‘Literature to Heal’ Kicks off Arts & Lectures
Arts & Lectures, a longstanding event series at California State University San Marcos, kicks off its spring lineup with “Literature to Heal the Soul in Uncertain Times” on Tuesday, Feb. 13.
This season boasts a diverse selection of nine events as the University hosts renowned guest speakers and performances.
All attendees must purchase or reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website.
Literature to Heal the Soul in Uncertain Times
Afrofeminism, Lesbian Resistance and Poetry
Feb. 13, 6 p.m.
University Student Union Ballroom, CSUSM
CSUSM Students: Free
Faculty/Staff/Alumni: $5
Community: $10
Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro and Zulma Oliveras Vega will present their experiences in a dual lecture presentation on women’s rights, race, LGBTQ struggles for equality, and race in Latinx Literature and how literature can help us heal in these uncertain times. All of these issues are considered in the context of Puerto Rico, a Spanish-speaking unincorporated territory of the United States. By providing a first-person perspective on these issues, the audience will learn about the experiences of two Latina leaders who are continuously engaged in the front lines demanding equity for all.
Co-sponsored by: Black Student Center, CFA Board, Ethnic Studies Program, Global Studies Department, History Department, Latin@ Center, Latino Association of Faculty and Staff, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Ally Faculty and Staff Association, Modern Language Studies Department, Office of Inclusive Excellence, Pride Center, Sociology Department, Social Sciences Program and Black Faculty and Staff Association.
The Monomyth, Featuring Michelle Boulé
March 6, 7:30 p.m.
Arts 111, CSUSM
CSUSM Students: Free
Faculty/Staff/Alumni: $6
Community: $12
Following the trajectory of the soloist (Boulé) across precarious encounters with isolation and ritual identification, “The Monomyth” illuminates the emotional and choreographic transformation of the feminine/feminist hero to reimagine Joseph Campbell’s concept of myth-making as a “challengingly persistent suggestion of more remaining to be experienced than will ever be known or told.” Boulé’s solo relies on an exquisite somatic alchemy to metabolize these shamanic narratives, the slow burn of disco and environmental sound fragments to conjure an ancient, yet intimate, consciousness in the present.
Co-sponsored by: Dance Studies Program and Instructionally Related Activities Fund.
Inherited Destiny, An Artist’s Documentation of Being Hyphenated in America
Featuring Alvin Pagdanganan Gregorio
March 27, 6 p.m.
Arts 111, CSUSM
CSUSM Students: Free
Faculty/Staff/Alumni: $5
Community: $10
Artist Alvin Pagdanganan Gregorio discusses his journey as a “hyphenated American” and an artist grappling with a past that is his own, though it happened before he was born. As Gregorio discusses his rich art practice which incorporates his background as a Filipino-American, he boomerangs through his personal and familial history, punctuated with art, activism and ancestry. Gregorio was born in Los Angeles with a past tangled in another place and time. He is the grandson of a Filipino guerrilla sniper from World War II, who fought alongside the U.S. Army against the invading Japanese. His mother and father immigrated to the United States after former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law. Gregorio has spent his adult life pursuing the expression of immigration, disintegration of family, violence and war, religion, spirituality and the defense mechanisms used to contain these issues. Gregorio is currently Associate Professor of Art Practices at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Women Breaking Boundaries, Featuring Lisa Ling
March 28, 6 p.m.
University Student Union Ballroom, CSUSM
CSUSM Students: Free
Faculty/Staff/Alumni: $6
Community: $12
What would it be like to give up a job on a popular national daytime talk show to be out in the field as an “explorer”— to follow your passion? Lisa Ling, executive producer and host of “This is Life” on CNN, knows because she lived it. Recognized for her role as a co-host of ABC daytime’s hit show “The View,” Lisa went on to become a contributor to “National Geographic’s Explorer” and ABC News’ “Nightline” and field correspondent for “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Lisa has reported from dozens of countries around the world, covering stories that deal with issues that are too often ignored. She got her start in journalism as a correspondent for Channel One News where she covered the civil war in Afghanistan at 21 years old. Come and hear Lisa share her story and explore how she overcame barriers and challenges experienced by women in non-traditional careers.
Life After Hate, An Evening with Christian Picciolini
April 3, 6 p.m.
University Student Union Ballroom, CSUSM
CSUSM Students: Free
Faculty/Staff/Alumni: $5
Community: $10
Christian Picciolini is the author of “Romantic Violence: Memoirs of an American Skinhead,” a former leader of the early American white supremacist skinhead movement, and the founder of ExitUSA – an organization helping people disengage from hate groups and violent ideologies. Join us for a captivating evening where Christian will share his story, provide a perspective about the recent proliferation of white nationalism and the Alt-Right movement, and discuss strategies for disengagement. This speaking event is part of a yearlong series of programs in recognition of the 15th anniversary of the Cross-Cultural Center.
Co-sponsored by: The Cross-Cultural Center, Civility Campaign, Global Studies Department, Department of Communication, CSUSM Hillel.
Performance Architecture, Featuring Alex Schweder
April 4, 6 p.m.
University Student Union Ballroom, CSUSM
CSUSM Students: Free
Faculty/Staff/Alumni: $5
Community: $10
Architect and performance artist Alex Schweder presents aspects of his collaborative practice, “Performance Architecture,” demonstrating how designed space and movement construct relationships and desires. Among these works is Counterweight Roommate, 2016, a large-scale tinker toy house with real rooms that function only by the concerted physical effort of the people who inhabit its space. This metaphorical house that has been constructed with in museums (including the Museum of Modern Art in New York City) is akin to real spaces he has designed for the elderly and the sick. At a time when caring for others and collaborative efforts are being threatened by the current United States’ political regime, Schweder’s “Performance Architecture” sends a powerful message of social justice. You will leave this event forever changed, knowing that your everyday movements within your daily spaces offer opportunities for friendship and kindness.
The Dream Share Project
April 11, 5 p.m.
University Student Union Ballroom, CSUSM
CSUSM Students: Free
Faculty/Staff/Alumni: $5
Community: $10
“The Dream Share Project” film explores how successful people have pursued their dreams to find careers they love. The documentary was filmed in 2010 after the creators quit their unsatisfying desk jobs and embarked on a coast-to-coast road trip to interview 30 different entrepreneurs, activists, artists, athletes, non-profit founders, technologists and many more. Immediately following the film is a 30-minute workshop to help individuals identify their passions, define success, create an action plan and work through road blocks (i.e. money, parents, fear of failure, etc.). The workshop is designed to help each participant examine their goals for the future and how to achieve them through steps. The Dream Share Project is a great example of what you can accomplish when you follow your passions and dreams. Join us as we journey into uncharted territory and let’s get inspired together!
Time, Einstein and the Coolest Stuff in the Universe
Featuring Dr. William Phillips
April 12, 6 p.m.
University Student Union Ballroom, CSUSM
* This event is free for everyone. Make sure to reserve your space.
In honor of its 10th anniversary, the CSUSM Physics Department is hosting 1997 Nobel Prize winner Dr. William Phillips. Dr. Phillips’ talk is a lively, multimedia presentation, including exciting experimental demonstrations and down-to-earth explanations. At the beginning of the 20th century, Einstein changed the way we think about time. Now, early in the 21st century, the measurement of time is being revolutionized by the ability to cool a gas of atoms to temperatures millions of times lower than any naturally occurring temperature in the universe. Atomic clocks are one of the scientific and technological wonders of modern life. Such super-accurate clocks are essential to industry, commerce, and science; they are the heart of the Global Positioning System. Today, the best primary atomic clocks use ultracold atoms to achieve accuracies of about one second in 300 million years, while a new generation of atomic clocks is leading us to redefine what we mean by time. Super-cold atoms, with temperatures that can be below a billionth of a degree above absolute zero, use, and allow tests of, some of Einstein’s strangest predictions.
Co-sponsored by: This event is funded through the CSUSM chapter of the Society of Physics Students thanks to a CSUSM co-curricular grant and the Department of Physics.
Yale Strom, “Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Cantata”
April 18, 6 p.m.
University Student Union Ballroom, CSUSM
CSUSM Students: Free
Faculty/Staff/Alumni: $5
Community: $10
This unique musical experience combines texts and music to portray a pivotal moment in the history of workers and immigration in the US. Using spoken word, music and songs (in Italian and Yiddish), Yale Strom’s cantata commemorates the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911, the deadliest disaster in New York until 9/11. In this fire, 146 people (mostly young immigrant women) lost their lives after the garment factory where they worked caught on fire; they were locked inside while their bosses escaped. The Triangle Shirtwaist fire was a turning point in U.S. history, leading to increased rights and safety protections for workers. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire cantata is a dramatic and moving musical experience, commemorating the lives of the workers who perished, while illustrating the fire’s impact on modern workers’ rights. Yale Strom is a world renowned klezmer musician, ethnomusicologist, and filmmaker.
The event is sponsored by Judi Gottschalk in honor of her mother Agathe Ehrenfried and in memory of her father Berek Ehrenfried.
Co-Sponsored by: California Faculty Association, History Department, Music Department.
Media Contact
Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314