Pictured: UC Davis Professor Dr. Robert Irwin conducts an interview for an oral history,

Summertime is no vacation for the faculty and staff at New College of Florida, many of who spent those sweltering months planning the jam-packed fourth season of “Connecting the Arts + Humanities on Florida’s Creative Coast.” A full schedule just released this week. Nearly all are free and open to the public.

The season opens September 11 at the NCF Black Box Theater with the first of two movement workshops from Eliza Ladd, head of movement at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training, and those looking for avant-garde artistic programming will find themselves satisfied throughout the season. The Sarasota Ballet co-hosts a demo and presentation on innovative choreographer Paul Taylor in September, and New Music New College returns this year with concerts and artist conversations in October, November, January, February and April.

Programming also takes a bold turn for the political early in the season, with the first installment of a new series focusing on migration, Communities in Transit, kicking off with a presentation of Humanizing Deportation, an oral history project seeing Dr. Robert Irwin, professor of Spanish at UC Davis, speaking with deportees to Mexico and documenting their thoughts and experiences. The second installment comes in February with The Ethics of Diaspora: Race, Citizenship, and Activism in the Black Mediterranean. 

The popular Asian Film Series also returns, this year with a focus on immigration, global migration and cultural conflicts that result, first screening the documentary Abacus: Small Enough to Jail on September 20, followed by Amreeka in October, Finding Kukan in October, Human Flow in February and The Reluctant Fundamentalist in March. Each will also feature post-screening discussions with faculty experts.

Programming is still being finalized for this year’s slate of events commemorating Black History Month, but will include a juried art event, a music festival, an open mic night and a conversation with experts on the nuance of translating African fiction.

Funded by a five-year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the initiative this year totals near 60 cultural and educational events, including a “Talking Religion” series and The Colette Project—a collection of films, lectures and more, celebrating the progressive French author on the centennial of her novel Cheri. With guest lecturers, guest artists, film screenings, musical concerts, dance performances, community conversations and a whole slate of material designed to inspire, challenge and inform, excuses to stay home dwindle by the day.

“There’s just so much for students and for the community to participate in this year,” says Kim Anderson, New College Associate Professor of Art and director of the Connecting Arts + Humanities program. “These are programs that we hope to continue once the grant sunsets next year, and interest is growing. I’m optimistic.”

For a complete detailed listing, follow the link below.

Pictured: UC Davis Professor Dr. Robert Irwin conducts an interview for an oral history,

Full Schedule for 2019-20 Connecting Arts + Humanities on Florida's Creative Coast