pause.repeat,” will be held at noon, Feb. 3 in the KOA Speer Electronics Gallery of Blaisdell Hall. The opening is free and open to the public.

The exhibition will open with an introduction to the artwork by Zea, after which refreshments will be served. Zea takes inspiration from everyday objects for her artwork, assembling and re-assembling them into different forms, combining various pieces into series of objects that stand alone or interact with each other.

Originally from Western New York, Zea is currently a visiting assistant professor of ceramics at Indiana University Southeast, just across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky.

For more information on Chanda Zea and her artwork, visit www.chandazea.com.

Hours of the KOA Art Gallery are 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For disability needs related to the exhibition, contact the Office of Disability Resources and Services at Pitt-Bradford at 814-362-7609 or clh71@pitt.edu.

'Murder on the Nile' to be Performed at Quick Center

Aquila Theatre performers in a scene from “Murder on the Nile.” Aquila will present Agatha’s Christie’s classic murder mystery at St. Bonaventure University on Jan. 19.

New York City-based Aquila Theatre, celebrating its 25th anniversary season, will perform Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery “Murder on the Nile” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, at St. Bonaventure University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.

It is the fifth presentation of the 2016-17 Friends of Good Music season.

Christie is regarded as one of the great mystery writers in world literature, and this new production features a masterful whodunit and Aquila Theatre’s clever signature style.

“Murder on the Nile,” Christie’s own staging of her famous novel “Death on the Nile,” is set on a paddle steamer cruising Egypt’s legendary Nile River in the 1940s. The passengers are abuzz when famous heiress Kay Ridgeway and her penniless new husband, Simon Mostyn, board the ship.

Class, money and reputation are at stake in one way or another for the passengers, and before they know it, deceit, theft and murder make waves on the river. A host of colorful and mysterious characters, including spurned lover Jacqueline De Severac, protective uncle Canon Pennefather, and a troubled German doctor, add to the drama and suspense of this classic mystery.

Who can be trusted? Who holds the truth? Who is a suspect? Whodunit?

Aquila Theatre brings its innovative touch to this deliciously dangerous murder mystery, with what has been described as “brilliant direction, superb acting, thrilling physicality and stunning designs.”

Aquila’s production is set in the early 1940s during World War II at the BBC Home Service studios in London. Air raid sirens were a regular occurrence in London during this time as Great Britain was on constant alert to bombings by Germany. Members of the theater troupe have arrived and are preparing for a live radio broadcast of “Murder on the Nile.” Another air raid has prevented the full cast from assembling and yet, the show must go on, somehow.

This presentation is funded in part by the New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization Regrant program with support from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and is administered by the Cattaraugus County Arts Council.

Tickets are $20 per person at full cost, $16 for senior citizens and St. Bonaventure staff, and $5 for students. For tickets and information, call The Quick Center at (716) 375-2494.

For each Friends of Good Music performance, The Quick Center will open its galleries one hour before the performance and keep them open throughout the intermission. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Museum admission is free and open to the public year round. For more information, visit www.sbu.edu/quickcenter.

Art in the Wild Call for Artists

The Eleventh Annual Art in the Wilds is returning to Kane, PA this summer and fine artists and fine craftsmen are invited to submit an application to the show!  This outdoor, juried fine arts event will be held on Saturday, June 24 and Sunday, June 25 from 10 AM to 5 PM each day in beautifully wooded Evergreen Park right in the center of town! 

Kane is a small town in northwestern PA that is surrounded by the Allegheny National Forest.  It is part of the Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania and PA Route 6 Artisan Trails and is a beautiful drive from any direction.

The 2016 show was a great success, attracting over 6,000 visitors who purchased more than 1,300 separate original art pieces. We expect to attract over 6,500 visitors this year and plan to keep our number of artists below 40. 

Funding is received from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Kane Community Development Foundation, along with corporate and individual sponsorships such as the Kane Community Hospital, an Affiliate of UPMC, all of which are all used in advertising and promotion to bring patrons to buy your art.

Artist satisfaction is a priority with us:

ü  The 2016 show had an average artist satisfaction score of 9.6 on a scale of 1 to 10!

ü  Extensive advertising includes 40,000 show programs which are distributed in area newspapers along with radio, newspaper and travel guide ads, rack card and poster distribution and social media.

ü  The average artist sale last year was $1,862.

ü  Two thirds of our total annual budget is devoted to advertising and promotion of the show.

ü  Artists may take advantage of Friday set-up with free parking nearby, a Friday night artist reception and free breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday. 

ü  Artist awards

ü  Twenty-four-hour security in a safe atmosphere exists.

ü  Inexpensive nearby lodging is available.

ü  Volunteers are at your service to provide booth sitting, answer question and help with set up and take down.

ü  There will be food vendors but the art is always the focus of the event.

ü  A five-county high school student art exhibition encourages future sustainability of the show.

ü  It’s Alumni Weekend in Kane – all local high school classes celebrate at the same time every five years so we have a nice crowd of buyers from all over the US.

Award Winner Ruth Schnell

Fine art, high quality fine craft, limited high quality prints and photography are accepted.  The application deadline is March 1, 2017.  Requirements include five digital images of recent work, one of your display and one of you creating your work, a copy of your artist statement and a description of your art process.  These will be reviewed by outside professional jurists and you will be notified by March 24th of your acceptance.

You must provide a white tent with 4 sides that can be securely anchored to the ground and secured at night. The price of our 10’ x 10’ spaces remains at $100 and the jury fee at $20. 

Please go to our website www.artinthewilds.org to learn more and to fill out the application. You can also call, email or write to the above address for questions and to receive a copy of the show guidelines, rules and application. 

A participating artist recently wrote, “Just a quick note to let you know how happy we were to participate in your show.  The quality of the other exhibitors was exceptional and so was the way we were treated by everyone associated with it.”  

BLT Presents 'Tony & Tina's Wedding

Anthony Angelo Nunzio, Jr. and Valentina Lynne Vitale, together with Bradford Little Theatre request the honor of your presence at their “marriage” on February 10, 11, 17, and 18 at Togi’s Playhouse,18 Welch Ave. in Bradford at 6:30 p.m. A “reception” will follow at Togi’s Blue Room.

“Bradford Little Theatre is thrilled to be bringing “Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding” to the Bradford area.  It is one of the longest running Off-Broadway shows, as it opened in 1985 and ran for 25 years.  The New York Times has described this show as ‘the oddest, goofiest, unlikeliest hit in New York.’ I completely agree with that and it is a huge hit,” Kristin Asinger, BLT president and director said.

The show begins as audience members arrive for the pre-ceremony and wedding at Togi’s Playhouse, formerly East End Presbyterian Church. This is an Italian-American wedding and the two families do not get along very well.  Tony, played by BLT newcomer Darren Hilmes, and Tina, played by Tiffany Mager are truly in love, but it is difficult for them to keep the drama in control with all of their unpredictable friends and family members.  From Tina’s ex-boyfriend Michael Just, played by first-time BLT performer Brian Lewis, showing up uninvited to the wedding, to Father Mark, played by BLT veteran Christopher Lathrop, having a little too much to drink at the reception, this wedding is one to remember.

Act II will require a short walk across the parking lot into the Blue Room at Togi’s Restaurant for the reception. Audience members will eat, drink, dance and interact with the cast during the wedding reception where, of course, more drama unfolds.  For the party-girl bride, this wedding is all about the reception and she and the entire wedding party is there to party!  The girls in the wedding party consist of three debuting BLT actors: the pregnant maid of honor, Connie, played by Nicole VerHagen, and bridesmaids Donna and Marina, played by Katey Pacific and Jane Yang.  Standing up for the groom are best man Barry Wheeler, played by Devon Baumgardner, and groomsmen Dominic Fabrizi and Johnny Nunzio played by Ryan Bailey and BLT newcomer Andy Hilzinger.

The show wouldn’t be the same without Tony and Tina’s feuding families.  Members of the bride’s family will be played by Connie Shanks as Josephine Vitale, mother-of-the-bride;  Kyle Heffern as Joey Vitale, brother of the bride; David Merwine as Luigi Domenico, great uncle of the bride; Lori Johnson as Rose Domenico, aunt of the bride; and Amanda Dincher as Sister Albert Maria, cousin of the bride.  Members of the groom’s family will be played by Frank J. Denig, making his BLT debut as Anthony Angelo Nunzio, Sr., father of the groom; Candy Tingley as Madeline Monroe, Mr. Nunzio’s girlfriend; and Marcia McAndrew will play Grandma Nunzio, grandmother of the groom. 

Additional members of the cast include Zach Ruth as photographer Sal Antonucci; Thomas James, wedding videographer; Tim Asinger as caterer and amateur comedian Vinnie Black; Dee Fitch making her BLT debut as Loretta Black, the caterer’s wife; BLT newcomer Chloe Qian, Kelly Fitzgerald and Olivia Fitzgerald as Vinnie and Loretta’s children; Barry Fitzgerald and Brie Lara will play Donny Dulce and Celeste Romano, singers at the wedding and reception.  The music for this Italian wedding will consist of a blend of romantic and Italian classics, popular dance hits and a touch of cheese. Ya gotta have cheese!

“Since this is an interactive show, every night will be somewhat different, but just as fun.  Audience members can feel free to sit at their table and watch or get up and interact with the cast,” said Asinger.

Working behind the scenes on the production are producer Dani Newman, choreographer Brie Lara, costume designer Brian Lewis, make-up artist Amy Thomas and marketing coordinator Chelsea Place, plus many more people helping with props, set items and hair.  

“We have a wonderful cast and crew,” Asinger said, “Everyone is so ready to get this production rolling.  Rehearsals just started and the cast is currently working on character development, choreography, the timeline and their improvisation skills.”

Tickets are $30 per person and include the show, dinner, wedding cake and non-alcoholic drinks.  There will be a cash bar.  Tickets are available through Togi’s Restaurant, Graham Florist and from cast and crew. The production will be staged on February 10, 11, 17, 18.  Each show will begin at 6:30pm.  Doors will open at 6:00 pm and guests are encouraged to arrive close to this time to take in all of the pre-ceremony activity.  For more information contact Asinger at 814-598-8127.

“This show will be a great date night and a fun night out with friends. Only 80 tickets are available per show, so be sure to purchase tickets in advance. ” said Asinger. “‘Tony N' Tina's Wedding’ will be the best wedding you ever attended where you did not know the bride or groom, and by the end of the night, you’ll know everyone!”

PA Wilds Center Gets Grant Money for Photography Project

The PA Wilds Center is pleased to announce it has secured grant funding for a forthcoming photojournalism exhibit featuring juried artisans creating their artwork in their unique workspaces throughout the Pennsylvania Wilds. The gallery show will tell the story of the region's creative makers who are a vital piece of our region's identity.

Presented by The Wilds Cooperative of PA, the exhibition will explore representations of artists in their workspaces and will capture the splendor and uniqueness of the Pennsylvania Wilds landscape and rural lifestyle. This project is supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Individual grants were awarded by the Pennsylvania Partners for the Arts project stream program by the Elk County Council on the Arts, Bradford County Regional Arts Council and Galaxy - the Arts in Education Program of Central Intermediate Unit 10. A total of $4859 was awarded to the PA Wilds Center for the project.

"We are really grateful for this PPA grant support from these three organizations," said Ta Enos, Executive Director of the PA Wilds Center. "So many talented artists and craftspeople live in the Pennsylvania Wilds. This project will help us capture and tell this story, all while creating another work opportunity for a local artisan."

The PA Wilds Center has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to hire a Juried Photographer from The Wilds Cooperative of PA to capture the images of juried artists in their workspaces. Proposals are due by 5 p.m. on January, 16. The contracted photographer will select 24 Pennsylvania Wilds artists to photograph. The images will be curated into a gallery show that celebratesthe creative spirit and skill of the region's rural artists and craftspeople, many of whom practice their craft in a room at their house on a back country road, out of sight.

The Wilds Cooperative of PA provides arts business development services to nearly 100 local juried artists and craftspeople in its membership. The Wilds Cooperative of PA is one of rural Pennsylvania's largest networks of creative entrepreneurs, working together to bringing handcrafted Pennsylvania products that reflect our region's natural beauty and rural traditions to diverse marketplaces throughout the region, and on a soon-to-be launched PA Wilds e-commerce website.

Set to premiere in June, the show will be a free public art experience for residents and visitors to enjoy and learn from. The exhibit will travel to various galleries throughout the Pennsylvania Wilds; show dates and locations will be announced in the summer. For more information on The Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania and its services and members, please visit www.pawildsartisans.com

The photojournalist Request for Proposal can be viewed at www.pawildscenter.org/news/rfp-portrait-photographer

For more information on the PA Wilds Team and its programs and services, please visit www.pawildscenter.org

The Pennsylvania Wilds region includes the counties of Warren, Forest, Elk, Potter, McKean, Tioga, Clinton, Lycoming, Clearfield, Jefferson, Cameron and Clarion, Northern Centre.