With the Union Program Council, the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art and the School of Music, Theatre and Dance, the Kansas State and Manhattan communities will have a wide range of exhibits and shows to attend. This semester’s entertainment will showcase faculty and student talent in music, dance and art, and will feature alumni and outside entertainers.
Union Program Council
Cody Watson, senior in business management and human resource management, is an After Hours co-chair at the UPC and said he is excited for the “awesome events” coming up this semester. Some are returning events, though this semester is going to differ from previous ones.
“We’re taking more of an organic approach to some of our events this semester,” Watson said. “Instead of contracting, we’re going to try to do more stuff ourselves and rebrand some of our former events.”
For example, Project Runway will be the spring fashion show this semester and is in collaboration with the K-State Apparel Marketing and Design Alliance. Other events are sticking around, such as the drag show Girl Power in McCain Auditorium.
“The students pay for these events though their student privilege fees, so we want to be diligent in how we use that money and bring stuff that they’ll actually want to go to,” Watson said.
The UPC sends out a survey each spring to determine what students would be interested in seeing for the upcoming year, Watson said. He also said the committees in charge of planning events have been creative in coming up with the kinds of shows and activities in the lineup this semester. Event calendars and other updates are posted on the UPC’s website and on their Facebook page.
School of Music, Theatre and Dance
Faculty and student recitals, combined with outside performers, will create a wide range of shows through the McCain Performance Series and the school itself. International groups, including the Russian National Ballet and the Australian rock duo Air Supply, are scheduled to perform in McCain.
Other places to see music, dance and theatre performances are Nichols Theatre, Mark A. Chapman Theatre, All Faiths Chapel, the Purple Mask Theatre and Kirmser Hall. K-State and the Manhattan community can find student recitals, faculty artists, K-State Theatre attractions and various university ensemble performances on the school’s calendar.
Max Dunlap, senior in euphonium music performance, is one of many music students preparing for their student recitals. He said he has been planning his recital since last semester amidst scheduling a time for it, which took some effort since McCain often has conflicts due to other performances and rehearsals going on. Ultimately, his recital landed on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 3 p.m.
“I go between being excited for it and being nervous for it, because my recital is a little different,” Dunlap said. “Most people do solo stuff the entire time … but I’ve chosen to do several chamber works.”
His recital will feature 20-30 other student performers, but his own performance will remain the focus. He said the music will feature the type of music he feels passionate about.
Dunlap said the audience for these types of performances often consists of other music majors fulfilling the recital attendance requirements for their classes and the performers’ friends and families, though the student recitals are open to the general public as well.
“Every semester has great recitals with a lot of great music being performed,” Dunlap said. “Our goal as performers is to share that with the general public. If we can get more of the general public there, then we get to share that with even more people.”
Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art
After celebrating its 20th anniversary last fall, the art museum did a reinstallment of their permanent exhibit and will feature a range of styles, time periods and artists. Everything from sculptures to photography will be on display throughout the semester.
Jui Mhatre, website and marketing manager for the museum, said there are also public programs throughout the semester, such as the Valentines Workshop for all ages, which include discussions with artists.
Some of the upcoming exhibits include “John Steuart Curry: Mapping the Early Career,” a photographer from the 1920s who followed a veterinarian working on Kansas farms, according to the museum’s website.
“This might be an interesting exhibition for students not only from art but also from science, because it portrays the veterinarian on farms and working with animals,” Mhatre said.
Jason Scuilla, professor in printmaking, will also be featured in his own exhibit, “Jason Scuilla: Porta Magica, 2017 Friends of the Beach, Museum of Art Gift Print Artist.”
Mhatre said the museum tries to showcase local and regional artists’ work. It even highlights Kansas plant life with the Meadow, a half-acre lot consisting of Kansas native wildlife, according to Mhatre.
Planning these exhibits take time and collaboration, according to Mhatre. Discussions can happen two years in advance in order to plan “well rounded” exhibits. She said she is very excited to see the variety the art museum has to offer this semester.
All exhibits are listed on the museum’s website.
