Thursday, March 9: Visiting Artist Lecture Sandow Birk: American Quran at Lawrence Hall (1190 Franklin Blvd.) 6 p.m.
Artist Sandow Birk will be visiting campus to talk about his American Quran project, which is currently on display at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. American Quran is an art piece that overlays passages from the Islamic religious text over artwork depicting contemporary American life.
After the events of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Birk devoted himself to studying the Quran and Islamic culture by traveling to Muslim countries around the world. The piece is meant to introduce the teachings of the Quran to non-Muslim audiences as well as celebrate Islamic culture. Birk believes regardless of the conflicts between the U.S. and Muslim nations, the Quran carries teachings that have value to all the nations of the world.
Learn more at http://jsma.uoregon.edu/SandowBirk.
–Mathew Brock
Friday, March 10: Annual Hawaiian Slack Guitar Festival at the Hult Center for Performing Arts, (1 Eugene Center), 7:30 p.m., tickets on sale at the EMU ticket office
This traveling music festival will make a stop in Eugene before moving onto Portland the following day. The festival will provide UO students and community members with traditional Hawaiian slack-key guitar tunes. This year’s festival will feature native Hawaiian singer/songwriter Bill Keale. His smooth, gentle voice and skilled acoustic guitar playing have earned him the title of “most popular singer in Central Oregon” by the Source Weekly-Bend for three consecutive years. While he has earned many accolades in the Pacific Northwest, Keale is an established slack guitar player throughout the Hawaiian music community.
LT Smooth, Stephen Inglis and Bobby Moderow Jr. are set to join Keale on Friday for the festival’s 35th anniversary.
-Zach Price
Saturday, Nov. 11: Sam Lachow at WOW Hall (291 W 8th Ave.), 9 p.m., tickets $12 advance, $15 at the door, All Ages
WOW Hall will welcome rapper, producer and videographer Sam Lachow this Saturday. The Seattle and NYC-based musician, who reached prominence with the Kickstarter-fueled album “Huckleberry” in 2014, is known for using live instrumentation in his production. His first solo-project, “Brand New Bike,” featured live music from a variety of Seattle-based musicians. Lachow released his latest EP, “Friends, Funk & Liquor” in 2016.
Seattle musicians Ariana DeBoo and Romaro Franceswa will join Lachow onstage. DeBoo is a pop vocalist and and songwriter who has collaborated with artists like Lachow and Macklemore on the latter’s single, “Drug Dealer.” Franceswa, also originating from Seattle, is a rapper known for his ability to freestyle and deliver “street-gospels” through hip-hop. Both musicians contributed heavily to Lachow’s latest EP.
Listening to Lachow and watching him perform is like peeking into the history, vibe and music of Seattle. The city has come to define the artist, and on Saturday, Lachow hopes to bring his energy and hometown love to Eugene.
-Dana Alston
Saturday, March 11: Cottage Grove Half Marathon (Bohemia Park, S 10th St., Cottage Grove) 8:30 a.m., $45
This weekend, drive just twenty minutes south of Eugene and prepare for next weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities by running a half marathon. The Cottage Grove Half Marathon is taking place this Saturday on the Row River Trail. Participants are instructed to meet at Dorena Elementary School to be picked up by buses and taken to Bohemia Park for the race.
The “fast and flat” half marathon is on the Row River Trail, which runs 15.6 miles along an abandoned rail line from Cottage Grove to Dorena Lake, Culp Creek and Umpqua National Forest. The event is hosted in support of the United Way of Lane County “Live United” and the “Be Your Best” projects of the Cottage Grove community. Competitors who end the race as the top three men and women overall in each age group will participate in an awards ceremony at the finish line at 1 p.m. Register for the race at cottagegrovehalf.com.
-Casey Miller
Sunday, March 12: Mindfulness Day Hike, Depart from the Outdoor Program Barn (1225 E 18th Ave.), 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., $5
With finals quickly approaching, now is an excellent time to escape stress and go for a calming hike in the Oregon forests. The UO Outdoor Program will provide an excellent opportunity for this with a hike along the McKenzie River. Students will hike solo along the trail before meeting up as a group at the end near the waterfalls.
Students must sign up online with the Outdoor Program’s sign up sheet. In order to join the hike, students must also attend a pre-trip meeting on Friday, March 9 at 6 p.m. in the Outdoor Program area of the EMU. More information about the trail will be given at the meeting. The $5 fee will also be paid at this meeting. For more information visit the UO Outdoor Program website.
-Leanne Harloff
The post Things to do this week: Hawaiian Guitar Festival, Cottage Grove Half Marathon and Sam Lachow appeared first on Emerald Media.