'Arts At Bucks' Festival Underway At BCCC Through May 9

Bucks County Community College's "Arts at Bucks" event is underway through May 9 and features various concerts, exhibitions, films, and other activities. The annual Arts at Bucks festival showcases the "talent and academic excellence" at the college, according to an event announcement.

Here is a look at some of the events scheduled as part of the festival:

Visual Arts Events

April 30 The Department of the Arts opens its doors from 1 to 4 p.m. for free demonstrations, gallery receptions, open studios, and more. Demonstrations include woodturning, glassblowing, printmaking, and a bronze foundry pour. In addition, students will be selling their arts and crafts in the Hicks Art Center courtyard. Admission is free. For a complete schedule, visit www.bucks.edu/artsatbucks.

April 28 The 52nd Annual Student Exhibition opens in the Hicks Art Center Gallery, running through May 9. An awards ceremony takes place at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 30 during the department’s open house. Admission is free. For gallery hours, visit www.bucks.edu/gallery.

April 17 to June 8 The Gallery at the Lower Bucks Campus hosts “stART Trek,” an exhibition featuring local artists exploring ideas related to science fiction and the universe. A reception with refreshments and participating artists will be held from 6 – 8 p.m. on April 21. Admission is free. To learn more, visit www.bucks.edu/galleryatlbc.

May 3 The juried annual Bucks Film Festival takes place in the Kevin and Sima Zlock Performing Arts Center. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m., with screenings starting at 6 p.m. The film festival is free and open to the public.

Also, Artmobile, the college’s traveling outreach museum, will be on display adjacent to the Hicks Art Center Gallery. Visitors can take in the interactive exhibition “Structures & Stories: Contemporary Book Arts” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, April 25, 26 and 27, and again from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 30.

Musical Events

May 4 Gerald Veasley’s Electric Mingus Project will host a master class at 2 p.m. and a concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Zlock Performing Arts Center. The concert features a fierce, swinging homage to the late bass master Charles Mingus that fuses Mingus’ compositions with Veasley’s own masterful style. The master class is free and open to the public. Concert tickets are $30 for a pre-concert VIP reception; $15 for adults; $10 for seniors, alumni, children, and students; and free for Bucks students with current ID. Tickets can be purchased online at www.bucks.edu/tickets.

May 6 “Unrivaled Sound: A Steinway Celebration” takes place at 7 p.m. in the Zlock Performing Arts Center. The concert features Bucks music students, faculty, ensembles, and guests performing to mark the occasion of Bucks being named an All-Steinway School upon the acquisition of 10 Steinway pianos over the last eight years. The distinction makes Bucks the only community college in the nation that is both an All-Steinway School and an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music. Admission is free.

Also, student musicians and vocalists perform free concerts April 12, 24, 26, and 27, and May 1, 3 and 9. The student concerts take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Presser Music Room, with the exception of the Jazz Orchestra on May 9 in the Zlock Performing Arts Center. Admission is free. For a complete list, visit www.bucks.edu/news/culture/music.

Poetry, Lectures, More

April 21 The college’s Wordsmiths Reading Series presents a poetry reading with Montgomery County Poet Laureate Amy Small-McKinney and Philadelphia Poet Laureate Yolanda Wisher at 7:30 p.m. in the Orangery building. Admission is free.

April 29 The 10th annual Tyler Gardens & Landscaping Lecture takes place at 9 a.m. in the Zlock Performing Arts Center. Michael Stengari, head horticulturalist at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, N.J., speaks on “Encouraging Art and Nature at Grounds for Sculpture.” A tour of the formal gardens behind Tyler Hall follows. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for alumni and veterans, and $5 for students. Tickets are available at www.bucks.edu/foundation/events and at the door.