Rainbow Brite. 1998 in Canada. Popples. The taste of salt water. My little brother in a blue sled on Christmas. These are some of my memories. Elements from the mind such as memories, passion and discovery form to make the new SoFA Gallery exhibit come to life in front of the visitor's eyes.
LONDON -- Honored for his efforts to help those living with AIDS and HIV, Elton John said he was fortunate not to have contracted the disease. "As a gay man, I'm very lucky not to be infected," he told ITV News Wednesday. "My concern nowadays is that young people think they are invulnerable, but they're not." John was interviewed after the U.K. Coalition of People Living with HIV and AIDS gave him its Hero Award Wednesday night. The honor acknowledged his contributions to the fight against HIV and AIDS through the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
For most people, college is a major turning point in their lives, a time to determine one's occupational destiny. Music fans everywhere can thank their lucky stars that jazz musician Karl Denson chose his wisely. At age 20, he put down a stethoscope and picked up the sax for good, switching from veterinary school to music composition while a student at Cal State Long Beach. "It just made sense," said Denson. At 7:30 p.m., he will bring his own blend of hypnotic jazz and infectious funk to the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., in a Union Board-sponsored concert.
Are wigs, headgear, combs, pins and barber shops signs art? "Hair in African Art and Culture," a new exhibit that opens at the IU Art Museum today, has successfully proven just that.
Friends and colleagues use one word repeatedly to describe Amy Birnbaum and her singing talents -- amazing. Birnbaum, a 20-year-old sophomore, will appear this weekend in a production of "A Chorus Line" at the John Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St. A native of Long Island, N.Y., Birnbaum began performing professionally during high school. She started by reading Backstage, an industry trade magazine full of audition information and tips for amateurs. She took a homemade demo CD to famous Manhattan cabarets such as Don't Tell Mama, Danny's, Firebird and Skylight. Her persistence paid off when Birnbaum landed a gig as the youngest regular performer at Don't Tell Mama.
The Bloomington Playwrights Project's School of Dramatic Arts is holding its first showcase this weekend, featuring plays written and performed by students in the School's classes. The BPP established SODA last fall to give Bloomington residents of all ages a chance to develop their dramatic writing, acting and production skills in a friendly environment. Students as young as 7 and as old as 60 enrolled in a wide range of classes that included Introduction to Playwriting, Directing and Cabaret Class. After the success of the fall classes, a second round was held this spring, and the hard work of the students in those courses have resulted in the plays shown in this weekend's showcase.
This Saturday, a unique fund raising event for the Bloomington Playwrights Project (BPP) will unfold at 312 S. Washington St. The PERFORMathon, a collaborative effort amongst community performers, visual artists and musicians, will provide the public with a smorgasbord of entertainment and the opportunity to support the BPP.
If ever a friend or acquaintance visits the San Francisco Bay Area, particularly the East side of the bay, I tell them that the search for cheap and cheerful meals stop at Lilly's Chinese restaurant on Monterey Avenue in Berkeley. It is the apotheosis of quality: unpretentious service, heaping plates of delicious, fresh food, comfortable seating, and the constant buzz of happy chatter. When I am in Bloomington, I regularly dream of their crisp scallion pancakes, roast duck (a plate that must keep local cardiologists buying Tuscan villas -- but worth every bite), and vegetarian dumplings. But when visiting in the summertime, my visit is incomplete without a bowlful of their noodles.
In a world where people are more concerned with where they have been and where they are going, little notice is given to the transition between the two -- the present. Artist and MFA sculpture student Richard Saxton has captured a sense of the present in his works, which feature the fusion of connection and isolation. His works embody the connection between one place and another, one time and another, one idea and another, but those connections are isolated in place, time or idea.
For those who have let it lapse, Valentine's Day is a celebration worth reviving. Many people, of course, have less than pleasant memories of the day they were left without a sweetheart, a card or worst of all, chocolate. The trick is to transform Valentine's Day into your own day of merriment. I suggest an intimate party of very good friends, lots of fizzy beverages and an armful of favorite videos. And for the ultimate combination of sensual and celebratory events, make it a fondue party.
From India to Korea, from Malaysia to the Philippines and all the way to Vietnam, the city of Bloomington was able to experience a taste of culture from all of these countries right in their own city.
A festival that began eight months ago on the west coast hits Bloomington today. Activities for Ladyfest Midwest will encompass women's issues as well as the arts. Workshops will include women's self defense, how to combat "fat oppression," vegetarian/vegan recipe swap, women with disabilities panel discussion, spirituality and gender issues and more. Tickets are available for $15 for the whole weekend or $5 per day, payable by money order in advance, or by cash the day of the festival.
In the big city, four IU students are toiling with the "hardest profession in the world." An adult show, with an adult budget and adult demands are being placed on young performers who are meeting the rising bar, as they rehearse for this week's opening of Indianapolis' Civic Theatre's production of "The Secret Garden."
The newest jewel in IU's crown of arts venues shined Friday night as members of the campus and community joined together to officially welcome Arts Week 2002. The Theatre/Neal-Marshall Education Center was bustling with activity as anxious parents, students and arts patrons rubbed elbows at the 18th annual Arts Week opening ceremonies. A collaborative effort between the Bloomington community and the University, Arts Week highlights the many arts opportunities and programs offered throughout the year.
Associate Professor Gwendolyn Hamm's students listened attentively from their blue mats as she illustrated an effective breathing technique. "Think about the breath going from the top of the head down to your sternum. Inhale through your nose," Hamm said. Hamm teaches the Advanced Modern Dance class twice a week at the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. Hamm said modern dance is a rising genre of dance that emphasizes fluidity of movement and abstract choreography.
The 2002 Winter Olympics are all about gold, silver, bronze -- and platinum. Organizers of this year's Olympiad, which kicks off Friday in Salt Lake City, hope that nightly performances by multiplatinum pop music superstars will give the Games a new attitude -- and lure more viewers to give ratings a big boost.
"Afterdark," a new play by Kara Manning, premieres in Bloomington tomorrow night at the Bloomington Plawrights Project. One of the first plays of its kind, "Afterdark" is set in New York City in December 2001. The play depicts everyday urban dwellers including a radio deejay, a drummer, a coffee shop owner and a teenage girl among others who are dealing with their personal lives three months after the Sept. 11 tragedy.
The hum of crickets and air conditioners won't be the only sounds of summer beginning this Friday evening, when the IU Art Museum plays host to local jazz ensemble Marty Hodapp's Swinging Dixie Band. Hodapp's band kicks off the eleventh annual "Jazz in July," when they perform the first of four Friday night jazz concerts during the month of July. "'Jazz in July' started 11 years ago," said Joanna Davis, administrative assistant for development and administration at the IU Art Museum. "It was geared toward introducing people to the Art Museum. It is a fun way for people to come visit, especially those who haven't previously thought about viewing art, but would come and listen to music."
Solutions by The State News