Four days of music, poetry, film, and lectures at the Burchfield Penney Art Center in memory of the late, great Spain Rodriguez

From Thursday, January 10, to Sunday, January 13, the Burchfield Peney Art Center hosts a four-day festival in memory of the late underground comix artist Spain Rodriguez. Rodriguez, a Buffalo native who earned international fame, died in on November 28; his work is the subject of a retrospective currently on exhibit at the Burchfield.

Among the highlights:

• Ed Sanders—poet, singer, social activist, environmentalist, author, publisher, and longtime member of the band the Fugs. He has been called a bridge between the Beat and Hippie generations. He’ll deliver a talk about his old friend and compatriot Rodriguez—among other subjects, no doubt—on Saturday, January 12, at 8pm.

• On Friday, January 11, at 4pm, Buffalo State history professor Dr. Albie Michaels will host a screening of El Che, a film biography of Che Guevara, one of Rodrioguez’s political heroes. Following the screening, Michaels will deliver a lecture titled “Che Guevara: His Life: Myth and Reality.”

• On Saturday, January 12, at 2 pm, Hallwalls director Ed Cardoni and Artvoice editor Geoff Kelly will discuss the history and future of the alternative press industry that gave Rodriguez his start, and the importance of the alternative press to the underground comix medium.

• On Friday, January 11, at 5:30 pm, the Burchfield’s new director, Tony Bannon, will give an opening talk to unveil and discuss a series of initiatives for 2013 at the the center.

That’s just a sample; there will be much more music, film, and lecturing. The full schedule is available at www.burchfieldpenney.org.