Pulitzer Prize winner Art Spiegelman will open the series, which runs from October to April.
Artist, illustrator and author Art Spiegelman, known for his Holocaust narrative "Maus," will open the 11th season of the Texas Tech University Presidential Lecture & Performance series Oct. 21.
Spiegelman, whose work is best known for its shifting graphic styles, formal complexity and controversial content, will deliver the lecture, "What the %@&*! Happened to Comics?" The lecture will focus on how comics have evolved, explain the value of the medium and discuss why it should not be ignored.
After studying cartooning in high school, Spiegelman began drawing professionally at 16. In 1992, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his work on the graphic novel "Maus," which portrays Jews as mice and Nazis as cats. The work, along with a second graphic novel, "Maus II," tells the story of his parents' survival of the Nazi regime and their lives in America.
In addition to the Pulitzer, Spiegelman was awarded the Grand Prix at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2011. He is one of only three Americans to receive the honor.
Other shows planned for the season are:
- The Second City (Nov. 11): Chicago's legendary sketch and improv comedy theater troupe will perform "The Best of The Second City." This must-see show features the best sketches and songs from their 55-year history – made famous by superstars like Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray and more – as well as their trademark improvisation.
- Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue (Feb. 3): Grammy Award-winning soul singer Mike Farris performs "Soul of America: From Motown to Memphis to Muscle Shoals." After electrifying audiences with the impact of his live performance, Farris was invited to be a featured performer in 2011 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 16th Annual American Masters Concert honoring Aretha Franklin.
- We Banjo 3 (March 3): The award-winning Irish and American roots ensemble is among the most celebrated and distinguished young musicians in Ireland today. Its competitive success is unrivaled, with band members holding multiple All-Ireland titles on banjo, fiddle, bodhrán and guitar. The group's most recent album was named Traditional Album of the Year by The Irish Times.
- MOMIX (April 21): The internationally renowned dance company will present "Opus Cactus," a "dynamic journey into the hidden landscape of the American Southwest." With nothing more than light, shadow, props and the human body, MOMIX has astonished audiences on five continents for more than 35 years.
All events begin at 7 p.m. in the Allen Theatre. Tickets are $18 per event or $75 for the season. Members of the public can buy tickets by calling Select-A-Seat at (806) 770-2000 or going to the website. Texas Tech students can receive one free ticket per event with a valid Texas Tech ID at the information desk in the Student Union Building.
Buckwheat Zydeco Tour Dates Cancelled
Grammy Award-winning singer and accordionist Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural, Jr., leader of Buckwheat Zydeco, battled lung and throat cancer since 2013 and was recently hospitalized in his hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana.
Dural died Saturday (Sept. 24) at Our Lady Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette. He was 68.
Buckwheat Zydeco tour dates through January 2017 have been cancelled, including a performance previously scheduled on Nov. 11 as part of the Presidential Lecture & Performance series.
For more information, visit the series' website or Facebook page.
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