Extracurriculars

A scene from <em>Alice vs. Wonderland</em> at the American Repertory Theater
A detail from a watercolor of a figure and glyph from San Bartolo, Guatemala, at the Peabody Museum.
<em>Firdawsi at the Court of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni,</em> on display at Houghton Library
<em>First Stars</em>, by David A. Aguilar (CfA)
Paleontologist Phoebe Cohen explores the origins of life during a family program on October 17 at the Harvard Natural History Museum.

Events listings also appear in the University Gazette.

Special Events

Celebrating the Millennium of Firdawsi's Shahnama

The Houghton Library and Harvard Art Museums are participating in a series of fall events organized by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (which has mounted the exhibit Romantic Interludes: Women in Firdawsi's Shahnama). The epic poem, composed by Persian poet Abu'l Qasim Firdawsi and completed in 1010 C.E., tells the story of the Persian people from the creation of the world to the Muslim conquest of Iran in the mid-seventh century.

• Through November 24, at Houghton
http://hcl.harvard.edu/info/exhibitions/index.cfm; 617-495-2444.
On display are five illustrated lithographed editions of the Shahnama. Lectures by visiting professors are also planned for October; visit the website for details.

• Through November 27 at the Harvard Art Museums,
www.harvardartmuseums.org; 617-495-9400; 485 Broadway
Heroic Gestes: Epic Tales from Firdawsi's Shahnamafeatures nine paintings on display in the Islamic and Indian gallery. For updates on related programming, visit the museum website.

 

Why Books?

• October 28 and 29
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
www.radcliffe.edu/events/calendar_2010-books.aspx; 617-495-8540.
Registration is required for this free, two-day conference presenting speakers from various disciplines who will "probe the form and function of the book in a rapidly changing media society."

 

 

Seasonal

The Farmers' Market at Harvard
www.dining.harvard.edu/flp/ag_market.html. Runs through October.

• In Cambridge, Tuesdays, 12:30-6 p.m. at Oxford and Kirkland streets.

• In Allston, Fridays, 3-7 p.m. at North Harvard Street and Western Avenue.

 

 

Exhibitions

Harvard Museum of Natural History
www.hmnh.harvard.edu
617-495-3045

• October 17 at 2 p.m.
From Trilobites to Extraterrestrials: Exploring Life on Earth and Beyond,a family program featuring paleontologist Phoebe Cohen, Ph.D. '10, explores the origins of life forms.

• October 21 at 6 p.m.
The Asa Gray Bicentennial Celebration highlights the contributions of this "father of modern botany in North America," who was also the founder of the Harvard Herbarium. Aramont professor of the history of science Janet Browne will launch the museum's multipart commemorative lecture series with a talk on Corresponding Naturalists: Asa Gray and the Making of American Botany.

 

Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
www.peabody.harvard.edu
617-496-1027

• Continuing: Storied Walls: Murals of the Americas.The exhibition features large-scale drawings, photographs, and some actual pieces of murals from Awatovi, Maya, and Moche cultures.

• Continuing: Digging Veritas: The Archaeology and History of the Indian College and Student Life at Colonial Harvard. 

 

 

Film

The Harvard Film Archive
http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa
Visit the website for complete listings.
617-495-4700

• September 17 and 18
The Musical Imagination of Miguel Gomeshighlights the sensual visual style of this Portuguese filmmaker, who also appears both nights to talk about his work.

• October 15 through November 1
A Visit from Robert Gardnerincludes screenings of his best-known films, Dead Birds and Forest of Bliss, along with new works. Gardner, an international documentarian and cofounder of the archive, will discuss his art on October 29.

 

Libraries

Countway Library Center for the History of Medicine

617-524-2170; www.countway.harvard.edu/menuNavigation/chom/exhibit.html

Continuing: The Scalpel and the Pen: The Life and Work of Oliver Wendell Holmes, M.D.

 

 

Theater

American Repertory Theater
www.americanrepertorytheater.org
617-547-8300

• Through October 29
This production of Cabaret, by John Kan­der and Fred Ebb, stars Amanda Palmer, of the internationally known punk cabaret band The Dresden Dolls.

• September 18 through October 9
Alice vs. Wonderland is a contemporary adaptation by director János Szász in which six actresses play different parts of a young girl's personality. For teens and adults.

 

 

Music

Sanders Theatre
www.ofa.fas.harvard.edu/boxoffice
617-496-2222; all concerts begin at 8 p.m.

• October 29
A "Montage Concert" with the Harvard Jazz Band, Harvard Wind Ensemble, and the Harvard University Band.

• October 30
Radcliffe Choral Orchestra and Harvard Radcliffe Collegium Musicum perform a fall concert with new choral director and conductor Andrew Clark.

 

 

Nature and Science

The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
www.cfa.havard.edu/events
617-495-7461; 60 Garden Street

Observatory nights offer free, nontechnical lectures on astronomy and—weather permitting—rooftop viewing on the third Thursday of each month.

• September 16 at 7:30 p.m.
"Beyond UFOs: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Its Astonishing Implications for Our Future," with educator and author Jeffrey Bennett.

• October 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Sky viewing with David Aguilar.

• October 21 at 7:30 p.m.
"How Did the First Stars and Galaxies Form?" with Abraham (Avi) Loeb.

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