Everything Nac

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and the Friends of the Visual Arts will present a free, one-night screening of “Chasing Ice” at 7 p.m. Friday, May 2, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

Directed and produced by Jeff Orlowski with photography by James Balog, “Chasing Ice” is the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering photographic evidence of the Earth’s changing planet.

According to information at www.chasingice.com, environmental photographer Balog was given a National Geographic assignment in 2005 to help tell the story of the Earth’s changing climate. He eventually began deploying revolutionary time-lapse cameras across the Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers.

“His hauntingly beautiful videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate,” the website says.

The documentary has garnered numerous awards, among them the Renewable Natural Resources Foundation’s 2013 Outstanding Achievement Award. It has won more than 30 awards at film festivals around the world, including the Excellence in Cinematography Award at the Sundance Film Festival and best documentary at the Berkshire, Big Sky and Crested Butte film festivals. It was given an audience award at the South By Southwest Film Festival.

This screening is part of the School of Art’s monthly Friday Night Film Series and is sponsored in part by the Nacogdoches Junior Forum.

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

Longtime Stephen F. Austin State University supporter Ed Cole, center, poses with this year’s Cole Scholars who were recognized at the recent SFA School of Music awards ceremony. These four-year scholarship recipients are, from left, Allison Adams, sophomore music major from Gilmer; Cairee Mayfield, senior music major from Houston; Clara Boyett, senior music major from Jasper; and Jacqueline Skinner, sophomore music major from Cleveland.

During the opening reception of Texas National 2014 in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House, juror Jerome Witkin announced the winners of the annual competition and exhibition presented by the Stephen F. Austin State University’s School of Art.

Shelby Shadwell of Laramie, Wyo., received first-place honors for “A Universal Picture 11, 2014,” while Pharr, Texas, artist Veronica Jaeger earned second place for “Fallen, 2012,” and Columbia, Mo., artist Matthew Ballou won third for “Strategic Influences, 2013.”

Honorable mentions went to Serena Stevens of Albuquerque, N.M., for “Playtime, 2014,” Nicole Santiago of Williamsburg, Va., for “Baby Cakes Pregnancy Self Portrait, 2013,” Zara Feeney of Thousand Oaks, Calif., for “Diaphanous, 2013,” and Owen Drysdale of Magnolia, Texas, for “Untitled (Negation), 2013.”

Celebrating its 20th anniversary on the national scene, Texas National is open to all artists living and working in the United States. This year’s exhibition features works of 47 artists from 20 states. Showing in Cole Art Center at the same is “Jerome Witkin: Paintings and Drawings,” which is an exhibition of the juror’s own highly acclaimed work.

Texas National 2014 is exhibited in Ledbetter Gallery, while the Witkin exhibition is on display in Reavley Gallery. Both shows run through Saturday, June 14.

The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House is located at 329 E. Main St. in downtown Nacogdoches. Gallery hours are 12:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. For additional information, call (936) 468-1131.

The 2014 Bright Ideas Conference highlighting faculty research, scholarship and artistry at Stephen F. Austin State University will be held Thursday, May 1, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center. The public is invited, and admission is free.

More than 90 research posters and scholarly exhibits will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom. Spotlight exhibits will be featured in the Twilight Ballroom along with refreshments. An invitation-only awards ceremony and luncheon will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The biennial Bright Ideas Conference is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Teaching Excellence Center and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

“It is essential that the faculty of a teaching institution such as SFA remain active in research and creative work,” said Dr. Richard Berry, SFA provost and vice president for academic affairs.

“Many of our faculty members have an extraordinary record of achievement in these areas, and I believe it is important to provide an opportunity to showcase these achievements so that, at the very least, we can become aware of the very impressive scholarly work of our colleagues and the ways in which this work informs and strengthens our teaching.”

One spotlight exhibit was chosen to represent each of the six SFA colleges, as well as the Ralph W. Steen Library. The presenters include:

· Dr. Violet Rogers, Nelson Rusche College of Business, “The Keystone Pipeline;”

· Dr. Eric Jones and Dr. Mark Faries, James I. Perkins College of Education, “Effects of Different Types of Clothing on Thermoregulation and Microenvironments During Simulated American Football;”

· Dr. Jere Jackson and Christopher Talbot, College of Fine Arts, “Diedrich Rulfs – Designing Modern Nacogdoches;”

· Dr. Leon Young and Wayne Weatherford, Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, “Value of Biomass Power Plant Wood Ash as a Limestone and Plant Nutrient Source;”

· Dr. Emmerentie Oliphant, Dr. Kim Rich-Rice and Wilma Córdova, College of Liberal and Applied Arts, “HIV + Women of Color in Rural East Texas: A Description of Narratives;”

· Dr. Jennifer Gumm, Dr. Matthew Kwiatkowski and Dr. Brent Burt, College of Sciences and Mathematics, “Sensory Ecology at Stephen F. Austin State University;” and

· Kyle Ainsworth, Ralph W. Steen Library, “Texas Runaway Slave Project.”

For additional information about the Bright Ideas Conference, contact the SFA Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at (936) 468-6606 or saldanagrace@sfasu.edu.