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When I think back on my own education, the only teachers/professors that stick out were the ones who used creative methods to get the point across. From an art teacher incorporating the use of car wax and magazine pieces to put a new spin on collage art to an English teacher that incorporated three-dimensional interpretations of a certain text (in my case, it was Thoreau's Walden) to represent how we envisioned what we were reading. It's these educators that showed the act of teaching wasn't just meant to follow a boring curriculum to fill time. And that's what the lecture "Teaching as a Creative Act" aims to exhibit.

The lecture, as part of Women & Creativity Month, takes place at the Bosque School (4000 Learning NW), and the goal is to show how education can be shaped, molded and adjusted to fit a creative approach. Speakers will show how this topic is necessary in the “cultural conversation about teaching and learning.” The event happens tomorrow at 4pm and is free. You can head to womenandcreativity.org for more information and more events throughout the month of March. Bosque School • Thu Mar 20 • 4-6:30pm • FREE • View on Alibi calendar

A Friday afternoon concert is just the thing to psych you up for a weekend of jamming out and rocking on. Complete this motivational sonic ritual with The Appleseed Collective, which plays VSA North Fourth Art Center (4904 Fourth Street NW) on Friday, March 14, at 12:30pm. Part of an essential concert series aimed at bringing musical experience to the developmentally disabled artists who work and create at N4th, this recital is an excellent opportunity to catch Americana folk ensemble The Appleseed Collective.

The quintet plays a form of American music that has roots in Dixieland, bluegrass and European folk traditions, but remains original and postmodern in its execution; the Collective is thoroughly listenable and full of melodic, rhythmic surprises. Tight chops and the group's youthful, hip performative style make this free, all-ages gig a shouldn't-miss. With merely 60 seats available, reserve your spot today at Amp Concerts website at bit.ly/applesamp. After the show, don’t forget to check out the amazing work of N4th artists and staff. N4th Theater • Fri Mar 14 • 12:30pm • FREE • View on Alibi calendar

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Think hair, think people whose names start with “Sam,” and you might think of Samson (tricked into a haircut by Delilah, who knew it was the source of his strength, or so goes the Biblical tale). If your name is Sam or any variation of it, you’re likely to have a better haircut experience than Samson’s at the “Sam-Tastic” Free Haircuts for Sams weekend at the newest local Fantastic Sams salon. Show an ID that proves your name is a variation of “Sam,” such as Sami, Samantha or Samuel, and you get a free haircut. Seriously—free.

Those of us whose names don’t have much to do with Sam can simply pay for a cut, trim or other service from the full salon menu. With some luck, we’ll all leave worthy of a compliment like the one The Stranger gave in The Big Lebowski—“I like your style, Dude.” The Stranger, by coincidence—or not—is played by Sam Elliott. “Sam-Tastic” event hours are 9am to 7pm today, 9am to 6pm Saturday and 10am to 5pm Sunday at 330 Eubank NE, Suite A. Fantastic Sams • Fri Mar 14 • 9am • FREE • ALL-AGES! • View on Alibi calendar

Sister (407 Central NW) features a night of the newest sounds in the musical genre loosely referred to as “rock and roll” tomorrow night when it hosts regional psychedelic/shoegaze-leaning acts Ballets and Train Conductor. These two Gold House Records recording artists (and former members of Small Flightless Birds) appear in support of their latest, eponymous 12-inch split. In a heady rush of pre-SXSW traffic, they also happen to be performing in close temporal proximity to Boston pop experimentalist Krill and unofficial headliner Ava Luna.

Fronted by Julian Feder and Carlos Hernandez, Ava Luna’s mind-bending electro-funk has been compared to the noisy explorations of Captain Beefheart stirred well with remnants of Aphex Twin. Feder and Hernandez were also involved in producing Krill's latest effort, the effectively jangly Steve Hears Pile in Malden and Bursts into Tears. (Scope a review of Ava Luna’s newest in this week’s Sonic Reducer.) The doors into this trip beyond the yellow brick road swing wide at 8pm, and 5 clams gets you inside. Sister • Sat Mar 8 • 9pm • $5 • 21+ • View on Alibi calendar

Lent gets pretty serious. Growing up Catholic in Texas, I remember how during Lent every fast food chain would have fish-sandwich specials. There was also a local chain called Boat-n-Net (where you'd order food through a PVC pipe and get a 6-piece fish meal for about $4). And every Friday, this place was packed to the point where you'd easily wait about 45 minutes for your order to be ready. Yeah … Catholics, Lent and fish Fridays pretty much sum up the level of commitment. Well … that and giving up something you love for 40 days and 40 nights.

But perhaps you're tired of having to go to chains and wait in long lines. Perhaps you want to eat a home-cooked fish fry dinner. St. John's United Methodist Church (2626 Arizona NE) has you covered. Every Friday (starting tomorrow) they will have baked or fried fish dinners, as well as fried chicken tenders (for those who don't consider poultry meat). The meals will come with a choice of three sides, a beverage and dessert. All the bases are covered! The dinners go from 4pm to 7pm every Friday during Lent and cost $10 for adults, $5 for kids. St. John’s United Methodist Church • Fri Mar 7 • 4-7pm • $5-$10 • View on Alibi calendar

We see the intersection between human and machine getting airtime everywhere in pop culture these days, from Her’s husky-voiced operating system to “Almost Human,” the futuristic police procedural in which cop is partnered with android. But dancer and choreographer Cathy Weis has been delving into themes of humanity, technology and physicality for decades in a way that can still startle an audience jaded by ever-present CGI special effects. Live video feeds, monitors, projections, and camera dollies insert the inescapably electronic into dance’s ephemeral physical reality. Figures are repeated, amplified and shown from odd perspectives. But this is no grim exercise in theory—Weis’ brand of genius includes a sense of humor, like in one past show when the artist’s head kibitzed from a b&w television passed to the stage by the audience. Weis, who previously visited the North Fourth Art Center (4904 Fourth Street NW) in 2006, returns to Albuquerque this weekend for An Evening Back at North Fourth with N4th’s Buen Viaje Dance Company. Tickets are $8 for students and seniors, $10 for everyone else. Call 344-4542 or visit vsartsnm.org soon, because there are just two performances: tomorrow, March 7, and Saturday, March 8, at 8pm. N4th Theater • Fri Mar 7 • 8-9pm • $8-$10 • View on Alibi calendar

For me, it was Amelia Bedelia—the book that my mother read to me dozens of times when I was a girl. I adored the oddball title character and the wordplay: The maid, Amelia Bedelia, is told to draw the drapes when the sun comes in, so she pulls out a sketchbook and does exactly that. Ha ha! What I loved most, of course, was the time with Mom. If you need a nudge to create such a memory, make plans to read to a child tomorrow, on Read Across America Day.

Hosted by the National Education Association, the day-long observance marks Dr. Seuss’ 110th birthday and is the nation’s largest celebration of reading. It’s free, it’s easy, and it’s about spending time reading with the kiddos outside of school to help them form a lifelong relationship with the written word. While you’re at it, borrow a children’s book or two from the library. Remember, as Dr. Seuss himself says: “You're never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child." For tips on how to inspire children to read, call local Sylvan Learning Centers at 899-3061. Sylvan Learning Center • Mon Mar 3 • FREE • View on Alibi calendar

• yeah (cliffdweller) [ Tue Mar 4 2014 10:09 AM ]
  

Under the baton of David Felberg, The New Mexico Philharmonic presents an afternoon sojourn into symphonic spaces tomorrow at the National Hispanic Cultural Center (1701 Fourth Street SW). In addition to Mozart’s brief yet savory “Symphony Number 32 (K. 338)” and the accomplished “Symphony 38 (K. 504),” the orchestra uses this performance to highlight the graceful talents of Philharmonic violinist Ruxandra Simionescu-Marquardt; the award-winning instrumentalist, performer and educator—who interestingly entered the US after defecting from Communist Romania in 1986—will take on two notable works by Tchaikovsky, “Sérénade mélancolique in b-flat minor for Violin and Orchestra, op. 26” and “Valse-Scherzo in C Major, op. 34.” Tickets for this 2pm matinee concert range from $24 to $68 and are available via the New Mexico Philharmonic website, nmphil.org. National Hispanic Cultural Center • Sun Mar 2 • 2pm • $24-$68 • View on Alibi calendar

It might be counterintuitive, but limitations have a way of making us do more. On Twitter, the 140-character cap has been a boon to comedians who must hone their insights into the pithiest of possible zingers. From haiku to terza rima, poetry shows that language arranged in deliberate forms and bounded by rules can make for expressions that long outlive their creators. Enter PechaKucha, a 21st-century antidote to the wandering, self-indulgent unrestraint of old-timey PowerPoint presentations. By using just 20 slides for 20 seconds apiece, PechaKucha presenters clock in at under seven minutes while maintaining the freedom to convey real information and tantalizing ideas.

Now three local organizations are putting the format to excellent use. Tomorrow at 7pm, CityLab joins UNM School of Architecture and Planning and 516 Arts to spark conversation about the future of Albuquerque. Students from various community- and architecture-related programs will share their thoughts on the physical and social realities of our city at the CityLab space (505 Central NW). As part of 516 Arts’ ongoing Heart of the City project, the evening continues a line of inquiry about what Albuquerque’s “urban core” reveals about “the heart and soul of the city.” Join your friendly neighborhood visionaries for this free glimpse into ABQ not just as it stands right now, but as it might transform in the coming years. CityLab • Thu Feb 27 • 7pm • FREE • View on Alibi calendar