Everything Nac

A special screening of a film by William E. Arscott, filmmaking professor at Stephen F. Austin State University, will be at 7 p.m. Friday, March 8, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

“Hoorah” was filmed across portions of the southwestern United States between 1975 and 1976 on 16mm color film stock with a crew of SFA students. Described as a “poetic documentary,” it examines the vanishing American Indian culture at that time and the rise of the “white face,” according to Peyton Paulette, filmmaking adjunct faculty and chair of the Friends of the Visual Arts film committee.

“This will be the first time this film has been screened for a public audience, and it’s the first time the final finished film has been screened in color,” Paulette said. “Previous screenings have been in black and white.”

Arscott is SFA’s longest-tenured faculty member and the senior member of the art faculty. He began his nearly 56-year tenure with SFA in 1963 as an art instructor. He established SFA’s cinematography program in 1980 and now primarily teaches filmmaking. He has worked in many artistic fields, including ceramics, painting, print making, sculpture and cinematography.

He was named a Regents Professor in 1984 and the SFA Alumni Association’s Distinguished Professor in 1986. The late Dr. Baker Pattillo, former SFA president, recognized Arscott in August 2013 for his 50 years of service to SFA, proclaiming Aug. 22, 2013, William E. Arscott Day at SFA.

The screening of “Hoorah” is presented by the School of Art and Friends of the Visual Arts. Admission is free.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.

The Hachidori Duo will present “Musical Dialogues” when the husband-wife duo performs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14, in Cole Concert Hall on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

The Hachidori Duo was founded in 1998 by Jennifer Dalmas, violin, and Evgeni Raychev, cello, while they were each pursuing doctoral degrees in music performance at Florida State University. Since 2003, both performers have taught in the SFA School of Music.

“‘Hachidori’ is the Japanese word for hummingbird,” Dalmas said. “These incredible and beautiful creatures open our eyes to the beauty of the natural world. It is our hope that the music we perform will open a new world for our audience, as well.”

The program title “Musical Dialogues” was selected because much of the music has a “conversational give-and-take” aspect, according to Dalmas. Selections include “Two Duets” by J.S. Bach; Sonatine pour Violon et Violoncelle by Arthur Honegger; Duo No. 1 by Bohuslav Martinu; and Sonata pour Violon et Violoncelle by Maurice Ravel.

“The Bach arrangements are re-workings of some of Bach’s works for keyboard,” Dalmas said. “The contrapuntal writing, or writing with two equal voices in mind, works very well for string duo.

“The Martinu and Honegger duos are lesser known works for violin and cello, but both are wonderfully written compositions that contain lyrical, melodic slower sections and exciting, virtuosic fast movements,” she said.

The Ravel sonata is the best-known work for violin and cello on the program and was written almost 100 years ago, in 1920.

“It is arguably one of Ravel’s finest works, in which he shifts his focus from harmony to melody, and to dialogue between two voices,” Dalmas said.

The Hachidori Duo has given recitals and master classes in various countries in Europe and Central America as well as the United States and has also performed several double concertos with orchestra. The duo was featured at the National ASTA convention in 2009. Dalmas and Raychev frequently perform as part of educational programs, such as “Music in the Schools.” In 2015, they served as music faculty at the Interharmony International Music Festival in Arcidosso, Italy. As part of the Interharmony chamber music concert series, the duo performed in the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in 2016.

The SFA concert is a joint presentation of the College of Fine Arts and School of Music. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

The Stephen F. Austin State University student chapter of the Wildlife Society defeated universities from across the state to claim victory during the Quiz Bowl held during the Wildlife Society meeting in Montgomery.

“This statewide meeting provides the largest stage on which our students can showcase their knowledge,” said Dr. Daniel Scognamillo, SFA associate professor of wildlife and faculty advisor for the student chapter of the Wildlife Society. “The students seized the opportunity and put their chapter and the SFA forest wildlife management program in the spotlight by winning the Quiz Bowl.”

The Quiz Bowl is a friendly competition challenging participants representing student chapters from across the state with rounds of questions related to the broad range of wildlife biology, management and research.

“This win is a huge success for the chapter,” said Jake Hill, freshman forest wildlife management major. “We’re excited about preparing for next year and carrying on the winning tradition.”

In addition to the Quiz Bowl, SFA students presented a range of research findings through posters and oral presentations.

The Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society is the nation’s largest chapter and holds a meeting every February in varying locations across Texas. Hundreds of wildlife and conservation professionals representing state and federal agencies, nonprofits, the private sector and academia attend the meeting to network and learn about the latest wildlife-related research.

Story by Sarah Fuller, outreach coordinator for Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. Contact information: (936) 468-1185 or fullersa@sfasu.edu.

Opening the book “Chocolate Me!” by Taye Diggs, Stephen F. Austin State University elementary education students and volunteers kick off the third annual African-American Read-In at Brooks-Quinn-Jones Elementary School in Nacogdoches.

The read-in, which was established by the National Council of Teachers of English in 1990, promotes diversity in literature by highlighting African-American authors while also celebrating Black History Month.

“This is always a great opportunity to introduce new books to students,” said SFA Associate Professor Dr. Lauren Burrow, who has organized this event for the past two years. “This year, we read to approximately 140 students. This has always been a fabulous activity, and I am so grateful to Brooks-Quinn-Jones administrators and teachers for their support.”

SFA elementary education students read several books by African-American authors and organized activities related to each book. Activities included coloring self-portraits with multicultural crayons to better represent each student’s unique skin tone, writing about what makes students feel royal and reader’s theaters, which was an avenue for students to discuss what gives them the blues.

For more information about SFA’s Department of Elementary Education, visit sfasu.edu/elementaryed.

By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will present Edward Albee’s one-act play “The Zoo Story” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 8, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 9, in the Downstage Theatre on the SFA campus.

Directed by Jackie Rosenfeld, a lecturer in the School of Theatre, “The Zoo Story” is about a conversation that occurs between two strangers in a New York City park. To escape his wife, two daughters and two parakeets, Peter sits on a bench in Central Park, reading and thinking, Rosenfeld explains. Jerry joins him, having just been to the zoo. He draws the unwilling Peter into conversation and extracts information from him. In return, Jerry supplies Peter with a curious medley of information about his wanderings in New York.

“‘The Zoo Story’ is considered to be the first absurdist play written by an American playwright,” Rosenfeld said.

The two-person cast includes Wichita Falls senior Travis Brasher as Jerry and Las Vegas, Nevada, senior Shane Reynolds as Peter. Stage manager is Dallas freshman Michael Nunez.

Originally from Abilene, Rosenfeld earned an M.F.A. in playwriting from Texas Tech University. She currently serves as the Region VI chair for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival National Playwriting Program and co-coordinator for the Scholar Debut Panel with the Texas Educational Theatre Association. Her plays have been produced across the country including several performances in Manhattan. Her play “keepingabreast” was recently published as an audiobook by Blunder Woman Productions.

The play is recommended for mature audiences. Tickets are $4. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit theatre.sfasu.edu.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 14, in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.

Joy Columbus, vice president for the Houston Botanic Garden, will present “A Walk Through the Houston Botanic Garden: The Global Garden Revealed.”

Columbus works with the Houston Botanic Garden’s local, state and national partnerships to build unique plant collections and create awe-inspiring gardens designed to delight and inspire visitors.

Before her tenure at the Houston Botanic Garden, Columbus served as the director of horticulture at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois. She successfully initiated and coordinated the development of Project New Leaf, a multiphase $35 million campus revitalization plan. The project comprised 500 acres and included renovations to the historic garden’s framework and development of new garden attractions.

Columbus has previous experience working with the New York State Office of Parks and Cleveland Botanical Garden, and she served as a research assistant at Miami University of Ohio. Columbus received her Master of Science in biology from John Carroll University, and she holds a Bachelor of Arts in botany with an environmental emphasis and a minor in horticulture.

The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month and includes a rare plant raffle after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series fund are always appreciated.

Parking is available at the PNPC and Raguet Elementary School, located at 2428 Raguet St.

For more information, call (936) 468-4129, or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

Students selected from each of Stephen F. Austin State University’s six colleges and one regional college will showcase their research during the 2019 Undergraduate Research Conference from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center.

Individual students or a student group from each college was selected as top scholar. Additional students were chosen as finalists. Top scholars will present their research during the conference in the student center theater. Finalists will showcase their poster presentations in the student center’s Twilight Ballroom.

Dr. Michael Tkacik, director of the School of Honors and professor of government, said the students were chosen based on their rigor, creativity and research processes regarding their projects.

“Ultimately, research seeks to add new knowledge to the world,” Tkacik said. “These students have demonstrated excellence in every sense. They have shown initiative, perseverance and creativity. They are to be commended for their hard work.”

Top scholars include: Kia Fisker from the Nelson Rusche College of Business; James Hutson, Casey Pederson and Courtney Elliott from the James I. Perkins College of Education; Michael Dean, Travis Wattigney, Wyatt Gay and Logan Starks from the College of Fine Arts; Carly Wright from the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture; Aaron Kelley from the College of Liberal and Applied Arts; Hailey and Holly Jarzynka from the College of Sciences and Mathematics; and Hannah Horton, who is representing Tyler Junior College.

The conference is open to the public. For a list of participants and research topics, visit sfasu.edu/honors/urc/winners2019.