Welcome to February, the shortest month; this year a satisfying rectangle of four full weeks. Mingle your working hours with mirth and education during a multitude of lectures, concerts and films.
Of special prominence are the offerings during Black History Month. A marquee event is artist and activist (and UO grad) Amber Starks discussing “Thriving at the Intersections: The Power of Indigenous Black Womanhood” at the Lyllye B. Parker Black, Indigenous and Women of Color Speaker Series Feb. 11.
Cinema
The Filmlandia series, which celebrates Oregon’s rich film heritage, continues with three showings in February, including a short-film program highlighting Portland.
Over at Lawrence Hall, the Nordic Film Series will show two movies from Finland, a dark comedy from Iceland and the in-the-zeitgeist Nobel’s Last Will (Nobels testament) from Sweden.
Two documentaries in the Antinuclear Series will bring a director and an author for post-viewing discussions. Silent War: The Shadow of Nuclear Bombs shows Feb. 11 and Half-Life of Memory: America’s Forgotten Atomic Bomb Factory shows Feb. 25
Political science professor Tuong Vu will host a public panel discussion with the producer after the screening of the documentary The General: Vietnam in The Age of To Lam Feb. 23.
Celebrations
Join the Taiwanese Student Association and the Chinese Student Association in celebrating the year of the Fire Horse during the Lunar New Year Celebration Feb. 21 in the Ford Alumni Center.
Exhibitions
“Evolution of a Moment: The Photographs of Brian Lanker” is now on display at the Knight Library. He photographed UO athletics and events for the Register-Guard, among other assignments.
Opening Feb. 21 at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is “Gateway to Himalayan Art,” which shares items from Tibet, Nepal, China and Mongolia. Catch the political cartoons of “Dark Laughter Revisited: Exploring the life and legacy of Ollie Harrington” before the show closes March 1.
Hands-on art
Pick up a handmade, one-of-a-kind art piece for your office at the Winter Lonely Craft Sale Feb. 13.
Fiber art meets data science Feb. 13 during GIS and Tea: String Art Maps. Register to grab a seat.
Have extra gently used arts and crafts materials? Donate them to the DIY Craft Pantry to be used by students in the Craft Center at the Erb Memorial Union. Drop off donations during regular hours or email craftctr@uoregon.edu.
Music
The month in music offers something for everyone with performances by talented UO students to an internationally recognized pianist.
Many of the School of Music and Dance ensembles will perform on the Eugene campus: Feb. 5 Oregon Wind Symphony with the Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble, Feb. 6 UO Keyboard Area, Feb. 20 Large Jazz Ensembles, Feb. 22 Hip Hop/Pop Ensemble Concert. Visit the music school website to find the latest details.
Students and alums will play downtown Eugene at The Jazz Station. Catch the Xander Buck Quintet Feb. 4, UO Small Jazz Ensembles Feb. 6 and Feb. 13, and the Robert Bohall Quartet Feb. 12. Professor Idit Shner’s quartet plays “A Tribute to Jackie” Feb. 27.
Recent graduates of the UO’s solo piano program perform “River Roads: Oregon Soundscapes” Feb. 7 at the Richard E. Wildish Community Theater.
Taiko drumming groups from around the state will meet Feb. 7 in the Global Scholars Hall Great Room for Oregon Taiko Atsumari.
Steinway Artist Kemal Gekic performs the next Murdock International Piano Series Concert Feb. 18 in Beall Concert Hall.
Guest artist Scott Sutherland arrives Feb. 28 with his tuba for a mixed media show with plenty of audience participation.
Lectures and Readings
Could Leonard Bernstein have been a podcaster? Find out at the Collier House during the THEME Lecture series: Feb. 20 “Podcasting as Public Musicology,” Feb. 6: “Forgery and the Fate of Classical Music,” Feb. 27: “Embodied Knowledge in Rhythm and Motion: The Researcher, Observer, and Participant in Dagbon and West African Music and Dance Traditions.” THEME stands for music theory, musicology/music history, ethnomusicology and music education.
Join Stephanie Reents Feb. 11 in the cozy Knight Library Reading Room for a fiction reading.
College of Design alum Reza Safavi returns to Lawrence Hall Feb. 19 to speak on multimedia interactive experiences in “Binging on the Biome: Exploring Interactive Installations.”
Learn about the creative journey of Jeremy Okai Davis, the artist behind “ReEnvisioned-Contemporary Portraits of Our Black Ancestors,” Feb. 23 at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History.
Theater
Love, mischief and mistaken intentions take center stage this winter as University Theatre presents “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare. The production marks the grand reopening of the Robinson Theatre and runs Feb. 13, 14, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28 and March 1.
Ever wanted to see an opera? Get tickets for the Feb. 13 or 15 performance of UO Opera’s “La Vida Breve,” the Spanish opera that follows the suffering and discrimination against the Gitanos or Roma people.
Workshops
Learn the process of becoming a storyteller in the Intertwined Personal Storytelling Workshop Feb. 10.
Want to learn a new party game? Join UO colleagues in the Allan Price Science Commons and Research Library Gaming Center for Wavelength game workshop Feb. 11.
Broaden your knowledge of five Composers of the Pacific Northwest in a UO Libraries workshop Feb. 18.
Find other happenings on the UO events calendar.
—Jennifer Archer, University Communications