ArtHappening at Weeks Gallery at Jamestown Community College September 29

The Weeks Gallery at Jamestown Community College will present an ArtHappening -exhibition, gallery talk, Scharmann Theatre concert, and artists' reception-on September 29, 2012.

The event begins at 6 p.m. with a viewing of Robert Hirsch's The Sixties Cubed: Signs, Symbols, and Celebrities. Visit lightresearch.net for details, images, and video. At 6:30, Hirsch will present a brief Weeks Gallery talk to illuminate his installations that include cubed photomontages, a monolithic Peace Sign, Spinning Mobile, Timeline, Button Women, and the notorious, hypnotic Dream Machine.

At 7 p.m., Oliver Burdo, an Infinity Visual and Performing Arts student, will open the Scharmann Theatre concert with his rendition of Bob Dylan's The Times They Are a-Changin'. At 7:15, Mercury Rising, featuring Nelson Starr and members of Stinger (a Sixties/classic rock band), will present songs by the Beatles, Country Joe and the Fish, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Moody Blues, Steppenwolf, and others.

The reception, which begins at 8:30 in the Scharmann lobby and Weeks Reception Hall, includes hors d'oeuvres and wine and beer tasting. Family Function and the Sitar Jams will enliven the festivities with their East-West fusion that melds Indian classical and folk roots with funk, jazz, and rock. Their instrumentation is reminiscent of Ravi Shankar, a visionary sitar player who gained world attention in the '50s and '60s and influenced The Byrds, The Beatles, and others.

Tickets for the all-inclusive ArtHappening (exhibition, talk, concert, and reception) are available through JCC's FSA bookstore box office, 716.338.1187 or at the door. We sold-out twice last year, so order early!

Prices are: General admission, $20; JCC/FSA members $15; area students $10. The bookstore is open Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fridays, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Why stage an ArtHappening? For many historians, the '60s spirit arose in 1962, so 2012 marks the golden anniversary. Many events, movements, and personalities from this unique and controversial era are rooted in our culture: Haight Ashbury, Woodstock, and hippies; Vietnam War, the draft, and demonstrations; The Beatles, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Aretha Franklin; Andy Warhol, Louise Nevelson, and Allen Ginsberg; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, sit-ins, marches, and riots; Billie Jean King, Mohammed Ali, and Johnny Unitas; Presidents Nixon, Kennedy, and Johnson; and the Women's Movement, Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisholm, and Gloria Steinem.

This event is made possible by JCC, JCC Faculty Student Association, JCC Foundation, Katharine Jackson Carnahan Endowment for the Humanities, Sarita Hopkins Weeks Concert Fund/ Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, Arthur R. Gren Company, and Southern Tier Brewing Company.

To add to the fun and to make this a "real happening," students, faculty, administration, and friends are invited to search their wardrobes or visit a vintage store to dress Sixties style or to wear a few accessories.

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