Arts & Ideas

Drawing In HMart Exhibition 

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Reception: Mazmanian Gallery, McCarthy Center at 4:30 p.m. 
Lecture: Fac/Staff Dining Room, McCarthy Center at 5:30 p.m. 

Mazmanian Gallery is thrilled to present an exhibition of new work by artist Cathy Della Lucia. Her work explores issues related to Asian American identity, un(belonging) and inheritance through the collection and imitation of tools, toys, and weapons that have a habitual tactile connection with the body. This exhibition brings together wood, ceramic, and digitally fabricated components generated from drawings done in grocery stores and in front of refrigerators over the past year.

Hybrid Event:
Zoom Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/drawinginhmart

Contemporary Monuments to the Slave Past
Monday, September 30, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. Alumni Room, McCarthy Center

Renée Ater is primary scholar of Meta Warrick Fuller, whose work is in the Danforth Art Museum’s permanent exhibition. As a result of her vision, she highlighted this important African American sculptor and restored her to the history of American art. She also coordinates the Contemporary Monuments to the Slave Past database, which is a model for digital humanities.

Hybrid Event:
Zoom Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/reneeater-sept30

Why Teach with Digital Humanities? Creating Critical Thinkers and Makers with Cultural Recovery

Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. Heineman Ecumenical Center 

Roopika Risam will share her insights on digital ethnic studies in the classroom, offering a theoretical framework for engaging students with digital humanities and the literature, history, and culture of minoritized communities as she draws on assignments and projects developed during her nine years teaching at Salem State University. 

This event is co-sponsored by the Center for Digital Humanities with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Hybrid Event:
Zoom Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/roopikarisam

Alan Feldman Week of Poetry: A Reading with Stephanie Burt

Monday, October 21, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. Heineman Ecumenical Center 

Stephanie Burt is a poet, literary critic, and professor with nine published books, including her collection of poems: We Are Mermaids (2022), in which “Mermaids, werewolves, and superheroes don’t just fret over divided natures and secret identities, but celebrate their wholeness, their unique abilities, and their erotic potential” (Gray Wolf Press). 

Hybrid Event:
Zoom Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/alanfeldman

Swiacki Children’s Literature Festival 

Thursday, November 7, 2024 from 3 to 9 p.m. McCarthy Center 

This day-long, annual celebration of children’s books featuring renowned authors and illustrators includes book signings, a gallery exhibit, lectures and workshops. We welcome to campus author and Coretta Scott King award-winner Ibi Zoboi and author/illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh. Free admission for FSU students (registration required). 

For full festival details, including schedule and admission fees, visit https://www.framingham.edu/info/alumni-friends/alumni-events

The Arthur Nolletti, Jr. Film Series: Oppenheimer 

Tuesday, November 12, 2024 at 6 p.m. FSU Planetarium 

Set against the backdrop of the complex life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the brilliant American physicist and critical figure in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer delves into the profound impact of scientific innovation on humanity and the individual. 

The Road to Publication and Book Highlights

Wednesday, February 12, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. Alumni Room, McCarthy Center

Diane Barnes, a local author of women’s fiction novels, will discuss her writing process, finding an agent, and getting a publishing contract. She’ll also talk about her two newest novels, All We Could Still Have, about a woman’s desperate desire to become a mother and the effect of several failed IVF treatments on her marriage, and The Mulligan Curse, the story of a 54-year-old-woman’s wish to be 24 again coming true.

The Arthur Nolletti, Jr. Film Series: American Fiction

Thursday, February 20, 2025 at 6 p.m. FSU Planetarium

Cord Jefferson’s directorial debut is a satirical Molotov cocktail hurled at the commodification of Black stories. This explosive adaptation of Percival Everett’s novel Erasure (2001) tells the story of the writer-academic, Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, as he deconstructs Hollywood and publishing’s grotesque appetite for palatable, stereotypical narratives about contemporary Black life.

The Linda Vaden-Goad Authors and Artists Series: Laura Kane & Laura Osterweis

Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. FSU Planetarium

Laura Kane creates apparel design projects, such as transformable garments and those made from upcycled materials and fabrics. Her presentation will focus on this collaborative process. Laura Osterweis experiments with lipstick, makeup, and other mediums in her artwork. She will present pieces inspired by the cultures, values, landscapes, stories, and traditions from a recent trip to Hawaii.

The Upside of Failure: Lessons Learned on My 30-Year Journey to Overnight Success

Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at 1:30 p.m. Alumni Room, McCarthy Center

Join us for an entertaining, informative talk, as bestselling novelist Erica Ferencik recounts her 30-year writing/publishing rollercoaster! She’ll share practical, positive advice gleaned from every (often) painful lesson learned from decades of writing. Anyone who’s embarked on any creative endeavor will find this a fun and inspirational afternoon.

A Vision for Just Climate Policies

Thursday, April 3, 2025 at 12:30 p.m. Alumni Room, McCarthy Center

In conjunction with FSU’s annual Climate Justice Teach-in, Rev. Vernon Walker will speak with us about his work as the Climate Justice Program Director at Clean Water Action, where he focuses on access to and just policies in support of clean water, air, and energy for marginalized communities.