News

"Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett

WILSON, N.C. - On Thursday, Nov. 12, the new Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell Theatre at Barton College will open its doors for the theatre's inaugural student production, "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett.  Evening performances will be held Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 12-14, at 8 p.m. and on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 15, at 3 p.m.

"Samuel Beckett's complex and magnificent 'Waiting for Godot' is a challenging work that has been called "the greatest play of the 20th century," and is by all accounts a modern classic," shared Adam Twiss, director of Theatre of Barton.

Twiss explained that Beckett lived, worked, and wrote in France and Ireland during both world wars and he wrote "Godot" shortly after World War II.  Twiss noted that the play reflects a level of discomfort with the development of atomic warfare and the newfound ease with which man can annihilate himself.  "This play is often described as "existentialist" or "absurdist," but the playwright never desired a label, preferring to have the material speak for itself," added Twiss.

The audience is introduced to two characters who pass the time waiting on the side of a road for someone named "Godot."  As they wait, other characters enter their lives offering bits of pseudo-enlightenment, pseudo-information, or most importantly "diversions" from their routine.

"Over the years, the play has engendered limitless scholarly debate aimed at exposing a hidden meaning," continued Twiss.  "Overt political, biblical, and Freudian undertones are readily apparent; however, "Waiting for Godot" is more a comment on man himself than on those elements that comprise him."

The play has been adapted to film several times and was most recently revived on Broadway this past spring with award-winning actors Nathan Lane, Bill Irwin, and John Goodman.

"This is a wonderful play to work on in our new black box theatre, where we can modify the configuration to fit our take on the production; the work is very challenging for actors and audience alike, but we are incredibly proud to present it to you," Twiss said.

The "Waiting for Godot" company, directed by Twiss, includes student and local talent: Wesley Pridgen, Chris Wallen, Jess Jones, Fletcher Duke, and Jorge Santos.  Chris Bernier, technical director of theatre, will oversee the lighting and scenic design.  Costume design is by Dr. Sharon Montano, and sound design is by Matt Smith. Whitley Stanley is the stage manager, and Jensen Davis is the assistant stage manager.  Poster art for the production was created by the graphic design class under the direction of Susan Fecho.

Purchase individual show tickets online at www.barton.edu/theatre, or call the box office toll-free at (866) 811- 4111. The hours of operation are 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. E.S.T. Monday - Friday and 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Please note that NO service fees are charged for either online or phone ticket purchases.

General admission is $8 for adults and $5 for students.  Barton College students, faculty and staff are admitted free with proper ID. Group rates are also available for parties of six or more; contact Adam Twiss at ajtwiss@barton.edu or 252-399-6484 to make arrangements.

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Questions?  Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.

WILSON, N.C. - Barton College's Campus Compassion student program will present the documentary "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. in Howard Chapel.  This event is open to the public at no charge, and the community is invited to attend.

"This documentary chronicles the remarkable story of the courageous Christian and Muslim Liberian women who come together to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their country," shared the Reverend Hollie Woodruff, chaplain of Barton College and advisor of the Campus Compassion program.

Barton College purchased the rights to share this film with area church congregations as the College's Campus Compassion program partners with Wilson United in Service to bring awareness and to raise funds for an upcoming April 2010 medical mission to Liberia. This medical mission will be in partnership with the West African Children's Lifeline and Project Helping Hands.

"Bringing this film to campus was the choice of our students, who are participating in this inaugural Campus Compassion program to learn more about how they can individually reach out in service to others in need across the world," said Rev. Woodruff.  "This documentary screening is free to the public, but we are hopeful that those attending will also choose to support this medical mission through donations made at the event."

Among the awards and recognitions received for this film, are "Best Documentary" awards presented at the Tribeca Film Festival and the Heartland Film Festival.   It also had the honor of being the first film shown at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2009.

For additional information or to reserve a film-screening opportunity for your church congregation, please contact the Reverend Hollie Woodruff at 252-399-6368 or email: hewoodruff@barton.edu.

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Questions? Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or kdaughety@barton.edu.

Evensong - Franklin County, North Carolina

WILSON, N.C. — Barton Art Galleries will host the work of acclaimed painter J. Chris Wilson in an exhibition titled "From Murphy to Manteo-An Artist's Scenic Journey." Although a native of Georgia, Wilson has resided in North Carolina since the early 1970s and brings to the audience a serene visage of natural wonder found in the state.

"From Murphy to Manteo-An Artist's Scenic Journey" will be on display from November 8 to December 9. The opening reception is Sunday, Nov. 8, from 2 - 4 p.m. This event is open to the public free of charge, and the community is invited to attend. J. Chris Wilson will present a lecture on his work immediately following the opening reception. The lecture is open only to members of the Barton Friends of Visual Arts. For membership please call 252-399-6357, or join the Friends of Visual Arts at the event.  The exhibition will run until December 9.

In his paintings, Wilson presents an intimate detailed view of the splendor of the North Carolina landscape. Such an endeavor has often been the subject of photographs and etchings, but never before has there been as diverse a look at the natural environment undertaken in oil. The breadth of images in the series reflects an intense devotion to the state and the ideology of being from North Carolina. "I suppose, in retrospect, this entire journey began when I started to see myself as no longer a South Georgian and began feeling that I was now a tried-and-true North Carolinian," said Wilson.

The paintings in this series did not materialize overnight, but have been developing for over a decade. Wilson's intention is to produce 100 scenic views of North Carolina stretching across the state following US-64, literally from Murphy to Manteo. "My objective," said Wilson, "was to seek what I considered to be the most visually impressive and interesting natural scenery whether that scenery was created totally by natural forces or by the hand of man."

Wilson's paintings began to take shape after returning from Japan, where he taught at a sister institution to Barton College. Having been previously exposed to Japanese wood block printing, Wilson found inspiration in the work of Ando Hiroshige, who produced serial prints focusing on scenic views along important rivers in the country. Returning to America, Wilson felt driven to produce his own series of works eliciting his home environment.

Rivers have had a long-standing history for serving as transportation routes. Wilson contemplated this notion and considered painting scenic views along the Tar River, which runs past his Edgecombe County home. Deciding there was not enough visual variety along the Tar, however, Wilson looked to a different artery of transport for his inspiration: US Highway 64.

The exhibit displays both studies for the monumental series as well as completed paintings. The latter of these are tremendous in scale, completely covering some of the galley walls. These large canvasses draw the viewer in filling their visual field creating the sense that one is actually there, standing in nature.

"Wilson has captured the essence of land," said Gerard Lange, director of exhibitions at the Barton Art Galleries. "From rolling hills, to rushing water, to pensive mist-filled fields, one can become lost in the scenes as a Romantic poet might in their own introspections."

In the paintings, Wilson has highlighted the grandeur of the land and also captured the emotion of bearing witness to the land. The result is a quite personal yet telling portrayal of North Carolina. It is Wilson's hope that the viewers of his works will walk away with a heightened awareness of their state. "Perhaps these works may contribute to a new sense of appreciation for the essential good of the North Carolina landscape," he said.

Gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with the exception of holidays.  For additional information, please contact Gerard Lange, director of exhibitions, at 252-399-6475 or email: glange@barton.edu.

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Questions?  Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.

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The 2009 Homecoming Weekend welcomed a record 700 alumni to campus for a weekend of programs, sporting events, and activities. This is the largest Homecoming attendance in the history of the College, rivaling the College's Centennial Celebration in 2002 with an attendance record of 750.

Homecoming 2009 proved to be a weekend of celebrations that included new Barton College Athletic Hall of Famers: Allen Searson (1975), Will Flowers (1976), Teasha Murphy (1996) and Todd Bailess (1999), as well as the 2009 alumni award winners: Alumnus of the Year A.J. Walston (1958), Alumni Achievement Award winners: Bobby Bennett (1967), Steve Hart (1992), and Scott Cruikshank (1995), Young Alumnus of the Year Ben Bridgers (2004), and Honorary Alumna Tina Hensley.

Barton Bulldogs, from near and far, cheered enthusiastically on Friday and Saturday for our collegiate volleyball and soccer matches as well as Sunday's alumni baseball game.  Business, Nursing, Science, and Mathematics alumni flocked together for their respective reunions held across campus on Saturday, and large numbers of Greek alumni came back for good-spirited competition and camaraderie.  The members of the Class of 1959 celebrated their 50^th reunion with gusto throughout the weekend while students and alumni alike enjoyed the Saturday evening luau with the band Fantasy.  Cheers were heard across campus when students Will Cobb and Brittany Wade were crowned the 2009 Homecoming King and Queen! Summer Brock, director of alumni and parent programs, promises the 2010 Homecoming Weekend will be even bigger and better. We can't wait!

For more information about Homecoming, contact Summer Brock at 252-399-6383 or 800-422-4699; or email her at sebrock@barton.edu.

WILSON, N.C. - With bright blue shirts scattered around the city on Wednesday, Oct. 21, one might wonder what's going on, but no need to guess.  You will have just spotted some busy "bulldogs" from Barton College.  With over 650 participants signed up, students and professors at Barton College will set aside books and campus staff members will step away from desks for Barton's second annual "Day of Service" on campus and in the Wilson community.

Begun last year, this campus initiative supports Barton's vision for its graduates to be "well-prepared for life and for success in their chosen careers because they will possess a lifelong commitment to learning, service, and achievement."

Through participation in these one-day projects, Barton hopes to provide its students with a foundation for developing a deeper appreciation for service learning and a stronger sense of civic responsibility, as well as meeting needs within the broader Wilson community.

Developing a lifelong commitment to service is part of the "Barton Experience," and Barton College's Day of Service provides an intentional opportunity for the campus community to give back to its hometown community of Wilson.

The Day of Service will begin with a kick-off breakfast for participants at 8 a.m. followed by brief remarks by the Reverend Hollie Woodruff, chaplain of the college.  The campus community will then disperse to assigned locations for service and return to campus later that afternoon to share reports of work and refreshments.

Local service projects include working with Habitat for Humanity, the Wesley Shelter, Youth of Wilson, Wilson Parks and Recreation, the Arts Council of Wilson, St. Therese Catholic Church, the ARC of Wilson, Boys and Girls Club/Salvation Army, the Clothes Line, First Christian Church, Imagination Station, Jackson Chapel First Missionary Baptist Church, New Hope Elementary School, Vick Elementary School, Margaret Hearne Elementary School, Wilson Praise and Worship, Preservation of Wilson, Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf, YMCA, United Way, Wilson Crisis Center, and Wilson Pregnancy Center, among others.

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Questions?  Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.

Wilson, N.C. - Barton College is pleased to welcome renowned historian and Lincoln scholar Dr. David E. Long as the featured speaker for the upcoming BB&T Heritage Lecture in American History scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 20.  Dr. Long's lecture is titled "Lincoln, Davis, and the Civil War: The Dahlgren Raid."  Scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in Hardy Alumni Hall, this program is open to the public free of charge and the community is invited to attend.  Sponsors for the evening include BB&T, the Barton College Heritage Committee, the Department of History and Social Sciences at Barton College, and the Wilson County Historical Association.

In the upcoming lecture, Dr. Long will address a controversial cavalry raid on Richmond in 1864 that involved Lincoln in an attempt to assassinate Jefferson Davis.

Twelve years background as a trial lawyer and prosecutor give Dr. Long a somewhat unique perspective on Lincoln among the community of scholars who have written about the sixteenth president. Dr. Long understands the meaning of what it is to "think like a lawyer" and, to understand Lincoln, one must be able to understand that the man's career had been in advocacy, and that he was able to serve that role from either side of the bar.

Graduating from the Ohio State University in 1969 and the OSU College of Law in 1972, Dr. Long began his career as a lawyer. His first courtroom appearance as counsel of record was in a first-degree murder case in 1973. Though his client was innocent, the jury found him otherwise, and the judge sentenced the defendant to life imprisonment. Refusing to accept that such an injustice could be permitted to stand, Dr. Long pursued the trail of evidence in the case and ultimately learned the identity of the real killer.  After a difficult appeal process, he was eventually able to get the court to award a new trial. At that second trial, Dr. Long was able to establish his client's innocence by proving the guilt of someone else. Nearly three years after his client was first arrested and charged, the wrongfully imprisoned defendant was found not guilty by the second jury, and gained back the freedom that had previously been forfeited as a result of a life sentence.

Dr. Long practiced law for 12 years before returning to graduate school in 1987 at Florida State University, where he earned his Master of Arts degree and Ph.D. in nineteenth century American history, and almost immediately published his dissertation "The Jewel of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln's Re-election and the End of Slavery." The book was nominated for five of the most prestigious prizes in the field of U.S. history, including the Pulitzer Prize and the Lincoln Prize.

For additional information about the program, please contact Dr. Jeff Broadwater, chair of the Department of History and Social Sciences, at 252-399-6443 or email: ojbroadwater@barton.edu.

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Questions?  Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.

WILSON, N.C. - The Barton College Friends of Visual Arts and the Barton Art Galleries will welcome J. Chris Wilson, artist and art professor at Barton College, to lecture on the legendary North Carolina native Hobson Pittman and his paintings on Tuesday, Oct.20, at 2 p.m. The event will be held in the Lula E. Rackley Gallery in the Case Art Building on campus. The event is open to the public at no charge, and the community is encouraged to attend.

Originally by invitation only for the Friends of Visual Arts, this program has been opened to the general public because of increased interest in the "Hobson Pittman: At Home & Work" exhibition currently on view at Barton College. The exhibition will be on display in the Lula E. Rackley Gallery until Friday, Oct. 30.  Gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with the exception of holidays. For additional information, please contact Gérard Lange, director of exhibitions, at 252-399-6475 or email: glange@barton.edu.

Hobson Pittman -
Born in the rural Edgecombe community of Epworth near Leggett in 1899, Pittman showed artistic promise at a very early age and was encouraged to pursue his creative talent by his first art instructor, Molly Rouse. He attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1925, continuing his studies at Columbia University. In 1928, Pittman was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and traveled to Europe for the first time, where he visited major art museums and completed a series of watercolors. From that point forward, Pittman traveled between the United States, Europe, and the Orient, teaching and studying painting.

Although he never lived in Edgecombe County again, Pittman took the memories of his home-place with him. Often devoid of people, these paintings of spacious Victorian rooms and southern gardens are romantic and nostalgic, and hearken the sense of a distant memory. "He often would exaggerate the massive windows and doorways he remembered from his childhood, that seemed larger than life," shared Buddy Hooks, director of the Hobson Pittman Memorial Gallery in Tarboro. The stark wooden homes with 10 and 12-foot ceilings, enormous doors and windows provided strong elements to mix with Pittman's imagination creating compelling and somewhat mysterious scenes. Pittman once shared, "I have always been interested in painting things of the past - things I have loved and still do. Things I feel and understand." The quiet ambiance of the scenes is often deafening in the solitude, which is depicted. Charged by the subtle mix of interior and exterior lighting, one gets a sense that the world has stopped turning in a moment where a youthful recollection is pondered by a mature mind.

From the late 1950s until the end of his life, Pittman used a riotous palette of color. Throughout the course of his life, blue-greys, fawns and taupes, muted greens and wines gave way to tangerine, watermelon, turquoise, hot gold and chartreuse. Likewise, his subject matter waxed and waned covering all sorts of styles and genre. It was for his floral still lives that Pittman won notoriety in the 1920s and 1930s. In these canvasses, one can sense the influences of Henry McFee, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Fernand Lèger, and the German Expressionists. "If I have made any contributions to painting, I firmly attribute it to a concentrated study of the masters," said Pittman. "I try very hard not to be biased in my opinions or in my appreciation, but to be tolerant of all types and periods of good painting."

Pittman earned high regard throughout the United States for his oils, pastels, and watercolors. He was also considered one of the best art instructors in the nation and was sought by numerous colleges, universities, and art organizations to lecture and teach.

Pittman's career was sparked by numerous awards, and his works are included in many public collections including the Corcoran Gallery and the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, the Philadelphia Museum and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, and the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. Works in this exhibition are on loan from the Hobson Pittman Memorial Gallery, located within the Blount-Bridgers House in Tarboro.

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Questions?  Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.

Wilson, N.C. - Barton College will welcome Wilson writers Merry Simmons, a science fiction author and realtor; Willis Briley, a poet, playwright, freelance writer, film writer, director, and producer; and Lucien Stark, a novelist and educator, for the upcoming Victor R. Small Writers Series this fall semester.

The program is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m., and will be held in The Sam and Marjorie Ragan Writing Center on campus.  This event is open to the public at no charge, and the community is invited to attend.

Simmons has a varied background, earning degrees in English from Southern Methodist University and then teaching English for 15 years until she switched to a career in real estate, "realizing that more people wanted houses than grammar." She is currently a realtor with First Wilson Properties. Developing as a writer later in life, she has had many stories appear in "Asimov's Science Fiction" and "Paradox Magazine." Her first published short story, "Magpie," was the Grand Prize Winner in "Writers of the Future XVII." Three of her tales have made the initial ballot for the Hugo Award presented by the Science Fiction Writers of America.  Her most recent story, "The Well of Forgetting," is forthcoming in "Realms of Fantasy."

Briley grew up in Wilson, graduated from Davidson College, and did graduate studies at New York University. In the U.S. Army, he began a career in film and eventually joined Craven Films in New York as writer, producer, and director of educational, instructional, and motivational films for National Geographic, The United Nations, The Office of the Oceanographer, all branches of the United States Military, the United Negro College Fund, and the Federal Reserve Board. Many of these films won awards. His play, "The Street of Yellow Echoes," was the runner-up in the 2000 Paul Green Playwriting Competition judged by Ken Howard. He is currently at work on the poetry collection "Quadrants."

Stark is a native of Wilson with degrees in English from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Virginia. After 25 years of teaching, he retired and returned to Wilson to live. Currently, he is out of retirement and in his second year of teaching at Greenfield School. He won accolades as a teacher and appeared in Who's Who Among American Teachers six times. His first novel, "The Noise Upstairs," was published in 2005, and he has just completed his second novel, "The Principal Said NO: A Week of Hell."

This program is sponsored by the Department of English and Modern Languages.  For additional information, please contact Dr. Kathy James, chair of the Department of English and Modern Languages, at 252-399-6455 or email: kjames@barton.edu.

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Questions?  Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.

WILSON, N.C. - Please join the Barton College community for a "Blessing of the Animals" service to be held on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 3 p.m.. There is no charge, and the surrounding community is invited to attend the service.

Each year, on or around the date of the Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi, a number of churches mark the occasion by having a service of blessing of the animals. Theologically, its purpose is to testify to the sacredness of all of creation, to celebrate its richness and variety and, more specifically, to acknowledge the importance of animals, especially companion animals, to our own spiritual growth and development. The service involves the literal blessing of animals by the priest or minister.

Barton's "Blessing of the Animals" service, to be led by the Reverend Hollie Woodruff, will last approximately 20 minutes and will take place on center campus.  All pets are welcomed, but please consider the wisdom of bringing aggressive animals.  Please leash all pets as appropriate. Large animals also are welcomed, but they must be led onto center campus and not ridden. Clean-up supplies and water will be available.

For additional information or questions, please contact Rev. Woodruff at 252-399-6368 or email: hewoodruff@barton.edu.

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Questions?  Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.

WILSON, N.C. - Living in a world of 24-hour news, we are notified within moments of disasters occurring across the globe.  But with the technology of instant news, is there also a greater responsibility? Is it possible that today's world requires us to be a people of response: coming together through a worldwide partnership to offer assistance in a multitude of forms to those affected by tragedies of natural and human catastrophes?

Barton College welcomes the Reverend Amy Gopp, director of Week of Compassion, on Wednesday, Oct. 14, to share an update about recent worldwide relief efforts coordinated through the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The event will be held at 7 p.m. in The Sam and Marjorie Ragan Writing Center. This program is open to the public free of charge, and the community is invited to attend.

During her visit to Barton's campus, the Reverend Gopp will also speak to students about a new partnership between Barton College and Week of Compassion, the relief, refugee and development ministry fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The two Disciples-related institutions have partnered to develop and initiate a pilot program called Campus Compassion. This new initiative has been designed to educate and motivate young adults to respond to the global needs of the world.  To fund the program, Barton and "Week of Compassion" were awarded two grants from the College/University Grant Fund of Higher Education and Leadership Ministry (HELM) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Oreon Scott Foundation.

"As Disciples' ministries operating in different manifestations of the Church, Barton College and Week of Compassion have a responsibility to find new ways to engage young adults on the journey of spiritual maturity, social consciousness, and faithful stewardship," shared the Reverend Hollie Woodruff, chaplain of Barton College.  "Exposure to the needs of the world is a critical piece of that journey.  We want to create an innovative strategy to explore what working relationships can emerge between Week of Compassion and Disciples-related colleges and universities.

"The grant funding for this exciting project will do more than just allow Barton College and Week of Compassion to work in partnership; it will offer an environment where our students are truly engaged in their education through study groups, volunteer opportunities, and an Alternative Spring Break work trip to Slidell, Louisiana," Woodruff added.  Objectives for the program include educating students about the causes of poverty, researching opportunities for relief work, and creating a stronger global awareness.  The program is designed to inspire students and impart tools to help them make a positive difference in their communities and across the world.

"This year-long pilot program will conclude with a retreat hosted by Barton College that will involve chaplains from all Disciples-related colleges and universities," continued Woodruff.  "The retreat will provide an opportunity to process, share, and promote continued collaboration with Week of Compassion.  Barton hopes this retreat initiative, planned tentatively for June 2010, will be a springboard for other Disciples-related schools to become more involved in offering support to Week of Compassion efforts across the globe. Our hope is that Barton's Campus Compassion program will serve as a model, catalyst, and challenge for other Disciples-related colleges.  By bringing Disciples-related college chaplains together, we look forward to sharing our experience of working together while generating partnerships and ideas for future efforts."

Week of Compassion is recognized across the world for providing emergency and long-term assistance to people in the aftermath of natural and human catastrophes.  Partnering with other Christian Ministries and national government organizations, Week of Compassion responds with help, hope, and hospitality.  And, Week of Compassion works to eradicate forces of injustice and provide hospitality to all who are in need.

"Week of Compassion is an extraordinary program that creates boundless opportunities for students across the nation to participate in assisting with worldwide issues that are often minimized," shared Barton freshman Rachel Warren.

"The Campus Compassion program personifies the partnership of a living covenant between Barton College and the Christian Church (DOC) to respond to this calling to faith," concluded Woodruff.  "We are living out the mission of not only of Barton College, but also of Week of Compassion and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)."

For additional information about Campus Compassion, please contact the Reverend Hollie Woodruff, chaplain of Barton College, at 252-399-6368 or email: hewoodruff@barton.edu.

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Questions?  Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.