WHAT’S HAPPENING IN AMHERST?
Photo: Pixabay.com
There is a lot going on in the Amherst area this winter. Here is a select list of some events.
Every Saturday –All Winter Long. Winter Farmer’s Market at the Hampshire Mall. 10 AM – 2 PM. More Info here: https://wfmhm.com
February, March and April.. Free UMass Music Faculty Concerts at Benzanson Recital Hall, UMass. Dates and times below.
Thurs. Mar. 5, 7:30pm: Faculty Jazz Concert Sun. Mar. 8, 4:30pm: Joshua Michal, horn & Ludmila Krasin, piano Sun. April 5, 4:30pm: Nadine Shank, piano with guest Gran Wilson, tenor & others Tues. April 28, 7:30pm: Gilles Vonsattel, piano More info on the above concerts plus a full schedule of Music Department events can be found here. |
Monday February 24. Celebrate the birthday of W.E.B. Dubois at a free birthday brunch. Sunday, February 23 marks 152 years since the birth of W. E. B. Du Bois and we are holding a very special event to mark the occasion the following day (Monday 2/24) in the W. E. B. Du Bois Center. The Du Bois Birthday Brunch will take place from 10:00am to noon (or possibly later) and will feature Du Bois-themed memorabilia, public readings of Du Bois’s work by friends of the Du Bois Center, coffee and, most importantly, cupcakes. We want to encourage as many students as possible to come and visit throughout the morning, help themselves to a cupcake, a t-shirt, and other treats. We hope that all our guests will leave with a little more knowledge about Du Bois, and a renewed sense of pride in the man for whom the library is named. The event is also an opportunity for the Du Bois Center to essentially host an ‘open house’, showing students the resources available to them through the Center, and describing our regular programming.
Monday February 24 – Friday February 28. Early Voting: Presidential Primary 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM @ Town Hall.The 2020 Elections schedule is now available online. Please be aware that the last day to register to vote or change an address/party enrollment for the Presidential Primary is Wednesday, February 12, 2020 by 8:00 PM. The Presidential Primary is on Tuesday, March 3, 2020 with early voting in Town Hall from February 24-28, 2020 from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm.
Wednesday February 26. Lecture: UMass writer in residence Vijay Prashad. “History to the Defeated May Say Alas,” 6 p.m. in the Flavin Family Auditorium, room 137, at the Isenberg School of Management. In his lecture Prashad explores what it means to look honestly at the ruins of the past to find shards of hope for the future. A book signing will follow with books available for purchase, courtesy of Amherst Books. Prashad’s lecture is co-sponsored by sixteen departments and programs from all institutions in the Five College Consortium. For the full schedule of Prashad’s week of public activities, look here.
Thursday February 27. Panel. Reproductive Rights and Justice Stories: From Roe v. Wade to Young vs. UPS. 4-6 PM. Bernie Dallas Room, Goodell Hall, UMass. Attacks on reproductive rights and justice are in the news daily—from the rollback of abortion rights and contraception access to the separation of children from their parents at the border. Come hear renowned legal scholars discuss the movement and litigation stories behind important reproductive rights and justice cases and what we can learn from them in this current political moment. Panelists will discuss their recently released book Reproductive Rights and Justice Stories and topics ranging from coerced sterilization, abortion, and pregnancy discrimination. More information here: Event website.
Thursday February 27. Reading by Poet Shayla Lawson. 8 p.m. in Old Chapel, UMass. The reading will be followed by a book signing and refreshments. Lawson is the author of “A Speed Education in Human Being,” the chapbook “Pantone,” “I Think I’m Ready to See Frank Ocean” and the forthcoming essay collection “This is Major.” Ross Gay, poet and professor at Indiana University, says of Lawson’s “I Think I’m Ready to See Frank Ocean,” “I cannot get to the bottom of the brilliance behind it, or the brilliance that brilliance makes.”
Friday February 28. Black Art Matters Festival. Meade Art Museum, Amherst College. 5-8 PM. Join the Amherst College Multicultural Resource Center and the Mead as we conclude Black History Month with the Black Art Matters Festival, a visual art exhibition and performance showcase highlighting the work and artistic talent of Black student artists across the Five Colleges. All are invited for salon-style viewing of visual art, followed by a night of live music, spoken word, dance, and more! This program is offered in collaboration with the Amherst College Multicultural Resource Center, the Department of Black Studies at Amherst College, Student Activities, and AAS.Free and open to all! More information here:
Saturday February 29. Climbathon for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County. A Fundraiser for BBBS. 12-3PM Central Rock Gym, Hadley. $30. Registration. Register by FEB 22 at www.centralrockgym.com/hadley
Thursday March 5. Amherst Arts Night Plus. 5-8 PM. Multiple venues in Amherst Center. Amherst Arts Night Plus is a free cultural event held in and around downtown Amherst, MA. Each first Thursday of every month, from 5-8PM, participating venues host gallery openings, concerts, lectures, and other creative events. For a listing of current shows, visit the “This Month” link in the main menu above. More info here: