April Newsletter: Education Program

The Gottesman Libraries Education Program informs students, faculty and staff about the latest thinking in education, in ways that engage members of the community with one another and with a broad range of educational experts. The program also provides understanding of work being done throughout the College.

Read more below about offerings in April.

Workshops

Regularly scheduled instructional offerings include workshops, tours, orientations, and course-specific instruction in coordination with staff and faculty of the College.

Your Research Journey is a five-part library workshop series to help guide you in your research throughout the semester, by providing you with manageable tools and resources to use along your journey. Whether this is your first time conducting research, or you are a well-seasoned researcher and looking for a refresher, each workshop introduces fundamental information to lay a foundation of knowledge on which you can build your scholarly work. While the workshops in this series are designed to build upon each other, you are welcome to attend any workshop individually. All are held on Wednesdays, 3-4pm.

Elevate Your Research builds upon the foundational series, Your Research Journey, by presenting valuable new topics, resources, and methodologies to make you an even stronger and highly proficient researcher. Held on Thursdays, 3-4pm, this series also invites deeper, collaborative work to strengthen academic research initiatives.

Welcome and Thank You to Our Graduate Students, Monday, 4/3 -Thursday, 4/6, 4-5pm; Friday, 4/7, 12-1pm

It is Graduate Student Appreciation Week, hosted by the Office of Graduate Student Life and Development! Please stop by the Information Walkway in Everett Lounge and visit the table for the Gottesman Libraries. You can meet our friendly librarians; ask any questions you may have about our resources and services; and receive the newly designed Gottesman Libraries' bookmark! 

Representatives: Anna Leuning, Circulation and User Experience Librarian; Ralph Baylor, Head, Reference and Reader Services

Where: Everett Lounge

The Literature Review, Wednesday, 4/5, 3-4pm

The Literature Review is an essential element of scholarly inquiry, allowing researchers to understand the context and conclusions around a specific topic. A literature review can be conducted as a section in a main project such as a thesis or dissertation, or it can be a standalone project for a course or publication. For whatever reason you are embarking on your literature review process, this workshop will introduce you to the concepts and guidelines behind the three primary types of literature reviews; the narrative review, scoping review, and systematic review. We will also cover strategies for locating the sources you need for your literature review. 

Presenter: Becca Gates, Research and Instruction Librarian

Please rsvp with your interest and details by Tuesday, April 4th.

Where: 101 Russell / Online

Missing Data: A TC Community Wikidata Edit-a-thon, Thursday, 4/6, 3-5pm

Come to a Wikidata Edit-a-thon focusing on the creation of entities about notable Teachers College alumni from underrepresented groups. This event marks the start of a community practice that aims to increase the visibility and accuracy of data concerning those who have traditionally been overlooked by Western knowledge systems.

Wikidata’s structured entries are important because they are used in other Wikimedia projects (e.g. Wikipedia, WikiCommons, etc.), library databases, and search engines, such as Google, to populate data. There the data found, or not found in Wikidata, has reverberations across the Internet, reinforcing their structure, while scholarship shows that Wikidata itself suffers from the same biases found in other systems of knowledge.

The Edit-a-thon will provide training and datasets for users to begin making their own edits. You are encouraged to bring your own list of notable alumni to work on, and to rsvp no later than Wednesday, April 5th.

Please create a Wikidata user account in advance if you don’t already have one, and then register for this session on the event dashboard. We can also help with the account setup process during the event. 

Presenter: Kalliopi Mathios, Head of Technical Services and Metadata Librarian

Where: 305 Russell / Online

Advanced Searching Strategies, Wednesday, 4/12, 3-4pm

How do you know you are retrieving all the relevant information needed for your research topic? Do you find your catalog and database searches are not giving you the best results? This workshop will cover the strategies and concepts needed to give you confidence that you are finding the best results in your searches and take you beyond conducting simple searches by using tools to search in a variety of contexts. The workshop host will review how to use Educat+, the catalog of the Gottesman Libraries; CLIO, the Columbia University Libraries catalog; and database providers, like EBSCO and Proquest. We will then show how you can optimize your queries by using Boolean logic and punctuation to refine your search style and retrieve exactly the resources you seek.

Presenter: Becca Gates, Research and Instruction Librarian

Please rsvp with your interest and details by Tuesday, April 11th.

 Where: 101 Russell /Online

Introduction to Course Resource Lists for Instructors, Thursday, 4/13, 3-4pm

Course Resource Lists (powered by Ex Libris Leganto) is the Gottesman Libraries’ new, permanent course reserves platform and collaborative tool for instructors and librarians to create and fulfill reading lists for degree-seeking students in courses taught each semester at Teachers College, Columbia University. Course Resource Lists are available to instructors of all active, credit-bearing courses and can be found on the left navigation menu of their courses in Canvas.

Please join us for our fourth Spring session on April 13th held over Zoom, in which we will cover all you need to know to place a library course reserve request or create a Course Resource List yourself. Faculty, course assistants, and professional staff are all welcome to attend.

Interested persons may rsvp in advance and Zoom details will be shared.

For more information be sure to see the Libguide, Course Resource Lists for Instructors, which takes you through all the necessary steps.

Presenter: Roshnara Kissoon, Reserves and Support Services Librarian

Where: Online

Understanding Primary Sources, Thursday, 4/13, 3-4pm

Finding and Understanding Sources, Wednesday, 4/19, 3-4pm

Why search through multiple databases if there is Google Scholar? How do you know if an article is useful and its author credible? When is it okay to use Wikipedia or a podcast? Determining where to find sources and understanding when to use different types of source material for your research can prove vexing. Different contexts of research can change what sources are credible and useful. This workshop will provide clarification through a review of database indexing, peer review, and a thorough explanation of the differences between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. We will understand the different formats research can take, such as a literature review or case study, and determine when to use specific formats over others. 

Presenter: Becca Gates, Research and Instruction Librarian

 Please rsvp with your interest and details by Tuesday, April 18th.

 Where: 101 Russell /Online

Managing Your Citations with Zotero, Thursday, 4/20, 3-4pm

This workshop provides a quick start introduction including: downloading; tour of the interface;  nuts and bolts of how to ingest references through a web connector; and different ways of citing. This workshop will be followed by others in the Elevate Your Research series, offering more advanced features of Zotero and introductory sessions for Endnote and Mendeley -- all within ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries) Frames.

Presenter: Becca Gates, Research and Instruction Librarian

Please rsvp with your interest and details by Wednesday, April 19th.

Where: 101 Russell / Online

 Talks

The Gottesman Libraries sponsors talks by leaders in education, psychology, and the applied health sciences to recognize and celebrate scholarly work of interest to the Teachers College community.

Book Club

The Dragons, the Giant, the Women, by Wayétu  Moore, Tuesday, 4/4, 12-1pm

"When Wayétu Moore turns five years old, her father and grandmother throw her a big birthday party at their home in Monrovia, Liberia, but all she can think about is how much she misses her mother, who is working and studying in faraway New York. Before she gets the reunion her father promised her, war breaks out in Liberia. The family is forced to flee their home on foot, walking and hiding for three weeks until they arrive in the village of Lai. Finally, a rebel soldier smuggles them across the border to Sierra Leone, reuniting the family and setting them off on yet another journey, this time to the United States.

Spanning this harrowing journey in Moore’s early childhood, her years adjusting to life in Texas as a black woman and an immigrant, and her eventual return to Liberia, The Dragons, the Giant, the Women is a deeply moving story of the search for home in the midst of upheaval. Moore has a novelist’s eye for suspense and emotional depth, and this unforgettable memoir is full of imaginative, lyrical flights and lush prose. In capturing both the hazy magic and the stark realities of what is becoming an increasingly pervasive experience, Moore shines a light on the great political and personal forces that continue to affect many migrants around the world, and calls us all to acknowledge the tenacious power of love and family."
-- Publisher's Description

Wayétu Moore is the author of She Would Be King, released by Graywolf Press in September, 2018. Her memoir, The Dragons, The Giant, The Women was also released with Graywolf on June 2, 2020. She is the recipient of the 2019 Lannan Literary Fellowship for Fiction.

 She Would Be King was named a best book of 2018 by Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Entertainment Weekly & BuzzFeed. The novel was a Sarah Jessica Parker Book Club selection, a BEA Buzz Panel Book, a #1 Indie Next Pick and a finalist for the Hurston/Wright Award. The Dragons, The Giant, The Women was a 2020 New York Times Notable Book, Time Magazine 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2020, Publishers Weekly Top 5 Nonfiction Books of 2020, was longlisted for the ALA Andrew Carnegie medal for excellence in nonfiction, and is a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Moore is the founder of One Moore Book, a non-profit organization that creates and distributes culturally relevant books for underrepresented readers. Her first bookstore opened in Monrovia, Liberia in 2015.Her writing can be found in The New York Times, The Paris Review, Frieze Magazine, Guernica, The Atlantic Magazine and other publications. She has been featured in The Economist Magazine, NPR and Vogue Magazine, among others, for her work in advocacy for diverse children’s literature.

Please rsvp by Monday, April 3rd with your interest and details, and come ready to discuss the last parts of The Dragons, the Giant, the Women: A Memoir, "Rainy Season" and "Dry Season" (Chapters 19-29; pp. 171-250 ). Participants are encouraged to bring their lunches; simple refreshments will be provided.

Where: 305 Russell

Why Didn't You Tell Me? A Memoir, by Carmen Rita Wong, Tuesday, 4/18, 12-1pm

Carmen Rita Wong has always craved a sense of belonging: First as a toddler in a warm room full of Black and brown Latina women, like her mother, Lupe, cheering her dancing during her childhood in Harlem. And in Chinatown, where her immigrant father, “Papi” Wong, a hustler, would show her and her older brother off in opulent restaurants decorated in red and gold. Then came the almost exclusively white playgrounds of New Hampshire after her mother married her stepfather, Marty, who seemed to be the ideal of the white American dad.

As Carmen entered this new world with her new family—Lupe and Marty quickly had four more children—her relationship with her mother became fraught with tension, suspicion, and conflict, explained only years later by the secrets her mother had kept for so long.

And when those secrets were revealed, bringing clarity to so much of Carmen’s life, it was too late for answers. When her mother passed away, Carmen wanted to shake her soul by its shoulders and demand: Why didn’t you tell me?

A former national television host, advice columnist, and professor, Carmen searches to understand who she really is as she discovers her mother’s hidden history, facing the revelations that seep out. Why Didn’t You Tell Me? is a riveting and poignant story of Carmen’s experience of race and culture in America and how they shape who we think we are."

-- publisher's description

 Carmen Rita Wong  received a Bachelor's degree in psychology and art history from Fairfield University and a Master's degree in psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a writer and nonprofit board leader whose board positions include The Moth and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She was the co-creator and television host of On the Money on CNBC and was a national advice columnist for Glamour, Latina, Men’s Health, and Good Housekeeping. Wong is the author of a series of novels and two bestselling advice books. She is the founder and CEO of Malecon Productions, LLC, where she develops female-focused media and entertainment. She lives in Manhattan with her daughter.

 Please rsvp by Monday, April 17th with your interest and details.

Participants are encouraged to bring their lunches; simple refreshments will be provided.

Where: 305 Russell

Reception and Art Talk: Crochet Mandalas and Stories of the Heart, with Lisa Daehlin, Thursday, 4/20, 4-5:30pm

Please join us for an opening reception and conversation about Crochet Mandalas and Stories of the Heart, a colorful, vibrant, and unique exhibition by Lisa Daehlin which is on display in Offit Gallery through May. This exhibition features "bits of hooked stitchery worked in the round," or approximately twenty crocheted circles made of special yarns that were donated by the artist's friends from around the world -- from Minnesota to New York to Norway, the land of her ancestors, with Chinatown and Morningside Heights mixed in. The artworks represent aspects of the artist's life experiences and learning, drawn from urban and rural settings; the winter season; sacred or spiritual spaces; family and friends; and pleasant pastimes, like fishing. 

While mandalas are spiritual symbols representing the universe in the Indian religions of Hinduism and Buddhism, they also appear in Christian religions and represent wholeness, holiness, and all things encompassed by God. Originally using them as a teaching tool in her fiber arts classes at the Cooper Union in the early 2000s, Lisa Daehlin was inspired to grow her artful practice into a project known as #LovePeopleBeKind, whose "goal is to bring the world together in seemingly small ways (one heart at a time) that can grow more plentiful than any we can imagine." Her exhibited collection demonstrates "yarn with a story", imbued with meaning also from the giver: for example, through donated yarn that was left over from a sweater knitted as a holiday gift for a friend; yarn purchased on vacation, but which never found a use; or simply yarn of a favorite color.

At Teachers College, Columbia University, Lisa has over the years led crochet and knitting circles, bringing  members closer together through the shared experience of communal art. Accompanying this exhibit is a series of three art workshops, "Crochet and Color Mandalas," designed to create a warm, close sense of community through the joy of mandala making. These coloring, paper collage, and crochet workshops are open to the TC community and offered on Thursdays, from 4-6pm, April 27th, May 4th, and May 25th.

Commented Lisa, who creatively thinks in meaningful shapes, colors, and fibers, "A nice 'full circle' moment recently was when Katie Embree happened to sop by the gallery while we were laying out the show. It was my email to the 2 of you [Katie Embree, Vice President for Planning and Strategy, Chief of Staff to the President, and Secretary of the College; and Jennifer Govan, Library Director and Senior Librarian] last year that launched this thing."

Lisa Daehlin is an artist, educator, performer, and alumna of Teachers College (Music and Music Education, MA 2012). Since 2007 Lisa has served as Academic Secretary in International and Transcultural Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University. Lisa’s artistic identities as a singer and a stitch wielder often blend together in her performance of art song on the concert stage, in cabarets, and in windows of yarn shops ("knitting residencies" in New York City and Northfield, Minnesota). One such example of these interdisciplinary endeavors, her OperaKnit Cabaret, periodically rears its head in various incarnations (including as an online weekly cabaret for the TC Community during the shutdown of 2020). Lisa free-lances for the fashion industry and retail design. Her designs have been published in Interweave Knits, Knit.1, Knit Simple, and Vogue Knitting magazines as well as featured in Lace Style, Bag Style, and The New Tunisian Crochet books published by Interweave Press, and Vogue Knitting: Ultimate Hat Book and Vogue Knitting: Shawls and Wraps by Sixth and Spring Books. Over the past two decades, Lisa has taught at several venues including: 92NY, The Cooper Union, The Creative Center, Newark Museum, PS122 Gallery, Harlem Knitting Circle, University Settlement, Vogue Knitting LIVE, and the American Folk Art Museum in New York.

Kindly rsvp with your interest and details no later than Wednesday, April 26th. We welcome you with all our hearts and refreshments will be served!

Please note: Non Teachers College members can register via online support, using the drop down menu for "Category" to select rsvp. 

Where: 306 Russell / Offit Gallery

Supporting Art Workshops: Crochet and Color Mandalas, Thursday, 4/27, 5/4, and 5/25, 4-6pm

Join us for one or more crochet mandala workshops. What is a mandala, you might ask? (you wouldn't be the first to ask). In this case, it is a bit of hooked stitchery worked in the round. Using a basic single crochet stitch, we will have fun with colors of yarn and learn how to make a circle. Or a scrumble, or a long stringy thing. Meaning: there is room for experimentation and expressive fun! Not sure if yarn is your thing? Fear not! We also have a coloring and paper collage project. You can use imagery of the mandalas in this exhibition and you can also design your own. Come for the fun and explore with  this meditative and relaxing crafty exercise. Materials will be provided. Feel free to drop in anytime during the workshop. You may come and go as you please and your schedule allows.

Instructor: Lisa Daehlin

 These workshops are co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Community Affairs.

Where: 306 Russell

Guest Talk: Theorizing Affect, Race, and Settler Colonialism, with Jasbir Puar, Wednesday, 4/26, 3-3:30pm

Jasbir K. Puar is Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Rutgers University. She is the author of the award-winning books The Right to Maim: Debility, Capacity, Disability (2017), which has been translated into Spanish and Portuguese, and Terrorist Assemblages: Homonationalism in Queer Times (2007), available in French and Spanish, re-issued as an expanded version for its 10th anniversary (2017), and forthcoming in Greek and Portuguese. Her articles have been published in journals such as Social Text and South Atlantic Quarterly, mainstream venues such as Al-Jazeera and The Guardian, and translated into more than 15 languages.  

Dr. Puar is also co-author of exhibitions for the Sharjah Architecture Triennial (2019) and the Sharjah Art Biennial (2023). She is the recipient of the 2019 Kessler Award from the Center for Gay and Lesbian Studies (CLAGS) at CUNY, which recognizes lifetime achievement in and impact on queer research and organizing.

Ezekiel Dixon-Román is Professor of Critical Race, Media, and Educational Studies and Director of the Edmund W. Gordon Institute for Urban and Minority Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.  He is the author of numerous articles and his books include Inheriting Possibility: Social Reproduction and Quantification in Education (2017) and Thinking Comprehensively About Education: Spaces of Educative Possibility and Their Implications for Public Policy (2012).

This guest talk is part of the IUME Spring Speakers Series organized by the Edmund W. Gordon Institute for Urban and Minority Education.

Register for in-person or via Zoom.

Where: 306 Russell / Online

Artivism

The vision of Artivism: The Power of Art for Social Transformation is to generate a movement with committed social artivists in response to historic global unrest. Artivism aims to generate community through multi-disciplinary teamwork for a more dignified and meaningful coexistence, however you define these terms. The goal of this initiative is to nurture confidence in taking continuous action from wherever you are by means of reciprocity.

Art Literacy is Future Literacy, with Angela Chalkiopoulou, Monday, 4/3, 4:30-5:30pm

Children of today are growing up in an environment of overstimulating processes and continuous information. What is the role of future education? Future literacy has a very important task of educating the critical and creative thinkers of tomorrow, of providing this necessary “inner blank” which allow us to absorb, invent and create. This is the path of one’s personal and later of societal development, and this is where children’s literature and art in general will support our efforts as educators.

Angela Chalkiopoulou is a teacher, creative educator, a researcher of children’s literature and a Creative Director to the institution of “Little Odysseus”. She studied English Literature in Artistotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece and at the same time studied Visual Communication in the private institute, Applied Art Studies in Thessaloniki. Her love for experiential learning led her to the creation of an original Children’s Creative Learning Centre, “Alice’s Nest” in Mytilene, Lesbos, Greece. She later moved to Cyprus where she created “Little Odysseus” and a series of programs, “Alice in Writer’s Land” with a focus to a future literacy that uses today’s “creative toolbox” and harnesses the wisdom of culture and art. Among her many awards, she is the received the Global Teacher Award in 2022, by AKS Education Awards.

Where: Online

Register here.

Resources:
Alices Nest (Facebook)
Mikros Odysseas (Facebook)

Wearable Art for a Purpose Roundtable Discussion, Monday, 4/10, 4:30-5:30pm

Creating an Inclusive Culture: The Value of Participatory Methods in Co-Designing Accessible Artifacts, with Anastasia Samara and Angeliki Kosma, Monday, 4/17, 1-2pm

How well do we know our senses and to what extent do we use them when participating in a cultural experience? Inclusive Lines Act and Innovate in Greece, specializing in participatory design and developing its tools. They create projects and workshops that enable participants with and without disabilities to work together on a common basis so as to come to decisions and plan together.

This presentation aims to share more about the utilization of human senses and how to include the people with visual impairment in creative projects. At the end of the presentation, the audience will take part in an inclusive activity, taking an active role in participatory decision making.

Dr. Anastasia Samara is an architect, a cultural manager, a facilitator, a researcher on creative industries and the founder of Inclusive Lines. She has focused many years on her academic development by researching the human-centered aspect of architecture and the preservation of built heritage. Her research has been presented in conferences around Europe and it was part of an exhibition in the Frequency Festival. She lived and worked many years abroad (UK and Germany) but her love for contributing to the cultural sector of her hometown made her establish a professional base in Greece. Inclusive Lines is part of her latest contribution in which she acts as a cultural manager and coordinator. The main goal of her work is to promote participatory design methods in heterogeneous teams in order to create a positive social impact.

Angeliki Kosma is a driven project manager with a background in culture with comprehensive experience leading varying complexity to successful conclusions. Angeliki holds a Master in Cultural Management and Communications from AUTH. Proficient in managing diverse and inclusive initiatives. Experienced in close interactions with internal and external customers, users and sponsors. Has managed teams with dynamic knack to organize, manage and complete projects on time and within budget. Enjoys directing multiple priorities and creating innovative strategies to achieve exceeding objectives.

Where: Online

Register here.

Resources:

Inclusive Lines Website
LinkedIn
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Creative Participation through Art as a Site for Pedagogical Transformation, with Nisha Nair, Monday, 4/24, 4:30-5:30pm

ArtSparks Foundation is an educational nonprofit organization that leverages the power of the visual arts to support the development of 21st century learning and life skills in children from some of the most disadvantaged communities in India.

In order to deliver its programming for children, ArtSparks recruits from within the local communities where it works, women—often marginalized by their own lived experiences—to serve as facilitators. This presentation intends to shed light on an art project that was initiated in response to a curatorial call by the South Asian Women’s Creative Collective (SAWCC) in NYC, for an upcoming exhibition. Four of ArtSparks’ women facilitators were encouraged to submit a piece towards the open call, that has since been accepted into the show, set to open in March 2023.

Nisha Nair is the Founder & Executive Director of ArtSparks Foundation. At Teachers College, she is a doctoral fellow and candidate within the Art & Art Education program. She is also an instructor within the program, having co-designed a course in art and community engagement, which she teaches in the Fall semesters.

Nisha’s work in education spans varied settings, across continents, in both the US and in India. She has served in various capacities from teacher, teacher professional development specialist, curriculum developer, researcher, program director, to her present role as Executive Director. As Executive Director, Nisha wears many hats, supporting organizational strategy development, program design, human resource development, fundraising, and donor relations, to name a few. At the core of her work in education lies a deep interest in how meaningful art experiences can support the development of a range of human capabilities that in turn propel individual and social transformation. And in how educators can promote such experiences for diverse learners. Her current research explores teachers’ creative participation in the making processes of art, viewed through a sociocultural lens, and the position exchanges they facilitate that have implications for perspective transformation and altering teaching practice. Prior to education, Nisha spent 8 years as a multi-award winning graphic designer working in the field of Marketing Communications Design, meeting the branding and design needs of diverse clients such as the Smithsonian Institutions, National Endowment for the Humanities, NASA, and more.

Where: Online

Register here.

Resources:

Instagram
ArtSparks Foundation

Becoming an Artivist, with Rowan Mckiernan, Monday, 5/1, 4:30-5:30pm

Where: Online

Register here.

 Artivism: The Power of Art Social Transformation, grew out of Illuminations of Social Imagination: Learning From Maxine Greene, (Dio Press, 2019), edited by Teachers College alumni Courtney Weida and Carolina Cambronero-Varela, and Dolapo Adeniji-Neill, of Adelphi University. "The concept for this book is inspired by the late Maxine Greene (2000), who described her enduring philosophical focus and legacy of social imagination as “the capacity to invent visions of what should be and what might be in our deficient society, on the streets where we live, in our schools” (p. 5). The purpose of this volume is to examine and illuminate the roles of community organizers and educators who are changing lives through public art and community arts projects. This research originally emerged from a well-attended 2018 conference presentation and exhibition at Teachers College, Columbia University, engaging with the local and international community of arts education and arts administration."

-- Publisher's Description

 Artivism: The Power of Art Social Transformation is jointly sponsored by Adelphi University, Sing for Hope, and the Gottesman Libraries.

Highlighted Databases:  National Poetry Month

 April is National Poetry Month. The celebration was introduced by the National Academy of Poets in 1996 to increase awareness and appreciation for the genre in the United States. Canada followed three years later, honoring the same month, and Britain recognized National Poetry Month starting in October 2000. In recognition of National Poetry Month, we highlight select resources that offer both primary source material; secondary source material, including literary criticism; and curriculum supportive of the teaching of poetry at all levels. Designing curriculum with inspiration from poetry is a creative and fun way to impart knowledge in any subject or academic program at the College. Read more on the library's news feed.

Live Music

The Everett Cafe Music Program sponsors performances by TC student and affiliated musicians. Come enjoy a variety of genres and styles! Please contact us if you are interested in playing! We welcome solos, duets, and trios.

Nicholas DiMaria Trio, Monday, 4/3, 4-5pm

Nicholas DiMaria is a trumpeter, teacher, and composer based in New York City. He draws inspiration from multiple genres and art forms in his compositions and is continuously inspired by expressing visual art in a musical medium. His music is described by audiences as introspective, passionate, and eclectic; influenced by jazz, hip-hop, and classical music.

Nicholas has lead groups at Carnegie Hall, The Northeast Wine and Jazz Festival, The Syracuse Jazz Festival, The Central New York Pride Festival, and restaurants and clubs across New York State. He has also performed at The Great New York State Fair, The CNY January Jazz Festival, the Disneyland All-American College Band, and opened for Grammy-Winner Lalah Hathaway. Nicholas is well-adapted to playing with jazz ensembles, wedding bands, and funk groups. He currently holds a weekly performance residency at Oliva Tapas, NYC (Thursdays and Fridays from 6-8pm). Nicholas is also a faculty member at Larchmont Music Academy, where he teaches trumpet and a jazz ensemble. In 2020, he received his Bachelor's in Jazz Arts from Manhattan School of Music where he studied with Scott Wendholt, Ingrid Jensen, Jim McNeely, and Jon Faddis.

Claremont Strings and Ensemble, Wednesday, 4/12, 4-5:30pm

Spring is in the air!

The Claremont Strings and Ensemble features music for classical strings, from the symphonies of Mozart and Haydn, to well known arias from the operas of Puccini and Bizet. You may hear a selection of continental Viennese waltzes and French cabaret. Musicians of The Claremont Strings Ensemble have performed collectively at Weill Hall, Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall and throughout the Northeast, playing a diverse range of symphonic and chamber music, eclectic jazz, and gypsy swing. Wadsworth Strings, emanating from the Washington Heights area, is a division of Claremont Strings, founded by Vivian Penham, a graduate of the Juilliard School and Columbia University.

Ethan Ostrow Trio, Monday, 4/17, 4-5pm

Ethan Ostrow is a New York-based pianist, ​composer, and teacher from Berkeley, CA. Ethan has had the opportunity to perform at iconic venues such as Birdland Jazz Club, Rockwood Music Hall, and Chelsea Table & Stage, as well as some of the finest venues across the Bay Area. He is also the band-leader for The Outside In, which just finished their first tour through California.

Voci Vibranti, Tuesday, 4/25, 6:30-7:30pm

Finals are here, but come and enjoy the wonderful musical talents of the Teachers College community. This is a special year-end musical performance by Teachers College's Vocal Chamber Ensemble under the teaching and direction of Dr. Jeanne Goffi-Fynn, Director, Doctoral Cohort Program in Music and Music Education, and Lecturer in Music at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Where: Everett Cafe

 News Displays

Need to keep current, look to the past, teach a topic? The Everett Cafe features daily postings of news from around the world, and also promotes awareness of historical events from an educational context. Be sure to check the Cafe News postings on the library blog.

Robert Peary Claims Discovery of the North Pole, Thursday, 4/6

Webster's Dictionary Is Published, Friday, 4/14

Paul Revere's Famous Ride, Tuesday, 4/18

The Library of Congress Is Established, Monday, 4/24

 Book Displays

 We curate collections to encourage reading, use of library resources, and awareness of interesting, relevant themes. Book displays are hosted in Everett Cafe and the second floor collaboration space throughout the year and support programs of the College, as well as the Gottesman Libraries' Education Program.

Everett Cafe: Doing Good

Doing Good means to act virtuously, especially by helping others, or by making a helpful contribution, whether by volunteering, donating, or advocating for others or a cause. Often our wish to do good surpasses our family, friends, and community and extends beyond -- to our country, other countries, or even our planet -- but is not always perceived as helpful or good.

As we become increasingly tuned to the injustices and inequities of our world, we pause to consider the charitable and philanthropic initiatives and efforts of those persons or organizations striving to make a positive impact. We explore the history and meaning of altruism; challenges faced in improving conditions; and the solutions and benefits of doing good -- and being better at doing good. We hope that this book display inspires us to apply our hearts and minds to help others more effectively, on whatever scale.

At Everett Cafe you'll find a new book collection every few weeks that relates to current events, education, or learning environments.

Staff Picks: Gratitude

"Gratitude, while seemingly everywhere at times, when absent, can cause an absence of life. An emotion hard to define, gratitude—or appreciation—is an attitude of thankfulness and is not only highly associated with life satisfaction and happiness but is also very connected with a meaningful life. Research shows gratitude is linked to achievement, work fulfillment, and work “callings.” In addition, gratitude is a character strength of transcendence and is a tendency to value people and things, not taking others for granted. Gratitude correlates with the following: positive emotion, life satisfaction, optimism, prosocial behavior, increased cardiovascular and immune system functioning, longevity, lower levels of anxiety and depression, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness, diligence, and the ability to delay gratification.

In the spirit of this month’s Graduate Student Appreciation Week, where we celebrate the efforts and achievements of graduate students in the community, this collection brings together various disciplines to examine the powerful yet, at times, presumed emotion of appreciation. May this collection inspire you to look inward and outward, reflecting on what makes you grateful and ways to communicate your gratitude. As you explore these works and beyond, consider what it means to be happy and fulfilled. I hope your resiliency and happiness grow."

-- Christina Thompson, Library Associate

 Staff Picks is curated and designed each month by the Gottesman Libraries' staff to highlight resources on educational topics and themes of special interest.

 Where: Reading Room, Second Floor

New and Now: Award-Winning Children's Books

Looking for a new read? Integrating exciting titles into your lesson plans? Building a curriculum for today's young learners? Blast off with the latest and greatest! Books on our "Rocketship" shelves are all award-winning and honoree titles for children's, middle grade, and young adult readers to bring into your orbit.

Where: Reading Room, Second Floor

Exhibit: Crochet Mandalas and Stories of the Heart, through May

"Crochet Mandalas and Stories of the Heart contains pieces, some made with yarn from my own collection; some incorporating yarn and stories from other people I have met as the thread of life weaves itself along life’s way. It is my hope to include a mandala for each of the “communities” in my life: the Chinatown knitting classes that I teach, yarn shop where I work, Teachers College knitting community, Minnesota knitting group, Norway (land of my ancestors) knitting groups, etc. An extended idea is to travel this exhibition to some of those locations at a future date.

These Mandalas are a developing body of work. Originally (20 years or so ago), I had made a couple of them as teaching samples for my classes in the fiber arts (at Cooper Union). Designed to show the math of a flat circle, the imagery of one was purely geometric, and the other, more organic. These crochet samples have followed along in my teaching materials for years. In February of 2021, as I sat in the window of an NYC yarn shop doing a #LovePeopleBeKind Knitting Residency, I began a new generation of my mandalas which used the naturally increasing factor of the heart shape as a design and math element. Playing with those geometric and organic lines, the imagery is changing and growing. Hearts and Roots and now some Flowers seem to be winnowing their way through my hook and hands.

Some of the mandalas use the interplay of two colors in their imagery. An extended idea that is developing shows similar imagery (hearts and sinews and various shapes, bursting out from a central point), but now on a field of concentric rings of color. Each of these bands/rings of color is made of yarn from, and represents, a different person and a glimpse of their story. This “yarn with a story” is donated by various users of yarn (those who knit, crochet, weave, etc). For these versions of the mandala, I take a photo of them handing to me the gift of the yarn to tell the 'story' of the yarn."
- Artist Statement

Lisa Daehlin is an artist, educator, performer, and alumna of Teachers College (Music and Music Education, MA 2012). Since 2007 Lisa has served as Academic Secretary in International and Transcultural Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University.

 Resources:

https://lisadaehlin.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Artist/Lisa-Daehlin-Artist-231292376923366/

This exhibit is designed by the Gottesman Libraries in collaboration with the artist.

Where: Offit Gallery