Tuesday, August 22 

Todd Jones, “The Forgotten,” visiting exhibition

Gallery 406, Arts West, 
Exhibition runs through October 19

Todd Jones current work explores residual cultural memory through the detritus of the ever-decreasing life cycle of our identity-driven attention economy. Through archeological curation, accretion and excavation processes, he creates new objects that query the values of our current sociopolitical positions and examine implications for sustainability.

Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, Jones is visiting assistant professor and gallery director for the art department at Meredith College. He received his BFA with a double major in Studio Art and Psychology from Florida State University, and an MFA in Painting + Drawing. He has been an artist-in-residence at several notable creative arts centers and has exhibited his work in solo and group shows nationally. He was 2022 William and Dorothy Yeck Award Finalist at Miami University’s Young Painters Competition and a Fifth Edition of the Boynes Emerging Artist Award finalist.

Thursday, August 24

Numen Lumen: A Thursday Inspiration

Sacred Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 9:50 a.m.
Repeating Thursdays (class days) until November 16

Join us each Thursday for our beloved Elon tradition, Numen Lumen. Numen Lumen is a time set aside for inspiration, community and fellowship. Hear speakers and musicians share their thoughts, reflections and stories based on a common theme. Sponsored by Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life

Sunday, September 3

Mass of the Holy Spirit

Elon Community Church, 271 N. Williamson Avenue, Elon, 5 p.m.

Catholic Campus Ministry starts the academic year with a special blessing at the annual Mass of the Holy Spirit. All are invited to attend this Catholic worship service, especially all students, faculty and staff. A Sunday supper event will follow. Hosted by Catholic Campus Ministry and the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life

Tuesday, September 5

Global Neighborhood Dialogue Dinner: Fearlessly Curious Conversations

Lakeside Meeting Rooms, 5:30 p.m.

The Global Neighborhood will host a dialogue dinner focused on the 2023-24 Elon Common Reading “I Never Thought of it That Way.” Join students, staff, faculty and community members for dialogue about political polarization in the U.S. and around the world, and how we can start addressing this issue with “fearlessly curious conversations.” To help start the conversation, we will hear from campus and community partners involved in promoting change through dialogue, including the Kernodle Center, the Power and Place Collaborative and Impact Alamance. Registration for dinner may be required. Check the online cultural calendar for updates. Sponsored by the Global Neighborhood, Belk Library and Kernodle Center for Civic Life

Tuesday, September 5

Shaina Jones, poetry reading

McBride Gathering Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 7 p.m.

Shaina Phenix’s debut poetry collection, “To Be Named Something Else,” is the winner of the 2023 Miller Williams Poetry Prize. A 2021-22 Jay C. and Ruth Halls Poetry Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Phenix writes about Black experience and culture, about coming-of-age in Harlem, about Black matriarchy writ large, and she does so with energy and inventiveness. Phenix is one of Elon’s own, starting her second year as an assistant professor of English (under the name Shaina Jones) in Elon’s English department. Sponsored by the Department of English

Wednesday-Friday, September 6-8

Green Tara Sand Mandala

Sacred Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, ongoing viewing 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day

Tibetan Buddhist monk Geshe Palden Sangpo will construct a Green Tara sand mandala for healing and peace during a period of three days. Viewers are encouraged to frequently stop by to see its progress. An opening ceremony will begin the process at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, and a closing ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. on Friday in which the mandala is deconstructed and the sand is shared with the community and the earth. Sponsored by Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life

Thursday, September 7

Mark Nizer: Expect the Impossible

McCrary Theatre, Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m.
Elon Lyceum Series

Making the impossible possible and the improbable probable, Mark Nizer is one of the greatest entertainers performing today. Don’t miss the combination of original comedy, world class juggling, movement, music, light and technology that promises a spellbinding evening. Caution: Laser and strobe light will be used during performance. Admission: $15 or Elon ID. Tickets available August 22 at elon.edu/boxoffice.

Monday, September 11

Todd Jones, “The Forgotten,” artist talk and opening reception

Gallery 406, Arts West, 5:30 p.m.
Exhibition runs from August 22 through October 19

Todd Jones current work explores residual cultural memory through the detritus of the ever-decreasing life cycle of our identity-driven attention economy. Through archeological curation, accretion and excavation processes, he creates new objects that query the values of our current sociopolitical positions and examine implications for sustainability.

Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, Jones is visiting assistant professor and gallery director for the art department at Meredith College. He received his BFA with a double major in Studio Art and Psychology from Florida State University, and an MFA in Painting + Drawing. He has been an artist-in-residence at several notable creative arts centers and has exhibited his work in solo and group shows nationally. He was 2022 William and Dorothy Yeck Award Finalist at Miami University’s Young Painters Competition and a Fifth Edition of the Boynes Emerging Artist Award finalist.

Tuesday, September 12

“Hocus Pocus: the magic of point-of-care ultrasound”
Tectonic Plates: Alamance County’s Science Café

Burlington Beer Works, 103 East Front Street, Burlington NC, 7 p.m.

Each month on 2nd Tuesdays, a different scientist will lead an engaging and lively discussion in a relaxed atmosphere without all the technical jargon. In September, Cindy Bennett of Elon University will be the featured expert. For more information, visit facebook.com/TectonicPlatesScienceCafé

Thursday, September 14

The Camarada Tango Quartet and Dancers, “Tango Obsession”

McCrary Theatre, Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m.
Music by Astor Piazzolla, arranged by Grammy-award winning tango master Raul Jaurena
Elon Lyceum Series in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month

“Tango Obsession” features musical selections from the traditional tango of Toto Damario and Mariano Mores to the seductive rhythms of Astor Piazzolla’s beloved masterworks. Camarada has selected a variety of tango styles – dark and sultry with driving tempos to sunny and syncopated. Admission: $15 or Elon ID. Tickets available August 22 at elon.edu/boxoffice.

Friday-Sunday, September 15-17

Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year)

Rosh Hashanah is the holiday marking the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashanah is a time for new beginnings, spiritual renewal and community. Holiday traditions include gathering for prayer services to hear the blowing of the shofar, or ram’s horn, dipping apples into honey to symbolize hopes for a sweet new year and gathering for communal meals. Events are hosted by the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life and Jewish Life

Dinner
Friday, September 15
McBride Gathering Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 6 p.m. (RSVP only)

Day 1 Services
Saturday, September 16
Sacred Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 10 a.m.

Luncheon
Saturday, September 16
McBride Gathering Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 12 p.m. (RSVP only)

Tashlich
Saturday, September 16
Lake Mary Nell (meet at Sklut Hillel Center), 1:30 p.m.

Monday, September 18

“The Fire of Freedom”

McCrary Theatre, Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m.
Starring actor/playwright Mike Wiley; special guest vocalist Mary D. Williams; based on the book by David Cecelski; adapted for the stage by Howard L. Craft
Elon Lyceum Series

In this one-many theatrical performance, actor Mike Wiley tells the story of Abraham Galloway, a fiery young slave rebel, radical abolitionist and Union spy who rose out of bondage to become one of the most significant and stirring black leaders in the South during the Civil War. He risked his life behind enemy lines, recruited black soldiers for the North, and fought racism in the Union army’s ranks. He stood at the forefront of an African American political movement, leading a historic delegation of black southerners to the White House to meet President Lincoln and to demand the full rights of citizenship. He later became one of the first Black men elected to the North Carolina legislature. Admission: $15 or Elon ID. Tickets available August 22 at elon.edu/boxoffice.

Tuesday, September 19

Robert Lustig, “The True Purpose of Nutrition”

McCrary Theatre, Center for the Arts, 7 p.m.
Voices of Discovery Science Speaker Series and Liberal Arts Forum Lecture

A neuroendocrinologist specializing in metabolism, obesity and nutrition, Robert Lustig explores the role that food and nourishment play in the development of metabolic syndrome and consequently in the development of increasingly common diseases that plague humans today.  Lustig disagrees with the up-and-coming belief that “food is medicine” and instead argues that food can be medicine but can also be poison. He is author of “Metabolical, The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine,” which focuses on the connection of processed foods to metabolic pathways that lead to chronic health conditions. He is the chief science officer of the nonprofit Eat REAL and serves on the advisory board of the UC Davis Innovation Institute for Food and Health.

Tuesday, September 19

ReUnited States, film screening and discussion

Global Commons 103, Media Room, 7 p.m.

The 2023-24 Global Film Series kicks off with a screening and discussion of the film ReUnited States (2020). The Global Neighborhood theme this year is “Dialogue Across Difference,” and this feature documentary film explores this topic through the eyes of ordinary citizens in the U.S. who have been impacted by political polarization, and who are working to make a difference through dialogue and understanding. The film touches on issues of global importance including race and racism, immigration and violent extremism. Sponsored by the Global Neighborhood

Thursday, September 21

Moníca Guzmán, “Curious Questions, Sparking Conversations”

Alumni Gym, Koury Athletic Center, 7 p.m.
Elon Common Reading Lecture and Elon University Speaker Series

Moníca Guzmán is a bridge builder, journalist and author who lives for great conversations. She is the author of the Elon University 2023-24 Common Reading selection, “I Never Thought of It That Way: How To Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times.”

She is Senior Fellow for Public Practice at Braver Angels, the nation’s largest cross-partisan grassroots organization working to depolarize America; founder and CEO of Reclaim Curiosity, an organization working to build a more curious world; cofounder of the award-winning Seattle newsletter The Evergrey; and advisor for Starts With Us and the Generations Over Dinner project. A Mexican immigrant, Latina and dual US/Mexico citizen, she lives in Seattle with her husband and two children and is a proud liberal daughter of conservative parents.

For first-year students, the Common Reading marks the beginning of the Elon Core Curriculum, the shared courses and experiences that put knowledge into practice and enable the integration of learning across the disciplines. The Elon Common Reading Program challenges students, faculty and staff to examine themselves and the local and global worlds they inhabit through reading and related discussions that aim not only to encourage critical reflection about important issues but also to invite consideration of how our individual actions affect these issues. Admission: $15 or Elon ID. Tickets will be available beginning August 22 at elon.edu/boxoffice.

Sunday, September 24

Elon Contemporary Chamber Ensemble

Black Box Theatre, Center for the Arts, 2 p.m.
Jonathan Poquette, director

Composed of professional musicians from the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, the Elon Contemporary Chamber Ensemble concert will feature a wide variety of contemporary music suited for all audiences. Sponsored by the Department of Music

Sunday-Monday, September 24 & 25

Yom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement)

Considered by many to be the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur is a 25-hour fast day, during which time Jews take stock of their past year, atone, repent and many wear white to mark the somber mood of the day, the opportunity for a fresh start, and the connection to the cycle of life and death. According to tradition, on Rosh Hashanah, the Book of Life is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed. The Elon community gathers for meals to begin and end the fast and participates in prayer services. Events are hosted by Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life and Jewish Life

Meal Before the Fast
Sunday, September 24
LaRose Student Commons, 5:30 p.m. (RSVP only)

Kol Nidrei Services
Sunday, September 24
Sacred Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 6:30 p.m.

Morning Services
Monday, September 25
Sacred Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 10 a.m.

Yizkor Followed by Neilah Services
Monday, September 25
Sacred Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 6:30 p.m.

Havdalah/Break Fast
Monday, September 25
McBride Gathering Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 7:30 p.m. (RSVP only)

Tuesday, September 26

Active Citizen Series: Deliberative Dialogue – Mental Health in America: How Do We Address a Growing Challenge?

Lakeside 212, Moseley Center, 4:30 p.m.

Advance Registration Required Here 

Many individuals share a sense that something is wrong with how we address mental health and mental illness. More and more people are taking medications for depression, hyperactivity and other disorders. Meanwhile, many mental illnesses are going undetected and untreated. According to some, recent violent incidents reflect the need to increase security and increase our ability to detect mental illness. One in five Americans will have mental health problems in any given year. How should we move forward as a nation? A Deliberative Dialogue is an opportunity for students to gather and exchange diverse views and experiences to seek a shared understanding of a challenge facing our society and to search for common ground for action. Sponsored by the Kernodle Center for Civic Life

Thursday, September 28

“Reclaiming Power: The Black Maternal Crisis”

(2021, 16 min, 30 sec.)
Turner Theatre, Schar Hall, 123 N. Williamson Avenue, 4:30 p.m.

Elon’s program in Women’s, Gender and Sexualities Studies (WGSS) is delighted to present a screen of the documentary-dance film written, directed and produced by Elon professors Stephanie Baker (Public Health) and Nekeshia Wall (Department of Performing Arts/Dance). A Q&A discussion will follow with the goal of facilitating interdisciplinary feminist conversation and community across our university.

Friday, September 29

Elon University Fall Convocation with Daymond John

Schar Center, 3:30 p.m.
Elon University Speaker Series

Founder and CEO celebrated global lifestyle brand FUBU, star of ABC’s Shark Tank, and CEO of The Shark Group consulting agency, Daymond John is an award-winning entrepreneur and a pioneer in the fashion industry with more than $6 billion in product sales. He is also an author of six best-sellers including Powershift (2020), the book that walks through his tried-and-true process to transform any situation, close any deal and achieve any outcome through his experience and vast network of industry leaders. An innovator in every sense of the word, Daymond John has come a long way from launching his success in the basement of his mother’s house. Admission: $15 or Elon ID. Tickets available beginning August 22 at elon.edu/boxoffice.

Friday, September 29 through Saturday, October 7

Sukkot

Sukkot is the Jewish holiday marking the fall harvest. People gather in sukkot (outdoor tents), shake the lulav in the mornings, and wind down after the intensity of the High Holidays. The week of Sukkot is known as zman simchateinu, the season of our joy. It is a time to reflect on the ephemerality of life, gather in community and experience joy.

Sukkot Evening (Night 1) and Family Shabbat
Friday, September 29
Sklut Hillel Center Outback, 5:30 p.m. (RSVP only)
Hosted by Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life and Jewish Life

Friday-Saturday, September 29-30

Dancing in the Landscape

Loy Farm, September 29 at 5:30 p.m.; September 30 at 12 p.m.
Artistic direction by Renay Aumiller featuring faculty choreography by Bre Forbes and Kate Shugar, student choreography by Lilly Beaver, Emma Morris and Maya Simmons

Dancing in the Landscape features sustainably focused choreography by Elon faculty and students performed at Loy Farm. These dances are created specifically in, for and about our environment to build viable systems of creative production that produce zero waste, reduce our spending budget, utilize upcycled material in a creative and meaningful way, and increase connection and collaboration between each other, our choices and the environment. Sponsored by the Department of Performing Arts, the Office of Sustainability and University Advancement

Friday, September 29

Elon Wind Ensemble Concert, “Shedding Light”

McCrary Theatre, Center for the Arts, 5 p.m.
Jonathan Poquette, director

The Elon Wind Ensemble’s first concert of the 2023-24 academic year brings to light a variety of music written for the modern wind band. Sponsored by the Department of Music

Friday, September 29

Elon Music Theatre’s Collage

Yeager Recital Hall, Center for the Arts, 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. (same show)
Courtney Liu, Supervising Director-Choreographer

The students of Elon Music Theatre showcase the best of the program with group production numbers, original choreography, new arrangements, and personal tributes to the Elon Music Theatre community. Admission: $15 or Elon ID. Reservations will be offered beginning September 22 at elonperformingarts.com.

Friday, September 29

Department of Music Faculty Concert

Whitley Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.

Faculty artists invite Elon families and friends to a mixed program for voice, piano, percussion, wind, strings and more. This program has remained a much-anticipated event since it began in 1999. Sponsored by the Department of Music