Spring arts and culture preview: events to do now, save for later

By Phaedran Linger ’22 on February 3, 2022

As the spring term begins, campus comes alive with arts and culture events. Explore Towson University’s artistic side through student performances, guest artists and more in a series of on-campus and virtual events.

Here’s your guide to events you can attend now—plus a few to mark your calendar for later.

Do now: film screenings, art exhibitions

If you’ve already binged everything on your streaming services, join TU online for the 14th-annual Bridges to the World International Film Festival to watch a series of hand-picked international movies. 

Presented by the nonprofit World Artists Experiences, this film adventure will take you on virtual trips to France, Cambodia, Morocco, Guatemala and Bangladesh. Every film is selected and sponsored by the embassy of each country and followed by discussion with special guests. Films will be screened weekly on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. EST through March 1.

Feb. 8: Cambodia
“Num Banh Chok [Khmer Rice Noodles]” (2007)
Directed by Chheng Sovanna | Special guests: Pok Borak, director of cinema and cultural diffusion in the Department of the Cambodian Ministry of Culture & Fine Arts and Huy Yaleng, actor/director
This family melodrama follows the lives of a young couple as they expect the birth of their first child.

Feb. 15: Morocco
“L’orchestra Des Aveugles [The Blind Orchestra]” (2014)
Written and directed by Mohamed Mouftakir
Follow the experiences of 8-year-old Mimou and his extended family of musicians and dancers during the repressive “Years of Lead” under King Hussan II.

Feb. 22: Guatemala
“On The Edge Of Discovery” (2018)
Directed by Brent Winebrenner with assistance from Jose Antonio and Emilio Faillace
A cinematic, carefully crafted film provides an insightful and heartfelt portrait of a beautiful land and resilient people.

March 1: Bangladesh
“Guerilla” (2011) 
Directed by Nasiruddin Yousuff | Special guest: M. Shahidul Islam, Bangladesh Ambassador to the U.S.
An epic historical melodrama about the Bangladesh Liberation War, an armed conflict to win independence from Pakistan.

If you’re ready to get out of the house, TU’s Asian Arts & Culture Center is introducing an enticing new exhibit.

Guest artist Nico Gozal tells his story through the medium of silk paintings in “Forever Indonesian - A Journey Through Art.”

Gozal is an Indonesian of Chinese descent who is also an American citizen. In this exhibition, he puts tradition parallel to contemporary art techniques to examine his cultural background and his experiences balancing multiple cultures after immigrating.

See the exhibition at the Asian Arts Gallery Feb. 9 – May 14 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday – Saturday.

While you’re in the Center for the Arts, head across the hall to the Holtzman MFA Gallery where MFA student exhibitions are on view through April 23.

Exhibits include “This One Fell Over” by Jennifer Yablonsky, focusing on ecological issues including invasive species and open spaces decline; “Calculated Contingencies” by Danielle Hawk, challenging the ideas of perfection, projection and self-doubt; and “Ubiquitous” by Tonya Weaden-Pugh, where the artist celebrates texture by referencing the human body and natural landscapes.

And in the Center for the Arts Gallery, Nanette Carter addresses contemporary events and issues with an abstract vocabulary of form, line, color and texture, while Robert Straight employs scientific and mathematical concepts to visualize macro and micro relationships in “Fragments, Layers, Combinations,” on view through April 23.

Mark your calendars: events for later

Later this spring, the College of Fine Arts & Communication (COFAC) will host plenty more to keep you busy, including musical performances, theatre productions and dance performances.

Welcome spring with TU’s premiere of an operatic version of a classic Shakespearean work.

The Music for the Stage Ensemble, directed by Courtney Kalbacker, presents Michael Ching’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on April 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. and April 23 and 24 at 2 p.m. 

This show is a combination of stunning visuals and dozens of outstanding classical, choral, instrumental and a cappella group performers you won’t want to miss.

In the theatre department, shows are brewing that will be dangerously entertaining. “Paradise Lost” by playwright Erin Shields turns heaven and hell upside down in a witty, modern, feminist retelling of John Milton’s epic poem about the first battle between good and evil. Directed by Stephen Nunns and running April 29 – May 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Mainstage Theatre, this performance is bound to bring laughter and provoke thought.

For the more action-oriented, the TU Dance Company presents “Embrace,” May 11 – 14 at 7 p.m. and May 15 at 2 p.m. in the Stephens Hall Theatre. 

“Embrace” highlights a vibrant series of dance works, uplifting the unique thoughts, bodies, voices and means of expression of the dance company. The performance will feature guest choreographers, faculty choreographers, men’s classes and repertory classes.

For more arts and culture events this spring, visit events.towson.edu.

Phaedran Linger is a senior majoring in mass communication at TU. She is a student editorial assistant for University Marketing & Communications.