Springfield College

Mary Oliver Saved by the Beauty of the World
Film Screening and Q&A with Director Sasha Waters
Thursday, October 1, 7:00 to 8:30 PM
Appleton Auditorium, Fuller Arts Center

Come join us for a screening of the film Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World, followed by a Q&A with Sasha Waters, the film's director.

If poetry had a pop icon, Mary Oliver would be it. Celebrated best-selling poet, Pulitzer Prize-winner, lover of dogs and long walks in the woods, openly q***r but intensely private, Oliver was America’s unlikely contemporary mystic, stalking the ponds and forests of Cape Cod for nearly 50 years in order to open herself—and her readers—to the known and unknowable world. From a lonely childhood to literary fame, Oliver’s life was shaped by devotion to nature, paying attention, and the long journey toward learning to love and to be loved. Her poems inspire liberals and conservatives, atheists and believers, naturalists and urbanites, speaking directly to contemporary anxieties about attention, presence, and the human relationship with the natural world—issues that feel especially pressing in an era of climate crisis, digital distraction, and social fragmentation.

Featuring interviews with her close friends, including John Waters, never-before-seen personal photos, notebooks, and correspondence from her archive, and recitations of her work by Stephen Colbert, Lucy Dacus, Steve Buscemi, and Oprah Winfrey, Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World considers the poet’s long lifetime of work in context, capturing the uniqueness of her world and the natural beauty that inspired her.

Check out the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7bfYkgotBM

Sasha Waters’ 2018 feature Garry Winogrand: All Things are Photographable won a Special Jury Prize at the SXSW Film Festival, and her 2024 short Ghost Protists premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. She is a professor of Film at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts in Richmond, Va.

This event is free and open to the Springfield College community and the public.

Join us in the William Blizard Gallery to experience Eternal: Elements, a collaboration between visual artist LESN101 and music producer NAGO as they compose paintings and songs alongside each other, showcasing their artistic processes in real time. Focusing on the classical elements for inspiration, LESN101 and NAGO demonstrate that the quality of composition is not governed by the complexity of materials, but by the strength of the cypher. Eternal: Elements is part of the Wiggle Room art exhibit.

Live Painting + Live Beatmaking
William Blizard Gallery
Visual Arts Center, Second Floor, Blake Hall

Performance Dates:
Thursday, September 24, 12:15 to 1:05 PM
Thursday, October 22, 12:15 to 1:05 PM
Tuesday, November 10, 12:15 to 1:05 PM

These performances are free and open to the community and the public.

✨ Taking the stage at Jacob’s Pillow! Senior Dance/DPT student Rachel Vakassian spent her summer performing at the renowned Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. 🩰👏

Full story: https://springfield.edu/news/springfield-college-senior-performs-jacobs-pillow-dance-festival

📸 Jamie Kraus

🚨 JUST 3 DAYS AWAY! 🚨

🍁 Family Weekend starts THIS Friday, September 25! Bring your family together for a weekend filled with connection, celebration, and unforgettable Springfield College moments. 🔻✨

Register today! https://springfield.edu/student-life/student-activities/family-weekend

Wiggle Room
September 23-November 18, 2026, 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Closing Reception: November 18, 2026, 4:00 to 5:30 PM
William Blizard Gallery
Second Floor, Herbert P. Blake Hall

In this lyrical exhibition, artists LESN101 and Madge Evers position the gallery as an evolving site of creative inquiry. Emphasizing artistic freedom, they are given the option to test, revise, and reimagine their work over the duration of the show. Interactive elements extend this inquiry to the public, creating “wiggle room” — a generative space between intention and constraint where participation, experimentation, and unexpected possibilities can emerge.

Learn about the artists: https://springfield.edu/about/facilities/william-blizard-gallery -room

Your future starts at Springfield College! 🔻

Join us for our Fall Undergraduate Open House on November 1, 8, or 15 at 9:45 a.m.! 🎓 Tour campus, connect with faculty and current students, and experience what makes Springfield College special. 🍂

👉 Register today: https://springfield.edu/openhouse

We can’t wait to welcome you to campus! 😃🍁

Springfield College alumnus Ron VanDeVeen ’89 grew up just 20 minutes from Giants Stadium and the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, N.J., attending his first concert and football game at the venues.

More than three decades later, VanDeVeen has built a distinguished career of his own, establishing himself as a trusted and influential leader behind one of the country’s most iconic sports and entertainment destinations.

Full story: https://springfield.edu/news/springfield-college-alumnus-remains-influential-leader-metlife-stadium

Each year, joins colleges and universities across the country in observing Constitution Day. On September 17, 1787, delegates attending the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia signed the final draft of the United States Constitution after four months of debate, drafting, and revision. Since 2004, all schools receiving federal funds have observed Constitution Day in some form during the week of September 17.

This year, Joseph A. MacDougald, presented on "The Constitution and the Environment: From Theodore Roosevelt to Today"

MacDougald is professor-in-residence, Strasser fellow in environmental law, and is the executive director of UConn Law’s Center for Energy & Environmental Law (CEEL), the director of the LLM in Energy & Environmental Law, and the faculty advisor to the Energy & Environmental Law Society.

The evening was sponsored by the Springfield College Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Criminal Justice.

It was an inspiring evening of connection, reflection, and empowerment centered on The Power of Embracing Your Story. ✨

Thanks to Zae Valera, M.Ed., we reflected on the power of honoring where we come from, embracing our experiences, and recognizing how our stories shape the way we lead, connect, and create opportunities for others.

Thanks to the for hosting this event and to everyone who joined us in celebrating the stories, voices, and experiences that make our community stronger.