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(04/28/08 2:37am)
The Buskirk-Chumley Theater was filled with the sounds of eclectic modern alternative rock last Thursday night as three buzzed-about bands took the stage.\nMargot & the Nuclear So and So’s of Indianapolis were joined by Chicago’s Maps & Atlases and local band Kentucky Nightmare. \n“We had a really good crowd; it was a really fun set,” said Kentucky Nightmare bassist Karen Jensen. “We have a new drummer, and we managed to pull off a really tight set.”\nJensen’s band opened the night with a set full of songs everyone can relate to, with topics ranging all the way from unrequited love to those dedicated to lead singer Simon Moore’s “propensity for sinus infections.” \nThe band’s southern rock sound led into the progressive sound of Maps & Atlases, whose set was packed with songs full of hectic drum beats and frenzied guitar riffs. According to its MySpace page, the band is influenced by “experimental and technically adept musicians.”\nSpirit of ''68 Promotions president Dan Coleman was excited to welcome the band back to Bloomington as he introduced them to the stage. \n“I love this band,” Coleman said. He went on to hint they may be coming back in May for another performance. \nFinally, Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s finished the night with a set mixed with both old crowd favorites and new songs from its next album,“Animal!,” due out in July. \n“I thought the variety of instruments incorporated into every song was awesome,” Bloomington resident Tyler Justice said.\nMargot & the Nuclear So and So’s has a total of eight members, with instruments ranging from traditional drums and guitars to a violin, trombone and synthesizers. \n“I had a really good time,” said Margot guitarist Andy Fry, despite a minor slip-up halfway through the set. \nLead singer Richard Edwards forgot the words to the track “Quiet as a Mouse.” \n“We’re still kind of rehearsing,” Fry said after the show. Edwards also added that it had been a long time since the band had played songs off of “The Dust of Retreat.”\nThe band suffered several other mishaps throughout the show, including a broken guitar and keyboard.\nTo make up for the bad luck and his honest mistakes, Edwards treated the crowd to a short acoustic set as an encore. He played several songs, including one he had never played for a live audience before. \nFans seemed pleased with the concert following the show, despite the mishaps. Prior to the performance, Fry had mentioned how going to concerts with bands that perform almost “mechanically” tend to bore him. \n“We’ve had shows where we could walk off at any minute,” Fry said. “That to me is more interesting.”\nFollowing the concert, he added that the fans also make the concert. \n“We’re out there playing songs for people that want to hear them,” Fry said.
(04/24/08 3:54am)
Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s, a band featured as one of Spin magazine’s “Who’s Next '08,” will perform at 8 p.m. today at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. \n“This band has a huge following,” said Dan Coleman, president of Spirit of ’68 Promotions. “For years they have been on the cusp of breaking. This is the year they’re finally doing it.” \nSpin magazine describes the band as a collection of musicians “brought together by a shared love of woodsy Americana and chamber pop.” Their 2006 debut album, “The Dust of Retreat,” is full of folksy, mellow acoustic tracks perfect for listening to on warm summer evenings while basking in the fading afternoon sunlight on the front porch. \n“They’re not so much hard to grasp indie rock, like Radiohead,” Coleman said. “They’re a quality indie pop band that appeals to so many kinds of people.” \nSophomore Andrew East has been a fan of the band since 2005 and has had the opportunity to see them live in concert twice. \n“They don’t really sound like anyone else,” East said. “And looking at eight people on stage is pretty fun to watch.” \nThe band is made up of a collection of Hoosiers with instruments ranging from guitars and drums to lap steel, violin and trumpet. Founding member and guitarist Andy Fry also agrees that watching the band play is definitely a sight to behold. \n“It’s cool to see. I wish I could watch us play, because I really enjoy watching everyone around me play (on stage),” he said. “And I could see if my fly is undone or something.” \nMargot will be joined by Maps & Atlases, a Chicago alternative-rock band with an intricate guitar work and \nfrenzied drum beat sound. Local indie Southern rock band Kentucky Nightmare will open. \nDanielle McClelland, executive director of the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, hopes a wide age range of people will come to the show. \n“This is an ideal all-ages venue,” McClelland said. “And yet those 21 and over can still drink a nice glass of wine or locally-brewed beer during the show.” \nAlthough this year has been named the “break-out” year for Margot by many, it has not been an instantaneous process. \n“It’s a natural progression from what we’ve been doing. We feel lucky,” Fry said. “It’s cool; this is what I’ve always wanted. I’m ready. We’re all ready.” \nThe band has been touring the past three years promoting their music and have spent the past two years working on their most recent album, “Animal!” which will be released in July. \n“Thursday will be the second time we’ve played any of these songs for anybody,” Fry said. The first time was at a show earlier this month at The Vogue in Indianapolis. \n“We’re trying to take over the world, just like any other band,” Fry said. “And I hope that if anyone else loves music, I hope they can appreciate the musical choices we make. And I hope it sounds good. That’s the most important part.”\nTickets are $10 in advance or $12 the day of the show and are available at Landlocked Music, the Sunrise Box Office or online at www.bloomingtonarts.info.
(03/26/08 5:31am)
Starting next year, students transferring to IU from community colleges will have to adhere to new guidelines. \nA limit of 64 transfer credits will be placed on those coming from two-year colleges, such as Ivy Tech Community College. \nStudents who have already taken credits at four-year colleges and those who have transfer credits from other schools in the IU system will not be affected by this change.\n“What has to be understood is that this isn’t meant to hinder students,” said IU Provost Karen Hanson. “We’re regularizing how transfer credits take place.” \nRegulating transfer credits has been a topic of discussion since last August, Hanson said. The question of whether the degree granted is actually from IU, Hanson said, was something that needed to be answered while a new limit was negotiated. The number of hours that go into a typical associate’s degree was also considered. This new limit is part of a larger project between other colleges throughout the state to help make the transfer process easier.\n“It’s a larger initiative between four-year universities and other community colleges to begin to establish core transfer libraries,” said Barb Bichelmeyer, associate dean of faculties. “It will allow students to move more seamlessly between institutions.” \n“I think it’s completely fair,” junior Nick Branch said concerning the new limit. “There’s a certain standard here at IU, and you can’t always assure the credibility of classes people take at other universities.”\nThis limit is nothing new to some schools within IU. Different divisions, such as the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Journalism, already have a 60-credit limit in place. \nThe limit of 64 credits was also assumed as fair because most students who transfer from other colleges usually do so after their freshman or sophomore years, Bichelmeyer said. \n“I don’t imagine a student transferring from a community college will usually have more than 60 credits,” she said. \nThose who transfer with more than 64 credits will be allowed to select which credits to transfer that are most relevant to their degree. The main goal of the new policy was to simplify the process of transferring, which can often be a hassle for those coming from schools outside of the IU system. \n“Any time we’re able to create a consistent policy, it makes it easier for transfer students,” Bichelmeyer said.
(03/20/08 5:03am)
Few pet owners like cleaning out their animal’s litter box. But IU employee Marne Potter willingly cleans dozens of cages every week.\nPotter shows up at the Bloomington Animal Shelter at 8:30 a.m. every Saturday and changes a whole kennel’s worth of litter boxes.\n“They’ve had it a bit rough,” Potter said of the cats she’s helping. “Trying to make them feel a little better makes me feel better that I’m doing something good. Just a clean litter box makes a cat feel better.” \nWatching her work, no one would think Potter minds having to clean up after these felines waiting to find a good home. She knows their names, their habits and their personalities as if they were her own pets. \nAnd she only works there once a week. \nPotter is a full-time Web services specialist for University Human Resource Services at IU. She is also one of many IU volunteers currently working at the shelter. \nErika Knudson, associate director for the IU Office of Creative Services, also works every weekend as an adoption counselor and volunteer. \n“(Volunteering) is so rewarding,” Knudson said. “It can be difficult because you see animals who’ve been through a lot, but when you see them find a home it’s so rewarding you just want to cheer.”\nKathy Obrakta is the volunteer coordinator at the shelter and says qualities such as dependability, compassion and patience are some of the most important for potential volunteers because of the hands-on aspect involved with animals. \n“It’s important for animals to have as much contact as possible,” Obrakta said. “Volunteers are lucky because they can do direct animal care here, unlike many other shelters.” \nKnudson said even though students may be too busy to devote enough time required for a pet, they can still get involved in other ways to help the shelter.\n“A lot of students have many responsibilities and have to worry about things like roommates and jobs,” Knudson said. “Adopting a pet is a lifetime commitment for that animal.” \nFostering animals is another option for those who would like to adopt but don’t have the stability while in college to adopt an animal permanently. The program allows people to take a pet home for a few weeks and care for it as if it was their own until the animal is either adopted or ready to go back to the shelter. Veterinary services can be provided by the shelter if the foster parent is unable to afford the costs at the time. \nCuddles, Knudson’s own dog, was once in the foster program. When she and her husband were looking through dogs in the shelter they stumbled upon him. He was scarred and most likely neglected by his previous owners. \n“I told my husband, ‘We have to take this dog because he’s the symbol of everything wrong in the world,’” Knudson said. “He really activated my desire to help animals.” \nAnimals like Cuddles can sometimes make it hard to volunteer at an animal shelter, especially knowing there are so many others out there that also need help, she said. Potter said some cats have been known to stay in the shelter for up to three years. However, they do eventually find a home. \n“Doing this can be emotionally difficult,” she said. “But the rewards outweigh that.”
(03/09/08 12:53am)
These days, words such as “assassin,” “attack” and “kill” are generally not taken lightly. \nAs a result, many had mixed reactions about an Indiana Daily Student article about a campus group called the “Assassin’s Guild,” which ran Feb. 26. Web commenters and police expressed concern about links to campus violence around the country, while guild members and one campus official defended the group as being a fun social activity. \n“Today, people are very attuned to anything that resembles violence,” said IU Police Department Capt. Jerry Minger. \nRecent campus shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University have especially raised this awareness of campus violence, as Web commenters pointed out. \n“I wonder if the shooting happened here at IU if this story would have been published at all,” said one anonymous commentator on the IDS Web site. \nThe rules of the game only allow light sabers, Nerf guns and spoons in play, all considered non-threatening by students involved in the guild. Despite this, the premise still raises some questions. \n“What is a harmless weapon?” Minger said. “Any kind of activity that involves even a simulated weapon I would hope they would give it careful evaluation.” \nThe group has dealt with Nerf guns in particular in terms of bringing its activities too close to reality. Junior and co-guild master J. Alex Boyd said several members earlier this year had spray painted their Nerf guns black, and because of concerns of them looking too realistic, they were asked by organizers of the group to add bright orange tips to make it obvious they weren’t real. \n“We’re not a danger to anyone,” Boyd said. “We’re a bunch of kids trying to have fun.” \nBoyd went on to say that comments made comparing members of the guild to those who committed school shootings at other college campuses aren’t justified. He said those who committed those shootings were typically very anti-social, whereas the guild is focused on building community and forming friendship. \nChancellor Ken Gros Louis said he also believes the group is simply a group of students wanting to have fun. \n“I have no negative reaction to the group and think it is a lot less dangerous, frankly, than other games might be,” Gros Louis said in an e-mail. “If the people playing it are enjoying it and it takes away a little of the humdrum of their days, I’m all for it.” \nStill, some remain skeptical of the group’s activities. \nMinger explained that if he or another member of the IUPD were to see someone being pursued on campus, Nerf gun in hand or not, that person would have the attention of the officer. \n“It’s not a quantum leap to see violence involved there,” Minger said.
(03/06/08 6:26am)
The downtown area is going to look a little brighter this summer, and it won’t just be from the sunshine. \nThe Bloomington Area Arts Council, in partnership with the city of Bloomington, is presenting the “Stop and Start” public art project. The project is currently looking for area artists to decorate six traffic control boxes on College and Walnut avenues. Each box is located in a different Bloomington Entertainment & Arts District, with each district focusing on either dining, art or theater. \n“Public art adds visual richness to an area,” said Miah Michaelsen, assistant economic development director for the arts in Bloomington. “It livens the mundane.” \nAnd the boxes – dull silver cubes on concrete slabs on the side of the road – are none too exciting. \n“Right now, they’re just big ugly traffic control boxes and that’s it.,” said Ed Vande Sande, development and marketing director for the Bloomington Area Arts Council. “There’s very little public art in Bloomington. We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to hide some of this ugliness and have some public art too?’”\nMichaelsen added that this project will hopefully be an economic benefit through tourism revenue, as each box will highlight unique aspects of the city. \nThe deadline for submissions is April 1. Artists will be chosen by a panel of six judges based on the submission’s originality, visual excitement and relevance to the arts and entertainment district. Artists will be chosen April 15, and boxes should be completed by June 1.\nOriginality is also a key factor in designing these boxes. Minimal guidance has been given to potential artists in the hope that those submitting their work will stretch the limits as far as artistically possible. \n“I want this to be a little bit wild, a little bit funky, a little out there,” Vande Sande said. “Don’t offer too much information and you’ll be surprised at what you get back.” \nProject coordinators also hopes to get IU students involved. \n“They are a big part of Bloomington,” said Pamela Keech, executive director of Bloomington Area Arts Council. “It would be wonderful to have their contributions there.” \nVande Sande agreed. \n“I’ll be grossly disappointed if we don’t get some applications from campus,” he said. \nOrganization members also promises that this project is the first of many aiming to bring more public art to Bloomington. \n“This is one of the first of many projects that will be happening for the BEAD,” Keech said. “A lot of things will be happening to make downtown more snappy.” \nThe boxes will be completed in time for summer festivals like Taste of Bloomington in June and the 100th anniversary of the Monroe County Courthouse in July.\n“I hope they really enjoy it,” Vande Sande said. “That’s what public art is all about.”
(02/28/08 5:53am)
Sex, bitter jealousy and complex characters with scheming plots are elements anyone could find incorporated into a number of soap operas. But these aren’t the first “operas” to have risque and exciting plot lines. \nMozart’s opera “Le Nozze di Figaro” (“The Marriage of Figaro”) will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday night at the Musical Arts Center and incorporates all of these, as well as humor, music and the thrill of \nlive performance. \n“Unlike other (operas), the characters are very human,” said Carl Kanowsky, a first-year graduate student in music who attended the opera on its opening night Feb. 22. “You can still relate to them.” \n“Figaro” is set in 18th century Spain and is a continuation of the play “The Barber of Seville.” In the opera, Figaro is preparing to wed his fiancée Susanna. However, Figaro’s master, the Count Almaviva, decides to reinstate a former tradition that allows a master to sleep with his servant’s bride on their \nwedding night.\nThroughout the four acts, Figaro tries to outsmart the Count while at the same time dealing with other characters who become involved in various ways. \nWhile some people may be intimidated by the fact that the performance is sung in Italian, it’s important to remember that supertitles, English translations displayed above the stage, are provided for the audience. \nGraduate student Thomas Florio, who plays Figaro, believes the supertitles are just one of many reasons why those who aren’t familiar with Italian or opera in general should come see the performance \nthis weekend. \n“It’s definitely a way to culture yourself and introduce yourself to opera without being intimidated,” Florio said. “And it’s a lot of fun.” \nCast members have been preparing for this opera since they were assigned their roles last October. The director assembled two separate casts that will perform on alternating nights.\nSecond-year graduate student Valerie Vinzant, who portrays Figaro’s fiancée Susanna, knows the amount of work required for these performances. The opera itself is about three-and-a-half hours long and the musical score is about an inch thick and hundreds of pages long. Performers memorized the entire score before coming together to rehearse for the first time in January.\n“I started chipping away at it right away,” Vinzant said. “I dedicated about two hours a day every day.” \nGraduate student Meghan Dewald was impressed with the performance, which she attended both nights last weekend. \n“It was one of the best performances of this opera I’ve seen,” Dewald said. “Everybody made it look easy.” \nAbove all else, cast members and former audience members both said the entertainment provided by this classic piece is the best reason to come see what “Figaro” is all about. \n“People were actually laughing out loud,” Dewald said of the performances she saw last weekend. “And not just polite opera ‘ah-ha-ha’ laughing.”
(02/26/08 8:09am)
Toward the end of the first class of the day, everyone starts to grow restless. Papers rustle as notebooks are slammed shut, and the sharp ripping of zippers starts to sound around the room. \nEveryone is bustling except for one student, who sits rigid in his seat. \nHe knows. Someone could be waiting for him right outside, ready to strike and kill when he least expects it.\nThis is the premise of the game played by members of Collins Living-Learning Center’s Assassin’s Guild.\n“It definitely adds paranoia to your day,” said junior J. Alex Boyd, co-guild master and organizer. \nJunior Eric Dagley, who is a co-guild master with Boyd, said he got the idea from a video game and started the guild about a year ago. What he said he likes most about the guild is the convenience of playing.\n“It’s a fun game you can play without having to take time away from your classes,” Dagley said. “It’s really easy and laid back.” \nThe game is held every other week and lasts about seven days, or until all but one person has been “assassinated.” At the start of the game, each player is assigned a target. After they have hunted down their assigned player, they take that person’s target and continue through the cycle until no one is left. \nThree weapons are allowed in game play: Nerf guns, light sabers and spoons. \nNerf guns and light sabers may be logical weapons, but some may questions the spoon as a viable choice.\n“Everyone has a spoon,” Boyd said, backing up the weapon. “And it’s tiny and concealable.” \nDagley adds that spoons can be easily carried from class to class. \nWhile the game might sound particularly malevolent, those who play insist that it’s a great way to get to know people. \n“It’s quite the violent community builder,” said freshman Lillian Feldman-Hill in an e-mail interview. She has been playing with the guild since the beginning of the school year. \nOther guilds have sprung up all over the country at other college campuses as well, each with varying rules and weapons. Boyd got the idea to start a guild at IU after visiting a friend at the University of Illinois. \n“I love the idea,” Boyd said. “I wanted people to get into it, because people at Collins (get into it), and they did.”\nAlthough the name of the group specifies that Collins is the host, Boyd emphasizes that it is open to all who are interested. Joining the Collins Assassin’s Guild Facebook group is the first step to getting involved.\n“It’s a lot of fun, but no one will pressure you to play,” Feldman-Hill said in an e-mail. “Get involved, go to the meetings and the battles, see if it’s right for you, then decide if you want to play on a weekly basis.” \nDagley also encourages other residence halls to start up their own Guilds as well. \nIf not for the thrill of the game, the group is meant to bring a little entertainment and variety to people’s lives. At each meeting after a game has ended, honors are given to whoever had the most “ridiculous” assassination. \nPlayers are also encouraged to come up with more creative tactics to strike their targets. For example, treating that person to dinner without them expecting it, and then assassinating them at the very end of the meal is a strategy that would be applauded. \nOne of Boyd’s favorite memories with the guild was when it decided to wage “battle” against Foster Quad’s Global Village Living-Learning Center. Foster used to have its own guild, but it has since merged with the Collins guild. Members of Collins went all out, with someone even able to breathe fire, hoping to incite fear in the opposing team, Boyd said. \n“Wars are the greatest thing ever,” Boyd said. \nThere are about 50 members in the guild, but only about 30 participate in the weekly games, Boyd said. Although the guild never advertises its activities, it is always receptive to new members, and Boyd said he “highly suggests it to anyone.” \n“It’s always great to know that people are busy with homework, girlfriends, whatever, and you’re worried someone is out to kill you,” he said.
(01/24/08 5:09am)
For people with an appreciation for freshly ground and brewed coffee, cozy spaces and poetry, the Runcible Spoon is the place to be this Friday night.\nThe Runcible Spoon, located at 412 E. 6th St., will be hosting “Beginnings” at 7 p.m. as part of the Runcible Spoon Poetry Series. The evening will feature the poetry of Denise Yoder and geography professor Charles Greer, story telling by Patty Callison and music by Cullen Strawn & Tom Yeiser with Beth Brown. An open mic session will immediately follow the program.\nThe Spoon has been a staple in the Bloomington arts culture since 1976. It’s the kind of nook especially suited to poetry reading because of its unique and cozy atmosphere. Shelves of books line the walls in the second-story dining area, fresh plants bask in the sun from the windows and the comfortably-worn-in tables and chairs seem to invite patrons to share their most intimate thoughts.\nOwner Matt O’Neil realized that his restaurant was conducive to poetry because of this environment and has been hosting monthly events here for almost four years. His own interest in literature and poetry, as well as the Spoon’s local reputation in the arts community, sparked the beginning of this series.\n“They choose to come here, and I’m really happy to have them,” O’Neil said. “Poetry builds on the soul.” \nLocal artist Patricia Coleman is responsible for organizing the monthly series and finding poets to share their work at each reading.\n“I try to have new faces each month,” Coleman said.\nRecommendations from IU faculty members, local organizations such as Women Writing for a Change and other Bloomington poets are often sources Coleman uses to find new faces for each month.\n“I invite folks I have been in programs with and listen for the possibility of connecting with new voices,” Coleman said. \nThe open mic portion of the reading only happens once or twice a year in the series. She added that new attendees should come with an “open mind and a relaxed attitude.” \nO’Neil added that the value of poetry to one’s mind is important to all who choose to attend, calling it a “currency of the spirit.” He also emphasized the atmosphere the Spoon offers for the art.\n“Old buildings have a better reception for poetry,” he said. “I think the actual building becomes enriched by poetry. It gives it more character and more living sense.”\nThe reading may not start right at 7 p.m., depending on how crowded the restaurant is with patrons, but Coleman emphasizes to be patient if this is the case. \n“It all works out nicely, so don’t go away if you arrive and cannot imagine how poetry is going to happen,” she said. “It does!”\nAdmission to the reading is free.
(11/30/07 5:21pm)
For many, ringing in the holiday season involves carols, bells and festive colored lights. \nHowever, for WonderLab, 308 W. Fourth St., science and chemistry are at the core of their own celebration.\nThe museum will present its Fire and Ice Shows throughout the next two weekends. Attendees can expect an interactive display of both fire and ice that’s aimed at all age groups.\nThe museum has arranged to have a different special event every weekend throughout \nDecember. \n“It’s a time for family, and we wanted to do something for families to do together,” said Staci Radford-Vincent, programs manager at WonderLab.\nRadford-Vincent said the demonstrations provide an experience most are usually not exposed to. \n“The fire demonstration, for example, is something you might only see around the Fourth of July,” she said. \nAerin Sentgeorge, gallery operations manager at the museum, promises lots of “oohs and ahhs” for those who attend. \n“The fire and ice demonstrations provide dramatic examples \nof how molecules behave at extreme temperatures,” she said. “These demonstrations are normally only offered to school groups, so this is a limited opportunity for the public to participate.”\nDuring the fire demonstrations, colored flames will be formed by mixing different chloride salts with methanol. Sentgeorge emphasizes that at WonderLab, a connection is always made between the excitement of the experiment and its functionality in the science world. \n“In this case, scientists would use this type of chemistry to identify a substance,” she said.\nFor the ice demonstrations, a container of liquid nitrogen will be presented and the audience must determine if the substance in the container is boiling or freezing. Based on its simple presentation, it seems like it could be either. However, after placing different objects – such as flowers, racquetballs and marshmallows – into the container, the audience will be able to determine what’s really inside. \nThe finale of the ice presentation is the real treat.\nIngredients for homemade ice cream are placed in the container, allowing it to instantly freeze and crystallize, giving it a little extra kick. \n“It’s probably some of the best ice cream I’ve had,” Sentgeorge said.\nWonderLab is an interactive science museum that started as a traveling outreach program run by volunteers in 1994. It’s been at its current location since 2003. According to its Web site, the mission of the museum is to “provide opportunities for people of all ages, especially children, to experience the wonder and excitement of science through hands-on exhibits and programs that stimulate curiosity, encourage exploration, and foster lifelong learning.”
(11/08/07 2:06am)
It is often said that the human body is a beautiful thing, a piece of art in itself. Local artist and IU School of Fine Arts faculty member Tim Kennedy has embraced this mantra through his exhibit, “Figures,” now on display at the Textillery Gallery on the second floor of the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.\nThe exhibit features a collection of drawings and paintings of nude models that Kennedy has completed over the course of the past year. However, these pieces are not what one would normally find on display by the artist. Each piece was completed in only one or two sittings – roughly three hours per drawing, and about six hours per painting – and are not necessarily the polished pieces many would expect in an art gallery.\n“Many would think of them more like exercises and put them away in a portfolio and not be seen, but I like them,” he said. “This is a nice little place to show them, and it’s really more for my satisfaction.”\nThe pieces on display were completed at the figure sessions held Sunday and Monday nights in the painting classrooms in the School of Fine Arts building. At these sessions, a pose is done on Sunday night and then completed the following night.\nFor Kennedy, each piece began as a loose gesture drawing with charcoal before taking shape and being seen more clearly as a figure. As more permanent colors were added, he made a point to try to interpret light around the model as colors, either warm or cool. The final pieces all use a limited amount of colors, and greens, reds and blacks are predominant in the exhibit. \n“The figure is a nice thing to paint and draw,” he said. “It’s a wonderful activity that you lose yourself in.”\nKennedy’s larger body of work consists more of still-life pieces, although he does say that since coming to Bloomington, he has been working on the human figure more often. Many of his recent paintings have focused primarily on his home on South Lincoln Street and the surrounding neighborhood. In a printed statement at the exhibit, he said that in those and many other pieces in his body of work, he would normally “place the figure, clothed, in an architectural setting with a minimal narrative.” \nKennedy has been a member of the IU faculty since 2000, and teaches mostly painting and drawing classes. In addition, he regularly participates in graduate student art critiques. \n“I like all the levels that I do it at,” he said of his teaching. \nIU alumni Jennifer Schmetzer was a student in his advanced drawing class and remembers the genuine connection he had with all of his students, no matter their skill level. \n“He was very inspirational,” she said. “He genuinely enjoyed drawing and painting and expressed that to us, and got me to enjoy it, which is hard to do.”\n“Figures” will be on display in the gallery through Dec. 10. Pieces on display are available for purchase through the Buskirk-Chumley. Admission to the gallery is free.