Purdue cultural centers hosting numerous events during upcoming weeks

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Four cultural centers at Purdue University will host community talks, entertainment events and art exhibitions now through mid-October. The Black Cultural Center, Latino Cultural Center, Native American Educational and Cultural Center and Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center all have events occurring over the next month. 

Black Cultural Center

The Purdue Black Cultural Center will host “Yaquimel: Perceptions Persist,” featuring works from the Jacmel (Haiti) Arts Center now through Sept. 30. The exhibit will feature the works of six Haitian artists. A special artist talk will happen from 4-5 p.m. on Sept. 24 at the Black Cultural Center, 1100 Third St., West Lafayette.

The Black Cultural Center will sponsor “Black American Voices: Shared Culture, Values, and Emotions - featuring The Zamora Collection” and “My View From Seven Feet: Paintings by Joe Barry Carroll.” Both exhibits will open Sept. 20 at the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, 102 S. 10th St., Lafayette. 

On Sept. 26 at 4 p.m., Robert Wesley Anthony Taylor Jr. of New York University will present “Queeribbean” at the Purdue Memorial Union. Taylor will speak on the emerging area of study on the lives of the LGBTQIA and Caribbean people. 

Latino Cultural Center

The Purdue Latino Cultural Center will observe National Latinx Heritage Month from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 with numerous events.

• Sept. 16 at 6 p.m.: Screening of “Maria de Jesus,” followed by discussion with filmmakers Marcella and Mary Jessie Ochoa in the Krannert Auditorium. This 18-minute film is based on the true story of Marcella and Mary Jessie Ochoa. In 1950s Texas, Mexican American children were forced to abandon their Spanish language and culture. Thirty years later, one mother realizes the impact Americanization had on her child who is struggling to connect with her Latin heritage.
• Oct. 10 at 6 p.m.: “Artivism and Reproductive Rights: A Discussion with Favianna Rodriguez” in the Krannert Building's Krannert Auditorium (Room 140).
• Oct. 11 at 11 a.m.: “Reproduce and Revolt: A Social Justice Poster Workshop,” with Favianna Rodriguez at the Black Cultural Center. Favianna Rodriguez is an interdisciplinary artist, cultural strategist and social justice activist based in Oakland, California. Her art and praxis address migration, economic inequality, gender justice, sexual freedom and ecology. She has received numerous awards for her work and is executive director of CultureStrike, a national arts organization that empowers artists to dream big, disrupt the status quo and envision a truly just world rooted in shared humanity. 

Native American Educational and Cultural Center

The Native American Educational and Cultural Center will sponsor numerous activities for the community.

• Sept. 18 at 3 p.m.: Painting workshop featuring NAECC visiting artist Jason Wesaw (Pokagon Potawatomi) at the center, 903 W. Fifth St., West Lafayette. Wesaw, who is the featured artist for the fall 2019 Eiteljorg Museum’s artist-in-residence program, will lead this workshop. Registration is required.
• Sept 24 at noon: “Civic Engagement and Leadership Development Lunch and Learn: Protection of Native American Cultural Resources through Repatriation” at the center. Dorene Red Cloud (Oglala Lakota), assistant curator of Native American arts at the Eiteljorg Museum, will discuss current repatriation efforts, provide basic knowledge of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and other new legislation to support the return of cultural items, and share information on the protection of Indigenous cultural resources.
• Oct. 11 at 1 p.m.: “Aloha Fridays Cooking Demonstration” at the center. Staff and students will gather and “talk story” about the importance of traditional Hawaiian foods.
• Oct. 19 at noon: Eiteljorg Museum and Indianapolis Repertory Theatre play, “And So We Walked: An Artist’s Journey Along the Trail of Tears” in Indianapolis. The center will host a trip to Indianapolis to visit the Eiteljorg Museum and attend “And So We Walked: An Artist’s Journey Along the Trail of Tears” presented by Cherokee actor and artist DeLanna Studi. Registration is required and can be made online.
• Oct. 24 at 6 p.m.: “Dine’ Survival and Resistance in the Old Leupp Boarding School” in Stewart Center, Room 278. Davina Two Bears will talk about the history of the Old Leupp Boarding School and how Dine’ children resisted and survived assimilation in the early 20th century. 

Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center  

The Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center (AAARCC) will host several events during the fall semester.

• Sept. 16 at 6 p.m.: “Cultural Ambassadors and Transformative Education: An Evening of Learning about the Agusan Manobo Indigenous Community (the Philippines) with Carlito Cahamalan Amalla” in the Marriott Hall Atrium. Amalla will introduce his home community’s art and tradition of embroidery through storytelling and will speak about what it means to be a bearer and ambassador of a cultural heritage. The event is a collaboration between the AAARCC, Department of Anthropology and the Purdue Filipino Association.
• Sept. 17 at 7 p.m.: The AAARCC will host Olympic figure skater Mirai Nagasu for “Defining Our Own Success” at theFrance A. Córdova Recreational Sports Center’s Feature Gym. This event is free and open to the public. The AAARCC also will provide an opportunity for the community to enjoy lunch with Nagasu on Sept. 17. Registration is required and can be made by signing up at the AAARCC.
• Sept. 18 at 8:30 a.m.: Carlito Cahamalan Amalla will participate in a “Breakfast with the Artist” program at the AAARCC, 915 W. Fifth St., West Lafayette. Registration is required and can be made by signing up at the AAARCC.
• The AAARCC will host a weekly “Lunch and Learn” series on numerous topics for the community. The group meets every Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. at the AAARCC. For more information, contact the center at 765-496-0488. 

Writer: Matthew Oates, 765-496-2571, oatesw@purdue.edu, @mo_oates

Sources: Renee Thomas, Black Cultural Center, 765-494-3091, rathomas@purdue.edu, @purdue_bcc

Carina Olaru, Latino Cultural Center, 765-494-2530, colaru@purdue.edu, @LCCPurdue

Pamela K. Sari, Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center (AAARCC), 765-496-0488, psari@purdue.edu