From the builders of some of America’s earliest railroads and farms to Civil Rights pioneers to digital technology entrepreneurs, Indian Americans have long been an inextricable part of American life. “Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation” explores the Indian American experience and the community’s vital political, professional, and cultural contributions to American life and history. The exhibition moves past pop-culture stereotypes of Indian Americans to explore the heritage, daily experience, and diverse contributions of Indian immigrants and their descendants in the United States. Weaving together stories of individual achievement and collective struggle, “Beyond Bollywood” uses photography, narrative, multimedia, and interactive stations to tell a uniquely American story, while conveying the texture, vibrancy, and vitality of Indian American communities.

“Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation” was created by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The Mathers Museum’s presentation of the exhibit has been generously funded by Indiana University alumnus Robert N. Johnson, the Madhusudan and Kiran C. Dhar India Studies Program, the Asian American Studies Program, and the Department of American Studies. Gallery is open 9am-4:30 pm Tues-Fri and 1pm-4:30pm Sat/Sun.

Free visitor parking is available by the Indiana Avenue lobby entrance. Metered parking is available at the McCalla School parking lot on the corner of Ninth Street and Indiana Avenue. The parking lot also has spaces designated for Indiana University C and ST permits. During the weekends free parking is available on the surrounding streets.An access ramp is located at the Fess Avenue entrance, on the corner of Ninth Street and Fess Avenue. Reserved parking spaces are available on Ninth Street, between Fess Avenue and Indiana Avenue. If you have a disability and need assistance, special arrangements can be made to accommodate most needs. Please call 812-855-6873.

The Indiana Daily Student Housing Fair is a one-of-a-kind event that connects students and local housing representatives. Stop by and enter to win great prizes from local businesses, have some fun and explore your housing options.

The spring fair will be on Thursday, February 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. located in the Indiana Memorial Union Frangipani Room.

According to Pawan Dhingra, Professor and Chair of Sociology and Professor of American Studies at Tufts University, and Smithsonian Institution curator of Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation, Indian Americans occupy a unique place in today’s cultural imaginary, as the epitome of the “model minority.” Whether doctors, software engineers, or spelling bee champions, Indian Americans are praised for their professional achievements and hard work. Efforts to dismantle the stereotype argue that portrayals cover up much of the heterogeneity of Indian America, those in poverty, survivors of violence, activists, and more. This presentation, however, deconstructs the model minority notion in a different way, one hopefully more persuasive to its supporters. It argues that the best way to deconstruct the stereotype is to connect those who are on different sides of it as having similar pasts and trajectories rather than presenting them as distinct. Doing so undermines the notion of a model minority exceptionalism without dismissing the achievements or struggles of various groups.Dhingra is the author of the award-winning Life Behind the Lobby: Indian American Motel Owners and the American Dream (Stanford University Press, 2012) which has been profiled in National Public Radio, Philadelphia Inquirer, Colorlines Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere. He also authored the award-winning Managing Multicultural Lives: Asian American Professionals and the Challenge of Multiple Identities (Stanford University Press, 2007), and co-authored the Asian America: Sociological and Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Polity Press 2014), and is President of the Board of the South Asian American Digital Archive. The lecture will be presented in conjunction with the exhibit Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation, created by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The Mathers Museum’s presentation of the exhibit and related programming has been generously funded by Indiana University alumnus Robert N. Johnson, the Madhusudan and Kiran C. Dhar India Studies Program, the Asian American Studies Program, and the Department of American Studies. The event will be free and open to the public.

Free visitor parking is available by the Indiana Avenue lobby entrance. Metered parking is available at the McCalla School parking lot on the corner of Ninth Street and Indiana Avenue. The parking lot also has spaces designated for Indiana University C and ST permits. During the weekends free parking is available on the surrounding streets. An access ramp is located at the Fess Avenue entrance, on the corner of Ninth Street and Fess Avenue. Reserved parking spaces are available on Ninth Street, between Fess Avenue and Indiana Avenue. If you have a disability and need assistance, special arrangements can be made to accommodate most needs. Please call 812-855-6873.

Led by Elisa Pokral, the class is for all to practice together an ancient art of health maintenance and healing with whatever flexibility level you have. The class welcomes those who exercise regularly, those who don’t, those with limited mobility, and some who may only be able to do the exercises sitting down.

Readings are followed by group discussion to help participants shift their thoughts and feelings toward abundance in their lives. The group is ongoing and weekly, and is led by Sakshi Zion.

The City of Bloomington’s 12th annual celebration of African American life, history, and culture will kick off Thursday, February 4, beginning with a reception at 6 p.m. in the Showers City Hall Atrium. Mayor John Hamilton will offer welcome remarks at the Kick-off Program beginning at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Reclaiming the Next Hundred Years;” an acknowledgement of Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s establishment of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History in 1915. “Reclaiming the Next Hundred Years” is an invitation for community members to explore the legacies and actively engage the contributions of Black people and Americans of African descent in Bloomington and beyond. This year’s celebration is a call to action and rededication to the mission of addressing the ignorance by countering the misrepresentation of African Americans. This event is free and open to the public, however those attending who can afford to are requested to help others by bringing non-perishable food items.

The Kick-off Celebration will feature a video message from Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and former IU Professor of History, Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad; a dance performance by Dr. Nyama McCarthy-Brown and the IU dance project; and a keynote address by Dr. Charlie Nelms, Vice President Emeritus, Indiana University, and former Chancellor of North Carolina Central University, Durham.

Bloomington’s annual runway event–Trashion Refashion–has inspired designers, students, and community members (adults and children) to find new ways to reuse discarded materials in a creative way. Open to all skill levels, anyone can submit their design and any model can walk the runway regardless of body type or experience. Submissions are open until March 1, 2016, and if you’re thinking about submitting a design, we’ll provide workspace and some materials during this event to help get you on your way. (We’ll have a limited number of sewing machines, so feel free to bring your own.) The event is free and open to the public.

David Dzubay, director
Samuel Adler, guest composer

Texu Kim, alumnus guest composer (Georgina Joshi Composition
Commission Award)
Phillip Sink, student composer (Dean’s Prize commission)

Connor Lidell, baritone

Repertoire
Sink: Argle Bargle for ensemble* (2015)
Adler: String Quartet No. 10 (2014)
Adler: Be Not Afraid: the Isle is Full of Noises
for brass quintet (1999)
Kim: Pansori Showcase for baritone and ensemble** (2015)

*Dean’s Prize commission
**Georgina Joshi Composition Commission Award

Guest Recital