The William Blizard Gallery is located in the Visual Arts Center on the second floor of Blake Hall. The gallery is open weekdays, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The new season of the William Simpson Fine Arts Series at Springfield College will entertain and inspire.

Experience the arts with magnificent work from artists and performers from both inside and outside the Springfield College community. Attendees will be dazzled by dance performances and theater presentations, captivated by art exhibitions and thought-provoking film, and delighted by concerts and literary events.

Programs are open to the public and most events are free of charge.

Art Exhibition - Jan. 22 to March 12

All Two-Gather by Andrae Green

William Blizard Gallery

Gallery reception for artist and public: Feb. 1, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Andrae Green’s paintings span his career, and in a way, is a mini-retrospective. The paintings show how his thought process has evolved—and is evolving—and also where he might end up. Painting is how he documents both his inner and outer life and it helps him to come to grips with worlds within and outside.

A piece of art by Andrew Green.
Film Screening - Jan. 29

The Organizer: Film Screening and Q&A with Wade Rathke and Film Producer Nick Taylor

7:30 p.m.
Flynn Campus Union, Cleveland E. and Phyllis B. Dodge Room

U.S. Rathke, a former anti-war and welfare rights organizer, masterminded its growth into a national political powerhouse for the poor. A Q&A with Rathke and film producer Nick Taylor will follow the screening.

Admission is free.

Co-sponsored by the Office of Spiritual Life; School of Arts, Sciences, and Professional Studies; and the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

A photo from a protest in black and white.
Fiction Reading - Feb. 22

Reading by Thomas Pierce

7:30 p.m.
The Forum, Harold C. Smith Learning Commons

Thomas Pierce is the author of the novel The Afterlives and the short story collection Hall of Small Mammals. A recipient of the 5 Under 35 Award from the National Book Foundation, his stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Zoetrope, The Oxford American, and Virginia Quarterly Review, and anthologized in The Best American Non-Required Reading and O. Henry Prize Stories. He has reported for NPR and National Geographic magazine. Born and raised in South Carolina, he received his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Virginia as the Poe/Faulkner Fellow, and currently lives near Charlottesville, Va., with his wife and daughters.

A book signing will follow the reading.

Portrait of author Thomas Pierce
Theater Performance - March 7

Avner the Eccentric in Exceptions to Gravity

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED.

7:30 p.m.
Appleton Auditorium, Fuller Arts Center

Suggested general admission: $5; students and senior citizens: Free

Avner Eisenberg in Exceptions to Gravity is a reminder of the theatrical power that can reside in a single charismatic performer who touches the heart. A master of the art of physical comedy, Eisenberg weaves a spell of poetic simplicity in a show of hilarious predicaments. He has appeared on and off Broadway with his hit show Exceptions to Gravity. He played the endearing Holy Man, The Jewel, in the Michael Douglas film The Jewel of the Nile and performed as a ventriloquist on Broadway in Ghetto. His dummy was nominated for a Tony Award. His show defies the barriers of language and culture and has toured extensively in the U.S. and abroad.

PHOTO CREDIT: Marie Clauzade
Avner the Eccentric performing a trick.

“If laughter really is the best medicine, Avner Eisenberg could easily cure everything that ails you. He’s a clown in the truest sense of the word...You’ve got to see it to believe it can be this much fun.” - Boston Metro

“Here is what Avner the Eccentric does best: He reduces his audience to laughter and giggles and applause.” - New York Times

“If you miss Avner, you’ll be sorry and your life will turn to ashes, and it won’t be my fault because I warned you.” - The Edmonton Journal

Concert: March 23

Jeremiah McLane and Friends in Concert

7:30 p.m.
Marsh Memorial Chapel

Masters of the piano, accordion, and quieter, bellows-blown bagpipes, Jeremiah McLane and Timothy Cummings share music rooted in the traditional dance repertoire of Scotland, central France, and Brittany. They create a beguiling blend which subverts the common stereotypes of their Old World instruments. Alex Kehler joins them and introduces Scandinavian flare with fiddle, Swedish nyckelharpa, and låtmandola. This rare, captivating trio inspires both feet and spirits to dance, and is simply not to be missed.

Jeremiah McLane and bandmates posing.
Theater Performance - April 5-8

One Slight Hitch

By Lewis Black

Presented by Springfield College Theater
Directed by Martin Shell
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m.
Appleton Auditorium, Fuller Arts Center

Suggested donation: $5; students and seniors: $2

It’s Courtney’s wedding day, and her mom, Delia, is making sure that everything is perfect. The groom is perfect, the dress is perfect, and the decorations (assuming they arrive) will be perfect. Then, like in any good farce, the doorbell rings. And all hell breaks loose. So much for perfect.

Presented by special arrangement with Dramatist Play Services, Inc.

Two students, in a suit and bridal gown, talk on stage during a play.

“If you think of Lewis Black solely as a curmudgeonly comedian whose default setting is a state of apoplexy at the imbecility of his fellow man, you might be surprised by One Slight Hitch. It’s not unexpected that Hitch should abound in snappy wisecracks and keen social observation. Those, after all, are hallmarks of Black’s stand-up act and his appearances on The Daily Show.  But what is that we detect on Black’s sleeve at the end of his play?  Is that his … heart?”  The Boston Globe

Art Exhibition - April 9-21

Student Art Exhibition

Graduating Undergraduate Senior Art, Art Education, and Art Therapy Majors

William Blizard Gallery
Gallery reception for artists and public: April 21, noon to 2 p.m.

The exhibit features paintings, drawings, sculptures, and ceramics that reflect learning throughout the advanced education of undergraduate art majors.

A graphic of a hand hovering over multiple social media and digital icons.
Concert - April 17

Annual Spring Concert

7:30 p.m.
Townhouse Conference Room

Join the Springfield College Music Department for our celebratory end-of-the-year concert featuring both the Springfield College Band and the Springfield College Community Chorus. Jazz, rock, and rhythm and blues will get you moving and singing along!

Individuals play instruments during a concert.
Dance Performance - April 20-22

Springfield College Dancers Annual Spring Concert

Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m.
Appleton Auditorium, Fuller Arts Center

General Admission: $5; students: $4; senior citizens and children: $2

The Springfield College Dancers will perform choreographed works created by its members that span contemporary, jazz, modern, ballet, and tap dance genres.

Tickets may be purchased at the door or reserved by calling (413) 748-3158.

A group of dancers posed in a position during a concert.
Art Exhibition - April 23 to May 12

Graduate Student Art Exhibition

By Graduate Art Therapy/Counseling Majors

William Blizard Gallery
Gallery reception for artists and public: May 12, noon to 1:30 p.m.

These paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, and ceramics reflect learning throughout the advanced education of graduating art therapy/counseling majors.

A close-up piece of art by graduate students.

If you have a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to fully participate in this event, please contact the Office of Visual and Performing Arts as soon as possible, at (413) 748-3930 to discuss your accessibility needs. Springfield College is a smoke-free/tobacco-free campus.

 

Art Exhibits Theater Literature Music Dance
Holly Murray
(413) 748-3684		 Martin Shell
(413) 748-3443		 Rebecca Lartigue
(413) 748-3189		 Christopher Haynes, Chair
(413) 748-3277		 Sarah Zehnder
(413) 748-3158