Hundreds of art enthusiasts, members of the University community and the general public attended two special evening events spotlighting the exhibition, "Original Acts: Photographs of African-American Performers in the Paul R. Jones Collection," on public display through March 28 at the University Gallery in Old College.

A standing-room-only crowd listened to a special lecture Feb. 13, by theatre historian Paul Carter Harrison in Recitation Hall and then walked to nearby Old College to view the exhibit of more than 100 historic and contemporary photographs of African-American musicians, actors and dancers.

A second evening reception was held Feb. 14, the one-year anniversary of Jones' donation of his extensive art collection to UD. Jones is an Atlanta entrepreneur who has amassed one of the nation's largest private collections of works by African-American artists. The Feb. 14 reception was modeled on the style of a jazz café of the 1940s or '50s.

Photogaphers featured in "Original Acts" include Jim Alexander, William Anderson, Bert Andrews, John H. Cochran Jr., Robert Cohen, Adger Cowans, William Crite, Jenni Girtman, Edward Jones, Frank H. Lee, Leonard Mainor, Ming Smith Murray, Prentice Herman (P.H.) Polk, Frank Stewart, Gerald Straw, Sheila Turner, Onikwa Bill Wallace, J. Miles Wolf and James Van Der Zee.

In conjunction with the exhibition, a series of special events will be held through the month of March:

• "Behind the Scenes," an informal discussion led by Sara Desvernine will be held from 4-5 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 28, at the University Gallery. Desvernine, a first-year doctoral student in art history at UD, worked closely on the exhibition with Amalia Amaki, the curator of the Paul R. Jones Collection and assistant professor of Black American Studies.
  
  
• "Kiddie Workshop," a performance workshop for children, will be held from 2:30-4 p.m., Saturday, March 2, at the University Gallery. The workshop is open to 8-to12-year-olds and is limited to 12 participants. Pre-registration is required.
  
  
• "Dare To Do Drama and Other Acts" will be held from 4-5 p.m., Thursday, March 14, at the University Gallery. Carole Marks, director of the Black American Studies Program, and Amaki will lead an informal discussion on the history of African-American performance.
  
  
• "Paul and Pizza," an informal conversation with Jones, will be held from noon-2 p.m., Thursday, March 21, at 182 Orchard Rd. Space is limited.
  
  
• "A Photographer's View," a panel presentation and discussion by selected photographers in the "Original Acts" exhibition, will be held from 9 a.m.-noon, Friday, March 22, in Recitation Hall.
  
  
• "Portfolio Reviews" will be held from 1:30-5 p.m., March 22, in Recitation Hall.

For additional information on the exhibition, visit the web site at [www.udel.edu/PaulRJones Collection/] or call the University Gallery at 831-8242.