BabsonARTS
Creativity and innovation have long been hallmarks of Babson College’s focus on entrepreneurship, and the arts provide a space to explore the intersection of creative vision and entrepreneurial thought
Here at BabsonARTS, we always have a full slate of engaging performances, exhibitions, films, and conversations. We also value the health and safety of our community so please review our COVID-19 Health and Safety Policies.
If you are interested in getting BabsonARTS brochures mailed to your home or if you’d like to join our email list, please send us a message.
Who I am Beyond My Voice: Karen Slack in Residence
Artist’s website: sopranokarenslack.com Follow Karen on Instagram: @kikislacksoprano Tuesday, March 19–Friday, March 22Known for performances that “ripped the audience’s hearts out” (Opera News), Karen Slack is “not only one of the nation’s most celebrated sopranos, but a leading voice in changing and making spaces in classical music” (Trilloquy). Slack is a sought-after collaborator, curator, and artistic advisor known for her fiery charisma and ground-breaking approach to engagement. She is an Artistic Advisor for Portland Opera, serves on the board of the American Composers Orchestra and Astral Artists, and holds a faculty position at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada. Slack debuted the role of Billie in the 2019 world premiere of Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones and made her film debut portraying the Opera Diva in Tyler Perry’s movie and soundtrack For Colored Girls.
Babson College will host this incredible artist and entrepreneur for a multi-day residency that will include workshops, talks, and a performance of the critically acclaimed recital created by Ms. Slack, Of Thee I Sing! Songs of Love and Justice.
Co-Sponsored by the Office of President Stephen Spinelli Jr., PhD and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
Master Class: Karen Slack
Tuesday, March 19, 4:00 P.M.–6:00 P.M.
Carling-Sorenson Theater
Coaching slots open only to currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students in Boston area colleges.
Email babsonarts@babson.edu to apply to the class.
A limited number of audience will be allowed to observe the master class. FREE. Registration required HERE.
This master class provides a small group of student singers vocal coaching focused on developing their preparation and performance skills with guidance from Karen, one of the nation’s most celebrated operatic sopranos. Students will work in short individual sessions on a prepared piece and apply critiques and suggestions as they rehearse. The master class will end with a short question and answer session for the group. Capacity is very limited. An accompanist will be available and sheet music must be provided in advance.
The Entrepreneurial Life of an Artist Personal Brand and Building a Career
Wednesday, March 20, 5:00 P.M.–6:00 P.M.
Carling-Sorenson Theater
FREE. Registration required HERE.
Ms. Slack is a tireless advocate of the Arts and brings decades of experience to her role as the Co-Chair of OPERA America’s Women’s Opera network where she represents singers and BIPOC artists looking to transition into arts administration. In 2020, Karen created #KikiKonversations, a Facebook live talk show that connects artists and industry leaders over lively, heartfelt, hilarious, and meaningful conversations. Ms. Slack will share the evolution of her personal brand and building a significant career in this intimate talk with Associate Professor of Marketing at Babson, Anjali S. Bal, one of Poets & Quants’ 50 Best Undergraduate Business Professors of 2023.
Of Thee I Sing! Songs of Love and Justice
Soprano Karen Slack with Pianist Kamilla Arku
Friday, March 22, 7:00 P.M.
Carling-Sorenson Theater
FREE and open to the public. Registration encouraged HERE. Walk-ins welcome.
Of Thee I Sing! Songs of Love and Justice is a critically acclaimed recital created by soprano Karen Slack in the late Summer of 2020 during the height of the pandemic and just after the murder of George Floyd. The center of this moving program is the raw and powerful yet hopeful Langston Hughes poem, “The Kids Who Die” (1938), and a commissioned setting of that riveting text by American composer Scott Gendel. Gendel’s stirring tour de force is presented alongside vocal masterworks by distinguished American composers from H.T Burleigh to Clayton White, Undine Smith Moore, H. Leslie Adams, Ricky Ian Gordon, Adolphus Hailstork and Jake Heggie. Curated by Ms. Slack with intention and care, this impactful program features songs exploring the themes of love and justice as a reminder that no matter your race, ethnicity, politics etc., we are all human! Through these soaring melodies and beautiful texts, Ms. Slack and pianist Kamilla Arku offer a musical journey rooted in a shared understanding that without LOVE there can never be liberty or JUSTICE for all.
ARTScapades
Current students, staff and faculty can attend amazing local performances and exhibits in the Greater Boston area by purchasing discounted tickets, subsidized by BabsonARTS. Transportation to events is not provided. Tickets for students are just $10 for all events and go on sale two weeks prior to each event.
Faculty/Staff tickets range from $15-20 and are available one week prior to each event. Cash only, limit 2 per person. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit Alex Brand in Trim 216 or email abrand@babson.edu
The Drowsy Chaperone
Lyric Stage Company of Boston
140 Clarendon Street, Boston
April 14, 3:00 P.M.
Find an Event
Bringing to life both the classics and edgy new productions, theater through BabsonARTS is consistently relevant and thought-provoking. With performances from faculty- and student-led organizations, as well as renowned directors and actors, there’s always a new reason to visit the stage.
Friday, April 12, 2:00 P.M. and 7:00 P.M.
Get immersed in the visual arts and design made available through BabsonARTS. Engage with both the artists and the art on display with exhibits showcased throughout the year. Babson, Olin, and Wellesley students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to take advantage of regularly offered workshops in ceramics, painting, and drawing and members of the Babson community are able to enjoy free or discounted access to exhibits and museums in the Greater Boston area.
The Art and Alchemy of Fruits and Vegetables
Making the Ordinary Extraordinary
ARTIST TALK AND RECEPTION
Thursday, March 21, 5:00 P.M.
FREE and open to the public. Registration encouraged HERE. Walk-ins welcome.
EXHIBIT ON VIEW
March 21–May 17, M-F 9:00 A.M.–5:00 P.M.
Hollister Gallery
Fay Senner is a Massachusetts mixed media artist. The very nature of her art making is similar to the alchemical process called, ‘Solve et Coagula’ meaning to dissolve and coagulate—a breaking down and dying of one form before it can be transmuted and transformed into something new. She does this through a process of cooking, pressing, drying, photographing, and then finally printing her images. Using fruits and vegetables as her pallet - the Vegetable Kingdom comes alive with colorful, translucent cross-sections through the artist’s intuitive eyes. Like x-rays, her images highlight the intricate internal structures and patterns that reveal the inherent beauty within the ordinary world whereby rendering the invisible world visible.
Her artwork has been exhibited in Boston and throughout New England and is in both public and private collections.
Artist’s Website: https://www.faysenner.com
There are many dynamic artists in the world of film and television, and BabsonARTS strives to showcase a representative array of fresh creative voices. Award-winning documentaries, classics from the silver screen, and the works of daring international filmmakers are all screened and discussed.
Whether modern, ethnic, classical, or a fusion of all three, music at Babson takes a variety of forms, all of which can serve as powerful conduits for entrepreneurial thinking. Regardless of the setting, music performances through BabsonARTS are engaging and innovative displays of talent and creative vision. Learn more about Performance Venues and Practice Rooms.
Who I am Beyond My Voice: Karen Slack in Residence
Artist’s website: sopranokarenslack.com
Follow Karen on Instagram: @kikislacksoprano
Tuesday, March 19–Friday, March 22
Known for performances that “ripped the audience’s hearts out” (Opera News), Karen Slack is “not only one of the nation’s most celebrated sopranos, but a leading voice in changing and making spaces in classical music” (Trilloquy). Slack is a sought-after collaborator, curator, and artistic advisor known for her fiery charisma and ground-breaking approach to engagement. She is an Artistic Advisor for Portland Opera, serves on the board of the American Composers Orchestra and Astral Artists, and holds a faculty position at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada. Slack debuted the role of Billie in the 2019 world premiere of Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones and made her film debut portraying the Opera Diva in Tyler Perry’s movie and soundtrack For Colored Girls.
Babson College will host this incredible artist and entrepreneur for a multi-day residency that will include workshops, class visits, and a performance of the critically acclaimed recital created by Ms. Slack, Of Thee I Sing! Songs of Love and Justice.
Co-Sponsored by the Office of President Stephen Spinelli Jr., PhD and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
Master Class: Karen Slack
Tuesday, March 19, 4:00 P.M.–6:00 P.M.
Carling-Sorenson Theater
Coaching slots open only to currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students in Boston area colleges.
Email babsonarts@babson.edu to apply to the class.
A limited number of audience will be allowed to observe the master class. FREE. Registration required HERE.
This master class provides a small group of student singers vocal coaching focused on developing their preparation and performance skills with guidance from Karen, one of the nation’s most celebrated operatic sopranos. Students will work in short individual sessions on a prepared piece and apply critiques and suggestions as they rehearse. The master class will end with a short question and answer session for the group. Capacity is very limited. An accompanist will be available and sheet music must be provided in advance.
The Entrepreneurial Life of an Artist Personal Brand and Building a Career
Wednesday, March 20, 5:00 P.M.–6:00 P.M.
Carling-Sorenson Theater
FREE. Registration required HERE.
Ms. Slack is a tireless advocate of the Arts and brings decades of experience to her role as the Co-Chair of OPERA America’s Women’s Opera network where she represents singers and BIPOC artists looking to transition into arts administration. In 2020, Karen created #KikiKonversations, a Facebook live talk show that connects artists and industry leaders over lively, heartfelt, hilarious, and meaningful conversations. Ms. Slack will share the evolution of her personal brand and building a significant career in this intimate talk with Associate Professor of Marketing at Babson, Anjali S. Bal, one of Poets & Quants’ 50 Best Undergraduate Business Professors of 2023
Of Thee I Sing! Songs of Love and Justice
Soprano Karen Slack and Pianist Kamilla Arku
Friday, March 22, 7:00 P.M.
Carling-Sorenson Theater
FREE and open to the public. Registration encouraged HERE. Walk-ins welcome.
Of Thee I Sing! Songs of Love and Justice is a critically acclaimed recital created by soprano Karen Slack in the late Summer of 2020 during the height of the pandemic and just after the murder of George Floyd. The center of this moving program is the raw and powerful yet hopeful Langston Hughes poem, “The Kids Who Die” (1938), and a commissioned setting of that riveting text by American composer Scott Gendel. Gendel’s stirring tour de force is presented alongside vocal masterworks by distinguished American composers from H.T Burleigh to Clayton White, Undine Smith Moore, H. Leslie Adams, Ricky Ian Gordon, Adolphus Hailstork and Jake Heggie. Curated by Ms. Slack with intention and care, this impactful program features songs exploring the themes of love and justice as a reminder that no matter your race, ethnicity, politics etc., we are all human! Through these soaring melodies and beautiful texts, Ms. Slack and pianist Kamilla Arku offer a musical journey rooted in a shared understanding that without LOVE there can never be liberty or JUSTICE for all.
Babson Music Collective Spring Concert
Tuesday, April 23, 7:00 P.M.
Carling-Sorenson Theater
FREE and open to the public.
Registration encouraged HERE. Walk-ins welcome.
The Babson Music Collective is rooted in the jazz traditions of improvisation and creative expression. The group finds inspiration in a range of musical
styles, from pop and afro-beat, to classic jazz standards. Drawing on each member’s personal playing style and experiences, the Collective creates unique arrangements for all the music it plays. Led by Clayton DeWalt, the group rehearses weekly and performs several concerts each semester, both on campus and within the surrounding community
Get Involved with Babson Music Collective!
The Babson Music Collective is rooted in the jazz traditions of improvisation and creative expression. The group finds inspiration in a range of musical styles, from pop and afro-beat to classic jazz standards. Drawing on each member’s personal playing style and experiences, the Collective creates unique arrangements for all the music it plays.
The Babson Music Collective performs at several concerts and events throughout the year with the goal of fostering a community of Babson’s many student musicians and listeners.
Led by Clayton DeWalt, the group rehearses weekly on Fridays from 12-2pm, and performs several concerts per semester, both on campus and within the surrounding community.
Babson Music Collective Fall 2022 Concert. Photo by Nile Hawver.
Babson Music Collective Spring 2023 Concert. Photo by Emily Wang.
With multiple rehearsal spaces and the Babson Dance Ensemble—the largest student-run organization on campus—there’s never a shortage of performances through BabsonARTS. With shows featuring everything from hip hop to tap, dance is an energizing way to experience innovative thought in action.
Celebrating the vast and eclectic stories to be told, Literary Arts at BabsonARTS showcase the works of renowned writers, poets, and literary experts reaching new and captive audiences at Babson with their words and stories.
Thompson Visiting Poet Reading: Major Jackson
Wednesday, March 27, 5:00 P.M
Carling-Sorenson Theater
FREE and open to the public. Registration encouraged HERE. Walk-ins welcome.
Major Jackson is the author of six books of poetry, including Razzle Dazzle: New & Selected Poems (2023), The Absurd Man (2020), Roll Deep (2015), Holding Company (2010), Hoops (2006) and Leaving Saturn (2002), which won the Cave Canem Poetry Prize for a first book of poems. He is also the author of A Beat Beyond: The Selected Prose of Major Jackson. He is the recipient of fellowships from the Academy of American Poets, John S. Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. He is the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair in the Humanities at Vanderbilt University.
Artist’s Website: majorjackson.com
Thompson Visiting Poet Series made possible by the Charles D. and Marjorie J. Thompson Poetry Fund.
Waterline Reading Series Showcase
Wednesday, April 3, 5:00 P.M.
Hollister Gallery
FREE and open to the public. Registration encouraged HERE. Walk-ins welcome.
Waterline features a fast-paced hour of literary works from Babson College faculty and staff fiction writers, poets, and essayists. The selection is always intriguing and often includes works in progress not yet in publication. Recently featured authors: Steve Bauer, Jordan Escobar, Melissa Leonard, Wes Miller, Mary Pinard and David Youtz.
Co-presented with the Arts and Humanities Division.
BabsonARTS conversations showcase dynamic speakers ranging from prominent arts leaders to literary luminaries. They discuss their work and share their insights, engaging with the audience in an intimate setting.
Carling-Sorenson Theater
FREE and open to the public. Registration encouraged HERE. Walk-ins welcome.
Come explore your creativity! Workshops are in-person and open to current Babson, Olin, and Wellesley students, faculty, and staff. Materials and instruction are provided; no prior experience needed.
Registration is required and will open two weeks prior to each workshop.
Workshops fill quickly. If sold out, email babsonarts@babson.edu to inquire about a wait list.
The Babson Ceramic Studio is located in the Sorenson Visual Arts Center within Trim Hall. Memberships are available on a semester basis during the Academic Year to current Babson College, Olin College of Engineering and Wellesley College students, staff, and faculty. Members pay a flat fee of $100 at registration, which covers moderate use of clay, glazes, and other supplies and equipment. Members have access to the studio via Babson OneCards from 8 a.m.–10 p.m. daily including weekends and breaks. A regular firing schedule is posted and the Ceramics Studio manager and monitors have weekly studio hours to assist members as well as weekly drop-in tutorials on hand building and wheel throwing. Previous experience is not required to join The Babson Ceramics Studio relies on student staffing and members working to keep the studio clean, well maintained, and learning together.
Supplies and staffing provided are based on moderate use of the studio and materials and cannot support large volume production, personal or otherwise. Users who are working at a high-level of output beyond personal use may be asked to provide or purchase additional materials as approved by the Ceramics Studio Manager. Production for retail purposes is prohibited.
Registration, open on a tiered basis, usually opens the week prior to the start of each semester using the Babson College academic calendar. Each member must register individually, and payment is due at registration. Slots are limited and go quickly. For more information or to be added to the notification list to receive an email announcing when registration will open each semester, please email babsonceramics@babson.edu. If you wish to be added to the notification list, please provide your name, school email address, and year of expected graduation.
The BabsonARTS Student Arts Grant program provides funding, mentorship, and support from BabsonARTS resources, staff, and affiliates toward specific projects proposed by individual or multiple students. While not as intense as most artistic grant processes, students are offered assistance beginning with the application process through the execution of the project. The arts grant program was created to encourage any interested Babson College student to pursue a creative project, whether identifying as an artist or not, to explore and enhance their engagement with creativity and the arts. Approved projects have included a wide-range of genres including film, visual arts such as painting, ceramics, felting and photography, podcast and video series, and fashion.
Application Deadlines
Applications are due by 5 p.m. on the dates listed.
- Fall Semester or Academic Year-long Projects: September 15
- Fall Semester or Academic Year-long projects that require more lead or project time can be submitted by April 15 for the following fall/academic year.
- Spring Semester Projects: November 15
Successful proposals typically demonstrate clear goals, specific proposed timelines, a strong narrative regarding what the student(s) hope to learn and explore through the proposed projects, and engagement with the resources available throughout the project. The Selection Committee reviews applications the week following each deadline and generally notifies applicants of approval/denial or if there are additional questions within two weeks of the submission deadlines. We fully anticipate projects will hit challenges, pivot, and sometimes end up in a very different place than originally proposed. That is the beauty (and sometimes frustration) of the artistic process—and we embrace that.
Any currently enrolled Babson College student, undergraduate or graduate, is eligible to apply. The application form and guidelines are available here. Students are encouraged to schedule an appointment to speak with a member of the BabsonARTS staff about their ideas and proposal before submitting the application. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please email babsonarts@babson.edu.
Sorenson Arts Scholars Spotlight 2024
The Sorenson Arts Scholarship is awarded to incoming first-year students with demonstrated talent who are interested in maintaining their artistic pursuits while at Babson.