See stories of immigration expressed through art at area colleges

LOWER MERION » Rosemont College holds “Lifting Our Voices: Stories of Immigration through Public Art,” an event featuring local artist and Rosemont alumna Michelle Angela Ortiz, from 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, at the Rotwitt Theater. The event focuses on Ortiz’s work and creative process. During her two-hour presentation, Ortiz shares stories connected to immigration and how they are represented through public art.

“We are doubly pleased to welcome Michelle Angela Ortiz to Rosemont both for our college community’s increased awareness of these issues and as a meaningful response to Pope Francis’ call to colleges and universities to address the refugee and immigration crisis,” said Sr. Jeanne Marie Hatch, vice president of Rosemont College Mission and Ministry. “As a member of the Immigration and Refugee Higher Education Sub-committee, Rosemont College invites our community and those beyond the campus to learn about our local Philadelphia scene and to engage in discussion leading to specific action steps.”

As a muralist, Ortiz has designed and created over 50 large-scale public works nationally and internationally. Since 2008, she has led community building and art for social change public art projects both independently in Costa Rica and Ecuador and through the United States Embassy as a Cultural Envoy in Fiji, Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Venezuela, and Honduras. In Cuba, she completed the first U.S. State funded public art project since the re-opening of the United States Embassy in Havana in 2015.

Duffy’s Cut art at Immaculata

EAST WHITELAND » Immaculata University hosts a reception to kick-off an exhibit of Duffy’s Cut paintings by artist Fred Danziger at Gabriele Library on Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 6 p.m. The exhibit is on display until the end of February and is free and open to the public.

The Duffy’s Cut Project is an ongoing archival and archaeological search into the lives and deaths of 57 Irish immigrants who came to America in June, 1832 to work for Philip Duffy on the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad. Within six weeks, all were dead of cholera and possibly violence, and were buried anonymously in a ditch outside of Malvern known today as “Duffy’s Cut.” The Duffy’s Cut site is near the campus of Immaculata University where the Duffy’s Cut Museum is located.

The six paintings that will be featured depict the 1832 events at Duffy’s Cut and was featured in Sam Katz’s Urban Trinity documentary.

“These paintings perfectly convey the essence of the Duffy’s Cut story,” states William Watson, Ph.D., professor of history at Immaculata University and director of the Duffy’s Cut Project. “Fred Danziger has captured that moment in time in 1832 when Chester County was both a center of the American Industrial Revolution and of anti-immigrant and nativist sentiment.”

Born in Pittsburgh, Pa, Danziger trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. His art work is shown in galleries in Philadelphia, New York, Pittsburgh, as well as Malvern’s Gallery 222.

For more information about Duffy’s Cut, visit http:// duffyscut.immaculata.edu

Navivity-BVM looks for classmates

MEDIA » Nativity BVM Church, 30 E. Franklin St., celebrates its 150th anniversary with an all-class alumni memorial Mass at 5 p.m. Oct. 27, followed by a reunion in the school gym. For information and to help compile class lists contact information, call Alice at 484-574-9295. Tshirts and other keepsakes will be sold at the event.

Mickey Vernon centennial underway

RADNOR » The Sports Legends of Delaware County Museum announces a yearlong celebration to honor the birth of James Barton (Mickey) Vernon in 2018.

With apologies to other great players of local origin. it can be readily argued that Mickey is certainly the greatest baseball player that Delaware County has ever produced. Born on April 22, 1918, and a native of Marcus Hook, Vernon was a twotime American League batting champion and seventime All-Star.

During 2018, the SLDC website presents a video clip and sports card each month throughout the year to commemorate the centennial. Called “Celebrating a Life Well-Lived,” the clips consist of a series of 12 interview segments in which Mickey reminisces about his years in baseball. Many of the segments were filmed just nine days before his death on Sept. 24, 2008.

January features a card from Vernon’s rookie year, and the video topic for the month is “Mickey Goes to College.” A native of Marcus Hook PA, Mickey was a 1936 graduate of Eddystone High School but played only American Legion and sandlot baseball because the school did not have a baseball team. However, his reputation as a player earned him a baseball scholarship to Villanova University, and in 1937 he played freshman baseball for the school. At the end of that freshman season, he signed his first professional contract — with the Easton Browns of the old Eastern Shore League, a farm team of the St. Louis Browns.

The interview segments are compiled on a DVD “Grand Memories of a Great Champion.” For information on the exhibit and purchasing the DVD, contact Jim Vankoski at 610-909-4919 or vankoski21@comcast.net. For the clips and cards series and general information, visit www.sportslegendsofdelawarecounty.com

Tavern Talks back Feb. 15

CHADDS FORD » The Chadds Ford Historical Society’s Tavern Talks kicks off its third season on Thursday, Feb. 15 from 7-9 p.m. with “Chocolate and Courtship.” Those looking to bring dating back to the basics — 300-year-old basics — then you will not want to miss out.

Guests have the opportunity to watch chocolatemaking demonstrations by Mars’ American Heritage Chocolate’s very own chocolate historian David Borghesani, receive courtship advice from General George Washington (portrayed by Carl Closs), learn about dating in the Colonial period from historical novel writer Susan Holloway Scott, try historical chocolate pairings and more.

Tavern Talks is a monthly experience (not a lecture) aimed exclusively for adults 21 and older that focuses on unexplored aspects of early American history and culture. Guests experience history with hands-on activities, food and drink tastings, demonstrations, and more. Tavern Talks takes place at the Chadds Ford Historical Society’s Barns Brinton House, an historic 1714 tavern, located next to the Chaddsford Winery at 630 Baltimore Pike. Admission is $20 for non-members and $15 for members. Tickets must be purchased in advance over the phone, in person or online as space is limited. All attendees must be 21 and older.

Upcoming Tavern Talks for 2018 are: March 15, “Mind Your Pints and Quarts;” April 12, “Law and Order;” May 17, “To Market, To Market;” June 21, “Enlightened!;” Sept. 13, “Liberty or Death;” Oct. 11, “Fermented and Tormented;” Nov. 8, “Sugar and Spice.”

Cost for a year subscription to Tavern Talks is $110 for CFHS members and $150 for nonmembers; visit http://bit.ly/2Bt80Fd

For information on the CFHS or to purchase tickets, call 610-388-7376, email us at info@chaddsfordhistory.org or visit www.chaddsfordhistory.org. Tickets can be purchased directly at http://bit.ly/2A0LouN