Renowned poet Stuart Kestenbaum will read his works, as well as those of other notable poets, TODAY at 10 a.m. in the R.H. Stephens Room, Menard Hall. Kestenbaum has written several books and his poems have been featured on NPR programs including Garrison Keillor’s “Writer’s Almanac” and “To the Best of Our Knowledge,” as well as in several publications, including SUN magazine. His books of poetry include “Only Now,” “Prayers and Run-On Sentences” and “House of Thanksgiving” (all Deerbrook Editions), and “Pilgrimage” (Coyote Love Press).
Category Archives: AHRM
Recital Series features Skibbereen Celtic-influenced music Jan. 25
The LLCC Recital Series will feature the Celtic-influenced music of Skibbereen on Sunday, Jan. 25. The performance begins at 4 p.m. in the Trutter Center on LLCC’s Springfield campus, and is free and open to the public.
Founded out of a love for Celtic-influenced music, Skibbereen has 
been providing Springfield with its interpretation of old and new Celtic music for the past four years. Founder Hank Helton started the band on guitar. After playing a bit of musical chairs with the lineup, Rachel Gamble joined on violin and vocals, and Colin Helton (Hank’s son) joined on drums. Colin has since moved to guitar and vocals with the addition of Danny Kerwin on bass and Matt Scherer on drums. The band has just released its second CD, containing almost all original material.
The set list will include: “The Leaving of Liverpool,” “When Love Comes Around,” “What’s Got Into Marley?,” “Castle Kelly” and others.
Other upcoming performances in the LLCC Recital Series include:
Feb. 1: River Ramblers bluegrass
March 22: Brick House Brass Quintet
April 19: Jane Hartman Jazz Trio
LLCC Choir to perform at ceremony marking 150th anniversary of 13th amendment Feb. 3
The Lincoln Land Community College Choir, directed by Sue Hamilton, has been invited to perform at a ceremony marking the 150th anniversary of the 13th Amendment. The ceremony will be held in the Senate Chambers of the Illinois State Capitol at noon on Tuesday, Feb. 3. The event is sponsored by the Illinois Senate, Abraham Lincoln Association and the Illinois Archives.
A reminder that renowned poet Stuart Kestenbaum is visiting LLCC next week
Renowned poet Stuart Kestenbaum is visiting LLCC Thursday, Jan. 15 and Friday, Jan. 16. The public is invited to hear the visiting poet read from his works, as well as those of other notable poets, on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 10 a.m. in the R.H. Stephens Room of Menard Hall. He will work with various English classes on Thursday and Friday.
For the past 26 years, Kestenbaum has served as director of Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine, and is a respected writer and educator in the crafts field. He is also a recipient of the Distinguished Educator Award from the James Renwick Alliance.
Kestenbaum has written several books and his poems have been featured on NPR programs including Garrison Keillor’s “Writer’s Almanac” and “To the Best of Our Knowledge,” as well as in several publications, including SUN magazine. His books of poetry include “Only Now,” “Prayers and Run-On Sentences” and “House of Thanksgiving” (all Deerbrook Editions), and “Pilgrimage” (Coyote Love Press).
The poet’s visit is sponsored by the LLCC Student Life Office, Arts and Humanities Department, and Feminist Activist Coalition.
Murray Gallery to feature Illinois State Journal 1929-36 glass plate exhibit
The James S. Murray Gallery opens the spring semester Jan. 12 by hosting “The Glass Plate Collection: Images from The Illinois State Journal 1929–1936” curated by Rich Saal, photo editor at The State Journal-Register. The exhibit is open weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., through Jan. 29 in the Menard Hall second floor gallery.
This collection of photographs hearkens back to the days when 
photojournalists shot images on glass plates. Saal discovered the plates while working on his master’s project in history. He spent more than a year scanning some 1,300 glass plates and matching them with their captions from the microfiched copies of their original printing.
Images from The Illinois State Journal create a portrait of Springfield during the 1930s: its cultural and built environment, people walking its streets and in their daily routines, the lively public square in its role as the heart of Springfield, and the grittiness and personality of a growing urban center.
Recital Series Sunday features Flute Chamber Music with Abigail Walsh
The LLCC Recital Series continues Sunday, Dec. 7 with Flute Chamber Music featuring Dr. Abigail Walsh. The performance begins at 4 p.m. in the Trutter Center and is free and open to the public.
Illinois-based flutist Dr. Abigail Walsh has performed as a solo, orchestral and chamber musician throughout the U.S. Dr. Walsh is on the faculty at the University of Illinois-Springfield where she coaches chamber groups and music ensembles, teaches music courses and performs in solo and chamber recitals.
Other performers at the Dec. 7 recital include Margaret Kegel, flute; Greg Cohill, clarinet; Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson, narrator; Yona Stamatis, violin; Chris Lynch, horn; Jeni Phelps, bassoon; and Troy Rasmussen, oboe.
Other upcoming performances in the LLCC Recital Series include:
Jan. 25: Skibbereen Celtic Influenced Music
Feb. 1: River Ramblers bluegrass
March 22: Brick House Brass Quintet
April 19: Jane Hartman Jazz Trio
Panel discussion featuring LLCC faculty to follow final performance of “The Shadows of Edgar Allan Poe” Sunday
LLCC Theatre is hosting a panel discussion following the 2 p.m. performance of “The Shadows of Edgar Allan Poe” Sunday, Dec. 7 at the Hoogland Center for the Arts.
Audience members are welcome to join in the discussion led by LLCC English faculty members Marlene Emmons, who will provide background on Poe and his detective stories, and Eric Stachera, who will discuss “Annabel Lee,” one of the cornerstones of the theatre piece. Other panelists are Mark Hardiman, director and theatre professor, and James Seay, teacher, actor and dramaturg for the production.
The production will also be performed Friday, Dec. 5 and Saturday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at the Hoogland Center, 420 South 6th St., by calling 217-523-2787 or online at www.hcfta.org.
This world premiere production is a 90-minute immersive experience, featuring creative staging of Poe’s famous masterpieces including “The Raven,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and “The Pit and the Pendulum,” among others. The stories are told through a juxtaposition of light and shadow, original music and mesmerizing movement.
Students and staff of the Illinois School for the Deaf in Jacksonville have been invited to attend a special dress rehearsal performance on Thursday.
Reminder: Theatre auditions next week
LLCC Theatre will hold auditions Monday, Sept. 8 and Tuesday, Sept. 9 for its fall production of “The Shadows of Edgar Allan Poe.” The open auditions are being held from 7 to 9 p.m. in Sangamon Hall South, room 0009 on the LLCC-Springfield campus. Questions may be directed to mark.hardiman@llcc.edu or by calling 217.786.4942. Persons unable to audition Sept. 8 or 9 should email Professor Hardiman.
The play is a devised piece of theatre that will be built by the acting ensemble, which will choose from Poe’s most well-known and accessible works. Through a collaborative process, the ensemble will develop the performance under Professor Hardiman’s direction. Read more…
Itinerary announced for Study Abroad in Spain
This May, for the first time, the Arts and Humanities department is offering a travel/study trip to Spain. The 11-day trip departs on May 18, 2015 and includes visits to some of Spain’s most spectacular sites: Barcelona, Granada, Costa del Sol, Toledo, Madrid, Cordoba and Sevilla. For more information, contact either Professor Leslie Stalter (Art) at leslie.stalter@llcc.edu or Professor Joe Hoff (Spanish) at joseph.hoff@llcc.edu.
Murray Gallery opens fall season with Japanese paintings of Hiromi Katayama
The James S. Murray Gallery opens the fall season with an exhibit of the paintings of Japanese artist Hiromi Katayama. The paintings will be displayed through Sept. 18 in the gallery, located on the second floor of Menard Hall on the LLCC campus. Gallery hours are Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4.p.m. The exhibition is presented with the support of the LLCC Foundation.
Hiromi Katayama is a native of Ibaraki, Japan and received a bachelor’s in fine arts in Japanese traditional painting from Joshibi University of Art and Design and a master of fine arts in the painting program at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
She states, “My love for creative art was founded in the private studio of my mentor, Renjoin Sensei, at the age of nine. Today, my work is created using traditional Japanese pigments and techniques, utilizing traditional methods and materials, and imagery founded in my belief of cultural foundations in nature. Through this work, I hope to share my culture and a little bit of myself with my audience. Read more…