NORFOLK, Neb. – Northeast Community College will highlight fine and performing arts of its students during a special day on the Norfolk campus in early May. Poetry, prose, and performance are among areas that will be featured during the College’s Art Expo on Thur., May 4, in Union 73 and the Cox Activities Center on the Norfolk campus.
Connie Sixta, associate dean of business and humanities, said the event will showcase creative works by Northeast students.
“Students in art, creative writing, theatre, and media arts will be participating in the event,” she said.
From 2:45-4:30 p.m., in Union 73, theatre design presentations and audio recording demonstrations will take place with student artwork and digital cinema projects on display. In addition, student readings will be held with the unveiling of the 2023 edition of Voices Out of Nowhere. The publication includes stories, poetry, and artwork written and created by Northeast students. Additionally, the winning artist whose selection is picked for the Voice Out of Nowhere cover will be presented with a framed copy of the cover.
Voices Out of Nowhere is an anthology that dates back to the 1970s. It is a collection of student art work, creative writing and photography that is published annually by students in the Editing and Publishing class under the supervision of Bonnie Johnson-Bartee, English instructor.
The works are judged by published poets and writers and staff from the Norfolk Arts Center for inclusion into the publication. These include Sherry Ruden, executive director of the Norfolk Arts Center, who picked the winning artwork; Scott Abels, English instructor, and Barbara Schmitz, former English instructor at Northeast, selected the winning poetry, while Jennifer Ippensen, director of library services at Northeast, and Neil Harrison, former English instructor, chose the winning prose pieces.
Voices Out of Nowhere books, bookmarks with cover artwork and the 2023-24 Visiting Writer’s Series schedule will be available at no cost.
At 7:30 that evening on the Cox Activities Center Theatre stage, Northeast theatre students will present this year’s student production of Almost, Maine, by John Cariani. Additional performances of Almost, Maine will be held Fri., May 5, and Sat., May 6, at 7:30 p.m., and Sun., May 7 at 1:30 p.m. Tickets to the performances are $10 for adults, $5 for students and free for Northeast students and employees with a college ID.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the arts at Northeast Community College … and what better time is there to do that than with the release of our latest edition of Voices Out of Nowhere and the opening night of the theatre department’s student production. We encourage students and others interested in the arts to come out and enjoy these events with us,” Sixta said.
The Northeast Community College Art Expo is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
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