Eckerd College offers myriad activities and programs as a service to the community. All events are held on the Eckerd College campus and are free and open to the public, unless otherwise stated.
Eckerd College is located at 4200 54th Avenue South in St. Petersburg. Programs and events are subject to change. For more information, email events@eckerd.edu, visit eckerd.edu/events or call 727.864.7979. To see all International Cinema Series at Eckerd College offerings, visit eckerd.edu/international-cinema. To see all Environmental Film Festival offerings, visit “Visions of Nature/Voices of Nature.”
SPEAKERS
Climate Change Is a Civil Rights Issue
Tue., Feb. 5, 7 p.m., Fox Hall
Jacqueline Patterson is the director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program. Since 2007, she has served as coordinator and co-founder of Women of Color United. Patterson has worked as a researcher, program manager, coordinator, advocate and activist working on women’s rights, violence against women, HIV and AIDS, racial justice, economic justice, and environmental and climate justice. She will share her knowledge on the intertwined issues of equality and environmental advocacy, and offer solutions for a more just future. Sponsored by the Afro-American Society.
Reading, Writing and Pleasure
Wed., Feb. 6, 7 p.m., Dan and Mary Miller Auditorium
As someone who teaches courses in philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, feminist philosophy, and philosophy and literature, Marianne Janack, Ph.D., the John Stewart Kennedy Professor of Philosophy at Hamilton College, is uniquely situated to link the humanities and the sciences. Her book What We Mean by Experience, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, draws on cognitive neuroscience, the pragmatist tradition and ecological psychology. This talk about reading and writing—for pleasure, for information, to be persuaded or to persuade—will consider reading in ways that will negotiate the boundaries between nature and culture, and will interrogate the divisions of self and other. Sponsored by the Eckerd Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.
Mindfulness and Intimacy
Thu., Feb. 7, Wireman Chapel
Soto Zen teacher Ben Connelly will speak on bringing warm hearts to clear seeing, and healing to self and community. Mindfulness is a powerful practice of awareness and nonjudgmental discernment that can help us ground ourselves in the present moment, with the world and our lives just as they are. But there’s a risk: By focusing our attention on something (or someone), we might always see it as something other, as separate from ourselves. To close this distance, mindfulness has traditionally been paired with a focus on intimacy, community and interdependence. Together these create a ground for compassionate engagement in liberative social action.
Spoken Word With StaceyAnn Chin
Tue., Feb. 12, 7 p.m., Fox Hall
StaceyAnn Chin is a spoken word poet and LGBT activist. She will perform original poems that center around her identity as a queer woman who grew up in Jamaica and now resides in the United States. Sponsored by EC Feminists.
Arthur Ashe: Civility and Civil Rights
Wed., Feb. 13, 7 p.m., Fox Hall
Raymond Arsenault is the John Hope Franklin Professor of Southern History at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg. His latest book, Arthur Ashe: A Life, was built on more than 100 interviews with people close to the tennis legend and stands as the first authoritative biography of the man who broke professional tennis’s color line and advocated for equality around the world. Sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Faculty.
Points of Intervention Tour: Challenging the Linear Consumption Economy
Mon., Feb. 18, 7 p.m., Fox Hall
The Points of Intervention Tour will travel to college and university campuses across the country, sharing the stories of individuals who are challenging this broken system in their own way for a just transition to a circular economy. Amira Odeh Quiñones is a young person in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, who was recently affected by Hurricane Maria. She handed out fruit trees and plants to low-income families in affected communities as a part of the effort “Regreen Puerto Rico” that has a mission to bring plants back to the islands while helping to create a future of food sovereignty and less dependence on imports. Sponsored by the Office of Sustainability.
A People’s Revolution: A Grassroots Movement for Rights Restoration
Tue., Feb. 19, 7 p.m., Fox Hall
Desmond Meade, president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC), went from homeless to graduating from Florida International University’s School of Law with one dream in mind: casting his own ballot in an election. Convicted and sentenced for a nonviolent felony, Meade returned to society ready to better himself but was denied the full rights of a citizen. The FRRC, along with several other grassroots groups, canvassed communities, got petitions signed and drew national attention to the plight of one million Floridians who had paid their debt to society but still were forbidden to vote. The movement led to the ballot initiative Amendment 4, which passed in November 2018, allowing people convicted of nonviolent crimes to have their right to vote automatically restored upon completion of their sentencing terms. Meade will share his own story and how it relates to the power of community organizing to effect real policy change.
Scientific Truth in Our Media
Wed., Feb. 20, 6:30 p.m., Galbraith Auditorium
What is truth? How can we find it? Fake News flies faster and Twitter falsehoods spread six times faster than truth, according to an MIT study. Dr. Paul H. Carr, professor emeritus with the Air Force Research Laboratory, will address these questions and the truth about climate change. As scientific research uncovers new truths, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson once stated, “The good thing about science is that it’s true whether you believe in it or not.” Sponsored by Eckerd College Sigma Xi Chapter.
Face Blindness: A True Story of Family and Forgiveness
Thu., Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m., Lewis House
What must it be like to look into your children’s eyes but not recognize who they are? Heather Sellers, Ph.D.—author of You Don’t Look Like Anyone I Know: A True Story of Family, Face Blindness and Forgiveness—knows the feeling all too well. As an adult, Sellers was diagnosed with prosopagnosia, the inability to recognize human faces, putting a name to the uneasy feeling she’d always had. Sellers will read from her book and talk about the real journey her illness inspired. Sponsored by the Creative Writing discipline.
Is This a Bonhoeffer Moment? Exploring Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Ethic of Responsible Action
Tue., Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m., Triton Room
Lori Brandt Hale, Ph.D., is an associate professor of religion at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, Minn. She specializes in the work and thought of theologian and Nazi-resister Dietrich Bonhoeffer and currently serves as the vice president of the International Bonhoeffer Society–English Language Section and co-chair of the Steering Committee for the Bonhoeffer: Theology and Social Analysis Group of the American Academy of Religion. Hale will introduce the complicated life, death and legacy of German theologian, pastor, peace activist, (would-be) poet and Nazi-resister Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945) and his influence on contemporary political and theological issues. Special focus will be given to the recent use of the idea that some of those political issues constitute a “Bonhoeffer Moment” as well as sorting out what that means. Sponsored by the Center for Spiritual Life Burchenal Lecture Series.
Nurturing Imperfect Recovery in the Real World: A Talk About Eating Disorders and Recovery With Dr. Melissa Fabello
Wed., Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m., Fox Hall
Guest speaker Dr. Melissa Fabello will give an interactive talk about eating disorders and eating-disorder recovery. As she describes it, “This presentation starts with an overview of what eating disorders are, moves into a conversation about what recovery looks like, and then offers practical advice for how to begin an intentional self-care practice—tailored specifically to eating-disorder recovery.” Fabello’s talk will be a pressure-free way to learn more about a topic that many of us don’t know much about, and provide invaluable information and resources for the entire community regarding self-care and overcoming addiction.
The Florida Aquarium: Its Impact on Our Community Through Research and Conservation
Thu., Feb. 28, 7 p.m., Galbraith Auditorium
Roger Germann, Florida Aquarium CEO, will speak about the activities and current conservation and research projects going on at the Aquarium, including how students can get involved. Sponsored by Scubi Jew and the Marine Science discipline.
What Is a Tent?: Reflections on Home and Homelessness in the Age of the Refugee
Thu., Feb. 28, 7 p.m., Cobb Gallery
From alpine bivouacs to refugee camps, from weekend retreats to permanent containment, tents have mixed meanings. They can denote shelter or homelessness, enclosure or exposure. Reflecting on recent human rights crises as well as on literary images and traditions, this lecture by Jennifer Ballengee, the Martha A. Mitten Professor of Liberal Arts at Towson University (Maryland), asks us to think about the real and imagined tents that have become ubiquitous in today’s world. Her talk will be followed by a dessert reception. Sponsored by the Vivian and Bill Parsons Fund for History and Comparative Literature. Part of the College Program Series.
ART
The Class of ’69: Works by Visual Arts Alumni
Jan. 14–Mar. 4
Elliott Gallery, Nielsen Center for Visual Arts
Gallery Hours: Mon.–Fri., 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Bacchanalia: The Exhibition
Featuring Graphics by Steve Smith ’73 and Steve Ewart ’72
(as well as Photographs and Memorabilia)
Jan. 14–Mar. 4
Cobb Gallery
Gallery Hours: Mon.–Fri., 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Hidden Treasures and Recent Acquisitions VII
Works From the Permanent Collection
Main Gallery, Nielsen Center for Visual Arts
Jan. 14–Mar. 15
Gallery Hours: Mon.–Fri., 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
FILM
Somewhere Between
Thu., Feb. 7, 7 p.m., Dan and Mary Miller Auditorium
Directed by Linda Goldstein Knowlton (English, 88 min., 2011)
Somewhere Between profiles the experiences of four adopted teenage girls and their search for self-awareness as they journey back to China to reconnect with their culture. Roughly 80,000 girls have been adopted from China since 1989, after China implemented its One Child policy. Director Linda Goldstein Knowlton documents the emotional coming-of-age of these typical American teens as they explore who they are and what their feelings are about family and belonging. The film provides an opportunity to explore the multicultural and emotional aspects of adoption as they relate to one’s sense of identity and citizenship as Americans, while forcing us to consider who we are as individuals, and as a nation of immigrants. Sponsored by the All About Asians Association, Office of Multicultural Affairs and Eckerd Library.
Mirai
Fri., Feb. 8, 7 p.m., Dan and Mary Miller Auditorium
Directed by Mamoru Hosoda (Japanese with English subtitles, 98 min., 2018)
A young boy encounters a magical garden and can travel through time to meet his relatives from various eras. His younger sister from the future serves as his guide in this delightful new anime from the director of Summer Wars, Wolf Children and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. See Facebook Event for Mirai.
Shoplifters
Fri., Feb. 15, 7 p.m., Dan and Mary Miller Auditorium
Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda (Japanese with English subtitles, 121 min., 2018)
Winner of the 2018 Palme d’Or at Cannes, this is a complex and subtle film about a family in desperate straits, forced to commit petty crimes to stay alive, until an impulsive decision threatens to unravel the delicate bonds that hold them together. See Facebook Event for Shoplifters.
Annihilation
Thu., Feb. 21, 7 p.m., Dan and Mary Miller Auditorium
Directed by Alex Garland (English, 115 min., 2018)
A grieving biologist signs up for a dangerous expedition into a mysterious zone where the usual laws of nature don’t apply. This film is based on Jeff VanderMeer’s bestselling Southern Reach trilogy, which is set in an imaginatively transformed region of the Florida Panhandle. Part of the “Visions of Nature/Voices of Nature” Environmental Film Festival. See Facebook Event for Annihilation.
Metamorphosis
Fri., Feb. 22, 7 p.m., Dan and Mary Miller Auditorium
Directed by Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper (English, 85 min., 2018)
A poem for the planet, Metamorphosis aims to capture the true scale of the global environmental crisis, and suggests that this crisis is also an opportunity for transformation. Part of the “Visions of Nature/Voices of Nature” Environmental Film Festival. See Facebook Event for Metamorphosis.
The Silver Branch
Sat., Feb. 23, 7 p.m., Dan and Mary Miller Auditorium
Directed by Katrina Costello and John Brown (English, 120 min., 2018 )
This film takes us on one man’s journey through life that underpins a search to reconnect with nature and culture as primary sources from which we learn a deeper understanding of ourselves and our surroundings. Part of the “Visions of Nature/Voices of Nature” Environmental Film Festival.
Blue
Sun., Feb. 24, 2 p.m., Dan and Mary Miller Auditorium
Directed by Karina Holden (English, 90 min., 2018)
Blue dives into the ocean realm, where we’ll witness a critical moment in time when the marine world is on a precipice. Featuring passionate advocates for ocean preservation, Blue transports us into their world, where the story of our changing ocean is unfolding. We meet those who are defending habitats, campaigning for smarter fishing, combating marine pollution and fighting for the protection of keystone species. Part of the “Visions of Nature/Voices of Nature” Environmental Film Festival.
Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret
Mon., Feb. 25, 7 p.m., Dan and Mary Miller Auditorium
Directed by Kip Anderson and Keegan Kuhn (English, 90 min., 2014)
Cowspiracy explores the impacts of animal agriculture on the environment and investigates the policies of environmental organizations on the issue. Sponsored by the Vegan Club.
Border
Thu., Feb. 28, 7 p.m., Dan and Mary Miller Auditorium
Directed by Ali Abbasi (Swedish with English subtitles, 110 min., 2018)
A customs officer with a powerful sense of smell and an affinity for the natural world meets a strange traveler who is like her—and begins to question everything she thought she knew about herself. Part of the “Visions of Nature/Voices of Nature” Environmental Film Festival. See Facebook Event for Border.
THEATRE
Live HD St. Pete Events
Get your tickets at livehdstpete.com—$25 for the general public and $22 for members of the Academy of Senior Professionals at Eckerd College (ASPEC) and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI).
Live HD St. Pete: Carmen
An Opera by Georges Bizet
Sat., Feb. 2, 12:55 p.m., Dan and Mary Miller Auditorium
Clémentine Margaine is opera’s ultimate seductress, opposite Roberto Alagna, who captivated Live in HD audiences as Don José in 2010. Louis Langrée conducts Sir Richard Eyre’s lively production, a favorite in the Met’s repertoire.
Live HD St. Pete: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
A Play by Tennessee Williams
Fri., Feb. 8, 12:55 p.m., Dan and Mary Miller Auditorium
On a steamy night in Mississippi, a Southern family gather at their cotton plantation to celebrate Big Daddy’s birthday. The scorching heat is almost as oppressive as the lies they tell. Brick and Maggie dance round the secrets and sexual tensions that threaten to destroy their marriage. With the future of the family at stake, which version of the truth is real—and which will win out?
Live HD St. Pete: La Bayadere
A Ballet Performed by the Bolshoi Ballet
Fri., Feb. 15, 12:55 p.m., Dan and Mary Miller Auditorium
The temple dancer Nikiya and the warrior Solor fall deeply in love, igniting heated passions and murderous intrigues when the Rajah and his daughter Gamzatti discover their forbidden love. La Bayadere is one of the greatest works in classical ballet history—a story of love, death and vengeful judgment, set in India.