Meredith School of Arts to Participate in Greenway Celebration
By Melyssa Allen
Meredith's School of the Arts will provide art and entertainment during an April 16 event celebrating the opening of the new greenway that connects the College to the museum. This special event will include a grand processional across the new pedestrian bridge over the I-440 Beltline, a puppet pageant and more.
The Greenway Opening Celebration will be held from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., starting on the Meredith College campus and ending on the N.C. Museum of Art grounds. The grand processional will begin at 11 a.m. (Meet at Meredith at 10:30 a.m. to participate).
Meredith's participation includes art displays, celebratory banners, improvisational dance and more.
Much of Meredith's participation in the celebration centers on visual art displays. Meredith visual arts students will have numerous works on display on the Meredith grounds and in the N.C. Art Museum's park. Among the works are the following:
- Celebratory banners on the Meredith campus which were created by graphic design students under the direction of Assistant Professor of Art Melinda Fine.
- Decorative flags inspired by Tibetan prayer flags will be hung near the Meredith entrance to the bridge. These flags, designed by students in the "Fibers" class taught by Instructor of Art Georgia Springer, are intended to bring good fortune to those on journeys or pilgrimages.
- Beaded textural ceramic pieces will "grow" like giant, colorful grasses beside the museum pond. These have been created by 3D Design students under the guidance of Assistant Professor of Art Lisa Pearce. On the Meredith campus, mixed media clay and metal sculptural pieces derived from plant forms will be found along the greenway. Sculpture students designed these pieces, which were also completed under the direction of Lisa Pearce.
- Three Meredith sculpture students will present a related series of installations focusing on past, present and future in three moveable galleries which will be located near the Meredith approach to the bridge. These interactive pieces have been collectively termed "The U-Haul Project" because of the innovative use of 19 foot U-Haul trucks as "galleries." Katie Phillips, Rachel Souza and Rebecca Gorman conceived these works during an independent research project at Meredith during fall semester.
The greenway celebration will also include the following performing arts elements:
- A ceremonial walk will take place from Meredith's campus to the N.C. Museum of Art. The walk will feature musicians and a puppet pageant. During this portion of the celebration, 17 Meredith dance students, under the direction of Carol Finley, artistic director of Meredith Dance Theater, will perform improvisations in response to the musicians and the puppets.
- Meredith theatre students and Theatre Instructor Steven Roten will interact with and assist the puppet troupe throughout the celebration.
The Greenway Celebration is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.ncartmuseum.org/events/festivals.shtml.
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Feb/March 05
Students Join Together to Bring "A Thread of Hope" for Tsunami Relief
By Kelly Jones, '05
On Friday, April 8, Meredith's "A Tide of Hope" committee will kick off the second phase of campus tsunami fundraising events with "A Thread of Hope" in McIver Amphitheater from 1:30-2:30 p.m.
A group of Buddhist monks, traveling from Washington, D.C., will say a blessing for those present and for all humanity. This is a ritual common in Sri Lanka, during which people form a circle and hold an unbroken thread. After the blessing, the string will be cut in pieces and tied to the wrist where it will be worn until it falls off.
Child Development and Social Work students have worked with Dr. Gail Kenyon, assistant professor, to organize this interfaith project as a fundraiser for tsunami relief. The idea of the "Thread of Hope" bracelets originated from Dr. Betty Webb, professor of English and director of international studies, and her husband, John Rose, as they witnessed white thread draped around the wrists of many Sri Lankans during their Christmas vacation.
Kenyon believes this event will show solidarity with our world neighbors in Sri Lanka and the South Pacific.
The "Thread of Hope" event is free and open to the public. In the event of rain, the location will be changed to the east side of Belk Dining Hall.
Child Development and Social Work students will also be selling "A Tide of Hope" buttons, which are available for a $5 donation. The button purchases will help sponsor the event, contributing to the campus tsunami relief fundraiser.
In addition to this effort, Gail Kenyon is one member of a group of Meredith faculty and students who traveled to Sri Lanka from March 22-April 1, in order to help determine how best to focus the second phase of Meredith's tsunami relief effort. Along with Kenyon on the trip were Betty Webb, director of study abroad, and her husband, John Rose, Vice President of Academic Affairs Rosalind Reichard, and students Kelly Jones, a senior communication major who conducted research for her intercultural communication thesis examining the cultural and communication challenges faced during the tsunami relief effort, and Rebekah Meek, a senior art major who filmed a documentary of the trip. Photographer Laura Williams, '04, joined the group to photograph the experience. (Look for a report on the Sri Lanka trip in the May issue of "In A Nutshell," and visit www.meredith.edu/tsunamirelief/sri-lanka/ to read journals by the participants.)
For more information, contact Campus Minister Sam Carothers, who is leading Meredith's "A Tide of Hope" tsunami relief task force, at 919-760-8346.
Meredith SGA Celebrates Centennial
By Betsy Rhame, '01
When members of the Meredith community gathered in Weatherspoon gymnasium on Saturday, March 19 there was a lot to celebrate. A century's worth to be exact.
2005 marks the 100th year of the Student Government Association (SGA) at Meredith College. Past SGA presidents and their executive boards, alumnae and the entire Meredith community were invited to commemorate the occasion.
In her opening remarks, Jean Jackson, '75, vice president for student development said Meredith is "one of the oldest student governments in the country and one of the most forward thinking student governments in the country."
Three Meredith alumnae and past SGA presidents were invited to share their memories as the keynote speakers.
Patsy Bland Rose, '54, shared some of Meredith's rules and regulations from the early 1950s and recalled fond memories of her year as SGA president. "…There were many people who believed in me as a leader," she said. "Serving with others was an educational experience."
Yvette Brown, '90, described how she surprised herself by becoming involved in leadership as a Meredith student. "I went from "I'm not going to get involved' to running for freshman class president," she said in her keynote remarks.
Three years later Brown became Meredith's first African-American SGA president and worked hard to make sure trustees and administrators heard student voices. "(The) year was filled with turmoil and excitement," Brown said.
Kelly Conkling Scott, '98, a former SGA president and a current assistant director in Meredith's Office of Student Activities and Leadership Development, spoke both of her year as SGA president and her role as an advisor to student leaders at Meredith today.
"Meredith is paving the way for her students," Scott said. "Students can practice their leadership skills both in and out of the classroom."
Following these speeches guests watched a slide show of photographs of all past SGA presidents and their executive boards. Each current SGA executive board member spoke about what Meredith SGA means to them. Dessert and dancing followed the program.
Look for more coverage of Meredith's SGA Centennial in the Summer 2005 issue of Meredith Magazine.
