Arts at Emory welcomes autumn with several October events including concerts, theater productions and conversations with authors and poets. Most events are free and all will be held through virtual platforms.
Michael C. Carlos Museum
Families can attend events at the Michael C. Carlos Museum virtually, such as the educational workshop Thursday, Oct. 1, at 3:30 p.m., “Connecting the Dots: A Deep Dive into the Art and Biology of Whale Sharks.” Educators from the Carlos Museum and the Georgia Aquarium lead kids on a deep dive into the world of whale sharks, followed by an instructional video on how to create a shark effigy inspired by a ceramic sculpture in the Carlos Museum. The cost is $20 for members of the Carlos Museum or Georgia Aquarium and $25 for nonmembers.
On Thursday, Oct. 8, at 7:30 p.m. the Carlos Museum hosts a discussion with Claudio Saunt, Richard B. Russell Professor in American History at the University of Georgia, regarding his new book “Unworthy Republic: The Dispossession of Native Americans and the Road to Indian Territory.” In the book, Saunt explores how expulsion became national policy and describes the chaotic and deadly results of the operation to deport 80,000 men, women and children in order to secure new lands for the expansion of slavery and to consolidate the power of the southern states.
In celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day, Emory English professor Craig Womack (Creek) chairs a panel discussion titled "McGirt V. Oklahoma: Understanding the Implications of the Recent Supreme Court Decision Across Native America" on Monday, Oct. 12, at 4 p.m.
The Carlos Museum invites teachers to attend the STEAM: Myths & Mechatronics workshop on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Through Zoom sessions and tutorial videos with teaching artist Lakeem Winborne, teachers get hands-on experience in creating a storyboard, learning to code as a form of storytelling, building a robot and writing code to make their robot vimana “enact” their story. The workshop costs $105 for Carlos Museum members and $135 for nonmembers. Space is very limited; advanced registration is required by Saturday, Oct. 3.
Music
The 2020-2021 Candler Concert Series kicks off on the new Schwartz Center Virtual Stage Friday, Oct. 2, with Jane Bunnett and Maqueque performing at 8 p.m. The free concert features internationally acclaimed flutist, saxophone player and pianist Jane Bunnett Cuban joining the award-winning jazz ensemble Maqueque showcasing Afro-Cuban melodies and jazz.
The Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta (ECMSA) presents several free virtual concerts this month. In celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birthday, Emory’s string quartet in residence, the Vega String Quartet, performs Beethoven’s String Quartet Cycle V on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 8 p.m. An accompanying lecture by Bill McGlaughlin streams earlier that day at 1 p.m. On Sunday, Oct. 18, at 4 p.m., the Vega Quartet performs with pianist William Ransom to celebrate Beethoven’s birthday.
The First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta co-hosts several virtual ECMSA concerts this month, including performances of Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No. 4 and Violin Sonata No. 8 on Friday, Oct. 9, at 12 p.m. and Cello Sonata No. 2 and Violin Sonata No. 5 “Spring” on Friday, Oct. 30, at 12 p.m. All concerts are free and open to the public.
Theater
Theater of War Productions presents a virtual performance of the groundbreaking project “Antigone in Ferguson” Friday, Oct. 2, at 5 p.m. The performance fuses dramatic readings of Sophocles’ “Antigone” with live choral music performed by a diverse choir from St. Louis, Missouri, and New York City, and culminates in powerful, healing discussions about racialized violence, police brutality and systemic oppression. This event is co-sponsored by the Emory College Center for Creativity in Arts and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Emory student Elizabeth Jones, a junior majoring in African American studies and human health, will join the panel discussion after the performance. The reading is free and open to the public with registration.
Join Theater Emory for an all-student reading of “The White Plague,” available Friday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m. and streaming until Sunday, Oct. 11. Written in response to the rise of the Nazi regime, Karel Čapek's work warns of issues that continue to plague the world today — fascism, disease and xenophobia — and how each individual holds responsibility. Visit Theater Emory for the event link and password.
Literature
The Decatur Book Festival ends its festivities Sunday, Oct. 4, at 4:30 p.m. with an endnote by poet and author Natasha Trethewey, a former creative writing professor at Emory whose papers are in the Rose Library archives. This virtual event opens with an introduction by Yolanda Cooper, Emory dean and university librarian. Rosemary Magee, former director of the Rose Library, interviews Trethewey and discusses Trethewey’s recent release, “Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir.” The event is free, but registration is required.
On Thursday, Oct. 15, the Emory Creative Writing program presents “An Evening with Prose Writer Matthew Salesses” at 6:30 p.m. Salesses reads from his new novel “Disappear Doppelganger Disappear,” followed by a conversation with Creative Writing faculty member Tiphanie Yanique. Attendees can join in with their own questions. Registration for this event is required.