Wednesday 1 April

Sami Zubaida to Lecture on Religion, Community, and Class in Iraq

Sami Zubaida, emeritus professor of politics and sociology at Birkbeck College, London, will deliver a lecture, titled “Religion, Community, and Class in Iraqi Politics and Society,” at 4 p.m. in List Art Center, Room 120, 64 College St. His talk is presented by the Peter Green Lectures on the Modern Middle East. Zubaida’s talk will address how religion and sectarianism have played varying roles in modern Iraqi history and what the future will bring.

Wednesday 1 April

The Global Economic Crisis: Is it Over Yet?

Simon Johnson, the Ronald A. Kurtz (1954) Professor of Entrepreneurship at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, will deliver The Bernard I. Fain Lecture in Economics, titled “The Global Economic Crisis: Is it Over Yet?” As researcher, policy advisor, and consultant, Johnson’s work has included a focus on crisis prevention, amelioration, and recovery in both rich and poor countries. During the past year, Johnson has been a frequent commentator on radio and television broadcasts about the U.S. and global financial crisis. His talk begins at 7:30 p.m. in List Art Center, Room 120, 64 College St.

Thursday 2 April to Saturday 4 April

The Black Lavender Experience: Theatre and Conversations Sparked by Queer Playwrights

Rites and Reason Theatre is pleased to present The Black Lavender Experience: Theatre and Conversations Sparked by Queer Playwrights, a series of performances, lectures, and dramatic readings. The program begins with a Brown Pride Month Convocation performance by Staceyann Chin, esteemed poet and founding partner in Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Salomon Center for Teaching, De Ciccio Family Auditorium. Most other events will take place at Rites and Reason Theatre, Churchill House, 155 Angell St. Seating is open and limited. For a full schedule, see link or call the Africana Studies Department at (401) 863-3558.

Thursday 2 April

Screening and Discussion of Home Across Lands

Join Brown Refugee Youth Tutoring and Enrichment (BRYTE) for a screening and discussion of Home Across Lands, a documentary about a group of Eritrean-Kunaman refugees making the transition from life in the Shimelba Refugee Camp in Northern Ethiopia to their new home in Rhode Island. There will be a Q&A with the filmmaker following the screening. This event begins at 7 p.m. in the Hunter Carmichael Auditorium in Hunter Lab, 89 Waterman St.

Thursday 2 April to Sunday 12 April

Brown Theatre presents The Other Shore

Brown University Theatre presents The Other Shore, a one-act play by Nobel Prize-winning Chinese author Gao Xingjian that explores the human struggle to reach enlightenment. The play’s title refers to the concept of “paramita” or “nirvana,” the land of enlightenment in Buddhism. Performances run Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. in Leeds Theatre. See link for ticket information.

Thursday 2 April

Italy Today: Priorities, Politics, and Prospects

“Italy Today: Priorities, Politics, and Prospects,” is a round table discussion with Romano Prodi, former Prime Minister of Italy and Brown University Professor-at-Large; John A. Davis, Emiliana Pasca Noether Professor of Italian History at the University of Connecticut; and Alan Zuckerman, Professor of Political Science at Brown, moderated by David Kertzer, Brown University Provost and Paul Dupee University Professor of Social Science. This event begins at 5 p.m. in Smith-Buonanno Hall, Room 106.

Thursday 2 April

Global Change in the Urban Century

The Environmental Change Initiative’s 2008-2009 lecture series “Environment & Society: Exploring the Web” presents a lecture by Nancy Grimm, a Professor of Life Sciences and Co-director of the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long Term Ecological Research Project. Grimm oversees and coordinates interdisciplinary reserach in urban ecology involving over 100 scientists in many disciplines. She is a believer in interdisciplinary approaches to answering fundamental ecological questions, collaborating with hydrologists, engineers, geologists, chemists, sociologists, geographers, and anthropologists (among others) in her urban and stream studies. Her talk, titled “Global Change in the Urban Century,” begins at 6 p.m. in MacMillan Hall, Room 117.

Friday 3 April to Sunday 5 April

Brown University Gilbert and Sullivan presents Iolanthe

Brown University Gilbert and Sullivan is pleased to present their Spring Show of Iolanthe, or The Peer and the Peri. Iolanthe is immense fun and an old favorite, drawing from the best of both Gilbert and Sullivan at the height of their creative years. Shows will run Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. in Alumnae Hall, Pembroke Campus. See link for ticket reservations or inquiries.

Friday 3 April

Ricardo Lagos: Can Obama Deliver an International Climate Treaty?

Ricardo Lagos, former president of Chile, UN special envoy for climate change, and Brown University professor-at-large will deliver a lecture, titled “”Can Obama Deliver an International Climate Treaty: Report from Poznan.” The event will be introduced and moderated by Steven Hamburg, chief scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund and associate professor of Environmental Studies at Brown. Ricardo Lagos, widely regarded as one of Latin America’s most important political leaders, served as president of Chile from 2000-2006. His talk begins at noon in Pembroke Hall, Room 305.

Saturday 4 April to Sunday 5 April

8th Annual Spring Thaw Pow Wow

The programmers of the Native American Heritage Series and Native Americans at Brown (NAB) proudly present the 8th Annual Spring Thaw Pow Wow. The event is a celebration of Native American culture and heritage. At Pow Wow, drummers and singers provide the music for traditional dances, both competitive and social; Native vendors sell food, jewelry, clothes, regalia, art and other works The event will take place on Lincoln Field, adjacent to Thayer St. between Waterman and George Streets on both days between 11:30 a.m and 5:00 p.m (in case of rain, the event will be held in Pizzitola Gym).

Saturday 4 April

Brown University Chorus

The Brown University Chorus will perform works by Bach, Whitacre, Lasso and Rachmaninoff, under the direction of Frederick Jodry, conductor, with the Tufts University Chorus, under the direction of Andrew Clarke. Tickets will be available starting Monday, March 30, in Orwig Music Building, Room 101 during business hours and at the door one-hour before the performance. This performance begins at 8 p.m. in Sayles Hall.

Monday 6 April

What’s New in Evolution?

Don’t miss the fourth and final installment of a series of special events and panel discussions celebrating the bicentennial of the birth of Charles Darwin (b. 1809) and the 150 year anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species. The final panel discussion, titled “What’s New in Evolution?”, begins at 4:30 p.m. in Pembroke Hall, Room 305. See link for list of featured participants.

Tuesday 7 April

Kevin Roose: The Unlikely Disciple

Brown University student Kevin Roose, author of the newly released memoir Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner’s Guide to America’s Holist University (Grand Central Publishing Hardcover), will be speaking about his “study abroad” semester at Liberty University, Reverend Jerry Falwell’s fundamentalist Baptist college in Lynchberg, VA. His talk begins at 7 p.m. in Salomon Center for Teaching, Room 001, and will be followed by a book signing.

Tuesday 7 April

The Obama Effect: Global Reactions to the New American President

Brown University Professors-at Large Ricardo Lagos, former President of Chile, and Romano Prodi, former Prime Minister of Italy, will discuss “The Obama Effect: Global Reactions to the New American President.” This event begins at 7:30 p.m. in Starr Auditorium, MacMillan Hall, 167 Thayer St.

Saturday 11 April

Brown University Folk Festival

The first annual Brown University Folk Festival features dance workshops in Sayles Hall and concerts on Lincoln Field from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The lineup includes four New England folk bands, several Brown groups, numerous dance workshops, and a contra dance. See link for full schedule and list of performers.

Opening 1 April

Crooked Mile Quilts

Crooked Mile, a show of quilts by Sarah Nishiura, is on display at the Sarah Doyle Gallery. Nishiura learned to sew from her mother and learned to love geometry from her father. From her grandparents, who were great builders, painters, stitchers, weavers and gardeners, she learned that making things is one of the greatest imperatives, privileges and pleasures in life. The artist will deliver a lecture on Wednesday, April 1, at 5 p.m. in List Art Center, Room 325, followed by an opening reception at the Gallery from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The Sarah Doyle Gallery is located at 26 Benevolent St. and is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Opening 1 April

Art + History at the John Nicholas Brown Center

Art+History is an exhibition and community programming series about the processes of interpreting history. The John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage commissioned Carla Herrera-Prats and Jill Slosburg-Ackerman to make new artworks influenced by the physical and historical parameters of the Nightingale-Brown House. Built in 1792 and boasting gardens designed by the Olmstead landscape design firm, it was home to five generations of the Brown family and now houses the JNBC. Art+History is a catalyst for conversation about how historical narrative is crafted and a different model for engaging audiences in historical sites and museums through contemporary artwork. The exhibition at the JNBC, 375 Benefit St., is open Monday through Friday from 2 to 5 p.m.

Opening 11 April

Bell Gallery Presents Inappropriate Covers and Opening Event

The David Winton Bell Gallery at Brown University presents Inappropriate Covers, an exhibition of multimedia works by 11 established and emerging artists chosen for the aesthetic tensions they generate through acts of appropriation, reconfiguration, and erasure. An opening will be held on Friday, April 10, with an artist talk by Stephanie Syjuco at 5:30 p.m. in the List Art Center Auditorium. The David Winton Bell Gallery, located on the first floor of List Art Center, 64 College St., is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, call (401) 863-2932.

Through 9 April

Emancipated Memories: Uncovering the Hidden Faces of Slavery is a solo exhibition of the work of New England artist Cora Marshall, whose mixed media artwork draws from the history and legacy of slavery. Her portraits of slave women, men, and children combine archival documents, in the form of sale and runaway advertisements, to make connections to the past and honor the memory of lives in pursuit of freedom. This exhibition is on view from February 5 through April 5, 2009 at the John Nicholas Brown Center, 357 Benefit St., Monday through Friday from 2-5 p.m. (or by appointment).

Through 30 April

Environmental History of Hispaniola

On view at the John Hay Library is Environmental History of Hispaniola, an exhibit curated by Dominique Coulombe and Patricia Figueroa in collaboration with Patrick Sylvain, Max Clermont, Deborah Saint-Vil and Kona Shen. This exhibition traces the environmental history of Hispaniola — the Caribbean island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic — from pre-Columbian times to the present and explores the evolution of its natural resources by highlighting special collection materials from the John Hay and John Carter Brown Libraries, and museum objects from the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology. The John Hay Library is located at 20 Prospect St. See link for library hours.

Through 6 May

The Spanish American Revolutions: Setting the Stage

The John Carter Brown Library hosts a new exhibition, The Spanish American Revolutions: Setting the Stage. This display explores some of the large forces that produced the Spanish American wars for Independence, and is the first of a two-part series celebrating the bicentennials of the Independence of Spanish America. The John Carter Brown Library, located on the corner of George and Brown streets, is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon.

Ongoing

Evolutionary Landscape Art Exhibit

Artist Eve Stockton exhibits her woodblock prints, collectively called Evolutionary Landscape, as part of Brown’s year-long events celebrating the impact of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution on science and the humanities, hosted by the Cogut Center and the Committee on Science and Technology Studies. With figures and colors taken directly from nature, Stockton’s art celebrates life on earth from the cellular level up to the familiar. The exhibit is on view in Pembroke Hall, 172 Meeting St., Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Ongoing

Brown University’s Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology presents Believing Africa in its satellite gallery at Manning Hall. The exhibition focuses on the diversity of African spiritual beliefs. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

For additional University events, visit http://calendar.brown.edu/

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