Everything Nac

Works from private Nacogdoches art collections will be featured in an exhibition that opens Jan. 17 in Griffith Gallery on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

“The Collector Collects: Art from Private Nacogdoches Collections” draws from local collections and will feature a variety of mostly works on paper, such as prints, drawings and pastels, and includes artists ranging from Francisco Goya to Mark Tobey, according to John Handley, director of galleries for the SFA School of Art.

“Part of the fun in pulling together a show like this is to see the diversity of artists, styles, dates and mediums that can be found in a small regional area like Nacogdoches,” Handley said. “There are examples from the 19th and 20th centuries, both European and American artists, many quite notable.”

Before Handley became director of galleries at SFA, SFA galleries featured similar exhibitions that showcased local art collections.

“I have been reminded several times from visitors to the galleries that these exhibitions were very popular,” he said. “So we thought, why not do one again?”

The exhibition is sponsored in part by the SFA Friends of the Visual Arts and the Nacogdoches Junior Forum. A reception will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, which is also the opening night of the SFA School of Theatre’s production of Lynn Nottage’s play “Intimate Apparel” as part of the school’s Mainstage Series. The play opens at 7:30 p.m. in W.M. Turner Auditorium. Griffith Gallery is located across the hallway from the auditorium.

Admission to SFA art exhibitions and receptions is free.

Griffith Gallery is located in Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive. For additional information, call (936) 468-1131.

America’s top female brass players will take the stage in a Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts’ University Series performance at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

A dynamic quintet, Seraph Brass is renowned for engaging audiences with captivating music, according to Scott Shattuck, associate dean of the College of Fine Arts and director of the series.

“Seraph Brass presents a diverse body of work that includes new compositions written specifically for the group in addition to well-known classics,” Shattuck said.

Members have performed with such acclaimed ensembles as the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony, and international orchestras from Switzerland, Korea, Scotland and New Zealand. They hold positions in the Richmond Symphony, the Louisville Orchestra, Sarasota Opera Orchestra, the Artosphere Orchestra, New Chicago Brass, Tennessee Tech University and the University of Virginia. Two members have performed and/or toured with Grammy Award-winning artist Adele.

The ensemble will present a master class for SFA music students while the group is on campus.

This performance is sponsored in part by Cataract, Glaucoma and Retina Specialists of East Texas/Benchmark Optical and Medical Arts Surgery Center.

Prior to the performance, Dr. Charles Gavin, professor in the SFA School of Music, will present an informative talk about the quintet at 7 p.m. in Griffith Gallery. The gallery is located across the hall from Turner Auditorium, which is located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive. The audience is invited back to the gallery for a post-performance reception to meet the performers and to honor the event’s corporate sponsor.

Single event ticket prices are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for non-SFA students/youth. Tickets for SFA students are $3.

This season’s final University Series performance will feature Olga Vocal Ensemble on Feb. 2.

For tickets or more information, visit finearts.sfasu.edu, stop by the Box Office in Room 211 of the Griffith Fine Arts Building, or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

Topics ranging from discrimination in professional environments to poverty and race within the education system to the modern-day contextualization of Jesus will be discussed during the third annual Diversity Conference, to be held Saturday, Jan. 28, on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

Organized and hosted by SFA’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, the conference gathers East Texas professionals, SFA students and faculty members, and the Nacogdoches community to join conversations about various diversity-related issues.

“The overall purpose of the conference is to educate the SFA and Nacogdoches communities on all aspects of diversity, multiculturalism and social justice,” said Veronica Weaver, OMA director. “In addition, the Diversity Conference seeks to provide a platform for presenters to share their diversity-related work with conference attendees and engage in vital multicultural dialogue.”

More than 150 individuals attended the conference last year, Weaver said, and organizers hope to double that number. This year’s theme is Facing Diversity.

“This theme was chosen by our OMA caucus members because diversity is, at times, something that people do not want to discuss for the risk of being uncomfortable,” Weaver said. “During this conference, we want to not only discuss diversity but embrace it. Diversity includes many things such as ethnicity, gender, religion, ability and so much more. During this conference, all these topics and more will be discussed.”

Dr. Kwame Antwi-Boasiako, chair of SFA’s Department of Government and a professor of political science and public administration, will serve as the conference’s guest speaker at 9 a.m. The event will consist of four blocks with a total of 16 panels. Topics range from mental health, race, sexual orientation, diversity and education, art, religion and more.

New to this year’s conference is the addition of a lunchtime activity aimed at allowing participants to interact with each other. Organizers also are encouraging artists to submit pieces to the Diversity Museum, which will be held concurrently with the conference.

The conference will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom. The event is free and open to the public. Day-of registration will open at 8 a.m. Pre-register by Friday, Jan. 20, to receive lunch. To register, visit sfasu.edu/oma.

For information, contact the OMA at (936) 468-1073 or email oma@sfasu.edu.