Spring 2008 Archives
January 23, 2008 - Linda Lear – Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature
Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library, Room 227, 6pm
Dr. Linda Lear’s Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature offers a new look at the extraordinary woman who gave us some of the most beloved children’s books of all time. Beatrix Potter found freedom from her conventional Victorian upbringing during her family’s trips to the countryside. Nature inspired her imagination as an artist and scientific illustrator, and The Tale of Peter Rabbit brought her fame, financial success and the promise of happiness. As a visionary land owner, successful farmer and sheep-breeder, Potter was able to preserve the Lake District Landscape that inspired her art.
Dr. Lear’s talk will reveal a lively, independent woman whose art was timeless, and whose generosity left an indelible imprint on the countryside.
A natural history enthusiast and a collector of botanical art, Dr. Lear is currently a Research Professor of Environmental History at George Washington University and University Research Scholar in History at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Following the talk, Dr. Lear will be available for book signings.
February 4, 2008 – African American Read-In, co-sponsored by the Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English and the Friends of the Library
Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library, Room 227, 12-2pm
Come hear College of Charleston students and faculty read excerpts from some of their favorite classic works by African Americans as part of this national celebration as part of the 19th annual National African American Read-In.
February 18th, 2008 – American film premiere, The Curious Mister Catesby
Screening: College of Charleston Sottile Theatre, 6:30pm
Champagne reception: Sottile Courtyard, 7:45pm
Part artist, part adventurer, part scientist, the Englishman Mark Catesby was a pioneering figure in the scientific exploration of the New World. His Natural History of Carolina, Florida & the Bahama Islands was the first fully illustrated study of North American flora and fauna, and was the first work by any English author to depict animals, particularly birds, in their native habitat.
Despite his profound influence, Catesby is largely unknown. His life and education are a mystery, his rare works are confined to a handful of privileged collections and his reputation is eclipsed by more popular artists such as John James Audubon, whose work more than a century later was profoundly influenced by Catesby.
The Curious Mister Catesby, a 52-minute documentary, will not only introduce its viewers to the extraordinary beauty of Catesby’s paintings and the semi-tropical coastal wilderness in which he made his studies, but will also reveal how habitat destruction and depredation have caused the extinction of notable species immortalized in his pioneering work.
The Curious Mister Catesby features a historically accurate and meticulously crafted script, the voices of professional actors and leading authorities, original music based on Colonial themes, lush cinematography and state-of-the-art editing techniques. From beginning to end, the deep color values and saturations of the film match the breathtaking beauty of Catesby’s paintings.
The Special Collections at the College of Charleston Addlestone Library boasts an impressive collection of natural history rare books and folios, including the 1771 edition of Catesby’s Natural History. Both volumes will be on display at the screening.
A contribution of $100 to benefit the Friends of the Library at the College of Charleston and the Catesby Commemorative Trust is encouraged. For more information, please call 843.953.5530.
February 19th, 2008 – “Pros and Cons: Are Athletes Role Models?”
College of Charleston Sottile Theatre, 7pm
College of Charleston Sottile Theatre, 7pm
Author and commentator, Frank Deford is among the most versatile of American writers. His work has appeared in virtually every medium. The author of fifteen books, his newest, The Enitled, a novel about celebrity, sex and baseball, will be published in 2007.
On radio, Deford may be heard as a commentator every Wednesday on Morning Edition on National Public Radio and, on television, he is a regular correspondent on the HBO show, RealSports With Bryant Gumbel. In magazines, he is Senior Contributing Writer at Sports Illustrated.
Moreover, two of Deford’s books – the novel, Everybody’s All-American, and Alex: The Life Of A Child, his memoir about his daughter who died of cystic fibrosis – have been made into movies. Another of his books, Casey On The Loose, is being turned into a Broadway musical. Cathy Schulman, producer of 2005’s Best Picture, Crash, is producing Deford’s next film, a comedy, The Sister-in-Law.
As a journalist, Deford has been elected to the Hall of Fame of the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters. Six times Deford was voted by his peers as US Sportswriter of The Year. The American Journalism Review has likewise cited him as the nation’s finest sportswriter, and twice he was voted Magazine Writer of The Year by the Washington Journalism Review.
March 6th, 2008 – Winthrop Roundtable featuring Darla Moore
Addlestone Library, 6:30pm
Darla Moore, Vice President of Rainwater, Inc., is founder and chair of the Palmetto Institute, a nonprofit think tank aimed at bolstering per capita income in South Carolina. She serves on the boards of the University of South Carolina and New York University Medical School and Hospital. The University of South Carolina’s Business School is named in her honor and she is the first woman to be profiled on the cover of Fortune Magazine and named to the List of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business. She has served on numerous corporate boards, including Hospital Corp. of America (HCA) and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. She currently serves on the board of The South Financial Group, MPS Group and the National Advisory Board of JP Morgan and was formerly a managing director of the predecessor Chemical Bank. She recently received the Business Person of the Year Award from the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and was inducted into the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Moore holds an M.B.A. from George Washington University.
*Paid event – please call 843.953.5530 for more details.
March 19th, 2008 – Book Talk: Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein – Plato and Platypus Walk Into a Bar…Understanding Philosophy through Jokes
Addlestone Library, Room 227
Tom Cathcart and Daniel Klein’s New York Times Bestseller is crammed with 143 jokes and an occasional cartoon. Plato and Platypus is a 10-chapter course on the classic categories of philosophy, written in Marxist style. The chapter titles are serious; the content that follows is anything but. Bring your friends, and be prepared to guffaw, chortle, howl and even titter through this rousing romp from Plato to modernity. You’ll laugh till you think!
April 6th-12th, 2008 – Climate Change Exhibit, presented in conjunction with Clemson Architecture Center
Addlestone Library Rotunda
April 18th, 2008 – William H.T. Bush lecture
Addlestone Library, Room 227
William Henry Trotter “Bucky” Bush is the youngest son of Prescott Sheldon Bush and Dorothy Walker Bush, the younger brother of former President George H.W. Bush, and the uncle of current President George W. Bush. He got a BA from Yale University in 1960 where he was a member of Wolf’s Head Society. Bush has worked in banking and venture capital, and sits on a number of corporate boards. In 1986 he founded Bush O’Donnell & Co., and remains the CEO of that firm. He has worked on the election campaigns of George, George H.W., and Jeb Bush, primarily as a fundraiser.
May – June, 2008 – Richard McMahan exhibit
Addlestone Library Rotunda
For the past ten years, Richard McMahan has been creating his own personal museum collection featuring miniatures he feels tells the story of art history of our world. The Florida resident, who considers himself an art historian as well as an artist, has an exceptional talent for producing tiny images representing art in both public collections here and abroad. McMahan began his collection working from photographs he found in over one hundred years of National Geographic Magazines.
