Chris HartmanMasks are a key part of *commedia dell’arte* costumes.Commedia dell’arte was among the most popular entertainments of 16th and 17th-century Italy and France, yet its slapstick humor, quirky costumes and use of improvisation have continued to influence performers from Vaudeville and Cirque du Soleil to television’s “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” This month, the Kingsbury Ensemble and Project Improv * St. Louis will join forces to present a new translation of The Old Man’s Folly, a classic commedia dell’arte work, in Washington University’s Umrath Hall.
Lars Angenent in his lab.A team of researchers headed by Lars Angenent, Ph.D., assistant professor of energy, environmental and chemical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, is plying new techniques to produce a biofuel superior to ethanol.
Erin BelieuAcclaimed poet Erin Belieu will read from her work at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, for the Writing Program in Arts & Sciences. Belieu is the author of three collectionss: Infanta (1995), One Above & One Below (2000) and, most recently, Black Box (2006).
Courtesy photoJanet KauffmanAuthor, environmentalist and multimedia artist Janet Kauffman will read from her work at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, for the Writing Program in Arts & Sciences. Kauffman, who lives on a farm in Hudson, MI, is the author of the forthcoming book Trespassing: Dirt Stories & Field Notes, which combines stories and nonfiction pieces to illustrate the impact of modern factory farms—confined animal feeding operations, or CAFOs — on her rural community.
Joseph Roach, former chair of Washington University’s Performing Arts Department (PAD) in Arts & Sciences, will present the 2008 Helen Clanton Morrin Lecture at 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28. Roach, now the Charles C. and Dorathea S. Dilley Professor of Theater and English at Yale University, studies the history and theory of theater and dramatic literature and has been a major force in developing the field of performance studies.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivering his “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.”More Than a Dream … Living the Dream” is the theme of Washington University’s 21st annual celebration honoring Martin Luther King Jr. at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 21, in Graham Chapel. The Law School, School of Social Work and School of Medicine will also host celebrations.
Pratim Biswas, Ph.D., chair of WUSTL’s energy, environmental and chemical engineering department, heads a project involving Washington University, Chrysler LLC and Ameren Corporation to test a mercury removal process in a full-scale power plant.Washington University in St. Louis is partnering with Chrysler LLC and a major Midwest utility company in a project to determine if paint solid residues from automobile manufacturing can reduce emissions of mercury from electric power plants. The project is based upon the technical expertise of Pratim Biswas, Ph.D., Stifel & Quinette Jens Professor of Environmental Engineering Science who has demonstrated the effectiveness of titanium dioxide in controlling mercury in lab and recent field studies. He heads the project that will test a mercury removal process in a full-scale power plant.
Jane Hammond, detail from *Fallen,* 2004-ongoing.War and disaster have profoundly shaped the opening years of the 21st century. In the United States and abroad, acts of violence and terrorism have resulted in large-scale destruction and displacement affecting the lives of millions. This spring, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis will present On the Margins, an exhibition exploring the impact of war and disaster through the work of a diverse range of contemporary artists.
In remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Society of Black Student Social Workers at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work will host a “Financial Freedom Seminar: Achieving Economic Independence Through Education,” from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 2 in Brown Hall, Room 100. The event is designed for members of the St. Louis community interested in building wealth, repairing and maintaining good credit, purchasing a home or starting and expanding a business. The event is free.