College of the Canyons will host a pair of arts themed shows Tuesday, as both the campus art gallery and performing arts center will host separate events.

Featuring the works of designer Dean Singer and his partner Megan McFarland, Design 360 Unlimited – an interior design exhibition by the firm of the same name – will open at the COC art gallery with a reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

With a collection of drawings, plans, boards and other materials on display, the course of the exhibit will take the viewer from concept to finished interior, in showcasing the designs of a corporation whose international client list includes Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, La Quinta Inn and Suites, Trump International and MGM Grand.

A former California State University, Northridge design student, Singer developed his international perspective while studying and working in both London and Florence, Italy before serving as director of design at Hirsch Bedner Associates, where he oversaw hospitality design projects worldwide.

“I thought the (exhibition) would be very good for our interior design department students to let them know about his career path,” COC gallery director Joanne Julian said. “He’s finding the balance and leading a creative life, and I think that’s very important for students to see.”

COC gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. While admission to the event is free, $1 parking permits can be obtained from the college’s south lot or in lot No. 6.

In the campus’ second presentation of the evening, the multimedia concert performance, the Langston Hughes Project “Ask Your Mama: Twelve Moods for Jazz” will be held at 7 p.m. in the COC Performing Arts Center.

Presented by the college’s associated student government in honor of Black History Month, the event is described as a multimedia performance involving spoken word artists, a jazz quartet and a video presentation of images from the Harlem Renaissance.

Dedicated to musician Louis Armstrong, “Ask Your Mama” was written as an 800-line, 12-part poetic suite, which until recently had remained unfinished – the result of Hughes’ death in 1967.

“Contemporary urban musical artists, such as Kanye West, Black Eyed Peas or Ludacris, owe a debt of gratitude to Langston Hughes, and those who listen to current music will want to attend The Langston Hughes,” Floyd Moos, dean of fine and performing arts at COC, said in a statement.

The cost to attend the performance is $10, for more information on how to purchase tickets visit, the COC Performing Arts Center Web site at www.canyonsPAC.com

source : www.the-signal.com