Students, faculty and staff, alumni and their families are welcomed to Ayer Memorial Chapel to attend this age-old Peddie Tradition. Vespers marks the start of winter break and carves out a moment of peace for the community during a hectic time of year. It is an evening of readings, songs and performances both festive and reverent that culminates with a visit from Santa Claus and a community rendition of Handel's Messiah.

One of Peddie's oldest traditions, the Declamation Contest is an adjudicated competition featuring four-minute performances from a variety of genres including theater and film.

Kris Graves (b. 1982 New York, NY) is a photographer and publisher based in New York and London. He received his BFA in Visual Arts from S.U.N.Y. Purchase College and has been published and exhibited globally, including the National Portrait Gallery in London, England; Aperture Gallery, New York; University of Arizona, Tucson; Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, Oregon; and Brooklyn Museum, New York; among others. Permanent collections include the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Brooklyn Museum, New York; The Wedge Collection, Toronto; and Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania.

Kris Graves creates artwork that deals with what he views wrong with American society and aims to use art as a means to inform people about social issues. He also works to elevate the representation of people of color in the fine art canon; and to create opportunities for conversation about race, representation, and urban life. Graves creates photographs of landscapes and people to preserve memory.

http://krisgraves.com/info/

An evening of sweet entertainment in the Swig Arts Building Choral Room.