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(05/01/06 4:23am)
The back of the novel describes it as "A Nabokovian goof on Agatha Christie; a madcap mystery in the deceptive tradition of 'The Crying of Lot 49;' The Third Policeman meets 'The Da Vinci Code.'" Confused yet? Then you're right on track. \n"Icelander" is IU graduate student Dustin Long's debut novel, a story with an abundance of ambiguity and imagination.\n"Icelander" tells the story of Our Heroine, daughter of the legendary crime-solver Emily Bean. When her best friend is found murdered, everyone expects Our Heroine to follow in her mother's footsteps and discover the guilty party. Unfortunately, Our Heroine is less than thrilled to perpetuate the family trade. But adventure, mystery and intrigue wait for no woman, and thus the novel begins. \n"It's not like other books," Long said. "It has this elaborate frame story; 'The book you're about to read was found among the papers of this dead author.' So it's odd, which is probably a good way of describing it."\nEli Horowitz, Long's editor at McSweeny's Books, said the back story is one of his favorite aspects of the novel. \n"I love that Dustin has created this world that is steady," Horowitz said, "but it also has all these strange things going on that don't even get discussed directly, they just become the context of the novel. He tells you enough so that you can have a sense of what's going on, but he leaves enough unexplained so it feels like it has a real authority." \n"If you were writing a book about reality and you said, 'Then we went to England,' you wouldn't say 'England is a small island located ...' People just know it," Horowitz said. "But if you make something up and also treat it that way, it gives it a kind of authority and believability, which is how the underground kingdom of Vanaheim is treated in 'Icelander.' It is presented as something everybody just knows. But he handles that in a very delicate, smart way. Ridiculous, also."\nOne of the draws of the novel's complexity is that it can easily be read multiple times, Long said.\n"You could just read it on one level — for the plot — and enjoy it and then maybe read it again and say, 'Oh, here's all this stuff I didn't get before,'" Long said. "I wanted to write a book that people could read twice and not get bored. It's something I always appreciate when I read."\nChantal Clarke, Long's wife and a graduate student in the IU folklore department, agrees with Long. \n"I really enjoy the puzzle element of it. I know I wouldn't get everything in the book if he hadn't spent the last year explaining it to me. There's even stuff that he hasn't definitively resolved, which I think makes the book so interesting and fun," Clarke said. \nWhile Long has displayed his creative strength in "Icelander," expect more imaginative works in the future. \n"I am currently working on a new novel," Long explained. "It's very different than 'Icelander,' which is an adventure-mystery-something set in 2001. The novel I'm working on now is about a Jesuit priest in 17th - century China, but it's another goofy comedy as well. It's a lot of fun." \nLong's courses at IU are aimed at making him a better, more informed writer. \nHe said, "I'm currently taking Chinese here at IU so I can read sources as I research this new novel," Long says, "Each time I approach a new novel it's a new experience and a fun exploration of what I can do with it." \n"Icelander" is published by McSweeney's Books and available at most bookstores in Bloomington.
(04/05/06 4:39am)
Lovers of unique and controversial cinema will be happily surprised if they wander into The Cinemat any Thursday night in April, as they will find the first-ever German and Turkish series in Bloomington.\nAddressing themes of race, immigration, gender, nationality and sex, the four films presented in the cinematic series all challenge the comfort barriers of society.\nFiliz Cicek, the organizer of the series, explains that the films offer a wide variety of appeal.\n"At first I liked these films because I fell in love with the aesthetics," Cicek said. "But I think we are living in a very interesting time where we have films that cross boundaries. Are these global films? Are they German? Are they Turkish? What are they? So this makes them very multi-layered and interesting."\nDespite its relation to global issues, the German and Turkish series has a rather local beginning.\n"The reason I started thinking about this film series was because former students would say, 'We have to have a meeting with you. We miss you. Can't we get together and watch movies?'" Cicek said, referring to students from a Collins Living-Learning Center class she taught on immigrant cinema. \nAt the end of the CLLC course, Cicek had her students show their final project films at The Cinemat and the idea of having a film series on immigrant cinema grew from there. In addition to the film showings, a presenter will briefly introduce each film. \nFour films will be shown during the series, each vastly different yet connected by themes of immigration and what it means to be Turkish in Germany. \n"Ali: Fear Eats the Soul," made in 1974 by R. W. Fassbinder, explores the relationship of German widow Emmi and Moroccan immigrant Ali. \n"This film shows the issue from a German perspective," Cicek said. "The conflict arises not only from the fact that you have a Moroccan and a German getting married, but also an age difference because Emmi is 20 years older than her husband Ali." \n"Lola and Bilidikid," a Kutlug Ataman film made in 1998, was the first German-Turkish film that was widely released in the United States. \n"This film involves a male teenager struggling to grow up while also being gay and Turkish in Berlin," said Claudia Breger, assistant professor for the IU department of German studies and presenter for "Lola and Bilidikid."\n"This film is from a more recent generation of German-Turkish films," Breger said. "It has a very dramatic narrative and Hollywood entertainment potential, but at the same time, a lot of complexity. It has the intent to work through stereotypical ideas of what it means to be Turkish in Germany, in engaging stereotypes and problems." \nThe third film shown will be "The Marriage of Maria Braun," a R.W. Fassbinder film made in 1979. The film begins with Maria's marriage to Hermann, a German soldier who is immediately sent to the Russian front of World War II and is soon reported dead. Maria then starts an affair with Bill, a black GI, and becomes pregnant before Hermann unexpectedly returns from war.\n"While this movie doesn't explicitly deal with the immigration experience, it raises questions of German post-World War II identity and reconstruction after the war," Breger said, "The interesting thing that connects this to the other films is that there is a lot of questioning of matters of race."\nThe last film shown during the series will be "Against the Wall (a.k.a. 'Head-On')." Made in 2004 by Fatih Akin, the film explores the sex, drugs and marriage involved in the emancipation of a woman who wants to live a life that her parents do not approve of. \n"This film is unique because of the way the German-Turkish community is represented -- with one community that is really well integrated and the other that is very traditional," said Mihaela Petrescua Ph.D student in the IU Department of Germanic Studies and a presenter for the cinema series. \nThe German &-Turkish Cinema series is free and will take place at The Cinemat with each film being shown twice, at 7:30 and at 9:45 p.m. "Ali: Fear Eats the Soul" will be shown Thursday, "Lola and Bilidikid" on April 13, "Marriage of Maria Braun" on April 20, and "Against the Wall" on April 27. For more information visit \nwww.thecinemat.com.
(02/23/06 5:24am)
The Bloomington community and IU are proud to collaborate once again on ArtsWeek, an annual two-week arts festival. After 22 years, the festival has continually expanded to include dance, exhibit, film, music, talk and theater events. \nMike Wilkerson, ArtsWeek coordinator and director, explained that the festival was originally ArtsWeekend and was mainly a venue for art programs on campus to showcase their talents. \n"However, as the festival evolved, we started getting more involvement from community organizations," Wilkerson said. "The biggest change that has occurred for this festival is that the community has now come to feel that they are full partners in this and really want to contribute significantly."\nArtsWeek will run Feb. 23 through March 5 and many of the events are free to the public. A detailed event calendar and additional information is available at www.artsweek.indiana.edu.
(02/13/06 4:34am)
Jazz from Bloomington board member Monika Herzig is teaching elementary students about improvisation. However, IU music students might be surprised at Herzig's playful technique. \n"When we talk about how improvisation works, we explain that it's like a pizza," Herzig said. "Everyone gets to put a new topping on it, but it's all on the same crust." \nElementary school students from Brown, Greene, Lawrence, Owen and Monroe counties are currently benefiting from the third year of the Jazz in the Schools Program produced by Bloomington Arts Area Council and Jazz from Bloomington. In addition to live jazz performances, Jazz in the Schools has taught students from 12 elementary schools about the history and culture of jazz. \n"We call them 'informances' because they are both fun and educational at the same time," said Nancy Krueger, director of the Bloomington Area Arts Council. \n"Not only do the students have a fantastic time, but they also learn about the origins of jazz, how jazz evolved and African-American history."\nJazz in the Schools is particularly unique because it targets poorer, rural schools where students might not have had this opportunity before. \n"For many of these kids, this program isn't only the first time they've heard jazz, it's the first time they've heard music played by living, breathing people standing in front of them," said Pat Harbison, leader of one of the Jazz in the Schools' quintets and president of Jazz from Bloomington. \nThe program is made possible with support from jazz educator Jamey Aebersold, the Musician's Performance Trust Fund and the Indiana Arts Commission. \n"I had traveled down to southern Indiana on sabbatical and played with Jamey Aebersold, who had been doing these programs for years," Harbison said. "It was such a great experience. I thought, 'We have to get this going in Bloomington.'"\nHerzig said what strikes her about this program is the response from the students. \n"The kids really, really love it and appreciate it," Herzig said. "It can really be an eye-opening experience for them." \nIn addition to the live jazz performances, the Jazz in the Schools program also gives schools curriculum guides and a CD and DVD set, which were developed by an IU doctoral student in music education, Krueger said. "It's often hard for teachers to bring in new and interesting things because they have to get through so much curriculum, but this program allows for both," Kruger said, mentioning that the curriculum meets state standards in music, history and social studies. \n"Teachers can use these curriculum guides to teach the students about the history, culture and (the) importance of jazz, while at the same time, the students get to experience the fun of jazz." \nHarbison said the curriculum guides are particularly valuable because they show how music can cross all educational disciplines. \n"Music is culture and culture affects every aspect of our lives," he said.\nBoth Krueger and Harbison stressed the long-lasting benefits these programs offer students. \n"This program really teaches them to listen (actively) instead of passively, which most grown-ups don't even know how to do, and I'm not just talking about music," Harbison said.\nThe Jazz in the Schools performances will continue in Bloomington and the surrounding counties' elementary schools through March 28.
(01/27/06 4:29am)
A vivid array of paintings from Ecuador is on display now through May 7 at the IU Mathers Museum of World Culture. \nThe exhibit, titled "Emerald, Ruby, and Gold: Contemporary Paintings of an Andean Indigenous Culture," also offers visitors explanations and maps as to the paintings' cultural origins.\nTerra Fuller, a graduate student and curator for the exhibit, explains that these paintings are a relatively recent development. \n"While the Quichua have ancient Incan origins, these paintings are really a new phenomenon," Fuller said. "The Quichua people used to paint on the sides of drums that they would use in festivals. However, around 1970 an art gallery owner in Quito suggested that they paint on something flat so that tourists could take these paintings with them." \nMany of the paintings depict the daily life of the indigenous people in the Andes Mountains. In addition to the everyday scenes, many of the most detailed paintings depict native festivals that mix traditional Catholic and indigenous beliefs, Fuller said. She said an example of this mixing of religious beliefs can be seen in a painting of Adam and Eve. \n"While the painting has the traditional biblical elements of the Adam and Eve story, it also prominently displays a sun, an Incan religious symbol," she said. \nMatthew Sieber, co-curator of exhibits at the Mathers Museum, emphasized the changes that have occurred in the short amount of time that the Quichua have been painting. \n"While it is great that these people are able to profit from their painting, this profitability has changed their community," he said. "Because Tigua is such a remote community and it's difficult for tourists to get there, many of the artists leave to sell their paintings in larger cities."\nAlong with changes in the community, the paintings themselves have changed in subject matter and style. \n"Older paintings have a painted frame around them, which is used as a stretcher for the goat skin canvas. So they paint on what most people consider the 'back' of the canvas," Fuller said. "But as more and more artists go to larger cities to sell their paintings, they are exposed to more contemporary art. In a desire to be taken more seriously as artists, they now paint on the 'front' of the canvas, eliminating the frame." \nGeoffrey Conrad, director of the Mathers Museum, explained that the paintings featured in the exhibit are partly on lease from Fuller and partly components of the Mathers' extensive collection of artifacts. \n"Due to the strength of IU's folklore department, we have acquired a large collection of these types of paintings and artifacts," Conrad said. \nJohn McDowell, professor in the department of folklore and ethnomusicology, had high praise for the paintings and the exhibit. \n"I thought this was an excellent exhibition," he said. "The paintings are wonderful, showing a cross-section of older and newer styles, and illustrating the common themes addressed in this tradition. Even though much of their production today is destined for the tourist trade, they continue to feature scenes of everyday life in the mountains and elements of the indigenous belief system."\nThe Mathers Museum is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.
(01/23/06 5:17am)
IU residence halls will host a new addition to the PRIDE Film Festival this week. \nWhile this is the third year of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender film festival in Bloomington, this is the first year the IU residence halls will screen festival films.\nMcNutt Quad, Read Center and Collins LLC will serve as venues for four films, two of which will not be shown in the main festival at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater Jan. 26 through 29.\nIncluded in the residence hall screenings will be four films: "Hoi Maya," a German dramatic short about two elderly women who meet again after a brief teenage romance, and "My Sister, My Bride," a documentary short about a lesbian couple that goes to California to become legally married. "Flowers from the Heartland" is a documentary short about flowers sent to California in national support of same-sex marriages, and "Daddy and Papa" is a film about a gay couple adopting a child. \n"My Sister, My Bride" and "Daddy and Papa" will be shown only at the residence halls. \nFollowing the film screenings, representatives from GLBT Student Support Services and Residential Programs and Services will play host to discussions.\nWill O'Berry, GLBTSSS program coordinator, will facilitate the discussions at each event. \n"GLBT themes need to present themselves in the realm of film more and more so that we have a voice and a place in one of society's major art forms," O'Berry said. "Film festivals like these allow us to have that expressive space not only esoterically but exoterically as well." \nJunior Courtney Wiesenauer, PRIDE steering committee and funding committee member, stresses the benefit of these films to all students, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.\n"You certainly don't have to be gay to go to this festival," she said. "These are great movies; they just have GLBT issues in them."\nWiesenauer said that the addition of film screenings in the residence halls functions as an educational experience for those who might not have been exposed to GLBT issues before. \n"There are so many students in the residence halls, especially freshmen, who could benefit from being exposed to things like this that are a little bit outside their comfort zone," Wiesenauer said. "Having the film screenings in the residence halls makes it easier to have the educational component, the following discussions, for students."\nSenior Jessica Rudy, a CommUNITY Educator, will help with the screening and discussion in the Collins Coffeehouse. \n"I've been going to the PRIDE Film Festival for the past two years, and I am really pleased with the effect it seems to have in the community," Rudy said. "The festival itself is a lot of fun because having this celebration is a good step toward creating a welcoming environment for people who identify with the GLBT community, and encourages straight people to become allies"
(12/07/05 4:34am)
The IU Art Museum special exhibitions gallery is currently playing host to "American Horizons: The Photographs of Art Sinsabaugh" until Dec. 23. This distinctive collection highlights Art Sinsabaugh's incredible landscape photographs, which were captured by the artist's giant "banquet" camera, so named because it was originally intended to photograph large social gatherings. With this colossal piece of equipment, Sinsabaugh was able to produce 12-by-20-inch negatives, which he often dramatically cropped to evoke the massive sweep of the horizon. \nWith this in mind, visitors of the collection often remark on the size of the photographs.\n"The photographs are amazing; however, I thought they'd be bigger," said graduate student Robert Gilchrist. \nNanette Brewer, curator of works on paper, explained why Sinsabaugh's photographs deserve their monumental reputation. \n"Sinsabaugh's photographs are landscapes of monumental scope in very delicate presentation. We often forget in our age of digital scans that photographs of this size were the biggest of Sinsabaugh's time," she said.\nThe photographs are amazingly detailed, prompting Brewer to make portable magnifying glasses available to viewers. \n"The photographs offer an infinite amount of detail because it's a one-to-one ratio without enlargement," Brewer said. "Right down to the baseballs stuck in the gutters of houses close to Wrigley Field." \nIn their book "American Horizons: The Photographs of Art Sinsabaugh," made especially for this traveling collection, Keith Davis and Nanette Brewer describe what makes this collection so unique to IU and the Midwest. In the summer of 1962, Sinsabaugh headed to Bloomington for the final week of a photography workshop held at IU's School of Fine Arts by Professor Henry Holmes Smith.\nThis trip proved significant not only in solidifying an important friendship between the two men, which eventually led to the IU Art Museum's acquisition of Sinsabaugh's archive in 1978, but it also served as the means by which he produced the images in his seminal Midwest Landscape Group, Brewer said.\nIt was on his excursions to and from Bloomington that Sinsabaugh shot many of his Midwest landscapes, traveling through Terre Haute, Paoli, Ind., Vincennes, Bedford and various small towns along the way.\nAmong Sinsabaugh's collection are the Midwest, Chicago, Baltimore and American Landscapes, as well as his lesser-known work in color and portraits.\n"The Landscape photographs beautifully portray Sinsabaugh's desire to create an all-encompassing census of the American landscape," Brewer said. "They don't focus on individual people or places, but rather the rhythms of human life and our relationship to the land through the formal elements — the buildings, silos, bridges, highways, homes, skyscrapers, trees and gravestones — that puncture our horizons."\nOne is left more with a feeling of the landscape, rather than an exact image or knowledge of the place. \nIn addition to Sinsabaugh's intimate ties with Bloomington and the Midwest, Brewer said a major motivator for this exhibit was the lack of knowledge and resources concerning Sinsabaugh's works. \n"People would ask, 'Where can I find more information about this artist?' and there were very few places to look," Brewer said. \nAccompanying the exhibit is a film documenting Sinsabaugh's development as a photographer and inspirations from the American landscape, as well as "American Horizons: The Photographs of Art Sinsabaugh," the first major retrospective publication of Sinsabaugh's work. Chase Potter, manager of the IU Art Museum Café, said they carry posters and note cards of Chicago Landscapes, hard- and soft-cover copies of "American Horizons," as well as discounts for buying a book and poster together. \nIn addition to Art Sinsabaugh's exhibit, the IU Art Museum played host to "Midwest Fest: A Celebration of Art, Literature, Music, and Food from the Heartland," said David Tanner, associate director for administration. Midwest Fest was held Sunday in the Special Exhibitions Gallery. It featured readings from Midwestern writers, a performance of original music inspired by the photographs of Art Sinsabaugh and a reception with samplings of locally- and regionally-produced food.