Stetson offers a full array of cultural opportunities open to the public, including concerts by the School of Music, art exhibitions in the Homer and Dolly Hand Art Center, collections and exhibitions at the Gillespie Museum, a theatre production at Stover Theatre and public lectures. Free parking is available with easy access to Stetson’s beautiful campus in DeLand. The cultural calendar for April-May 2012 is listed below, and can be found online at www2.stetson.edu/artsevents.

StetsonU Arts Events Calendar for DeLand campus – April-May 2012

APRIL 2012

Museum: (Continuing) – Gillespie Museum exhibition on “Ross Allen and Florida Natural History: A Photographic Exhibition,” 234 E. Michigan Ave. Exhibition opened in Sept. 2011, and will continue through April 12. This exhibition is based on photos, artifacts and memorabilia from the Stetson archives, featuring Ross Allen, Stetson alumnus and self-trained herpetologist and entrepreneur who opened the Reptile Institute at Silver Springs in the 1930s. Allen helped make it an important tourist attraction for Central Florida before the days of Florida’s major attractions. More information: www2.stetson.edu/gillespie; (386) 822-7330.

Arts: (Continuing) – Bluemner Exhibition, “Concentrated Color: Watercolors by Oscar Bluemner from the Vera Bluemner Kouba Collection,” in the Homer and Dolly Hand Art Center, opened Jan. 27, and will continue through Wednesday, May 2. The Hand Art Center, on the University’s Palm Court/Quad, is located at 139 E. Michigan Ave. Free. Open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday during the academic year; closed weekends and all national holidays. For more information, call the Hand Art Center at (386) 822-7270 or the Stetson University Art Department at (386) 822-7266; www2.stetson.edu.

Music: Sunday, April 1 – Stetson University Brass Ensembles concert, 3 p.m. Lee Chapel inside Elizabeth Hall, 421 N. Woodland Blvd. Admission: $10 general public; $8 senior citizens; $5 area students. More information: Concert Line (386) 822-8947; School of  Music (386) 822-8950; www2.stetson.edu/music.

Lecture: Tuesday, April 3 – The Latin American Studies program hosts Q’anjob’al Maya author Gaspar Gonzalez, speaking on “Mayan Culture at the Close of the 13th Bak’tun,” 7 p.m., Rinker Auditorium of the Lynn Business Center, 345 N. Woodland Blvd., free.

Music: Tuesday, April 3- Stetson University Chamber Orchestra Concert, 7:30 p.m. Lee Chapel inside Elizabeth Hall, 421 N. Woodland Blvd. Admission: $10 general public; $8 senior citizens; $5 area students. More information: Concert Line (386) 822-8947; School of Music (386) 822-8950; www2.stetson.edu/music.

Music: Tuesday, April 10- Stetson University Guitar Ensembles concert, 7:30 p.m. Lee Chapel inside Elizabeth Hall, 421 N. Woodland Blvd. Admission: $10 general public; $8 senior citizens; $5 area students. More information: Concert Line (386) 822-8947; School of Music (386) 822-8950; www2.stetson.edu/music.

Event: Thursday, April 12- Stetson University’s Multicultural Student Council (MSC) is sponsoring a campus-wide event, Strange Like Me, (http://highimpacttraining.net/pages/StrangeLikeMe/) from 4:30 to 6 p.m., Lee Chapel inside Elizabeth Hall, 421 N. Woodland Blvd. It is open to the public. For more information contact the MSC at Stetson at (386) 822-7401, or email [email protected].

Music: Friday, April 13- Stetson University Symphony Orchestra concert conducted by Anthony Hose, 7:30 p.m. Lee Chapel inside Elizabeth Hall, 421 N. Woodland Blvd. Admission: $10 general public; $8 senior citizens; $5 area students. More information: Concert Line (386) 822-8947; School of Music (386) 822-8950; www2.stetson.edu/music.

Arts: Friday, April 13 – Opening reception of the Stetson University Senior Thesis Exhibition in the Homer and Dolly Hand Art Center, 6-8 p.m. Art exhibition continues through Wednesday, May 2. The Hand Art Center, on the University’s Palm Court/Quad, is located at 139 E. Michigan Ave. Free. Open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday during the academic year; closed weekends and all national holidays. For more information, call the Hand Art Center at (386) 822-7270 or the Stetson University Art Department at (386) 822-7266; www2.stetson.edu.

Event: Friday, April 13 – Fourth annual Green Symposium, “The Green Edge: Innovation and Sustainability,” 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Lynn Business Center, Stetson University, 345 N. Woodland Blvd. a partnership of Volusia County, Lake County, Stetson and the City of DeLand, featuring keynote speaker Cynthia Barnett, author of Blue Revolution: Unmaking America’s Water Crisis. Symposium sessions will focus on new opportunities in sustainability, energy use and conservation, natural resource management, and public engagement. The event will also include an exhibition of products and services. Cost: $70. Register at https://www.stetson.edu/administration/conted/greenedge.php. More information: Office of Continuing Education, [email protected], (386) 822-7500.

Music: Saturday, April 14 – Stetson University Women and Men’s Chorale concerts, 7:30 p.m. Lee Chapel inside Elizabeth Hall, 421 N. Woodland Blvd. Admission: $10 general public; $8 senior citizens; $5 area students. More information: Concert Line (386) 822-8947; School of Music (386) 822-8950; www2.stetson.edu/music.

Music: Tuesday, April 17- Stetson University hosts Jazz Combos concert, 7:30 p.m. Lee Chapel inside Elizabeth Hall, 421 N. Woodland Blvd. Admission: $10 general public; $8 senior citizens; $5 area students. More information: Concert Line (386) 822-8947; School of Music (386) 822-8950; www2.stetson.edu/music.

Stetson Undergraduate Research and Creative Arts Symposium: Wednesday, April 18 – All day, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Stetson University DeLand campus. More information: contact the Dean’s Office at Stetson’s College of Arts and Sciences, (386) 822-7515.

Music: Wednesday, April 18 – CMENC Broadway Revue. 7:30 p.m., Lee Chapel inside Elizabeth Hall, 421 N. Woodland Blvd. Admission: $5.00 for all. Benefit for Collegiate Music Educators National Conference. More information: Concert Line (386) 822-8947; School of Music (386) 822-8950; www2.stetson.edu/music.

Theatre: Thursday, April 19 through Sunday, April 22 – Student Directed One-Acts, Stover Theatre, 535 N. Florida Ave. More information: contact Dr.Julia Schmitt, Stetson chair of Communication Studies and Theatre Arts at [email protected], or call (386) 822-7526. For ticket reservations, call (386) 822-8700.

Music: Friday, April 20 – Stetson University Concert Choir concert conducted by Milburn Price, 7:30 p.m. Lee Chapel inside Elizabeth Hall, 421 N. Woodland Blvd. Admission: $10 general public; $8 senior citizens; $5 area students. More information: Concert Line (386) 822-8947; School of Music (386) 822-8950; www2.stetson.edu/music.

Music: Saturday, April 21- Stetson University Symphonic Band concert conducted by Bobby Adams, 7:30 p.m. Lee Chapel inside Elizabeth Hall, 421 N. Woodland Blvd. Admission: $10 general public; $8 senior citizens; $5 area students. More information: Concert Line (386) 822-8947; School of Music (386) 822-8950; www2.stetson.edu/music.

Event: Sunday, April 22 – Stetson University Hatter Harvest club Farmers’ Market, featuring fresh, local and organic foods and entertainment by local bands, noon to 4 p.m., Stetson Green, 421 N. Woodland Blvd. Free. More info: Elly Bludworth, [email protected] or (386) 631-1995.

Music: Sunday, April 22- StetsonUniversity presents Youth String Orchestra concert conducted by Jessica Talbot, 3-5 p.m. Feasel Rehearsal Hall inside Mary B. McMahan Hall, 417 N. Woodland Blvd. Admission: $10 general public; $8 senior citizens; $5 area students. More information: Concert Line (386) 822-8947;  School of Music (386) 822-8950; www2.stetson.edu/music.

Lecture: Monday, April 23 – Stetson University’s Gender Equity Council is sponsoring My Faith is Better than Your Faith: What Do We Do With Diversity, a lecture by Rev. Dr. Alice Hunt, President of Chicago Theological Seminary, 7:30 p.m., Stetson Room, second floor of Carlton Union Building, 421 N. Woodland Blvd. The public is invited. For more information, contact Dr. Ramee Indralingam ([email protected]) or call (386) 822-8186.

Music: Tuesday, April 24 – StetsonUniversity’s Choral Union concert, 7:30 p.m. First Baptist Church, 725 N. Woodland Blvd. Admission: $10 general public; $8 senior citizens; $5 area students. More information: Concert Line (386) 822-8947; School of  Music (386) 822-8950; www2.stetson.edu/music.

Music: Wednesday, April 25 – Stetson University Jazz Ensembles concert conducted by George West, 7:30 p.m. Stetson Room, 2nd floor of the Carlton Union Building, 131 E. Minnesota Ave. Admission: $10 general public; $8 senior citizens; $5 area students. More information: Concert Line (386) 822-8947; School of  Music (386) 822-8950; www2.stetson.edu/music.

Museum: Friday, April 27 – Stetson University’s Gillespie Museum of Minerals presents “Arbor Day,” 3-5 p.m. Join Stetson undergrads in planting The Right Trees in the Right Place.  The Gillespie Museum of Minerals is Stetson University’s earth science museum. Its collection of 20,000 mineral, rock, and fossil specimens—one of the oldest and largest in the southeastern U.S.—has developed over the past 50 years into a center for environmental education. Exhibits and displays include geology, native Florida ecosystems and plant landscapes, minerals and mining, and fluorescent rocks. The Gillespie Museum, located at 234 E. Michigan Ave., is open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. More information: www2.stetson.edu/gillespie; (386) 822-7330.

Literature Conference: Monday, April 30 – 7th Biennial M. Jean Greenlaw Children’s Literature Conference  at Stetson University, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Featured keynote speaker, Helen Ketteman, is author of 20 picture books, ranging in age from preschool through fifth grade. The day will include numerous informative and fun workshops as well as an author book signing. Registration fee is $12, and includes a complimentary lunch. To register online, visit https://www2.stetson.edu/forms2/artsci/education/clcregistration/  by Friday, April 20. Further information, contact Stetson University’s Teacher Education Department at (386) 822-7072.  

MAY 2012

Arts: (Continuing) – Bluemner Exhibition, “Concentrated Color: Watercolors by Oscar Bluemner from the Vera Bluemner Kouba Collection,” in the Homer and Dolly Hand Art Center, opened Jan. 27, and will continue through Wednesday, May 2. The Hand Art Center, on the University’s Palm Court/Quad, is located at 139 E. Michigan Ave. Free. Open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday during the academic year; closed weekends and all national holidays. For more information, call the Hand Art Center at (386) 822-7270 or the Stetson University Art Department at (386) 822-7266; www2.stetson.edu.

Arts: (Continuing) – Stetson University Senior Thesis Exhibition in the Homer and Dolly Hand Art Center. Exhibition opened April 13, and will continue through Wednesday, May 2. The Hand Art Center, on the University’s Palm Court/Quad, is located at 139 E. Michigan Ave. Free. Open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday during the academic year; closed weekends and all national holidays. For more information, call the Hand Art Center at (386) 822-7270 or the Stetson University Art Department at (386) 822-7266; www2.stetson.edu.

Music: Saturday, May 12- Stetson University hosts Community School of the Arts Children’s Choir Concert conducted by Claudia Gatewood, 7:30 p.m. Lee Chapel inside Elizabeth Hall, 421 N. Woodland Blvd. Admission: $10 general public; $8 senior citizens; $5 area students. More information: Concert Line (386) 822-8947; School of  Music (386) 822-8950; www2.stetson.edu/music.

Music: Thursday, May 24 – Stetson University’s Community School of the Arts presents a concert by Inspirare, a women’s choir open to all interested women singers, inside and outside of the university community. Performance will be held in Lee Chapel inside Elizabeth Hall, 421 N. Woodland Blvd. Auditions are not required. Rehearsals are scheduled for the following Mondays: April 30, May 7, 14 and 21. All rehearsals will be held in Presser Hall, room 352, from 7-9 p.m. Further information, contact Dr. Ann Small at [email protected], or call Stetson’s School of Music at (386) 822-8950.