Repertory
Queen Nur
Queen Nur: Sweet Potato Pie and Such
Clap your hands and stomp your feet as Queen Nur dishes up stories, songs and dance celebrating the African-American experience. Join us for this high-energy storytelling adventure accompanied by traditional African percussion.
Renowned children's storyteller, Queen Nur's stories draw on mythology, African folklore, and African-American history. "The key for a storyteller," Queen Nur explains, "is to make the story your own." Drawing from fairy tales, children's stories, and even current events, Queen Nur (aka Karen Nur El-Amin), crafts new and interactive stories with African-American flare. Her tales are entertaining and inspiring, but most importantly, they always have a message. "It's not just for fun. We do it to enrich lives, pass on traditions, and tell our stories," she explains.
Dressed in self-designed African attire, Queen Nur tells tales based on her rich heritage and values. Sharing her gift, she has performed in venues from the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. to Equity Theater on Broadway, from the National Black Storytelling Festival to the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro.
The Rusty Doves
The Rusty Doves
The Rusty Doves performance is a kaleidoscope of sound. Alyssa Stock and Jerry Dee deliver unique interpretations of bluegrass, swing, pop and old-time jazz standards, as well as their own original material. Few groups cover a range of artists as diverse as Leonard Cohen, Fats Waller, Radiohead, The Animals and Metallica. The Doves not only do it, they do it with a style and flair that makes it work wonderfully.
Alyssa Stock plays mandolin and handles the lead vocals. Her extraordinary voice transitions smoothly, giving poignant, tender and powerful voice to the wide range of material she and Jerry Dee cover in a typical set. Dee, on upright bass, is equally versatile thanks to a musical background that includes classical training on the bass and time spent in reggae, funk, rock and jazz-fusion bands. Jerry's style has been described as playing the bass "like a dance partner- with agility, command and a steady rhythmic excitement that becomes contagious."
I Dream a World
I Dream a World
I Dream a World is based on personal interviews with Nora Johnsen, a native Utican, disability rights advocate, and storyteller. Nora was born with Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes developmental and physical disabilities. Nora's real-life experiences are condensed and shaped into an artful stage production. Interwoven throughout the piece are flashback scenes where Nora re-enacts childhood memories. Her story is in her own words, as she describes vividly what it was like to grow up longing for peer affection, dignity, and equality. We learn about her struggles, her triumphs, and her dreams. It is an inspiring piece and a must see for anyone interested in understanding the experience of living in our world with a disability, and for anyone interested in educating children about the painful impacts of bullying and the lasting imprint of love.
Coming Together
Peter Michel: Sculpture in Celebration of Self, Relationship and Community
Peter Michel's work celebrates self, relationship and community, using symbols to explore the ways in which we are related, connected and the same, as well as the ways in which we are special and unique. It explores the richness of the mind, and the ongoing conversations that shape our responses and our being.
Born in Schenectady, NY, Michel studied fine arts at Oberlin College in Ohio and architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has worked as an architect in Boston, New York and Houston, and now that he is retired, he is pursuing his passion for sculpture.
Migrant Mother, 1936
Picturing America
Picturing America, an exhibition of 40 framed reproductions of significant American art that showcase the United States' artistic heritage and offer unique insights into the character, ideals, and aspirations of our country.
Picturing America's images span several centuries and feature artists ranging from early American Indian artisans to painters Mary Cassatt and Thomas Hart Benton; and photographers Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange, to architects Frank Lloyd Wright and William Van Alen. The Picturing America exhibit uses art as a catalyst for the study of America the cultural, political, and historical threads woven into the nation's fabric over time.
