Kentucky Author Forum presents Alain De Botton at the Kentucky Center

The next installment of The Kentucky Author Forum will feature a conversation with renowned nonfiction writer Alain De Botton on March 4.

De Botton is known for “The Art of Travel” and “How Proust Can Change Your Life.” He is also the founder of The School of Life, an institute located in England which is “devoted to developing emotional intelligence through the help of culture,” according to its website.

The best-selling author will discuss a range of topics at the forum, including his new book “The News: A Users Manual,” which takes an in-depth look at how and why we use the news.

During the forum, De Botton will be interviewed by “Reliable Sources” host Brian Stelter. Following the interview, the audience will be invited to participate in a Q&A with the author.

Like all Kentucky Author Forums, the conversation will be recorded and rebroadcast on PBS and KET. You can view past conversations from The Kentucky Author Forum on KET’s website.

The Tuesday, March 4, forum begins at 6 p.m. in The Kentucky Center for the Arts at the Bomhard Theatre. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the Center’s box office, or online.

Louisville Ballet to present Romantic classic ‘La Sylphide’

On Feb. 21 and 22, The Louisville Ballet will present “La Sylphide” in Whitney Hall at the Kentucky Center for the Arts.

While it may not get as much press as ballets like “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker,” “La Sylphide” is an important part of the classical canon. Its introduction of bold new Romantic themes put it on the cutting edge when it premiered back in 1832.

The ballet focuses on a Scottish lad and his adventures while chasing after his unattainable love: the titular sylph. Along the way there are fortune tellers, curses, jilted fiancés, jealous rivals, and lots of kilts.

Performances are Friday, Feb. 21, at 8p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 22, at 2 p.m. and 8p.m. Tickets are $30, and can be purchased from the Kentucky Center Box Office. 

Squallis throws 11th annual Puppet Prom this Saturday

Squallis Puppeteers will be celebrating and fundraising this Saturday at the 11th annual Puppet Prom.

This year’s prom is being held in the Gymnatorium of Squallis’s new home in the Highlands.

So what, exactly, is Puppet Prom? Just imagine if those school dances you attended back in high school had giant puppets, catering by Wiltshire Pantry, an open bar, and music by DJ Scott Carney.

Puppet Prom’s activities also include a silent auction and a performance of the puppet show “First Dates.”

Squallis has a lot to celebrate, including a juicy big new grant, exciting partnerships with area artists like Looking for Lilith Theatre, the Davenport Players and Bourbon Baroque, as well as a spacious new home.

This year’s prom will take place in new digs, Highland Community Center (HCC), where Squallis has been performing since September.

The HCC is a mixed-use community center run by Highland Community Ministries, a coalition of churches that has been serving Louisville since 1969.

Squallis makes their home and builds their puppets in two classrooms at the HCC. They also use the stage/gym combo for performances and workshops, and may spill into additional communal multipurpose rooms as needed, especially during summer months, when Squallis operates puppet summer camps.

In addition to providing an ideal set-up for their performances and workshops, The Gymnatorium is a great place for the annual Puppet Prom, since lots of us actually went to school dances in similar rooms.

There is a sliding scale for admission, but a $25 donation is suggested for adults, with a minimum donation of $10. Food trucks Grind and Li’l Cheezers will be slinging vittles in the parking lot. The event is Saturday, Feb. 15 ,from 6-11 p.m. at the corner of Barret Avenue and Breckinridge Street in the Highlands. It’s a family-friendly prom.

Photo from a previous Puppet Prom

Kentucky Science Center woos adult visitors with DiSEXtion

In October 2012, Kentucky Science Center (KSC) threw its first “For Grown Ups” event. “ExBEERiment” drew an excited crowd of about 100, making it clear that the public has a thirst for the subject, and that adults aren’t afraid of a little edutainment.

Encouraged by this success, KSC planned an entire adult series: a trio of events that began with a second ExBEERiment in October 2013 that drew a crowd of nearly 500.

KSC continues the series from 6-10 p.m. this Thursday — on the eve of St. Valentine’s Day — this time taking into account the adage that “sex sells” with an event entitled DiSEXtion.

There will be sexual education videos four stories tall, showing on the science center’s brand new movie screen. Which sounded a little scary to me,  but I have been assured by KSC staff that these aren’t the terrifying videos of my childhood, more like the silly birds and bees filmstrips of a bygone age.

KSC will have “regional sexperts” on hand to give lectures. I don’t know how one becomes a “sexpert,” but I’m sure there was a respectable vetting process.

Visitors will have the chance to evaluate whether or not their dance moves are sexy, using some of the latest scientific research. Hopefully no feelings will get hurt.

There will also be food trucks and a cash bar.

BEER+Science=Fun, from KSC’s flickr feed

All kidding aside, the KSC takes its mission seriously. “(We) think science is relevant and important to people of all ages,” says KSC executive director Jo Haas.

Haas went on to discuss the “gap” in KSC’s visitors age range. Kids obviously enjoy the hijinks and fun, and many parents and grandparents have rediscovered the myriad joys at the center.

But what about all those twenty- and thirty-somethings who have yet to spawn? What about the hipsters and D.I.N.K.s who aren’t planning on having kids at all?

It’s this demographic that the KSC is trying to reach.

Events like ExBEERiment and DiSEXtion are only a part of the plan. There is a hope that these events will “draw (people) that haven’t been here in a long time, and they’ll think, ‘I should come back,'” Haas says.

And once they have come back, they may engage with the KSC in one of the less flashy events. The museum hosts adult discussion groups, encouraging the community to interact and talk about important topics ranging from global clean water to childhood obesity. When subjects are controversial, the KSC is “not taking a side, just providing a venue.”

The KSC also has the opportunity to screen scientifically important events, thanks to their new RealD movie screen. Last week they presented the debate between Bill Nye and Ken Ham, free to the public.

In other words, come for the SEX and the BEER, and stay to learn about important topics that greatly effect our modern world.

DiSEXtion is this Thursday, Feb. 13, from 6 to 10 p.m. Admission is $10 for members, $15 for non-members.

Don’t call it an IMAX: Free films this weekend on Kentucky Science Center’s new RealD screen

The Kentucky Science Center is excited to have its movie screen fully operational again.

To celebrate, the Science Center is inviting all of Louisville to come share the excitement this weekend as they show a free Family Film Festival, an exciting hollywood blockbuster, and the world premier of “Watermelon Magic,” all on the new cutting-edge screen.

But don’t call it an IMAX, at least, not unless you want to drop a quarter in the bucket on executive director Jo Haas’s desk.

This new screen is fully digital, with Precision White Screen technology. White screens create a stronger contrast than the old silver screens. According to Jo Haas, the “resolution is mind blowing.”

Digital technology allows the Science Center to offer a broader selection of programs. They can project anything, from the latest hollywood blockbuster to Youtube videos.

The possibilities are “endless,” Haas says, and there is a “whole new universe” of content to explore on the huge screen.

I’m dreaming of a life-sized Mario Brother….

Don’t worry, top-notch documentaries will still have a home, like “Jerusalem,” narrated by Sherlock Holmes, ahem, British actor Benedict Cumberbatch.

Come out to see Louisville native Jennifer Lawrence in “Catching Fire” on Saturday Night. There’s also a full schedule of free family films during the day on Saturday and Sunday, including the world premier of “Watermelon Magic,” along with a chance to meet the film’s star, Sylvie Green Hoffman.

For a full schedule of events, check out The Kentucky Science Centers Website.

A Night of Naughty and Nice: Dueling art openings on Barret Avenue

This Saturday, the cool art crowd will be hanging out on Barret Avenue, as two young annual art shows pop up for their second and third iterations.

Double billing themselves as “A Night of Naughty and Nice,” Revelry Boutique and Ultra Pop will host a who’s who of my favorite local painters, sculptors, mixed media-ers, and — best of all for the budget-conscious art fiend — print makers.

The “nice” will be located at Revelry as “Cuteopia” hits us in the sweet spot with its sophomore outing. Revelry’s website promises the works (by an all-female roster of local artists) are “so cute you’ll puke.”

Last year the entries struck a balance between the ironically saccharine, the weirdly chibli, and the sincerely sweet.

I’ll personally be on the look out for affordable works by co-curator Lindy Lou (of Zombie Attack birthday fame) or Miss Happy Pink, who sold me my two new favorite T-shirts back in December.

After you’ve cuted yourself into an art-induced sugar high, you can head over to Ultra Pop for something salty, as the third annual XXX Art show hopefully lives up to its name and reputation.

In previous years art has run the gamut from racy to downright graphic, so much so that Ultra Pop owner (and righteous local DJ) Paul LePree felt it prudent to black out the windows.

Because think of the children.

Mo McKnight Howe, co-owner of Revelry and co-curator of Cuteopia, points out that it’s “a great way to buy something for a significant other that’s going to be different, something really unique.”

Could the same be said for the XXX Art Show? Hopefully you know your significant other well enough to judge if your gifts to them should be nice or naughty.

Paul LePree knows the pearl-clutchers out there might not be lining up to buy at this show. He notes that “it’s not a brisk sellable show because of it’s nature,” but cites how much the artists love it, and asks, “If I’m not going to do it, who is?”

Because of the edgier subject matter, LePree is able to lure regional artists to Ultra Pop, like the HAND group from Detroit and Matt Barnes from Cincinnati.

Local artists contributing include Robby Davis, Gerald Tidwell, and Vinnie Kochert, among others.

Cuteopia hangs until Feb. 28, but it is a “buy and take show,” according to McKnight Howe. If you buy it, it goes home with you right away. The artists will replenish some of the pieces as they find homes, so there should be some great pieces available through the month.

The XXX Art show will also hang until the end of February.

But the artists and the cool kids will be on hand Saturday night at 7 p.m., and the absolute best pieces may be snapped up early at both shows.

Ultra Pop and Revelry both keep shops full of excellent items in addition to the art shows they host. Stop by and buy something fun.

 

Squeeze-bot to perform at Mayor’s Music and Art Series today

From Squeeze-bot’s Facebook page
(Photo by Amber Estes Thieneman)

At lunchtime today, the curious quartet Squeeze-bot will grace Louisville Metro Hall with its quirky stylings when they perform for the Mayor’s Music and Art Series.

According to Mayor Greg Fischer, via Louisville Metro’s website, the series is designed to be a “showcase for a diverse mix of performers and artists.”

In remarks before a previous performance, the mayor called Metro Hall “the people’s hall,” and informed the audience how excited he was to share “live local music” with them.

A local favorite since forming in 2006, Squeeze-bot fits the bill. It’s an unusual mix of instruments and musicians including Todd Hildreth on accordion, Mick Sullivan on banjo, Brandon Johnson on tuba, and Megan Samples on toy drums.

Their Facebook page claims they spend most of their sets “kickin new school jams,” but fans know that nothing is off limits as Squeeze-bot reinterprets tunes from all over the musical spectrum, with exciting results.

Squeeze-bot will join a long list of local favorites to have graced Metro Hall, including Justin Paul Lewis and Billy Goat Strut Review.

Upcoming artists in the series include Troubadours of Divine Bliss on March 6 and Small time Napoleon on April 13.

The Music and Art Series delights downtown audiences on the first Thursday of every month, doors open at 11:30 a.m. and music starts at 12:10 p.m.

Kentuckians for the Commonwealth raises awareness with Louisville Loves Mountains Week

from KFTC’s Flicker page

The nonprofit Kentuckians for the Commonwealth is hoping to raise awareness and show legislators that Louisville Loves Mountains with a trio of events leading up to I Love Mountains Day on Feb. 12.

I Love Mountains Day is a yearly event that encourages Kentuckians to travel to Frankfort and reach out to their legislators in an attempt to “call attention to the scale of destruction created by mountaintop removal coal mining in Kentucky,” according to the website.

The first event aimed at getting eco-conscious Louisvillians pumped was postponed yesterday due to inclement weather. “From Louisville to Appalachia: Celebrating Our Common Heritage” will highlight the lives and art of African Americans in Appalachia and celebrate “the unique and natural beauty, ecological importance, and cultural heritage of Kentucky’s Appalachian Mountains,” according to KFTC.org.

The rescheduled event will be held at Hillbilly Tea, and we’ll update this post with the details as soon as they are forthcoming.

On Thursday, Feb. 6, Four Sisters will host a poster-making party from 6-9 p.m. Show up and make posters for the march on Frankfort — KFTC will provide the poster paints, you provide the indignation.

(Photo courtesy of Four Sisters Facebook page)

And have a latte, because Four Sisters knows what they are doing behind that espresso machine.

The Clifton Center gets in on the action on Friday, Feb. 7., at 7 p.m. with the premier of “Appalachia 2050.”

The documentary takes an in-depth look at the various changes that coal has brought to rural Kentucky, with a specific focus on “interviews with Eastern Kentuckians affected by coal mining,” according to the website.