May-June Highlights

	Ceramics from the Smart Museum of Art’s collection

The Smart Museum of Art
“Centers and Edges: Modern Ceramic Design and Sculpture, 1880-1980”
Thursday, June 2 through Sunday, Nov. 6
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday; and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. 5550 S. Greenwood Ave. 702-0200. http://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu. Free.

Beginning in the 1880s, American and European potters began applying new designs and theories to their craft and, in turn, contributing to the broader history of design. This exhibition, drawn from the Smart Museum’s various holdings of modern and contemporary ceramics, focuses on several moments within this history. “Centers and Edges” explores the Arts and Crafts movement, mid-20th century British and Scandinavian studio pottery, post-World War II American studio pottery, and the innovations on the West Coast and in Chicago during the 1960s, including works by Robert Arneson and Ruth Duckworth. There will be an opening reception beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 2. At 5:30 p.m. Senior Curator Richard Born and ceramic artist and collector Mary Seyfarth of Columbia College will introduce the exhibition and lead an informal gallery talk.

	The University Symphony Orchestra and conductor Barbara Schubert

Department of Music
University Symphony Orchestra, University Chorus, Motet Choir and Rockefeller Chapel Choir
8 p.m. Friday, June 3
4 p.m. Saturday, June 4
Mandel Hall, 1131 E. 57th St. 702-8069. http://music.uchicago.edu. Free; Donations accepted.

Barbara Schubert and Constance DeFotis will conduct the University Symphony Orchestra, the University Chorus, the Motet Choir and the Rockefeller Chapel Choir in the Cathy Heifetz Memorial Concert. The program will highlight the works of German Romantic composers, including Brahms’ dramatic Tragische Ouvertüre, Op. 81, and Schickalslied (Song of Destiny), Op. 54, as well as Richard Strauss’ Der Abend, Op. 43, No. 1, and Don Juan, Op. 20.

	Museum staff will give tours of the museum’s many galleries, including “Empires in the Fertile Crescent,” shown above.

Oriental Institute Museum
Arts Weekend
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, June 4
Noon-5 p.m. Sunday, June 5
1155 E. 58th St. 702-9507. http://oi.uchicago.edu. Free.

The Oriental Institute Museum will offer various interactive and hands-on activities as well as gallery tours as part of a full weekend of public programs. On Saturday, June 4, guided tours will highlight ancient art and artifacts in the museum’s Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Persian galleries, as well as the newest gallery, “Empires in the Fertile Crescent: Ancient Assyria, Anatolia and Israel.” In addition, acclaimed documentary films on the Ancient Near East will be screened. On Sunday, June 5, the museum invites families to a storytelling festival, featuring members of the Chicago Storytelling Guild, at which ancient tales will be recounted, bringing the institute’s collections to life. Tours, gallery treasure hunts and hands-on activities will follow.

	The Cube Ensemble

The Renaissance Society
Cube Ensemble
7 p.m. Thursday, June 9
Room 418, Cobb Hall, 5811 S. Ellis Ave. 702-8670. http://www.renaissancesociety.org. Free.

In conjunction with the exhibition “Rebecca Morris: Paintings 1997-2004,” the Cube Ensemble will perform at the Renaissance Society, joined by guest composer Robert Morris of the Eastman School of Music. The composer of over 100 works, Morris experiments with various non-Western musical styles, such as Arabic, Indian, Indonesian and Japanese. The Cube Ensemble, in its 17th season as one of Chicago’s most well known chamber music ensembles, is acclaimed for its eclectic taste and the variety of its repertoire, from challenging electroacoustic pieces to intricate chamber works. On the program are works by Morris, Stefan Wolpe, Ruth Lomon, and Shulamit Ran, the William H. Colvin Professor in Music and the College.