This article is from the archives of the UB Reporter.
News

Briefs

Published: September 22, 2011

  • Program examines Smithsonian censorship

    The controversy surrounding the recent Smithsonian exhibition “Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture,” co-curated by Jonathan D. Katz, director of the UB doctoral program in visual studies, will be the topic of a program to be held at 2 p.m. Sept. 25 in the auditorium of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.

    The program is co-sponsored by the Department of Visual Studies and the Humanities Institute, in partnership with the Albright-Knox,

    The controversy surrounding the first major museum queer exhibition in U.S. history sprang from the Smithsonian’s decision to remove David Wojnarowicz’s film, “Fire in My Belly,” from the exhibition after objections about its content from Catholic League President Bill Donohue led to official complaints by Reps. John Boehner and Eric Kantor.

    Joining the discussion at the Albright-Knox will be Katz, associate professor of visual studies; Richard Kurin, undersecretary for history, art and culture at the Smithsonian Institution; and Winnifred Fallers Sullivan, professor of law and director of the Law, Religion and Culture Program at UB. The conversation will be moderated by Albright-Knox Curator Heather Pesanti.

  • Renowned guitarists to perform

    Guitarists Magnus Andersson and Arturo Tallini will offer a special duo performance at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29 in Baird Recital Hall, 250 Baird Hall, North Campus.

    The concert, which will be free of charge, is sponsored by the Department of Music and The Robert & Carol Morris Center for 21st Century Music.

    Andersson will conduct a composer workshop at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 28 in Baird Recital Hall. The workshop also is free and open to the public.

    Long active in the contemporary music field, Andersson has played a significant role in the creation of the modern guitar repertoire. He studied at the Trinity College of Music, London, and at the Viotti Music Academy in Vercelli, Italy. In 1984, he founded the guitar class at the International Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt, where he taught until 1996. He currently teaches at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.

    A founding member of the innovative chamber music group Ensemble SON, he was artistic director of the Stockholm New Music Festival in 2006 and 2008.

    Tallini is a classical guitarist with more than 30 years of career experience. He became a reference point for contemporary music, with many pieces written for him. After an eventful performance of “Serenata per un satellite” by B. Maderna in Milan in 2006, he began practicing free improvisation on Midi Guitar, creating his own language based on contemporary music gestures and style.

    Guitar Chair at Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, Tallini has won prizes in national and international competitions, including the First Prize in the Alessandria Guitar Competition and Third Prize in the Radio France Guitar Competition.

  • Kaskie named Executive of the Year

    James R. Kaskie, president and CEO of Kaleida Health and Great Lakes Health System of Western New York, has been named the 2011 Buffalo Niagara Executive of the Year by the School of Management.

    The award will be presented at the 62nd Annual School of Management Alumni Association Awards Banquet on Nov. 3.

    Kaskie was selected by a vote of past honorees and the board of directors of the alumni association, who cited his vision and leadership in building strategic partnerships.

    After joining Kaleida Health in 2004 as president and COO, Kaskie was named to his current position in 2006. He leads a family of health care organizations that includes five hospitals, three skilled nursing facilities, 90 ambulatory care programs and sites, the Visiting Nursing Association and fully integrated operating and clinical systems.

    In 2007, Kaskie was elected president and CEO of the Great Lakes Health System of Western New York, the parent organization that oversees the integration of the Erie County Medical Center Corp. and the Kaleida Health System.

  • SUNY joins Peace Corps program

    SUNY and the Peace Corps have formed a partnership that will allow SUNY graduate students to earn academic credit for two years of Peace Corps service overseas as part of the Peace Corps Masters International (MI) program.

    The partnership is the first of its kind between the Peace Corps and any statewide university system.

    All students enrolled at SUNY’s 28 graduate schools are eligible to apply for the Peace Corps program.

    Students will apply separately to the Peace Corps and to a SUNY graduate program to prepare them for service in the following areas: agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health and youth development.

    Once accepted by both the Peace Corps and the SUNY program, students will begin their studies on a SUNY campus, serve overseas with the Peace Corps for two years and then return to school to finish their graduate work. During Peace Corps service, students will work on projects related to their master’s studies.

    For more information, visit the program’s website.