J
anuary 2016
Happy New Year and welcome to spring semester 2016!
In addition to the arrival of Super Bowl 50 to the South Bay, we have many exciting things to look forward to in the coming months.
The city of San José officially turned over the Hammer Theatre Center to SJSU at the start of the calendar year. Spring 2016 provides an opportunity for a long-awaited soft opening of the facility, beginning with Cinequest. I am proud that we are opening the Hammer with our very own student film studios’ latest feature-length film, The Yellow Wallpaper. Tickets for the premier on Wednesday, March 2, 2016, will appear on the Cinequest site when the program goes live this week. Films will run at the Hammer throughout the festival.
The initial mission and vision statements for the Hammer will appear in the Cinequest program copy:
“The Hammer Theatre Center is a distinctive, high-quality performance venue in the heart of downtown San José. Owned by the city and newly operated by San José State University, the Hammer will serve the university and the community through artistically and educationally excellent programming expressive of the unique characteristics and diverse cultures that comprise Silicon Valley.
Together we are building a nexus between the university and the community, San José and the Bay Area, and local and global talent. We aim to produce and present innovative programming that reflects Silicon Valley’s culture of creativity, diversity, and technology. We invite audiences to experience the beauty, spontaneity, and human connection made possible through live performance.
Our broader vision includes Arts, Innovation, and Technology programming on the Paseo de San Antonio, creating a vibrant pathway between SJSU and the Tech Museum, and bridging the urban spaces from Saint James Park down to the SOFA cultural district. We aim to connect SJSU’s tremendous human capital—more than 37,000 faculty, students, and staff—with the downtown cultural and economic corridors.”
If you are interested in potentially booking the Hammer or learning more details, please visit the website. We are working hard to get this facility up and running on behalf of the university and the community. I would like to thank all interested associates and community members for your patience as we build on and solidify strong processes and parameters for programming.
In addition to the numerous upcoming events highlighted in that section of Expressions this month, we have two unique events scheduled for February. First, a live episode of the NPR show From the Top will air from our Music Concert Hall on February 13, 2016. From the Top celebrates classically trained young musicians and gives them a national platform to showcase their talents. This is a wonderful event for all who care about music education and building pipelines for the performing arts! Tickets and information here.
Next, I am thrilled that civil rights icon Ruby Bridges will be on campus February 24, 2016, to accept the Steinbeck Award from our Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies. This prestigious award honors artists and activists who embody the spirit of Steinbeck’s core socially progressive values. Former recipients include Bruce Springsteen, Ken Burns, Dolores Huerta, and Khaled Hosseini. Read more and buy tickets here.
This semester we will be hosting an Emeritus and Retired Faculty Brunch on February 12, 2016. If you are retired faculty and would like to attend, please rsvp to Pat Cunningham. We also are hosting a Donor Recognition Reception on March 4, 2016, in honor of our alumni and supporters who make it possible for us to offer more than $100,000 in scholarships annually and who fund program excellence across the College.
On a more somber note, we recently lost an important member of our faculty community. Emeritus faculty member Sam Smidt died earlier in January. A highly accomplished artist, Sam’s work is in the permanent collections of SFMOMA and LACMA. He was on our faculty from 1960-1997, and is credited as the founder of our Graphic Design program. He was renowned for his dedication to teaching and his support of graphic designers all over the world.
Professor Smidt’s passing provides yet another reminder of how grateful we are in the College of Humanities and the Arts to be part of a large community of dedicated faculty, students, staff, alumni, supporters, and friends who believe in the power of humanities and the arts to impact the world in positive ways.
Wishing everyone peace and health in 2016,
Lisa Vollendorf, Dean
College of Humanities and the Arts
humanities-arts@sjsu.edu
