Arts & Culture

303 Gallery, New YorkCollier Schorr, *Lina, Opening Braid, Bettringen*Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, Germany has reemerged as a potent intellectual and creative center within the international art world. In February 2007, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis will present Reality Bites: Making Avant-garde Art in Post-Wall Germany, the first thematic museum exhibition to examine how contemporary artists have dealt — both directly and indirectly — with the social, economic and political ramifications of German unification.

Cristina Greavu and Peter ElsbeckStudy for “A Neighborhood … Residence and Life” competitionCristina Greavu and Peter Elsbeck, both graduate students in architecture in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, have earned an honorable mention as part of an international urban design competition sponsored by the High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh.

Courtesy Metro Theater CompanyHana BradyIn March 2000, a child’s suitcase bearing the name and birth date of Hana Brady arrived at the Tokyo Holocaust Education Resource Center. Painted across this battered piece of luggage was the German word “waisenkind,” or “orphan.” With these few clues, a determined group of Japanese schoolchildren, led by their teacher, Fumiko Ishioka, set out to uncover Hana’s identity. Their story, intertwined with that of young Hana, became the basis of “Hana’s Suitcase” (2002), Karen Levine’s acclaimed children’s book. In January, Washington University in St. Louis will co-produce a U.S. premiere stage adaptation by the playwright Emil Sher. More…

In January, Washington University will co-produce playwright Emil Sher’s adaptation of Hana’s Suitcase (2002), Karen Levine’s acclaimed children’s book.

The Department of Music in Arts & Sciences will conclude its fall season with a series of concerts Dec. 8-14.

Courtesy photo*DesignIntelligence*Washington University’s Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design, part of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, has risen four spots to tie for 6th in the nation according to a recent satisfaction survey by DesignIntelligence, a monthly journal published by the Design Futures Council.

David Kilper/WUSTL Photo ServicesArchitecture students have created a new plaza for visual art in Grand Center.Grand Center has long served as St. Louis’ premiere arts and entertainment district, home to the Fox Theatre, the Sheldon Concert Hall, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and other cultural organizations. This fall, a group of 10 architecture majors from the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts teamed up with the Pulitzer Foundation and Grand Center, Inc. to design and build a new public plaza for visual art. The plaza — located immediately south of the Symphony Orchestra’s Powell Hall, 718 North Grand Blvd. — will host outdoor exhibitions, site-specific installations, performance pieces and video and new-media work by local and nationally known artists. A formal dedication will be held Dec. 15.

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. 10, in Graham Chapel. John Stewart, director of vocal activities, directs the program.

The Washington University Opera will present a program titled “In Women’s Chambers” at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 8 and 9, in Karl Umrath Lounge. The program will include portions of three 20th-century operas: Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia (1946), Conrad Susa’s Black River (1975) and Little Women (1998) by Mark Adamo.

Poet Carl Phillips, professor of English and of African & African American studies, both in Arts & Sciences, has won the 2006 Academy of American Poets Fellowship, given in memory of James Ingram Merrill. The fellowship is awarded annually to a poet for distinguished poetic achievement at mid-career and provides a stipend of $25,000. The academy’s board of chancellors, a body of 15 eminent poets, elected Phillips.