FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 17, 2005
Media Contacts:
Columbia College Chicago:
Micki Leventhal, 312-344-7383;
mleventhal@colum.edu
Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies:
Betsy Gomberg, 312-322-1756;
bgomberg@spertus.edu
COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO AND SPERTUS INSTITUTE OF
JEWISH STUDIES ANNOUNCE SALE OF SPERTUS BUILDING TO COLUMBIA
Expansion Plans for Two of South Loop's Anchors Herald Area's Growth as a 'Cultural Corridor'
CHICAGO, IL - Dr. Warrick L. Carter, president of Columbia College Chicago, and Dr. Howard Sulkin, president of Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, announced the sale of the Institute's building to neighboring Columbia College. The contract, signed today, ends more than a year of negotiations on the sale of the 104,000-gross-square-foot property where Spertus is currently located, at 618 S. Michigan Avenue, in the center of Columbia's 'urban campus.'
The sale comes one week after Spertus broke ground for a new, state-of-the-art facility to be built at 610 S. Michigan, on the vacant lot between their current home and Columbia's Alexandroff Administrative Center at 600 S. Michigan. Columbia is expected to take possession of the 618 property during the fall of 2007, when Spertus moves into their new facility. Until that time, Spertus will occupy the 618 building on a lease-back arrangement with Columbia.
"Columbia's enrollment, and therefore our space needs, continue to grow each year. Add to that constantly increasing technology and studio requirements, various administrative and student services needs and we are bursting at the seams," says Carter. "When we learned that Spertus would be building on their lot and the current property would become available, we approached them immediately. There isn't much property to be had in our neighborhood and we are committed to the South Loop. While this will not solve all of our expansion needs, it is a nice start."
"We were thrilled to work out a deal that both of our institutions are happy with," says Sulkin. "It is wonderful to be able to turn over the building, which has served us long and well, to another respected educational institution that is such an integral part of the rebirth of this area so rich in Chicago history. This sale helps secure the continued growth of the South Loop as an educational and cultural corridor."
Columbia's renovation plans for the $8 million property purchase are still in development, according to Alicia Berg, vice president of campus environment, although tuck pointing and closing of windows in Spertus's north wall, as well as the south wall of the college's Alexandroff center, will begin immediately. "We are nearing completion of a master plan for our campus' expansion, and programming this building is part of that process," says Berg. "With our space needs to accommodate a growing student body and for improving the quality of the educational experience, the building will be a great asset for us."
The new Spertus facility is designed by the award-winning Chicago-based Krueck & Sexton Architects and will feature a façade of folded glass. With more space and state-of-the-art technology, it will include many features to better serve visitors and students of Spertus Institute's branches: Spertus College, Asher Library, and Spertus Museum. "Of particular note," said Betsy Gomberg, Spertus Director of Institutional Outreach, "will be a sophisticated performance space to showcase lectures, concerts, theater and film, allowing Spertus to increase its commitment to innovative public programming."
Columbia College Chicago, an urban institution committed to open access, opportunity and excellence in higher education, provides innovative degree programs in the visual, performing, media and communication arts to nearly 11,000 students in more than 120 undergraduate and graduate programs. Founded in 1890 as a communications school for women, Columbia College Chicago was revisioned in 1963 as a liberal arts college with a "hands-on minds-on" approach to arts and media education and a progressive social agenda. Under the current leadership of President Warrick L. Carter, Ph.D., Columbia is aggressively pursuing this mission. Through the diversity of its students and graduates, the school brings a rich vision and multiplicity of voices to American culture. For further information visit www.colum.edu.
Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies invites people of all ages and backgrounds to explore the multi-faceted Jewish experience. Through its innovative programming, exhibitions, collections, research facilities and degree programs, Spertus inspires learning, serves diverse communities and fosters understanding for Jews and people of all faiths, locally, regionally and around the world. For additional information, visit www.spertus.edu.
-end-
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Micki Leventhal, 312-344-7383
October 13, 2005
INTERSECTIONS CONTINUES WITH "FROM VISIONARY EXPERIENCE TO SPIRITUAL LIFE: ENTHEOGENIC PLANTS AND CHEMICALS"
Expert Panel Explores Cultural Contexts and Meanings of Psychedelic Substances
NOTE: Silverstein, Gillogly and Roberts are available for interviews.
Chicago, October, 2005--The term entheogenic is derived from roots for "god-within" or "spirit-facilitating." The second Intersections presentation of this fall season will seek to open for public discussion the use of psychoactive sacramental plants and chemical substances. Each member of the panel brings a different perspective to the spiritual promise and social problems that society finds in such substances as marijuana, peyote and opium.
Columbia College Chicago Professor Louis Silverstein has invited Professor Thomas Roberts of Northern Illinois University and Kathleen Gillogly of Columbia College Chicago to share their research and participate in an open discussion with the audience. The program, entitled From Visionary Experience to Spiritual Life: Entheogenic Plants and Chemicals, will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday November 2, in the First Floor West Meeting Room of the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington. Admission is free. For more information, call 312-744-6630 or visit www.intersections.colum.edu.
Kathleen Gillogly (University of Michigan Ph.D. candidate and Columbia College faculty member) will describe her research in Northern Thailand among peasant farmers whose cash crop for the last 175 years, opium, is now illegal. She will share some of the difficulties of performing her field research, as well as the effect of the United Nations drug interdiction policy on the local populace. Gillogly has studied human ecology, development and kinship in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and the Solomon Islands and has published widely in anthropological journals. Her many honors include a Fullbright-Hayes Fellowship for her dissertation research.
Thomas Roberts, Ph.D. (Stanford) will discuss his research in psychedelic studies, particularly their uses in spiritual mind development. He will explore the potential impact of widely accessible primary religious experience through use of psychedelic substances. Will religion itself become more democratic? He has taught the course Psychedelic Mindview for 25 years, and has published extensively. His new book, Psychedelic Horizons: Snow White, Immune System, Multistate Education, Reasking Education,will be published by Exeter next year.
Louis Silverstein will move the topic "from visionary experience to spiritual life." He will invite discussion of how "the disciplined and responsible use of plants and chemicals can work toward the betterment of the human journey." Pointing out that "visionary experience in not the same as spiritual life," he will seek to guide the discussion toward "how to incorporate such experiences into a spiritual life." Silverstein is Professor of Liberal Studies at Columbia College Chicago and has published widely. His recent book, Deep Spirit & Great Heart: Living in the Marijuana Consciousness continues his lifelong interest in the effects of psychoactive drugs on personal and cultural psychology and experience.
From Visionary Experience to Spiritual Life: Entheogenic Plants and Chemicals is part of the adult education series, Intersections: A Meeting Place for Diverse Ideas on Contemporary Culture and the Arts. Intersections, which is a collaboration between the Cultural Studies Program of Columbia College Chicago and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, presents monthly lectures and discussions that investigate and celebrate the complexity of contemporary culture and the arts in which scholars and educators from Columbia College Chicago explore a broad range of compelling topics in a format designed to be informative, invigorating and accessible. The third presentation of this season, The Simpsons: Cultural Criticism and America's Favorite TV Family, will take place on Wednesday, December 7. All Intersections events are held in the First Floor West Meeting Room of the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington. Admission is free.
-end-
For Immediate Release Media Contact: Micki Leventhal 312-344-7383
October 7, 2005 or Elizabeth Burke-Dain 312-344-8695
A HANDMADE REVOLUTION
Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media Presents Panel Discussion at Columbia College Chicago That Explores Political Implications and Possibilities of "Craftivism"
WHAT: Crafty Culture: Feminism, Activism, and the DIY Ethic
A panel discussion with local women active in the Chicago DIY (do it yourself) arts community: graphics professional and "craftivist" Cinnamon Cooper; Time Out Chicago magazine "Check Out" editor Annie Tomlin; and painter and poet Alejandra Velera. Moderated by Annette Ferrara, cultural content provider and managing editor of Flavorpill.net. Q & A follows.
Crafting - knitting, needlepoint, beading, scrapbooking, sewing and more - can be a hobby, a way to unwind and a creative outlet. It can also be a way to reclaim traditional women's work with a modern spin, start one's own business, save money, reject prepackaged/sweatshop-produced merchandise, recycle, raise funds or donate goods for charitable causes, and mobilize for political action. Columbia's Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media presents a panel discussion that will explore the possibilities of "craftivism."
While crafting is often a solitary activity, the popularity of such groups as Stitch 'n' Bitch, indie art/crafts fairs, magazines like ReadyMade and Web sites such as craftster.org has helped likeminded women (and men) to network, exchange ideas and market their products. While these communities and media outlets mostly exist outside the mainstream media, there has been a less political, yet no less pervasive DIY lifestyle trend in mainstream media as espoused by Martha Stewart, Home Depot and the glut of domestic-themed cable TV offerings.
Crafty culture is part of a centuries-old history of women connecting, organizing and effecting change through handicrafts. It has been suggested that during the Civil War era, African American women's quilt designs were coded maps of the Underground Railroad. But as domestic prowess has become less of a requirement and more of a choice, modern women can approach it with a healthy dose of irreverence. Today's indie crafters are grounded in postmodern self-awareness.
Crafting can be examined as a new phase in the DIY phenomenon, with its ideals of empowerment, accessibility and community, which began with the self-publishing of the Beats and Situationists, mail art, pirate radio in the '60s, the anti-consumerist politics of punk rock, the rise of independent record labels, zine culture, and the '90s Riot Grrrl movement. Yet crafty culture may present a reverse rebellion: instead of the sharp critique of domesticity offered by second-wave feminists, contemporary crafters are embracing and celebrating the domestic arts as relevant, viable and creative work.
What does crafty culture mean for a post-third wave generation of feminists? Why is this trend happening now - might crafts be more popular in times of war, economic downturn and political conflict? How can we channel our creative passions into activism? In an aesthetic environment obsessed with high design, what place do our handcrafted objects have - and are they truly valued in our economic system? Do they have any cultural capital? Does crafty culture attract a wide range of participants in terms of race, class and gender?
WHEN: Thursday, November 3, 6 - 8 pm
WHERE: Film Row Cinema theatre, 1104 S. Wabash, 8th Floor
HOW MUCH: Free and open to the public
MORE INFO: 312-344-8829
WHO:
The Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media is a new entity at Columbia College Chicago and the first and only institute of its kind in the US. Our mission is to research, debate, archive and investigate significant societal and cultural issues related to women and gender in the arts and media.
-end-
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2005
Dr. Shonekan is available for interviews.
The Columbia College Department of Liberal Education will introduce a Black World Studies minor this fall. The field of study is a comparative analysis of the artistic and political legacies of black peoples around the world and seeks to launch a serious dialog to determine the regional and cultural differences between black peoples. While the field of "blackness" in higher education has traditionally been about race in a post civil rights America, Black World Studies takes a global approach.
One of the characteristics of Columbia's Black World Studies program that sets it apart from similar programs at other institutions is the required course, "Artistic/Political/Intellectual Activist Workshop." In developing the minor, Dr. Stephanie Shonekan felt this capstone experience was essential asking, "Can one even begin to speak about a 'Black World' without also speaking about the nature of activism?"
"We also want to encourage students to question the very notion of 'blackness' by looking at 'blackness' as a problematic identity construct, a political signifier and a metaphor for social marginalization," explains Shonekan, who will serve as coordinator for the new minor.
"Black World Studies will provide our arts and media students with a supplemental area of concentration offering context and background to their various areas of study. Part of Columbia's mission is to send students out to 'author the culture of their times' and 'create change.' This minor will help ensure that those students whose art and work touches on any aspect of black world studies will be well equipped to contextualize their works so that their cultural product will be substantive, complex and accessible."
Stephanie Shonekan, Ph.D., has an intertwined heritage of Nigerian and Trinidadian. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees in Nigeria from the University of Jos and the University of Ibadan where she examined the connections between African American poetry and music, focusing on a comparative analysis of Langston Hughes and Louis Armstrong and LeRoi Jones and Miles Davis.
After working at Arthur Anderson's Lagos Office for five years, Shonekan was accepted into the Ph.D. program at Indiana University, Bloomington where she wrote her doctoral thesis on Camilla Williams a lyric soprano who, in 1946, was the first African American to receive a regular contract with a major American opera company. The dissertation treated issues of voice and identity.
At Columbia, Shonekan teaches classes that focus on the art and literature created by people of African descent. Her courses include Black Arts Movement, Harlem Renaissance: 1920s Art and Literature and Contemporary Africa: Life, Literature and Music, and Hip Hop: Global Music and Culture. Shonekan's current inquiry is, "Black Women in Love: Self, Song, Story: A Global Examination of the Love Lives of Black Women," as well as continued research into Nigerian Hip Hop.
For Immediate Release Media Contact: Micki Leventhal 312-344-7383
Date October 7, 2005
NEW GAME DESIGN MAJOR AT COLUMBIA COLLEGE PREPARES TECHNO-ARTISTS TO CREATE NEXT GENERATION OF ENTERTAINMENT/EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
NOTE: Turner, Bartoni and Barbier are available for interviews.
Chicago, IL - Columbia College Chicago will launch its new degree program in video Game Design for the Spring 2006 semester. Overwhelmingly approved by the school's Board of Trustees at its October 6 meeting, the Bachelor of Arts in Game Design was developed in response to the existing and expanding field of digital game technology.
"Digital games have expanded beyond entertainment into education, communications and training," said Allen M. Turner, chair of Columbia's board. "From classroom education to corporate and government training programs in everything from cultural sensitivity to disaster response, interactive games are the training tool of choice; there is an increasing demand for degreed individuals with a grasp of the theoretical, creative and technical aspects of the field. With Columbia's emphasis on providing the best in both theory and practice, we are ideally positioned to educate the next generation of video game design professionals."
The game design major has been in development for more than a year and has been eagerly anticipated by students. "We looked closely at the state of digital design present and future, course options, career outcomes and competition from other colleges and universities offering comparable programs, in order to craft the most comprehensive curriculum possible," explains Doreen Bartoni, dean of Columbia's School of Media Arts.
"In addition to emphasizing a better balance of art and technology than existing programs, the Columbia game design major highlights collaboration, teamwork and an exposure to real-world production deadlines. We intend to give students the kind of education that will make them the most sought-after professionals in the job market."
The game design major will be administered under Columbia's newly renamed "Department of Interactive Arts and Media" (IAM), which will expand upon the curriculum and courses previously offered by the Academic Computing Department and the Interactive Multimedia Program. The IAM department will be chaired by artist and educator Annette Barbier, who was selected after a nationwide search. Barbier joined the Columbia faculty directly from her post on the faculty of Northwestern University.
"From both the artistic and educational perspectives, the fields of new media and interactive technology are wide open. They are the future and the possibilities are endless," says Barbier. "The reorganization, in effect the re-launching, of these programs at Columbia comes at a perfect time. Whether we are talking about web design, developing video gaming for education or entertainment, or using the technologies to create art that engages and challenges the audience, Columbia will be providing education that keeps our graduates at the cutting edge of the interaction of culture and technology. And, the wonderful diversity of Columbia's student body will be significant in the development of a broader range of interactive arts and games than is currently available. I look forward to bringing my vision and passion to these endeavors."
"We are really excited about Annette heading up the IAM Department," comments Bartoni. "She is an artist with a dynamic and intelligent body of work and a teacher with a deep commitment to process and inquiry. Her leadership should both challenge and invigorate."
The Game Design major will offer 4 distinct areas of concentration: game development; programming; animation; and audio. Students will be required to complete 21 credit hours in core courses including "Media Theory and Design," "Introduction to Programming," "Digital Image Design" and "Game Culture," in addition to their concentration track, electives and liberal arts and sciences core curriculum.
"The distinct concentrations allow for students with stronger interests and abilities in the technical aspects of game design such as programming, and those more attuned to the creative areas such as animation, to pursue their best educational fit and career path in this growing field," explains Barbier. "The concentrations also recognize the crucial role of specialization in game production.
"The curriculum is rigorous. People might think a 'gaming' major is just fun and games, but we are in the business of building the next generation of culture creators and the students will be mastering design, computer architecture, programming, higher mathematics and producing a final portfolio that includes a finished game."
-end-