University of Scranton November Events

Through Dec. 15     Library Exhibit: “Learning to Write-American Penmanship Manuals from the David Kaminski and Zaner-Bloser Collections 1791-1980.” Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@scranton.edu.  

Nov. 2     11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Series: “A Molecule Away from Madness: Tales of the Hijacked Brain” presented by Sara Manning Peskin, M.D., assistant professor of clinical neurology, University of Pennsylvania. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.  

Nov 2     4 p.m. Humanities Forum Lecture: “Explaining the Cosmos: Can the Philosopher Help?” presented by Dean Zimmerman, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Rutgers University, author and lecturer. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.  

Nov. 3     6 p.m. Art Exhibit First Fridays reception: “Scranton’s Story: Oral History Portrait Photographs.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu, 

Nov. 4     7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Symphonic Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.   

Nov. 5     9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. Various locations on campus. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.  

Nov. 9     7:30 p.m. Henry George Lecture: “The ‘China Shock’ After 22 Years” presented by Robert C. Feenstra, Ph.D., C. Bryan Cameron Distinguished Chair in International Economics, University of California, Davis. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.  

Nov 10    Noon. Humanities Forum Lecture: “The Habit of Poetry: The Literary Lives of Nuns in Mid-century America” presented by Nick Ripatrazone, author and culture editor of Image Journal. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.  

Nov. 12    4 p.m. Performance Music: “The Generation Sing!” The Catholic Choral Society opens their 75th anniversary season jointed by The University of Scranton concert Choir and Valley View High School Choir with middle school and elementary choirs. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.  

Nov. 16    7 p.m. Keynote Lecture and Book Signing: “Who are We as a Nation? Education for Democracy” presented by Danielle Allen, Harvard University political theorist and author of Justice by Means of Democracy. The event is part of “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story,” a project supported by a NEH grant led by The University of Scranton and community partners. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.  

Nov. 16-18     8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “Footloose” presented by Liva Arts Company. The Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. $5. Call 570-941-7401 or email livaartscompany@gmail.com.  

Nov. 18    7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with guest violinist Kako Miura Boga. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.  

The Rotary Club to Host Boscov’s Friends Helping Friends Fundraiser

The Boscov’s Friends Helping Friends fundraiser is coming up in October – here are a few event details:

Boscov’s offers non-profit organizations the opportunity to sell discount passes giving shoppers 25% on most items purchased during the one-day sale – this year it’s Wednesday October 18.

The discount passes are $5 and shoppers get 25% off their purchases (most items there are some exceptions with lower discounts) – a great deal for the shopper and Rotary Club keeps the $5.

Historically, the Rotary Club has used these funds to buy dictionaries for local 3rd graders – each 3rd grader gets their own dictionary.  The teachers love it because each student gets their own personal dictionary.

In addition to the dictionaries, this year they hope to raise enough $ to start Interact Clubs at Scranton High School and West Scranton High.

The Club asks each member to sell 5 passes – but notes that more than 5 would be wonderful. If passes can’t be sold it’s OK, selling passes is voluntary, but the value of the ticket is apparent and it’s really an easy sell.

IMPORTANT CHANGE – Due to the # of non-profits participating this year, they will have fewer hours to sell tickets in store on the day of sale – meaning greater effort will be needed and there must be emphasis on early ticket sales. The Rotary will still have a table at Boscov’s the day of the sale but not for the whole day – they will need volunteers to staff the table on October 18th.  It’s a fun time so sign up with Ty!

Ty Holmes is heading up this fundraiser – show support and contact him for discount passes – tdholmes23@gmail.com or 224-436-0110

Everything Natural to Host Natural Food and Products Expo

On October 14, 11am-3pm, Everything Natural will host it’s Natural Food and Products Expo 2023: An event created to introduce the community to natural, organic, and healthy products.

Everything Natural is aware that consumers everywhere are waking up and wanting to know: What’s in the food? How is it made?

They are paying more attention to the impact their food has on people and on the planet.

Come and engage with local/regional farmers and vendors some of who include: Swiss Villa Farms, HighVibe.Kitchen, Beekeeper’s Daughter, Two Homes, Young Living Oils, and more. Also on hand will be a New Products Booth which will introduce customers to the newest foods and supplements available in the market.

Join Everything Natural for a day of tasting and learning about foods and products that are new and cutting edge in the marketplace. 

Additionally, in the downstairs studio:

12pm Young Living Oil Make your own perfume w/Essential Oils Tara McAuliffe.

1:30pm HighVibe.Kitchen a cooking demo w/ Rebekah Gillette.

Save the date! Spaces are limited for the downstairs workshops and we are encouraging everyone to stop by or call the store to reserve a seat.

The University of Scranton Hosts Acclaimed Pianist

On Saturday, Oct. 14, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a recital by critically and popularly acclaimed award-winning pianist Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner.

The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.

Conductor and Director of Performance Music Cheryl Y. Boga says, “I first became of aware of Llewellyn and his incredible talent when my son would text me from his classes at Juilliard to tell me about this amazing 13-year-old who was already enrolled in pursuit of his undergraduate degree and – according to Joseph – ‘played piano like craaaazy!’ Now, at age 26, he is already one of the most virtuosic, vibrant, and socially committed musicians of his generation.”

Described as “a gifted virtuoso” by the San Francisco Chronicle, Sanchez-Werner has been performing with orchestras since the age of 6. The California native has played internationally with the Royal Concertgebouw in the Netherlands, CultureSummit Abu Dhabi, the Louvre and Grenoble Museums in France, Smetana Hall in the Czech Republic, State Philharmonic Hall in Slovakia, Verbier Festival in Switzerland, Ashford Castle in Ireland and Gijon International Piano Festival in Spain. In the United States, he has performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lincoln Center and National Sawdust in New York City, Mary B. Galvin Hall in Chicago, Richardson Auditorium at Princeton University, Paramount Theater in Oakland, and the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Art Museum, and Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C.

In addition, Sanchez-Werner has performed at the Kennedy Center and the White House for former President Barack Obama and current President Joe Biden, for President Peña Nieto of Mexico, Prime Minister Peres of Israel, and President Kagame of Rwanda. Committed to public service, he received the Atlantic Council Young Global Citizen Award recognizing his dedication to social action through music in such countries as Iraq, Rwanda, France, Canada and the U.S.

An active chamber musician, Sanchez-Werner has collaborated with Renée Fleming, Eric Owens, Marina Poplavskaya, Richard O’Neill and Cynthia Phelps. He partnered with the Gershwin family on a concert and biographical tribute to the Gershwin brothers, and performed “Hallelujah Junction” for John Adams at his 70th birthday celebration in New York.

Sanchez-Werner earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School, where he was awarded the Kovner Fellowship, won the concerto competition and was the youngest admittee to each program at ages 14 and 18, respectively. Juilliard was Sanchez-Werner’s second college experience – he became a full-time student at Ventura College at age five, where he completed 170 college credits toward degrees in music and international relations. Sanchez-Werner also earned an Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music, where he was awarded the Charles S. Miller Prize.

For further information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Sanchez-Werner, visit llewellynsanchezwerner.com.

Marywood Announces Fall Art Galleries

Marywood’s Art Galleries have announced exhibits for the first half of the fall semester, running from September 16 through October 21, in the Mahady and Suraci Galleries. All gallery exhibits, receptions, and talks are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are currently Mondays, 12- 4 p.m.; Tuesdays, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.; Wednesdays, 12-4 p.m.; Thursdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Fridays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and Saturdays, 1-4 p.m.

Mahady Gallery: The Russell Collection [Various Artists; Collection of Jeff and Liz Russell]

Exhibition dates: September 16-October 21, 2023

Opening Reception: Saturday, September 16 • 2–5 p.m.

Gallery Talk: Saturday, September 16, 2023 • 2 p.m.

Jeff and Liz Russell have collected art for the last 40 years. The collection is somewhat eclectic, although most of the works are by American artists. From a small work by Robert Natkin to a large work by Robert Rauschenberg, the collection consists of mostly known artists. There are 51 works on display including paintings, prints, and photographs. The art movements of Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, Pop Art, Photorealism, Neo-expressionism, the Rhino Horn Group and the Transcendental Group are represented. Most of the works were collected while the couple was in New York City, where they spent their careers, and in Northeast Pennsylvania, where they now reside. Prominent Pennsylvanian artists in the collection include Herb Simon, Karl Neuroth, Clifton Prokop, Richard Cramer, and William Baziotes, most of whom are friends.

Suraci Gallery: The Stories We Tell Ourselves [Stephen Garrison, Artist]

Exhibition dates: September 16-October 21, 2023

Opening Reception: Saturday, September 16 • 2–5 p.m.

Gallery Talk: Monday, October 2, 2023 • 2 p.m.

The Stories We Tell Ourselves is a series of mixed media works and drawings looking at anthropomorphic characters found throughout world religion, mythology, and contemporary fiction. The characters represented come from stories or histories in which they embody human personality traits, both positive and negative. The paintings themselves develop as layers which mask or reveal the drawing underneath. There are no physically mixed colors; each hue is the result of the layering of thin glazes of pure color. Each mixed media piece, with paper affixed to wood panel with multiple glazes of paint applied to it, acts as a series of masks. Each viewer may actually perceive them slightly differently, depending on their color sensitivities.