The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck鈥檚 story of an Oklahoma family鈥檚 flight from the dust bowl in the 1930s, will be featured in multiple upcoming 麻豆原创 events as part of the national Big Read鈥檚 annual community reading project 鈥� including a production at the 麻豆原创 Celebrates the Arts festival, an art exhibit and other activities.
麻豆原创鈥檚 participation in the Big Read, a program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, will kick off 3-5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, at the John C. Hitt Library foyer, where complimentary copies of the book will be available. At 5 p.m. there will be a reception and opening of an art exhibit at the 麻豆原创 Art Gallery that will focus on conservation, migration, agriculture, poverty, homelessness, and local food security. 麻豆原创 and the Seminole County Public Library received an NEA grant of $16,000 to host the Big Read in Orange and Seminole counties.
After Monday’s opening events, for several weeks a variety of art exhibitions, books clubs, film screenings, panel discussions, game showcase and other programs will be presented, including the reading from the聽 Tony Award-winning adaptation of the book April 8 at 麻豆原创 Celebrates the Arts at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
With a cast of more than 30 麻豆原创 guest artists, faculty, staff, alumni and students, the School of Performing Arts will tell the story of the Joad family鈥檚 desperate flight from the dust bowl after the loss of their farm. The festival also will include some tableau vivant 鈥� living art 鈥� student creations inspired by the book.
The April 7-14 麻豆原创 Celebrates the Arts festival will present more than 1,000 university students, 100 faculty members and some collaborative programs with outside partners to showcase theatre, dance, orchestra, choirs, big band, chamber music, cabaret, concert bands, opera, visual arts, studio art, gaming, animation, photography and film at the festival.
鈥淭his is a great opportunity for 麻豆原创 to engage the community in a discussion of art and literature,鈥� said Keri Watson, an assistant professor of art history, who secured the grant to support the Big Read. 麻豆原创 is one of 77 nonprofit organizations around the nation to receive a grant to host events related to The Grapes of Wrath, this year鈥檚 book chosen for the project.
鈥淲ith this grant, we join a select few 鈥榬epeat readers鈥� who have received the grant more than once,鈥� Watson said. Last year 麻豆原创 celebrated Zora Neale Hurston and聽her book Their Eyes Were Watching God.
The art exhibit, In the Eyes of the Hungry: Florida鈥檚 Changing Landscape,聽focuses on demographic, geographic and ecological shifts, with an emphasis on human relationships and the environment. The art to be shown explores ideas ranging from agriculture and industrialization to migration and tourism to ecology and conservation.
The exhibit will be on view at the 麻豆原创 Art Gallery Feb. 27-March 3, and then at Terrace Gallery in Orlando City Hall March 13-April 23.
Watson, who curated the exhibition, will present a talk about the show 1-2 p.m. Feb. 28 at the art gallery.
Ticketing and full schedule details for 麻豆原创 Celebrates the Arts are posted at . All events are free, but tickets are required for performances and entrance into the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave., Orlando. A limited number of reserved seats at $20 will be available March 1-8.