Spectrum brings free and low-cost arts events to campus

The fall semester Spectrum arts series will feature a variety of free or low-cost art receptions, readings, concerts and plays.

All events are open to the public and are free unless otherwise listed.

Local artist and Pitt-Bradford staff and faculty member Samila Sosic will begin the year with an exhibition, “Between the Line and the Mind,” in the KOA Art Gallery of Blaisdell Hall on Sept. 8. An artist's talk and opening reception will take place at noon. The exhibition will be open through Oct. 2. The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 6:30 p.m. Fridays.

On Sept. 19, Tori Murden McClure, author of “A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found my Heart in the Middle of the Ocean” about her journey as the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, will speak at 7:30 p.m. in the Bromeley Family Theater in Blaisdell Hall.

“A Pearl in the Storm” is not only this year's common reader for Pitt-Bradford freshmen and other students, but is also the 2017 selection for One Book Bradford. It is a first-person account of a harrowing trans-Atlantic trip and memoir of a brilliant woman not afraid to stand up for what is right, whether that was her disabled brother or the residents of a homeless shelter.

In October, Linda Stein will bring an exhibition of her sculptures, “The Fluidity of Gender,” to the KOA Art Gallery. The exhibition will open with an artist's talk and reception at noon Oct. 13. The exhibition will be up through Nov. 13. This traveling, educational art exhibition explores the continuum between masculinity and femininity.

November begins with a vocal performance by soprano Lucy Dhegrae at noon Nov. 1 in the Studio Theater of Blaisdell Hall. Hailed by The New York Times for her “vocal versatility and omnivorous curiosity,” Dhegrae will present a program of vocal works inspired by nature, spirituality, and humanity's role in preserving our environment.

The fall student theatrical production “Waiting for Lefty” will have four shows in November in the Studio Theater: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16-18 and 2 p.m. Nov. 19. Written during the Great Depression, the play consists of related vignettes and is set at a meeting of cab drivers who are planning a strike.

Interdisciplinary arts student Amy Gaberseck of Smethport will hold an art exhibition and book signing for her senior capstone at noon Nov. 20 at the KOA Art Gallery. The exhibition will be on display through Dec. 8.

Her capstone project, “A Tree Hugger's Datebook,” is a day planner that contains articles, poetry, photography and artwork designed for anyone with an appreciation of nature and a busy schedule.

Finally, at noon Dec. 5, the Pitt-Bradford Vocal Arts Ensemble will give its popular holiday concert and caroling sing-a-long in the Studio Theater.

For more information or tickets, visit www.upb.pitt.edu/TheArts, call (814)362-5113 or email Patty Colosimo, director of arts programming, at colosimo@pitt.edu.

For disability needs related to arts events, contact Carma Horner, disability resources and services coordinator, at 814-362-7609 or clh71@pitt.edu.