Events

The Third Annual Julian Abele “Out of the Shadows” Public History Symposium (Virtual)
2023-12-12 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual (Zoom)
Sponsored by the Public History Minor at Monmouth University
The Public History Minor at Monmouth University hosted the first annual Julian Francis Abele “Out of the Shadows” Virtual Public History Symposium via Zoom in 2021. Free for presenters and attendees alike, the Symposium is intended as a welcoming place for public history practitioners at all levels, established and emerging scholars, and graduate and undergraduate students to share their public history work on individuals or groups in history whose legacies have been purposefully or inadvertently suppressed, overshadowed, or underappreciated. We hope to bring these parties out of the shadows and into the fuller appreciation that they so richly deserve.
The Symposium is named in honor of pioneering African American architect Julian Francis Abele, who contributed greatly to the design of Monmouth University’s Great Hall (previously known as both Shadow Lawn and Wilson Hall). Everyone who has attended Monmouth University has personal memories of the building, a National Historic Landmark. But if you ask them about it, they are probably more likely to mention Woodrow Wilson’s brief time at the original Shadow Lawn (not “ours”), or the current mansion’s starring role as Daddy Warbucks’s home in the movie Annie than they are the fact that it was designed in large part by perhaps “the greatest American born Beaux-Arts architect,” Julian Francis Abele. Monmouth University’s Fall 2020 Museums and Archives Management Basics class sought to increase awareness about Abele’s role in the creation of what is perhaps our University’s most beloved landmark by creating “The Julian Abele Project.” Now, we hope to honor Abele’s name with this annual virtual public history symposium, designed to bring regular attention to Abele’s story and to highlight work focused on other figures underrepresented in the historical record.

Alumni and Fan Pre-Game Meet Up at Redd’s Biergarten (Newark, NJ)
2023-12-12 16:30 - 18:00
Pre-game alumni and fan meet up before men’s basketball takes on Seton Hall. Redd’s Biergarten

Purchase Game-Day Tickets (the Monmouth bench is in front of Section 7)
Pre-game meet-up is free!

Chanukah Party & Menorah Lighting
2023-12-12 17:30 - 19:30 | Anacon Hall, 2nd Floor, Student Center
Join Chabad for a radiant celebration of light at our Menorah Lighting event on Tuesday, December 12, at 5:30 p.m., right outside the student center. The evening will be graced with warm greetings from President Patrick F. Leahy, setting the stage for a festive and inclusive experience.
Co-sponsored by Chabad, the Student Government Association (SGA), and the AST Sorority, this event promises to bring our community together for a joyous celebration of Chanukah. Witness the symbolic lighting of the menorah, a beautiful tradition that signifies the triumph of light over darkness.
Following the lighting ceremony, immerse yourself in the spirit of Chanukah at our lively party! Engage in friendly competition at our dreidel competition, indulge in delicious food that captures the essence of the holiday, explore your artistic side with engaging arts and crafts, and savor the sweetness of amazing donuts that will leave your taste buds delighted.
Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity to share in the festivities, connect with your community, and embrace the spirit of Chanukah. It’s a night filled with light, laughter, and cherished traditions—see you there!
Register for the Chanukah Party & Menorah Lighting

Alexander Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin
2023-12-12 19:30 - 21:00 | Virtual
Join us for Tuesday Night Book Club! Hosted by Monmouth University’s Ken Womack. This month’s novel is Alexander Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin. Eugene Onegin is the master work of the poet whom Russians regard as the fountainhead of their literature. Set in 1820s Russia, Pushkin’s verse novel follows the fates of three men and three women. Engaging, full of suspense, and varied in tone, it also portrays a large cast of other characters and offers the reader many literary, philosophical, and autobiographical digressions, often in a highly satirical vein.
When you register you will be provided the meeting link to join the conversation.

British Invasion Part 2: First Wave, 1963-1967
2023-12-14 19:30 - 21:00 | Virtual
Class Schedule: Thursdays – December 7 & 14 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM
As the Beatles reached their first UK #1 hit with “Please Please Me,” the new music revolution had officially begun. Thus a new generation of artists such as Gerry and the Pacemakers, Hermans Hermits, Petula Clark, and the Rolling Stones joined the Fab Four in changing the charts. By 1964, the British Invasion had reached—and ultimately conquered—the United States.
This two-session virtual course taught by Kit O’Toole will survey some of the major artists of the First Wave period, from 1963-1967. It will cover genres from pop to the beginnings of psychedelia, and will examine other acts such as the Who, Dusty Springfield, the Animals, the Hollies, and many more. In addition, the class will study the impact of the First Wave on the charts and on American pop and rock music. Finally, how did the First Wave set the stage for the psychedelic and hard rock sound of the Second Wave?
Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.

The Doo Wop Project's Christmas Show
2023-12-16 20:00 - 22:00 | Pollak Theatre
The Doo Wop Project boys will get you into the Holiday Spirit! Hear old school Holiday Classics like The Drifters’ White Christmas, The Temptations’ Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons version of Santa Claus is Coming to Town along with “Doowopified” contemporary hits like This Christmas and Last Christmas. It’s sure to be a jolly good time.
The Doo Wop Project, the dynamic, rave-reviewed celebration of a beloved music genre stars the 5 engaging, charismatic and dashing Broadway stars from smash hits like JERSEY BOYS, A BRONX TALE, BEAUTIFUL, and MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL with their all-star band.

Verdi’s Nabucco
2024-01-06 13:00 - 17:00 | Pollak Theatre
Ancient Babylon comes to life in a classic Met staging of biblical proportions. Baritone George Gagnidze makes his Met role debut as the imperious king Nabucco, alongside Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska reprising her thrilling turn as his vengeful daughter Abigaille. Mezzo-soprano Maria Barakova and tenor SeokJong Baek, in his company debut, are Fenena and Ismaele, and bass Dmitry Belosselskiy repeats his celebrated portrayal of the high priest Zaccaria. Daniele Callegari conducts Verdi’s early masterpiece, which features the ultimate showcase for the great Met Chorus, the moving “Va, pensiero.”

The Eagles’ Hotel California
2024-01-09 19:30 - 21:00 | Virtual
It’s just like book club but with albums! With new advances in technology, the way we consume music through our devices, apps and on demand streaming services like Pandora, Spotify and iTunes is making the idea of the “album” as an art form extinct. Get together with other music enthusiasts on Tuesday nights to discuss some of the greatest records of all-time! Listen to the album beforehand and then come prepared to discuss. This event will feature The Eagles’ Hotel California.
Due to the expected bad weather and potential flooding this event will ONLY be held via Zoom. When you register you will be provided the ZOOM meeting link to join the conversation.
Free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Journeys of Interdependence: Portraits of First-Generation Identity in Higher Education
2024-01-16 00:00 - 2024-03-08 23:59 | Pollak Gallery
The lives and experiences of students, families, faculty and professional staff who identify as first-generation are the subject of increased attention in higher education across the United States. The success of programs, initiatives, and interventions mostly focus on measurable student “outcomes” but may often miss the complicated narratives of aspiration, sacrifice, accomplishment and identity work first-generation students, families, faculty, staff and communities navigate. Portraiture can make visible the triumphs and challenges of being first in the family in higher educational spaces. This juried exhibition features works that highlight the first-generation college experience through portraiture made in a variety of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking and textiles.
Artist Reception: Rescheduled to Friday, March 1 from 5-7 pm. RSVP to the reception here

William Styron’s Sophie's Choice
2024-01-16 19:30 - 21:00 | Virtual
Join us for Tuesday Night Book Club! Hosted by Monmouth University’s Ken Womack. This month’s novel is William Styron’s Sophie’s Choice. The author’s last novel, it concerns the relationships among three people sharing a boarding house in Brooklyn: Stingo, a young aspiring writer from the South, Jewish scientist Nathan Landau, and his lover Sophie, a Polish-Catholic survivor of the German Nazi concentration camps, whom Stingo befriends.
When you register you will be provided the meeting link to join the conversation.

Tampa Alumni and Friends Gathering
2024-01-18 18:30 | Walk-Ons, 1140 Grammercy Ln, Tampa, FL, 33607, United States
Monmouth Men’s Basketball game viewing at 7 p.m.
The Hawks Have Landed in Florida
Join us in the new year at an upcoming event in your area to meet your designated Monmouth team member, located in the sunshine state! Meet up with fellow Florida Hawks to socialize, hear the latest Monmouth news, and connect with Chuck Gerdon, our team member residing in your state.

Blue Hawk Boardwalk Jam
2024-01-18 20:00 - 22:00 | The Break, 1000 Ocean Ave N, Asbury Park, NJ, 07712, United States
Monmouth University and Blue Hawk Records will be hosting Light Of Day’s benefit concert on January 18th at The Break in Asbury Park at 8:00 PM.
This event is part of the annual Light Of Day’s WinterFest concert events that raise money and awareness for the foundation’s cause, Parkinson’s disease and related illnesses like ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) and PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy), and the fight for a cure.
The foundation has raised over $5.75 million since 2000, holding these annual concerts, which started in Asbury Park. Past performers have included Bruce Springsteen, Michael J. Fox, John Rzeznik from the Goo Goo Dolls, as well as local NJ artists.
This year’s lineup consists of Monmouth artists, Amani Lillian, Abby Garcia, Samantha Spano, and White Wing; The Blue Hawk House Band, and local Asbury Park band, Wavez.
The event is also being hosted by Monmouth’s very own Professor Joe Rapolla, Chair of the Music & Theatre Arts Department, and alumnus, Zack Sandler.
More info at: https://www.bluehawkrecords.com/blog/bhr-to-host-light-of-day-benefit-concert

Orlando Alumni and Friends Gatherings
2024-01-19 19:00 | Bahama Breeze, 5620 W Oak Ridge Rd, Orlando, FL, 32819, United States
The Hawks Have Landed in Florida
Join us in the new year at an upcoming event in your area to meet your designated Monmouth team member, located in the sunshine state! Meet up with fellow Florida Hawks to socialize, hear the latest Monmouth news, and connect with Chuck Gerdon, our team member residing in your state.

I will dance with those oak trees as long as
2024-01-23 16:30 - 18:00 | Lauren K. Woods Theatre
Performance and Q&A: Tuesday, January 23 | 4:30pm-6pm | Woods Theatre
Theater of Cultural Resistance Workshop: Wednesday, January 24, 11:40am-1pm | Pollak Theatre
Registration is encouraged.
I need a street
Empty of bloodstains,
A street that has never seen
Or known terror.
Let it be flawless, let it be flawless, flawless
Like the sex of these girls that are killed unjustly
Let it be long, let it be long, long,
Like their agony.
Kajal Ahmad
In March of 1988 in Halabja, Iraq, Saddam Hussein’s regime attacked Kurdish peoples through the use of chemical weapons, as part of the Anfal ethnic cleansing campaign. Set in a carpet store at this time, I will dance with those oak trees as long as takes us on a poetic voyage into the life of three Kurdish women, inspired by the poetry of Kajal Ahmad and the characters Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and Ninsun from the world’s most ancient epic poem: Gilgamesh. Carpets, chairs, and strings create the environment in which two actresses interpret the three different women and how they react to a violent and unstable outside world. Accompanied by soundscapes inspired by traditional Kurdish music, this international duo uses objects, puppets, and a multilayered world of reality, dreams, memories, and visions to explore the question of what it means to be a hero when you have no other choice.
Performed by: Audrey Rose Dégez, Daria Holovchanska
Producer, Playwright, & Director: Audrey Rose Dégez
Puppet Master, Lighting & Sound Designer, Movement & Object Director: Daria Holovchanska
Stage Manager: Berivan Alothman
Produced by:CP4P International Productions

DARIA HOLOVCHANSKA
Daria was studying at the Kharkiv National University of Art (Ukraine) until the war began on February 24th, 2022, when she transferred to Aleksandr Zelverovich Theater Academy in Warsaw (Poland) to finish her Master Degree in Puppetry. Daria previously worked at Kharkiv National Academic Puppet Theater, performed in “Fairy tale for a little rabbit” (rabbit Sister, Hedgehog), “Princes spec” (Queen Isabelle), “Magical ring” (Angel), and ”Mother Courage and her Children” (Katrin), directed by Oksana Dmitrieva. Daria is one of the founders and actresses of TERRA Theater Company (performances “Peace to your home”, “Our City”, “Night Call”). She also took part in Slovo.Theater group, where she was a co-director, actress, lighting designer and mask maker of the performance “Mothermotherland”. Recently she performed in one of the biggest puppet festivals in the world in Charleville-Mézières 2023. She is interested in movement theater, objects, materials, puppets, stop-motion animation and masks.
AUDREY ROSE DÉGEZ
Audrey Rose Dégez is a producer, director, playwright (Our Common Thread (2015), Empathize Me (2016), 7×7 (2017), Mothermotherland (2022)), actress, mother, and wife from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA) and based in Paris (France). She received a BA in English Literature from Rutgers University and a professional acting diploma from l’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris. During her undergraduate studies, she founded the post apocalyptic punk group The Wichts, as well as ran the sober basement show house The Blueberry Shire, which was featured in the short documentary, Safe Space. Scheduled to write a play at Residency Slovo in Kharkiv, Ukraine in September/October of 2022 as the first international resident in Slovo Building, she made the decision to found Slovo. Theater Group after the invasion of February 24th. For the last 10 years, shen has been developing CP4P International Productions through poetry and theatre workshops around the world. She has lived in Berlin and Paris, where she has created theatrical performances in English with children and volunteered with Syrian and Ukrainian refugee communities abroad. In her spare time, she is passionate about making incredible vegan cookies with her daughter, Lili Maritchka and her husband, Louis.
For more information or to find ways to support this project follow: https://colabarts.breezechms.com/form/2023cp4p
Co-sponsored by the Program in Gender and Intersectionality Studies (PGIS): Program in Gender and Intersectionality Studies | Monmouth University
For more information about the event or to rsvp to the performance workshop contact Prof. Stojanov and Dr. Shoemaker astojano@monmouth.edu or dshoemak@monmouth.edu.

Fighting Climate Change at Home: Homegrown National Park
2024-01-23 19:00
On Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, at 7 p.m. in Pollak Theater, best selling author Doug Tallamy, Ph.D., professor of Entomology at University of Delaware and author of Nature’s Best Hope and the Nature of Oaks will present on what you can do in your own yard or balcony to fight climate change, create climate resiliency, and create beauty in your own backyard. Fighting Climate Change at Home: Homegrown National Park will present listeners with a road map on how to fight climate change and create a more ecologically resilient landscape.
Today, there are more than 44 million acres of turf grass in the U.S., an area larger than New England. Turf grass is the worst plant choice for fighting climate change because it is the worst option for sequestering carbon. Our parks, preserves, and remaining wildlands—no matter how grand in scale—are too small to sequester the amount of carbon needed to impact climate change. Moreover, they are also too small and separated from one another to sustain the native trees, plants, insects, and animals on which our ecosystems depend. These systems must be resilient if we are to have climate resiliency. We now must store carbon outside of parks and preserves, largely on private property, where we live, work, shop, and farm. Thus the concept for Homegrown National Park: a national challenge to create diverse ecosystems in our yards, communities, and surrounding lands by reducing lawn, planting natives, and removing invasive plants, and, in so doing, fight the biodiversity crisis and climate change simultaneously.
The talk will be followed by Q&A and a book signing. The public is encouraged to bring their own copies of Tallamy books for signature. This will be the first presentation of the 2024 Climate Crisis Teach-in.

British Invasion, Part 3: The Third Wave
2024-01-25 19:30 - 21:00 | Virtual
Class Schedule: Thursdays – Jan. 25 & Feb. 1 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM
This two-session virtual course taught by Kit O’Toole will survey some of the major artists of the Second Wave period, from 1967 through the 1970s. It will cover genres from psychedelia through blues rock, progressive rock, glam rock, and much more. How did the First Wave of the British Invasion lead to the different sights and sounds of the late 1960s? The course will explore artists such as Led Zeppelin, Cream, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd , Fleetwood Mac, the Bee Gees, Van Morrison, Elton John, David Bowie, and Yes, and their impact on both British and American music. Finally, how did the Second Wave set the stage for the new wave, punk, and pop sound of the Third Wave?
Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.

Bizet’s Carmen
2024-01-27 13:00 - 17:00 | Pollak Theatre
Acclaimed English director Carrie Cracknell makes her Met debut, reinvigorating the classic story of deadly passion with a staging that moves the action to the present day, amid a band of human traffickers. Mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina leads a powerhouse quartet of stars in the touchstone role of the irresistible femme fatale, alongside tenor Piotr Beczała as Carmen’s lover Don José, soprano Angel Blue as the devoted Micaëla, and bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen as the swaggering Escamillo. Daniele Rustioni conducts Bizet’s heart-pounding score.

Ft. Lauderdale Alumni and Friends Gatherings
2024-01-27 14:00 | Asbury Ale House, 301 SW 1st Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 33301, United States

Jeff Koons: A Private Portrait
2024-01-29 19:30 - 21:30 | Pollak Theatre
This is not just a documentary but an amazing journey inside the mind of the most controversial artist of our time.

Jeff Koons is widely regarded as one of the most influential, popular and disputed artists of the last 30 years. This film will show the hidden mechanisms lying behind the person, the artist and the Koons brand. It’s an intimate exploration of Jeff Koon’s consciousness aiming to discover what motivates him and shapes his incomparable vision. With exclusive access to the Koons family home in York, Pennsylvania, the documentary investigates Koons’ roots and everyday life, follows him to New York City to his vast studio where tens of painters, sculptors and graphic designers are based, and then on to Qatar and Europe, to the Greek island of Hydra during his 2021 five exhibitions tour.
Among the other works, the documentary shows Play Doh, Puppy, Balloon dog, Banality, Michael Jackson and Bubbles, Tulips, Lobster, Pink Panther, Bracelet, Cracked Egg, New Hoover Convertible…
Estimated runtime: 80 minutes

Meet the Beatles
2024-01-30 19:30 - 21:30 | The Great Hall Auditorium/Virtual, 400 Cedar Ave, West Long Branch, NJ, 07720, United States
It’s just like book club but with albums! With new advances in technology, the way we consume music through our devices, apps and on demand streaming services like Pandora, Spotify and iTunes is making the idea of the “album” as an art form extinct. Get together with other music enthusiasts on Tuesday nights to discuss some of the greatest records of all-time! Listen to the album beforehand and then come prepared to discuss. This event will feature Meet the Beatles.
This event is offered BOTH in person and via Zoom. Join us in person at the Great Hall Auditorium on the campus of Monmouth University or join us via zoom. When you register you will be provided the ZOOM meeting link to join the conversation.
Free and open to the public, but registration is required.

6th Annual MLK Distinguished Lecture in Social Justice featuring Anneliese Singh, Ph.D., LPC
2024-01-31 15:00 - 16:30 | Virtual (Zoom)
Racial Healing: Practical Activities to Help You Explore Racial Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism, and Engage in Collective Healing
In this session, Anneliese Singh describes core racial healing strategies that people can practice in the aim of collective racial justice and liberation. In doing so, Singh invites people to explore their own racial healing so they can build stronger relationships across multiple races/ethnicities to identify and transform structural racism within institutional settings.
Anneliese Singh, Ph.D., LPC (she/they) is a professor and chief diversity officer/associate provost for Diversity and Faculty Development at Tulane University. Her scholarship and community organizing explores the resilience, trauma, and identity development experiences of queer and trans people, with a focus on young people and BIPOC people. Anneliese is the author of “The Racial Healing Handbook: Practical Activities to Help You Challenge Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism, and Engage in Collective Healing” and “The Queer and Trans Resilience Workbook.” Anneliese is co-founder of the Georgia Safe Schools Coalition and the Trans Resilience Project. Singh is @anneliesesingh on Twitter and Instagram.

Get Back To 1964…The Beatles Come to America
2024-02-03 09:00 - 17:00
Tickets will go on sale for this event Monday, December 18, at 12 p.m.
Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music Presents Symposium to Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of The Beatles’ Arrival in America
The Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University will present a symposium on Saturday, February 3, 2024 that celebrates the arrival of the Beatles in America sixty years ago. Titled Get Back…To 1964, the day-long event will include panel discussions, interviews, book signings, and musical performances of early Beatles’ songs performed by regional musicians.
Participants in the symposium include Beatles’ authors Ken Womack (Living the Beatles Legend) Bruce Spizer (The Beatles Please Please Me); radio personalities Dennis Elsas (WFUV and Sirius) and Tom Frangione (Sirius); and musician Jim Babjak (Smithereens).
“The arrival of The Beatles in February 1964 profoundly changed the course of American music,” said Bob Santelli, Executive Director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music. “They inspired musicians here from New York to San Francisco and brought to rock & roll brand new ideas as to how the music could be made.”
“The Beatles transformed American music, fashion and culture. Their mop-top hair styles, Beatle boots and mod clothing became an overnight obsession in the 1960’s”, said Eileen Chapman, Director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music. “They encouraged the younger generation to take a deeper look at what was happening in the world.”
The symposium, which is open to the public, will be held in the auditorium of Monmouth University’s historic Great Hall.
Tickets are $64 and will go on sale Monday, December 18, at noon at the Monmouth University Box Office in the Ocean First Bank Center and online here.

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s Ella & Louis
2024-02-06 19:30 - 21:00 | The Great Hall Auditorium/Virtual, 400 Cedar Ave, West Long Branch, NJ, 07720, United States
It’s just like book club but with albums! With new advances in technology, the way we consume music through our devices, apps and on demand streaming services like Pandora, Spotify and iTunes is making the idea of the “album” as an art form extinct. Get together with other music enthusiasts on Tuesday nights to discuss some of the greatest records of all-time! Listen to the album beforehand and then come prepared to discuss. This event will feature Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s Ella & Louis.
This event is offered BOTH in person and via Zoom. Join us in person at the Great Hall Auditorium on the Campus of Monmouth University or join us via zoom. When you register you will be provided the ZOOM meeting link to join the conversation.
Free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Last Train Home
2024-02-06 19:30 - 22:00 | Pollak Theatre
Directed by Lixin Fan
Canada, China, 2009
A family embarks on an annual tormenting journey along with 200 other million peasant workers to reunite with their distant family, and to revive their love and dignity as China soars as the world’s next super power.
There will be a post screening Q&A hosted by Professor Chris DeRosa with special guest speaker Prof. Mel Brzycki.

The Cardboard Show
2024-02-09 00:00 - 2024-03-22 23:59 | DiMattio Gallery at Rechnitz Hall
Monmouth University, in conjunction with Parlor Gallery is thrilled to kick off the year with a captivating art exhibition that transcends traditional boundaries. Prepare to immerse yourself in a world of limitless imagination at the much-anticipated Cardboard Show, an extraordinary celebration of free-form and experimental creativity.
The Cardboard Show is the result: a collection of large-scale sculptures and forms in three distinct voices, united by medium, friendship, and a commitment to a playful approach to creating art for its own sake. These three artists sequestered themselves in Parlor Gallery last January and opened the doors to the public a month later to share their fantastical and unique cardboard creations in an immersive type of presentation. For the continuation of this project, the artists will follow the same practice of collaborating in the same space at the same time, building these wonderous creations on site starting January 16th, 2024, and will continue to construct and design the exhibition until the opening night on February 9th, 2024.
Demo and Meet & Greet:
Thursday, March 21st. Demo from 3-4 and continuation of the Meet & Greet from 4 – 6.
Opening Night Reception: Friday, February 9th from 6-9pm. In addition to the opening reception, there will also be an artist meet & greet and informal artist talk during the exhibition.
Unveiling the Magic:
The Cardboard Show is a testament to the power of collaboration. Three visionary artists—Porkchop, Bradley Hoffer, and Jason Stumpf—invite you to witness the evolution of their fantastical creations. Having sequestered themselves in Parlor Gallery last January, the artists opened their doors to the public a month later, sharing the enchantment of their unique cardboard world.
Creating Wonders in Real-Time:
As part of the ongoing project, these artists will once again unite under one roof, infusing life into their cardboard wonders starting January 16th, 2024. Witness the magic unfold as they construct and design this extraordinary exhibition, culminating in the grand opening on February 9th, 2024. Join us on a journey where art transcends boundaries, fueled by the collaborative spirit of three local artists and friends. In addition to the cardboard sculptures, each artist will also be exhibiting a selection of each of their respective work.
About the Artists:
Bradley Hoffer is a multi-disciplinary artist, designer, carpenter, and maker of original and preconceived concepts. Living and working most of his life in NJ; he received a BFA in sculpture from Mason Gross school of Visual Art at Rutgers. Bradley’s distinct style/work is recognizable using continuous line along with a balance of colors. For this show at Monmouth University, he is exploring a new complex level of layers in three dimensions. Cardboard is the medium that is being used to accomplish the new sculptures. Bradley is also revealing a collection of paintings that have been in the works for the past 6 years.
Jason Stumpf is multidisciplinary artist based in Asbury Park, NJ. A woodworker for over 30 years, his work ranges from sculpture and furniture to cabinetry and wooden boats. His work is influenced by a fascination with structure, minimalism, and materiality. Jason furniture designs often take inspiration from archaic forms and techniques. Those influences are expressed through a minimalist, modern design ethos. His sculptures stretch that practical design aesthetic into abstracted forms and ideas.
Porkchop is a multi-disciplinary artist from New Jersey. He has an MFA in Sculpture from VCU and a BFA in Fine Arts from University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Porkchop has established a great presence through his magnificently scaled murals, including the extensively documented scenes he composed along the Asbury Park Boardwalk in conversation with the sea. Narrative is a prevalent theme in his work. Denizens and visitors to Monmouth County have been enjoying Porkchop’s vibrant and colorful artwork and murals for years, but in most recent manifestation, the artist strips his works of his normally vivid palette and instead employs intentionally ritualistic and graphic monochromatic designs and symbols accented with Gold. Influenced by ancient history, mythology, religion and literature, the artist Porkchop sources out, manipulates, and casts familiar objects. He then painstakingly recreates their surfaces giving them a new existence into a dark and curious storyline. The application of paint into his intentional ritualistic designs followed by flawless coats of glossy resin is an act of pure precision and care, like the work of a surgeon or mortician. There are often unexpected but pleasant marriages of imagery and object. By stripping these pieces of his usual vibrant palette, Porkchop’s choice of black & white emphasizes the narrative in the works, which becomes difficult to ignore. Presenting these pieces in symmetry creates an alter that pulls the stories altogether.

On A Winter’s Night
2024-02-10 20:00 - 22:00 | Pollak Theatre
Presenting the Reunion Tour of “On A Winter’s Night” from veteran singer-songwriters PATTY LARKIN, CLIFF EBERHARDT, JOHN GORKA and LUCY KAPLANSKY, that remain among the brightest stars of the singer/songwriter movement for the past three decades. In 1994 Christine Lavin gathered them together, along with folk and Americana artists to showcase music of the Winter Season on the now-classic On A Winter’s Night CD, followed by several years of touring collaborations. These artists have released dozens of recordings and toured steadily through the decades, with fond memories of their touring days together. The winter season is again celebrated by these unique and popular performers, back together by popular demand.
***It is the artists’ preference that audience members be masked for this show for everyone’s health and safety.***
PATTY LARKIN
She redefines the boundaries of folk-urban pop music with her inventive guitar wizardry and uncompromising lyrics and vocals. Acoustic Guitar Magazine hails her, “soundscape experiments” while Rolling Stone praises her, “evocative and sonic shading.” She has been described as, “riveting” (Chicago Tribune), “hypnotic” (Entertainment Weekly), and a “drop-dead brilliant” performer (Performing Songwriter). Recently an Artist-in-Residence at Berklee College of Music – and now on the faculty at Fine Arts Work Center – Larkin reflects, “I have been energized by the poets, writers, and artists I have met while teaching, and find myself on a journey to break down some of the predictable pathways that songs can travel.” Bird in a Cage, her 14th CD now available, puts poems from ten notable poets to song, including US Poet Laureates William Carlos Williams, Stanley Kunitz, Kay Ryan, Robert Pinsky, and Billy Collins, for a new and haunting collection that pulses with the magic of lyricism. Poems are made to be shared aloud, and with Bird, Patty takes up that tradition and sets it aglow.
CLIFF EBERHARDT
One of the most original songsmiths currently on tour, Eberhardt is a highly intelligent, articulate artist whose penetrating and profound lyrics are sometimes overshadowed by his extraordinary guitar playing. Upon close listening, the Philadelphia-born singer’s gift for the English language is abundantly clear. The words that tumble from his mouth are framed by a raspy yet deeply elegant voice. Like John Hammond and Richie Havens, Eberhardt continues to carry the torch for traditional and contemporary folk music through his strong live shows. Whether he’s out on tour solo or with a small band, Eberhardt’s guitar playing, singing, and original folk songs and blues make for a compelling, thought-filled, emotional roller coaster of a concert.
JOHN GORKA
Hailed by Rolling Stone as “the leading singer/songwriter of the New Folk movement,” John Gorka is perhaps the quintessential singer-songwriter of the 90’s folk scene. Originally from New Jersey, John served an apprenticeship at Godfrey Daniels coffeehouse in Bethlehem, PA, then the Greenwich Village Fast Folk scene. Winning the prestigious New Folk award at the Kerrville Folk Festival, in 1984, he was then signed to Red House Records on which he released his landmark first of 17 recordings, I Know. Boston Globe penned Gorka “for the sophisticated intelligence and the provocative originality of his songs.” Recent accolades include 2016’s Indie Acoustic Project’s Best Singer/Songwriter CD of the Year for Before Beginning (Red House Records). 2018 brought his latest release, and 14th of his career, True In Time (Compass Records). True In Time (Compass Records).
LUCY KAPLANSKY
“A truly gifted performer…full of enchanting songs” (New York Times). Blending country, folk and pop styles, Lucy has the unique ability to make every song sound fresh, whether singing her own sweet originals, covering country classics by June Carter Cash and Gram Parsons, or singing pop favorites by Lennon/McCartney and Nick Lowe. Lucy’s iconic voice has been featured in film and on television, including commercials like Chevrolet’s iconic “Heartbeat of America” jingle. A Billboard-charting singer and one of the top-selling artists on Red House Records, she has topped the folk and Americana radio charts and has been featured on shows throughout the world from NPR’s Weekend and Morning Editions to BBC Radio to CBS Sunday Morning. One of the most in-demand harmony singers, Lucy has sung on countless records, performing with Suzanne Vega, Bryan Ferry, Nanci Griffith, and Shawn Colvin.

Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God
2024-02-13 19:30 - 21:00 | Virtual
Join us for Tuesday Night Book Club! Hosted by Monmouth University’s Ken Womack. This month’s novel is Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. One of the most important and enduring books of the twentieth century, Their Eyes Were Watching God brings to life a Southern love story with the wit and pathos found only in the writing of Zora Neale Hurston. Out of print for almost thirty years—due largely to initial audiences’ rejection of its strong black female protagonist—Hurston’s classic has since its 1978 reissue become perhaps the most widely read and highly acclaimed novel in the canon of African-American literature.
When you register you will be provided the meeting link to join the conversation.

Romeo and Juliet
2024-02-15 19:30 - 22:30 | Pollak Theatre
Romeo and Juliet risk everything to be together. In defiance of their feuding families, they chase a future of joy and passion as violence erupts around them.
This bold new film brings to life the remarkable backstage spaces of the National Theatre in which desire, dreams and destiny collide to make Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy sing in an entirely new way. Jessie Buckley (Wild Rose, Judy) and Josh O’Connor (The Crown, God’s Own Country) play Juliet and Romeo. The award-winning cast includes Tamsin Greig, Fisayo Akinade, Adrian Lester, Lucian Msamati, Deborah Findlay.

Men's Basketball, Recent Alumni Night (Hawks vs. Stony Brook)
2024-02-17 16:00 - 19:00 | OceanFirst Bank Center
Recent alumni are invited to catch the Hawks take on Stony Brook at a discounted rate. Just use the code MURECENTALUMS when you visit this special link for game tickets. We can’t wait to see you there!

Don't Stop Believin': Race and Class in Rock Music
2024-02-20 19:30 - 21:00 | Virtual
Class Schedule: Tuesdays – February 20 & 27 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM
Since exploding on the scene in the late 1970s, Journey has inspired generations of fans with hit after hit. This two-session virtual course taught by David Hamilton Golland dispels rehashed myths and also shows how race and class in popular music contributed to their breakout success. As the economy collapsed and as people abandoned the spirit of Woodstock in the late 70s, Journey used the rhythm of soul and Motown to inspire hope in primarily white teenagers’ lives. Decades later, the band and their signature song remain classics, and now, with singer Arnel Pineda, they are again a fixture in major stadiums worldwide.
David Hamilton Golland is a historian, professor, and writer with a wide background in twentieth-century social and cultural history. He is dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Monmouth University and founder of The Journey Zone (journey-zone.com), the leading source for all things Journey over two decades.
Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.
