Arts Alive
 

As an educational institution with rich cultural resources, Divine Word College offers the community a chance to share these unique experiences.

The Arts Alive series focuses on hosting multicultural events, performances, lectures and art exhibits by diverse artists throughout the year, at little or no cost to our audiences.

The complete schedule for 2008-2009 is listed below. All events are suitable for the entire family. Plan to attend one or more during this season - you’ll be glad you did!

The Weyland Art Gallery is open Monday - Friday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Arrangements can be made for evening and weekend visits. Please call 563-876-3353 to schedule a gallery tour. Hours vary during holiday periods.

Need more information or have a question about an Arts Alive event? Contact Public Relations by email or phone 563-876-3353.

Download a brochure 

2008-2009 Schedule

Window to the World - Child Artists of Leningrad
October 19 - November 14
Share the magical outlook of children in Leningrad who portray the world through their eyes in these enchanting works of art. The inspiring images speak their own powerful language. Part of the International Collection of Child Art (ICCA), these representations depict local scenes of Leningrad, as well as fairy tales and farm scenes. They celebrate the creativity and imagination of children from a global perspective.

Divine Word College offers this special exhibit through the courtesy of the Illinois State University Milner Library. These delightful tempera paintings and prints reflect the inventiveness and vision of the world’s children and bring out the artist in all of us.

Manding Jata
7:30 p.m. Friday, October 24
In the golden age of West Africa, the fabled city of Timbuktu generated a cultural legacy. During the great Manding / Mali Empire, new levels of art and tradition flourished as performers from across the region came together with creative vitality.

Since 1996, the musicians, dancers and singers of Manding Jata have performed for worldwide audiences, offering “a dazzling display of strength, grace and acrobatics.” The primary instruments featured are the kora (21 string harp lute), Bamana and Mandinka xylophones, flutes and the djembe and dundunba drum ensemble. Don’t miss this thrilling performance of the music, dance and oral traditions of the Manding culture!


Made with Love - Quilts that Warm Our Hearts
November 19 - January 16
Who doesn’t love to curl up under a soft, cozy quilt?
Stitched into the very fabric of our history, quilts provide warmth and comfort and evoke memories of special people, places and times - marking the milestones of our lives.

The Divine Word College community shares their favorite family quilts for this beautiful exhibit. Made with love, they represent pains

Patricia Hampl
7 p.m. Thursday, November 20
Patricia Hampl hopes that her writing will “unlock a door to the reader’s life.” With a powerful sense of commemoration and expressive lyrical prose, her memoirs reflect her Czech and Catholic heritage. Her search for the “details and lost moments” of life is embodied in her work: her own personal attempt to be “a single voice singing its aria in a corner of the crowded world.”

An award-winning author of many books, poems and stories, Hampl is the recipient of six fellowships, and has an M.F.A. in poetry from the University of Iowa Writers Workshop. She is currently Regents Professor and McKnight Distinguished Professor at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Tsukasa Taiko
7 p.m. Friday, November 21
Mark your calendar for this world-class, powerful performance!
Founded in 1996, Tsukasa Taiko is one of the leading taiko (Japanese drumming) programs in the Chicago area. Dedicated to preserving Japanese heritage, Tsukasa Taiko provides a sense of community and leadership through performances and education. The group also collaborates in other multicultural creative music performances.

Based with the Japanese American Service Committee of Chicago (JASC), Tsukasa Taiko fosters awareness of Japanese American culture and promotes the physical and spiritual well-being of the greater multicultural Midwest community.

Drawings from Shady Nook by Greg Hartel
January 21 - February 27
A Wisconsin native who has taught in Nebraska public schools for over 30 years, Greg Hartel has degrees in Wildlife Management and Biology from the University of Wisconsin and the University of Nebraska. He currently works for the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources.

Hartel has integrated his lifelong love of art with his passion for nature. In addition to his detailed pen and ink drawings, he works in other mediums like clay, wood carving, taxidermy, block print and metal. Hartel’s unique art depicts scenes of wildlife, landscape and human form.

Concentric Fusion by Jeremy Rudd
March 4 - April 17
Experience a unique sculptural exhibit presented by Jeremy Rudd, Divine Word College’s new art professor. Featuring samples of his work from the last three years, the wooden sculptural objects in his exhibit are created from his observations of natural phenomena and the actual building process.

Rudd’s innovative blend and overlap of the abstract and the representational create a new experience for the viewer. Some of his more recent work focuses on the form and relationship of the land as it is influenced by both man and nature. Rudd has an M.F.A. in Sculpture from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.

Rubén P. Alvarez & the Raices Latin Music Ensemble
7 p.m. Friday April 3
Join percussionist/educator Rubén P. Alvarez and the Raices Latin Music Ensemble in an exciting, audience interactive performance. Listen to the “hot rhythms” that are the heartbeat of Latin American musical styles, impacting musicians and composers worldwide.

Alvarez has been influenced by the music of Broadway, classical, rock, blues, R & B, jazz, Brazilian, Afro-Caribbean and his own Mexican heritage. He presents numerous clinics and educational “informances” annually. Besides performing and recording, he is on the faculty at Northwestern and Roosevelt universities and at Columbia College.

Divine Word College Student Art Exhibit
April 22 - Summer 2009
Stroll through our Weyland Art Gallery and enjoy the work of the talented artists right here at Divine Word College.

This exhibit gives our students a chance to display and share their special projects and artistic accomplishments with the surrounding community.