By Caroline Martz ’25
Highlights during the months of October and November include concerts, art exhibits and panels discussing current events.
All events are open to the public and are free of charge unless otherwise noted. For information regarding athletics events, visit athletics.wofford.edu.
Please check Wofford’s campus calendar for additional events and the latest information: Wofford.edu/calendar.
Friday, Oct. 11
Land as Kinship: Race and Migration beyond Settler Colonialism, Brian Burkhart
11:30 a.m., McMillan Theater, Mungo Student Center
Dr. Brian Burkhart, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, as well as philosophy professor from the University of Oklahoma, will speak about his current work “As Strong as the Land that Made You: Native American and Indigenous Philosophies of Well-Being through the Land.”
Friday, Oct. 11-12
Family Weekend
Visit Wofford.edu/familyweekend for a full schedule
Saturday, Oct. 12
Undergraduate Research Presentations and Reception
9:30 a.m., Great Oaks Hall, Roger Milliken Science Center
Learn about various research projects conducted by Wofford’s student researchers and their faculty mentors.
Saturday, Oct. 12
Family Weekend Choral Concert
5 p.m., Jerome Johnson Richardson Theatre
Wofford’s student music ensembles will showcase their talents through performances at the Family Weekend concert!
Sunday, Oct. 14
Candidate Forum with Kathryn Harvey
7 p.m., Leonard Auditorium, Main Building
Harvey is a native of Spartanburg with global experience in politics, supporting nonprofits and advocacy organizations. She is running for Congress as a representative of the fourth district. She will discuss access to affordable health care, employment, the economy, reproductive rights, smart growth and infrastructure.
Monday, Oct. 21
NATIONAL SPEAKER: Senator Claire McCaskill: The Future of American Democracy
6 p.m., Leonard Auditorium, Main Building — part of the Defining or Dividing Speakers Series
Join Senator Claire McCaskill in a moderated discussion and question and answer session on “The Future of American Democracy.” She will discuss threats to American Democracy and the importance of protecting democratic institutions. Additionally, she will also discuss the role of the media in American Democracy and explain how to identify reliable sources of information.
Wednesday, Oct. 23
The Blessing of the Animals
12:30 p.m., Burwell Building
A student-favorite event because there will be live animals eager for attention, the Rev. Dr. Ron Robinson, Perkins-Prothro Chaplain and Professor of Religion, will bless the campus community’s animal friends. The Office of the Chaplain will also offer sweet treats.
Wednesday, Oct. 24
Curator’s talk by Riley Jones: Southern Self-Taught Artists in the Region and Beyond
6 p.m., Richardson Family Art Museum, Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts
Curator Riley Jones will discuss how self-taught artists from the South first made their mark on the mainstream art world and all the ways they are showing up in museums across the world today. A light reception to follow.
Friday, Oct. 25
The Presidency in Transformation: The Roots of Today’s Struggles over Executive Power — part of the Defining or Dividing Speakers Series
3 p.m., Olin Teaching Theatre (Room 101), Franklin W. Olin Building
Dr. John Dearborn, assistant professor of political science at Vanderbilt University, will discuss the relationship between presidents and the administrative state. He will explore how these tensions have remained relevant through the years and how they are coming into play during the 2024 presidential election.
Friday, Oct. 24-26
Homecoming
Visit Wofford.edu/homecoming for a full schedule.
Saturday, Oct. 26
Mill-O-Ween at Glendale
11 a.m.-1 p.m., Goodall Environmental Studies Center, Glendale
This early Halloween celebration includes trunk-or-treating, live music and time enjoying the shoals and gardens.
Monday, Oct. 28
Dunlap Chamber Music Series: Vox Luminis
7 p.m., Leonard Auditorium, Main Building
Vox Luminis, a Belgian early music vocal ensemble, will be performing a concert featuring an Italian, English and German repertoire from the 16th through the 18th centuries. The group was founded in 2004 by Lionel Meunier. Admission to this event is free, and the public is invited to attend. Visit https://www.wofford.edu/student-experiences/arts-culture/chamber-music-series for more information.
Tuesday, Oct. 29
Congressional Budget Director Phillip Swagel talk
6 p.m., TBD
Details to follow.
Nov. 7-9; 13-16
The Amateurs
7 p.m., Sallenger Sisters Black Box Theater, Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the arts
Performances begin at 7 p.m. The box office opens one hour before show time. Admission is $12 for the public, $10 for Wofford employees and $5 for students. The Amateurs, a dark comedy written by Jordan Harrison, is a wildly inventive and funny work that examines the evolution of human creativity in a dark age: When does a crisis destroy us, and when does it open new frontiers. The play is directed and acted by Wofford students.
Wednesday, Nov. 13
Dr. Vernon Burton, Justice Deferred: Race and the Supreme Court — part of the Defining or Dividing Speakers Series
6 p.m., Olin Teaching Theatre (Room 101), Franklin W. Olin Building
Join Dr. Vernon Burton from Clemson University in his discussion of his most recent book, “Justice Deferred: Race and the Supreme Court.” Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signature.
Gallery and Museum Exhibitions:
Visit Wofford.edu/arts for a full listing and gallery hours.
The League of Extraordinary Artists: The Art Students League of New York and its Impact on Southern Art Presented by the Johnson Collection
Richardson Family Art Museum
Sept. 13 – Dec. 13
This collection of 25 paintings honors the legacy of the Art Students League and was specifically selected for this exhibit out of hundreds of works in the Johnson Collection. Admission to this exhibit is free.
Inside Addition: Folk and Self Taught Art in the American South
Richardson Family Art Museum
Sept. 13 – Dec. 13
The works in this exhibit showcase the deep roots of African culture, and specifically exemplify the diasporic traditions of these various cultures. The exhibit includes both paintings and sculptures. Admission to this exhibit is free, and the exhibit is located in the Richardson Family Art Museum.
Alumni Art Exhibition
Richardson Family Gallery
Sept. 13 – Oct. 27
This juried show features some of the college’s most talented alumni artists. For more information, visit the Alumni Art Exhibition page.
No Back Door: Integrating Wofford College, 1964-1994
Martha Cloud Chapman Gallery, Sandor Teszler Library
This exhibit explores the first 30 years of racial integration at Wofford College. The exhibit is made possible in part by a Network for Vocation and Undergraduate Edeucation “Reframing the Institutional Saga” grant supported by the Council of Independent Colleges and the Lilly Endowment. Visit https://digitalcommons.wofford.edu/libraryexhibits/10/ to learn more.