A “green revolution” has gained momentum that encourages people across the world to become more environmentally conscious. Next week, the Asian World Center and Fine and Performing Arts Department are teaming up to promote environmental awareness through the sixth Asian Culture Week.
The Asian World Center has sponsored the Asian Culture Week every year since 2005. Each year, the Center designates a certain theme related to politics, social issues or culture.
This year’s theme, “Asia the Colorful: Striving for Greener,” reflects the green spirit within a rapidly industrializing world. Dr. Maorong Jiang, political science associate professor and director of the Asian World Center, said the week’s presentations embrace the theme of living harmoniously with nature.
“We planned the sixth Asian Culture Week in April, in which we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and Arbor Day,” Jiang said. “The term “In concert with nature” presents our wish as to be in peace with our planet Earth.”
The week kicks off on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Lied Center with “In concert with nature: music from the world.” The concert features the Wind Ensemble, conducted by Dr. Frederick Hanna; the symphony orchestra, directed by Thomas Kluge; and jazz ensemble, directed by Dr. Linda Williams. Hanna said the overlapping dates of Asian Culture Week and the Wind Ensemble and University Orchestra’s public performance provided a unique opportunity for collaboration.
“We noticed that the April 18th date coincided with the opening of the Asian Culture Week so we agreed to be the kick-off event on Sunday afternoon,” Hanna said.
The ensembles will perform pieces not only from Asia, but from other parts of the world as well. Through this musical experience, Hanna hopes the concert will expose students to eastern and western sounds, while also raising awareness about sustainability issues.
“Our effort to expose students to different styles and types of the arts in general, and specific to our music concert, is a core belief in the department,” Hanna said. “In this concert, we will present music from the Western world, as well as the Eastern world.”
In addition to the “In concert with nature” presentation, Chinese musicians will perform traditional pieces with customary instruments in the “River Water” concert on Tuesday in the Lied Center. The evening concludes with a joint Western-Eastern oil painting by Creighton art professor John Thein and Chinese artist and vice president of China’s Nanjing Art Institute Dr. He Xiaoyou.
Other events during the week include public lectures about sustainability and art, sushi-making demonstrations and roundtable discussions. Joel Davies, an Apple Distinguished educator and Journalism and Mass Communications associate professor, will also direct a demo-presentation called “Go Paperless: computing a green digital obligation,” in which he discusses the ramifications of environmentalism in the digital age. Xiaoyou will give the keynote presentation, entitled “Chinese traditional green thinking and its impact upon industrial designs,” in the Harper Center Lied Auditorium.
All events are free and open to the public with the donation of a canned food item. All proceeds go to the Siena/Francis House.
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