News

Robert & Shana ParkeHarrison, Undergrowth, 2006

Calling the academic environment at Holy Cross the ideal place to try ideas and experiment, artists Shana and Robert ParkeHarrison talked about their new work. “It’s exactly what students here are encouraged to do all the time, even knowing they might fail,” Shana ParkeHarrison said.

It was standing room only in the Cantor Art Gallery on Wednesday, Oct. 3, as the artists, who have collaborated in creating art for more than 18 years, discussed their influences — from the worlds of literature, film, theatre, dance, and painting; from living in different parts of the country — and their distinctive creative process.

The ParkeHarrisons, known worldwide for their acclaimed series The Architect’s Brother, just received a prestigious grant from the Nancy Graves Foundation to support their new creative efforts in sculpture. Several of their most recent sculptures are included in Crossroads, a two-part exhibition of work by Holy Cross faculty and staff at the Cantor Art Gallery (through Oct. 27). Robert ParkeHarrison is associate professor of studio art and has been a member of the Holy Cross faculty since 1995.

(Other Holy Cross faculty whose work is featured in the exhibit include Michael Beatty, associate professor of studio art, sculpture; Michael Demers, lecturer of studio art, drawings; Leslie Schomp, lecturer of studio art, drawings and sculpture; and Tim Johnson, Cantor Art Gallery exhibitions preparator, photography and drawings.)

In the ParkeHarrisons’ new sculptures, familiar objects — candles, shirts — are turned into startling new images with the addition and manipulation of surprising materials.

Photography has long played an enormous role in the ParkeHarrison’s work. Yet they identify themselves as painters. Photography, they say, is but one element in their creative process.

“Photographic historians loved The Architect’s Brother,” said Shana ParkeHarrison, of the series in which a central character interacts with the natural environment and “found” objects in surprising, acrobatic, sometimes humorous ways. “They loved that we were using traditional techniques in printing photographic images.  But for us, the creative process begins long before we start photographing and continues long after we print images.”

Robert ParkeHarrison said that after an extensive period of conceptualizing an image (writing, sketching, meditating, and “ball tossing” ideas back and forth), the couple goes into a physical environment (a snowy field, ocean beach, wooded landscape) and actually constructs a scene incorporating elements of nature, obsolete objects and contraptions, puppetry, and more. Robert often “plays” the main character in the scene, and Shana directs (or, in the former dance student’s words, “choreographs”) his movements and photographs the scene. The resulting images are collected and collaged with other elements into the artwork.

“People ask if we’re continuing The Architect’s Brother,” they noted. “That series is a novel, and it’s finished. We see this work as a new chapter.”

The “new chapter” works exhibited at the Cantor Art Gallery include more color and are larger (up to five feet square). Ecological devastation has always been a strong concern of the ParkeHarrisons, and in the new work the impact of global warming and dysfunction in the natural world is even more visceral. While The Architect’s Brother represented a narrative and the central character was located in a complete environment; the new work is about an event that is about to or just happened, and characters have a fragmented, fleeting presence.

“It’s darker, raw, off center,” they said, acknowledging that the challenge of this new chapter in their collaboration and creative vision extends to us, as well. “The viewer must work harder.”

Related Information:

* www.parkeharrison.com
* Cantor Art Gallery
* Holy Cross Visual Arts department

A new work by Osvaldo Golijov, internationally renowned composer and Loyola Professor of Music at the College of the Holy Cross, was part of a spectacular performance — with full participation from the audience — at Shanghai Stadium as part of the Special Olympics 2007 Summer World Games Opening Ceremony in Shanghai, China on Oct. 2.

Each audience member was given a flute when they arrived at the stadium. During Golijov’ song, titled “Kuai Le,” the audience played five notes (for each Olympic ring) answering a theme (of many notes) played by cellist Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. Kuia Le means “joy” in Chinese, as joy is one of the themes of the Special Olympics.

The opening ceremonies also included 5,800 performers — musicians, dancers, motorcycles, and helicopters were all part of the mix.

So what do 90,000 flutes sound like?

“The 90,000 flutes sound like the Milky Way on fire,” says Golijov. “China is mind-boggling and the ceremony was incredibly moving and powerful.”

The ABC Family Channel broadcast the opening ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 4 from 5 to 7 p.m.

Cellist Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble joined Golijov in the performance. Ma is the founder and artistic director of the Silk Road Project, a not-for-profit arts and educational organization inspired by the interchange of culture and ideas along the historic Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes that linked the people and traditions of Asia and Europe.

Golijov’s works — known for blending influences from many musical traditions to reflect the multicultural modern world — include the widely acclaimed retelling of the St. Mark Passion, the opera Ainadamar, song cycles (notably a set of folksongs titled Ayre), chamber music, and film scores. He is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and was named Musical America’s 2006 Composer of the Year.

Earlier this year, Golijov won two Grammy awards in the categories of Best Opera Recording and Best Classical Contemporary Composition for Ainadamar (Fountains of Tears).

Related Information:

• Profile of Osvaldo Golijov

On Sept. 11, 46 alumnae and six faculty and staff members from the College of the Holy Cross braved the heavy downpours to take part in the College’s first alumnae golf workshop, Teaching Women to Use Golf for Business Success, at Stow Acres Golf Course in Stow, Mass.

A little bad weather didn’t scare anyone away, Ellen Keohane ’83, director of ITS at Holy Cross says. “It showed the kind of determined alums Holy Cross produces. We weren’t going to let the weather stop us from participating fully in the event!”

Workshop participants were separated into two groups.  Group one included those who had played on an 18-hole course, knew golf course etiquette and could keep up with the pace of play.  This group bypassed the workshop and played an 18-hole scramble. Group two, which included the majority of the participants, was for those who had never played or had limited experience. They learned the nuts and bolts of the sport, including how to use golf for business, golf lingo and etiquette, even how to get invited to a corporate outing. They also received two hours of range instruction and “on course” instruction on the “must knows” before you go out to playing business golf.

“Adding golf to their repertoire will help women leverage and take advantage of this powerful business tool,” explains David Chu, director of Ciocca Office of Entrepreneurial Studies and the organizer of the event.  “According to a survey of a thousand business women (data provided by Golf Women Inc.), 73 percent agree that playing golf has helped them develop relationships and network for business.”

The workshop attracted women of all ages, with graduates from classes ranging from 1977 to 2006. Lisa Courtney, a member of the class of 2002 and a real estate professional in Boston, really benefited from the workshop. “I didn’t know a thing about golf before the workshop and now I am confident in attending a business golf event,” she said.

The event, sponsored by the Ciocca Office of Entrepreneurial Studies, is just one of many organized as part of the Women in Business program throughout the year. On Oct. 3, there will be a wine and appetizer get-together in New York City for alumnae. These gatherings provide a chance to network and meet other Holy Cross alumnae living in the area.

The Women in Business program works to promote business literacy for women in a liberal arts school; to heighten awareness and knowledge for Holy Cross women interested in business through internships and career opportunities; to establish a mentoring network by creating an environment for students to interact with alumni, and for alumni to interact with other alumni; and to understand the additional complexities involved with being a woman in today’s business world.

After months of digging and erecting steel, the new four-story building that will be part of Holy Cross’ Integrated Science Complex is taking shape, revealing the scope of the ambitious project.

On the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 28, a “topping out” ceremony was held to mark the occasion, as one of the final steel beams was put into place. “Topping out” is a longstanding tradition in the construction industry, in which a fir tree and the United States flag are placed on a steel beam.

Predicted rain showers failed to spoil the event, as the sun shined through the clouds and hundreds of gleeful spectators — donors, students, faculty and staff among them — watched the ceremony.

At 2:30 p.m. the beam was lifted by crane to the top of the building and permanently set in place by two ironworkers, to applause and cheers.

Throughout the morning and early afternoon, construction workers and members of the campus community signed the steel beam, painted white for the occasion, with purple markers.

Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., president; Timothy R. Austin, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College; and Charles “Chick” Weiss, director of grants and foundation and corporate giving and the official coordinator (or shepherd) of the new endeavor, spoke at the afternoon ceremony.

In their remarks, they thanked faculty and staff for their help in conceptualizing and planning the enormous project. Also acknowledged were project architect Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architecture and Engineering and the construction management of Bond Brothers.

Fr. McFarland thanked the many alumni and friends who have supported the project financially, including two Worcester foundations, the Fuller Foundation and the Alden Trust.

Then, Fr. McFarland announced that in honor of Park B. Smith’s $10 million donation to the advancement of science education at Holy Cross, the new building will be named the Linda and Park B. Smith Laboratories.

“I’d like to thank Park B. Smith, Class of ’54, whose generosity and leadership has changed the landscape of the campus. Park’s support has led to the construction of Smith Hall, an academic building at the heart of campus that is home to the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, as well as to athletic and wellness facilities on upper campus. Clearly, he and his wife Linda are dedicated to the Jesuit ideal of developing the whole person — spiritual, intellectual, and physical. They have helped turn our dreams for our students into realities,” said Fr. McFarland.

Read more about the Integrated Science Complex

Educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities abound on campus this weekend, as Holy Cross celebrates its annual Family Weekend.

Family Weekend allows students’ parents, siblings, and family members the chance to experience what life is like on the Hill.

Last year, at least 400 students had families attend the weekend, says Rebecca Riopel, director of Student Programs and Involvement. With sunny skies and highs in the lower 70s, she expects another big turnout this year.

“Families enjoy the time to come and ‘check in’ on their kids, take in a football game, eat in Kimball and experience some of what the students get to be a part of every day,” says Riopel.

An honored tradition of Family Weekend includes three performances sponsored by the music department. On Sept. 28, the College Choir will perform at 8 p.m. in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel and the Jazz Ensemble will perform at 9 p.m. On Sept. 29, the Chamber Orchestra will perform at 3 p.m. in the Brooks Concert Hall.

The choir starts Family Weekend off to a rousing start. The concert traditionally ends with songs of Holy Cross, including “Alma Mater,” “Hoiah Holy Cross,” “Chu! Chu! Ra! Ra!,” “Mamie Reilly,” among others, with the audience joining in the singing.

Parents also have the opportunity to attend several “Life on the Hill” sampler sessions, mock classes representing a sample of the breadth of the curriculum.

Other highlights this year include discussions with President Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., and several other staff members; a football game at Fitton Field where the Crusaders will take on Yale; and a performance of R by performance artist and instructor Rosa Lee, in which she incorporates all aspects of her artistic talents and experiences as a deaf woman from a deaf family into her shows, which include music, video, and performance art.

Family Weekend is sponsored by Student Affairs and the Purple Key Society, a student organization that fosters school spirit, loyalty and enthusiasm in the activities and goals of the College. In addition, many groups across campus sponsor events throughout the weekend. The Campus Activities Board is hosting Casino Night; the dance ensemble has their first performance of the year; and the a cappella groups perform together.

Check out the Family Weekend Web site for a complete schedule of events.

Related Information:

• Listen to recordings of some traditional Holy Cross songs

The Office of Human Resources has organized monthly visits to Campion Center in Weston, Mass., to retired Jesuits since June of 1998. On the most recent trip on Sept. 18, the Jesuits are delighted to see many familiar faces. But their enthusiasm really comes out when a legend steps into the room.

Minutes into the visit, Togo Palazzi ’54, is greeted with enthusiastic applause and shouts from the Jesuits, several of whom served as his mentors during his years at Holy Cross. Palazzi was one of the greatest basketball players ever for the College. A first-round pick of the Boston Celtics in 1954, he played three seasons (1954-57) with Boston winning one NBA title.

Palazzi, who was still glowing after he watched Holy Cross’ football team beat Harvard 31-28 on Sept. 15 at Fitton Field, says he is a regular Campion visitor.

“Holy Cross was a great experience — four of the happiest and most productive years of my life. The Jesuits opened up the doors for me,” he says.

Approximately 70 Jesuits live at Campion Center. Currently, four members of the Holy Cross Jesuit community live there: Rev. Alfred Desautel, S.J., former professor in modern languages and literatures; Robert A. Lindsay, former Chaplain; Rev. Francis X. Miller, S.J., former vice president emeritus of development; and Rev. Martin Ryan, S.J., former English professor and Jesuit minister.

Oftentimes, more than 10 visitors make the trip to Weston and bring homemade desserts. Regular visitors at Holy Cross have many wonderful memories of their visits to Campion Center. The Holy Cross Choir has performed at Campion Center twice. At a Christmas party last year, Denny Shea, retired physical plant engineer, and Maureen Kennedy, receptionist in Human Resources, appeared dressed as Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus — to rave reviews.

The Chaplains’ Office has initiated an “Adopt a Jesuit” program. A group of about 10 students involved in Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD) make weekly trips to offer companionship to the Jesuits.

“They enjoyed telling us stories about their past and the work that they performed in their youth,” says Caitlin D’Amico ’09, a history major who made weekly visits last semester.

“Their intellectual prowess is amazing to say the least. Even though some are in their 80’s or 90’s, their energy and enthusiasm for life is truly inspiring,” says D’Amico, who is currently studying at the National University of Ireland in Galway.

D’Amico says the visits were a way for her to give back.

“I was first interested in the program because I really enjoy working with the elderly. I know that the Jesuits lead such interesting lives, and I wanted to learn their stories. I also felt that it was important to give back to the Jesuit community because their philosophy is the cornerstone on which our Holy Cross education is founded. By visiting the Jesuits, this was my way of saying ‘thank you’ for their work and dedication,” she says.

Meghan Farrell-Talmo, director of activities at Campion Center, says the Jesuits enjoy the company visitors offer.

“It’s a great opportunity for members of the Holy Cross community to see faculty and friends. The Jesuits are very welcoming and warm, and they look forward to catching up with what’s going on at Holy Cross.”

Related Information:

• Jesuit Heritage Week to Celebrate Rich Legacy of Catholic Religious Order

About 250 Holy Cross students, professors, administrators, and staff — along with their sponsors — raised nearly $18,000 in the ninth annual Walk to Cure Cancer.

Holy Cross is a flagship sponsor of this unique fundraising event, which over the years has raised millions of dollars to support cutting-edge cancer research and build the UMass Memorial Cancer Center, the world-class research center in Worcester.

At noon on Sept. 23, the Holy Cross group — along with 14,000 other participants — began the five-mile loop around Lake Quinsigamond. The Holy Cross team wore matching purple Holy Cross T-shirts; and many wrote the names of people for whom they were walking on the back of the shirts.

Before stepping off, Rev. John Brooks, S.J. ’49, president emeritus of Holy Cross, asked the crowd to pause for a moment of silence and prayer for those fighting cancer, for cancer survivors, for friends and family members who have died.

Scores of Holy Cross workers — from Housekeeping, the Physical Plant, and Dining Services — joined the Holy Cross team. Varsity athletes from the ice hockey, track, and basketball teams took time out of their weekend to raise money and lend support. Purple-clad children and grandchildren of Holy Cross employees enthusiastically joined the walk.

Individuals and departments made special commitments this year. Led by faculty members, the College’s economics department raised more than $2,500, in support of colleagues who have been hard hit by cancer in the past year. Kristin Neal ’08 asked classmates, families, and friends to sponsor her—and even hosted a T-shirt “decorating” party in her residence hall one evening before the walk to raise awareness. The result: more than $1,700.

A forthcoming book titled The Cambridge Companion to the Jesuits (Cambridge University Press), edited by Rev. Thomas Worcester, S.J., associate professor of history at Holy Cross, will offer readers multiple points of view from experts in various academic fields on the Society of Jesus.

Fr. Worcester is enthusiastic about the variety of contributors, including Jesuits from several countries. Fully half of the contributing scholars are not Jesuits, including three women.

“This is a book which should have a great deal of interest as cultural, intellectual, social, political, and religious history. It’s not just an insider book that will interest Jesuits only,” says Fr. Worcester, who wrote three of the essays.

One person who’s interested is Erin Folan ’09. An accounting major at Holy Cross, she is taking a course in Jesuit history this fall, a new class taught by Fr. Worcester. Her brother Peter Folan, 29, is a third-year Jesuit scholastic, finishing his last year of studies at Fordham University.

“I’ve received a brief overview of the history of the Jesuits from my brother. However, I felt I should know even more about the Jesuits since he is making this his life’s work and it is such a major part of who he is,” says Folan.

The book will be available to the public in March of next year, and Fr. Worcester is already using the essays in his class. Folan says she’s eager to learn more about Jesuit education.

“Although this is my first semester taking a class with a Jesuit, I think the foundation of Jesuit education is seen throughout the College. With the focus on men and women for others, many of my classes have taught me to think critically and uphold social justice. With common requirements in a variety of subjects there is a well-rounded education in subjects both in and out of one’s major allowing each student to enter the real world after college with a greater amount of knowledge and charism,” she says.

One thing that impressed Fr. Worcester while working on the book was the endurance of the Jesuits.

“Since our foundation in 1540, even with all the changes in society and church, there are certain characteristics that stand out. We’re both adaptable and resilient. We’re very good at both of those things. Adaptation to cultures and circumstances was part of our charism from the beginning. Stability of staying in one place was never who we were. Ignatius wanted us to go where the needs were greatest. And that meant anywhere in the world,” he says.

Among the international contributors to the book is Rev. Louis Caruana, S.J., senior lecturer in philosophy at Heythrop College, London, who will be speaking at Holy Cross on Sept. 25 at 4 p.m. in the Rehm Library. His talk is titled “Jesuit Styles of Scientific Thinking,” another example of how Jesuits are involved in many facets of life.

“Jesuits are at the intersection of a lot of things. We’re perceived as men of the church in some ways close to or related to the papacy. In other ways we’re seen as cutting edge people in terms of education; as people who speak out for justice, people in the world. We’re not in a cloister — we’re in the world, we’re in contact and dialogue with an exceptional range of different people,” says Fr. Worcester.

Advance copies sent to reviewers have elicited positive feedback.

“The history of the Jesuits is as complex as it is fascinating. Worcester’s volume helps us sort it out through a judicious sampling of themes from the founding of the order in 1540 until the present. It will be valuable for both the novice and the specialist,” writes Rev. John O’Malley, S.J., university professor in the theology department at Georgetown University.

Fr. Worcester is already working on another book for Cambridge University Press, along with Rev. James Corkery, S.J., who was an international visiting fellow from Ireland last year at Holy Cross. The two scholars will serve as editors of The Papacy since 1500: From Italian Prince to Universal Pastor. It will contain some 12 essays and explore how the pope moved from being an Italian prince and patron to being a universal pastor.

Related Information:

• Rev. Worcester, S.J., Associate Professor of History, Receives Marfuggi Award
• Paintings at Worcester Art Museum Celebrate Legacy of Jesuits

The numbers are stark.

“Currently there are 22 Jesuit members of the community at Holy Cross, and two International Jesuits visiting for the semester,” says Rev. James Hayes, S.J., rector of the Jesuit community at the College. “There are only seven Jesuits finishing graduate programs this year. There are 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the nation. We have a one in four chance of getting one of the new graduates. Some of them will earn law degrees or medicine degrees. We’re a strictly undergraduate institution. Unless they feel called to a strictly undergraduate teaching, they may not want to come to Holy Cross.”

For those reasons, and more, the College will celebrate its vibrant spiritual and intellectual Jesuit heritage with a series of programs from Sept. 23 to 28. The Society of Jesus founded Holy Cross in 1843.

Eleven Banners, hung on light poles behind the Hogan Campus Center and extending from Dinand to Smith, will carry Jesuit Mottos, such as “Service of Faith and Promotion of Justice,” “Discernment,” and “Intellect and Compassion.” The mottos all express ideals that Holy Cross teaches its students.

“We hope to raise consciousness on campus, inside the classroom, outside the classroom that we’re part of a great heritage,” says Fr. Hayes, who is also an associate Chaplain on campus. “Hopefully the heritage that was part of the foundation will continue to be kept alive in the minds and hearts of key administrators, faculty, Chaplains and passed on to students.”

Deepening and intensifying the community’s knowledge and appreciation for the history of the Jesuits has been on the minds of administrators for years. As part of a self-study of the College in 2002, the College’s Board of Trustees formed a Task Force on Mission. The Task Force has been meeting with various groups and constituencies on campus to help it understand how the College’s mission informs institutional life.

To help focus the dialogue, make it more productive, and ensure that it takes into account the campus culture and value, President Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., formed a College committee on mission and identity. Fr. Hayes, a member of the Trustees’ Task Force on Mission, was appointed chair of the committee. Approximately 25 members of the community — including students, faculty, and staff — serve on the committee.

“The purpose of the Mission and Identity committee is to highlight our Jesuit mission and our Catholic identity at Holy Cross,” says Fr. Hayes. “How can we encourage it? How can we highlight it? How can we promote it? How can we best articulate it? How can we live it? We want to permeate the entire campus, which is why the committee is as large as it is.”

As a Jesuit college, Holy Cross seeks to exemplify the longstanding dedication of the Society of Jesus to the intellectual life, and its commitment to the service of faith and promotion of justice. Indeed, as part of its five-year Strategic Plan, one of the College’s main priorities is “To cultivate a vital relationship with the tradition and living reality of Jesuit education.”

Fr. Hayes wants the community to end the week knowing several things.

“The Society of Jesus is an international organization in 112 countries and the first religious order that dedicated itself to higher education,” he says. “The Jesuits over their 467 year history have endorsed the idea of co-curricular activities, extracurricular activities, for the benefit of the whole person. The fact that schools have drama clubs, athletics teams — this was a Jesuit ideal. Jesuits have had a great impact on education.

“The crux of the Jesuit philosophy is to form and educate men and women who will become leaders and leavening agents in the world. One of the banners will carry the words ‘Well-Educated Solidarity.’ Solidarity is learned through contact, not concepts. That’s why Jesuit schools, such as Holy Cross, push immersion programs, study abroad programs, community-based learning — because we learn by contact, not just by books.”

Related Information:

• Jesuit Heritage Week Press Release
• About Holy Cross
• Jesuit Community at Holy Cross

Students will want to get a good night’s rest the night of Sept. 24.

As part of the College’s Jesuit Heritage Week, “Jesuit Amazing Race” will test students’ knowledge of Jesuit history. The game is inspired by scavenger hunts and the popular TV show “The Amazing Race.” The CBS hit show has won the Outstanding Reality-Competition Program award at the Emmy’s for five consecutive years.

On Sept. 25 at 10 a.m., the first clue will be e-mailed to all Holy Cross students, explains Jonathan Mulrooney, assistant professor of English. Any student who chooses can try to solve the clue, which will lead them to a specific location on campus where they will find another clue, and so on until the final location.

Students may work individually or in teams of up to four. The deadline for the competition is Sept. 26 at 4 p.m.

“Presumably the winners will finish somewhere on the earlier side of that time frame,” he says.

Mulrooney declines to divulge how many clues there will be, but says “the number is greater than seven and less than 13.”

The tight-lipped professor refused to answer our other questions.

Where will the program take place?
“At various — as yet undisclosed — locations all around campus.”

Any clues or tips that you’d like to give to help students?
“The clues will come in the form of simple riddles, and a knowledge of some of the less noticeable features of our campus will play an important role in solving these riddles.”

Gee, thanks.

Students will have a worksheet they will have to turn in at the end of the race to ensure they’ve visited each of the locations, he says.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers: First place $250, second place $125, third place $75. The fourth place finisher will receive dinner at Ciampi.

“We thought it would be a fun way to help students learn about Jesuit heritage — their heritage as Holy Cross students — and encourage them to encounter some of the real people and ideas that shaped the institution,” he says.

The Worcester Art Museum is opening its doors expressly for all college and graduate students interested in learning about the internationally renowned cultural mecca.

Museum director Jim Welu will take college students on a free tour of the museum’s special exhibitions on Sept. 25 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in an event titled “WAM 101: College Student Night.”

“Students will get a wonderful talk by Jim Welu, one of the finest museum directors in America,” says Jim Hogan, director of library services at Holy Cross’ Dinand Library. “He gives a lively, informative presentation and will gladly take questions. I am not sure that everyone is truly aware of how excellent the Worcester Art Museum really is, and it is right here in our midst!”

For those who don’t know, let us paint the picture: The museum features an exceptional 35,000-piece collection of paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, photography, prints and drawings spanning 5,000 years of art and culture.

This year Holy Cross is offering free transportation to the Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., for students in the Colleges of Worcester Consortium. No RSVP is required. For a complete schedule, click here [PDF].

“I want to provide the opportunity for every Holy Cross student to have a significant experience at the museum. The buses are the best way to bring our students to the museum,” Hogan says.

Students who attend the event will also get a tour of the library at the museum, which is run by Holy Cross. The entire event is organized by Debby Aframe, librarian at the Worcester Art Museum Library.

“I want our students to realize that in addition to the wonderful library resources we make available here at the College, they also have a 50,000 volume art library at their disposal over at the museum. They can use it anytime. Debby is an excellent reference librarian and loves to work with students when they are preparing papers. They can hop over to the museum and make use of her expertise on an almost personal basis.”

Hogan stresses that students shouldn’t miss this opportunity.

“The Worcester Art Museum is a great educational resource for all the colleges. It benefits both students and faculty. An art museum is important to students of art as laboratories are for students of science. And the museum is not just for art students. It is critical to work in classics, history, religion, and literature. Through art we understand how people from all over the planet have viewed their lives, their relationships with each other, and their relationship with the Almighty.”

Did we mention they’re offering free food?

“Students will get to enjoy free food and beverages,” says Hogan. “Plus, they get to mingle with students from the other colleges in Worcester, and they get all this in a relaxed environment.”

Related Information:

• Word on Worcester
• Colleges of Worcester Consortium