Harper College happenings
Deaf diaries: Harper serves more deaf students than any other institution in the state. In April, author Madan Vasishta will visit to discuss his own experiences and triumphs as a deaf man in the US and his home country of India.
During his two-day visit, Vasishta, an associate professor at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. -- a college for deaf and hard-of-hearing students -- also will host a reading discussion of his book, "Deaf in Delhi: A Memoir."
The presentations will be voice-interpreted for those who don't know sign language. Vasishta's first session, which will detail his life experiences, is at 7 p.m. Thursday in Harper's Black Box theater in Building L. His follow-up book discussion is at noon Friday, also in the Black Box theater.
The events are free. To register, call Harper's Continuing Education department at (847) 925-6300.
Harper's history of art: Harper has the largest collection of public art in the Northwest suburbs. In April, nine artists who helped create it will showcase new works in celebration of Harper's 40th anniversary.
The 40th Anniversary Art Invitational will run through Thursday in Room C200 of Building C. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
Featured artists include Fletcher Benton, John Fraser, Roland Ginzel, Carol Mickett, David Sharpe, Geoffrey Todd Smith, Mary Snyder Behrens, Robert Stackhouse and Frank Trankina.
Admission is free. For more information or to register for tours, call (847) 925-6336 or visit harper college.edu/arts.
Assisting the assistants: Harper's Marianne Rowe-Dimas caught a tidal wave of media attention when she taught the art of the first impression in her recent "How to Schmooze" class. Now, she's tackling the subject of office communication techniques in a special breakfast event for administrative assistants.
The breakfast takes place at 7:30 a.m. Friday, which is also national Administrative Assistants Day. The session will teach new communication techniques and help administrative assistants brush up on their current skills.
Registration begins at 7 a.m. in the Wojcek Conference Center on the Harper College campus in Palatine. The fee is $79. For more information or to register, call (847) 925-6065.
Story time: Harper's extensive library isn't just for students. It's also a resource for the entire community, offering a free alternative to those in unincorporated Cook County, who otherwise would have to pay to access local village libraries.
On Friday, the library will showcase its children's area with a Spring Story Time for Harper-area tots. The event is free and open to all -- there's no age limit -- but parents must accompany they're children.
The session starts at 10:30 a.m. on the Library's first floor, Building F. Children can browse afterward and check out material. No registration is required.
Comedy at Harper: Harper College's new Laugh Shack Comedy Series concludes at 8 p.m. May 2 with Vidur Kapur, held in Room A238 of the Student Center Lounge, Building A, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine.
Kapur's comedy is based on the social commentary of a one-man culture clash -- he's a gay, Indian immigrant raised in a conservative middle-class family.
Selected as top comic for NBC's "Stand Up for Diversity Initiative," Kapur was featured at the 2007 New York Comedy Festival and has appeared on NBC's Last Comic Standing and MTV World.
Individual show tickets for the Laugh Shack Comedy Series are $10 in advance, or $12 at the door for general admission and Harper faculty, staff and senior citizens. Tickets are $5 in advance, and $7 at the door for Harper students with valid ID.
For tickets and more information call (847) 925-6100, or visit harpercollege.edu.
Constructing art: Where others see aluminum chunks, wire mesh and dowel rods, Harper assistant professor Jason Peot sees inspiration. For years, Peot has been shaping basic materials like those into complex and innovative art.
This month, his work is on display at Chicago's NavtaSchulz Gallery, 1039 West Lake Street. The exhibit, "Lineal," includes about eight pieces -- one of them so large it takes up an entire room -- and represents about 1,000 hours of work.
Peot's trademark is his inclusion of light. His structures work with and play off of brightness and shadows, making them part of the art. He says he enjoys treating light like a material, and he also likes leaving all his materials fairly raw.
"I like materials that have a connection to just regular life," Peot says. "So when you see a material, you recognize it, and you relate to it on some level. But it's taken so out-of-context and reformatted that you see it in a whole different way."
Peot has taught art at Harper for 10 years, and has exhibited his work across the nation and the globe. His creations are included in collections at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and the Elmhurst Art Museum. He also was commissioned to create a permanent, large-scale piece for McCormick Place's West Expansion.
The NavtaSchulz exhibit runs through May 10, with viewing hours from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
Spring premiere: Harper musicians will offer audiences a world premiere performance at the annual Spring Concert, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. May 15 in the Performing Arts Center.
The Wind Symphony and Chamber Winds event will feature the first-ever public performance of "Three Appetizers for Concert Band," a three-movement piece composed by J. Stanley Ryberg, Harper Professor of Music Emeritus.
Ryberg began teaching at the College in the 1970s, and retired as a professor three decades later, in 2002. He began writing music as part of his early retirement project.
Works by Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Sousa and excerpts from Mozart's "The Magic Flute" also are on the concert's menu. Tickets are $10 for general admission, with discounts for seniors and students.
For tickets, call (847) 925-6100 or visit harpercollege.edu/boxoffice.
Harper Speakers Bureau: Provided as a community service, the Harper College Speakers Bureau provides access to local experts in a variety of subjects.
Speakers are available to community organizations such as chambers of commerce, library groups, service organizations and other civic groups for free. Experts cover a diverse array of topics including art, astronomy, career training, cultural trends, ecology, entrepreneurship, estate planning, exercise, small business development, math and science.
For more information on booking a speaker, call (847) 925-6701 or visit harpercollege.edu.
Child Learning Center: The Harper Child Learning Center's preschool program offers a curriculum to form a broad base of knowledge children can use as they advance into the primary grades.
The learning center also strives to create a preschool environment that treats children as individuals and invites parents to visit so they may share in their children's activities.
More information about choosing a preschool is available in a podcast on the Child Learning Center site at harpercollege.edu. Parents also may sign up for a free visit by calling (847) 925-6262.
Campus spa: The Therapeutic Massage Clinic at Harper is staffed by students in the program and offers clients Swedish massage at a cost of $35 for a one-hour massage ($30 for seniors 65 and older).
There are peaceful, private massage rooms available. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (847) 925-6000, ext. 2805.