A&E

Emerging artists find voice in TV dramas

NEW YORK -- When Casey Stratton was a struggling singer-songwriter a few years ago, he had idealistic notions about artistic integrity.

Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt opens up about his songwriting

NEW YORK -- Stephin Merritt usually has a song cycling through his head

supplying creativity

Illustrator finds true calling in drawing animals

Lexington, Ill. -- If he never sold another one of his pieces, Ben Mehl would live life happy. That's how much the 29-year-old Lexington native loves his true calling.

Jackie O's paper wedding dress on exhibit

Chicago -- When John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier married in September 1953, the nation was enchanted by the wedding, the couple and the young bride's off-the-shoulder gown. Now two artists have used paper to replicate the wedding dress in connection with an exhibit of her clothing, "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years," currently at Chicago's Field Museum.

Book examines how simplicity can lead to momentous change

NEW YORK -- Malcolm Gladwell, whose best seller "The Tipping Point" explored how minor events can lead to momentous changes, got the idea for his next project simply by letting his hair grow long.

Around The Arts

Painter, musician and sculptor Graham Wood will be showing his work from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Buskirk-Chumley Textillery Gallery. Wood is a visiting artist from Richmond, Ind. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York.

Video game trend becomes family-oriented

As president of Activision Publishing, Kathy Vrabeck helps promote and develop games like "Doom 3," "Tony Hawk's Underground 2" and "Call of Duty."

Art organizations apply for funding

Artists in need of resources need to look no further than the Bloomington Area Arts Council. This week the BAAC will hold a workshop focused on applying for Indiana Arts Commission grants.

Alaska builds new museum

FAIRBANKS, Alaska ­— The walls of the Museum of the North stand out against the interior Alaska sky like bold, white brush strokes on blue canvas.

International Auto Show reveals innovative designs

DETROIT -- The Chrysler 300, America's "in" sedan, and Ford's new Escape hybrid SUV were named North America's top vehicles at the North American International Auto Show. The 300, which becomes the 300C when it's equipped with Chrysler's powerful Hemi V-8 engine, won 2004 North American Car of the Year. Ford Motor Co.'s Escape won for 2004 North American Truck of the Year.

Owner restores Frank Lloyd Wright house for public

WILLOUGHBY HILLS, Ohio -- If Fallingwater is Frank Lloyd Wright's greatest work, then a house he designed in this Cleveland suburb is one of his most livable. Owner Paul Penfield has opened up the Louis Penfield House to guests after spending four years restoring it to the architect's original vision. The 60-year-old Penfield lived in the house during his teenage years.

China pressured to crack down on piracy

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration wants China to crack down on the rampant piracy of U.S. movies, music and computer programs and will not be satisfied until copyright violators get stiff prison sentences, Commerce Secretary Donald Evans said. Evans, who on Monday was leaving on his fourth and final trip to China as a member of President Bush's Cabinet, said in an Associated Press interview that he wanted to learn firsthand what China was doing to fulfill promises to better enforce its intellectual property laws.

Gallery serves up main course: food as art

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- It's tough looking at Mondongo's art on an empty stomach. The group of three young artists uses cold cuts, cookies and other unusual items to create literal feasts for the eyes. Wall-sized meatscapes are formed with a palette of cheeses and smoked ham, deer, salmon and other edibles, each chosen for their specific shade of color.

Documentary analyzes the spread of Nazism through entertainment

NEW YORK -- "Hitler's Hit Parade" is hardly a trip down memory lane. This film's juxtaposition of romantic songs and wartime brutalities can cause viewers to squirm or turn away in horror.

Canned art

INDIANAPOLIS -- With a closely shaven head, a thick goatee, a light blue sports jersey and a full smile, Matt Lawrence chatted and laughed with people beneath a tent set up in front of a large mural, roughly 20 feet tall and 30 feet across, that he and another artist had worked on earlier Saturday.

Graham Colton Band to play B-town

Rarely do bands from out of town make an impact on the local Bloomington music scene, but recently one Dallas band has been making waves.

Workshop uses rhythms of the body to release emotion

Amy Fortoul's work expresses her painful battle with confronting her own sexuality and an eating disorder "This is my body, my heart, my soul and my struggle."

Around The Arts

Jay-Z named president of Def Jam records LOS ANGELES -- Jay-Z, who has declared himself retired from his rap career, now has a new job to occupy his time -- president and chief executive of the Def Jam record label.

Brown County square dance club carries on tradition

The square-dancing "Bucks and Does" of Nashville, Ind. perk up their ears, and raise their tails when they hear the sound of the music they love. The music starts at 7 p.m. every Wednesday night when Joe De Wees' feet trot around the linoleum floor of the Brown County Historical Society. He and his wife Amelia De Wees are dancing, along with 50 other people, in tandem, with a caller shouting instructions to him and the rest of the dance floor. As he glides across the tile, his black, thick soled shoes have the ease and limberness of Fred Astaire. You can see his 35-plus years of experience clearly.