News

WILSON, N.C. - The Barton College/Wilson Symphony Orchestra's fall signature dinner concert "Symphony and Soul" will open a spectacular 2009-2010 concert season on Thursday Oct. 8 with a delightful program of musical selections and food to warm the soul. Featured soloist Melvin Tunstall III will return to Wilson for an encore performance on the heels of his superb portrayal of Peter in the world premiere musical "Drift" by Jeremy Schonfeld and directed by Lauren Kennedy for the grand opening of the new Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell Theatre on the Barton campus. Music director Mark N. Peterson will be conducting.

The evening will begin with a wine and cheese reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by the symphony performance at 7 p.m. After the concert, a sumptuous dinner buffet will conclude the evening. The event will be held at the Darden Alumni Center at 1600 Lipscomb Road.

Tickets are $25 per person, and reservations may be made by calling Lynne Medlin at 252-399-6309. The deadline for reservations is Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Singer, songwriter, actor, playwright, dancer, and director Melvin Tunstall III is described as a triple-threat times two.  A native of North Carolina, Tunstall earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. His favorite roles include Jesus in "Godspell," Judas in "Jesus Christ Superstar," Andy Lee in "42nd Street," Victor in "Smokey Joe's Café," and Flick in "Violet."  Also a budding playwright, Tunstall's debut musical, "BlOOm!" with music by Peterson, made its world premiere this past spring.

Tunstall will be performing four songs from musical theater with the orchestra, with three of these songs drawn from shows written in the 1970s. "Corner of the Sky" comes from Stephen Schwartz's 1972 hit "Pippin." With direction and choreography by Bob Fosse, "Pippin" stands as the 29th longest-running Broadway show.  The Rock Opera "Jesus Christ Superstar" was first appeared as a record album in 1970 and was later adapted by its composer Andrew Lloyd Webber for the Broadway stage. Sung by Judas, "Heaven on their Minds" opens the show and sets the tone for all that is to follow.  Produced first in 1970, Stephen Sondheim's "Company" is considered among the greatest achievements in American musical theater. The song "Being Alive" occurs at the end of the show where Bobby admits he wants to find someone to share his life, and to experience together all that is "Being Alive."  Also to be performed by Tunstall will be a song from his own creation "Bloom." "Growing Up" has been specially arranged and orchestrated for this concert.

The orchestra will also be performing works of Rimsky-Korsakov, Sibelius, Hayman, and Thelonious Monk.

For additional information about the 2009-2010 concert schedule, tickets for events or season membership, please contact Lynne Medlin at 252-399-6309 or email: lmedlin@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. - Edgar Award winning author James W. Hall will be the featured speaker at the Barton College Friends of Hackney Library fall dinner scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 6. The evening's festivities, to be held in Hardy Alumni Hall, will begin with a book signing and wine reception at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and the program at 7 p.m.

Tickets for the dinner event are $35 per person, with reservations accepted until Oct. 2.  Members of the Barton College Friends of Hackney Library may reserve tickets for $30 per person.  Table reservations must be for a total of eight persons. Please contact Cynthia Collins at 399-6503 or fohl@barton.edu for reservations or additional information.

Hall's 15 novels to date include, but are not limited to: "Under Cover of Daylight" (1987), "Bones of Coral" (1992), "Blackwater Sound" (2002), "Off the Chart" (2003), "Forests of the Night" (2004), and "Magic City" (2007). His latest release is "Hell's Bay" (2008).

Born in Kentucky but a long-time Florida resident, Hall is best known for his series of 10 crime novels featuring the hard-bitten, reclusive character Thorn, with settings usually in south Florida locales. According to Hall's FAQ page, the character of Thorn is a combination of several people, both real and fictional: "A neighbor of mine in Key Largo many years ago heavily influenced his creation…There's also a little Travis McGee [fictional detective of author John D. MacDonald, who influenced Hall's writing] in him of course. And, he's a loner like I am, someone who spends a great deal of time in a room crafting small beautiful objects (fishing flies) that only a few people in the world truly appreciate."

A number of Hall's works have garnered such recognitions as the John D. MacDonald Award, the San Francisco Review of Books Critic's Choice Award, and the Shamus Award for best P.I. novel. In addition, several of his books have been chosen as Literary Guild and Book-of-the-Month Club selections and have been translated into a dozen languages. But fiction is not the only genre in which he works; Hall has written four books of poetry, collections of short stories (one of which, "The Catch," received the 2006 Edgar Allan Poe Award for best short story) and a collection of essays, as well as two screenplay adaptations for his books. Hall also has contributed to a variety of periodicals, including "American Scholar," "Antioch Review," "Georgia Review," "Kenyon Press," "North American Review," "Poetry," and "Southern Poetry Review."

Hall holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in literature from Eckerd College (formerly Florida Presbyterian College) in St. Petersburg, a Master of Arts degree in creative writing from Johns Hopkins University, and a Ph.D. in literature and creative writing from the University of Utah. He has been teaching literature and creative writing at Florida International University in Miami for over three decades. One of his more celebrated former students is author Dennis Lehane who wrote "Mystic River" and "The Given Day."

Hall and his wife, Evelyn, divide their time between south Florida and the mountains of North Carolina.

This event is sponsored in part by BB&T.

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

WILSON, N.C. - Barton Art Galleries is pleased to announce the opening of two painting exhibitions for the month of October. Jennifer O'Connell's "Familiar Places" exhibition and the "Hobson Pittman: At Home & Work" exhibition will be on display from September 27 to October 30.

An opening reception for these exhibitions is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 27, from 2 - 4 p.m. in the Barton Art Galleries located in Case Art Building. This event is open to the public free of charge, and the community is invited to attend.

On Friday, Oct. 2, the Barton College Friends of Visual Arts (FOVA) will host a dinner and lecture featuring Massachusetts artist Jennifer O'Connell from 6-8 p.m. and, on Tuesday, Oct.20, at 2 p.m., J. Chris Wilson, professor of art at Barton College, will present a lecture focusing on the late North Carolina native Hobson Pittman and his paintings for members of the Barton College Friends of Visual Arts. These two events will be by invitation only for members of FOVA. Those interested in joining the Barton College Friends of Visual Arts may contact Frances Belcher, in the Office of Institutional Advancement, at 252-399-6357.

During the month-long exhibition, recent works by O'Connell will be on view in the Virginia Thompson Graves Gallery, and the Pittman paintings will be featured in the Lula E. Rackley Gallery. Despite being separated by generations, the work of these two exceptional painters creates a tranquil harmony in the solidarity of their domestic interiors.

O'Connell's work presents scenes of rooms in her colonial home in Hadley, Mass. Rather than depicting these intimate spaces in natural color, the rooms and furnishings are highly saturated - a rich visual symphony where colors are wrought with emotion. "These scenes are inspired by what the mind conjures, (where) perception is influenced by contemplation," shared O'Connell. Through the color saturation, one begins to ponder the emotional state of the artist during the time each painting was executed. This contemplation is reinforced by the sense and evidence of habitation, without actually seeing any people. "Despite the vacancy, there is the feeling that the room has been frozen in the midst of action, and the occupants have simply vanished from view," said Gérard Lange, director of exhibitions for the Barton Art Galleries. "There is a sense of life and activity, but the scene appears to be a moment in which the artist's mind may have begun to wander."

As rooms are presented repeatedly, one can witness changes in decorating and, therein, the passage of time becomes apparent. "As I paint in my home, I am witness to everyday changes which reveal stories," O'Connell continued. Completed over the span of days and weeks, the compositions reflect natural changes occurring daily. Objects in the paintings appear to have been touched and moved, yet the person responsible is absent. In her working and reworking of the scene, O'Connell's rooms cease to be mere domestic genre and start to live and breathe of their own accord. In these paintings, she transforms the images of her unoccupied private spaces into a self-portrait, where not only her life but also the act of living is placed on display.

O'Connell earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and drawing from the University of New Hampshire and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from SUNY Plattsburgh. Additionally, she studied fine art at the University College Chester in England. She has received numerous awards, grants and fellowships, and has been exhibited nationally and internationally. She is represented by Adam Cave Fine Art in Raleigh, Left Bank Gallery in Wellfleet, Mass., and Oxbow Gallery in Northampton, Mass.

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.

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.

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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 poet Jaki Shelton Green as the featured speaker for the annual Joyce T. Boone Southern Authors Series.  The lecture will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 22, in The Sam and Marjorie Ragan Writing Center at 7:30 p.m.  The program is open to the public at no charge, and the community is invited to attend.

Green was selected as the first North Carolina Piedmont Poet Laureate in 2008.  She received the Sam Ragan Award in 2007 and the North Carolina Award for Literature in 2003.

Her publications include "breath of the song" (2005), "singing a tree into dance" (2003), "Conjure Blues" (1996), "Dead on Arrival and New Poems" (1996), and a play, Blue Opal. Her poetry has appeared in journals such as "The Crucible," "The African American Review," "Ms. Magazine," "Callaloo," "Obsidian," and in "Poets for Peace" and "Black Poets Lean South Anthology."

Green's poetry has been choreographed by the Chuck Davis African Dance Ensemble in conjunction with the Kennedy Center and Duke University's Nasher Museum as well as by Danca Nova Dance Company.  She has performed her poetry and led workshops throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Europe, and Central and South America.

Collaborating with human service and non-profit organizations, Green teaches creative writing to marginalized populations such as the incarcerated, the newly literate, the writer-as-survivor, and the homeless.  She lives in Mebane.

The Joyce T. Boone Endowed Lectureship for Southern Authors was established in memory of the late Joyce Thornton Boone by her husband, Doug Boone.  This endowed lectureship supports special programs featuring visiting Southern writers.

Boone graduated from Atlantic Christian College with degrees in business administration (1978) and nursing (1988).  An enthusiastic advocate for students and alumni of Barton College, Boone believed in the mission of the small, private, liberal arts college.  She served on both the Barton College Board of Trustees and the Barton Alumni Council.  Boone was president-elect of the Barton College Alumni Council when she passed away in October 2004.

For additional information about this program, please contact Dr. Rebecca Godwin, professor of English and director of The Sam and Marjorie Ragan Writing Center, at 252-399-6364 or email: rlgodwin@barton.edu.

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

September 11 Remembrance Ceremony

WILSON, N.C. - The stately colors of the United States stood at half-staff across America on Friday in remembrance of the horror of September 11, 2001. With flames and destruction, that terrible Tuesday roared to the world the hideous reality of human depravity; but, like a crucible, that day also revealed the golden gleam of heroism, as the world witnessed America's first responders jeopardizing their own safety to save others. To honor Wilson's first responders and show gratitude for their continual service to the Wilson community, Barton College's Volunteer Services Organization held a ceremony of remembrance this September 11 at noon by the Hamlin Student Center fountain.

As the College remembered the events of eight years ago, her flags flew at half-staff to honor the dead. Several times throughout the morning, the Alumni Bell Tower pealed to signify the moment of each plane crash and each collapse of the World Trade Center towers.

At noon, an honor guard from the Wilson Police Department presented the national and state colors as the crowd, which had gathered around the Hamlin Student Center fountain, looked on.  A third member of the honor guard, leading a contingent of first responders, placed a memorial wreath by the lectern in front of the Student Center.  Then, they saluted the flag; and senior mass communications major Drew Johnson sang the national anthem.

Kellie Lewis, a junior English major, and Brittnee Parker, a sophomore majoring in the education of the deaf and hard of hearing, welcomed those assembled and introduced the program.  Each took turns recounting the key moments of the morning of September 11:

"8:46 a.m. - Flight 11 hits the first World Trade Center."

"9:03 a.m. - Flight 175 hits the second World Trade Center."

"9:30 a.m. - Flight 77 hits the Pentagon."

"9:59 a.m. - The second World Trade Center collapses."

"10:03 a.m. - Flight 93 crashes in Pennsylvania."

"10:28 a.m. - The first World Trade Center collapses."

The assembly then paused for a solemn moment of silence.

Student Government Association President Will Cobb, a senior religion and philosophy major, shared the sentiments of a popular email written from the perspective of God as He stood with the dying on the planes and in the World Trade Center.

Cobb then spoke of first responders, honoring those who worked so selflessly eight years ago and those who do so today.

"I would imagine that those who rushed to the scene first in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania would not want to be recognized," said Cobb.  "They would say that they were just doing their jobs; but today we recognize and acknowledge those unsung heroes from New York, Washington, Pennsylvania, and all the first responders in this country, especially here in the city of Wilson, North Carolina.

"Thank you for, not only what you do today, but everyday of our lives, to protect us here at Barton College and around the great city of Wilson, North Carolina.

"May God bless you, and may God bless this country, the United States of America!"

Cobb led those assembled in a round of applause for Wilson's first responders and then presented the first responders with posters signed by the Barton College community in appreciation "for all the work you do to serve the Wilson community and our country."

Concluding the ceremony, Lewis said that "remembrance ribbons" had been sold earlier in the week to raise money for the National September 11 Memorial and Museum and for a "foundation for families and children who lost loved ones in the September 11 tragedy."  She then invited the first responders to lunch in the dining hall of the Hamlin Student Center.

Each day we take our freedom and safety for granted.  Let us always be thankful for those who fight to protect us and for those who rush to our aid.  And, may we, in the words of our national anthem, "Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!"

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Questions?  Contact Ken Dozier, web services manager, by email at kdozier@barton.edu or by phone at 252-399-6596.

Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell Theatre.

WILSON, N.C. - Think Theatre! Think Barton!  On Saturday, September 12, the curtain will rise on the new Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell Theatre (http://www.barton.edu/theatre) at Barton College in Wilson. A Black-Tie Gala, celebrating the grand opening of the theatre, culminates in a world premiere production of "Drift," a new musical by New York composer Jeremy Schonfeld, directed by Lauren Kennedy, and co-produced by Raleigh's "Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy."

The Black Tie Gala will honor theatre donors who have contributed $2,500+ toward the construction of the Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell Theatre. On Sunday afternoon, Sept. 13, a Wine and Cheese Reception, with a second presentation of "Drift," is planned for additional theatre donors and invited guests. The weekend festivities will showcase this distinctive new theatre prior to its public opening on September 16.

"The Grand Opening Weekend for the Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell Theatre will provide an opportune occasion to express our gratitude for the vision and financial commitment of the Kennedy family and all donors who have supported the building of this new 'black box' teaching theatre on the Barton campus," shared Dr. Norval C. Kneten, president of Barton College. "This new theatre will complement the performance assets of the region and will provide new dimensions for the community to experience theatre and other performance art."

Jeremy Schonfeld's "Drift"

Schonfeld's "Drift," presented by Theatre at Barton and Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy will begin its public run for the Greater Wilson community at the Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell Theatre on Wednesday, Sept. 16 and will continue through Sunday, Sept. 20. The show will move to The Kennedy Theatre at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh and will run from September 23-27. All tickets for "Drift" are available at http://www.hotsummernightsatthekennedy.org.

Campaign and Construction

"The need for a home for theatre at Barton has long been recognized," said Dr. Norval C. Kneten, president of Barton College. Fundraising for the new theatre began prior to 2003, and an extensive study confirmed that a teaching theatre in the form of the classic 'black box' would best serve those needs. The project's leading donor, Dr. K.D. Kennedy, Jr., a former member and past chair of the Barton College Board of Trustees, created an incredible surge of support for the much needed theatre. The Kennedy family contributed in excess of $1 million, and total fundraising for the project has exceeded $3.1 million to date.

When the project was publicly announced, Dr. Kennedy cited a number of reasons that prompted his support of this project, not the least of which was the value of philanthropy his father instilled in him at an early age. He shared that his dad, the late K.D. Kennedy, a trustee emeritus of Barton College, taught his son the importance of giving to programs and projects that enriched the lives of young people. Theatre has always been a passion for Dr. Kennedy, his wife, Sara Lynn, and their family; this project just seemed to be a natural fit.

The Theatre Campaign Steering Committee, led by Barton trustee Eric Sellers, announced in early October 2007 the extraordinary success in the silent phase of the "Think Theatre! Think Barton!" campaign as the College began its transition into the public phase of fundraising. The theatre's groundbreaking was held in April 2008 and construction began by early summer. The theatre was completed just in time for the opening of Barton College's 2009 fall semester.

The Black Box Theatre and Its Impact

The dream of a state-of-the-art black box theatre at Barton College is now a reality. The theatre is named in honor of Broadway stars Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell of New York, veteran actors who have committed their time and energy to support the theatre's educational program. Both Kennedy and Campbell plan to visit the Barton campus annually to teach master classes, conduct seminars, and coach theatre majors. "These dedicated artists have been recognized with numerous awards and nominated for the Tony Award, live-theatre's highest honor. Now, Lauren and Alan pledge their support to Barton's theatre. Their direct ties to the world of professional theatre are an incredible asset to our students and will undoubtedly set our program apart," said Adam Twiss, director of the theatre program at Barton College.

As a teaching facility, the versatility of the Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell Theatre is a tremendous recruitment tool, attracting serious theatre students to pursue their educational goals at Barton College. Non-theatre majors at Barton are also encouraged to experience the excitement of the stage and will benefit from working in a flexible, black box theatre.

The theatre consists of several spaces including a spacious atrium that can serve as a reception area and gallery for college and community events, a fully-equipped scene shop for building props and scenery, offices for theatre program personnel, dressing rooms, costume storage, and of course, the performance space.

"Along with staged productions, the performance space will be where hands-on theatre training is conducted," added Twiss. "This particular style of performance space is referred to as 'a black box' or 'flexible-space.'  It consists of four bare walls, a flat, open floor plan, and a utilitarian grid above the entire space. The beauty of this type of space for a training program is that it can be configured in any fashion; the theatre produced here will be limited only by our imaginations.  And, Barton's students can have the experience of working in all the types of theatres they will face professionally."

"What Barton will be able to offer with the Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell Theatre is truly revolutionary for our theatre program and the students who comprise it," he continued. "I am thrilled to begin the fall semester in this new facility, and I look forward to the years of innovative, collaborative, and creative energy that will flow from the new theatre and will be identifiable element of our comprehensive Barton experience."

"Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy," headquartered in Raleigh, also plans to bring their acclaimed summer productions to the new Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell Theatre. This partnership with the Barton theatre program commences with this inaugural production of "Drift." The show features several Barton students working alongside industry professionals, gaining invaluable experience. And, these professional opportunities for Barton students will provide the essential industry connections required for employment upon graduation.

Visit http://www.barton.edu/calendars and click on the "public events calendar" for the latest listings of Theatre at Barton productions and other events to be held in the new Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell Theatre.

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