The U.S. flag and the state flag are being flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset today in honor of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

LLCC Arts and Humanities is hosting a free film and discussion series this fall entitled, “Through a Different Lens: Cultural Perspectives through Film,” hosted by Ashley Green, Ph.D., professor of English and Joseph Hoff, Ph.D., professor of Spanish. The next and final film for the fall is “Romero!” It will be shown tomorrow, Dec. 7 from 6-9 p.m. in the Trutter Center.

This 1989 bio-pic documents the transition of Oscar Romero from a bookish, disengaged Catholic priest to the Archbishop of El Salvador against the backdrop of the major contours of 20th century Latin American history. The speaker and facilitator is Dr. Hoff.

In addition, the Trutter Museum will be open until 6 p.m. on Dec. 7. The museum will feature a display of cultural items from the country highlighted in the film that evening!

The LLCC Big Band’s holiday concert, “There’s Something Going on in Bethlehem,” will be held Monday, Dec. 11 beginning at 7:30 p.m. at First Christian Church, 700 S. 6^th St., Springfield. The concert is free and open to the public.

The band, under the direction of Jane Hartman, LLCC professor of music, will perform big band and holiday favorites, such as “You’re Just Too Good to Be True,” “Angels We Have Heard on High” and “Christmastime Is Here.”

Donations will be taken at the concert to benefit the LLCC Student Life Food Pantry. A list of needed food and non-food items is available at www.llcc.edu/food-pantry-list.

LLCC Theatre in collaboration with Cutlass Artists will present “Alice’s Wonderland,” a new collaborative adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” from the text by Lewis Carroll, on Dec. 8, 9 and 10 at 8 p.m.

Please note: the Saturday pre-show discussion has been cancelled.

The production is directed and adapted by Mark Hardiman, LLCC professor of theatre. It will be staged in the lower level of Sangamon Hall South. Seating is limited to 20 patrons per night, with tickets, at $15 each, available at www.cutlassartists.com. Tickets are only sold online or by calling the customer service number 866-710-8942. They will be available up to one hour prior to performances.

Read more.

You can find the LLCC Art Department represented at the Downtown Springfield Holiday Walks on Saturdays, Dec. 9 and 16 from noon-6 p.m. at the 518 E. Monroe storefront pop-up. It can be a bit hard to find, south of the square, down from the old Cafe Brio space (now Vele), but you won’t regret it. The sparkling conversation is free!

Faculty, staff and retirees are invited to the LLCC Holiday Party on Thursday, Dec. 14 from 2-4 p.m. in the student union. Join the festivities by wearing your plaid apparel. There will be holiday reels movie trivia, and hors d’oeuvres will be served.

LLCC Arts and Humanities is hosting a free film and discussion series this fall entitled, “Through a Different Lens: Cultural Perspectives through Film,” hosted by Ashley Green, Ph.D., professor of English and Joseph Hoff, Ph.D., professor of Spanish. The next and final film for the fall is “Romero!” It will be shown on Thursday, Dec. 7 from 6-9 p.m. in the Trutter Center.

This 1989 bio-pic documents the transition of Oscar Romero from a bookish, disengaged Catholic priest to the Archbishop of El Salvador against the backdrop of the major contours of 20th century Latin American history. Speaker and facilitator is Dr. Hoff.

In addition, the Trutter Museum will be open until 6 p.m. on Dec. 7. The museum will feature a display of cultural items from the country highlighted in the film that evening!

Tamie Penning, project and web services manager, earned her Project Management Professional certification on Nov. 22. Earners of the globally-recognized Project Management Professional (PMP) have demonstrated their extensive knowledge and mastery of project management concepts, tasks and techniques that are applicable across any industry and methodology. Earners are able to speak and understand the global language of project management and have demonstrated the knowledge and skills to initiate, plan, execute, monitor and control, and close a project.

According to the Project Management Institute, there are over 750,000 certified project managers globally, two of which are at LLCC. Esteban Cruz, chief information officer, is LLCC’s first PMP, having earned his certification in 2013.

The James S. Murray Gallery at LLCC will feature the exhibit, “It’s Not Just Black and White,” an achromatic work in graphite and charcoal by Michelle Smith, Nov. 27-Dec.14. The exhibit is open weekdays from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

An artist’s reception will be held Friday, Dec. 1, from 5-7 p.m. in the gallery, located on the upper level of Menard Hall.

Smith, who teaches drawing for LLCC Community Education, is a member of the Springfield Artist Collective and the Colored Pencil Society of America. She won the Best of Show award twice in the Chatham Area Public Library Annual Winter Art Exhibit.

She says of her LLCC exhibit, “Life is what inspires me to draw. I believe there is so much in our daily living that just screams ‘put me to paper!’ and that is what I try to portray in my work. Creating art is creating communication: intellectual, emotional and even spiritual communication with the viewer.

“The ‘It’s Just Not Black and White’ exhibit is a very good representation of my artistic inspirations. The title alone lends itself to the deeper issue of life; most things are not as simple as they first appear to be. I believe it is the duty of art to point out those things that we either go completely blind to or take for granted.”

Read more about Smith, the James S. Murray Gallery and its exhibits at www.llcc.edu/james-s-murray-gallery.

Key or Unique Demonstrations of Outstanding Service award nominations are being accepted through today, Friday, Dec. 1. Nominate a deserving colleague by filling out the online submission form. Please use the Chrome or Firefox browser when completing this form. The KUDOS awards will be announced Dec. 8.

The KUDOS awards are an informal way to recognize the special contributions — small and large — made by faculty and staff that create the positive environment that is LLCC. Brighten someone’s day. Say, “Thank you! Great job!” by nominating that person for a KUDOS award!