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(12/05/03 5:16am)
In the holiday spirit of giving, the Bloomington's Parents and Friends of Gays and Lesbians held its December meeting Wednesday and asked those who attended to bring donations of items on the Indiana Youth Group's "wish list," which the group will distribute to homeless gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) youth.\nItems on the Indiana Youth Group's "wish list" include paper goods, socks, underwear, non-perishable food items, such as meals in a box or can, single serving drinks, unisex shirts and sweat clothes. \nAlmost 30 percent of the youths on the streets are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, said Dana Scott, an outreach coordinator for the Youth Group who works with young people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.\n"Either they've been kicked out of home because of their sexual or gender orientation, or they've left home because it's become abusive," Scott said.\nHe explained that although homeless youth have nowhere to spend the night, most of the young people he works with in the Youth Group are at risk of homelessness. This means they are currently able to find temporary lodging but uncertain about how long they will be able to do so. \n"(They stay at) friends' houses (or) wherever the party is that night," Scott said.\nThe technical term for this transient lifestyle is 'couchsurfing,' said senior Kendra Clarke, who is employed by the GLBT Center at IU.\n"Things at home can be a lot more stressful (for GLBT youth)," Clarke said. "A lot of them are runaways or throwaways."\nThrowaways are teens or young adults who have not formally run away or been kicked out by their parents, but are no longer comfortable in their own home.\n"They don't want to be there, and their parents don't want them there," Scott said.\nAnother highlight of Wednesday's meeting was a video presentation on "Gays in the Media" given by Jeff Bennett, a doctoral student in communications and culture. \nThere has been a "burst of visibility" in the media recently for GLBT individuals, according to Bennett.\n"The fact that we have so much visibility right now really offers us a lot of opportunities," Bennett said. "You have the potential to connect with people."\nAlthough Bennett said he feels that increased media coverage of GLBT issues has been a positive force in general, it does have a few downsides.\n"Especially on television because it's mass marketing, a lot of people get left out," Bennett said. \nHe explained that the media depicts white gay males far more often than gay males belonging to ethnic minorities or lesbians. Also, many media representations of GLBT individuals emphasize traits that differentiate them from the heterosexual population.\n"It helps break down barriers, but also might redefine stereotypes," Bennett said.\nDespite these problems, he said media visibility is helping to introduce GLBT issues to the mainstream public and providing GLBT youth with a cultural image that can help them understand they are not alone. \n"You see other people who are like you," Bennett said.\n-- Contact staff writer Elise Baker at elimbake@indiana.edu.
(12/04/03 5:28am)
They enter one at a time. Some stride in confidently, others seem to apologize for their presence. One clicks across the wooden floor in bright red high-heels that upstage the sound of her voice when she begins to read her lines. \nAll of them are trying out for a handful of eclectic roles that will allow them to join another temporary theatrical brotherhood -- the cast of "The Alien from Cincinnati," a play written by third-year Master of Fine Arts student Jonathan Yukich. "Alien," which premieres at 8 p.m. Friday, explores what happens when a young girl discovers she has been impregnated with an alien. She becomes the news of the day and a fascination for a mad scientist, a feminist scholar, and a conniving TV reporter. To maintain her sanity and protect her child, the girl embarks on a cross-country odyssey in search of herself. Little does she know but the alien father is in hot pursuit.\n"It's hard for me to explain auditions," said Noah Tuleja, also a third-year MFA who is directing "Alien" for his thesis project. "Really, it's something that just clicks," \nTuleja said he wants actors to understand the core of each character. To be cast, an actor needs to know the character's motivations, personality, goals and be able to demonstrate them through strong acting choices. \n"Say there's a line: 'Stand back, you blue-headed freak,'" Tuleja said. "A choice would be, 'How do I feel about this blue-headed freak? Am I scared?'"\nAs each actor tries to quiet his or her nerves and begins to read from the script, another 10 seconds of excitement passes before dying away at the second sentence. All too soon, the audition committee learns which characters will be botched in certain ways. Professor Slosh's lines will be mispronounced. Kelly Pink's lines will be read too quickly. Yet now and then, a moment of hope: not for the actors, several of whom plaintively glance at the audition committee while leaving the room as if to ask how their reading went, but for the director, playwright and stage manager, all huddled around a table waiting for the spark that will kindle their creative fire. \n"I think we were very pleased with auditions," Tuleja said, adding he believed the audition committee had been able to find an excellent actor to play each role.\n"Mainly, for me, it just comes down to the talent," Yukich said. "But certainly looks and things like that had to do with a couple of the characters."\nFriends since their first year at IU, Yukich and Tuleja had been collaborating on the production a long time before auditions started. Yukich had given Tuleja a copy of the "Alien" script as long as a year and a half ago, and found out that Tuleja would be directing the IU production of it around last January.\nIn the spring, the two asked several actors to read through the play so they could form a better idea of how it would work onstage. While several of the actors who were initially asked to participate in the read-through were cast after the open auditions this fall, both Tuleja and Yukich said this was a result of their audition performances rather than any preconceived ideas about who should be in the play.\n"We were certainly looking at different people in different roles," Yukich said. "I don't really remember who played who last spring."\nTuleja agreed that most of the actors who were cast were fairly obvious choices for the roles. \nOne actress who made a strong impression on him after the initial auditions was Sara Rebrovic, a theater major who now plays Claudia, the female lead in "Alien." Although Rebrovic had played Claudia in the spring read-through, her dynamic performance during the fall auditions surprised Tuleja.\n"She did things in the audition that were different (than in the reading)," he said.\nRebrovic said she went into the auditions with a strong idea of who she wanted Claudia to be and let the impulse of the moment take care of the rest.\n"One night you say a line slightly differently than you've ever said it before," she explained. "(But) I think it's important to make a decision about the character."\nRebrovic added that she had wanted to be a part of the production ever since she first read the script.\n"When I read this play it moved me so much," she said. "I think it has some really poignant messages to give the audience."\nFor several other actors, however, the idea of being involved in a premiere production was daunting at first.\n"I wasn't too sure about it when I first sat down with the script having never read it, but after I read the script … my confidence grew," said Kenny Dellinger, a senior majoring in theater, who plays the title role in "Alien."\nDellinger said rehearsals have been an exhausting process for him because of the complications involved in playing an alien.\n"It's very hard because I have to change everything about the way I speak," he said. "We spent almost as much time on the voice as (on) the walk and posturing."\nFortunately, Tuleja had definite ideas about how to prepare the actors through the rehearsal process.\n"When we (first) got (into) rehearsal, we had group movement exercises. Everyone was working on their own separate character," Dellinger said. "We'd play games. We'd basically play follow-the-leader and go running around the room."\nTuleja said one of the techniques he used to help actors discover a range of possibilities for their characters was to play different kinds of music and ask the actors to move around the rehearsal space.\n"There's one specific piece, a Chopin piece, that's played three or four times throughout the show," Tuleja said. "That's one piece I would use for the warm-ups."\nAfter about two weeks of movement and other warm-up exercises, the cast began working on scenes from the play. \nDuring rehearsals, several actors practice pieces of a scene while the others hang around the rehearsal space in small groups, giggling at the inevitable inside jokes that develop after spending hours cooped up in one room with the same people six nights a week. "Quiet, please!" is a frequent command from stage manager Taylor James, although at times it begins to sound more like an exasperated plea. Two actors who play escaped convicts trying to pass themselves off as Siamese nuns, chained together as part of their role, clink loudly wherever they go like the soundtrack from an old horror movie. But when their fellow actors begin to perform the scene in order to try out the new ideas they have just incorporated, the room falls silent. Afterwards, the performers cluster together in the middle of the room to receive advice and praise from Tuleja or sometimes Yukich. \nThough Yukich usually directs his comments about the acting to Tuleja -- as the director, he plays liaison between the playwright and the ensemble -- at rare times he will speak directly to the performers.\n"Have you ever seen a girl falling for a really big cheeseball … and you think, 'that's so sad,' because she's falling for a really big cheeseball?" he asked two actors after they finished a scene together. "That's what we have to have."\nFor Yukich, being on location while one of his plays is rehearsed and performed is one reason that this production of "Alien" is so special.\n"It's been really nice for me to be in on the process and get to go to rehearsals," Yukich said. "It's been a luxury to actually be here."\nTuleja said he also enjoys having Yukich present.\n"A lot of (living) playwrights aren't there during the rehearsal process," Tuleja said. "(Jonathan and I) tend to see eye-to-eye on most things and on the things we don't, it's good to have somebody to bounce (ideas) off of." \nStill, Yukich stresses his presence is ultimately unnecessary because the important things about the play are apparent in the dialogue. As a playwright experimenting with an unusually presentational style and bizarre subjects, Yukich has to make sure his scripts are self-explanatory to actors and directors.\nRebrovic agrees that although it is exciting to have the playwright present, premiering a work is in some ways no different from participating in any other production, because in order to personalize a role, actors have to re-envision the character in their own mind. One of the best parts of this experience for her has been having the opportunity to bring her imaginary Claudia to life.\n"(Claudia) is driven in what she wants to do and knows what she needs to do," Rebrovic said, adding that she feels the character truly loves people and wants the best for them.\nAs the members of the cast and crew prepare for opening night, most seem to share similar hopes for the play: that it will entertain while intriguing audience members to search for the answers to the difficult questions it poses. \n"I hope (the audience members) come out with some questions ... about how they live their lives," Tuleja said.\nDellinger, however, took an entirely carefree approach.\n"I think it's a very hilarious play," he said. "I would love it if everyone came and just laughed."\n-- Contact staff writer Elise Baker at elimbake@indiana.edu.
(11/19/03 4:30am)
In the warm, wood-paneled back room of Soma's coffee shop, 322 E. Kirkwood Ave., a small crowd of people gathered Saturday night in memory of a man who trod the fine line between local shopkeeper and extended family. Thoughtful expressions lingered on their faces with the occasional painful smile as they remembered their favorite music enthusiast and realized once again just how much they were going to miss him.\nSaturday's "Fakin Bacon" poetry reading, presented by Matrix, a Bloomington literary organization, is only one of the many recent tributes to Tom Donohue, the owner of local music shop TD's CDs and LPs, who died Wednesday after a battle with cancer. Donohue's death at age 53 came suddenly for many locals who were just preparing musical benefit concerts to help him bear the immense cost of fighting his illness. \nDonohue's tiny one-room shop, which was housed in the adjacent space to Soma's back room, was the backdrop for the Matrix's poetry tribute. Closed since Donohue entered the hospital for surgery in October, its locked door still bears posters advertising benefit concerts on Donohue's behalf. Colorful paper cranes friends and customers made as part of a healing ritual in hopes that Donohue would recover float in midair, suspended from the ceiling nearby.\nNo one knows what will become of the little back room now. It is doubtful the shop will survive as anything more than a local memory, said Pete Smith, who owns the facilities for Laughing Planet and Soma's, including the space TD's occupied.\n"I don't know if somebody's planning to continue (TD's) or not," said Abraham Morris, 24, who had known Donohue for years. \nMorris' family bought albums from TD's since Morris was a child, and he almost considered Donohue a relative.\n"He was a family friend … we even kind of adopted him into our family and started calling him 'Uncle Tom,'" Morris said. "He was part of our holidays and stuff."\nAfter Morris returned to Bloomington as an adult and accepted a position as manager of Soma's, he had the chance to see Donohue at work on a daily basis. \n"That's a small shop. It's not a really easy place to make a profitable business," Morris said. "(Tom succeeded) because of what he brought to the table."\nOne of the strengths of Donohue's shop was the comprehensiveness of his music collection.\n"He had almost amazing superpowers to find music," Morris said. \nHe recalled one time when he heard a song and went to TD's in search of the album it came from. Although Morris thought he remembered the name of the album, it turned out he only knew the record label. But Donohue unearthed the album in less than two minutes.\nAccording to Donohue's friends, it was this personable approach to customers that made his small business into a community institution. Smith, who met Donohue in 1994, just before TD's CDs and LPs opened up, said the shop took off right away despite its small size. \n"He didn't advertise much, (but) … it was packed (with customers) in there all the time," Smith said. "If he didn't have (a CD) for you, he could get it for you, usually within three or four days."\nHowever, Donohue's genie-like ability to provide customers with any CD at a moment's notice came with a few drawbacks, especially given the coziness of his establishment.\n"The organizational system was Tom's," Morris said, laughing.\nMorris recalled whenever he bought an album at TD's, Donohue would disappear behind the piles of CDs occupying the counter to ring up the sale. Eventually a hand would emerge with Morris' purchase. \nRex Miller, one of Donohue's close friends for over 25 years, said the décor of Donohue's house closely resembled that of his shop. \n"The guy was definitely a pack rat," Miller said. "I think at one time he (owned) over 10,000 records. I helped him move a couple of times and it was back-breaking work."\nMiller said he would miss Donohue's smile and his sense of humor the most.\n"We just bonded over the years like brothers from different mothers," Miller said. \n-- Contact staff writer Elise Baker at elimbake@indiana.edu.Saturday's "Fakin Bacon" poetry reading, presented by Matrix, a Bloomington literary organization, is only one of the many recent tributes to Tom Donohue, the owner of local music shop TD's CDs and LPs, who died Wednesday after a battle with cancer. Donohue's death at age 53 came suddenly for many locals who were just preparing musical benefit concerts to help him bear the immense cost of fighting his illness. \nDonohue's tiny one-room shop, which was housed in the adjacent space to Soma's back room, was the backdrop for the Matrix's poetry tribute. Closed since Donohue entered the hospital for surgery in October, its locked door still bears posters advertising benefit concerts on Donohue's behalf. Colorful paper cranes friends and customers made as part of a healing ritual in hopes that Donohue would recover float in midair, suspended from the ceiling nearby.\nNo one knows what will become of the little back room now. It is doubtful the shop will survive as anything more than a local memory, said Pete Smith, who owns the facilities for Laughing Planet and Soma's, including the space TD's occupied.\n"I don't know if somebody's planning to continue (TD's) or not," said Abraham Morris, 24, who had known Donohue for years. \nMorris' family bought albums from TD's since Morris was a child, and he almost considered Donohue a relative.\n"He was a family friend … we even kind of adopted him into our family and started calling him 'Uncle Tom,'" Morris said. "He was part of our holidays and stuff."\nAfter Morris returned to Bloomington as an adult and accepted a position as manager of Soma's, he had the chance to see Donohue at work on a daily basis. \n"That's a small shop. It's not a really easy place to make a profitable business," Morris said. "(Tom succeeded) because of what he brought to the table."\nOne of the strengths of Donohue's shop was the comprehensiveness of his music collection.\n"He had almost amazing superpowers to find music," Morris said. \nHe recalled one time when he heard a song and went to TD's in search of the album it came from. Although Morris thought he remembered the name of the album, it turned out he only knew the record label. But Donohue unearthed the album in less than two minutes.\nAccording to Donohue's friends, it was this personable approach to customers that made his small business into a community institution. Smith, who met Donohue in 1994, just before TD's CDs and LPs opened up, said the shop took off right away despite its small size. \n"He didn't advertise much, (but) … it was packed (with customers) in there all the time," Smith said. "If he didn't have (a CD) for you, he could get it for you, usually within three or four days."\nHowever, Donohue's genie-like ability to provide customers with any CD at a moment's notice came with a few drawbacks, especially given the coziness of his establishment.\n"The organizational system was Tom's," Morris said, laughing.\nMorris recalled whenever he bought an album at TD's, Donohue would disappear behind the piles of CDs occupying the counter to ring up the sale. Eventually a hand would emerge with Morris' purchase. \nRex Miller, one of Donohue's close friends for over 25 years, said the décor of Donohue's house closely resembled that of his shop. \n"The guy was definitely a pack rat," Miller said. "I think at one time he (owned) over 10,000 records. I helped him move a couple of times and it was back-breaking work."\nMiller said he would miss Donohue's smile and his sense of humor the most.\n"We just bonded over the years like brothers from different mothers," Miller said. \n-- Contact staff writer Elise Baker at elimbake@indiana.edu.
(11/07/03 3:48pm)
For Catholic inspirational speaker Matthew Kelly, who visited St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Bloomington Thursday, emphasizing the way spirituality can touch everyday life is a matter of storytelling.\n"(His message) is very simple, but it's very powerful," said Sandy Biggs, a parishioner at St. Charles. "He's a great storyteller."\nBiggs said she has been a fan of Kelly since she first discovered his books on faith.\n"I checked one of his books out of the library three or four years ago just by chance," she said. Since then she has taken every opportunity to hear Kelly speak in person, including traveling to nearby states. \nAfter speaking at St. Paul's Catholic Center in October 2001, Kelly finally returned to the city, in part due to Biggs' efforts, to give his speech at St. Charles.\n"A lot of us here had heard him (at St. Paul's), and were very impressed," said Janis Dopp, director of religious education at St. Charles. "We had been looking for an opportunity to have him speak at our own parish."\nA native of Australia, Kelly permanently relocated to the U.S. in the mid-90s to continue the career he built in America as a religious motivational speaker.\n"He started speaking in Australia when he was 19-years-old, kind of as a favor to a family friend about issues facing young people," said Andrew Curran, spokesman for the Matthew Kelly Foundation. "It was something that Matthew was initially reluctant to do." \nDespite his reluctance, he soon found he had a message to convey and a talent for connecting with people, Curran said. After speaking to groups of family and friends, Kelly joined an organization that agreed to promote him as a speaker. Now 30-years-old, he lectures across the U.S., as well as in Europe and in his homeland of Australia. He has written eight books, which are currently available in seven languages.\nDopp said listening to Kelly has deepened her involvement with the Catholic religion.\n"I think in today's world as opposed to a couple of generations ago … we don't look to our religion to solve crises," Dopp said.\nOne of the ways Kelly's message has influenced religious life at St. Charles is through their confirmation program. Under Biggs' guidance, teachers of religion at St. Charles are reading Kelly's latest book, Rediscovering Catholicism.\n"It's just uplifting in the most positive sense of the word," Dopp said of the book. "It makes you hunger for more; to experience your Catholicism more deeply."\nOne of Dopp's favorite things about Kelly's message is its accessibility to young adults.\n"He's the kind of person that young people listen to," she said. "He's very down-to-earth."\nShe added that many IU students attended Kelly's 2001 lecture at St. Paul's.\nKelly frequently speaks in college towns and at universities, Curran said, adding that Kelly's sincerity and spirituality encouraged college students to consider his messages carefully.\n"It's amazing to hear his impact on people of all ages, but especially on young people," Curran said. "He encourages people to live deliberately and live intentionally … (and he) really lives out the message he promotes."\n-- Contact staff writer Elise Baker at elimbake@indiana.edu.
(11/03/03 5:50am)
An IU junior was killed early Friday after a 120-mph drag race between students led to two separate wrecks.\nJeffrey Maiatico, 20, was killed east of Bloomington when his roommate, junior Daipayan Banerjee, who was driving the vehicle, lost control of his 1997 Ford Mustang.\nThe crash occurred as Maiatico and Banerjee sped north on Ind. 446, near Moores Pike.\nPolice said Maiatico and Banerjee were racing junior Patrick J. McBride, 21, who was driving a 1995 Caprice.\nBoth drivers lost control of their vehicles at the same time. Banerjee's convertible rolled over, became airborne and struck a tree with enough force to leave marks 15 feet high and propel the battery of the car into the side of a nearby house, police said.\nBanerjee suffered minor injuries, and McBride, who crashed separately, was unharmed. McBride could face misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and being involved in a speed contest, police said.\nJunior Ryan Bradley, who met Maiatico while they were pledging Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity in January 2002, described Maiatico as a personable guy with many friends.\n"He really lived life to the fullest and was always willing to go out and do anything anybody wanted to do," Bradley said.\nHe added that Maiatico volunteered frequently in the Bloomington community.\n"(Jeff) had a little brother through the … Big Brothers/Big Sisters program," Bradley said.\nJeremy Levinson, another junior who knew Maiatico and Banerjee through the fraternity, said he found out about Maiatico's death from friends.\nLevinson said he had never heard either of the roommates mention drag racing before.\nServices for Maiatico will be held in his home state of New Jersey at Christ the King Church in Haddonfield, N.J. There will be a viewing from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, and Maiatico's funeral will follow at 11 a.m. Thursday.\n-- The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact staff writer Elise Baker at elimbake@indiana.edu.
(10/27/03 5:46am)
Eustan J. Lampkins was convicted of voyeurism Tuesday after he allegedly videotaped his mother-in-law showering and undressing for bed while she was visiting him and his wife last December. \nAccording to a police statement filed by Officer George Connolly of the Bloomington Police Department, Doris Jones, mother of Audra Lampkins, came to Bloomington to visit her daughter's family just before Christmas 2002.\nAfter spending the night, Jones decided to take a shower. Her son-in-law, Eustan Lampkins, interrupted her, asking if he could use the bathroom first to get ready for work. Suspecting nothing, she told him to go right ahead.\nAfter Lampkins left the bathroom, Jones took a shower and then began trying to find a hamper or dirty clothes pile where she could put her wet towel, police said. Instead, she found an eight millimeter video camera recording her from beneath her grandson's shirt.\nShe removed the videotape from the camera and confronted Lampkins, who she said was waiting just outside the bathroom as she came out. He denied that he was attempting to record her while she was showering.\nWhen Jones returned to her own house, she decided to view the videotape, police said. It showed her showering that morning, and also included footage of Lampkins and Jones' daughter having sex, several men doing drugs and Jones undressing for bed the previous night and sleeping. In addition, the video showed Lampkins setting up the video camera in the bathroom before Jones' shower.\nIn the statement, Jones said that family members had not been in favor of her daughter's marriage, but that prior to the incident, they thought their relationship with the Lampkins family had been improving.\nThe trial was held in Circuit Court 4 and began at 8 a.m. Oct. 21. According to jury coordinator Lisa Abraham, there were no major disputes between the attorneys regarding jury selection.\n"We had no trouble getting a panel," Abraham said. "We brought them in 18 [citizens] … and from the 18 they picked six. There were people left over."\nAbraham added that although trials can take longer, this one was relatively concise.\n"We got it done in a day," she said.\nProsecutor Maryanne Pelic said it was not difficult to convict Lampkins. She attributed this to the videotape evidence and the improbability of Lampkins' defense argument.\n"His explanation of what happened didn't make sense in light of the videotape," Pelic said.\nAccording to Pelic, the defense's argument regarding the taping of Jones undressing was that Lampkins and his wife always taped their arguments and that while the camera was set up to tape an argument, Jones happened to come into the bedroom and get ready for bed. \nThe defense for taping Jones in the bathroom was that Lampkins was attempting to play a practical joke on his wife, Pelic said.\nPelic added that she was unsure why Lampkins would have chosen to do this on a morning that he was hurrying to get to work.\nLampkins' defense attorney, Phyllis J. Emerick declined to comment on the case.\n"I don't feel I'm at liberty to (make a statement). We haven't had sentencing yet, and this is such a private issue for my client," Emerick said.\nThe sentencing trial is scheduled for Dec. 4. According to Pelic, the range of possible penalty for this offense is six months to three years in jail.\n"The mother-in-law's main concern is that he get treatment," Pelic said.\nShe added that Lampkins' wife has supported him throughout the trial and that both she and Lampkins testified on Tueday.\n-- Contact staff writer Elise Baker at elimbake@indiana.edu.
(09/25/03 6:14am)
Throughout the warehouse-like interior of the IU art museum, sculpted faces peer out of the darkness, waiting for their turn to be exhibited. \nThe museum's three galleries, each devoted to different parts of the world, display the important works of IU's art collection, such as a 1934 Picasso, "The Studio," year round. Museum officials also rotate the exhibits of lesser-known works, attempting to ensure that every work in the collection is displayed now and then. \nBut most of the labor that goes into storing and maintaining the collection is invisible to students touring the galleries. Behind the locked doors of the museum's storage space, a host of staff members work to keep IU's artworks safe, easy to locate and looking their very best. \n"Basically our collection goes back to the beginning of the fine arts department," said Nan Brewer, one of the galleries' curators. "The early material was really for teaching purposes … a lot of teaching was actually drawing from it."\nIU began accumulating artwork intending only to store it for students' use. Brewer said that while some of the artwork IU purchased at this time was of museum quality, many of the pieces were not.\nWhen Herman B Wells became president of IU in 1937, he saw enough potential in the Department of Fine Arts and the tiny art collection that existed at the time to organize an expansion. His goal was to put IU on par with Ivy League schools that housed more extensive art collections.\n"Herman said 'we're going to be the Ivy of the Midwest,'" said Linda Baden, the gallery's Associate Director for Editorial Services.\nWells needed two things to jump-start his project: someone to help him bring important works of art to IU and a place to put them once they got here. He found the former in Henry Hope, who had previously studied with Paul Sachs at the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University. Wells appointed Hope as chair of IU's Department of Fine Arts in 1941, and Hope immediately began to collaborate with Wells on plans to expand the University's art collection. By 1962, Wells had also succeeded in his dream to build an art museum to house the new works.\n"(Wells) convinced the powers that be that it was important … to have a building that was an artwork in its own right," Brewer said.\nThe result of his determination was an imposing new addition to the campus, designed by the renowned architectural firm of I.M. Pei and Partners. The museum has almost 9,000 square feet of storage space and a similar amount in the galleries. It currently houses all of the works in IU's art collection.\nWith adequate facilities to care for and display its treasures, the IU art collection expanded rapidly. The museum now has a little of everything -- from ancient Greek and Roman pottery to installations by major artists of the 20th century.\n"We are encyclopedic," Brewer said. "It means that we're trying to cover all major geographic areas; all major movements."\nAccording to Brewer, Wells wanted students to have examples on hand of every major style and period in order to complement their studies of those eras. \n"It was really farsighted," she said. "(Wells) could have said 'We're only going to focus in a certain area,' (but he didn't)." \nApparently for space's sake it is easy to store similar items, such as the sculpted faces, together. Although this makes sense considering the vast size of the collection, it never quite relieves the eerie feeling of dozens of metallic eyes peering out from dark corners of storage rooms. \n"We used to have a guard that would not (patrol) … the African collection," Baden said, laughing. "There were too many spirits in there." \nMany of the major artworks are stacked three rows deep against the walls as though they were items of furniture in a wholesale emporium. With 30,000 total works in the collection and room to exhibit barely half that number, more than half of the museum's collection remains in storage for at least part of each year. \nWorks are arranged in the storage rooms by size. Any corner or bit of unused floor space is utilized. Paintings are hung on compressible storage racks that roll back to create aisles at the touch of a button. The ceramics are housed on the second floor in metal storage units with Styrofoam cutouts that surround each piece of pottery. The art gallery staff has been working to secure these in case of earthquakes.\n"Indiana is on an earthquake fault," Baden said. "We haven't had anything major, but the potential is there."\nSo far the gallery's precautions have been fairly rudimentary. For example, they have tying the storage units to one another, thereby making them sturdier.\n"When things are on display we (also) have weights in the bases," Baden said.\nIn addition to storing IU's art collection, the museum houses several departments that maintain the exhibits. \nIn the photography lab, pictures are taken of each new piece for documentary records.\n"Everything that's in the museum has to be photographed, at least for identification purposes," said Michael Cavanagh, the Art Museum's head photographer. "My favorite part is when you (work with) … an ancient piece... and you get to be alone with it in the studio."\nIn addition to documenting works for the museum's records, photographers occasionally take photos of a piece, or furnish photos for calendars or postcards of the museum's artworks. \nConservationists in the restoration workshop are responsible for repairing any blemishes that have marred the paintings and reapplying chipping paint. \nTheir workshop is a large open area with a high ceiling and wooden tables scattered around. Lying on the tables are damaged paintings with tiny pieces of white foam. A conservation technician for the art gallery explained that the foam markers indicate where pieces of paint have chipped off the artwork.\n"The big thing is that anything they do has to be reversible," Baden added.\nAlso included in the gallery's collection are works by Monet, Jackson Pollock and Picasso.\n"The Picasso is the most important painting in our collection," Baden said.\nBrewer said that the work by Picasso is much in demand among other museums.\n"(It's) highly requested for loan, although we don't often lend it," Brewer said, explaining that there is considerable wear and tear involved in shipping a painting.\nEqually interesting are some of the lesser known works. One 1971 installation by Claire Zeisler features metal slinkies suspended from the ceiling and partially wrapped in red cotton/polyester thread. From across the room they resemble brilliant red stalagmites.\nAnother interesting work, a 1912 painting by Emil Nolde entitled "Nudes and Eunuch", played a historical role during the World War II era.\n"It was in (a) famous show that the Nazi's put on (around) 1930 mocking contemporary art," Baden said. She said that it was the poster piece for the show, and as such has received a lot of attention.\nOne of the gallery's especially controversial pieces is a signed urinal that was one of several 'Duchamp readymades' -- pieces employed by the artist to question the concept of what art really is. \n"To really push that point you take a urinal, put it in a gallery, and sign your name to it," Brewer said. "It still generates controversy even (though it's) from 1970."\nBaden laughingly recalled the time one of the workers setting up a contemporary art show, named Estol, decided to create his own 'readymade' piece for exhibition.\n"Years ago … we had a show of contemporary art," she said. "Our shop guys thought it was funny that they could make art as good as anything that was up there."\nThe result? Estol's lunch bag, a crumpled piece of brown packaging, complete with mock label and signature by the 'artist'. After the hilarity subsided, gallery staff members removed Estol's creation from the show.\nBesides the full-time staff members, several fine arts students also work at the gallery. \n"They basically pay my tuition," said Kristen Moses, a graduate Art History student whose full scholarship requires her to assist at the museum. "It's always nice (as) an art history major to be here in the museum … (and) to see all that is involved." \nFor other IU students eager to see the gallery's collection, there are several options. The exhibits are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. It is also easy to schedule a guided tour led by one of the gallery's volunteer tour guides. For more information, call 855-1045.\n -- Contact staff writer Elise Baker at elimbake@indiana.edu.
(09/19/03 5:58am)
The loss of singer/songwriter Johnny Cash has touched many in the Bloomington community. \nCash died Friday, Sept. 12 of respiratory failure due to diabetes.\nIU will pay tribute to the music legend when WIUS, the campus's student-run radio station, begins its broadcast season on Monday. \nCash's wide appeal has led disparate audiences to embrace his work. Although many IU undergrads say they aren't Cash fans, deejays at WIUS regularly include him in their lineup.\n"We've always played Johnny Cash even though he's not format just because we like him," said Lucy Robinson, DJ and music director of WIUS. "His album came out last semester and we play that a lot. It was stolen out of the station, though."\nRobinson laughingly speculated that the thief must be a devoted Cash fan.\nThe station's morning show, airing from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., will include a number of Cash hits.\nOutside IU, members of the Bloomington community also remember Cash's life through his music.\n"We've had hundreds of calls since late last week," said Stew Lualdi, a late-night deejay at local station WFHB. "A lot of people have been asking to hear his music."\nLualdi said he's always programmed Cash's music on his night show and has been happy to comply with the increased volume of requests to hear Cash songs. One of the songs most frequently requested by Lualdi's listeners has been, "Man in Black."\nCash had his first major success in 1956 when his fourth single, "I Walk the Line," became a number one hit on the Billboard charts. More accolades followed, including an invitation to perform on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn. \n"He had demons his whole life," said professor Glenn Gass, who teaches rock history at IU. "I think that most people aren't that honest about (their struggles) … it gain(ed) him a lot of credibility with the counter-culture."\nCash eventually managed to pull himself together with the help of fellow country singer June Carter, whom he later married. \nIn 1969 he revived his career with the premier of, "The Johnny Cash Show" on ABC. He continued to make recordings up until his death.\nGass attributed Cash's long career to his versatility.\n"He was never stuck in a style so he was able to grow and challenge himself," Gass said. "He's a pure product of America -- all the cultural and musical streams."\nCash's induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 cemented his place in America's musical history. \nThe Country Music Hall of Fame has honored the occasion of Cash's death in several ways. \n"The flag was lowered to half-mast," said Tina Wright, a media relations spokeswoman for the Hall of Fame. She added that when a member of the Hall of Fame dies it is customary to drape the plaque celebrating the artist's achievements in a black shroud. \nGass said many students in his rock history classes are enthusiastic about Cash's music.\n"Students of mine think he1s cool," Gass said. "When I mentioned Johnny Cash (in class) I heard several claps."\n-- Contact staff writer Elise Baker at elimbake@indiana.edu
(09/10/03 5:39am)
Gov. Frank O'Bannon remained in critical condition Tuesday night after suffering a massive stroke Monday morning during a conference visit to Chicago.\nOfficials at Northwestern Hospital, where O'Bannon is being treated, said in a statement that the governor remains on life support and there have been indications he suffered brain damage as a result of the stroke.\nHowever, two brain scans Tuesday morning revealed that surgery stopped the excess blood flow that caused the stroke, the statement said, and O'Bannon's vital signs were more stable. \n"The governor had an intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke," said Jose Biller, chairman of neurology at the IU Medical Center in Indianapolis. "(It) is one of the most deadly kinds of strokes."\nUnlike most strokes, which are the result of clots that interfere with the brain's blood supply, hemorrhagic strokes occur when a blood vessel ruptures, flooding certain areas of the brain while obstructing blood flow to other areas. They frequently happen without warning.\n"The way it works is that he's either going to die … or it's a waiting game," said Peggy Welch, D-Bloomington. "If he survives, it really becomes a waiting game to see what his state of impairment will be."\nWelch said O'Bannon received a call around 7 a.m. on Monday, which places the time of the stroke roughly between 7 and 9 a.m. Hospital officials wouldn't comment on how the response time might affect O'Bannon's prognosis.\nEven if the governor recovers, it is unlikely that he will be able to carry out his duties for the remainder of his term, Welch said.\n"If he does survive, there will be a long period of rehabilitation," she said. \nLt. Gov. Joe Kernan is attending to state business while O'Bannon's family awaits further developments. \n"My understanding is that the family is in Chicago at his bedside," Welch said.\nMeanwhile, residents in O'Bannon's hometown of Corydon, Ind., have been keeping the politician in their thoughts. The congregations of local churches have been asked to include O'Bannon in their telephone prayer trees.\nIn a statement issued Tuesday, first lady Judy O'Bannon thanked Hoosier citizens for supporting her family throughout the ordeal. \n"Words cannot describe the comfort we feel from the people of Indiana," she said.\n-- The Associated Press contributed to this story. Contact staff writer Elise Baker at elimbake@indiana.edu.
(09/08/03 6:27am)
As you step into the darkened room, you hear faintly muddled music with voice over that sounds familiar. Lights are flashing on huge screens in a blurry visual cacophony. Pretty soon the pieces start to fit together: you are watching David Letterman. But surely the reception can't be this bad?\nJason Salavon, a 33-year-old artist who has shown his work in exhibits across the U.S. as well as internationally is displaying his new art piece, "Late-Night Triptych" also known as "Late Night Triad," in the IU School of Fine Arts Gallery's "Of the Everyday" exhibition. This is the second week of the show, which began on Sept. 2 and will run until Oct. 4.\nIn 'Triptych', Salavon overlaps several months of the opening monologues from David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, and Jay Leno's shows to condense each host into a wavy virtual essence. The images are arranged side by side on three screens so it is possible to watch each talk host beginning his show hundreds of times simultaneously. While portraying Letterman, O'Brien, and Leno as cultural icons, the piece allows the viewer to compare their entertainment styles. \n"With the triad, there's an interest in the nightly repetition of these … shows," Salavon said. "There's a ghostly structure."\nSalavon is also showing "Golum" in the SoFa Gallery's exhibit. An interactive exhibit, it allows the viewer to scan through 100,000 different images using a track ball. Each image represents a different digitally produced abstract painting. Salavon has selected three of the digital paintings for printing and these have been hung on the walls of the gallery next to the interactive exhibit. Every time a gallery displays "Golum," the artist chooses different paintings to be printed.\n"I had seen ["Golum"] installed at a gallery in Chicago," said Betsy Stirratt, director of the SoFa Gallery. "I knew that it was something we had to have."\nStirratt was instrumental in bringing Salavon to IU. However, Salavon's ties to the Hoosier state may also have played a part in his willingness to exhibit his work at the university.\n"It's just a very cool coincidence: I was born in Indianapolis," he said. \nSalavon added that his father, who was a painter, spent some time studying art in Indiana and used to travel to Bloomington frequently.\n"There's this kind of cool full circle thing with me coming back to exhibit at IU," he said.\nOddly enough, considering his father's artistic background, Salavon didn't start out wanting to be a painter.\n"I actually didn't want to be an artist at all," he said, adding that math and science classes fascinated him throughout high school.\nIn fact, the first time Salavon considered entering the art world was while working towards his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas.\n"I took a drawing class as an elective in freshman year," he said. "By the time I was graduating from undergrad I was really immersed in the idea of making art my profession."\nSalavon earned his graduate degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and began showing his art immediately after graduation. Natalie Domchenko, director of the Peter Miller Gallery in Chicago, said that she first saw Salavon's work in 1997 when she and Miller attended a Masters of Fine Arts show at the Art Institute.\n"We saw the work that he had up … and were sufficiently engaged by it that we decided we wanted to show him in the gallery," she said. "There was a feeling of seeing something that we hadn't seen before."\nSalavon believes that what makes each of his creations special is the underlying meaning that ties his works together. \n"I get involved in populations of data," he said, adding that his interest lies in "what defines (a group of things) as a class … and what the distinctions are between individual members of the class."\nAs a digital artist, Salavon feels that it is more difficult to create continuity between each of his works because they are not hand produced. He therefore places great importance on his ability to tie exhibits together by creating each of his works with a unified theme in mind.\n"I don't really have a signature style in terms of a visual style," Salavon said. "Something in the artist's vision needs to come out over a body of work."\nOne thing that is self-evident in Salavon's work is his comfort with all things virtual and computer generated. \n"When I was 7 years old 'Star Wars' came out," he said, laughing. "I grew up with video games all around and just sort of had an affinity with that kind of stuff."\nSharing his work with a digital generation is one of the reasons Salavon enjoys doing shows on college campuses.\n"(My exhibits) tend to be a quicker read for younger people who have been steeped in media," he said.\nAlthough Salavon now earns a living by selling his art, he worked odd jobs in the computer game industry for a while after leaving college. One of his first positions was with a company that made a football game called "Blitz 2000." Salavon said that video game design, especially "that sort of cartoony, exaggerated stuff," still appeals to him. \n"I think it's very interesting we're to the point now … that you could design a piece of software that can create paintings," he said.\n-- Contact staff writer Elise Baker at elimbake@indiana.edu.
(09/05/03 5:56am)
Republican Dennis Hardy is getting a head start on his bid to upset incumbent House Representative Steve Buyer in the primary elections for Indiana's densely populated 4th District, which encompasses Bloomington and regions of Indianapolis.\nAlthough the primaries will not be held until May 4, Hardy will be announcing his candidacy with a three-day press tour during which he will visit the 12 counties he hopes to represent. The tour includes a stop at 2 p.m. today at the Herald-Times office in Bloomington.\nHardy began the tour with a speech in his hometown of Monticello Tuesday, and will conclude today with a stop at the Times-Mail in Bedford. Each appearance features a formal announcement of the candidacy, followed by a prepared statement about Hardy's campaign goals and questions from local reporters. \n"I encourage voters if they want to come out … that's why we're there," Hardy said.\nImmediately after the three-day announcement tour, Hardy will begin traveling through south central Indiana, making appearances at fairs and festivals in each county. \n"We're basically going to live on the road for the next eight months," Hardy said. "As each of these counties have festivals, parades, we're trying to meet as many people as we can."\nHardy's campaign manager, David Lohr, will be traveling with Hardy until election day. For Lohr, being on the road brings back memories of his own campaigns, including one for state representative in 1994.\n"I didn't think I'd be doing this again, and probably for anyone else I wouldn't be," he joked.\nHardy is the first Republican to announce his candidacy for the 4th District House seat. According to Lohr, Buyer has not yet formally announced that he will be running for office again. Congressman Buyer was unavailable for comment on the upcoming campaign.\nGerald Wright, Indiana state politics professor at IU, said that recent redistricting in Indiana might play a role in Hardy's viability as a candidate.\n"[The Democrats recently] gerrymandered the 4th District to be more Republican thereby making the districts around it more competitive [for Democratic candidates]" Wright said. \nGerrymandering is a common practice used by political parties in which a state's district boundaries are redrawn to improve that party's chances in future elections.\n"Buyer's not really well established in the 4th District -- it doesn't overlap very well with the district he had before," Wright said. "The odds of knocking [an incumbent] off are not real high, but there are surprises in every election," he added.\nHardy said that he would take every advantage to inform voters of his platform, which includes homeland defense, integrity, and serving the constituents. Lohr also said that Hardy was interested in setting up debates with Buyer in each county.\n-- Contact staff writer Elise Baker at elimbake@indiana.edu.
(04/11/03 4:31am)
Two Azerbaijani instrumental ensembles will give a free concert at 8 p.m. Saturday in Ballantine Hall Auditorium 013. The musical program will be divided between folk songs and classically composed pieces from the Eurasian region, including arias by the first Azerbaijani musician to compose operas, Uzeyir Hajibeyov. It will also feature selections from two CDs released by the "Mamedov Family Ensemble," one of the groups that will be performing. Supertitles will be provided during the Middle Eastern songs so that audience members will be able to read English translations of the lyrics. \n"Music is the catalyst of bringing cultures together," said Professor Shahyar Daneshgar, a native of Azerbaijan and a research associate in the Department of Eurasian Studies. "Right now, American and British troops are in the areas whose music we are going to present." \nDaneshgar said he hoped learning about Middle Eastern culture would help students appreciate the region.\nThe "Mamedov Family Ensemble" is a family of five that has performed traditional Azerbaijani music throughout the United States. The performers are Novruz Mamedov, his wife, Madam Bahar Aliyeva, and their three sons, Azer, Rashad and Afgan. Together, they play a variety of Middle Eastern instruments such as the saz, a long-necked lute, the zarb, a wooden drum in the shape of a goblet, and the garmon, which resembles an accordion. Novruz and Bahar were raised in Azerbaijan and hold music degrees from the State Conservatory there. The family now resides in New York. \nThe other group that will be performing is the "Silk Road Ensemble," which grew out of Daneshgar's efforts to create a group in the Bloomington area devoted to performing Azerbaijani music. It is now a trio comprised of Daneshgar, who sings and plays percussion, and two IU School of Music graduates -- Megan Weeder, who plays violin and kamanche, a violin-like Azerbaijani instrument, and Hakan Toker, who plays piano and kanun, a type of zither. \nToker spent his childhood in Turkey studying piano and traditional music and then relocated to the United States, where he enrolled at IU. Weeder became interested in Eurasian music after she began playing with a Middle Eastern ensemble at IU. \n"It was a sound that appealed to me," Weeder said. "I learned about the culture through the music." \nShe traveled to England to earn a graduate degree in ethnomusicology, then returned to Bloomington as a professional violinist and became involved with the "Silk Road Ensemble." \nThe main purpose of the group is "to educate people about the Middle Eastern culture," and to try to separate the current political conflicts from the cultural aspects of the region, Weeder said.\nBoth groups have performed at Bloomington's annual Lotus World Music Festival, which began with a collaboration between Daneshgar and Lee Williams, a music promoter who created the festival in 1994. Williams said working to bring groups like \nthe "Mamedov Family Ensemble" to Bloomington has given him a better understanding of other cultures. \n"I have lived their music for so long … I'm just thankful (when) they're here," he said.\nSaturday's concert is part of IU's 10th annual Eurasian Studies Conference, which brings IU students and professors together with scholars from countries such as Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Israel. \n"Students wanted to have a forum where they could present their own papers," Daneshgar said.\nIn addition to giving students the opportunity to present their own work, the Eurasian Studies Conference allows them to establish contacts in their areas of interest with researchers from around the globe, he said.\n"This is very meaningful for them," he said.\nFor more information about Saturday's concert or the Mamedov Family and Silk Road ensembles, contact Daneshgar at sdaneshg@indiana.edu.
(04/07/03 5:20pm)
A tinge of the bizarre can come highly recommended.\nFor Jonathan Yukich, who recently won $2,500, a workshop in Portland, Ore., a trip to Washington, D.C. and a national playwrighting award, good entertainment and engaging writing are anything but reality-based.\n"I feel that people don't go to the theater to see real life; they go to the theater to escape real life," Yukich said. "My influences come from carnivalesque. (I'm) trying to entertain my generation and get them to come to the theater."\nAs an MFA student in IU's highly select graduate playwrighting program, Yukich is one of only three graduate student playwrights at IU, all of whom study with professor Dennis Reardon. A teacher, department director and the main influence in the selection process that brings another talented playwrighting student to IU each fall, Reardon constitutes IU's entire playwrighting department.\n"A trade journal called it the most elite playwrighting program in America," Reardon said. \nHe attributes the exclusive nature of the department to its commitment to producing one thesis play for every graduate playwright that it accepts. Since it would be impossible to schedule more than one student-written play a year in the IU theater season, space in the playwrighting program is limited. \n"I recruit very carefully," said Reardon, who spent the last four and a half months in a painstaking search for his next pupil. "I brought Jonathan to this University to expand the stylistic scope of what we produce." \nAnd Yukich has lived up to his teacher's expectations. \n"He's won every major playwrighting award at the collegiate level," Reardon said. "This is a major national talent."\nYukich was living in New York when he decided to apply to IU as an MFA candidate. For Yukich, finding a teacher who would support the development of his unique style meant the difference between continuing to improve and treading water. \n"I was really pleased with Indiana because I like my professor," Yukich said. "It seemed like the only program that would allow me to keep going forward and get an MFA rather than taking a few steps backwards."\nThe latest step forward for Yukich has been the success of his play "Edible Shoes." Although he describes the work as a comedy, he added that a very dark undercurrent exists in the play.\n"(It's) a satire on corporate America and … the laziness and blindness of our system," he said.\nAfter winning the 2002 Wichita State University (Kansas) National Playwriting Contest, Yukich's play received its national premiere there in November 2002.\nDr. Bela Kiralyfalvi, director of the Wichita State University Theater and a judge on its playwrighting contest selection committee said Yukich's play stood out because of its hilarity and exuberance. \n"It's a very theatrical satire about modern American life … (that) has certain poetic qualities," Kiralyfalvi said. \nThe success of the play at Wichita State led members of their selection committee to submit the play for consideration in the Kennedy Center's annual Michael Kanin playwrighting awards. This year the Kennedy Center added a new one: the Paula Vogel playwrighting award, which honors student-written plays that focus on diversity, tolerance and issues of disempowerment in our society. "Edible Shoes" was a perfect candidate for this focus, pitting characters from the realm of corporate America such as "The Man That Smacks" and "Dancing Cockroach" against a circus owner named "Cherry" and his performance troupe. Yukich became the first playwright to win the award.\n"There was an audacious quality to the play," said Gregg Henry, artistic director of the Kennedy Center's American College Theater Festival. "He's written a very funny play on very serious themes."\nOne of the main prizes Yukich will receive as a result of his winning entry is a chance to take part in a two-week workshop at the Portland Stage Center in Oregon. \n"It's a development workshop for new plays," Henry said. \nIn Portland, Yukich will have a chance to meet four other promising playwrights and see a staged reading of "Edible Shoes."\nAlthough Yukich has his own underlying meanings in mind when he writes, he does not want his plays to dictate a particular truth to audiences when they are performed. Rather than spell out the plays' purposes, Yukich aims to entertain and engage his audience in the creative process. \n"I'm not really an agenda playwright," Yukich said. "The more you try to explain life, the more it's coming from one person." \nEmphasis on entertainment and theatrics is what sets Yukich apart from the crowd, his teachers say. \n"I think students will be very attuned to what Jonathan writes," said Reardon. "You just sit in the audience with your mouth agape and wonder what's going to happen."\nYukich's upcoming projects include his thesis production, "The Alien from Cincinnati," which will be part of the '03-'04 IU theater season.
(04/02/03 4:49am)
Internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Susan Graham will give a solo recital at the IU Auditorium at 8 p.m. Thursday. Graham's IU performance is part of her 2003 North American Recital Tour, which will end with a flourish as Graham makes her Carnegie Hall debut in mid-April. \nA rising star in the music world, Graham made headlines when she premiered the role of Sister Helen Prejean with the San Francisco Opera in composer Jake Heggie's operatic version of 'Dead Man Walking.' The thought provoking and intense new opera opened in the fall of 2000 to immediate praise by critics and audiences. It has since been performed by other opera companies throughout the U.S. Graham plans to reprise her role of Sister Helen in the future.\nGraham's recent ascent to star status was one of the main factors in the decision to bring her to IU. \n"Susan Graham is certainly one of the latest stars of the operatic world," said Doug Booher, director of the IU Auditorium, adding that Graham's youth and vitality were qualities that factored into the Auditorium's decision. \n"It's the combination of established talent with the opportunity for growth," said Matthew Mindrum, an Auditorium customer relations specialist.\nThursday night's program will feature three arias from Graham's latest compact disc, including the title work 'C'est ca la vie, c'est ca l'amour' by Moises Simons. Released on the Paris-based Erato label last April, the CD consists of French operetta arias: appropriate since Graham takes a strong interest in French music and has received the distinction of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French government, which honors notable artists for outstanding contributions to their disciplines. \nAlong with her interest in everything French, (she also owns a French poodle named Libby), Graham is a strong proponent of contemporary American composers. Before she became involved with Heggie's 'Dead Man Walking' project, Graham released a CD featuring the songs of Ned Rorem, an icon in modern music composition, who was born in Richmond, Indiana. In 2000 Gramophone Magazine nominated Graham's CD of Rorem songs for 'Best Recital Disc'.\nBoth Auditorium officials and Music School faculty members were eager to feature Graham in the '02-'03 season. \n"Ms. Graham was someone they were equally excited about having," Booher said. Although Graham's visit will be too brief for her to give any masterclasses or lectures at the School of Music, Booher said she will be "taking some time … to see friends".\nTimothy Noble, a professor of voice at IU who has known Graham for the past eighteen years, said he intends to "say hello [to Graham] on Thursday." \n"What I like best about her is that she is genuine," Noble said.\n"What you see is what you get; an endearing quality in the music business today." \nTicket sales for Graham's performance so far have not lived up to expectations. \n"We're expecting a lot of walk-in sales," Mindrum said. "There are still plenty of good seats available."\nThose interested in attending Graham's recital can contact the Auditorium Ticket Office at 855 -1103 or purchase tickets at the box office half an hour prior to the performance. Prices range from $22-$37 for the general public and $12-$22 for IU students.
(03/31/03 4:48am)
As IU students sign housing contracts and consider which classes to take next fall, art enthusiasts throughout Monroe county are agonizing over their own class schedules. From budding Bloomington photographers to ordinarily sedate residents who just couldn't pass up the chance to design the ideal clay dragon, eager Hoosiers have transformed an unimposing building on the corner of Walnut and Fifth streets into a miniature campus since the John Waldron Arts Center's spring semester began March 24. \nAlthough the JWAC celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, it is relatively unknown among IU students. Ask a senior where the Waldron Arts Center is located and most likely the response will be a blank stare. But question an English major who has helped create and teach a poetry workshop or a Master of Fine Arts student who has presented his or her work at one of the JWAC's galleries and the response will be different. \nWriter Thomas Jones, an IU graduate student who is assisting his English professor with a course she is teaching at the JWAC, said he enjoys working at the Waldron Arts Center because it allows him to build bridges between the collegiate world and the public for whom he is writing. \n"I'm interested in teaching creative writing outside academia," said Jones, adding that it helps him "in terms of thinking about who my readers are."\nThe JWAC serves Bloomington preschoolers, senior citizens and every age in between by providing courses in a variety of visual media including sculpture, oil and watercolor painting, photography, jewelry design and calligraphy. A sub-unit of the Bloomington Area Arts Council, it is run by several full-time directors who oversee its instruction, performance and outreach programs. \nThe JWAC building houses ceramics and photography labs, two performance spaces and several art galleries. \nThe art galleries are one of the JWAC's main draws, and provide important venues for local artists to exhibit their work. They are also a potential asset to IU students interested in displaying their creations off campus. \n"Anyone who's interested in exhibiting can submit a portfolio," said local cartoonist and JWAC painting instructor Michael Teague. \n"Once a year there is a selection process … (and a) committee decides who is going to be placed in the gallery," said the JWAC's Education Director, Roger Meridith. \nAs the major center for visual media in the Bloomington area, the JWAC is reluctant to present classes that overlap with the programs offered by instruction-oriented performance troupes in the area such as the Bloomington Playwrights' Project and the Windfall Dancers.\n"We've tried to develop a good collaboration between us," Meridith said. \nWhile this approach reduces competition between local arts organizations, it limits the possibility of incorporating performance courses into the JWAC curriculum. Except for a few fringe classes, such as guitar instruction or swing dance, the JWAC's course selection sticks tenaciously to visual and written art. \nCooperation with performing ensembles pays off, however, when it comes to promoting the Arts Center as a home for live arts organizations in need of performance space. In fact, many of Bloomington's theater, dance and musical groups have done shows at the JWAC, either by renting the space or through Bloomington Area Arts Council collaborations such as the partnership between the JWAC and Detour Productions, which will be presenting its latest production, "The Importance of Being Earnest" starting March 28 at the JWAC. \nThis commitment to fostering local performance organizations is an indirect asset to IU performing art majors, many of whom appear in productions such as "The Importance of Being Earnest" at the JWAC throughout the year. \nIU and the JWAC seem to have forged a win-win relationship over the past decade as IU students benefit from opportunities to teach, exhibit and perform, and the JWAC enjoys an endless supply of fresh faces and ideas. \n"I think it helps those students who are trying to hone their own craft and then bring their personality and skills to the Bloomington community," Meridith said. \nWith the beginning of the JWAC's spring semester, the partnership is waiting to be renewed.
(03/12/03 5:35am)
At 7 p.m. tonight the Bloomington Playwright's Project will kick off the third day of its 19th annual Mini-Play Festival, which challenges elementary through high school students to produce, stage, direct and star in short plays written by their peers. \n"Essentially, the festival is a culmination of an event that took place early in the fall," said Breshaun Joyner, the festival's director.\nLast fall BPP ran a playwriting competition for Monroe County students in grades 3 through 12. First, second and third place winners were chosen at the elementary, middle and high school levels by local playwrights and writers for The Herald-Times, which helped sponsor the contest. Students in theater workshops staged the nine prize-winning plays overseen by Joyner and a staff of IU theater majors.\nThis year's Mini-Play Festival Workshop focuses on giving participants a well-rounded view of the theater. During the workshop, students choose an area of main interest, but they also study the basics of all the disciplines that contribute to a show: writing, directing, acting, costuming and stagecraft. \n"If it wasn't for the stage crew there wouldn't be a play … they put so much effort into it," said 10- year-old Will Mahoney, who directed "It's Out There."\nEach student typically has the opportunity to work on several different aspects of production. 8-year-old Rose D'Eliso, the author of "It's Out There," entrusted the rehearsal process of her own play to Mahoney while she performed in a different work called "Sticking Together." \n"I like the acting part because it's fun to memorize the lines," she said. \nIn addition to rehearsing the plays, all students participate in sessions that concentrate on a new element of theater each week.\nAnother educational aspect of the Mini-Play workshop is its emphasis on cooperation, especially between children of different ages. One of the winning plays in the high school category, "The Witness Was a Lady," includes adult-themed content such as a marital breakup and the death of several characters. When directors were assigned, one session's production of "The Witness Was a Lady" was handed over to an elementary student who showed interest in the play. BPP staff said the pairing seems to work well. The parents of the director gave full consent for their child to manage the production.\n"The playwright's been able to see the director's work a couple of times … (and) I think (he's) fine with it," said Nicole Bruce, a sophomore theater major at IU who has been working alongside several of the student directors since January. \n"We do ask (the younger directors) a few more questions," explained Anne Nemer, another IU theater major who has worked closely with the students, "(but) we want to make sure that they're doing most of it themselves." \nThe students' main goal is to faithfully portray the playwrights' works. Each of the nine plays has its own purpose and a unique way of conveying its message to the audience. From plot-driven pieces like "The Witness Was a Lady" to spin-offs such as 12-year-old Sammi Rosenplot's "Rapunzel's Contest," which uses the well-known fairy tale as its point of departure, the casts and crew have made it their job to bring every script to life. By doing this they are fulfilling the BPP's dual objectives of inspiring children to put their originality on paper and then giving them the opportunity coveted by many older playwrights: the chance to see the results.\n"(The BPP has) always had a connection with theater education," Bruce said, adding that the purpose of the Mini-Play Festival is to give "kids who wanted to write ... somewhere to go with their creativity and imagination."\nMini-Play Festival performances will continue tonight at the BPP's Black Box Theater on 312 S. Washington St. and run through Thursday. All performances begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for children. For more information or to make reservations contact the BPP at 334-1188.