Washington’s universities contain a wealth of opportunities, not just for students, but for residents and visitors as well. From picture books to theatrical performances, the fun pops up in a variety of educational and enriching ways.
Washington State University research associate Debby Alperin fell in love with eastern Washington when she began attending WSU, located in Pullman, more than three decades ago, and this love affair is rendered in stark clarity and with vivid colors in an exhibit of her photography on display through the end of January in the school’s Animal Health Library. Some of Alperin’s research subjects can be seen posing for the camera (the horses looking quite content against the backdrop of a clear blue sky). For more information about this and other upcoming events at WSU, visit http://news.wsu.edu/default.asp?PageID=35.
A wider variety of art, from prints and paintings to tapestries and sculptures, can be found at the Jundt Art Museumon the Gonzaga University campus in Spokane, just about an hour north of WSU. With regularly rotating artwork and exhibits ranging from centuries-old sketches to modern glass art, every visit here turns up something new. Visit www.gonzaga.edu/Campus-Resources/Museums-and-Libraries/Jundt-Art-Museum/default.asp for more information.
Central Washington University, in Ellensburg, boasts an equally compelling, yet entirely different experience with the rotating exhibits in its Museum of Culture & Environment. Current exhibits include a retrospective of the trickery used to tell tall tales via postcards and the display of recently-recovered mammoth bones, along with some mammoth facts and a realistic life-size wall painting; at the end of the month, don’t miss a traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian regarding the history of transportation. From novelty to innovation, this museum has American culture covered. For more information, visit www.cwu.edu/~museum/.
Seattle is home to more colleges and universities than you can shake a stick at, but why would you want to when they provide such light-hearted fare as the exhibit Merry Company - Pop-ups, Movable and Toy Books. Presented by theUniversity Libraries of the University of Washington, this isn’t a fully hands-on exhibit, but will still be a magical experience for kids and kids at heart alike. More information about this and other events and exhibits is available at www.lib.washington.edu/about/news.
If you really want the action to leap off the page though, look no further than Seattle Pacific University’s production of Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare’s classic tale of wit and rancor getting in the way of love, and ultimately buckling under love’s more positive pressure. Watching the passionate story unfold is sure to provide a treat for those familiar with the play, as well as those coming to it with fresh eyes. For more information about this and other events at the university, visit http://spu.edu/calendar-and-events.aspx.
There’s something happening at the colleges and universities in your community right now, so check them out. Help make the programs run by these universities successful by taking part in them, and by allowing yourself the pleasure of your community as well.
