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Email Announcements Received Today:

1) Third Annual “My Furry Valentine” at Avery County Humane Society

Come in and take advantage of the third annual “My Furry Valentine” promotion. Name your own price (with a $5 minimum) on black and black-white cats during the month of February. Don’t miss out, come in while supplies last. For more information call 828-733-2333 or visit www.averyhumane.org.

2) Lees-McRae to Host Oral History Collaboration with University of Florida, Feb. 5-10

From February 5 – 10, Lees-McRae students and faculty will participate in a University of Florida-led (UF) oral history research and interview collaboration designed to preserve the cultural history of Southern Appalachian people, specifically residents of Avery County and the surrounding area. The Sam Proctor Oral History Program, of UF’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is spearheading this initiative. The program, founded in 1967, aims to “gather, preserve, and promote living histories of individuals from all walks of life.” The program is sending a team of students and alumni to conduct this project in tandem with students of history and English at Lees-McRae. “We’re glad to partner with the Sam Proctor Oral History Program of UF,” said Dr. Michael Joslin, professor of English at Lees-McRae. “We look forward to creating a collection of personal reminiscences that will help us better understand the history of the college, and the larger Banner Elk and Avery County area.” On Thursday, Feb. 5, delegates from UF will arrive at the Stephenson Center for Appalachia on the campus of Lees-McRae. They will lead a training session on Friday, Feb. 6 from 12 – 4 p.m. in Cannon Classroom 8 for all Lees-McRae student volunteers. Interviews will take place in Carson Library on Saturday, and on the following Sunday and Monday project volunteers will travel to collect additional interviews from those in the area who are of limited mobility and cannot come to campus. The collected interviews, once transcribed, will reside both at Lees-McRae and the UF. The project participants will present their efforts to the public after the project is complete. “The project is a chance for students to learn about the craft of oral history, the history of Lees-McRae and public history as a career choice,” said Dr. Scott Huffard, assistant professor of history at Lees-McRae. The field of public history, which includes oral history as well as a plethora of multidisciplinary subjects such as archival work, policy advising, curation of museums and historic sites and community activism, gained traction in the early sixties and has since continued to grow. The connection between Lees-McRae and UF goes beyond an interest in the preservation of oral history. Dr. Huffard, who is also the program coordinator for Lees-McRae’s newly reinstated history program, earned both his master’s degree and PhD in American History from UF in 2010 and 2013, respectively. For more information about this collaboration or Lees-McRae’s history program, please contact Dr. Huffard at huffardr@lmc.edu.

3) Contemporary Art Lecture Presented Feb. 12 at Appalachian

The Smith Gallery at Appalachian State University will present a lecture on contemporary art by Dr. Cary Levine Thursday, Feb. 12. Levine’s presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Belk Library and Information Commons Room 114. He will present a discussion on artists innovating with technology in his lecture, “Net Works: Jodi and the Early Days of Internet and Game Mods.” The event is free and open to the public. Levine is an associate professor of contemporary art history at UNC Chapel Hill. He currently is researching and writing about the ways artists intersect with digital technologies. In his talk, Levine will discuss the pioneering work of Jodi, an art collective that uses Internet, video games and other digital technologies as its medium. Such work explores the intertwined relationships between art and technology, along with the implicit and explicit politics of each. Representing some of the earliest meditations on a rapidly shifting culture, Jodi’s interventions have broad implications for art discourse and for a contemporary society increasingly dependent upon “the digital.” Levine received his Ph.D. from the Graduate Center at City University of New York. He is a recipient of a J. Paul Getty Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. His recent book, “Pay for Your Pleasures: Mike Kelley, Paul McCarthy, Raymond Pettibon” (University of Chicago Press, 2013), examines the work of three important Southern California artists. In addition to his scholarship and teaching, Levine has been an art critic, writing for magazines such as Art in America and BOMB. He has published numerous essays for exhibition catalogues and also worked for three years in the Department of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Belk Library and Information Commons is located at 218 College St. on the campus of Appalachian State University. For location or directions, visit: http://library.appstate.edu/.

4) Celebrate an Early Valentine’s Day with Jazz at Appalachian

Enjoy an early Valentine celebration Feb. 13 during An Evening of Valentine Jazz with Todd Wright & Friends. The free concert begins at 8 p.m. in Broyhill Music Center’s Rosen Concert Hall at Appalachian State University. The musicians are Hayes School of Music faculty member members Todd Wright, saxophones; Keith McCutchen, piano; instructors Andy Page, guitar and Rick Dilling, drums; and special guests Rick Simerly, trombone, and Fred Goodwin, bass. The popular ensemble will perform compositions selected from the following: “Flying Down to Rio” by Vincent Youmans, “This I Dig of You” by  Hank Mobley, “My Funny Valentine” by  Richard Rodgers, “A Beautiful Friendship” by Donald Kahn, “Falling in Love with Love” by Richard Rodgers, “Estaté” by Bruno Martino, “An Affair to Remember” by Harry Warren, “My Foolish Heart” by Victor Young, “If I Should Lose You” by Ralph Rainger and “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” by Jimmy McHugh.