October Events at a Glance

Walking across the Buffalo State campus this month, you can feel a palpable energy fueled by the return of students and the advent of fall. However, it goes beyond that. Throughout the academic year, our campus offers a wealth of extracurricular activities that incite the imagination—from political films to rocks concerts to art exhibits. They reflect Buffalo State’s commitment to the arts and engagement with the community.

As we celebrate the Year of the City at Buffalo State, we are highlighting events every month that fall into that category and are open to the public. Many are free or have a nominal admission price. Revel in the excitement of the fall and try something new at Buffalo State.

October 3
The War of 1812
David F. Sherman and Jessica DiPalma present a unique portrait of the War of 1812 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center Tower Auditorium. Sherman is the award-winning managing editor of the Bee Newspapers and the official historian for the Town of Amherst. Learn how many local landmarks, street names and stories can be traced back to the War of 1812. DiPalma, the assistant curator of education at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, will illustrate how artists have depicted scenes of war as a historical record and social commentary. This event is part of a new speaker series sponsored by the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park. No admission ticket is needed, but reservations are encouraged by calling (716) 847-1773, extension 10. www.burchfieldpenney.org.

October 4
Revolution Evolution: American Comics
This panel discussion at 7:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center Auditorium is offered in conjunction with the exhibition Spain: Rock, Roll, Rumbles, Rebels and Revolution. Featuring Donald Jackson, John Bobey, John Jennings, and Michael R. Lavin, the panel gives an historic context to Manuel “Spain” Rodriguez’s retrospective in light of how comics have evolved from underground to mainstream. Donald Jackson, panel moderator, has taught comic book creation since 2003 and created a website and e-book Cognitive Comic: A Constructivist Approach to Sequential Art. (716) 878-6011.

October 5
WBNY Concert
Buffalo State radio station WBNY celebrates 30 years on the air with a concert at 7:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center of Rockwell Hall. Featured bands include Dotsun Moon, Whiskey Reverb, Intent to Sell, and Dr. OOO at 7:00 p.m. General admission is $5 and student with ID are admitted for $3. Tickets are available in the Rockwell Box Office only. (716) 878-3005.

Conversations In and Out of Disciplines
As part of the Conversations Series, assistant biology professor Daniel Potts presents “All That is Solid Melts Into Air: Postindustrial Ecosystem Ecology” at 3:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320. An informal wine and cheese reception will be held after the talk. Open to Buffalo State faculty, staff, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students. Free.

October 6
Don’t Touch That Dial: Great Moments in Local Broadcasting
Inspired by featured artist Manual “Spain” Rodriguez’s book Cruisin’ with the Hound, the Burchfield Penney Art Center presents a screening of Don’t Touch That Dial – A History of Broadcasting at 2:00 p.m. in the center auditorium, followed by a panel discussion featuring local radio personalities. Chuck Mancuso, Buffalo State professor of music, begins the program with an introduction to music of the 1950s. Al Wallack, a well-known local radio personality who started his radio career as a Buffalo State student, will moderate the panel discussion that includes Joey Reynolds, Danny Neaverth, and Kevin O’Connell. Free. www.burchfieldpenney.org.

October 7
Europera 5
This opera by John Cage is a collage scored for two singers, each singing five arias of their own choosing from the standard opera repertoire. A pianist "accompanies" them by playing six different opera transcriptions. They are joined by a single 78-rpm Victrola, playing six historical opera recordings and a performer playing a pre-recorded tape, plus the use of a radio and a silent television. The performance begins at 8:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center Auditorium as part of the Second Friday festivities. Admission is $15 for the general public and $5 for members and Buffalo State faculty, staff and students. (716) 878-6011.

October 9-26
Elaborate Paper
The exhibition in the Czurles-Nelson Gallery includes selected experimental student projects developed in cooperation between the Interior Design sophomore studio, “Spatial Experiments,” and the Fiber Design junior studio under the instruction of associate professors Jörg Schnier and Jozef Bajus. On display will be a variety of small paper texture samples exploring the aesthetic and structural properties of paper products. Building on this design research the students are currently in the process of designing wearable sculptures. Gallery hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. A reception with the artists will be held October 18 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Both the exhibit and reception are free and open the public. (716) 878-3549.

October 11
Buffalo State Wind Ensemble
The student wind group will perform under the director of Rick Fleming, associate professor of music, at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. Free. (716) 878-3005. www.buffalostatepac.org.

Colored Confederates: Myth or Matter of Fact
Part of the Consider the Alternatives film series, this film by Ken Wyatt begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center Auditorium. It examines whether blacks actively fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War, and if so, why? Admission is free for students, and $5 for the general public. (716) 878-6011. www.burchfieldpenney.org.

October 16
The Great Inversion
Urbanist Alan Ehrenhalt, the author of the new book The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City, traveled to eight metropolitan areas in 2009 and 2010 and determined that more affluent Americans have traded life in the suburbs for the city, reversing the pattern of the last 50 or 60 years. In a 7:00 p.m. lecture in the Burchfield Penney Art Center, Ehrenhalt explains how and why America’s cities are changing and what this means for the future of urban life. Free. (716) 878-6011. www.burchfieldpenney.org.

October 17
The Landscapes of Frank Lloyd Wright and Ellen Biddle Shipman
As part of the Graycliff Lecture Series, Marion Pressley, the principal of Pressley Associates Landscape Architects, will speak at 7:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center Auditorium on the landscapes of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright and Ellen Biddle Shipman, who is known as the “dean of American Landscape Architects” and one of the originators of the arts and crafts-style garden. The lecture series is presented with support from the New York State Council on the Arts and in collaboration with the Burchfield Penney. Admission is $5 for Graycliff and Burchfield Penney members; $10 for the general public. (716) 878-6011. www.burchfieldpenney.org.

October 18
Buffalo, New York, and Hamilton, Ontario: Portraits of Rust and Recovery
Bruce Fisher, director of the Center for Economics and a visiting professor of economics and finance, presents a 12:15 p.m. lecture in Rockwell Hall 302, as part of the Year of the City Lecture Series. Fisher will reflect upon a tour he recently gave to a group of dignitaries from Hamilton, Ontario, followed by a panel discussion of the Buffalo-Hamilton connection. Free. www.theyearofthecity.com.

Buffalo State Women's Chorus and Symphonic Choir
The free concert held at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center will feature both the Symphonic Choir under the direction of assistant music professor Victoria J. Furby and the Women's Chorale under the direction of music department lecturer John Fleischman. Repertoire will range from Palestrina to Bernstein, featuring some of the major works of the choral canon. (716) 878-3005. www.buffalostatepac.org.

October 19
Clay Jenkins Concert
Clay Jenkins, an esteemed jazz artist and professor at the University of Rochester’s prestigious Eastman School of Music, performs at 7:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall as part of the Buffalo State Faculty and Friends Series. He will be joined by his colleagues from the Eastman Faculty Jazz Combo. Admission is $10 for the general public and free for students. (716) 878-3005. www.buffalostatepac.org.

October 21
Poetry of Kazim Ali
As part of the Writers and Poets Series at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, Kazim Ali, a poet, essayist, fiction writer, and translator, will read from his poetry from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Tower Auditorium. His books include several volumes of poetry, including The Far Mosque, The Fortieth Day, and the cross-genre text Bright Felon: Autobiography and Cities. Ali is an associate professor of creative writing and comparative literature at Oberlin College and teaches in the masters of fine arts program of the University of Southern Main. Free. (716) 878-6011.www.burchfieldpenney.org.

October 24
Bill Cahn Concert
Master percussionist Bill Cahn will present a free concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center. (716) 878-6011. www.burchfieldpenney.org.

October 25
Rockwell Brass Quintet
The Rockwell Brass Quintet, composed of artists in residence at Buffalo State under the direction of associate professor music Rick Fleming, will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center. Free. (716) 878-6011. www.buffalostatepac.org.

We Are Wisconsin
This feature-length documentary film, shown at 7:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center Auditorium, follows the public outcry in 2011 against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s controversial budget-repair bill, focusing on the story behind a remarkably popular uprising. Director Amie Williams, who has won numerous awards for her films, is the co-founder of Global Girl Media, a non-profit that trains underserved teenage girls in new media journalism. We are Wisconsin is part of Consider the Alternatives film series. Admission is free. (716) 878-6011. www.burchfieldpenney.org

October 31
Dames at Sea
The Buffalo State Theater Department presents the off-Broadway musical spoof at 8:00 p.m. in the Flexible Theatre in the Donald Savage Communication Building. Assistant theater professor Carlos Jones choreographed and directed. Performances continue at 8:00 p.m. November 1-3 and November 7-10, and 2:00 p.m. November 3 and 10. Tickets are $15 general admission; $10 for Buffalo State faculty and staff; and $6 for students. They are available through the Rockwell Hall Box Office at (716) 878-3005. For more information, contact the Theater Department at (716) 878-6416 or visit www.buffalostate.edu/theater.