This Thursday, February 7, the Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery will be hosting an artist lecture from 5-7pm. The current gallery exhibition features the photography of Gordon Parks (shown left).  One of the first African American photographers to shoot for Life magazine in 1949, his photography deals with social issues of gang violence, poverty, and other phenomena occurring in his lifetime.

Artist and photographer Adger Cowans has worked with Gordon Parks in the past and will be hoting a lecture titled "A Personal View of Gordon Parks by Adger Cowans." The lecture will take place in Zimmerman Recital Hall and is free and open to the public. Please consider attending to learn about art and social issues, as seen through the lens of Gorden Parks.

Photos from the Poetry In Ink exhibition opening Thursday, January 31. 

Student-made prints will be on view now through April in Lynch. On Thursday, January 31, the Poetry In Ink exhibition opened to the public, and I spoke with senior Art major Dave Yasenchak about his role as an art gallery intern and Professor Williams about her creative students and their print-making tasks.

I was also able to speak to some students about their thought process, inspiration for, and execution of their work.

Despite that we are not attending school at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is Lebanon Valley College forming a Quidditch team? Such a team is currently in the works.

To anyone familiar with the Harry Potter franchise, Quidditch is a familiar word. But for the Muggles who are not aware, Quidditch is a sport played on broomsticks in which witches and wizards must throw balls (quaffles) into hoops, beware not to get hit by certain other balls (bludgers), and catch a tiny golden ball with wings called the snitch. How can such a magical game be played on a college campus?

"Quidditch is actually an international sport. Many colleges around here have teams, such as Franklin & Marshall and Shippensburg," says LVC junior Carolyn Baldwin. In non-magical terms, she describes the game as a mix between rugby, tag, and dodgeball. "The players run around while holding a broom between their legs and score by getting the Quaffle through the hoops," Baldwin says.

Forming a Quidditch team is certainly a creative idea stemming from creative fiction, which would be like no other club sport on campus. Baldwin says she was surprised by the large amount of student interest generated at the team's first interest meeting on January 30.  

So what are the next steps towards forming a campus Quidditch team? Those interested will have to conduct more informational meetings and appeal for probationary club status. According to Baldwin, "We have had contact from national and regional representatives who are willing to help in any way possible and look forward to seeing us at competitions."