The SMU International Showcase will be held 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, in the dining room of the Toner Student Center. The evening will include international music and dance, performed by many SMU international students. A freewill donation will be asked, and all proceeds will go to the Red Cross.
“The Eye Behind the Eye, the Art of William A. Berry” is on display at Saint Mary’s through Feb. 20.
The show, free and open to the public, is on display at the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
This retrospective exhibition celebrates the life and work of the internationally known artist, illustrator, author and teacher William A. Berry.
Berry’s rich professional career spanned nearly half a century. His book, “Drawing the Human Form: Methods, Sources, Concepts” is still a widely used textbook for illustration. Berry also worked as an illustrator for Newsweek, The Reporter, Opera News and Esquire. His work has appeared in more than 500 juried and solo exhibits.
A reception will be held today, Friday, Feb. 4, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the galleries. A presentation by Dr. John Whelan, SMU’s Department of Art and Design, and Valerie Wedel, Missouri Valley College, will take place at 6:15 p.m.
For more information, call Ext. 1652.
The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts has hosted the Minneapolis-based rhythm tap company Keane Sense of Rhythm this week at the Valéncia Arts Center, 1164 West 10th St.
Keane Sense of Rhythm (KSR) will present performances featuring their Youth Tap Ensemble in “If The Shoe Fits,” a modern Cinderella story. Performances are Saturday, Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Valéncia Arts Center Academy Theatre.
Admission to the matinee performance is a freewill offering. Admission to the evening performance, which will also feature KSR’s Young Professional Company, is $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students (ages 3-21) at the door. Cash or checks only will be accepted, and no advance ticket sales are necessary. The performances will include a sign language interpreter.
Keane Sense of Rhythm is dedicated to preserving, presenting, creating, and expanding the boundaries of American tap dance.
For more information about KSR’s residency, contact Ext. 5500 or go online to www.mnconservatoryforthearts.org. For more information about KSR visit www.tapcompany.org.
On Friday, March 18, Saint Mary's will be hosting its fourth annual Relay for Life event. Relay for Life is a 12-hour relay held in celebration for cancer survival and a way to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.
For more information, contact Kaitlin at kmwerm07@smumn.edu.
Can you spell hilarious? The Department of Theatre and Dance will present “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” Feb. 24-27.
Catchy musical numbers combine with colorful characters filled with youthful angst and yearnings in this one-act musical comedy directed by Dr. Gary Diomandes and music director Judy Myers.
Feel the anxious anticipation at this fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley Middle School. The contestants include a Boy Scout, an allergy-plagued student, an over achiever, a tentative newcomer, the wide-eyed offspring of hippie parents, and a politically aware contestant — six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grownups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves.
“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” spotlights the unlikeliest of heroes: a quirky yet charming cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time.
With the underlying theme that losing doesn’t make you a loser, anyone who sees this show is a winner.
The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 24-26, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and are available at the SMU Box Office, Ext.1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday or online at www.pagetheatre.org.
* This show includes adult language and subject matters.
The competition’s getting hot! About 15 faculty and staff members are vying for the title of “Best Chili Maker” on Friday, Feb. 4.
Prizes will be awarded to the top three entries!
Chili makers should bring their “unmarked” crockpot to the Common Room by 11 a.m. for judging. Everyone is invited to eat chili between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Desserts, beverages and toppings will also be provided by the Volunteer Committee and the President’s Cabinet.
The Cardinal Corner will raise money this semester for an orphanage in Chotomow, Poland. Ania McNamara, one of the students in the MG315 Entrepreneurship class, has been raising funds to assist the orphanage she lived in as a small child.
The Cardinal Corner is a non-profit retail store located in the lower level of the Toner Student Center. Managed by the students of MG315 Entrepreneurship and supported by the School of Business, the mission of the store is to create an opportunity for entrepreneurship students to gain hands-on experience in operating a small business.
For more information, contact the professor, Jana Craft, at Ext. 1491 or jcraft@smumn.edu. Become a fan and receive the latest updates at www.facebook.com/cardinalcorner.
The women’s basketball team will join forces with teams across the country when they play for a cure to celebrate the “pink zone!”
Game time is 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 12, vs. Carleton College (The men’s game will follow at 3 p.m.) Everyone is encouraged to wear pink to the game.
Games People Play out of La Crosse, Wis., has teamed up with SMU women’s basketball to help fund raise for breast cancer awareness. Donations will be accepted at the game as well.
The next Chat, Chow & Web 2.0 titled “Pasta & PowerPoint: Alternatives” will be held Wednesday, Feb. 9.
Stop in to see Dave Jackson and Joe Dulak demonstrate powerful alternatives to the ubiquitous PowerPoint slide. As an added attraction, butternut squash ravioli will be on the menu.
Meet between 12:15 and 1:15 p.m. in the main lounge of the McEnery Center. This presentation is sponsored by The Fitz, IT and Instructional Technology.
Lunch is provided; RSVPs can be made to Jason Spartz at jspartz@smumn.edu.
The Business Office will be working as a team with "Feed My Starving Children" to package meals for children around the world. Volunteers will be hand-packing meals on Saturday, March 26.
Each team is asked to raise $750 to participate. The Business Office team has decided to sell homemade valentines as a way to help raise funds. These cards will sell for $2 each and are available at the Business Office windows.
Collection jars are located at the windows for additional donations.
More information about "Feed My Starving Children":
• Volunteers package 100% of the food;
• Each meal provides the key nutrients a starving child needs to survive and thrive; and
• Each meal costs 24 cents to produce.
For more information about FMSC, go to fmsc.org.
Counseling Services is partnering with Katy Smith, a licensed parent educator for Winona Public Schools, to offer a noontime discussion series for faculty and staff parents (and grandparents) with children younger than 7. The discussion will center on the book “Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents” by Christine Carter. A wide array of research studies show that happiness is a learned behavior that we can help our children build and maintain.
The discussion series will begin on Feb. 9 at 12:15 p.m. in the President’s Room. Participants are invited to bring their own lunches, and beverages and desserts will be provided. There is no charge for the series. Discussions will continue on Feb. 16 and 23 and March 2, 16 and 23. Please call Ext. 1773 to indicate your interest in the group or if you would like more information. Participants can come to all sessions or just the ones that fit with their schedules.
Smith has been working with families, educator, and businesses for more than 25 years, helping to build stronger, more vital communities. She received her B.S.W. and teaching license in Parent Education from Winona State University. She earned her M.E. in Professional Development from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse.
Guest speaker Thomas S. Hibbs will present “Aquinas, MacIntyre, and the Reform of Catholic Liberal Education,” Thursday, Feb. 10, as part of the Saint Thomas Aquinas Lecture Series.
Hibbs is a distinguished professor of Ethics & Culture and dean of the Honors College at Baylor University. The presentation — scheduled for 7 p.m. in the President’s Room — is generously sponsored by the Department of Philosophy, the Dean of Humanities and Sciences, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary, in cooperation with the minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies. For more information, contact Dr. Joseph Tadie at jtadie@smumn.edu or Ext. 6652.
Swing Inc. is now officially the “house band” at Signatures. The next performance is 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4.
Joshua Lallaman will present the next biology seminar on Thursday, Feb. 10, at 4 p.m. in Room 112, Hoffman Hall. The title of his talk will be “Hints and Tips for Grad School.” Anyone who is interested in attending graduate school should attend.