Story and Source Ideas from UMass Lowell

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The UMass Lowell Wind Ensemble will perform a free concert for the campus and community on Tuesday, April 26 at Durgin Hall.

04/25/2016

This is a notice of upcoming events, photo opportunities and story ideas at UMass Lowell, compiled by the Office of University Relations, 978-934-3224. Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication unless otherwise noted.

Sources of the week

UMass Lowell faculty experts are available to discuss:

  • Presidential hopefuls Ted Cruz and John Kasich’s new joint strategy to deny GOP rival Donald Trump from securing enough delegates to win the Republican nomination;
  • President Obama’s move to deploy U.S. special forces to Syria to combat ISIS;
  • Who may stand to profit from music icon Prince’s intellectual property and estate.

Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject.

Climate Change Issues Inspire Student Filmmakers

When: Tuesday, April 26, 6:30 p.m.
What: Short videos about the environment and sustainability created by UMass Lowell students will be shown for the public during an event that will feature still other films on these topics. The students are members of UMass Lowell’s Climate Change Initiative, which brings together members of the university community and local leaders to address ways to improve the environment and achieve carbon neutrality on campus and throughout the region. The event is part of an Earth Day celebration throughout April presented by UMass Lowell and more than two dozen community partners – including the city of Lowell, Middlesex Community College and Lowell National Historical Park.
Where: Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, 246 Market St., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

New England’s Largest Marquee to Display Art Created by Students

When: Opening reception is Tuesday, April 26 at 6 p.m. Artwork will be on display through Wednesday, June 1.
What: The largest LED video display in New England – seen by more than 100,000 people each day – will feature digital designs by UMass Lowell students as part of this year’s Art on the Marquee project. Seven out of the 10 works by college students selected for the exhibit are from UMass Lowell art and design majors who hail from Chelmsford, Lawrence, Medford, North Andover, North Reading and Southbridge, along with Nashua, N.H. Their work will be shown on a rotating basis on the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center’s 80-foot-tall outdoor marquee through June 1. The display is comprised of seven video screens that add up to more than 3,000 square feet of space that is visible to pedestrians, motorists and people in hotels and office buildings as far as a half-mile away. The program is presented by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and Boston CyberArts.
Where: Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, 415 Summer St., Boston
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or George Fifield, Boston Cyberarts, 617-290-5010, george@bostoncyberarts.org

Wind Ensemble to Perform Works of 20th Century Composers

When: Tuesday, April 26, 8 p.m.
What: Students who are members of the UMass Lowell Wind Ensemble will perform a free concert for the campus and public that will feature works by 20th century composers Percy Grainger, Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein. The group will be conducted by Daniel Lutz, UMass Lowell’s director of university bands.
Where: Durgin Hall, South Campus, 35 Wilder St., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

Multimedia Concert Features Talents of Students, Alumni

When: Wednesday, April 27, 8 p.m.
What: In its final performance of the season, the UMass Lowell String Ensemble will join forces with art students to present a free concert for the campus and community. The event will premiere the original work “Serenade for Bass-Baritone, Horn and Strings,” which was composed by Derek Weagle and will feature vocalist Allyn McCourt, who both graduated with music degrees from UMass Lowell in 2015. The piece will include a French horn solo by John-Morgan Bush, executive director of the String Project, for whom Weagle wrote the composition in appreciation of his mentorship. Artwork by UMass Lowell digital media and design students will be projected onto the walls of the concert hall during the event.
Where: Durgin Hall, Fisher Recital Hall, South Campus, 35 Wilder St., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

Steampunk Festival Celebrates Lowell’s Industrial Heritage

When: Friday, April 29 through Sunday, May 1
What: The Mill City Steampunk Festival will honor Lowell’s industrial age and look forward to its vibrant future during events and activities open to the public. Incorporating technology and designs inspired by 19th century steam-powered machinery, the Steampunk movement is expressed in literary works, clothing styles, film, architecture and more. The festival, which will include free trolley rides and tours of the Suffolk Mill and adjacent Tremont Power House all weekend, grew out of a partnership between the Lowell National Historical Park and UMass Lowell English Prof. Diana Archibald, who together led the city’s successful “Dickens in Lowell” celebration in 2012. Other partners include the Tsongas Industrial History Center, a collaborative program of UMass Lowell’s Graduate School of Education and the national park. More information on events will be posted on the Mill City Steampunk Festival Facebook page, www.facebook.com/events/484868098380484/. They include:

  • “Makers on the Line” – An interactive exhibit that will give the public a chance to experience what it was like to assemble timepieces in a factory. Saturday, April 30, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Tsongas Industrial History Center, 115 John St., Lowell
  • “Steampunk Design: Re-imagining Resilience” – A talk presented by artist Bruce Rosenbaum, an expert in the movement. Saturday April 30, 3 p.m., Lowell National Historical Park Boott Events Center, 115 John St., Lowell
  • Eventide Social – A grand party that will feature a Steampunk theme. Saturday, April 30, 7 p.m., Mill No. 5, Fourth Floor, 250 Jackson St., Lowell
  • “From Bicycles to Airplanes” – The presentation offers a brief history of the bicycle and its relationship to other developing technologies of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Sunday, May 1, 1:30 p.m., Lowell Makes, 47 Lee St., Lowell.

Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

Graduating Seniors Discuss and Display Art in Free Reception, Exhibit

When: Artists’ reception is Thursday, May 5, 5 p.m. Exhibit runs through Saturday, May 14. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, May 14, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
What: More than 25 UMass Lowell art and design students who will receive their bachelor of fine arts degree at Commencement on Saturday, May 14 will display their senior thesis projects at this exhibit, which is free and open to the public. Works explore history, personal narrative, the power of music and other themes through photography, drawing, video installations, sculpture, web design and more. Students will be available to discuss their work during an artists’ reception that is also open to the public. The artists are from Amesbury, Billerica, Brockton, Bellingham, Burlington, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Dorchester, Dracut, Groton, Lawrence, Lowell, Medford, Methuen, North Reading, Tyngsborough and Waltham, along with Nashua and Sandown, N.H. Members of the public who would like more information about the event should contact the Art Department at 978-934-3494.
Where: University and Mahoney galleries, Mahoney Hall, South Campus, 870 Broadway St., Lowell
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Deborah Santoro, 978-934-3493, Deborah_Santoro@uml.edu

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