Author: Liam Otten

Mark Tansey, detail, *Four Forbidden Senses (Taste, Sound, Smell, Touch)* (1982), Oil on four canvas panelsThe art world of the 1980s was a place of artistic diversity and aesthetic contention. In January, the Gallery of Art at Washington University in St. Louis will revisit those years with American Art of the 1980s: Selections From the Broad Collections, which includes 14 large-scale paintings and sculptures by 11 celebrated and sometimes controversial figures.

The Washington University Opera will present Stephen Paulus’ one-act opera The Village Singer at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 12 and 13, in the University’s Karl Umrath Lounge.

Washington University’s Department of Music in Arts & Sciences will present its annual sing-along of George Frideric Handel’s oratorio Messiah at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, in Graham Chapel.

Teatro Hugo & Ines in *Short Stories*Puppetry? Not just for kids anymore. Teatro Hugo & Ines — a.k.a. Hugo Suarez and Ines Pasic — create a world of unlimited, cartoon-like possibility, enlisting elements of puppetry, mime and dance to transform hands and feet, elbows, knees and bellybuttons into a colorful parade of extraordinary, oddball characters.

Sean Scully, *Untitled* (1989), Oilstick and watercolorThe Gallery of Art at Washington University in St. Louis will present American Art on Paper from the 1960s to the Present: Selections from the Permanent Collection Jan. 23 to April 18. The exhibiiton includes 47 prints, drawings and photographs by 31 nationally and internationally known artists.

William Merritt Chase (American 1849-1916), *Courtyard of a Dutch Orphan Asylum* c. 1884, Oil on canvas on boardAll roads may lead to Paris, but for 19th century American painters, many at least traveled through St. Louis. In January, the Gallery of Art at Washington University in St. Louis will present Painting America in the 19th Century: Selections from the Permanent Collection. The exhibition includes works by 13 major American painters — many of whom lived or worked in Missouri.

Washington University’s Center for the Humanities in Arts & Sciences will present Celebrating Our Books, Recognizing Our Authors, its second annual faculty book colloquium, at 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, in the Ann W. Olin Women’s Building Formal Lounge.

David Kilper/WUSTL PhotoPictured are student dancers performing Jennifer Medina’s *Arcadia*.Washington University Dance Theatre (WUDT), the annual showcase of professionally choreographed works performed by student dancers, will present its 2003 concert, dance@stl.art, Dec. 5-7.

Sabrina Ursaner/PADPictured, left to right: Judith Lesser as Irina, Robin Kacyn as Olga and Merrie Brackin as Masha.The Performing Arts Department (PAD) in Arts & Sciences will present David Mamet’s adaptation of Anton Chekov’s late masterwork, The Three Sisters (1901/1991) — considered by many critics to be the finest drama of the 20th century — in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre Nov. 14-15 and 21-23.

PatersonAcclaimed children’s author Katherine Paterson, author of Bridge to Terebithia, will host a pair of events for Washington University’s 2003-04 Center for the Humanities’ Writers Series Nov. 17-18.