by Emily Snell | Jun 4, 2012 | Uncategorized
Back when he was in fifth grade, Dr. Jerome Reed didn’t know he was going to become a globe-trotting “therapist for the human soul” with his piano talent. He did, however, know he was going to teach at Lipscomb. He told the president as much. Reed said when he was a child, Willard Collins, Lipscomb’s president at the time, used to speak at Reed’s church in Columbia, Tenn., on the first Sunday of each year. In fifth grade, Reed approached Collins and announced that he would one day be a professor at Lipscomb. Now after 30 years on campus, Reed, the Patricia and Rodes Hart professor of piano, said he couldn’t be more fortunate. “I think I have the best job in the universe,” Reed said, “because I do something every day that I love so much, I would be glad to do it even if I weren’t paid to do it. It’s really a fabulous job.” Reed, also the director of the music division of the Governor’s School for the Arts, has performed across the U.S., Europe and South America. At least 54 times, Charles Ives’ Concord Sonata has been the featured piece. According to Reed, Ives’ Concord Sonata is a musical depiction of some of the authors who lived in Concord, Mass.—Bronson and Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. For almost a year, Reed spent time creating a PowerPoint presentation that would play during his performances of the nearly hour-long piece. The presentation includes Reed’s photos of the authors’ houses and scenery in Concord along with quotations from the authors. “I put...
by Emily Snell | May 25, 2012 | News Slider
Geena Davis says the media’s role in reshaping the image of women in society is simple: “If they see it, they can be it.” The problem is that the media is not doing its part in representing women and men equally, Davis says, and when women are portrayed in television and film they, often are sexually provocative or stereotyped characters. Davis, who has embarked on a mission to change that and offer more hope and empowerment for young women in popular culture, brought her message to a gathering at Lipscomb’s Andrews Institute. That institute partnered with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media Thursday for “A League of Their Own,” an event starring the acclaimed actor and also featuring Deborah Taylor Tate and female local media leaders to discuss the role of women and girls on screen. Davis — who starred in movies like A League of Their Own, Beetlejuice, and Thelma & Louise — founded her institute in 2004 after watching children’s entertainment with her daughter and realizing the lack of female characters present in TV programming and family movies. Davis’ institute, which focuses on research, education and advocacy, conducted the largest body of research on gender prevalence in the media and discovered that only 17 percent of characters in family films are women. Davis noted those few female characters often are portrayed in stereotypical or hyper-sexualized ways. It’s not just popular media. Davis said women are not fairly represented in most areas of society, noting that the U.S. ranks 90th on the list of countries that have female representation in government. “It’s astounding,” she said. “The fact is that women...
by Emily Snell | May 22, 2012 | News Slider
The American Red Cross has set up an emergency shelter in Lipscomb’s Student Activities Center to house residents of Parenthon Towers, who were displaced due to a fire and electrical issues late Monday night and may need temporary housing for several days. Monday night 172 guests from Parthenon Towers stayed on campus, and 149 were still there Tuesday night, according to Kim Chaudoin, director of university communication and marketing. Parthenon Towers is a senior and disabled citizens housing unit located near Centennial Park and operated by the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency. University officials said the residents will be allowed to return home after the fire marshal determines the apartment complex is safe. It is unclear how long the shelter will be open, but Lipscomb and the Red Cross are prepared to house guests through the weekend, Chaudoin said. “Right now it looks like we’re going to be in operation till Sunday,” Chaudoin said. “I guess MDHA is just continuing to try to resolve whatever problems they have at Parthenon Towers. It may not be that long, but maybe the folks will be pleasantly surprised if they get back in before then.” Nan Hensley, executive assistant to university relations, said a mix of student workers, full time staff, members of the Quest Team and others arrived on campus around midnight Monday night to make preparations for the residents, and more people have assisted with the shelter since then. “We’ve had a great response from the Lipscomb community,” Hensley said. Chaudoin said volunteers are still needed to help Red Cross workers at meal times as long as the shelter is open. Hensley...
by Emily Snell | May 18, 2012 | News Slider
The Frist Center for the Visual Arts participated in Art Museum Day by offering free admission today. The Association of Art Museum Directors sponsored Art Museum Day on May 18, which is also International Museum Day, in hopes of making art more accessible to the public. The theme for International Museum Day—“Museums in a Changing World: New Challenges, New Inspirations”—reflects the changing role of museums in our society, according to Maggie Carrigan, communications coordinator at the Frist. “I think that museums in this day and age are changing really quickly with the advent of social media,” Carrigan said, explaining that the museum is trying to create both an “on-site way for the community to engage and an online way for the community to engage.” According to a news release from the museum, the International Museum Day theme invites guests “to ponder the role of museums in our culture of new media and social responsibility.” Carrigan said the museum wanted to “create a conversation” and encouraged visitors to share their museum experience on social media using the hashtag #ArtMuseumDay. “Our main goal is to help people understand their world in new ways through art,” she said. “We’re always looking for new ways to do that.” Current exhibits at the Frist include “Fairy Tales, Monsters and the Genetic Imagination” and “Connecting Cultures.” The Martin ArtQuest Gallery is a permanent Frist exhibit that allows guests to experience art hands-on through a variety of creation and reflection stations including blocks, abstract drawing, printmaking, stop motion video and painting. Carrigan said she would encourage college students to visit the Frist, even if they aren’t naturally drawn to art....
by Emily Snell | May 16, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
ESPN’s SportsCenter rated a Lipscomb baseball catch as number 3 on its Top 10 plays list today. Chris Nunn, a junior left-handed pitcher from Memphis, made a no look, behind the back catch in a game against Jacksonville at Dugan Field over the weekend, landing him in the spotlight. The catch ranked number 9 initially and then moved up to the third spot at lunch time today, according to Mark McGee, media relations director for Lipscomb Athletics. The Bisons (25-27, 10-14 A-Sun) swept Jacksonville in an Atlantic Sun Conference doubleheader Saturday, May 12, winning the first game 6-1 and the second 6-2, on “Ken Dugan Day.” According to lipscombsports.com, “Nunn kept the Jacksonville offense off balance to pick up his first win of the season tossing five and two-thirds innings. Nunn scattered seven Dolphins hits, walked only one batter and fanned one Jacksonville hitter.” The final home regular season game was Tuesday, May 14 against Tennessee Tech. The Bisons lost 5-4. The last Atlantic Sun series of the year starts Thursday, May 17 at 5 p.m. at Belmont. The Atlantic Sun Tournament begins Wednesday, May...
