Westmont News

Westmont’s Print Sale and Fair, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Aug. 21, will feature more than 25 artists who will donate 30 percent of all sales to the Westmont printmaking program.

The fair will be held on the lawn in front of Reynolds Gallery on the lower campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Building on its reputation for innovative and adventurous theater, Westmont has planned a 2004-05 season that features boldly conceived productions of classic and contemporary plays, dance and visual theater.

Mitchell Thomas, Westmont’s new, full-time, tenure-track professor, opens the season with his production of Craig Lucas’s “Reckless” Oct. 28, playing weekends through Nov. 6 in Porter Theatre.

Actor and gifted teacher Mitchell Thomas joins the Westmont faculty as a full-time, tenure-track professor this fall. Also, the famed Russian visual theater ensemble, DO-Theatre, St. Petersburg, will be artists-in-residence in September.

Santa Barbara Downtown Rotary Club has awarded Westmont President Stan D. Gaede with a Paul Harris Fellowship in recognition of Gaede’s  and the college’s contribution to international understanding and service.

The honor was given to Gaede during a recent Rotary Club luncheon, at which he spoke. A $1,000 donation was made by the Santa Barbara Club on Gaede’s behalf to Rotary International’s Annual Programs Fund.

What do you get when Ray Bradbury, Neil Simon, Sue Grafton, Christopher Buckley, Gayle Lynds and 350 other writers converge for a week at Westmont? The Santa Barbara Writers Conference!

"This year’s conference begins June 25 and runs through July 2, with outstanding speaker events every afternoon and evening that are open to the public. A special treat this year: Publishers have allowed the conference bookstore to sell advance copies of Ray Bradbury and Sue Grafton’s latest books before they hit the bookstores, but only on the days that Bradbury and Grafton appear.

Westmont has received a $2.5 million gift from the Adams Family Foundation for the establishment of an endowed chair in music.

The money will endow a new faculty position in the music department called the Adams Chair of Music and Worship. A portion of the gift -- $500,000 – will endow a fund to enhance music program offerings.

“We are committed to enhancing Westmont’s music program not just for its fine students but for the impact it can have on the community,” Denise Adams said.

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi has awarded Wesley Galliher, a chemistry major who graduated in early May from Westmont, a graduate fellowship for the 2004-05 academic year. Wesley will receive $5,000 to aid in his pursuit of a Ph.D. degree in bio-organic or medicinal chemistry. Only 60 students nationwide received the fellowship this year.

Westmont’s Reynolds Gallery has taken first place in the 24th annual American Association of Museums (AAM) Publications Design Competition. “Every Picture Tells a Story,” designed by art instructor Scott Anderson, was selected as the winner of fund-raising and membership materials.

“As you can imagine, I’m very proud of this accomplishment,” Anderson said.

American Masters of Clay, an exploration of American ceramics, will be on exhibit May 13 through June 25 in Reynolds Gallery. An artists’ reception, open to the public, is 5-7 p.m. May 14 in the college Art Center, on the lower campus.

Westmont is a finalist in the “50 Best Christian Workplaces” survey, published this month by Christianity Today magazine.

Conducted by the Best Christian Workplaces Institute (BCWI), the survey polled more than 10,000 employees from 107 organizations in a variety of industries.

“Is There Other Life in the Universe?” a scientific overview of the prospects for intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, is the next Westmont Downtown Conversation by physics Professor Warren Rogers, 5:30 p.m. May 13, at the University Club, 1332 Santa Barbara St.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Starting with the early universe following the Big Bang, Rogers will trace the production and dispersion of heavy elements that form the basis for life.

Four Westmont students have been chosen as Intercultural Leadership awardees for the 2004-05 academic year. Sarah Akinwale, Stephanie Crockett, Laurraine Gereige and Daniel Galicia will each receive a $3,700 award funded by a grant from the Irvine Foundation.

David Spainhour, who retires this month as chairman of Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, will receive the Westmont Medal during graduation ceremonies 10 a.m. May 8 on Russell Carr Field.

The Westmont Medal is given each year to recognize those in our community whose lives embody the very principles associated with the Christian character of the college: integrity, service, compassion, responsibility, faithfulness, discipline and generosity.

Christian philosopher and Yale Professor Dr. Nicholas Wolterstorff will speak at Westmont’s 2004 commencement 10 a.m. May 8 at Russell Carr Athletic Field on campus.

Wolterstorff’s speech, entitled “Called or Occupied?” will explore choosing between looking for an occupation and looking for what you are called to do.

“When students leave college and look for a job, do you just look for an occupation, or do you look for what you might be called to do? In short, how do you choose?” Wolterstorff said.

Westmont has received a $3 million gift from the estate of a former professor and his wife.

Dr. Kenneth Monroe, who died in 1987, and his wife, Peggy, who died in February of this year, left assets of more than $3 million to the college. The money will fund scholarships for Monroe Scholars, up to four exceptional students who receive full-tuition assistance each year. The bequest will also create a new endowed chair in a discipline to be named.

The Westmont Theatre and Dance Department presents a New Works Festival, with performances of works by professors and students, 8 p.m. April 30 and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. May 1 in Porter Theatre. Admission is $5.

The festival will feature the Westmont Theatre Arts Repertory Co. and Westmont Windancers.

“Original works are the emphasis, including original theatre pieces, mime, music and dance,” Professor Erlyne Whiteman explained.

The Jazz Ensembles, directed by adjunct music professor Ron McCarley, will perform 8 p.m. April 24 in Deane Chapel on Westmont’s lower campus. Admission is free.

The ensembles with perform “Move” from “Birth of the Cool” by Miles Davis; “Whisper Not”; “Yardbird Suite”; “Anthropology”; “Here's that Rainy Day,” sung by Alicia Burns; “Moonlight Serenade,” sung by Sarah Stockton; “It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing”; “Red Clay” and others.

Rev. Dr. Craig Bartholomew of Redeemer University College in Toronto will speak on “Athens and Jerusalem: Ingredients in Theological Interpretation” 4 p.m. April 16 in Hieronymus Lounge, in Kerrwood Hall on the upper campus.

The lecture, sponsored by the Erasmus Society, is free and open to the public.

Bartholomew will discuss how the postmodern era has created a renewal of interest in theological interpretation of the Bible.

The annual Spring Choral Concert featuring the Choir, Chamber Singers and Vox Lumina Women’s Chorale will be 8 p.m. April 30 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 1500 State St. (at Micheltorena). A free-will donation will be requested.

Westmont musicians will showcase their skills at the spring concert for the Wind Ensemble and Chamber Orchestra at 8 p.m. April 23 in Deane Chapel on the lower campus. Admission is free and the concert is open to the public.

The Chamber Orchestra, directed by Emily Sommermann, has 12 student members. The program includes the Haydn Cello Concerto in C major with soloist Erin Crumley, a junior. Also on the program is Serenade for Strings by Josef Suk.

Westmont’s graduating art majors’ best work will be displayed during Reynolds Gallery’s annual Senior Art Show, April 13 through May 1. An artists’ reception, which is open to the public, will be 5-7 p.m. April 16 in the Art Center.

The work on exhibit is art that has been created during a seminar class in which each student designs and plans his or her own project, concentrating on an area of expertise, for example, ceramics, sculpture, photography or painting.

Music Professor Grey Brothers will direct the Westmont Chamber Singers in a Palm Sunday performance of Antonio Rodriguez de Matta's “The Passion According to Matthew,” 7 p.m. April 4 in Deane Chapel, next to the Art Center on the lower campus. The concert is open to the public and admission is free.

Matta was a 17th-century maestro of the Mexico City Cathedral. Brothers edited Matta's “Passio secundum Mattheum” from a manuscript found in the cathedral’s archives. This may be the first time Matta's work has been heard since the 17th century.

“Body Image” is the theme of this year’s Sophomore Project art exhibit at Reynolds Gallery, featuring the work of Westmont art students, March 9 through April 3.

Gallery hours may fluctuate during spring break, March 15-19, so please call the Art Center at (805) 565-6162 before visiting.

The art has been produced by students primarily in their sophomore year, explained Susan Savage, associate art professor and department chair.

Robert S. Bryant, owner of Bryant and Sons Ltd. Jewelers and a longtime supporter of Westmont and many other non-profit causes in Santa Barbara, was granted emeritus status when he recently completed three years of service with the Westmont Foundation board.
"Stewart Abercrombie is the only other foundation board member who has been granted this special status upon leaving the board. It is reserved for those who contributed of themselves beyond the expectations of a typical board member.

British Physicist John Polkinghorne will speak on “Can a Scientist Believe in a Destiny Beyond Death?” 7:30 p.m. March 29 at the University Club in downtown Santa Barbara. The event, sponsored by the college’s Behavioral and Natural Sciences Division, is free and open to the public.

Polkinghorne will address the Westmont student body in chapel at 10:30 that morning with a talk on “A Physicist’s Approach to the Christian Faith.” Members of the public are also welcome in chapel.

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Professor David Wells will speak on “Spirituality, Not Religion” 4 p.m. March 24 in Hieronymus Lounge. The event is free and open to the public.

"Wells is the Andrew Mutch Distinguished Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Gordon-Conwell, which is in Hamilton, Mass. He was born in Zimbabwe, lived for some years in England and worked as an architect before beginning theological training.

Westmont College’s Repertory Theater presents Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” 8 p.m. Feb. 26-28 and March 4-6 with a matinee performance at 2 p.m. March 6 in Porter Theatre. The production, adapted and directed by Professor John Blondell, is a theatrical presentation based on the famous Romantic novel.

Begun in 1816, “Frankenstein” was completed in 1818 when Mary Shelley was but 19 years old. Though early response was mixed, the novel is now considered one of the most significant novels of the early Romantic period, as well as an icon of contemporary culture.

After weeks of putting their speaking and debating skills to the test, student finalists will compete in the 7th Annual Expressions Speech and Debate Tournament Championship at 7 p.m. March 9 in Page Hall Multipurpose Room on the upper Westmont campus. The event is free and open to the public.

More than $10,000 in prize money will be awarded to winners throughout the speech and debate tournaments, with a $500 prize going to the overall debate champion and $200 awards going to the class champions in speechmaking.

TechKnowledge Point Corp., founded by David Newton, Westmont professor of entrepreneurial finance, will hold the Spirit of Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development (SEED) business plan competition and awards luncheon Feb. 20-21 at Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort.

The final competitions, which are free and open to the public, will be 8:30-11:30 a.m. Feb. 21 in the resort conference center.

In a new body of work by Westmont Art Professor Susan Savage, a simple silver bowl provides an interesting yet poignant point of focus. Humble yet elegant, the bowl tells a story that becomes expressively spiritual in its revelations of mystery and truth.

“Bearing Witness: Recent Paintings by Susan Savage” will be on exhibit Feb. 2 through March 5 in Reynolds Gallery. An opening reception and lecture will be 4-7 p.m. Feb. 5. Savage, an arts educator for more than 30 years, serves as associate professor and art department chair.

Representing the best mathematical minds of their schools, approximately 100 students will compete Feb. 7 at Westmont’s 18th annual High School Mathematics Contest.

The keynote speaker for the awards banquet is Paul Zorn, a professor at St. Olaf College and the author of a popular textbook on calculus.

David Batstone, professor of social ethics at the University of San Francisco and a writer on popular culture, and film producer Steven Crisman will speak on “Pop Culture with Values: If You Don't Like the News, Go Out
and Create Your Own” 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4 in the Founders Room in the Kerr Student Center.

The event is free and open to the public.

“Vocation, Vocationalism, and the Liberal Arts” is the theme of the fourth annual Conversation on the Liberal Arts, Feb. 6-7, hosted by the Institute for the Liberal Arts at Westmont.

While the conference is by invitation only, the public is invited to an evening forum and desert reception 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at the El Cabrillo Room of the Santa Barbara Radisson Hotel.

Associate Music Professor Steve Butler was honored this year with an ASCAP award for his achievements in the field of concert music.

ASCAP is a performing rights organization dedicated to those who compose music and write lyrics. The organization, which represents every genre of music, is composed of 170, 000 U.S. members and represents a multitude of worldwide artists. Members have included musical creators such as Duke Ellington, Madonna and Garth Brooks.

The Westmont College Choir, the Westmont Chamber Singers and the Vox Lumina Women’s Chorale present “The Singing Season,” the annual Christmas Choral concert, 8 p.m. Dec. 6 and 7 at Trinity Episcopal Church. Admission is free, but a goodwill offering will be taken. Trinity Episcopal is located at 1500 State St., at the corner of State and Micheltorena streets.

Westmont’s choral groups present “A Celtic Christmas” 8 p.m. Dec. 12 and 13 at Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown Santa Barbara. Admission is free, although a free-will offering will be requested.

The Westmont College Choir and Westmont Chamber Singers, directed by Steven R. Hodson, and Vox Lumina Women’s Chorale, directed by Laura Brinton, will sing a variety of Celtic holiday songs.

Trinity Episcopal Church is the corner of State and Micheltorena streets.

For more information, call the music department at (805) 565-7040 or the public affairs office at 565-6051.

The James L. Stamps Foundation has awarded Westmont $100,000 to advance the college’s administrative software system and increase support for spiritual formation projects.

These two vastly different systems both work as an integral, albeit unseen, structure for advancing the college’s mission of educating young people equipped to appreciate and contribute to an increasingly complex world.

Westmont Windancers’ fall dance concert, “Random Radiance,” takes abstract expressionism to a new dimension 8 p.m. Dec. 5 and 6 and 2 p.m. Dec. 6 in Porter Theatre.

Weaving together the visual and performing arts in an innovative and intriguing manner, the dances draw inspiration from paintings by Chagall, Kandinsky, Pollock and an original painting by student Ryan Lonac, interpreting and bringing them to life through movement.

Embrace the sounds of Christmas and classical music 8 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Westmont Wind Ensemble and Chamber Orchestra concert in Deane Chapel on Westmont’s lower campus. Admission is free.

“The group has grown in size, morale and quality each semester,” director Ron McCarley said.

The Westmont Chamber Orchestra and Wind Ensembles will present their fall concert 8 p.m. Nov. 22 in Deane Chapel, on Westmont’s lower campus. Admission is free.

The Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Emily Sommermann, will perform Vivaldi’s “D minor Concerto Grosso,” the “Adagio” from the First Organ Sonata by Mendelssohn and the famous “Holberg Suite” by Edvard Grieg.

“It is exciting to work with this ensemble and to watch these musicians grow,” Sommermann said. “It will be a great performance.”

The Westmont jazz band, choir and three combos will perform the best of their work at the Jazz Ensemble Concert, 8 p.m. Nov. 21 in Deane Chapel.

For the first time, professor Ron McCarley is playing lead alto in the 14-member band. This is also the first concert to include a jazz choir. The choir will be directed by music professor Steve Hodson.

Voskuyl Library, in conjunction with Reynolds Gallery’s Christmas show, "Storytellers," is exhibiting the work of Itoko Maeno and Bruce Hale, two Santa Barbara children's book illustrators, through Jan. 17, 2004.
Maeno, a native of Japan, earned her bachelor of arts degree in graphic design from Tama Art University in Tokyo. Now a resident of Santa Barbara, she has illustrated more than 25 children's books. Four of her titles have won national awards, including the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Picture Book in 1989.

Voskuyl Library, in conjunction with Reynolds Gallery’s Christmas show, "Storytellers," is exhibiting the work of Itoko Maeno and Bruce Hale, two Santa Barbara children's book illustrators, through Jan. 17, 2004.

Maeno, a native of Japan, earned her bachelor of arts degree in graphic design from Tama Art University in Tokyo. Now a resident of Santa Barbara, she has illustrated more than 25 children's books. Four of her titles have won national awards, including the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Picture Book in 1989.

Westmont’s first fall dance concert featuring a unique blend of dancing and acting will be 8 p.m. Nov. 15 and 2 and 8 p.m. Nov. 16 in Porter Theatre. Admission is $5 for students and seniors and $8 for general audience.

The performance is centered on our relationship with water and will feature one complete piece of contemporary dance. The concert will also include students acting in a European style of clowning. The piece features six dancers and seven actors.

The 19th-century battle of Abraham v. Abraham and the questions it poses about religious identity and racism will be presented by Assistant History Professor Chandra Mallampalli at 7 p.m. Nov. 17 in Hieronymus Lounge.

"Mallampalli’s talk, “Race, Religion and Law in British India: Abraham v. Abraham (1863),” is the Paul C. Wilt Phi Kappa Phi Lecture for fall semester. Sociology Professor Thomas Jayawardene and History Professor Shirley Mullen will respond.

R. Anthony Askew, Allan Nishimura and Robert Wennberg have received the college’s first distinguished professorship award, an honor that recognizes their exceptional commitment to their students and Christian liberal arts education.

The award, which will be given every two years, includes an additional $2,000 annual stipend to be used for their work at the college until retirement. Professors must have taught at the college for at least 20 years to be considered for the honor.

Kurt Wenner, Italian muralist, frescoe painter and founder of Santa Barbara’s I Madonnari, will join Westmont Professor of Art Tony Askew in the first of a series of “Conversations About Things that Matter” hosted by Westmont Downtown at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at the University Club at 1332 Santa Barbara St. Admission is free.

Santa Barbara architect and art collector Barry Berkus has donated a sculpture by environmental artist Robert Lobe to Westmont.

The piece, displayed on the lawn outside Reynolds Gallery, has been on loan to Westmont for a number of years. Berkus donated four other sculptures to the college last year that also had been on loan from his private collection.

The aluminum sculpture, like many of Lobe’s works, features the shape and texture of a tree.