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(09/12/05 4:39am)
The John Waldron Arts Center kicked off its a year-long lineup of musical and theatrical events Friday with the musical "How to Break a Leg: A Diva's Guide to Success." \nTo jumpstart the center's "Performance Series" season, the Bloomington Area Arts Council sponsored the play, written by Eric McCarthy Holmes, as a benefit fund-raiser. \n"The BAAC is a non-profit association," said Diana Corrigan, development director in marketing, who helped raise funds for the event. "It takes a lot to turn on the lights."\nThe play, composed of only seven cast members, was performed both Friday and Saturday nights. The opening night performances sold out and people were turned away at the door. \nThe play's leading roles were performed by three graduates of the IU School of Music: Rebecca Keith, Melissa Korzec-Hillman and Caroline Dowd-Higgins. They had the concept to collaborate on a new project after working together in "Pollen," a musical that ran at the Buskirk-Chumley. \n"Ever since 'Pollen,' we became closer friends and wanted to do a show together, so we decided to meet with a playwright," Korzec-Hillman said.\nHiggins added that meeting with a playwright gave their performance drama -- that something extra they wanted to add.\n"We wanted it to be more than a stand and sing concert," he said.\nThe group went through the series's juried application process, where their concept was accepted. And so began the yearlong journey of preparation to the performance. \nSaturday night's audience viewed a small, spotlighted stage decorated with artistic elements such as tables by local Bella Bella artist Lara Moore, and wall-hung paintings. Stage left was a baby grand piano and bass, which were successfully woven into the storyline of the play. \nPianist Bob Williams had small sarcastic, yet comedic punch lines in the script, while bass player Jeremy Allen plucked along in rhythmic time, creating a feel-good jazz undertone throughout the play. \nThe music chosen to accompany the show consisted of familiar tunes from other various musicals, which provided a degree of familiarity for viewers. "Stars and Moon," from the musical "Songs for a New World," was a show-stopper performed by Korzec-Hillman. The ever-popular "I Could Have Danced All Night" from "My Fair Lady" was preformed by Caroline Dowd-Higgins, who delivered the piece with a Julie Andrews sound and a Samantha from "Sex in the City" attitude. Finally, "I Want to be a Prima Donna," from "The Enchantress," was sung by the softer yet steadier voice of Rebecca Keith. \nAfter the show, IU sophomore LaToya Edwards said she enjoyed the event.\n"I don't normally attend events like this, but the title grabbed my attention because I feel I am a diva," she said.\nEdwards, who enjoys attending musical events, said that she was disappointed to see a lack of attendance from IU students.\n"I would encourage other college students to open up their minds and broaden their horizons to the different events that go on outside of campus," she said. \nStudents who attend the Performance Series events usually receive student discounts, however the John Waldron Arts Center's exhibits are free of charge. For more information, visit http://www.artlives.org or call the the arts center at \n334-3100.
(09/01/05 5:20am)
The Mathers Museum is presenting an exhibit on materials that united people of most cultures, but rarely noticed. \n"Everyone wears shoes," said Ellen Sieber, curator of collections at the Mathers Museum of World Cultures.\nSince April, the museum, located at 416 N. Indiana Ave., has been home to an exhibit featuring highlighted artifacts from across the globe in a student-designed show called "Talking Shoes." The exhibit, a requirement for Introduction to Museum Studies students, was conceived and produced in six weeks by mostly undergraduate students with an interest in museum relations.\nThe class was divided up into two sections, one given the task of doing a children's exhibit, "Talking Shoes," and the other an adult-concentrated exhibit, "Preserving Liberia: The IU Connection." After the division, students designated to do the children's exhibit chose from a collection of 30 to 40 pairs of shoes selected by the museum's curators of education and exhibit, which they then narrowed down to the final 20 pairs. \nSieber said the project was quite a challenge.\n"Students had to take everyday objects and find many ways to talk about them and invite children to connect the exhibit with their lives," she said. "They had to open their eyes to practical aspects of putting on an exhibit in a different perspective for kids."\nThroughout the 6-week process, students read children's books in order to observe literature that was easily processed by children, so when it came time to write the captions for each pair of shoes, they would be better equipped to write for their pre-determined audience (children from 3- to 5-years-old). Other preparations for the exhibit included in-class discussions, developing themes and working in the conservation lab learning to prepare and preserve articles for the exhibit.\nJudith Kirk, class instructor and assistant director of the Mathers Museum, discussed how such a show is beneficial to students.\n"It's all about getting hands-on experience, that's what we're here to do -- we are a resource. Students are actually accomplishing something, rather than turning in papers," she said.\nKirk believes other IU students not involved in the class can \nbenefit from visiting the exhibit. \n"Students that are interested in early childhood development can get a lot out of this institution," she said. "It can help them to see how they can explore more options." \nAs the project progressed, the IU students designers came up with collaborative ways to mentally engage children observing and being educated about the shoes. These ideas included adding a mirror low to the ground to allow one's own feet to be observed when first entering the exhibit and encourage thinking about what others around the world wear on theirs. \nA board was designed with the label "touchy-feely shoes" and consists of small doors, which could be slid to reveal various fabrics used to make shoes worldwide. Also displayed is a world map, which has flags posted marking each country represented by shoes in the exhibit, including Republic of the Congo, Tibet and the Netherlands. \nOne pair of shoes featured in the show was Peruvian tire shoes from the 1960s, the caption in child-friendly font reading: "People make shoes out of just about anything! Some people from Peru recycled old tires to make these shoes. These kinds of shoes were worn by guides on the Inca Trail who walked many miles." \nNot far off was a pair of Inupiat Eskimo snowshoes worn by people in the arctic United States. The caption explained the shoes' practical use of keeping people from sinking in the snow by distributing their weight. \nDecorative shoes were also on display, such as Pakistani wedding shoes from the 1960s, which were decorative heels worn by brides on their wedding day. Japanese shoes from the 1970s were also on display to illustrate shoes made for the purpose of sound. Made of wood, these shoes were decorated with painted bird patterns and had bells underneath which created a jingling sound when worn. \nAlthough "Talking Shoes" was completed in just six weeks, that does not mean others are as rapid in their development; most small exhibits take a year to plan. The Mathers Museum's next large exhibit, opening Nov. 5, titled "Thoughts, Things, and Theories … What is Culture?" has been 10 years in the making. Special sets are being constructed for this exhibit, in addition to new display cases being added as a result of grant money received for the project. \n"Talking Shoes" will be on display through Nov. 6, and is free to the public, as are all other Mathers exhibits. For more information on the exhibit and the Mathers Museum, visit their Web site at http://www.iub.edu/~mathers.
(08/26/05 5:04am)
While CultureFest aimed to bring together students and highlight the diversity of the student body, it also allowed people to experience several ethnic foods.\n"Food, music and people -- that's all you really need," said Gerald Mitchell, graduate assistant at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, yesterday evening outside the IU Auditorium.\nMitchell was referring to the very popular "welcome back" event geared at incoming freshman called CultureFest, which provided students with not only a fabulous guest speaker, but a wide variety of information booths that featured foods from various cultural centers and organizations. \nMitchell represented only one of several organizations at the event. Also on hand was La Casa Latino Cultural Center, the Asian Culture Center, the Campus Religious Leaders Association, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Support Center, the Leo R. Dowling International Center and many others.\nAs Mitchell filled the snow cone maker at the Neal-Marshall booth, he sbluntly noted the benefits of having food at an event such as CultureFest.\n"Everybody's hungry ... and freshmen don't have any money," he said.\nThis may have been a contributing factor to the large student body turnout at the event. In addition to snow cones, the Neal-Marshall Center had catered food from Black Skillet, a Terre Haute-based catering company, which provided food like pork, chicken, sweet potato pie and red rice and beans.\nStanding in line at the Asian Culture Center, Tanzanian-born freshman Mustafa Shariff described his views on the food.\n"(I am) open-minded to try other food, particularly Latin food because it has spice," he said.\nHe also commented on experiencing crab rangoon and a vegetarian egg roll off the center's menu.\n"It's definitely different, but I like it. The egg roll tasted like donuts. They were good." \nDenise Boo, a volunteer at the Asian Student Union, said that it had mostly "Asian finger food" to offer and added a large part of cultural differences can be found in the contrasts of food. \nOn the other side of Showalter Fountain, La Casa served raspados (Spanish for ice cone with flavored syrup) and rice and chicken, catered by local restaurant Legacy of the Incas. Zelideh Martinez, a graduate assistant at La Casa, was working with students and staff to serve students from the menu.\n"Food kind of gets people in here -- then we can talk to them about more than what food we have ... talk to them about the calendar for Hispanic events and about the services we provide," she said.\nThe Indiana Memorial Union provided attendees with hamburgers and veggie burgers.\n"We've always done burgers ... IMU catering represents American food at the festival," said head chef Victor Sturm.\nWho can imagine American food without envisioning a good box of pizza? \n"Pizza is a pretty popular food," said Adam Cohen, the student president of Hillel, which affiliates with CARLA. \nCohen explained why his organization was serving food at the festival.\n"We're pretty much here to serve pizza -- everyone just wants free food … but if we can put something with free food, maybe people can get a little more out of it than a full stomach," he said.\nNear the CARLA booth, freshman Sierra Stridel explained more than an empty stomach guided her to the food. The lecture influenced her adventurous tastes.\n"After the lecture, I felt so inspired to try some international food," she said.
(08/01/05 3:18pm)
One of the many thrills of Bloomington life is surely the annual Lotus World Music and Arts Festival which draws talented musicians from around the globe to the city each September. This event unites community members, students, and area residents in downtown Bloomington for several evenings packed with world music, culture, food, and various other forms of \nentertainment. \nThis year the festival is scheduled for Sept. 22 to 25, marking the 12th anniversary of the event in Bloomington. The official Lotus Web site deems the event, "An exciting weekend celebration of the beauty and diversity of world cultures, through music and the arts." \nBut a festival such as Lotus, run by the Lotus Education and Arts Foundation, Inc., a non-profit agency, could never be produced without the generous help of volunteers from the community. \n"The smooth operation of the festival is dependent on volunteers," said Patrick Coad, festival volunteer coordinator for the Lotus Festival. "... They are an integral part of the process and help to make it fun for everyone involved while at the same giving back to the community."\nThe Lotus Festival welcomes anyone who has an interest in volunteering at the festival to come to a meeting for new volunteers that will be held on Aug. 27 at the Monroe County Library Auditorium from 10 a.m. to noon. The meeting will address many frequently asked questions and will provide other information to volunteers. Additional information about volunteering can be found on the festival's Web site www.lotusfest.org. The Web site provides \nvolunteer and festival background information and provides a schedule of the entertainers set to perform. \nIn addition to its Web site, Lotus has a booth set up at the Farmer's Market, on Saturday mornings from 8 a.m. to noon in the Showers Building parking lot. \nThe deadline for the first round of applications is Aug. 15. Applications are available online via the Web site. Those interested should attempt to complete applications by that date because they will receive first priority for position assignments. The volunteer branch for Lotus has an e-mail for contact, volunteer@lotusfest.org, in addition to a volunteer hotline at 337-0417 for more detailed information. \nThose who choose to volunteer will be required to attend a training session on either Sept. 15 or 17 at the Monroe County Library.
(07/28/05 3:59am)
Art and music lovers came out by the hundreds Friday night to the IU Art Museum for an evening of live music on the Sculpture Terrace. The cost-free event was the last of four performances in the Jazz in July series put on by the museum and other sponsors. Friday night featured the swing and acoustic jazz band, Hot Club of Naptown, a popular Bloomington band which was featured two years ago in the series. \nOther bands that were featured this July included: Harpist Jan Aldridge Clark, an IU Music School graduate who played contemporary smooth jazz, Charlie Smith Project, a guitarist from Indianapolis who presented a combination of jazz standards, original pieces and pop classics, and Monika Herzig Acoustic Project, an internationally recognized jazz musician who preformed original standards and personal arrangements.\nThe assistant director for external operations at the IU Art Museum, Jo Anna Davis, explained why the museum feels it is important to put on an annual event like Jazz in July.\n"It's a really good way for those who aren't able to get to the museum during the year to get a glimpse of the gallery and to hear music ... it's a great way that students as well as community members can come together and enjoy both art and music." \nIndeed both turned out in large numbers Friday night to see Hot Club of Naptown packing the terrace and filling nearly every seat. Many enjoyed the drinks and food served at the event as they tapped their feet along with the music -- frequently applauding for jazz solos. As the sun set over the event, the band played songs ranging from jazz standards like as "I'm beginning to see the light" to pieces by the groups musical inspiration Django Reinhardt. \nCarolyn Dutton, the band's violin player, appeared to be the spokesperson for the group during song transitions -- giving musical history on their various pieces and interacting with the audience. Although many of their pieces were instrumental, guitar and mandolin player David McCarty showcased his rich jazz voice on several numbers, as did guitar player Steve Hawkins. In shades and a hat, Bass player Joe Toole kept his cool and a steady rhythm throughout the performance.\nThe group's CD, All Swings Considered, was mentioned by Strings magazine as one of the "Best CDs of 2004". \nThe IU Arts Museum will be presenting the photography of Art Sinsabaugh in October in the exhibition, American Horizons. To find out more about events coming up at the IU Arts Museum, visit their Web site at www.artmuseum.iu.edu.
(06/16/05 12:27am)
The Rosemary P. Miller Gallery located in Bloomington's John Waldron Arts Center has been home to many fascinating local art exhibits over the years. From paintings to sculptures, photography to fiber arts, the gallery has been a platform for every type of artistry to be displayed.\n"Carved in Stone" is the latest exhibition to grace the Miller Gallery. This show features contemporary stone carvings from more than a dozen artists around the United States as well as exhibits by well-known local carvers.\nMiah Michelson, director of the gallery, spoke with enthusiasm when describing the gallery's current art exhibition.\n"We've had a phenomenal response, and the highest visitor turn-out of any exhibit we've had here," Michelson said. "Some of the finest stone sculptures in the country are in this exhibit."\nCarved in Stone, a first-time exhibit, is debuting in correlation with the 9th Annual Limestone Sculpture Symposium -- an event which celebrates limestone's role in south central Indiana by gathering artists together to share and study with other carvers.\n"This is an art form that people feel is indigenous to the area, it represents the region and displays raw materials that come from this area ... The stone is primarily Indiana Limestone," Michelson said.\nSeveral of the exhibitioners are presenting their work for the first time. Many other carvers, however, are veterans in the field. Pricing of the artwork ranges with respect to that, anywhere between $300 and $10,000.\nThe highest-priced piece comes from artist Dale Enochs, who worked with limestone to create "From the Heart." This piece is a larger than life bust which captures human beauty on limestone. The bust features a heart, which appears to beat out of its chest. Stemming from the heart are large ventricles, while engravings of veins fill the heart itself. The craftsmanship of the piece is extremely detailed as its entirety, with the exception of the heart, is decorated with etchings, appearing to suggest the detailed lines of human skin.\n"Introspection", a piece by Alison Helm, incorporates stone in a different light. This sculpture stands on metal legs and features materials including stainless steel, glass, and marble. Visually stimulating from all angles, this piece features soapstone and has a different feel than the surrounding works.\nReligious sculptures are also displayed in the exhibit. "Why Have You Vanished", by artist Ned Cunningham, is a large eye-attracting stone sculpture which depicts Jesus on the cross. Terence Lankford also carved a religious creation called "Jung's Heron," a stone slab, which is engraved with the words "Explore Daily the Will of God." The words, surrounded by etchings of a dragonfly, a background of rocks, and water are bold and simplistic. This piece demonstrates that simple can also be visually appealing.\nStone lovers and art appreciators can visit this exhibit until June 25.\nThe John Waldron Art Center gallery hours are Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 5p.m., and Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 334-3100.