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LECTURE SERIES 2008  

 

Sponsored by:

Rita and Herbert Z. Gold

 

Tuesdays at 3:00-4:30 pm

 

 

     TUESDAY, JANUARY 8
 

1. BROKEN JUSTICE — THE TRUTH
ABOUT PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION

     Kenneth C. Edelin, M.D.
A recent Supreme Court decision has outlawed a certain kind of procedure for women who need to have a late-term abortion now called a “partial-birth abortion.” In their decision, the Court invited further challenges to Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion in America. Thirty-two years ago a Suffolk County jury in Massachusetts found Dr. Edelin guilty of manslaughter in the death of a fetus during the performance of a legal, second-trimester abortion. In this lecture he will tell his amazing story of racism, revenge and how the broken justice system is threatening women’s freedoms and choices. Copies of his new book Broken Justice: A True Story of Race, Sex and Revenge in a Boston Courtroom will be available for purchase and signing.


Kenneth C. Edelin, M.D. is emeritus professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Boston University. For 11 years he was chairman of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Boston University School of Medicine. In addition to numerous other positions, Dr. Edelin was chairman of the board of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
 

 

     TUESDAY, JANUARY 15
2. MICHELANGELO: A TROUBLED ARTIST
IN A TROUBLED AGE
    
Warren Roberts, Ph.D.
This engaging slide-lecture will bring to life the story of Michelangelo, the remarkable artist who created the magnificent statue of David (1504) and the Sistine Chapel ceiling (1508-1512) and how his path became intertwined with the German monk, Martin Luther, during the construction of Saint Peter’s Church, changing the  artistic and religious world of Europe forever.

 

Dr. Warren Roberts received his BS, BA, MA and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He has been teaching history at the University of Albany, NY, for 40 years, where he holds the title of Distinguished Professor. Registration is required for all lectures. Seating is limited. Use Side One of the registration cards provided in the center of the brochure or call (941) 383-8811.


Lectures begin at 3:00 PM on Tuesdays.
Pricing Schedule for Lecture Series 2008
Members Non-Members
Single Lecture $15 $20
Full Series (12) $120 $180
 

 

     TUESDAY, JANUARY 22              Sold Out!
3. ISRAELI -PALESTINIAN PEACE : BETWEEN THE

IMPOSSIBLE AND THE INEVITABLE
    
Mark Rosenblum
The Oslo peace process is shattered. Is there any peace initiative that can pick up the pieces? Will the pro-eastern Arab Sunni regimes participate? Are international actors such as the U.N., E.U. and N.A.T.O. part of the problem or the solution? What are the most effective policies in response to the reign of Hamas in Gaza? Is the concept of a Palestinian state dead and buried? Is there a new electable Israeli visionary force on the horizon? What final efforts will the Bush administration make? These questions and others will be answered and discussed.

 

Mark Rosenblum, Middle East expert, is a history professor at Queens College, City University of New York where he is also director of the Jewish Studies Program as well as the Michael Harringon Center for Democratic Values and Social Change. The author of an influential insider report on the Middle East, he has been quoted and interviewed in all the major media.

 

Note: This lecture is generously sponsored by Phil & Sheila Barach.
 

   TUESDAY, JANUARY 22
3A. ISRAELI -PALESTINIAN PEACE : BETWEEN THE

IMPOSSIBLE AND THE INEVITABLE - SECOND SESSION

 

The second session is on the same day but at a different time.  5:00 pm-6:30 pm


 

     TUESDAY, JANUARY 29
4. INSIDE THE WORLD OF BALLET
AROUND THE WORLD
    
Robert de Warren
From the stage as a principal dancer with the Stuttgart Ballet to director of the National Ballet of Iran, under the patronage of Empress Farah, to artistic director of the Northern Ballet Theatre, U.K., under the patronage of Princess Margaret to director of ballet at La Scala, Milan, a position for which he was recommended by his personal friend Rudolf Nureyev, to artistic director of the Sarasota Ballet... hear the fascinating backstage stories behind the grandeur of ballet.

 

Robert de Warren was artistic director of the Sarasota Ballet for 13 years. He choreographed many celebrated works such as Bolero, Madame Butterfly and Hymn to Man (in memory of 9/11), restaged classics such as Swan Lake and Coppelia, designed sets and costumes and brought the company to international standards.

 

 

     TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5
5. THE LESSER-KNOWN OPERAS OF PUCCINI
    
Phillip Gainsley
Excerpts from three Puccini operas, Le Villi, Edgar and Fanciulla de West, each masterpieces in their own right, will be played and discussed. These wonderful works were the prelude to the famous Puccini operas that most of  us know and love.


Phillip Gainsley has been a national speaker on opera and music theater for over 35 years. He has been a regular guest on the Metropolitan Opera Quiz, heard during the Saturday afternoon Met Opera radio broadcasts, for 30 years. He has lectured for the Sarasota Opera Guild for 10 seasons.


 

     TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12
6. THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS
              Sold Out!
    
Thomas O. Hecht, Ph.D.
Dr. Hecht, a popular draw every season at the Center, will review the historical clash of Islam and Christianity, as well as the intra-civilization clash experienced by the Muslim world. Q and A will follow.


For Biographcal Sketch of Thomas O. Hecht see page 24 of the brochure.
 

 

     TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19
7. FROM BRIGHTON BEACH TO BROADWAY
    
Diane Steinbrink
Enjoy a lively presentation of the life and works of Neil Simon, one of America’s most important contemporary playwrights. The lecture will include dramatic monologues featuring some of the most interesting, funny and  poignant characters from several of his famous plays including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Lost in Yonkers and Broadway Bound. A discussion will follow.


Diane Steinbrink has a BA in speech and drama from Adelphi University. She was the coordinator of Plays for
Living, a socio-drama program, at Family Service Philadelphia for 17 years. She has also produced theatre projects, presented her one-person programs and acted in regional theater extensively in Philadelphia and south Jersey.
 

 

     TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26
8. THE EVOLUTION OF AMERICAN POLITICAL
COMMUNICATION
    
Robert V. Friedenberg, Ph.D.
The evolution of political communication from our nation’s earliest elections to today will be highlighted in this lecture. Events will include the activities of the first political consultant in American history, the motives of the first presidential candidate to ever deliver a public speech on his own behalf, and the precedents set by the 1960 presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy, the first truly contemporary campaign.

 

Dr. Robert V. Friedenberg is currently professor of communication at Miami University (Ohio) where he has been on the faculty for 38 years. He has received numerous awards for teaching excellence. He is the author, co-author and editor of six books, including the most widely used college textbook on political communication and has served as a political consultant in over 70 campaigns.


Registration is required for all lectures. Seating is limited.
 

 

     TUESDAY, MARCH 4
9. GLOBAL CONTEMPORARY WOMEN ARTISTS
    
Anne Albritton, Ph.D.
This slide-lecture will explore the works of women making art in a global context. Selected artists from both the Documenta 12 exhibition in Kassel, Germany (2007) and the Venice Biennale (summer 2007) plus female artists exhibiting in the U.S. and around the world today will be highlighted. Questions about globalization in the art world will be discussed as well as introductions to exciting emerging artists.
 

Dr. Anne Albritton teaches contemporary art history and women artists in history among other art history subjects at the Ringling School of Art and Design. She lived and taught in France, Eastern Europe, New York, Washington State and Ohio before coming to Ringling. She also publishes articles, writes reviews and presents papers for major art conferences.

 

 

     TUESDAY, MARCH 11
10. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE CRAZY BUT IT HELPS
     Chef Raymond Arpke
Raymond Arpke, chef/proprietor of Longboat Key’s award-winning restaurant Euphemia Haye, has written a book that satisfies one’s appetite for fabulous recipes as well as for a good read — You Don’t Have To Be Crazy But It Helps. Sprinkled throughout the recipes are vivid memories and anecdotes of growing up in the Sheboygan County Hospital for the Insane, where his parents were administrators. His unique beginnings, hilarious events when opening the restaurant and culinary secrets will all be shared. A book signing will follow.

 

Raymond Arpke, is the chef/proprietor of Euphemia Haye, winner of the Golden Spoon since 1993 and proud member of the Golden Spoon Hall of Fame.

 

 

     TUESDAY, MARCH 18
11. EXPLORING THE WORLD OF GLASS ART
    
Timothy Close
Take a virtual tour of The Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington, hometown of world-renowned glass artist, Dale Chihuly. Watch artists working with molten glass and see selected pieces from the museum’s exhibition of Lino Tagliapetra, the most accomplished glass maestro working today.

 

Timothy Close is director and CEO of the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington. His artwork is included in the permanent collection of the Houston Art Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.

 

Registration is required for all lectures. Seating is limited.
 

 

     TUESDAY, MARCH 25
12. WAGNER AND THE JEWS
    
John Goodman
Richard Wagner’s attitude towards Jews and Jewish issues was highly complex throughout his entire life. Wagner’s personal relationships with Jews, his anti- Semitic essays, the question of whether his views are reflected in his operas, and the influences of his views on later developments, including the Nazi period, will be discussed with audio and video examples from his operas. (Wagner’s music has been banned from use in public places in Israel.)

 

John Goodman is professor emeritus from Boston University. Currently he is program director of the Sarasota Music Archives “Second Sunday at Selby” series, lecturer for their music appreciation series and president of the Sarasota Concert Association. He is active in the community as composer, lecturer, teacher and accompanist.

 

Registration is required for all lectures. Seating is limited.

 

Lectures begin at 3:00 PM on Tuesdays.
Pricing Schedule for Lecture Series 2008
Members Non-Members
Single Lecture $15 $20
Full Series (12) $120 $180

 

 

Return to the Program Brochure