Art & Literary Magazine Wins First-Place Award

Montgomery County Community College’s Art and Literature Magazine, “Forty-Three,” placed first in the 2014 American Scholastic Press Association Annual Contest/Review for Scholastic Yearbooks, Magazines & Newspapers. From left: Editor-in-Chief Jessica Hughes and Co-Advisors Art Regular Lecturer Christopher Stanley and English Senior Lecturer Thomas Powers. Photo by Sandi Yanisko

Montgomery County Community College’s Art and Literature Magazine, “Forty-Three,” placed first in the 2014 American Scholastic Press Association (ASPA) Annual Contest/Review for Scholastic Yearbooks, Magazines & Newspapers in the college magazine category.

Published annually, the magazine features artwork, prose and poetry of students, faculty and staff. The 2013-2014 student editorial staff included Editor-in-Chief Jessica Hughes and Art Editors Matthew Green and Joseph Schiaffino. English Senior Lecturer Thomas Powers and Art Regular Lecturer Christopher Stanley have served as co-advisors since 2011.

“The magazine is student-run with guidance from the advisors,” Powers said. “The student staff meets weekly from September through completion in the spring. Students create posters and transmit emails to solicit entries for consideration.”

The first-place award is a national award among colleges from across the United States and the second highest honor a college magazine can receive from ASPA. The contest judged “Forty-Three” on writing, layout and design and overall visual quality. The magazine includes 16 literature selections and 37 art selections, including the cover.

“It was nice receiving the recognition, but winning the award was not part of our thinking during the process,” Stanley said. “We try to create the best magazine possible.”

“I think the quality of the included works is outstanding, as well as the overall design,” said Hughes. “After meeting with the advisors, I felt this would be a great way to practice my love of writing and editing, while also being exposed to the different works of students and faculty.”

The student staff juries the submissions and makes selections with guidance from the advisors. The winning cover image was submitted by Matt Swann. Other MCCC people involved with the magazine’s production include Administrative Assistant Nancy Atkinson, Galleries Director Holly Cairns, Director of Student Leadership and Involvement Chris Coia, English Professor Bonnie Finkelstein, Administrative Assistant Faith Green, Support Secretary Diana McGuire, English Associate Professor Patricia Nestler, Art Senior Lecturer Deborah Riccardi and Art Professor Frank Short.

“Forty-Three” bears the title of the number of editions published since the magazine started in 1971, and it includes references to the College’s 50th anniversary year. The staff currently is in the process of creating the magazine for the 2014-15 year, which will have a general theme focusing on the College’s natural and architectural spaces.

~ by Diane VanDyke

Gallery Hosts Annual High School Art Show & Competition

Artwork by Lydia Ciaffone, “Abstract Yellow Leaf,” digital photography, Plymouth Whitemarsh High School.

Montgomery County high school art students will showcase their artwork at Montgomery County Community College’s 37th Annual Montgomery County High School Art Exhibition and Competition starting Monday, March 2, through Friday, March 27, at the Fine Arts Center Art Gallery at Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell.

The opening reception will be held Sunday, March 8, from 1 to 3 p.m. with the awards ceremony at 2 p.m. The exhibition is free and open to the public—everyone is welcome.

Students from more than 30 high schools in Montgomery County were invited to participate in the exhibition. The artwork features a variety of subjects and styles in an array of media. College art faculty members will be judging the artwork.

Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Sunday, except for the reception.

For more information about the exhibition, contact Gallery Director Holly Cairns at 215-619-7349 email hcairns@mc3.edu.

Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/DestinationArts for information about upcoming performances and art exhibitions or visit the website at mc3.edu/arts/fine-arts.

~ by Diane VanDyke

Author Bob Reiss Presents Lecture: ‘The Arctic Century Is Upon Us’

Photo courtesy of Bob Reiss

As the ice continually melts in the Arctic, controversy ensues between development by oil companies and the protection of this fragile environment and its native people. Acclaimed author and journalist Bob Reiss will discuss “The Arctic Century is Upon Us” when he visits Montgomery County Community College on Monday, March 9, from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. A simulcast of the presentation will be shown in the South Hall Community Room at the College’s West Campus, 101 College Drive, Pottstown.

The community is invited to attend this free presentation but tickets are required. For tickets, visit mc3.edu/BennettLecture or call 215-641-6518. Following the presentation, Reiss will be signing his book, “The Eskimo and the Oil Man,” in the Science Center lobby in Blue Bell.

As a best-selling author of 19 books, Reiss has published both fiction and non-fiction books, as well as numerous articles in “The Washington Post Magazine,” “Smithsonian,” “Parade,” “Rolling Stone” and other national publications. This New York City native started his career as a journalist for the “Chicago Tribune” and also has worked as a correspondent for “Outside Magazine.” He graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and from the University of Oregon with an MFA.

To gain expertise of the Arctic situation, Reiss spent three years traveling in the U.S. high north and interviewing scientists, diplomats, military planners, Eskimo whale hunters and politicians. As a result, he shares a compelling story of the situation as seen through the eyes of an Inupiat Eskimo leader and the head of an oil company seeking to drill offshore.

According to William Reilly, co-chair of the Deepwater Horizon Commission, Chairman Emeritus of the World Wildlife Fund and former EPA Administrator: “Reiss has taken a highly charged and divisive subject and gotten inside the lives and values of the principles with empathy and insight. ‘The Eskimo and the Oil Man’ is a most illuminating contribution to issues that will become more important as new discoveries follow drilling offshore.”

This presentation is part of the ongoing Richard K. Bennett Distinguished Lectureship for Peace and Social Justice series, which was established at the College in 1981. The lectureship reflects the ideals of Richard Bennett, a Quaker who devoted his life work to accomplishing peace and justice through non-violent efforts.

~ by Diane VanDyke

Call for Entries — Presidential Symposium Poetry Contest: ‘The Name I Want’

Acclaimed Dance Troupe ‘Brian Sanders’ JUNK’ Takes the Stage in Blue Bell

Brian Sanders’ JUNK. Photo by Bill Hebert

Brian Sanders’ JUNK is at it again, bringing its unique choreography, innovative use of props and fun spirit to Montgomery County Community College with a performance on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 8 p.m. in the Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. Tickets cost $28. Visit mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518 for more information and tickets.

Back by popular demand, JUNK performances feature ingenious use of found objects and clever inventions that bridge the gap between dance and physical theater. Founded by Sanders in 1997, the troupe performs in its home base of Philadelphia and throughout the world. Dance Magazine has praised JUNK’s “thrilling comic dance turns” and “accessible, technically flawless” work, while critics have declared Sanders Philadelphia’s “most exciting choreographer” and “most imaginative perpetrator of dare-devilish physical theater.”

The choreographer strives to produce approachable, artistic work while exploring new ideas and encouraging audiences to view the world from a different perspective. “I like to find the dance inside these pieces of junk―something unique and unexpected that gives us a new and inspiring look on life,” he says.

A native of Princeton, Sanders channeled his love of gymnastics, dance and the creativity of Bob Fosse and MOMIX’s Moses Pendleton to develop his own inventive choreographic style using discarded objects. After choreographing and performing worldwide with MOMIX for a decade, Sanders choreographed two nationally televised mini-series, a touring show and numerous independent projects before founding JUNK―a perennial sell-out favorite at the FringeArts Festival.

This performance is part of the College’s 2014-15 Lively Arts series. Upcoming performances include Latin American folkloric and jazz musician Miguel Zenón on March 21 and legendary harmonica player Grégoire Maret on April 18.

The Lively Arts programs have connected the community for more than a quarter century. In addition to performances from internationally acclaimed artists, each season features a Young Arts Explorers series; student choral, jazz ensemble, guitar, dance and theater performances; the Presidential Symposium and Richard K. Bennett Distinguished Lectureship for Peace and Social Justice; and the Betzwood Film Festival.

For more information, visit mc3.edu/livelyarts, email livelyarts@mc3.edu or call the Box Office at 215-641-6518. Follow the College’s “Destination Arts” page on Facebook at facebook.com/DestinationArts.

~ by Lauren Somers

Jazz prodigy Cécile McLorin Salvant to Perform in Blue Bell

Photo courtesy of Cécile McLorin Salvant

Jazz prodigy Cécile McLorin Salvant will channel the sounds of Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald at Montgomery County Community College on Saturday, February 21, at 8 p.m. in the Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. Tickets cost $28. Visit mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518 for more information and tickets.

At just 24 years old, Salvant has already dazzled audiences around the world with her expressive style and masterful vocal technique, performing with renowned musicians and as a featured soloist with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. A Thelonious Monk Competition winner with a Grammy nomination already under her belt, she rediscovers and theatrically expresses unique interpretations of scarcely recorded jazz and blues compositions.

Born to a French mother and Haitian father and raised in Florida, Salvant studied at the University of Miami and at the Darius Milhaud Conservatory in Aix-en-Provence, France, where she started singing with her first band. She quickly gained a strong following in Europe and the United States, composing her own songs and performing at numerous concert halls and music festivals.

Critical acclaim has been equally impressive, with New York Times critics raving that Salvant “has it all: perfect pitch and enunciation, a playful sense of humor, a rich and varied tonal palette, a supple sense of swing, exquisite taste in songs and phrasing, and a deep connection to lyrics.” This past year she earned four awards in the 62nd Annual DownBeat International Critics Poll, which chose her Grammy-nominated album, “WomanChild,” as jazz album of the year and named her top and rising- star female vocalist and rising-star jazz artist.

Funded through the Mid-Atlantic Tours program of the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the William Penn Foundation, Salvant’s performance is part of the College’s 2014-15 Lively Arts series, “Old School, New School.” Upcoming performances include Latin American folkloric and jazz musician Miguel Zenón on March 21 and legendary harmonica player Grégoire Maret on April 18.

The Lively Arts programs have connected the community for more than a quarter century. In addition to performances from internationally acclaimed artists, each season features a Young Arts Explorers series; student choral, jazz ensemble, guitar, dance and theater performances; the Presidential Symposium and Richard K. Bennett Distinguished Lectureship for Peace and Social Justice; and the Betzwood Film Festival.

For more information, visit mc3.edu/livelyarts, email livelyarts@mc3.edu or call the Box Office at 215-641-6518. Follow the College’s “Destination Arts” page on Facebook at facebook.com/DestinationArts.

~ by Lauren Somers

Fine Arts Center Hosts ‘Rock and Ring’ Photography Exhibit

by Diane VanDyke

Jimi Hendricks by William T. Vogt

As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, Montgomery County Community College is hosting “Rock and Ring” photography exhibit featuring the photographs of William T. Vogt and Ed Wheeler. The exhibit opens Monday, Nov. 17 and continues through Friday, Dec. 19. The community is invited to meet Vogt and Wheeler and chat about their photographs at a “Meet the Artists” reception on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1-3 p.m. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public.

In the 1960s, the decade Montgomery County Community College was founded, music was undergoing a revolution, and by the middle of the decade, the rock and roll of the 1950s morphed into various sub-genres, including pop, psychedelic, blues and folk rock. In the midst of this, William Vogt, then only 16 years old, saw The Jimi Hendrix Experience concert in Philadelphia. The loudness and intensity of the music combined with Jimi’s stage presence created an experience that changed Vogt’s life, as he discovered new interests for both rock music and photography. Vogt, who currently works in the oil and gas industry in Texas, will be sharing his collection of photographs representing that era during, as the “Rock” portion of the Sixties Photography exhibit.

The “Ring” portion of the exhibit will highlight the photography of Vogt’s longtime friend, Ed Wheeler, who is a Philadelphia-area based photographer. Wheeler’s photos will showcase boxing at the Blue Horizon, a former 1,500-seat boxing venue that opened in Philadelphia in the early 1900s. In its heyday, the Blue Horizon was known as the top boxing venue in the world, according to “The Ring” magazine, and fights were held on a weekly basis. The building also appears in the movies “Rocky V” and “Annapolis.” It closed in 2010, and the property is currently being redeveloped.

Working as a professional photographer for more than 35 years, Wheeler has been shooting Fortune 500 companies on location across the globe. After graduating from the Wharton School of Business, he started his own photography business and his work has been shown internationally. His Santa Classics currently hang in the Vesna Gallery in Moscow, Russia. For more information, visit edwheeler.com.

The exhibit is sponsored by Maureen and Bill Thompson.Gallery hours are Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Sunday, except for reception. For more information about the exhibition, contact Galleries Director Holly Cairns at hcairns@mc3.edu or 215-619-7349.

For the more information about upcoming exhibits and activities, like our Facebook page at facebook.com/DestinationArts, and visit our website at mc3.edu/arts/fine-arts.

Help support the arts and art education programs at Montgomery County Community College by becoming a Friend of the Galleries. Donations are tax deductible. For more information, contact the College Foundation at 215-641-6535.

Blue Horizon by Ed Wheeler

Drama Club,Theatre Arts Programs Present Tennessee Williams’ Classic, ‘The Glass Menagerie’

by Diane VanDyke

Montgomery County Community College’s Drama Club and Theatre Arts program are proud to present Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” on Nov. 20, 21, and 22 at 8 p.m.; Nov. 22 and 23 at 2 p.m.; and a special lunchtime performance on Friday, Nov. 21 at 12:30 p.m. All performances will be held in the College’s Blackbox Theatre, Science Center 107 (lower level of Science Center), 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell.

Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for students and seniors. To purchase tickets, visit mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518.

This American classic by Pulitzer-prize winner Tennessee Williams is a beautiful, desperate story of one family trying to find a way to the world outside the walls of their tenement home. In the height of the Great Depression, a mother dreams of a better life for her two children: a son, who aches to be free, and a daughter, who escapes into the fragile, haunting world of “The Glass Menagerie.”

“Tennessee Williams calls this play ‘a memory play,’ and it is very much like memory: filled with love and emotion…but not always fact. For the main character, Tom, the past is always calling at the back of his head like a voice, saying ‘look back, look back.’ He can’t leave this story until he is able to tell it to an audience and look back at himself and his family and who they are,” says director Michael Whistler.

Directed by Whistler, assisted by Matt Nitchke, the cast of “The Glass Menagerie” includes John Lawrence, Mila Romero Dos Santos, Phoebe Gavula, and Sam Levy. The production is stage managed by Stephanie Giudice, and Tim Odom serves as production manager. The production is designed, produced and presented by the students of the Drama Club and Theatre Production Workshop, under the guidance of Tim Gallagher, Stephen Nemphos, and Whistler.

Cast members rehearse in the College’s Black Box Theatre. Photo by Matt Carlin

West End Student Theatre, Theatre Arts Program Present Pulitzer Prize-Winning Drama ‘Rabbit Hole’

by Diane VanDyke

“Rabbit Hole” cast includes Myasia Bynum, Carly Watson, Ron Quay, Sarah Koch, and Andrew Miller and is directed by Tim Gallagher. Photo by Sandi Yanisko

Montgomery County Community College’s West End Student Theatre and Theatre Arts program are proud to present “Rabbit Hole,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by David Lindsay-Abaire. Show dates are Thursday-Saturday, November 13, 14 and 15, at 7 p.m. All performances will be held in the College’s South Hall Community Room, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Tickets are $10 general admission and $5 for students and seniors. To purchase tickets, call 215-641-6518 between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. or visit mc3.edu/livelyarts.

“Rabbit Hole,” the 2007 winner for the Pulitzer Prize, is a bittersweet drama about finding hope in the lowest moments of life and the paths taken to return to the light of day. It tells the story of Becca and Howie, two young parents who could be anybody’s neighbors in a typical suburb, until the accidental death of their four-year-old son tests everything about that life… and their marriage.

“There is no manual for mourning. How or when do you restart/redefine your life in the face of loss? Becca and Howie are grieving the death of their son in very different ways. A terrible accident has uprooted their lives and created a wedge between them. Ultimately, this play is a journey home…a defiant, funny yet delicate journey home,” says director Tim Gallagher. This production contains adult themes and language.

Directed by Gallagher, assisted by Rianna Isbell, and stage managed by Desiree Humes, the cast includes Myasia Bynum, Carly Watson, Ron Quay, Sarah Koch, and Andrew Miller. The production is designed, produced and presented by the students of the West End Student Theatre, which includes Anthony Romano, Alex Hollowell, Nicole Corsey, Jeffrey Chernesky, Sarah Robbins, Freddy Ortiz, Joseph Donley, Lexi Lyon, Allie Johns, Sherry Smith, Edston Detrich, Sarah Robbins, under the guidance of Gallagher.

PHOTOS: Music Faculty Concert

Montgomery County Community College’s Music faculty presented a free concert on Friday, Nov. 7 in the Science Center Theater at the Central Campus. Photos by Sandi Yanisko