Everything Nac

Tickets are still available for the upcoming concert of The Barefoot Movement when the exciting, young bluegrass band performs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 8, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University.

The performance is the last in this year’s University Series presented by the SFA College of Fine Arts.

Heralded by CMT Edge as “one of the most promising bands on the bluegrass scene,” The Barefoot Movement was named “Band of the Year” in 2014 by the International Bluegrass Music Association. Billboard Magazine describes their sound as “slices of bluegrass, country, folk and even a little bit of rock and roll.”

“When this up-and-coming, youthful quartet of superb musicians romps through pop-infused ‘newgrass’ medleys and country-flavored ballads, you can expect an evening of music with something for everyone,” said Scott Shattuck, associate dean of the College of Fine Arts and director of the series. “Tickets are selling fast, but there are still good seats available if you act quickly. Take advantage of our buy-one, get-one ad in The Daily Sentinel and bring a friend for free.”

The band’s University Series performance is sponsored in part by Commercial Bank of Texas.

Prior to the performance, artist, musician and SFA Professor Emeritus Charles D. Jones will present an informative talk at 7 p.m. in Griffith Gallery. The gallery is located across the hall from Turner Auditorium, which is inside the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive.

Tickets for the University Series are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for non-SFA students/youth. Tickets for SFA students are $3. 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.

Huffman junior theatre student Sidney Lowell plays the role of Babette in the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre’s presentation of Max Frisch’s play “(Biedermann and) The Firebugs.” Curtain goes up at 7:30 nightly through Saturday, March 3, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.theatre.sfasu.edu. Single tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $7.50 for students/youth.

The Friends of the Visual Arts at Stephen F. Austin State University will award a newly established $1,000 scholarship this spring in honor of longtime art and filmmaking professor William E. Arscott.

Arscott, who recently turned 83, is SFA’s longest-tenured faculty member with more than 54 years teaching at the university. This scholarship is one of many the FVA has established to honor retiring art instructors. However, Arscott has no plans to retire soon.

“Normally, the FVA Board only awards scholarships for a retired professor,” FVA scholarship chair Linda Mock explained. “But we decided that Bill may never retire, and we want to honor him now. He has been generous in providing financial assistance to the gallery and supporting all our FVA scholarship fundraising efforts.”

The Arscott scholarship will be awarded on an annual basis to a junior, senior or graduate level student who is working toward an art degree with a major area of study in filmmaking.

Arscott has worked in many artistic fields, including ceramics, painting, printmaking, sculpture and cinematography. For many years, while teaching cinematography, he also taught huge sections of art appreciation, and his lectures for these have been aptly described as “legendary,” according to a Faculty Spotlight feature.

Arscott established the cinematography program in 1980. His primary artist activity is that of a movie producer, though he also does some work in painting and printmaking, the Spotlight article explained. Distinguished both as an artist and educator, Arscott has been recognized and awarded many honors, including Texas Senate Resolution No. 514, Outstanding Educator of America, Alumni Distinguished Professor and Regents Professor.

Among his proudest moments was when Dr. Baker Pattillo, SFA president, recognized Arscott in August 2013 for his 50 years of service to SFA. Pattillo presented Arscott with a plaque proclaiming Aug. 22, 2013, ‘William E. Arscott Day’ at SFA.

Today, Arscott spends most of his time teaching alongside one of his most famous former students, two-time Emmy-Award nominee Brad Maule, who portrayed Dr. Tony Jones on the daytime soap opera General Hospital for 20 years. Together, the two colleagues spend hundreds of hours a year teaching undergraduate and graduate students filmmaking, cinematography and production design.

A testament to the program’s commitment to graduating “camera-ready” professionals, Arscott said about 90 percent of the program’s graduates are employed in the industry. “They leave us with the skills they need to excel,” Arscott said in the Spotlight article.

The FVA has established scholarships in the name of retiring SFA School of Art professors who were employed in the School of Art for a minimum of 10 years before retirement and who contributed in a significant way to the mission of the Friends of the Visual Arts board and its fundraising activities, such as consistently donating art for fundraisers, by providing monetary assistance, or by serving on FVA committees or board.

The SFA Friends of the Visual Arts is made up of community members who support the arts in East Texas and provide monetary assistance to students enrolled in the School of Art to assist them with expenses incurred in producing the required exhibition for earning a B.A. or M.F.A. in art. The FVA also assists students with expenses related to attending educational trips planned by the School of Art or to attending conferences/workshops related to their primary area of study.

The A Cappella Choir at Stephen F. Austin State University will present “Where Everything is Music” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 8, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The program theme will examine the many ways in which music permeates and affects our everyday life, according to Dr. Michael Murphy, associate professor and director of choral activities in the SFA School of Music.

The A Cappella Choir will perform the North American premiere of Swedish composer Bo Hansson’s original composition “Where Everything is Music” for choir and cello. The 900-year-old text from Persian poet Rumi talks about removing barriers and boundaries in life. Dr. Evgeni Raychev, cello instructor at SFA, will collaborate with the choir.

The choir will also perform southwest premieres of two unaccompanied choral selections by composer Andrew Smith, who was born in Liverpool, England, and has lived in Norway since 1984.

Other works performed will feature “Reggel” (“Morning”) by the Hungarian-Austrian avant-garde composer György Ligeti. The rhythmic Haitian folk song “Peze Kafe” by Swedish arranger Sten Källman, along with the melancholy “Nächtens” (“In the Night”) by Johannes Brahms and other selections will complete the program.

The concert is a joint presentation of the College of Fine Arts and School of Music. Cole Concert Hall is located in the Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Drive.

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.