Liberal Arts

Liberal Arts has Moved

2009-08-26T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hello, fellow arts lovers,

This is a quick note to inform you that Liberal Arts has a new home.

The blog has relocated to http://www.madisonmagazine.com/Blogs/Liberal-Arts/

on the new Madison Magazine website.

Please visit this new site for artist interviews, performance previews and reviews, details on events and more.

Thanks!

Katie Vaughn

Associate Editor

Madison Magazine

Review: "Church Basement Ladies" Serves Up Laughs

2009-08-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about Midwesterners is our ability to poke fun at ourselves, to examine our quirks, habits and ways of living and not take it all too seriously.

If you also appreciate a healthy helping of good-natured, self-deprecating ribbing, I’d recommend checking out Church Basement Ladies, a lighthearted musical running at Overture Center through Sunday.

The show follows the four women who run the basement kitchen of a small-town Minnesota Lutheran church in the 1960s. Four scenes see the ladies through preparations for a lefse and lutefisk supper, a friend’s funeral, Easter morning and a wedding.

All the action takes place in the kitchen, which looks exactly like most church kitchens I’ve seen, from the mint-green walls to the accordion screen that can close the room off from the rest of the church.

The characters resonate, too, particularly Mrs. Snustad, the matriarch who ensures everything in her kitchen is just so. And Pastor Gunderson, played by William Christopher from M*A*S*H, is technically in charge but knows the kitchen is not his domain.

It’s these sorts of cultural accuracies that make Church Basement Ladies funny. And the songs follow in that vein. Early on, the women sing “The Pale Food Polka” and celebrate the Bible of their kitchen, “The Joy of Butter” cookbook. Later, they explain the differences between Lutherans and Catholics and grill the youngest of the group about the rules of church cooking—namely that lasagna is never served at funerals and casseroles only answer to the name “hotdish.”

But the musical isn’t all pokes at small-town life and the Midwestern dialect. There are a few poignant moments, such as when the pastor struggles to write a eulogy for his friend and when Mrs. Snustad reveals why she’s so resistant to change.

That said, audiences come to this play to laugh and they probably don’t leave disappointed. At last night’s show, the crowd absolutely howled anytime quirky Mavis dealt with hot flashes or other symptoms of menopause. In fact, how strongly the audience—most of whom probably experienced a church basement meal or two in the 1960s—connected to the play was a highlight of the evening.

The musical was such a hit last summer that Overture decided to bring it back for a limited run. Should this second helping prove popular? Oh, you betcha.

Church Basement Ladies runs through August 23 at Overture Center. Performances are Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18–$35. For tickets or more information, call 258.4141 or visit overturecenter.com.

Photos courtesy of Overture Center.

A Shared Vision

2009-08-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

Working together on a project can be difficult. Each person brings his or her own skills, inspirations, goals and working styles, and sometimes combining them as a group can be a challenge.

Fortunately, that’s not what happened when Amy Newell, Rachel Davis and Lauren Garber Lake joined forces. Instead, the three printmakers combined their individual talents and styles to create a beautiful and poetic series of prints and collages.

The three were graduate school classmates in UW–Madison’s art department. Newell, an associate curator at Tandem Press, had collaborated with Garber Lake and Davis before, but the trio had never worked together on a project. They decided to pursue a group project and thought an arts residency at Edenfred would be the ideal place to do it.

“After hearing about Edenfred a few years ago, we had the idea to try and recreate our grad school experience,” Newell says. “There was a group of about ten of us who worked together in the studio, had classes together and held critique groups together. Everyone from this group had moved away from Madison but were always pining to come back. So we decided to apply to Edenfred as a group.”

The goal was for the group to create both independent and collaborative projects, but things didn’t work out exactly as planned.

“By the time we got our acceptance letter from Edenfred, two people were pregnant, one was getting married and a few others had backed out for a variety of reasons,” Newell says. “It was down to just me, Lauren and Rachel.”

The three spent two weeks last August and September at Edenfred. But before arriving, Davis, a Chicago artist, sent her partners the poem Giant Snail by Elizabeth Bishop, which would prove to be the project’s main inspiration.

“She thought it was so visually rich that it might make a good springboard for our collaborative work,” Newell says. “After reading the poem Lauren and I both agreed.”

****

Here is the poem:

Giant Snail
By Elizabeth Bishop

The rain has stopped. The waterfall will roar like that all
night. I have come out to take a walk and feed. My body—foot,
that is—is wet and cold and covered with sharp gravel. It is
white, the size of a dinner plate. I have set myself a goal, a
certain rock, but it may well be dawn before I get there.
Although I move ghostlike and my floating edges barely graze
the ground, I am heavy, heavy, heavy. My white muscles are
already tired. I give the impression of mysterious ease, but it is
only with the greatest effort of my will that I can rise above the
smallest stones and sticks. And I must not let myself be dis-
tracted by those rough spears of grass. Don’t touch them. Draw
back. Withdrawal is always best.
The rain has stopped. The waterfall makes such a noise! (And
what if I fall over it?) The mountains of black rock give off such
clouds of steam! Shiny streamers are hanging down their sides.
When this occurs, we have a saying that the Snail Gods have
come down in haste. I could never descend such steep escarp-
ments, much less dream of climbing them.
That toad was too big, too, like me. His eyes beseeched my
love. Our proportions horrify our neighbors.
Rest a minute; relax. Flattened to the ground, my body is like
a pallid, decomposing leaf. What’s that tapping on my shell?
Nothing. Let’s go on.
My sides move in rhythmic waves, just off the ground, from
front to back, the wake of a ship, wax-white water, or a slowly
melting floe. I am cold, cold, cold as ice. My blind, white bull’s
head was a Cretan scare-head; degenerate, my four horns that
can't attack. The sides of my mouth are now my hands. They
press the earth and suck it hard. Ah, but I know my shell is
beautiful, and high, and glazed, and shining. I know it well,
although I have not seen it. Its curled white lip is of the finest
enamel. Inside, it is as smooth as silk, and I, I fill it to perfection.
My wide wake shines, now it is growing dark. I leave a lovely
opalescent ribbon: I know this.
But O! I am too big. I feel it. Pity me.
If and when I reach the rock, I shall go into a certain crack
there for the night. The waterfall below will vibrate through
my shell and body all night long. In that steady pulsing I can
rest. All night I shall be like a sleeping ear.

****

Since Newell, Davis and Garber Lake, a professor at the University of Florida, are all printmakers, they had common ground in working together. Yet each was able to incorporate her own aesthetic and technique into the project.

“We each have our own visual language and brought that, along with all of our tools and bags of tricks, to the studio,” Newell says. “We have looked at each others’ work for years and have a deep appreciation for each others imagery. I think if you are familiar with our individual work you can break down some of the collaborative images into ‘Lauren’s mark,’ ‘Amy’s mark,’ ‘Rachel’s mark,’ but I think their success is in the melding of our individual styles.”

The group’s collaborative prints and collages, as well as wood reliefs by Tandem Press printmaker Andy Rubin, are showcased through August 31 at Sundance Cinemas Madison. A special artists reception with poetry and music takes place tonight at 5:30 p.m.

Images courtesy of Amy Newell.

Keeping it Hot

2009-08-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

If you’re bemoaning the fact that it’s August and summer is winding down, I don’t want to hear it! August in Madison is fantastic and absolutely summery thanks in part to two events held annually this month—and only this month.

Both Jazz at Five and Dane Dances are free weekly events open to the public. And both kick off this week, Jazz at Five today and Dane Dances on Friday.

Now in its sixteenth season, Jazz at Five is held, as you might expect, at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays on the 100 block of State Street, right where it meets the Capitol Square. The event offers two sets of live jazz music ranging in style and featuring local, regional and national performers.

Some listeners set up picnics at reserved tables, some bring or rent chairs and others simply stand and take in the music. Jazz at Five sets up a beer tent and other food and beverage vendors are on hand, too.

In case of rain, the concert takes place in Overture lobby, which is quite a nice setting as well. Decisions are made by 2 p.m.—call 310.4462 or tune in to WORT if the weather is questionable.

This season brings about:

The Francesca Johnson Quartet
This young Wisconsin jazz singer, who returned to Madison last year, has a voice that evokes the jazz tradition of the 1950s.
August 5, 5 p.m.

Mike Frost Project
Says Frost of his Chicago-based group, “We play straight-ahead jazz … Essentially we perform a modern-day version of an earlier style but in our own way.”
August 5, 6:30 p.m.

Tim Whalen Nonet
Innovative and unique, Whalen’s hard-swinging group plays with the intricacy of a big band but maintains the freedom of one much smaller.
August 12, 5 p.m.

Leo Sidran, Ben Sidran, Richard Davis, Joy Dragland and Louka Patenaude
This concert marks the first time these five Madison jazz legends, treasures and protégés perform together.
August 12, 6:30 p.m.

Seven Steps to Havana
This septet of international talent with musicians from Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, Ethiopia and America offers music combining salsa and jazz.
August 19, 5 p.m.

Jan Wheaton Quintet
Madison’s beloved jazz vocalist Wheaton credits Nancy Wilson, Billie Holiday and Roberta Flack among her influences.
August 26, 5 p.m.

Richie Cole
A master of the sax, Cole also has more than three thousand compositions and arrangements to his credit today.
August 26, 6:30 p.m.

For more information, call 310.4462 or visit jazzat5.org.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, Dane Dances is held Fridays at 5:30 p.m. on the rooftop of Monona Terrace. Here, all members of the community are invited to get together and boogie down to sounds spun by DJ Laurie Mlatawou and well-known bands.

Ethnic food vendors offer snacks and cocktails and the Lake Vista Café has a special menu for the event each week.

In the case of inclement weather, call 261.4000 after 2 p.m. for an alternative location (either inside Monona Terrace or the Alliant Energy Center).

Here’s what to expect this season:

Christopher’s Project
This rhythm and blues and contemporary jazz group has opened for such legendary acts as The Temptations and The Supremes.
August 7, 6 p.m.

Grupo Candela
This twelve-member band offers up dance-worthy music styles ranging from salsa to merengue to bachata.
August 7, 8 p.m.

Altered Five
Made up of five southern Wisconsin music veterans, this group performs an exciting brand of “rockin’ rhythm ‘n’ blues.”
August 14, 6 p.m.

In Black ‘N White
This popular group has gotten crowds up and dancing throughout the Midwest, including at Milwaukee’s Summerfest.
August 14, 6 p.m.

Primitive Culture
This local band offers a unique blend of funk, blues and tropical rhythms.
August 21, 6 p.m.

BBI
A versatile group from Illinois, BBI plays everything from Motown to R&B to classic rock and dance hits.
August 21, 8 p.m.

Que Flavor
Traditional Afro-Cuban dance grooves and other Latin music styles categorize this Madison favorite.
August 28, 6 p.m.

Eddie Butts
This longtime Milwaukee-based band mixes jazz, pop and R&B.
August 28, 8 p.m. 

For more information, call 358.5894 or visit danedances.org.
 
Photos courtesy of Mark Barrett of the Steinway Piano Gallery and Dane Dances.

Worlds Combine

2009-07-22T14:52:00.000-07:00

Infinite, sublime, transcendent, enduring, timeless. These are a few of the words often used to describe landscapes.

Mai Wyn Schantz rejects such nostalgic approaches to this type of artwork. Instead, the Wisconsin native-turned Colorado resident injects her paintings with a sense of time, immediacy and contemporariness.

About ten years ago, around the time she graduated from the Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design in Denver, Schantz began painting on aluminum. The material provided a frame for her scenes of nature, but it also did more. It placed those scenes in the context of the present-day world.

The juxtaposition isn’t meant to be jarring. Says Schantz in her artist statement, “Despite our fast-paced, industrialized world, we are still innately tied to the land and continually seek to reconnect.”

Her work is about finding a balance between the seemingly opposite forces of the natural and manmade worlds. “It’s the idea that the two can be integrated and the two can be beautiful together or on their own,” she says.

As Schantz has developed her art, she’s made some changes. More aluminum shows through her paintings, say in the space between the trunks of trees. And she’s been focusing on closer-up views of nature than in the past. Instead of vaster and grander imagery, she’s finding—and showing—beauty in water streaming over rocks and lily pads floating on ponds.

“It’s just about stopping and looking at something a little closer,” she says.

Schantz has also been working with a new modern medium: stainless steel. It’s heavier and more durable than aluminum, she says, and it’s more reflective, allowing light to play a stronger role in her works.

A series of Schantz’s recent paintings will be showcased in August at Grace Chosy Gallery. She hopes viewers understand her contemporary approach to the landscape tradition as well as to nature.

“When I did sunsets, people used to say it made them look at skies differently,” she says. “I hope they look at trees a little closer and appreciate the simple beauty.”

Schantz’s work will be showcased at Grace Chosy Gallery, 1825 Monroe St., August 7–29. Gallery hours are Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. For more information, call 255-1211 or visit gracechosygallery.com.

Images courtesy of Mai Wyn Schantz.

Square Dance

2009-07-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

Once again, Art Fair on the Square proved its place as a quintessential summer event in Madison.

From paintings to photography, metal sculpture to glass art, textiles to jewelry, the annual arts extravaganza was a visual feast.

Here are just a few of the artists whose work jumped out at me as I wound my way around the Capitol Square.

Barns, houses and other rural imagery take on an exquisite, quiet beauty when they’re rendered in pastel landscapes by Chicago artist (and UW–Madison grad) Clare Malloy.

One of Colorado photographer Alan Klug’s specialties is beautiful brown-toned photography of scenes in the United States as well as abroad.

Who knew the humble cow could be such a great muse? Illinois painter Sue Skowronski did, and it’s a pleasure to see the animal from her point of view.

From the vibrant colors to the large scale, David Oleski’s paintings of apples, flowers, a cup of coffee and much more are intriguing, playful and impossible to ignore. I’d love to see more from this Pennsylvania artist in years to come.

It’s hard to know what to expect when you look at a work by Justin D. Miller. And that’s part of what makes exploring the whimsical, fantastical paintings by this Chicago artist so enjoyable.

Eric Lee back-paints sheets of glass, creating bold, colorful and expressionistic glass wall hangings and furniture.

Painting and textile traditions meet in the art of Georgia artist Kathrine Allen-Coleman, who creates mixed-media work that often includes actual dresses.

Urban architecture and natural landscapes alike provide inspiration for Ohio photographer Chris Coffey.

Photos courtesy of the artists’ websites: claremalloy.com, alanklugphotography.com, sueskowronskifineart.com, davidoleski.com, justindmiller.com, presteau.com, thespringgallery.com and chriscoffey.com.

Art for Thought

2009-07-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

What is art? For one, it’s probably a question that’s existed as long as people have been making art. Some argue that they know art when they see it. But what about when you don’t think something is art, but you’re told that it is? What if the works of art on display are things you see—and use—in your daily life?

These are just a few of the questions raised and explored in Return to Function, an exhibition at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art that opened in May and runs through August 23.

The show features contemporary artists, many from outside the United States, who create functional objects based on theoretical principles ranging from economics to the environment. Their artwork questions preconceptions about and everyday objects as well as sculpture.

MMoCA’s curator of exhibitions Jane Simon acknowledges the exhibition is among the most challenging the museum has presented. The exhibition catalogue provides an insightful introduction to the concepts presented, drawing interesting comparisons to Marcel Duchamp (who famously exhibited a urinal titled Fountain) and his peers of the early twentieth century.

“This show is a dialogue about art,” Simon says.

The work that greets visitors is Jules de Balincourt’s Personal Survival Doom Buggy, a real doonbuggy stocked with supplies essential to survival in “a post-September-eleventh world,” Simon says.

Also taking on the topic of survival, in very different ways, are François Curlet’s North Park #3, an orange Hermès box and bag with compass embedded in it and a comment on navigating the urban jungle of commercialism, and Ralph Borland’s Suited for Subversion. Borland sought to create a way to protest without getting hurt, with the idea that if a person could safely protest he could ensure his voice would be heard. The heart-shaped padded red suit covers a person’s head and torso. An added detail is a heartbeat that emits from it; the idea behind it was that if police heard a human heart they would recognize that the protester is human.

Several works explore the notion of shelter. Michael Rakowitz’s P(lot) is a temporary shelter that can be set up in a parking space and draw heating and cooling from nearby buildings. Huong Ngo’s Pop-Up Studio, a huge and portable square bubble powered by a simple fan, creates a livable and workable space within its soft walls. And Lucy Orta’s Refuge Wear Habitent is a silver poncho that can be worn, folded up and carried or used as a tent. Some models have a whistle or compass and some can be warmed with body heat.

A few objects are quite small in scale but not in impact. Antal Lakner’s Iners is a series of objects aimed to make people more active, such as an extremely heavy cell phone on display. And then there’s Claire Fontaine’s In God They Trust, a quarter which she has fashioned into a box cutter.

Among the most startling works is DIY (Coffin) by Joe Scanlan, an actual homemade coffin made from three Ikea bookcases. Coffins are typically expensive, Simon points out, so a do-it-yourselfer is quite a democratic gesture. Also poignant is Ricardo Miranda Zúñiga’s Vigamundo: A Migrant’s Tale. The main character of this video game is a migrant laborer; in between levels, statistics about migrant workers flash on the screen.

Visitors have responded well to the exhibition since it opened in May, Simon says, adding that a high school tour especially liked it. She hopes people find the show challenging and eye-opening.

“I hope they understand art can be engaged with issues of the day, even the mundane issues of the everyday,” she says. “It’s not just paint on a canvas.”

For more information on Return to Function, visit mmoca.org.

Photos of Orta, Borland and Fontaine’s work courtesy of MMoCA.

Special—And Artistic!—Events

2009-06-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

Last week was a busy one for local arts supporters, with fundraising events for two venerable Madison groups taking place on opposite ends of the city.

Monday brought the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s fifteenth annual Concert on the Green. Hosted by the Madison Symphony Orchestra League, the event raises money for the MSO’s in-school music programs, youth concerts, concerto competitions and outreach programs in the community.

And it’s a beautiful event! Concert on the Green begins with a cocktail party on the lawn in front of Bishops Bay Country Club clubhouse in Middleton. After about an hour of mingling, guests move toward the lake and into an enormous white tent with gold chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

Inside the tent, we ate dinner and took in a concert featuring works by Rossini, Tchaikovsky, Neilsen and Strauss performed by members of the MSO and conducted by James Smith, director of orchestras at the UW School of Music. Throughout the program, Smith stressed how fortunate the city of Madison is to have such a talented symphony orchestra.

A highlight of the concert was a guest performance by Benjamin Seeger, a Madison Memorial senior who was one of the winners of the 2009 Bolz Young Artist Competition. It was a pleasure to watch this young musician and wonder where his talent and passion might lead him.

Later in the week, Thursday marked Tandem Press’ sixteenth annual Wine Auction & Dinner, an event that funds graduate student fellowships at Tandem.

Director Paula Panczenko says the event has been held at various locations throughout Madison over the years, but decided to make a repeat visit to the Promega campus in Fitchburg.

The event had a decidedly fun, creative feel—which started from the moment guests stepped onto the campus and were greeted by brightly costumed, stilt-wearing members of Cycropia, the local aerial dance troupe.

Inside, auction-goers perused wine and items up for bid, checked out recent artwork made at Tandem, and enjoyed a gourmet buffet from Lombardino’s and excellent wine, particularly a Ramey chardonnay.

Then the auction action started. It was entertaining to watch auctioneer Daniel Donahoe of Teira Wines in California lead the crowd through items ranging from magnums of wine to concert tickets to a trip to California’s wine country. And it was exciting when someone near my table participated in a bidding war.

I would happily attend Tandem’s Wine Auction and the MSO’s Concert on the Green next year. And you should consider doing the same next June! For more information on these events, visit the Madison Symphony Orchestra and Tandem Press.

Photos of Concert on the Green are by Amy Lynn Schereck and photos of the Wine Auction & Dinner are by Anette Hansen.

July Artist: Art of Surprise

2009-06-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

If you associate batik with wild-printed scarves and skirts sold at street markets, you have been missing out on the wonderful applications this art form offers.

My recommendation is to immediately check out Mary Fiore’s colorful, diverse and beautiful batik paintings.

Fiore has been working in batik for over twenty years, and a collection of her work is on display during the month of July at Absolutely Art. She recently took some time out from the intense process of batik-making to talk about how she got into the medium, her process, her inspirations and more.

How did you become a batik artist? What is it about batik that interests you?

Becoming a batik artist wasn’t planned. It had its beginnings in the chaos of taking twenty credits while trying to finish an art degree at Tulsa University before a planned move back to Arizona when I was a young mother. “Crafts” was on the list of requirements, and having never done a batik before, I chose that as one of my crafts requirements. I immediately fell in love with the process, which can be controlled but which has an element of the unexpected and requires flexibility. Once the hot wax is painted onto the fabric, it’s a done deal. There is no going back, no correcting—there is only the opportunity to take that accidental drip and incorporate it into the finished product, a kind of “I meant to do that.” Mostly, I love it because of the end result—when the entire piece is nearly covered with wax, removing it in the final step is an “unveiling” of sorts, and can result in a great sense of satisfaction (or sometimes in a great disappointment), but it’s always a learning process and a little bit of a surprise. I like that.

Tell me about your process for creating a work.

Batik is a resist form that is created on fabric with hot wax and dyes. The initial step is the subject matter, the thought of a beautiful scene, a place, a face. I use photos I have taken, usually with the batik in mind. From that photo, I sketch the drawing onto a piece of paper, heavily outlining it with a marking pen, then lay the cotton fabric over it and trace the lines of the design.

The fabric is then stretched taut onto a working wood frame (my first ones were stretched over the top of a cardboard box), and hot wax (a mixture of paraffin and beeswax) is painted directly onto the fabric, beginning with the lightest color and working to the darkest. All areas to remain white are waxed first. The fabric is then removed from the frame and dipped into the first dyebath (the lightest color) with additives that allow the dyes to adhere to and permanently bond with the fabric. The piece is then allowed to dry, and the entire process is repeated (stretching it over the frame and painting hot wax over the areas to remain the color that was just dyed). The process requires planning and a knowledge of color, for the dyes are overdyed with one another (yellow overdyed with red produces orange, then overdyed with blue produces brown). This process is continued until the dipping of the final and darkest color.

The major characteristic of a batik is the “crackle,” the dark spider web lines that appear throughout the design. That is obtained by bending or “scrunching” the fabric right before the final dyebath and creates cracks in the wax, which allow the dye to penetrate. This can be controlled, depending on the amount of scrunching as well as the kind of wax (paraffin is more brittle and results in more crackle, while a higher level of the more pliable beeswax results in less crackle).

After the final dyebath, the piece is nearly covered in dried wax and difficult to see. The wax is then removed. I iron it between lots and lots of newsprint, which soaks up most of the wax, and then have the piece dry cleaned, which removes all traces of the wax and additives. The piece is then stretched onto a backing, matted and framed.

What (or who) are your artistic inspirations?

I enjoy art of all kinds, but have always loved the work of Andrew Wyeth, both in his incredible talent and in his subject matter. I identify with his observations of life as it is—the beauty of ordinary days, of the places and people that inhabit our world. I especially enjoy doing scenes of life around me—of the people and places I have visited as well as of those that are in my immediate world. Most recently I have done pieces that relate to the Dane County Farmers’ Market or nearby community gardens, as they encompass much of the beauty I see right here—the man selling apples at the market in the fall, the couple choosing flowers for a bouquet, brilliant sunflowers.

What do you want people to get from seeing your work?

I’d like them to come away with a deeper sensitivity to the beauty that surrounds them—the beauty of old faces, of colors and smells, of the comforts of “home.” We tend to think that the interesting things in life are far away, in other cultures and places, when in fact we are surrounded with it right here. I have done commissioned work in the past but mostly enjoy doing a piece and having someone love it enough to choose to have it grace their own home. I have enjoyed other types of art—pen and ink and watercolor—but find myself always returning to batik and the joys it gives me.

Mary Fiore’s artwork is on display July 1–31 at Absolutely Art, 2322 Atwood Ave. For more information, call 249.9100 or visit absolutelyartllc.com.

Photos are courtesy of Absolutely Art.

IN THE MAGAZINE: The July issue of Madison Magazine comes out tomorrow. Here’s some of the arts content you’ll find within the pages:
• How Madisonians will be brining in old artwork and objects for appraisal on “Antiques Roadshow” this month.
• A look at a new movement arming artists with business skills.
• Meet a printmaker who counts nature as his primary inspiration.
• The poem “My Walking Inspiration” by Jolieth McIntosh.
• Our monthly Overtones section with picks on the can’t-miss performances, concerts and exhibits taking place in July.

Let the Games Begin

2009-06-10T13:14:00.000-07:00

If you’ve ever feared that attending a chamber music concert would be dull, you obviously have never taken in a Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society performance!

Indeed, for eighteen years, the group has offered “chamber music with a bang” in its three-week summer festivals that prove year after year that chamber music can be fun and playful, in addition to beautiful and interesting.

Says Jeffrey Sykes, co-artistic director with Stephanie Jutt, “As audience members, we often have a ‘museum mentality’ about classical music. Like many museums, concert programs are often filled with a line-up of masterpieces, and the audience is expected to approach these masterworks with awestruck silence. The museum mentality is a perfect formula for self-seriousness.”

That seriousness must accompany top-notch performances is an idea the BDDS has successfully turned on its head. So it’s fitting that this year’s festival is titled Haydn Seek in honor of the two-hundredth anniversary of the passing of Franz Joseph Haydn, “the greatest musical jokester of all time,” according to the BDDS.

All six programs in the festival—which runs June 12–28—feature a work by Haydn. And to further celebrate his sense of play, the BDDS has named each program after a popular game. Here’s a look at what’s in store:

Week 1, June 12–14, brings about the programs Leapfrog and The Dating Game, and features Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio on violin, Parry Karp on cello, Jutt on flute, Sykes on piano, and Timothy Jones and baritone and narrator.

Leapfrog showcases works by French composers of different generations—thereby “leaping” from one to another—including Haydn, François Couperin, Henri Dutilleux and Maurice Ravel. (June 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Stoughton Opera House in Stoughton and June 14 at 2:30 p.m. at the Hillside Theater at Taliesin in Spring Green.)

The Dating Game offers music exploring the games people play in relationships. It opens with a Haydn trio based on the song “Trust not too much,” and continues with variations on Franz Schubert’s song cycle “Die Schöne Müllerin.” This performance also will showcase photographs by Madison photographer Katrin Talbot. (June 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Overture Center and June 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hillside Theater at Taliesin in Spring Green.)

Week 2, June 19–21, features Catch Me if You Can and Three Card Monte with Carmit Zori on violin and Randall Hodgkinson on piano, plus Karp, Jutt and Sykes.

Catch Me if You Can highlights works with high-speed musical chases, such as Haydn’s “Gypsy Rondo” piano trio and the “Dumky” trio by Antonín Dvořák. (June 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the River Arts Center in Prairie du Sac and June 21 at 2:30 p.m. at the Hillside Theater at Taliesin in Spring Green.)

Three Card Monte is named after the card game played by con artists and showcases works for three instruments that are full of tricks and turns of phrase. They include a Haydn trio for flue, cello and piano, Bohuslav Martinu’s jazzy trio for flute, violin and piano, and Felix Mendelssohn’s piano trio in D minor. (June 20 at 7:30 p.m. at Overture Center and June 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hillside Theater at Taliesin in Spring Green.)

Week 3, June 26–28, highlights London Bridge and Pin the Tail on the Donkey, programs featuring Ellen dePasquale and Suzanne Beia on violin, Ara Gregorian on viola, Anthony Ross on cello, and Jutt and Sykes.

London Bridge focuses on works written in Britain, including Haydn’s “London” Symphony, Rebecca Clarke’s sonata for viola and piano, and Edward Elgar’s piano quintet. (June 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Stoughton Opera House in Stoughton and June 28 at 2:30 p.m. at the Hillside Theater at Taliesin in Spring Green.)

Pin the Tail on the Donkey features works with notable codas—as “coda” is the Italian word for “tail.” It includes “Fountains of Fin,” written this year by Iranian composer Behzad Ranjbaran, as well as Haydn’s “Surprise” Symphony and Johannes Brahms’ popular piano quartet in G minor with a finale that has “the most exciting coda in all of chamber music,” according to the BDDS. (June 27 at 7:30 p.m. at Overture Center and June 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hillside Theater at Taliesin in Spring Green.)

Executive director Samantha Crownover says audiences should expect “a thrilling evening experiencing the music in a very intimate way” in any of the six programs.

“We hope to give them an emotional journey filled with ups and downs but at the end of it all, leaving a different person than the way they came in,” she says. “Our audience gains a fuller understanding of the composer who wrote the music, the musicians and possibly even themselves. I know, a tall order, but it happens!”

Concerts are held at the Playhouse at Overture Center, the Hillside Theater at Taliesin in Spring Green, the Stoughton Opera House in Stoughton and the River Arts Center in Prairie du Sac. Tickets are $32, $10 students, $84 for three concerts, $108 for four concerts, $130 for five concerts, $150 for six concerts. 258-4141. For more information, visit bachdancinganddynamite.org.

Photos courtesy of the Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society.

Play Time

2009-06-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

The weather might not be showing it just yet but proof that the summer season is upon us is here: American Players Theatre kicks off its season this weekend!

Opening APT’s thirtieth-anniversary season is William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, opening June 6. Then come George Bernard Shaw’s The Philanderer on June 12 and Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale on June 20.

The rest of the season’s plays are James DeVita’s In Acting Shakespeare (opening July 10), Harold Pinter’s Old Times (July 11), Noël Coward’s Hay Fever (August 8), Shakespeare’s King Henry V (August 15) and Eugene O’Neill’s A Long Day’s Journey (August 27).

Sara Young, APT’s director of communications, was nice enough to take some time out this week to answer questions about this special season and its featured plays.

How did you approach APT’s thirtieth season?

In many ways, we approached it the same way we approach every season. Certainly there are considerations of what plays “fit” together—balance of comedies and dramas, etc. There are also practical considerations such as whether or not they are shows that the audience wants to see (will they sell?). But for APT the most important factor is putting together a team of artists that are passionate about the show they are going to work on. This usually starts with the directors. Brenda DeVita, our associate artistic director, is constantly talking to directors about what shows they were interested in directing—those conversations form the foundation of APT’s season planning.

This season, we’re opening our new two-hundred-seat indoor theater, the Touchstone Theatre. So our season is going from five shows to eight shows. This was a big consideration, of course, in season planning, casting, everything.

How are you planning to mark this milestone?

The grand opening of the Touchstone Theatre and our thirtieth anniversary celebration will be combined into a big event the weekend of July 10–12. The first two Touchstone shows, In Acting Shakespeare and Old Times, will have their press openings on July 10 and 11. On July 12, we’re having a fun event—called “30 Years of Summer”—where we’ll have, food, silent and live auctions, and the Touchstone building dedication. We’re doing an APT version of the old TV show Hollywood Squares where the APT core acting company members will be in the squares and contestants from the audience play. Another highlight of the day will be a music stage featuring APT company members who are also singers. They’ll be accompanied by the General Store Jam Band, a collection of really great musicians from the Spring Green area. The event is from 1–4 p.m. on July 12. Admission is $10 and all proceeds will benefit APT. There are still a few tickets left.

Also on that day, we’re releasing our first-ever APT CD (called Play On) featuring several APT company members and the General Store Band. It will have both music and spoken word tracks on it. Production costs have been underwritten and all of the artists donated their services, so one-hundred percent of proceeds will benefit APT. We’ll be selling it for $20.

What’s new or different this season?

Certainly the opening of the Touchstone Theatre, which I already discussed, is the biggest thing. But we don’t want anyone to forget the amazing experience of our outdoor theater—that really is the centerpiece of the APT experience.

A couple notes, then, about the shows on the Hill: We’re doing Hay Fever, which marks our first production of a Noël Coward play, and our production of Henry V is a continuation of last year’s Henry IV: The Making of a King (which combined Henry IV, parts I and II). It will have the same director (James Bohnen), the same actor playing Henry (Matt Schwader) and much of the same scenic design.

What is it about each play that made you choose it?

On the Hill:

The Comedy of Errors: Certainly, there’s always going to be a “big” Shakespeare comedy like this one on APT’s schedule each year. But we’re especially excited about Comedy because William Brown, our director, is passionate about this play and has wanted to direct it for a long time. And in addition to being very, very funny, in the end it’s a sweet story of families being reunited.

The Philanderer: APT has had a lot of success with plays by George Bernard Shaw—our audience loves them. This is a Shaw play that’s been in the mix for a while, and we’re really excited to have Ken Albers (who directed Shaw’s Widowers’ Houses last year) to helm this one. Also, Jim DeVita plays the lead. He took last season off and his other two shows this season are in the Touchstone Theatre, so this is the only chance for audiences to see him on the Hill this year.

The Winter’s Tale: This is a beautiful, hopeful play. One of Shakespeare’s later plays (as opposed to Comedy, which was one of his first). This year, it seemed to fit so well into the mix. And again, I hate to sound like a broken record, but David Frank is directing and this is one he’s wanted to direct for many years.

Hay Fever: I talked a little about this above. Like I said, our first Noël Coward and I think our audience is going to love it and I think our company is very well suited to it.

King Henry V: I think I covered this one above as well.

In the Touchstone:

In Acting Shakespeare: This is a one-person play written and performed by Jim DeVita. It’s really his journey of how he went from a kid on Long Island who worked on fishing boats and could barely talk to someone who loves Shakespeare. One of our objectives with the new theater is to give our audience and our company the chance to see something a little unexpected. This is not something that we’d be able to do Up the Hill, so the Touchstone is a great opportunity.

Old Times: This is going to be a completely new experience for APT audiences, but we really believe this show addresses our mission, but in a way we don’t usually have an opportunity to. In fact, it just occurred to me that [associate artistic director] Brenda DeVita wrote something recently about the Touchstone shows that answers this really well—I think I’ll just turn it over to her, so to speak.

From Brenda DeVita:

If indeed, we attend theatre or create theatre in order to express, to explore or try to explain the human condition then we at American Players have the great privilege of doing so through the greatest plays ever written.

Our particular brand of these classics is the very fight itself—of making accessible and expressible what is clearly inexpressible—the fight with bringing to life the metaphor itself. The very best work we do is when we are engaged in that fight—the immense tension that comes from trying to make accessible and poignant incredibly dense and intricate poetry.

A nod to that very purposeful quest is In Acting Shakespeare.

It is debatable, certainly, but possible that Long Day’s Journey Into Night is the greatest American play ever written. Its beautiful cruelty—its dense poetry is a perfect extension of what we believe to be classic APT material …

Pinter is the introduction to what more contemporary poets offer us on our quest to uncover certain truths. He uses language to describe the very failure of language to express ourselves. Pinter believed we live between the words we speak … That the meaning is beneath the words … That words are inadequate.

Now that’s exciting to us.

What are your goals for the thirtieth season?

Certainly to introduce our audience to the Touchstone Theatre. On a more practical note, we certainly have a goal to end our thirtieth season in the black (as we have for the past seventeen seasons). We’re very proud of our record of financial health, and it’s going to be a challenge to keep that going in this very rough economic climate. So we hope people come out to enjoy a show or two—or more—this summer.

For more information on American Players Theatre and its thirtieth season, visit playinthewoods.org.

Photo is by Carissa Dixon and courtesy of American Players Theatre.

A Moving Experience

2009-05-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

Madison’s the type of place where events of international significance can happen without the local public even knowing about them. Don’t let that be the case with the 2009 World Dance Alliance–Americas General Assembly.

From May 28–31, the UW–Madison Dance Program hosts this special conference, themed “What Moves Us,” which brings together dancers, educators and students from around the world to discuss and experiment with diverse approaches to viewing and performing dance.

But the assembly isn’t just for dance professionals. A wide array of classes and concerts are offered during the conference. All are open to the public and most are free.

Ereck Jarvis, a project assistant at the UW Dance Program and coordinator of the assembly, recently answered some questions, specifically about the assembly and more generally about the state of dance today.

How did Madison become the host of the 2009 World Dance Alliance–Americas General Assembly?

The 2009 WDAA General Assembly builds on the success of the UW Dance Program’s 2007 and 2008 Intercontinental Summer Dance Festivals. In 2007, the program’s initial Intercontinental Summer Dance Festival involved roughly eighty-five dance artists, practitioners and students, including dancers and specialists from Germany, Liberia, Taiwan and Canada. Through a series of twelve daily classes and four concerts, festival participants developed knowledge and experience in a broad variety of dance styles—from contemporary, modern and ballet technique to Chinese opera dance, Appalachian flat-footing, African dance and Central Asian dance.

The 2008 festival, which brought together over 150 participants from Taiwan, Mexico and numerous locations within the U.S., presented five free public concerts of participants’ choreography to full-capacity crowds. In its second year, the festival expanded the diversity of its offerings, increasing participants’ opportunities to develop knowledge and experience in a broad variety of dance styles, traditions, techniques and pedagogies. New topics included “Violence Prevention through Movement and Creativity,” Egyptian and Middle Eastern performance, Bharata Natyam, Israeli folk dance and “Non-Traditional Ballet Curriculum in Taiwan.”

Both the 2007 and 2008 festivals received sponsorship from World Dance Alliance–Americas, a member-driven organization whose mission is to discuss and debate aspects of common interest in order to help all the dance professionals of the Western hemisphere. Its aim is to support and preserve dance by promoting movement-based art and practice, encouraging collaboration and facilitating international exchange and study of common problems. WDAA is itself a regional component of the global World Dance Alliance, which serves as a primary voice for dance and dancers throughout the world and encourages the exchange of ideas and the awareness of dance in all its many forms …

Jin-Wen Yu, the chair of the UW Dance Program and coordinator of both its 2007 and 2008 summer festivals, is actively involved in WDAA, serving as a board member and head of its Creation and Presentation Network. Yu was eager to share the intercultural educational opportunities and diverse aesthetic dialogues offered by UW–Madison’s summer festivals with the members of WDAA. Similarly, WDAA found the international scope and thoughtful approach of the UW–Madison’s 2007 and 2008 summer events to be in line with the alliance’s mission.

What are the current trends in dance and how will the conference address them?

The assembly embraces one recent trend in the discipline of dance: a shift away from exclusive focus on high art and toward the inclusion of more broadly defined movement-based practices and the cultivation of global accessibility. By movement-based practices, I mean such things as martial arts, Tai Chi, yoga, popular dance, folk dance. These forms have really begun to influence contemporary choreographic art. We generated the assembly’s theme, “What Moves Us,” from an interest in investigating what this sort of openness to influence and involvement means for contemporary dance. The theme emphasizes the simplest, most vital and critical component of dance—movement. To be alive is to move—blood must circulate, air must pass in and out of the lungs. So dance may be something we all can and do participate in. We include the word “us” in the theme because we want to question who is the “us” of dance; what do we look like. We’re particularly interested in how different forms of movement—art dance, folk dance, ethnic dance, popular and street dance—help create and define communities. Within the theme of What Moves Us, our primary focuses are issues of community dance, international exchange and disability in movement arts.

What will the conference and festival entail? What will the focus be this year?

The assembly received over 170 proposals for contributions to its program, including submissions from individuals or groups based in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Kenya, Latvia, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Venezuela. We’re currently working with potential contributors to set the program of events. The current draft of our master class schedule features over eight different techniques of modern dance, classes on blending martial arts and creative dance, and cultural dance classes such as Afro-Cuban, Israeli Folk, Manupuri (a form of Indian classical dance), Flamenco and Moroccan.

Presentation topics include methods of using movement analysis to assist blind audiences in appreciating dance, a workshop in body-mind centering, discussions of work by celebrated community dance innovators such Liz Lerman and David Dorfman, and the use of dance practice in refugee resettlement and general community building. Several artists will conduct choreographic projects during the assembly: either they will set already choreographed pieces on assembly participants or they will collaborate with assembly dancers to create a new work. The results will be presented in our final concert. Other concert programs will present choreography and performance by locally, nationally and internationally renowned dance artists, including groups of disabled or integrated (mixing both disabled and non-disabled) artists.

With community dance and building community through dance as two of its primary concerns, the assembly is eager to include the local general public (non-dance-professionals, movers who do not identify themselves predominantly with dance art, or individuals without extensive training in dance art and technique) in its events. Daily concerts will be open to the public, and some of the pieces performed in the concerts will feature non-traditional performers. For instance, Jin-Wen Yu will present a work he created in collaboration with local tai chi teacher Blair Mathews. The piece features four trained ballet dancers and eight local tai chi practitioners. The assembly will include some performances out in public areas. Philadelphia-based artist Merián Soto is designing a performance of her “Branch” project to take place in the UW Arboretum.

But we’re also interested in getting the public to dance as well as to watch dance. In the current draft of the schedule, we will invite the local public to participate in two free daily classes/workshops. These classes should include introductions to and instruction in African dance, integration of disabled and non-disabled movers in creative dance choreography, Israeli folk dance, movement improvisation, Native American dance and Tai Chi.

What is the significance of this event coming to Madison?

It’s so incredibly unusual for an event of such international magnitude to take place outside one of the U.S.’s major metropolitan areas. The Madison community will have a truly unique opportunity to access performances from individuals and group from around the world. And, we’re excited to present local artist’s work alongside those by artists from elsewhere. We’re working very hard to make these performances as accessible and well attended as possible.

What is the future of dance?

Terry Teachout (drama critic of The Wall Street Journal, the chief culture critic of Commentary, and the author of “Sightings,” a column about the arts in America that appears biweekly in the Saturday Wall Street Journal)—who, mind you, is a huge fan of and advocate for ballet and dance art in general—has lamented that dance will be the first of the fine arts to die. Based on the exciting, innovative work that the assembly will include, I’m a little more optimistic. So many of the artists and experts contributing to the assembly demonstrate that the art is very vital and transforming in very constructive ways. I certainly hope Teachout is wrong: As the importance of virtual or computer-based worlds continue to grow in our society, I firmly believe that we will have more and more to learn from dance, which, for me, is the art that helps us understand what it means to have a body, to negotiate the world through our bodies which constantly radiate multiple levels of communication and meaning.

Photos are courtesy of the UW Dance Program.

June Artists: Beyond the Strip

2009-05-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

Whether the word “comics” brings to mind newspaper cartoons, collectible books or contemporary graphic novels, you’re likely to learn a lot at Underground Classics: The Transformation of Comics into Comix 1963–1990, a new exhibition at the Chazen Museum of Art.

Showcasing original art, printed pages, comic book covers and other work by fifty-seven artists, the exhibition explores the underground comix movement that began in the 1960s in which cartoonists rebelled against mainstream society and mainstream publishing to create a new, uncensored era of comic art.

Recently, James Danky, a co-curator of Underground Classics with Denis Kitchen, answered a few questions about the intriguing exhibition.

How did this exhibition come about?

In the fall of 1977 I organized a conference on the UW campus on book publishing in Wisconsin and Denis Kitchen of Kitchen Sink Press attended it. We introduced ourselves and I have the distinct memory of casually saying how great it would be to see his and the other comix artists’ work in a museum. As we have remarked to each other since, you need to be careful with those casual statements given that was thirty-three years ago!

How did you personally become interested in comics and comix?

I have always read comics. I am sure I began with the funnies in the newspaper back when the offerings were more numerous, though I quickly added reading comic books as well. I would sit on the floor of the supermarket while my mother shopped (this was the 1950s, after all) and would read several comics and then select one to buy for twelve cents. If the title was other than Disney I would hide the book inside Life or Look but markets tended to offer a pretty mild selection of books. In 1967 I discovered comix when a friend lent me his copy of Zap, which blew my mind as the saying goes. From then on my reading was almost exclusively comix, as the titles published by the major firms had lost my interest. Today I read comix and their successors, namely titles published by younger artists including Chris Ware, Dan Clowes, Jason Lutes and Linda Barry. The creativity of their art and the stories they choose to tell make for compelling reading.

What is the difference between comics and comix?

Comics have been an integral part of art since people drew on caves in Europe, if not before. In the twentieth century comics have come to have a more limited definition that frequently depended upon their location within the media. Newspaper strips, whether dramatic or humorous, were aimed at a general, family audience. Likewise, many comic books from producers like Disney or Dell provided content that involved funny animals and the like and could safely, after the mid-1950s, be shared with even younger children. There were many important comics that were none of these things, comics that contained graphic views of war or horror, but the Comics Code movement during the McCarthy era drove them out of business. This left a landscape where comics artists and readers were constrained in their choices and this frustration led to comix. The “x” is there to distinguish the two approaches. Comix offered artists the freedom to use unfettered language, depict graphic sex or recreational drug use, and make use of extreme violence when the story called for it. This entirely new approach to the medium produced works that were completely different than any that had come before and that also reflected the tremendous social changes associated with the 1960s.

Has this topic been studied much in the past? Why is it gaining attention now?

There were perceptive critics and even a historian or two who appreciated the work done by comix artists right away. However, their efforts were fragmented and often little read. Over the last few years there have been some important books, including Pat Rosenkranz’s Rebel Visions, which have put comix into a broader context. Denis and I believe our book, Underground Classics: The Transformation of Comics into Comix, represents the first serious examination of comix as art, but our work relies on the contribution of many others.

Comix have gained a new acceptance over the last few decades and here I could point to a number of indicators but perhaps it is useful to think of Art Spiegelman’s joining the New Yorker in 1992 and later when his wife, Francoise Mouly, became the magazine’s art director. As the premier venue for cartoonists, the changes at the New Yorker have opened its pages to cartoonists whose work would have never appeared before. It is a factor of age, as in those of us who grew up on comix are now of an age to want to see such images, read such stories that publications include them.

How well does the general public understand and appreciate comics and comix? Have there been misconceptions over the years?

Despite the changes noted above, comics and comix remain a demonized form of media. The historical demonization sent forth by Dr. Wertham in Seduction of the Innocent, which produced the Comics Code of the 1950s, established a frame in which stories told using drawings were deemed juvenile and of little value. How many parents declared that reading comics was a waste of time? The result has been to limit the audience of comics in ways that other literary forms are not. Comics and comix can both be extraordinary forms for authors and artists to employ in telling stories. Comix offer the added benefit of being able to tell a story without the usual constraints or responsibilities. When Will Eisner’s A Contract with God appeared in 1978 (published by Denis Kitchen), the world had its first graphic novel. It is hard to underestimate the effects of Eisner’s work and I would note the strong presence of graphic novels and graphic nonfiction in many school reading programs as well as college courses.

What did you learn or what surprised you in working on this show?

I am tempted to say that Denis and I learned how little we knew about how museums worked, but mostly we came to understand how best to tell the story of the fifty-seven artists in the exhibit so that it would make sense to the art museum-attending community. With the help of Russell Panczenko and his staff at the Chazen, I think we have succeeded.

What do you hope people get from seeing this exhibition?

I hope those of a certain age, one closer to my own, enjoy reliving a part of their past, a part that they may not have considered recently or shared with those who came later. For students today, I think the opportunity to see the work done by a generation of artists and to consider how these lines on paper changed everything. The legacy of the sixties is more than rock n’ roll, important as that was.

Underground Classics: The Transformation of Comics into Comix, 1963–1990 runs through July 12 at the Chazen Museum of Art, 800 University Ave. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call 263.2068 or visit chazen.wisc.edu.

Additionally, check out Underground Classics, a book written by Danky and Kitchen to accompany the exhibition, as well as a blog dedicated to the show.

Photos are courtesy of the Chazen Museum of Art.

IN THE MAGAZINE: The June issue of Madison Magazine comes out tomorrow. Here’s some of the arts content you’ll find within the pages:
• Local booksellers’ picks for the hottest summer reads.
• Tips on scoring great tickets inexpensively in our special Luxe for Less issue.
• Also in our Luxe for Less cover story is my experience visiting twelve galleries and art museums in a single day.
• A look into what it’s like for two Mercury Players producers to put on the annual Blitz.
• The poem Beauty by Mick Joyce.
• Our monthly Overtones section with picks on the can’t-miss performances, concerts and exhibits taking place in May.

The Joy of Dance

2009-05-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

If you head out to Stoughton this weekend for its annual Syttende Mai celebration, make a point to catch a performance by the Stoughton Norwegian Dancers.

Made up of twenty-three Stoughton High School students, the group performs authentic Scandinavian dances throughout the year and concludes its season each year at Syttende Mai.

In fact, the history of the group is intertwined with that of the festival. Stoughton’s first Syttende Mai took place in 1952 and after the celebration, a school administrator approached the girls gym teacher at the time, Jeanne Reek, asking her to start a Norwegian dance group to perform at future festivals.

Reek rose to the challenge, creating the group and researching Scandinavian dance, music and costumes—going so far as to travel through Norway for seven weeks one summer to learn the customs firsthand.

The result is a group that shares authentic dances—circle, square and weaving dances that incorporate flips and other athletic moves—music and costumes with audiences in the Madison area as well as on tours around the country.

Being part of the group is a major commitment for these fifteen- to eighteen-year-olds, an experience that can’t help but shape their high school experience, says Polly Goepfert, who took over for Reek as director ten years ago.

Students try out in the spring and the new dancers are announced after Syttende Mai. Practice begins the first day of school in September and continues every morning through May. Their first performance is in October and they have roughly sixty more until Syttende Mai.

“They prepare all year for Syttende Mai,” Goepfert says. “The community expects them to be flawless.”

Despite all those practices, being completely prepared seems tough. The dancers know over forty dances—but they don’t know which they’ll be performing until Goepfert calls it out to them. She likes to be able to tailor performances to audiences’ reactions. “I change my mind in the middle of the program,” she says.

The Stoughton Norwegian dancers have several performances planned for the weekend: a street dance at 2 p.m., big performance at 3:45 p.m. and an alumni dance at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, plus a final performance at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday.

That final dance is an emotional event for the teenagers, as well as their family and friends who come to show support.

“Because they’re seniors, they want to give that weekend their entirely best performance,” Goepfert says. “It’s very touching.”

But “touching” is how even first-time audiences often describe the experience of seeing the dancers, Goepfert says. People come up to her after performances to tell her how much they enjoyed the dancers or the memories the group evoked.

“They really do touch the hearts of people and inspire the young and old,” she says.

Syttende Mai runs Friday through Sunday in Stoughton. Find more information here.

Photos are courtesy of Wayne Krantz.

Rocking On

2009-05-06T07:15:00.000-07:00

Madison’s big night of music is fast approaching. The Madison Area Music Awards take place this Saturday at the Barrymore Theatre.

The awards show kicks off with a red carpet and goes on to bring together, feature and honor the best in local music, just as it’s done for the past five years. Over one hundred performers are scheduled for this year’s show, including Natty Nation, Clyde Stubblefield, Whore du Jour, Rising Gael with the Trinity Dancers, Jentri Collelo, Lucha Libre and the West High School Concert Choir.

Rick Tvedt, former publisher of local music newspaper Rick’s Café, started the MAMAs not only to celebrate local musicians, but also to support music education in Madison. He recently took some time out from planning this year’s most rocking music event—he calls it Madison’s version of the Grammys—to answer a few questions about the organization’s goals, role in Madison and state of the local music scene.

What did you envision the Madison Area Music Awards to be when you started it back in 2003? How has it changed since then?

It was always conceived of as the charity it is—to fund music programs for kids and to buy instruments. It is also intended to publicize our local artists. It really hasn’t changed much but our approach has been modified and adapted over the last five years. We see the organization becoming an association that works to better things for working musicians as well as benefiting the next generation of musicians.

The MAMAs mission statement is “to put musical instruments in kids’ hands and further their musical education.” Why is that the organization’s mission and how do you carry it out?

This is our mission because there are needs and because we want to foster the arts and music in future generations. Study after study shows the cognitive advantages to music education. There are many other factors that affect a person’s outlook on the world, their ability to enjoy life, etc. It is also a major force in keeping kids positive and out of other less desirable activities.

We are currently setting up several programs to educate kids and we are constantly getting requests for instruments and other technical items for music programs. Many of these requests come from schools—the teachers, the parent groups, the parents themselves.

How would you describe the music scene in Madison today?

Madison is difficult because it functions like two different cities on and off the isthmus. Getting more people to come into the circle of the population that frequents local music has proven especially difficult. One of the big reasons in my mind is lack of attention by the media, which is why I started Rick’s Cafe in 2003. It has gotten marginally better as of late but I think having a source that is all local music and arts content is missing.

Musicians everywhere are hurting from two major factors: the current economy and the fact that fewer people want to pay for music. The latter is more easily solvable and I believe it will be soon. When the economy goes south the entertainment budget is the first thing to go. After that follows the clubs and lack of ability to advertise, and a whole cycle clicks in. I recently read a passage to the effect of, “musicians are the first to suffer when the economy gets bad and the last to recover when it turns around.” The price of gas has also been a key factor in musicians’ ability to tour and that’s a double-whammy when you’re also selling fewer CDs because of the proliferation of downloading and the mentality that breeds.

So many people will complain about a $5 cover charge but when you think about it, it will break down to 50 cents per band member for two five-member bands to entertain you for several hours. Doesn’t even begin to address the sticks, strings, reeds, sound people, batteries, gas and so forth that it took to get these players to the gig, let alone the lifetime of dedication and practice.

What role do you see the MAMAs serving in Madison’s music scene in the future?

Like I said, I see us serving the professionals as well as carrying out the charitable goals. We’d like to offer benefits to membership. I have some really fantastic ideas in this realm but we are not there yet. We have a grant writer now and are going down that avenue. Sponsorships have been difficult and nearly impossible of late. The foremost goal is getting the organization into financial stability. It’s been a nail-biter every year and this year we had to make some painful cuts in our budget. The MAMAs is all volunteer with a six-member board that only recently expanded to eight. Having a staff and a paid director is a dream we have. That said, we’ve been in the black since the second year and that is no small feat for an organization without a benefactor or strong sponsorship. But every year gets better and we’re confident that the MAMAs will survive because it is pure of heart and the people involved are totally dedicated.

What’s new in this year’s awards show? What should audiences expect?

The MAMAs is Madison’s Grammys. Red carpet and all. We will have over one hundred performers at this year’s show. The percentage of musical performance has gone up significantly. Many of these performers are young people and that serves to underscore our mission besides being very entertaining. Performers are from many different genres. There are always a few surprises as well and there’s always one moment that’s sure to wet a few eyes. We have local celebrities who help present the awards and we use a lot of video in the presentations.

This year our recipient of the Michael St. John Lifetime Achievement Award is Marvin Rabin, founding conductor of the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra. The man is a legend and so gracious and sweet. We are so honored to have him be there to accept our award. He joins our past winners Clyde Stubblefield, Jan Wheaton, Ben Sidran, Jonathan Little and Richard Davis. The show is a total blast, I love producing it, and I’m confident it will become a signature event for the city.

The Madison Area Music Awards take place May 9 at the Barrymore Theatre. Doors open and a happy hour is held at 5:30 p.m., the red carpet begins at 6 p.m. and the awards show runs 7–10 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Following the MAMAs, seven after-parties are held in clubs across Madison. Find details here.

Photos are courtesy of Dave Newton. (Find more of his MAMAs photography here.)

What a Night!

2009-04-29T07:28:00.000-07:00

If there’s ever a reason to clear your calendar and make time for art, Gallery Night is it. Organized twice a year by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, the event creates the perfect storm of diverse art, local artists, an art-loving audience and venues that range from traditional to unusual.

Held this Friday from 5 to 9 p.m., Gallery Night allows people to gallery hop through museums, galleries and other businesses, viewing art, meeting artists, and experiencing receptions, tours and demonstrations along the way.

Katie Kazan, director of public information at MMoCA, says Gallery Night started out in the 1980s and has since grown into a citywide tradition with a record fifty-nine participants this year.

“People like the variety of events that are available: demonstrations, openings, opportunities to meet artists, etc.,” she says. “Many people also like the fact that they can gallery-hop in their own neighborhood or another neighborhood around the city. Because participation in Gallery Night is low-cost, it’s a way for non-art businesses (exercise or yoga studios and pet stores, for example) to show and promote temporary exhibitions in an affordable way.”

The following are the participants in Spring 2009 Gallery Night. But new this year is an online map—check it out to navigate your course for the evening.

West

Art in the Afternoon 3606 Deer Path Rd., Middleton. 469.2994. artintheafternoon.net

The Bohemian Bauble 404 W. Lakeside St. 333.2646. bohobauble.com

The Century House 3029 Unversity Ave. 233.4488. centuryhouseinc.com

Chiripa, Artisan Crafts of the Americas 636 S. Park St. 441.8808. chiripashop.com

DeRicci Gallery 1000 Edgewood College Dr. 663.2263. edgewood.edu/community/studioart.aspx

Douglas Art and Frame 3238 University Ave. 441.9948.

Fine Earth Studio & Gallery 2207 Regent St. 843.1933, fine-earth.org

Grace Chosy Gallery 1825 Monroe St. 255.1211. gracechosygallery.com

Higher Fire Clay Studio 2132 Regent St. 233.3050. higherfireclaystudio.com

Janus Galleries 2701 Monroe St. 233.2222. janusgalleries.com

Long Term Care Institute 6502 Grand Teton Plaza, Suite 107. 233.7042.

Macha Teahouse and Gallery 1934 Monroe St. 442.0500. machateahouse.com

Milward Farrell Fine Art 2701 Monroe St., Suite 200. 238.6501. milwardfarrellfineart.com

Mound Street Yoga Center 1342 Mound St. 442.6792. moundstreetyoga.com

Quarry Arts Building 715 Hill St. 770.3729. quarryarts.com

Spectacular Spectacular 1414 S. Park St. 345.4954

Studio Jewelers 1306 Regent ST. 257.2627. studiojewelerswi.com

TileArt 1719 Monroe St. 255.8453. tileartdesign.com

Unearthed 2501 University Ave. 441.1993. unearthedmadison.com

Downtown

16 Hands Studio 104 King St. 219.0342.

Ancora Coffee 112 King St. 255.2900. ancoracoffee.com

Anthology 218 State St. 204.2644. anthology.typepad.com

Chazen Museum of Art 800 University Ave. 263.2246. chazen.wisc.edu

Curved Artists at Café Montmartre 127 E. Mifflin St. 698.6232. getcurved.com

Hyart Gallery 133 W. Johnson St. 442.0562. hyartgallery.com

Little Luxuries 230 State St. 255.7372

Madison Children’s Museum 100 State St. 256.6445. madisonchildrensmuseum.org

Madison Museum of Contemporary Art 227 State St. 257.0158. mmoca.org

Madison Senior Center 330 W. Mifflin St. 266.6581. madisonseniorcenter.org

Overture Galleries 201 State St. 258.4961. overturecenter.com/galleries

Porter Butts and Class of 1925 Galleries Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St. 262.7592. union.wisc.edu/art

Raw Materials 408 E. Wilson St. 268.0451

Savoir Faire 5 N. Pinckney St. 819.8066. sfcardsandgifts.com

State Street Gallery 109 State St. 819.0304. statestreetgallery.com

Steep & Brew Gallery 544 State St. 256.2902. steepnbrew.com

UW Art Department 7th Floor Gallery 455 N. Park St. 262.1660. art.wisc.edu

Wisconsin Academy’s James Watrous Gallery Overture Center, 201 State St. 265.2500. wisconsinacademy.org

WYOU Community Television at Dance Fabulous 212 N. Henry St. 258.9644. wyou.org

East

Absolutely Art 2322 Atwood Ave. 249.9100. absolutelyartllc.com

Arts 4 All at Escape Java Joint 916 Williamson St. 249.7333.

ArtSPACE Twenty-Two Eleven 2211 Atwood Ave. 257.9443.

Azena Photography 202 S. Dickinson St. 245.2797. azenaphoto.com

bad dog frida 2094 Atwood Ave. 442.6868. baddogfrida.com

The Black Earth Kiln Group 149 Waubesa St. 244.5040.

Carta StudioWorks 2001 Atwood Ave. 669.4329. cartastudioworks.com

Common Wealth Gallery 100 S. Baldwin St. 256.6565. cwd.org

DNA Studios 2057 Winnebago St. 244.0111. dnastudios.us

Earley Design 1231 E. Wilson St. 256.5171

Eastside Bazaar 836 E. Johnson St. 320.4611. eastsidebazaar.com

Jackie Macaulay Gallery at Social Justice Center 1202 Williamson St. 227.0206. socialjusticecenter.org

Lucent Room Studio 305 S. Livingston St. 316.1644. lucentroom.com

Madison Shambhala Center 408 S. Baldwin St. 217.2132. herspiral.com

Pong Gallery 1976 Atwood Ave. 206.2759

Radiant Glass 100 S. Baldwin St., Suite 100. 446.2830. radiantglass.com

Renéeglass Factory 100 St. Baldwin St., Suite 100. 255.1000. reneeglass.com

Studio Paran 2051 Winnebago St. 242.1111. studioparan.com

The Skin Source 845 E. Johnson St. 251.6511. theskincaresource.net

Winnebago Studios 2046 Winnebago St. winnebagostudios.org

Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired 754 Williamson St. 255.1166. wcblind.org

School Spirit

2009-04-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

Someone recently told me that the University of Wisconsin Marching Band’s annual concert is something every Madisonian must see at least once. I took this advice to heart and attended the Spring Concert Friday night at the Kohl Center.

What a show! Really, extravaganza is the better word to describe the performance that kept the Badger-loving audience, clothed almost entirely in red, entertained for hours—and constantly wondering what they would be seeing next.

While a number of guest artists appeared throughout the night, the band itself was outstanding as well. They played a range of songs, from football-game favorites to hits from The Lion King and Jesus Christ Superstar. And a special performance by the percussionists, in which they battled drumming robots, was an exciting highlight.

But the showstopper, at least for me, was band director Mike Leckrone. Decked out in a sequined suit, the guy never stopped moving. Whether regaling the crowd with tales from his years heading the band or leading his student musicians through a song, it was hard not to watch him. And when all of a sudden he appeared above the crowd—swinging through the air suspended by two wires—it was absolutely impossible not to watch him.

Whether you’re a UW alum, Badger sports fan or simply want to be all-out entertained for a night, I’d recommend making a note on the April page of your 2010 calendar—you won’t want to miss this show the next time it comes around.

Photo courtesy of the UW Marching Band.

The Mane Event

2009-04-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

If you ever doubted that a hairdo could be a work of art, you should have attended last night’s Hair Affair: The Art of Hair at MMoCA. Designers at thirteen area salons proved that hair is indeed a medium with which to create amazing, inspired art.

The event kicked off with a silent auction and cocktails—including the special Red (Mo)Hawk with Prairie Vodka—by Fresco. Guests mingled in the museum lobby and throughout the Young at Art exhibition of works by Madison Metropolitan School District students. Then Overture Center staff introduced the Ahn Trio, three sisters who also perform tonight at Overture’s Capitol Theater.

But by 8 p.m., the crowd had assembled around MMoCA’s sleek glass staircase where, one by one, thirteen models descended to the bottom donning hair sculptures and complementary outfits. The looks ranged from a tall stack of black tresses tied together with enormous knots from Aniu Salon Spa Yoga to an updo featuring curls interspersed with real 35mm filmstrips by Cinema Hair Studio.

Other highlights: an ingenious interpretation of the state Capitol from The Ultimate Spa Salon and a retro fifties style (accented with a swimsuit and fishnets) by Cha Cha Beauty & Barber. But these are just a few of the fabulous creations that graced the runway.

From the impressive crowd to the hip vibe to the innovative art on display, Hair Affair certainly made Thursday evening a cut above most weeknights.

For more on Hair Affair, check out Madison Magazine associate/style editor Shayna Miller’s blog, Window Shopping.

May Artist: In the Loop

2009-04-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

For Heather Macali, a beautiful textile isn’t necessarily a finished product. In her hands, it takes on a new life as she hand draws, digitally distorts and then weaves the new colorful patterns.

The UW–Madison design studies grad student has created eighty of these complex weavings for her thesis show, Warped, which runs May 6–17 at the Design Gallery at the UW School of Human Ecology. Macali will cover five walls with sixteen weavings apiece, creating a vibrant, pattern-filled enclosure.

A few weeks before the show opening, Macali emailed me responses to some questions I had about her inspirations, process, details of her thesis and more.

How did you become an artist?

I have always been involved in the arts, especially fiber arts (coiling, sewing, etc.) and ceramics. I don’t remember a time that I wasn’t doing something creative, whether it was taking extra art courses over the summer, doing crafts with my mom and sister, dancing, playing the piano or just taking the initiative and creating work on my own (this came later on in life, probably in high school). As I grew as an artist and designer in undergrad, I discovered the textile department my sophomore year and realized my true calling was in the textile arts. I usually work with the technique of weaving but also enjoy other textile techniques like various dyeing and felting techniques.

My undergraduate academic experience prepared me with the necessary skills to continue producing work and to take my work to a more sophisticated level during my graduate studies at UW–Madison. I also grew as an artist while I attended the Lisio Foundation in Florence, Italy, this past summer. I received a scholarship to study weaving there for seven weeks.

Where does your interest in textiles stem from?

My mother is a retired consumer science teacher and since I can remember my mother has always had fabrics around. As a child I frequently accompanied my mother on trips to the fabric store. My sister and I loved playing with the thread displays.

Tell me about the work you do.

Memory plays an important role in my design process. My use of color and pattern rises out of childhood experiences steeped in the popular material culture of the Midwest in the 1980s and early 1990s, with a contemporary twist. Making use of digital manipulations in the design process, I produce hand-woven fabric with three-dimensional optical effects on a two-dimensional plane.

I begin each work designing by hand-drawing patterns. Then, using Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator, hand-dyed yarn and a TC-1 (thread-controlled) loom, a very specific step-by-step process takes place. The strict methodology that I have created is intense, laborious, repetitious and utterly consuming—and I lose myself in it! I value this process; it is an important aspect of the work for me. When I finally begin the weaving process, the repetitious back and forth of the shuttle keeps me physically involved in the creation of my compositions, even as it allows my mind to wonder freely. It is so satisfying to watch as my digital compositions come to life with the particular color and tactile qualities of hand-woven fabric built with threads I have dyed myself.

Ultimately I am attempting to create fabric that carries ideas of color and pattern that I have had in my imagination for as long as I can remember, that are part of the visual world I was surrounded with as I grew up. I am putting these visions into a concrete form for both myself and for others to enjoy.

What sorts of patterns and colors appeal to you—and why do you think that is? And what is the concept behind Warped?

I am most attracted to optical patterns, patterns that really mess with the viewer’s eye/mind. I enjoy all the colors of the rainbow but at a very saturated and a high intensity. I usually pair colors with their complement or I work with colors in triad color harmonies. Both of these color combinations give enough of a difference between the colors to have an accent color/colors.

Again, I think that growing up in the late 1980s and early 1990s affected my visual palette, with the use of vibrant colors and crazy patterns in fashion (especially having my mother who sewed all the time, she had fabrics laying all over our house and would take my sister and I to the fabric stores frequently)—and also the cartoons that were popular at the time.

I watched a lot of Rainbow Bright, Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony. All of these cartoons had various characters that were the colors of the rainbow. For example, Rainbow Bright had helpers named Canary Yellow, Patty O’ Green and Shy Violet. The Care Bears had all different colors for their characters as well: Lucky Bear was a grass-green color, Love-A-Lot was pink. Besides the use of color in these cartoons all of them had a certain flavor that was associated with them. They all had lessons of helping others and happiness was always something that was achieved in the end of each episode. I believe that I associate bright colors with this certain mood that they portrayed and that is the mood that I want people to feel while viewing my work.

I wanted to create an environment that was filled with pattern and vibrant color with the use of texture and gradation to enhance the visual atmosphere. I decided to create an environment that was loosely based on a kaleidoscope. My main goal for this exhibition was to create an atmosphere that I have imagined since I was a child. I wanted to put it into a concrete form. I am taking what I surround myself with usually and pushing it to an extreme level with a sophisticated and mature eye.

What do you hope people get from seeing your work?

I obviously want people to enjoy the work and view the beauty and elegance that will be created. However, I know that not everyone would want to be in an environment like the one I have created, so my main interest is to get a strong reaction from the viewer whether it’s positive or negative. I do think that children would enjoy this exhibition because it consists of bright colors and some sparkly yarns.

What’s next for you?

I have been privileged to be a teaching assistant these past three years at UW–Madison and I have found my second passion in life, teaching. Ultimately I would like to continue producing my artwork and to continue to educate, whether it’s at the college level or volunteering at a daycare. I just want to keep promoting art to the youths of the world. I am also interested in possibly working as a textile designer producing patterns and maybe one day having my own textile company.

Warped runs May 6–17 at the Design Gallery at the UW School of Human Ecology, 1300 Linden Dr. Hours are 10a–5:30 p.m. Wednesday–Friday and 12–5 p.m. Saturday–Sunday. An opening reception will be held May 8, 6–9 p.m. For more information, call 262-8815 or visit designgallery.wisc.edu.

Images courtesy of Heather Macali.

IN THE MAGAZINE: The May issue of Madison Magazine comes out tomorrow. Here’s some of the arts content you’ll find within the pages:
• A look at the Valley Ridge Art Studio in southwestern Wisconsin.
• A preview of a prestigious dance conference coming to Madison in May.
• An interview with the owners of the new—and historic—Majestic Theatre.
• A poem by Wendy Vardaman.
• Our monthly Overtones section with picks on the can’t-miss performances, concerts and exhibits taking place in May.

Home Grown

2009-04-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

While Madisonians eagerly await the Dane County Farmers’ Market’s annual move back to the Capitol Square—it happens April 18 this year—you don’t have to wait to feast your eyes on gorgeous artwork inspired by the market and its bounty.

SEED: Celebrating Art through Farming is an exhibition by seven arts TRIBE artists at Overture Center Galleries.

“All of the art is based on the farmers and food of the Dane County Farmers’ Market and we have quite an exciting mix of art made by seven local artists,” says Tom Linfield, one of the artists involved.

SEED features artwork by Linfield, Aimee Reid-Rice, Dana Slowiak, Karen Reppen, Gary N-Ski, Bobbette Rose and Jayne Reid Jackson, and represents a two-year collaboration between arts TRIBE and the farmers’ market.

The artists spent last summer making art on-site at the market and on farms, drawing inspiration from the farmers and vendors that sell their produce and products at the market.

Work showcased in SEED represents a diversity of media, including painting, photography, textiles, printmaking, collage, mosaic and sculpture. Some artists created images of peppers, lettuce and other produce, while others incorporated market materials into their work, mixing beeswax into paint, sewing in wild grasses and using beets as dyes.

According to arts TRIBE, community artists and small-scale local farmers have much in common: both start with a blank canvas, so to speak, and the products created by each are most often appreciated in their finished state.

“Artists and farmers work with a passion that offers ample opportunity for creativity and vision,” the group states. “Both believe that the fruits of their labor add to the quality of life for the whole community and rely on that community to sustain their efforts. arts TRIBE artists use the growing processes of farming as a metaphor for the creative process.”

SEED opened March 29 and runs through June 7, with a reception and artists talk taking place May 1 from 5–9 p.m. For more information, visit the Overture Galleries website.

Images courtesy of arts TRIBE.

Movie Time

2009-04-01T07:05:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of year many of us look forward to each spring—time for the Wisconsin Film Festival! An annual tradition since 1999, the festival packs more films into more downtown theaters and venues than one could hope to take in over a four-day period. But many of us are going to try our best to see as many as possible.

The one person who has seen all the films to be showcased this year is festival director Meg Hamel. The film fanatic and longtime Madisonian recently revealed what it’s like to put on the event—and whether she ever tires of watching movies.

How did you get involved in the film festival in the first place?

I had attended film festivals in other cities when visiting friends. During the first two years of the Wisconsin Film Festival in 1999 and 2000, I was actually in Istanbul at the film festival there. Our local festival was getting bigger and I heard about the call for volunteers, so I decided to sign up and help put on this show. I think there were about thirty-five volunteers that year, compared to over two hundred now.

What were your biggest challenges when you became director of the festival?

I was hired about four months before the 2006 festival, so by far the biggest challenge was just trying to figure out what to do, and how to do it in a really short time. It was the only staff position for the festival, so there was no such thing as training. I just had to fly by the seat of my pants trying to understand what needed to be done each day. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever tackled in my life, and to be honest I have barely any memories of that time. It was so grueling my brain has just erased most of it. It was really a miracle that there was a festival that year, mostly due to the contributions of the many people who give their time and expertise to make it happen, especially the staff of the UW Department of Communication Arts and everyone at the venues that host the festival.

On a different level, there was also the challenge of following Mary Carbine’s very successful role as the original festival director. Anyone who has been the second in any position knows that this presents its own special decisions. What elements should continue on because they quintessentially define this festival and are the right thing to do? What can be changed to open up new ideas and grow in different directions? That process definitely continues on. Each year little adjustments are made in procedures or features of the festival, while keeping the identity of the Wisconsin Film Festival consistent and meaningful.

How do you choose the films to be shown?

It’s terrifically complex, actually, since there are so many separate criteria that I’m juggling. Sometimes I look for films that I think will meet the audience’s expectations in a particular way, bringing stories that continue certain themes that have been successful in the past, like Scandinavian stories or music-themed documentaries. Madison in particular is a good home for international and social-justice stories, and I do want people to leave the theater learning something about the world we live in. And of course we want to find films with local connections, like our opening night film 500 Days of Summer, and support emerging filmmakers by bringing key new work to the screen, and present films made by master directors around the world which wouldn’t otherwise play here … The list goes on.

Each year the festival partners with programs across campus to find films that can form featured series, so I’m also scouting for good candidates for these. For the disabilities series, copresented with the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education, that means searching out films made in the last year or so that explore the landscape of disabilities. We probably watch three or four times as many candidates than what makes the final selection. There really is a lot of time and effort that goes into picking just the right combination of films that work for this festival.

And tied into all of this are the circumstances of new films: Are they available yet for a festival screening? Is there a print of the film available for our dates? Is it being held to play at “A-list” festivals and not possible for us? Can we afford the screening fees of some titles?

What makes for a good movie? What trends are you seeing in films today?

Technology plays a large role in the creation of the motion picture art form. Changes in technology are affecting both the stories that can be made and how we present them. Many of your readers may have already seen stories about how improved video cameras and editing systems can make it easier for filmmakers to create good-looking work for less money. What this can mean for a festival, though, may be less obvious. With so many titles available on digital video only, it becomes a little harder to find good films available to us on 35mm film. Some of our theaters are set up to play the good old traditional 35mm film only (like the Orpheum). For most of our video theaters, we rent high-end projection systems and install in that space just for our festival (like the Bartell).

Last year we played all 35mm film in the Wisconsin Union Theater. This year we’re showing all digital video, including the first high-definition video system that we’ve used as a festival. That’s a new adventure for me, to figure out what kind of equipment to rent, how to install and ensuring that all the screenings will go off without a hitch. It’s a lot more expensive than using the film projection equipment already in the Union, but we have to make this change to accommodate the format that filmmakers are using now.

How many films do you screen each year for the festival? Do you get sick of watching movies?

I don’t track the number of individual titles, but it’s many times more than the 198 titles in this year’s festival. Far more films do not make the final program, either because they’re not right for our festival, or their schedule prevents them from being included. I don’t get sick of watching movies, but I do look forward to the times of the festival year that are more hands-on and active. So much of festival planning each year is pretty solitary: hundreds of emails each day followed by three or four films each night after I come home from work.

Watching movies is also not a finite part of the job. I pressure myself to keep looking for more, for better stories, to uncover hidden gems. This process can be never-ending, and so I always welcome the time when I have to discipline myself to lock down the schedule, confirm everything and move on to the other parts of festival planning.

Also, it’s hard to make decisions—like film selections—far in advance of the festival without really knowing what the results will be. Will people like the films? What will the weather be? Can we cover our expenses? The best part of the whole year is the festival week itself, because all decisions get boiled down into something concrete. No more guesswork, it’s just about anticipating problems and fixing them when they happen. Instead of just planning and hoping and wondering, I get to haul heavy equipment and do things with my hands. That’s really satisfying.

How does the Wisconsin Film Festival compare to other film festivals?

Film festival are so different from each other, it’s hard to make comparisons. What’s notable about this festival, though, is the commitment of the audience in relation to the size of the festival structure. There aren’t many festivals that are only four days and draw 30,000 attendees. The credit for that goes to the people here in Wisconsin who make the choice to spend their weekend watching movies. Without them, there is no festival.

Other differences exist. I tend to not focus energy into giving out lots of awards to films. Although that can be really useful to newer filmmakers who are working to get their films better known, I’m trying to think more long-term and help the audience widen their interest in different film styles. Awards tend to enforce an idea that there are only a few good ones in the bunch. Both the audience and the filmmakers are better served, I think, when we all get more adventurous with what we want to see and how we can let the filmmakers’ stories affect us.

This means that some of the features that have come to be accepted as a necessary part of most film festivals don’t exist here. We don’t have high-priced VIP access to tickets, for example. That wouldn’t be very consistent with the festival’s mission as a UW education event, and I’d rather work on making the festival more open, not less so.

On the other hand, the festival program does get admired for being strong, eclectic and representing some of the most interesting films being made today. For such a little event, we do have a very good reputation in the industry for smart film selections, an organizational structure that pays our bills on time (usually) and taking care of the films and videos that we’re entrusted with. I’m able to bring films that might not be available to other festivals, simply because we’ve worked so hard in the past to keep our promises and deliver a really good show to the audience.

What’s new to this year’s festival?

The HD projection in the Union is one of the biggest changes. But the festival itself is entirely new each year. Every single film is newly chosen just for this event, and the audience is going to be treated to a full and bursting schedule of great motion pictures.

What’s your goal for the film festival—this year and beyond?

The goal for each festival is just doing it. My whole year—both my work life and my personal life, since they are really the same thing—is focused on producing this four-day event, so there’s a lot of pressure to do it right, not get sick and make it brilliant.

I do look ahead to possibly making the festival cover more than just four days. So many more movies to bring to Madison! And I’d like to do more events through the year. Madison should have a children’s film festival and an LGBT film festival and a food film festival and more. I’d like to do more to support local film production in the state and create opportunities for younger students to discover a higher caliber of motion pictures in middle school and high school.

When I took this job, my sister Amy told me, “Go big or go home.” I'm doing my best to follow her advice.

For more information on the Wisconsin Film Festival, including film descriptions and schedules, visit wifilmfest.org.

Images—of the films 500 Days of Summer, Treeless Mountain, Being Bucky, Darius Goes West, The Beetle and A Winter of Frozen Dreams—are courtesy of the Wisconsin Film Festival.

April Artist: Colorful World

2009-03-18T07:39:00.000-07:00

For many of us, the natural world refreshes, comforts, inspires and excites. Joel Wish finds all this and more in the out of doors, and uses nature as a springboard for vibrant impressionistic pastel works.

The Waunakee artist and psychologist—whose work is showcased March 27 through May 10 at Artisan Gallery in Paoli—took a moment to share insights into his inspirations and process.

How did you become an artist?

I have done art since I was a kid. From when I was just in elementary school my mom took me way across town to the Corcoran museum for art lessons. My parents were very supportive of my having private art lessons on and off through my elementary, junior and high school years. In college, I tried to double major but I was told it would have to be either art or psychology. I obviously went with the safe choice.

I am a psychologist in a hospital (UWHC), working primarily with kids. Working with medically ill people makes you appreciate the fragility of things. In short, it makes me grateful for what I have. The tough parts of working with medically ill people get absorbed in me somewhere deep below the surface and doing art just helps bring what’s stored in there out into the light with new meaning/perspective and appreciation—kind of like a cleansing.

How would you describe the style of your art?

My art is one percent knowing what I’m doing and ninety-nine percent struggling to create something that feels/looks right. For me, creative “flow” is the constant push/pull of trying to make something that looks or feels okay despite not knowing how I’m going to get there.

Why do you focus on the natural world?

I find drawing from nature easier than drawing the human figure. The incredible variety of color and form in nature allows one to be very creative while still “landing” a product that is “believable.” Whenever I try to capture a human image, I find I’m locked into getting the details “right.” There’s a narrower window in capturing what’s believable and acceptable in the human form. Getting details right for me is what I try to do at work but not for relaxation!

How did you come to your incredible use of color? And did your chosen medium play a role in this?

I work a lot of hours and I need a medium that is forgiving and quick—little setup time, able to come and go into it with ease, etc. Pastels are perfect, kind of like crayons are for kids. Just like kids can pull crayons out and whip up a painting almost anywhere, pastels allow me to walk into my studio, “paint” for five minutes or five hours and then go back to working at my desk. It’s a back-and-forth volley between work and art. As for the color, pastels are an easy medium for colorists; I really enjoy maximizing the color by making use of different colored surfaces. What lies under the surface of the painting often creates the vibrancy of the painting itself. There’s nothing like painting on dark surfaces to maximize the intense colors inherent in pastels.

What inspires you?

Nature—its forms, colors, contrasts. I love finding these things in the everyday world. Sometimes they’re right there in front of us, but so often overlooked.

What are the greatest challenges in making your art?

What to do with all the paintings I create! I must have about two hundred pieces lying around the house. I’m sure my wife would say the greatest challenge is finding a place to sit in our living room. The house is overrun with paintings. I believe in a few years I’ll probably paint only postcard-size artwork because I simply will have run out of space! I guess the other challenge is working in the very fragile medium of pastel. It creates dust, which is neither good for the lungs nor for trying to have it stay put on painted surface. The dust has some inherent need or tendency to shift. One of the greatest absurdities in my art life is taking a pastel painting and trying to surround it with a white matboard. Life seems awfully short to be grappling with keeping the matboard pure. I wish I could have fallen in love with some more stable art form!

When do you consider a work successful and how do you define that?

What I’ve created has to stand up against the internal critic and it has to stand up against that critic over time. Sometimes the internal critic doesn’t arrive on the scene until days, weeks or months after I thought the painting was complete. I might feel great about something I’ve painted one day, only to wake up the next morning or even weeks later and discover the piece isn’t okay. Maybe only fifty percent of the time does something feel successful from day one to the next day and over time.

What do you hope to share with viewers through your art?

Good question. I guess, however, I have chosen to depict nature, and if viewers can appreciate that through their own eyes, then we’ve made a connection that goes beyond words. Sharing that connection with others is what art is all about for me.

Images are by Joel Wish and courtesy of Artisan Gallery.

IN THE MAGAZINE: The April issue of Madison Magazine comes out tomorrow. Here’s some of the arts content you’ll find within the pages:
• An interview with acclaimed filmmaker Mary Sweeney, plus information on the upcoming Wisconsin Film Festival.
• A poem by Michael A. Walker.
• Our monthly Overtones section with picks on the can’t-miss performances, concerts and exhibits taking place in April.
• An extensive look at the expansion of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Unitarian Meeting House.
• A look at a special ceramics exhibition at the Dane County Airport in Neil Heinen and Nancy Christy’s Genuine Articles column.

A Show of Support

2009-03-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

If last night was any indication, the slumping economy has done nothing to diminish Madison’s hunger and appreciation for art.

Yesterday evening, the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission unveiled its 2009 Art Poster at Promega’s beautiful and art-filled building in Fitchburg.

The event was an incredible and energetic round-up of members of Madison’s visual arts scene—including many artists featured on this blog—such as painter Georgene Pomplun, Pat Dillon of Bungalow 1227, and staffers from MMoCA and 77 Square.

But the toast of the night was Lee Weiss, the Madison artist who created the watercolor that’s become the thirty-first art poster. Titled September Flora, the image of purple and white flowers in a verdant meadow was inspired by Hoyt Park, which is close to the artist’s house.

Before the poster was revealed, County Executive Kathleen Falk seemed to sum up the mood of the crowd. She thanked Weiss and other artists for providing a means for the community to get lost in art and forget for just a few minutes about current economic troubles. While arts and culture are always important, in times like these they become crucial, she said.

The art posters are available by free-will donation at the Cultural Affairs Commission Office, room 421 of the City-County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Other distribution sites include the city and village halls of Belleville, Brooklyn, Cambridge, Cross Plains, DeForest, Maple Bluff, Marshall, Mazomanie, McFarland, Middleton, Monona, Mount Horeb, Oregon, Shorewood Hills, Stoughton, Sun Prairie, Verona and Waunakee, plus the town halls of Blooming Grove, Dunn, Middleton, Montrose, Oregon, Springfield, Sun Prairie, Verona and Westport. For more information, visit culturalaffairscommission.com.

Image courtesy of the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission.

Maid in Madison

2009-03-11T08:29:00.000-07:00

While the action of Mozart’s comedic Cosi fan Tutte centers on two couples determined to prove their love and faithfulness, the real force of the opera is found in Despina, the scheming maid.

Taking on this complex role in Madison Opera’s production of Cosi fan Tutte—running March 13 and 15 at Overture Center—is Mary Elizabeth Mackenzie. The Madison native who’s now living and working in New York City, recently took some time out to discuss her upcoming role and trip home.

I understand you’re living in New York. What have you been up to there?

I’ve lived in New York for four years now. I came to the city to do my master of music degree at the Manhattan School of Music. Now I’m a freelance musician and I perform quite frequently in New York, but also in Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago. I’m very active in contemporary music, and typically have several concerts on my plate at any given time. Composers seem to know how to keep me busy!

How did growing up in Madison prepare you for a career in music?

Growing up in Madison was such a blessing! My mother, Nancy Mackenzie, plays clarinet in both the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, plus her chamber group, the Oakwood Chamber Players. So I grew up going to all of the concerts, operas, ballets …

I was actually a violinist long before I was a singer, and I have many fond memories of Saturday mornings with WYSO [Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra]. I also used to do children’s operas with Madison Opera, so they were my introduction to the whole opera process. I’m very proud of Madison’s musical community; the city is so lucky to have so many high quality musical groups, not to mention a gorgeous performing arts center!

How did you come to be a part of Madison Opera’s production of Cosi fan Tutte?

Like most things in the musical world, I was in the right place at the right time. Allan Naplan, the general director of Madison Opera, contacted me in December to find out what I was up to, and explained that they were looking for a Despina for their production of Cosi. I was going to be back in Madison for the holidays, so we set up an audition so that he and John DeMain could hear me. I came and did the audition … and the rest is history.

What attracted you to the role of Despina? What are the opportunities and challenges inherent in the role?

Despina is a character that I have really come to love in the past couple of years. I studied her a little bit in college, but at the time, I didn’t have a lot of “life experience” that I could draw from to really understand her. Despina has definitely been with her share of men but doesn’t take relationships too seriously because she knows from experience that both men and women can be fickle. Being a single lady in New York City, I have experienced this firsthand! Playing Despina gives me the opportunity to focus on certain aspects of my own personality and morph them into something else entirely. My biggest challenge with Despina will probably be her extreme comedic moments, which I won’t reveal for your readers. You’ll just have to come see the show!

In the battle of the sexes in Cosi fan Tutte, Despina seems to be the only one who transcends sides. How are you approaching this character?

I think Despina is the only character in the opera who doesn’t have anything to prove. The two couples are trying to prove their love, or rather their faithfulness, to each other. Don Alfonso is trying to prove that women are unfaithful and Despina is along for the ride. She knows that both Fiordiligi and Dorabella and Ferrando and Guglielmo could easily fall for another person if given the right opportunity. She believes they are all too young to be thinking about settling down, and knows that if they were to open their eyes to other people, they might find that the grass is greener on the other side.

What are your goals for this production?

As with all my performances, my goal is to have fun and take the audience on a journey. It’s also another opportunity for me to grow as a performer and work with new people and meet new friends and colleagues.

Besides performing with Madison Opera, what else are you looking forward to doing while you’re in Madison?

My parents, sister and grandparents still live in Madison, so it’s going to be a real treat to get to be with them for three weeks! I’m sure I’ll be pretty booked with rehearsals, but I hope to be able to visit some of my favorite restaurants or go see a movie with my sister.

What’s next for you?

Back to New York! I’m doing a concert with the Juilliard Percussion Ensemble at the end of March, singing a very interesting piece by Jean Barraqué (a serialist composer, contemporary of Boulez and Stockhausen) for soprano, piano and six percussionists. I’m also working on a late song cycle by Fauré, Chanson d'Ève, with a wonderful pianist from Juilliard. And in April I’ll be appearing in a concert of selections from American opera with Harbor Opera, a small company in New York.

Madison Opera’s production of Cosi fan Tutte runs March 13 and 15 at Overture Center. For tickets or more information, visit madisonopera.org.

Visual Indulgence

2009-03-04T06:55:00.000-08:00

To weather the slumping economy, a lot of us are scaling back and relying on the basics to get by. So it’s especially delightful that the Chazen Museum of Art offers a chance to indulge the senses—for free—in its two latest exhibitions.

Writing with Thread: Traditional Textiles of Southwest Chinese Minorities and Mannerism in Italy and the Low Countries, running through April 12 and 26 respectively, are visual odes to embellishment, flourish and the little “extras” that elevate a work into something different and special.

Writing with Thread showcases costumes, clothing and jewelry from fifteen ethnic groups and almost one hundred subgroups of southwest China. Five hundred vibrantly hued woven and embroidered textiles range from festival garments to shirts, skirts, aprons and vests to bed covers and baby carriers. Colorful and intricate detailing in the pieces include stripes, geometric shapes, dragons, human figures, birds, flowers and many other forms. According to the museum, clothing helps groups signify their identities and record their histories, myths and legends.

Also on display are jewelry and metalwork, as well as a loom, braiding stool and spinning wheel, which offer a glimpse into how the ornate textiles are made.

In the Mannerism in Italy and the Low Countries exhibit, in place of flourish and ornamentation, black and white engravings reveal humans with rippling muscles, contorted visages and twisted torsos.

Drawn primarily from the museum’s permanent collection, the works on paper illustrate how the Mannerists of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Italy and the Netherlands departed from earlier artists’ classical ideals of beauty, proportion and symmetry. Instead of trying to depict nature as realistically as possible, they created a more expressive style that’s a visual treat for the eyes.

The Chazen is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call 263.2068 or visit chazen.wisc.edu.

Images are courtesy of the Chazen Museum of Art.

Focus on Romania

2009-02-25T07:09:00.000-08:00

The third annual Romanian Film Festival takes place this week, with screenings of feature films, shorts and documentaries held at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute and UW–Madison’s Center for Russia, East Europe and Central Asia, or CREECA, the festival showcases films in Romanian with English subtitles—and admission is free.

Festival coordinator Elena Richard recently shared insights into the event, as well as the fascinating history of Romanian filmmaking.

How did the Romanian Film Festival come about in Madison?

Through a series of fortunate events that started when the Romanian Cultural Institute was looking for partners at the UW. CREECA was the department that entered that partnership. The idea of starting the festival was born then. We received incredible support from the organizers of the Wisconsin Film Festival, who also showed some of the most acclaimed Romanian films, like The Death of Mr. Lazarescu and 12:08 East of Bucharest. The small Romanian community in Madison and the large number of non-Romanian citizens of Madison who love film embraced us from the very beginning.

What is the background of Romanian filmmaking? And what’s going on today?

Last year we had an epic movie The Rest of Silence that told the story of the making of the first Romanian long feature film made in 1912. After 1912, filmmaking in Romania went through decades of creating mostly forgettable films with a few very memorable productions. After the late 1940s, the Romanian film industry was coerced into integrating communist ideology in its films, which resulted in producing hundreds of unremarkable propagandistic films reflecting a false reality. The refuge for many directors was to dramatize literary classics or illustrate historical events by bringing epic battles several hundred years old to the big screen. There are titles that are still remarkable and passed the test of time. One of them, Reenactment, which was banned for twenty-two years after its release, unmasks a political system that claimed to put people first, but in actuality destroyed them in an instant in the name of moral re-education. It was one the films we showed last year. Yet another example, Sequences, is part of our program this year and it’s a classic that illustrates the behind the scenes of moviemaking. One of the scenes shows that the conflict between the extras at the shoot—former victim and persecutor—is far more intense than the conflict between the characters of the film.

How has the film festival been received the past two years?

From its inception and first showings, it was received very well, and last year we had the pleasant surprise of having a much larger audience than the previous year. I think the interest for international—and in particular, for Romanian film—in Madison is quite remarkable. The first two editions of our festival brought to Madison a series of very new and well-received films. Romanian film is going through a revival that started approximately ten years ago and which has generated a lot of interest from international critics and audiences.

Tell me about this year’s festival. What films will you be showing and what’s new this time around?

Most of the films are full-length feature debuts: Crossing Dates, Tache, Elevator. Anca Damian (of Crossing Dates) had previously directed documentaries, Igor Cobileanski (Tache) is a well-known director of short films and George Dorobantu (Elevator) is at his very first film. Exchange is the most recent premiere of Nicolae Margineanu, a director that belongs to a different generation. Day Bar and Other Stories is a beautifully filmed documentary made during the year when the city of Sibiu was the cultural capital of Europe. We also showcase a selection of shorts. In 2008 the Romanian short films were the ones that attracted international awards at festivals all over the globe. The program includes A Good Day for a Swim, the recipient of 2008 Palme d'Or for Best Short, and Megatron, the winner of the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival. Waves, Alexandra and The Fear of Mr. G also created a buzz at numerous festivals. I already mentioned Sequences, a film that is still as modern today as it was in 1982.

What are you most excited about in this year’s festival?

I think it’s the overall selection of films. I am very happy with the mosaic of subjects. I am very excited we can show the documentary Day Bar and Other Stories, a very poetic and profound film that uses no script, just actual confessions of ordinary people in a brilliant way.

What are your goals for the film festival, this year as well as in the future?

I hope it grows to become a familiar presence on Madison’s cultural scene, that it will attract more viewers each year and that we’ll be able to continue to bring intriguing and interesting films.

What do you hope people get from attending the festival and seeing the films?

I hope they gain an appreciation for and an understanding of Romanian culture.

Images top to bottom are from Elevator, Day Bar and Other Stories and Sequences, and courtesy of the Romanian Film Festival.

March Artist: Time for Art

2009-02-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

Isn’t it strange how the passage of time can feel fast or slow depending on what’s going on in your life? Uncomfortable moments can seem like they’ll never end, while a series of years can appear to fly by in moments.

As a senior at Edgewood College about to step into the “real world,” time is likely moving at a good clip for Emily Rausch right now. Fortunately, the student artist was able to pause for a few minutes to discuss her new show, Time is Pear-Shaped, which runs March 15 to April 3 at Edgewood’s DeRicci Gallery.

How did you become an artist?

I have always enjoyed art since as far back as I can remember. I have played with many different media throughout the years, but in high school I found a love for graphic design, which is what I am majoring in with a minor in art.

What type of art are you drawn to create?

I tend to look at things from a different perspective and I want others to see how I perceive the world. Photography and acrylics are what I consider my two best media to help me share my views. I am inspired by Pop art, particularly Roy Lichtenstein, and Surrealism, especially René Magritte. I haven’t been able to pin myself down to one genre, but if you look closely you can see influences from my inspirations.

How did the idea of time become part of your work?

Thinking about art in general, I noticed how all works are just moments captured in time. All of my works focus on an aspect of time, whether it is a snap of a shutter, a stroke of a paintbrush or a scrawl from a pencil. I truly believe that artists strive to capture something powerful in their frozen frames.

Tell me about the Time is Pear-Shaped show. What’s in it and how did it come about?

My show is a retrospective of my student art career at Edgewood College. The show contains a mix of my favorite media including photography, paint and a variety of common everyday objects. My show is titled from my main piece, “Time is Pear-Shaped.” I feel that this piece gives the illusion of time as something out of the ordinary and I think it accomplishes my goal of showing my perspective on how I see the world. I hope the audience will be able to follow my creative thought process.

What do you hope people get from seeing your work?

I hope people get to see that I am not tied down to one medium, I create pieces from all artistic areas that I have learned at Edgewood College, including 2D, 3D and graphic design. Showing my creativity and my ability to think outside the box is important to me.
I am willing to experiment with art and try anything once to see where it can take me. I hope people have a fun experience at my show.

What’s next for you?

I graduate from Edgewood this May and will soon begin my search for a job. I am curious to see where art will take me.

Images are courtesy of Emily Rausch.

IN THE MAGAZINE: The March issue of Madison Magazine comes out tomorrow. Here’s some of the arts content you’ll find within the pages:
• A profile on Paddy and Otehlia Cassidy of West African Dance of Madison, or WADOMA.
• A poem by Sarah Busse.
• Our monthly Overtones section with picks on the can’t-miss performances, concerts and exhibits taking place in March.

Loving Local Arts

2009-02-11T11:22:00.000-08:00

Valentine’s Day doesn’t seem to fall on a weekend very often. And I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the holiday than by showing some love to local arts.

Here are a few ways to fill your Saturday, no matter what type of art you heart (but as always, check ahead to make sure tickets are available for performances).

MUSIC

David Bicknase 7 p.m.–11 p.m. The Cove Lounge, The Edgewater, 666 Wisconsin Ave. 256-9071, theedgewater.com

Cherry Pie 9:30 p.m. The Dry Bean, 5264 Verona Rd., Fitchburg. 274-2326. thedrybean.com

Desperate Ottos 10 p.m. Harmony Bar and Grill, 2201 Atwood Ave. 249-4333.

DJ Vinny T 10:30 p.m. Café Montmartre, 127 E. Mifflin St. 255-5900. themomo.com

Elf Lettuce 10 p.m. Mr. Roberts, 2116 Atwood Ave. 249-1660. myspace.com/mrrobertsmadison

Goran Ivanovic & Andreas Kapsalis 9:30p.m. Restaurant Magnus, 120 E. Wilson St. 258-8787. restaurantmagnus.com

Thriving Ivory and Missy Higgins with Company of Thieves 9 p.m. Majestic Theatre, 115 King St. 255-0901. majesticmadison.com

Little Mama Joe featuring Susan Hofer 9 p.m.–12 a.m. The Brink Lounge, 701 E. Washington Ave., Suite 105. 661-8599. thebrinklounge.com

Umphrey’s McGee 8 p.m. Barrymore Theatre, 2090 Atwood Ave. barrymorelive.com

Umphrey’s Afterparty 10 p.m. High Noon Saloon, 701A E. Washington Ave. 268-1122. high-noon.com

UW School of Music Faculty Concert Series: Parry, Howard and Frances Karp 8 p.m. Mills Hall, Humanities Building, 455 N. Park St. 263-9485. music.wisc.edu

THEATER

A Wake 8 p.m. Broom Street Theater, 1119 Williamson St. 244-8338. broomstreet.org

Jesus Christ Superstar 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Overture Center, 201 State St. 258-4141. overturecenter.com

Kenosha! (Not Quite Chicago) 6:30 p.m. By WhoopDeDoo Productions at the West Side Club, 437 County Hwy M. 442-5806. whoopdedoo.org

Love is in the Air 8 p.m. By Strollers Theatre at the Bartell Theatre, 113 E. Mifflin St. 661-9696 x2. strollerstheatre.org

Proof 7:30 p.m. By Madison Theatre Guild at the Bartell Theatre, 113 E. Mifflin St. 238-9322. madisontheatreguild.org

Steel Magnolias 7:30 p.m. By the Sun Prairie Civic Theatre at the Sun Prairie High School Auditorium, 220 Kroncke Dr., Sun Prairie. 837-8217. sunprairiecivictheatre.com

Those Fabulous Fifties—Part 2 1:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Fireside Theatre, 1131 Janesville Ave., Fort Atkinson. 1-800-477-9505. firesidetheatre.com

Vagina Monologues 8 p.m. Wisconsin Union Theater, 800 Langdon St. 262-2201. uniontheater.wisc.edu

VISUAL ART

A Fairyland of Fabrics: The Victorian Crazy Quilt 12–5 p.m. Design Gallery, UW School of Human Ecology, 1300 Linden Dr. 262-8815. designgallery.wisc.edu

A Show of Affection: Valentine’s Day Gift Special 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Fanny Garver Gallery, 230 State St. 256-6755. fannygarvergallery.com

Everett Kitts 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Absolutely Art, 2322 Atwood Ave. 249-9100. absolutelyartllc.com

From China to Madison: Crossing Cultural Bridges, Mayra Rangel-Capelle & Ana Rangel: Our Mexico, Our Roots and Respite = Relief: 30 Years of Building in Children through Art 10:30 a.m.–9 p.m. Overture Galleries, 201 State St. 258-4177. overturecenter.com/galleries.htm

Dagny Quisling Myrah 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Grace Chosy Gallery, 1825 Monroe St. 255-1211. gracechosygallery.com

Rafael Francisco Salas: Recent Drawings and Paintings 8 a.m.–8 p.m. DeRicci Gallery at Edgewood College, 1000 Edgewood College Dr. art.edgewood.edu

Ann Singsass: Birches and Others 12:30–4 p.m. UW Arboretum Steinhauer Trust Gallery, 1207 Seminole Hwy. 263-7888. uwarboretum.org/about/gallery/

Something Wicked This Way Comes and Barbara Probst: Exposures 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 227 State St. 257-0158. mmoca.org

SuperBug: An Installation by Jennifer Angus and John Hitchcock 11 a.m.–9 p.m. James Watrous Gallery of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters
201 State St. (Overture Center). 265-2500. wisconsinacademy.org

The Joy is in the Middle: Michael Wodyn, Eternal Return: Brian DeLevie, Abstract in the Representative: Zsuzsanna Nagy and Fictitious Plants: Jsun Laliberte 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Wisconsin Union Galleries, 800 Langdon St. 262-7592. union.wisc.edu/art

Writing with Thread: Traditional Textiles of Southwest Chinese Minorities and Mannerism in Italy and the Low Countries 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Chazen Museum of Art, 800 University Ave. 263-2068. chazen.wisc.edu

Images of Parry Karp, Jesus Christ Superstar and a work from Mannerism in Italy and the Low Country are courtesy of the UW School of Music, Overture Center and Chazen Museum of Art.

Middle Man

2009-02-04T13:24:00.000-08:00

For Michael Wodyn, the joy of making art comes when he is fully immersed in creating a painting. It’s this “middle” stage of the artistic process that has inspired him to exhibit a collection of his abstract acrylic paintings in a new show, The Joy is in the Middle, at the Wisconsin Union Galleries. His large, colorful paintings are showcased along with work by Brian DeLevie, Jsun Laliberté and Zsuzsanna Nagy through March 10.

Before the show opened January 30, Wodyn answered a few questions about his process, inspirations and more.

How did you become an artist?

I became interested in drawing at a young age. That interest grew to include success with other media as well. I need to produce art in order to be happy with my life. It is not an interest I can leave behind, nor would I want to.

How would you describe the art you create?

My art is abstract and I view each piece as a history of the ideas, struggles and emotions that were part of its creation.

What draws you to acrylics and why do you tend toward colorful and large work?

I use acrylic paint for several reasons. I like that I am not exposing myself to toxic solvents. As for the paint’s other properties, my canvasses are usually several paint layers deep and the faster drying time allows the surface to be built up relatively quickly. However, the paint is workable for a limited time so decisions must be made and carried out without hesitation. This is especially true with large work, but I enjoy the challenge. I also like the physical engagement that comes with large work. Sometimes the most rewarding and visually interesting paintings were a tremendous struggle to complete.

I usually don't spend much time planning a color scheme. I just begin and react as the painting progresses.

What inspires your art?

Other art forms and artists inspire my art. I try always to be receptive to the world around me. Beginning a painting inspires me, and the belief that I need to search for the most honest means of expression keeps me producing more.

Why did you choose The Joy is in the Middle as the name for your show?

The title of my show refers to the period of pure creativity that occurs when I am engaged with a painting. I lose all track of time, ideas are tried, kept or scraped away, the painting can change, be destroyed and rebuilt, it can shift from dark to light and back to light again. It is a process that is both mentally and physically demanding and it is the reason why I love it so much.

What do you hope viewers get from seeing your work?

I would like viewers to approach my art without trying to figure out what the painting is supposed to “mean.” One doesn’t ask what a beautifully made pot or table means. They are objects and we can appreciate the colors and patterns, the marks that occurred during their creation, the evidence of the artist’s hand. If I have an idea in mind when I make a painting I usually give it a title. Otherwise the work is an object made of paint and canvas, colors, marks and patterns. The meaning for me comes during its creation. The meaning for the viewer is up to them.

What’s next for you?

To keep painting, to continue to strive for the most truthful way to express what I need to and to show my work when I feel it is good enough.

Images are courtesy of Michael Wodyn.

Fear Factors

2009-01-28T09:42:00.000-08:00

“You will be creeped out.”

This was the promise Madison Museum of Contemporary Art curator of collections Rick Axsom made me as we set up a time to discuss the museum’s newest exhibition, Something Wicked This Way Comes.

He didn’t disappoint.

As Axsom took me through a visual tour of the paintings, prints, photographs and other works in the show, I encountered more than my fair share of evil, scary, ghoulish, disturbing and, yes, very creepy imagery.

Surprisingly, the nearly one hundred works in the exhibition come from the museum’s permanent collection. “Who would have thought there’d be so much evil?” Axsom asked with a laugh.

A few years back, as Axsom and a colleague were reviewing the museum’s collection of works on paper, they realized a good portion was of a menacing nature. So MMoCA decided to create a show highlighting the work, naming the show after a line from Shakespeare’s MacBeth.

Drawing upon works from the early twentieth century to the present, Something Wicked demonstrates how evil is understood and represented by modern and contemporary artists. Furthermore, instead of exploring evil through a religious lens, taking a secular approach focusing on “the horrors of political history, the monstrous acts of the sociopath and the inner torments of the mind,” according to the museum.

It’s fascinating to see the breadth with which artists depict this single concept.

A few works are slightly whimsical, in the scary-but-fun vein of Halloween, according to Axsom. A good example is Chris Vassel’s untitled image of death skeleton. Standing in a furry coat in a snowstorm, the chilly guy is someone you can almost feel sympathy for.

Yet other artists offer heart-wrenchingly horrible scenes, such as Käthe Kollwitz’s etching in which a personification of death is ripping a mother away from her child or a series of photographs by Larry Clarke showing teenage heroin addicts.

Some pieces in the show reveal human-beast hybrids. The idea of nature gone awry was popular in the aftermath of World War II, when the threat of nuclear holocaust was a reality, Axsom said. In colorful works, evil military men have animal traits, women become pigs and men have the faces of birds.

But the collection I found the most frightening was a dream series of photographs by Arthur Tress. For his book, The Dream Collector, Tess interviewed children about their dreams and nightmares. He then constructed a few nightmare scenarios and had the very kids who dreamt them pose in the scenes for photos. A hockey player crouching over a steamy street gate is certainly unsettling but the image that unnerved me shows a hooded figure clutching a child on an empty street flanked by barren trees. I’m all for facing fears, but the kid who showed up for this photo shoot is a lot braver than I’ll probably ever be.

As we examined the works, Axsom raised intriguing questions about humans’ attraction to disturbing images, dangerous stories and scary movies. These and other ideas will be discussed in lectures and programs held in conjunction with the show, he said.

But one thing’s for sure: We’re all scared of something. And chances are you’ll find—and have the chance to confront—your fear at this exhibition.

Something Wicked This Way Comes runs through April 12 at MMoCA, 227 State St. For more information, call 257.0158 or visit mmoca.org.

Images top to bottom are an untitled work by Chris Vasell, Birds of Heaven by Robert Lostutter and Hockey Player by Arthur Tress.

February Artist: A Matter of Perspective

2009-01-21T07:11:00.000-08:00

A lifelong Madisonian, Dagny Quisling Myrah knows the ins and outs of the city, its neighborhoods urban, suburban and rural. But in her years as an oil painter, Myrah has come to find interesting angles and vantage points from which to depict her city.

In an exhibition at Grace Chosy Gallery February 6–28, her landscapes range from rural to urban to suburban. And while always vibrantly colorful, they offer new ways of looking at Madison, whether at night, from high up or through the absence of people.

Seeing an Edward Hopper exhibition in Chicago last year inspired Myrah to start painting night scenes. She drove around Madison discovering compositions and subjects she’d normally pass by without noticing.

One result of this experiment is a painting of a Monroe Street storefront. “Actually, what I was looking for was people at night,” Myrah says. But when she saw four mannequins lit up in the window looking as though they were ready for a night on the town, she knew she’d found her subject.

Other paintings—such as scenes showing a white house and the Bartell Theatre—came about after visiting a friend’s condo on the Capitol Square. “When night fell, the entire sidewalk below lit up with people,” she says. The high vantage point became a new way to depict architecture most commonly seen from street level.

Also in the exhibition at Grace Chosy are natural landscapes, such as a conservancy where Myrah likes to walk. And in a series of suburban scenes, her goal was to capture places where people had just been but no longer were, such as a chair in a yard where someone had just been sitting.

Such paintings made Myrah wonder where the people had gone and what had brought them to the spot on the first place. “It was fun,” she says. “It kind of made me want to be a short-story writer.”

Myrah hopes her paintings resonate with her fellow Madisonians. “I always hope I’ve picked a subject they’re familiar with and have enjoyed as much as I have,” she says. “I hope to give little snapshots of the city.”

Images are by Dagny Quisling Myrah and courtesy of Grace Chosy Gallery.

IN THE MAGAZINE: The February issue of Madison Magazine comes out tomorrow. Here’s some of the arts content you’ll find within the pages:
• A roundup of local radio DJs’ favorite love songs—just in time for Valentine’s Day.
• A column on a store carrying minimalist and beautiful children’s toys by associate/style editor Shayna Miller (and check out her Window Shopping blog)
• A profile on local jazz royalty Jan Wheaton.
• A poem by Mary Ellen Gabriel on the month of February.
• Our monthly Overtones section with picks on the can’t-miss performances, concerts and exhibitions taking place in February.

Source of Hope

2009-01-14T07:17:00.000-08:00

Throughout Barack Obama’s campaign, several words became practically synonymous with the president-elect. “Change,” certainly. But also “hope.”

Hope is what Obama represents for Marilyn O’Brien—and she knows a thing or two about the word.

Starting in 1993, a string of injuries and accidents over the course of fourteen years left the Madison-area artist with brain damage and injuries in her back, hand and hip. Doctors told her she may never be able to paint again, but through rehab—and a good deal of hope—she’s continued making art.

O’Brien paints a wide range of subject matter, including Brett Favre, landscapes and spiritual images. And she’s finishing up a series on U.S. presidents that includes Obama.

As inauguration day approached, O’Brien took some time to answer a few questions about her path, her art and her connection to our newest president.

How and why did you become an artist?

I was an artist with a camera when I was thirteen years old. When my father died I didn’t know what to do to get past the grief. I knew I could take a picture but he wasn’t here anymore and I just wondered if I could paint. I didn’t have any idea how to paint. The grief was so overwhelming. One day I picked up a pencil and just sketched my dad.

I then painted it and my mom was upset because it looked identical to him. I was humbled by her perception of my work. My parents were especially fine people and whatever I did/do is a reflection on them, but my halo isn’t perfect. My big brother, Warren … and his wife, Rae, kept encouraging me in what a fine artist I am. I had a way to handle my emotions.

What is your typical subject matter?

I have no idea what I am going to paint until I feel something about a subject from deep within … I try to paint uplifting things to make people smile when they view my work or relate to it somehow. I want the world to relax when they see what I can do. Or to think to paint with bright colors. I really have a hard time answering why I paint. I just feel something and I paint it if I feel it deep enough.

What inspired you to create portraits of presidents?

I didn’t feel our country was patriotic enough and should know about the work/history of our forefathers. These great men are the basis for this wonderful country. I did President Abraham Lincoln first. When he was done I just decided to do all of them. This is a wonderful country and my grandfather and father went through the rigors of Ellis Island and that shouldn't be forgotten. They came here honestly and worked hard to raise their families and I wanted to show in sketch, painting and story how they accomplished this. I wanted to show that 9/11 shouldn’t ever be forgotten—and how dare they—this is my country. My father and grandfather as our presidents worked hard to make this country free for you and me.

What does the most recent election mean to you?

Hope.

Tell me about your painting of President Obama.

I just liked painting him. He has a beautiful smile and when I was painting him I felt good. He was very easy to sketch and paint.

What do you hope to express or share with viewers through your work?

My paintings are an exploration of observation and storytelling. Sometimes the inspiration comes quickly and other times it resides in my mind for some time. My inspirations are my feelings with regard to a subject.

Whether I capture the mental image or the digital photograph of a subject, I first sketch the picture and then use oil paint to explore a variety of color contrasts and depth to give substance and meaning to my work. I start with a blank canvas, which allows the completed piece to be a reflection of my intelligence, research, hope, values and trust in myself and God. The end result is my mind, heart and soul expressing themselves.

I continue to work on my style that merges personal experience with images of world peace in order to bridge the gaps in humanity to build a stronger foundation built on compassion, inspiration and faith. My use of variance and relevant subject matter provide an overall sense of peace and empathy between myself and the viewer.

Images from top to bottom are of Barack Obama, Andrew Johnson, John Kennedy and Warren Harding. All are courtesy of Marilyn O’Brien. (Additional works can be found on her website.)

Good for the Heart

2009-01-07T06:59:00.000-08:00

The holiday festivities are over and the reality of a long winter is setting in. Fortunately Troy Trout knows what we need: a lift-our-spirits, warm-our-hearts romantic comedy.

And that’s exactly what the director is serving up with Strollers Theatre’s production of Apartment 3A.

The play centers on Annie, a public-television fundraiser who’s just endured a bad breakup and given up on love as a result. But whether she’s ready for it or not, two men in her life—a neighbor and a coworker—are bent on nursing her back to emotional health.

The Strollers team purposely chose the play to run in the middle of winter. And it may not come as a surprise to learn a fellow Midwesterner—albeit a pretty famous one—wrote the play. Jeff Daniels, the actor of The Purple Rose of Cairo, Dumb & Dumber, Escanaba in da Moonlight and Good Night, and Good Luck fame, wrote the play for his Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea, Michigan.

While Daniels sets the play in “a city of some size in the Midwest,” Strollers decided to specify the city as Madison for its production. However, the three lead actors are newcomers to both Strollers and the Bartell Theatre, Trout says. “They’re all first-timers,” he says.

The play fits nicely within Strollers’ preference for producing a wide variety of shows each season. But Apartment 3A is a bit racier than some of the company’s other plays. “It’s a pretty sexy show,” he says, “a little more titillating than what Strollers typically does.”

And the play has plenty else going for it, Trout says. “It has great lines, set-ups and situations, and quirky characters. But it’s really about her journey back to life. I think people will really walk away with a heartwarming story.”

Apartment 3A runs January 8–31 at the Bartell Theatre, 113 E. Mifflin St. Performances are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., and Saturdays and 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are $15. 661-9696 x2, strollerstheatre.org.

Photo—featuring David Neueser as Elliot, Sarah O’Hara as Annie and Kamal Marayati as Donald—by Colm McCarthy.

Beauty in Both Sides

2008-12-23T13:01:00.000-08:00

Even though we’re in middle of a winter storm, there’s no reason we can’t turn our thoughts to vibrant colors and thriving flowers.

It’s precisely this appreciation for all—even dissimilar or contradictory—aspects of life that artist Richard Bolingbroke wants people to appreciate. And it’s what the British-born, San Francisco-based artist shares through his artwork.

An exhibition of Bolingbroke’s vibrant watercolors is on display at Obrich Botanical Gardens Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., through January 4. The show, Rituals and Meditations, marks the last stop on a three-year cycle that’s taken the paintings to Milwaukee and several southeastern states.

Bolingbroke taught himself watercolor painting by working on still lifes in his San Francisco studio. But after some time painting flowers, he tired of exclusively happy and beautiful subject matter. “I was only seeing half of what life is representing,” he explains.

He began incorporating other objects and imagery into his compositions. Of particular interest to him were bones and skulls—items that inevitably evoke thoughts of death and decay.

“I’m exploring the sides of life we don’t normally look at,” he says. “It’s not about death, it’s about the processes of life.”

Bolingbroke finds such imagery richer with artistic possibilities. And he thinks they’re just as aesthetic as flowers. “Beauty is not just in life but in death,” he says. “All processes of life have inherent beauty in them.”

Through his artwork, Bolingbroke hopes to change the way people see the world around them. He wants them to learn to find beauty in all facets of life and points out that recognizing one naturally leads to appreciation of another.

“We wouldn’t enjoy summer so much if we didn’t have winter,” he says.

Bolingbroke may be living in San Francisco, but that sentiment is spoken like a true Madisonian.

Photos are courtesy of Olbrich Botanical Gardens.

January Artists: Buggin' Out

2008-12-17T08:19:00.000-08:00

It’s beautiful with an edge, the artwork made collaboratively by Jennifer Angus and John Hitchcock for SuperBug, a new exhibition opening January 23 at James Watrous Gallery of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters.

The work combines hand-drawn images of insects by Angus, an associate professor in design studies at UW–Madison, with screen-printed layers of patterns derived from virus and bacteria by Hitchcock, an associate professor of art at UW–Madison.

Together, the artists explore the patterns—both visual and biological—of “superbug” bacteria. Their intricate, layered work is aesthetically appealing but also hints at a darker side by raising questions about health and disease in the twenty-first century.

Angus took some time before the exhibition’s opening to talk about the project.

How did this exhibition come about?

John Hitchcock and I started as assistant professors at the UW in the same year—2001. We met before school even started at a new faculty gathering. We became friends right away since we are both artists and both were new to Madison. Coincidentally it happened that we both teach screen printing. John teaches screen and relief printing in the art department and I teach what is essentially the same process in the design studies department, although most of what I print on is fabric.

In that first year John and I decided to have our classes do a collaborative project. It was successful and we did it for two more years. Our students demanded that if they had to work collaboratively then so should we! So we did! We did the same project as the students and found that we enjoyed working together. We have similar interests in the environment, pattern and minority cultures. It was easy for us to come up with ideas we wanted to discuss and make work about.

What is it about “superbug” bacteria that intrigues you?

For some time John has been interested in the connection between disease and the fact that disenfranchised people seem to get sicker more often. His experience is firsthand having grown up in the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma next to the U.S. field artillery military base Fort Sill. In contrast I have a more literal interest in “bugs,” more properly known as insects, as they are the main material in my installation work. As a result we often use the literal image of an insect to refer to the transmitter of diseases.

We are interested in that transmission and how subtle yet deadly it can be. I grew up in Toronto, Canada. When SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) hit Toronto and Hong Kong simultaneously, my family’s daily lives were affected. Never has the world known such a potent disease. People standing in an elevator for less than one minute were infected and died. It is truly frightening. Warnings of an impending flu pandemic have been coming for years and it’s only a matter of time before it hits.

Superbugs are of course the scourge of hospitals. I think we are again drawn to the drama of their name, SUPER bugs, and their silent, deadly nature.

What draws you to subject matter such as insects?

I teach textile design at the UW yet I have been working with insects for the past ten years. I spent several years in the late ’80s and early ’90s in the area known as the Golden Triangle (where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar, formerly Burma, meet) researching tribal dress. At that time I discovered a particular garment known as a “singing shawl,” worn by young women of the Karen tribe that is embellished with metallic beetle wings in place of beads or sequins. It was very exciting to find something utilized that was so naturally beautiful and readily available. Since then I have found other groups that use whole beetles or the wings applied to garments, headdresses and baskets.

Today I am amazed at the beauty, adaptability and the incredible camouflage of insects. The bottom line is that insects are a very potent material. We all have a reaction to insects because we all have experience with them. They have the power to provoke a reaction!

What ideas are you seeking to present in the show and what do you hope visitors walk away with?

Quite simply the enemy is rapidly gaining on us and our lines of defense are rapidly breaking down. The simplest act may have deadly consequences that will have a domino effect.

I had a little bird,
Its name was Enza.
I opened the window,
And in-flu-enza.

The rhyme suggests innocence lost not unlike “Ring around the Rosey,” which refers to The Black Death plague of 1347. Beyond insects John and I always use pattern as a background or backdrop. We take the images of deadly virus and form them into to beautiful lacy designs. The use of pattern is strategic because it also alludes to the history, recurrence (e.g. Black Death, flu pandemic 1918) and transmission of disease. Disease itself is often spread from person to person thus repeating the deadly chain of events again and again.

SuperBug runs Jannuary 23 to March 8 at the James Watrous Gallery of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. An opening reception will be held January 23, 5:30–7:30 p.m., with an artists’ talk starting at 6:30 p.m.

IN THE MAGAZINE: The January issue of Madison Magazine comes out tomorrow. Here’s some of the arts content you’ll find within the pages:
• A write-up on the Dane County Cultural Affair’s Commission’s 2009 art calendar—along with a photo of a gorgeous landscape painting.
• A piece by editor Brennan Nardi on Craig Wilson, a local photographer known for his aerial portraits taken with cameras attached to flying kites.
• A House of the Month feature on a downtown couple with an excellent—and eclectic—art collection.
• A profile on Catherine Capellaro and Andrew Rohn of Walmartopia fame who are returning to the Madison stage in January.
• A poem by Madison poet laureate Fabu on President Barack Obama (listen to her poetry podcast).
• Our monthly Overtones section with picks on the can’t-miss performances, concerts, exhibitions and festivals taking place in January.

Tomorrow is also the launch of Spectrum, a special magazine celebrating diversity in Madison. And there’s lots of arts and entertainment to be found in it, including:

• Profiles on Club TNT, African Storytelling on Wheels, The Figureheads, Multico, ROARrrr, Dane Dances and La Movida.
• A piece on Native American dancer Art Shegonee and photographer Tom Jones.
• A look at young artists shaping the future of creativity in the city.
• Madison Magazine and WISC-TV editorial director Neil Heinen’s tribute to jazz superstar Richard Davis.

Keeping Tradition Alive

2008-12-10T12:26:00.000-08:00

The great thing about holiday traditions is the familiarity; the comfort of knowing you’ll be able to enjoy something again and again.

Certainly, A Christmas Carol and The Nutcracker are two traditions honored and beloved in Madison and many other places across the country. And Children’s Theater of Madison and Madison Ballet have the unique task every year of giving audiences the play and ballet they look forward to while also keeping the works fresh and exciting.

CTM’s producing artistic director Roseann Sheridan and Madison Ballet’s artistic director W. Earle Smith recently took some time out to share the latest on their holiday productions—what’s new, what’s improved and what they’ll never change.

Roseann Sheridan

Why do you do this production every year?

A Christmas Carol is a true classic and including the show amongst the holiday offerings for any city demonstrates the cultural vitality of the city. The trio of offerings that Madison provides: the theatrical production of A Christmas Carol, the ballet production of The Nutcracker and the symphony production of the Holiday Spectacular truly speaks to the vibrancy of Madison and the value the community places on the arts.

This is the “signature piece” of CTM. To me, that means it represents our core values: building community, artistic excellence and nurturing an appreciation of theatre in young people. The center of the story is Ebenezer Scrooge who learns to embrace the child within himself and along with that the spirit of joy, exuberance and generosity.

This production has become a tradition for CTM and for our community. For thirty-three years, this company has presented this play, and each year dozens of children, youth and adults participate in the production. In addition, the play allows for actors from eight to eighty to be onstage, and so it supports our commitment to mentorship and to accessibility.

Most of all, the show has all of the elements we love: a great story, family-friendly, a large community involvement onstage and off, and timeless themes of the value of family, friendship, kindness toward all people and a celebration of youth.

How do you keep things fresh and interesting—both for your organization and for audiences?

For the organization, each production is a unique combination of people who create a special family for the time they are together. New actors bring new energies and ideas. Returning actors bring a familiarity with the story and the process; a certain level of comfort and ease. The story itself offers new insights each year, and there are always different choices we can make with characters, special effects, costumes and more. No two years are alike, no two productions are alike—each presents its own set of challenges, its own opportunity to try something new, to better the product or the approach from before. For the audience, each year has something new to offer; in addition to new actors in some roles there are also some new elements like a dance or some added songs.

What’s new this year?

This year, the fun addition is that of local celebrities in cameo roles such as Mayor Dave on opening night, Al Toon and various radio and TV personalities … They will be a party guests in one of the scenes. At various times the other characters onstage interact with them and include them in the festive “parlor games” typical of Victorian England. They will have a couple of lines and also the chance to ad lib—and the other actors onstage will play off of what the guest says. It’s a simple but very fun addition to the show, and one that will retain the integrity of the play as well as give the audience a chance to see a familiar face in a different role! They will be taken backstage at intermission, we’ll have a costume for them to wear, and they’ll have another character onstage who will “escort” them through the scene. There’s enough room for surprises without it getting out of control. And I think the audience will really enjoy the spontaneity of the scene.

Also, there are some new actors in various roles. And the music and singing is stronger than before. Some kids have grown up a bit and are playing older character roles. And there are some new adults in roles such as the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Christmas Present, Scrooge’s younger selves and others. It’s a very strong cast led by veteran Robert Spencer as Scrooge and featuring many of the best actors in Madison: Bill Bolz, Donovan Armbruster, Carl Cawthorne, Georgina McKee, Scott Haden and more. These are actors who are well known to Madison audiences from their years of performing with local theaters here from the Rep to the Bartell companies. And of course, there are all of the kids in the show—twenty-three of them—and the energy and enthusiasm and TALENT they bring.

What will you never change about the production?

What will never change is the story, the timeless tale of Scrooge’s transformation from a miserly curmudgeon to a generous jolly fellow who learns to care for others as well as himself. The other thing that will never change is there will always be GHOSTS! You can’t tell the story without some ghosts! And a bit of spookiness along with it, of course. And, of course, Tiny Tim. The story has to reflect the contrast between the young boy and the old man. For CTM—and I think for all theaters—the inclusion of children in the show is very important. They represent so much and their presence, I think, is critical to the story. I firmly believe that no matter how many times you see the show, the story is what makes you lean forward and wonder “what’s going to happen next.” It’s a great story.

What do you hope audiences come away with this year?

I hope they come away with a feeling of great satisfaction of time well spent together and that they are wonderfully entertained. I hope they feel that they were swept into the world of the play and they get to forget about anything troubling or complicated about today for those two hours they are together in the beautiful Capitol Theater. This is not a play that asks you to think; it’s a play that is accessible to everyone, entertaining and, yes, even magical. I also truly hope the audience comes away with a sense of pride of what this theater—CTM—represents in the community and has succeeded in achieving: quality work by talented local performers, both seasoned and novices; time-proven ability to overcome artistic and financial challenges; and a commitment to being an integral part of Madison’s artistic community. There is much to be said about supporting the artistic work of our local companies, and this production brings it all together through the people onstage, the audience watching and the remarkably high production values. The scale of the show fits the grandeur of the space. And the quality of the acting fits the quality of the story. I know people will be engaged from start to finish, and that they will walk away smiling and feeling uplifted.

W. Earle Smith

Why do you do this production every year?

The Nutcracker is the number-one selling holiday production in the country. The imagery, the music—it’s everywhere and instantly recognizable. That’s what this time of year is all about—icons and traditions that feel familiar. It’s a classic tale, so it’s perfect for families, but it’s elevated to an artistic level that attracts the dance audience as well. It is something for everyone.

How do you keep things fresh and interesting—both for your organization and for audiences?

To a point, The Nutcracker is so popular because it doesn’t change tremendously year to year. Our audiences keep coming back for the familiarity. That being said, I have worked to challenge myself artistically though each of my ten years with Madison Ballet. The dancers change and mature each year and individually they bring something very personal to the stage that I try and capture.

What’s new this year?

The Nutcracker looks all new this year. I’ve made big changes to the story and the choreography. The version of the story that we’ve told in the past implies that Clara’s adventures are a coming-of-age tale. This year we won’t imply that, we will show it. There will be a point when Clara becomes a young woman, and her romance with the Nutcracker is played up, too. This is a luxury of Madison Ballet’s company being in its second year. The choreography has benefited in the same way. Portions of the second act that were typically performed by four or five dancers have become solo roles. I’ve also made changes to “Snow” and “Flowers” that will make the talent of our company dancers impossible to ignore.

What will you never change about the production?

The magic. There is an audible gasp when the curtain rises on the show, and that is my intention. I work to create a vivid world on stage that audience members, young and old, can lose themselves in and embrace the opportunity to dream.

What do you hope audiences come away with this year?

A sense of joy. We are facing challenging circumstances in our economy. Many of us have never experienced anything like this before. Madison Ballet certainly feels it as a nonprofit arts organization. But through it all, we deserve to find reasons to laugh or smile and celebrate time with our family and friends. I hope people leave the theater thankful that they were able to cherish some of those moments with us.

A Christmas Carol runs December 12–21 at Overture Center. Performances are Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15–$32. ctmtheater.org

The Nutcracker runs December 19–21 at Overture Center. Performances are Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m., plus a Christmas Eve show at 1 p.m. Tickets are $13–$60. madisonballet.org

Photos are courtesy of Children’s Theater of Madison and Madison Ballet.

Element of Surprise

2008-12-03T08:46:00.000-08:00

Shocking events happen around us every day. Violence, noise, fighting, confusion. These overwhelming forces are such normal parts of modern life that we can become desensitized to them, hardly even notice their presence.

That’s why it amazes me that we can still be started by something as seemingly benign as a two-dimensional image.

Barbara Probst’s photographs aren’t in-your-face graphic. Rather, by setting two images side-by-side, she requires the viewer to compare and contrast them. It’s the differences and connections we notice that evoke an “aha” experience—that wonderful moment that can’t be achieved simply by seeing something shocking or controversial.

Probst, a New York- and Munich-based photographer, has a new exhibition, Exposures, on display at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art December 6 through March 8.

In the series, which Probst began in 2000, she groups together photos showing a single action but taken simultaneously from different points of view. She captures her images through a system of radio controls, synchronized cable releases and other photographers at times.

The varying viewpoints illustrate not only the many ways a single moment can be depicted but also how it can be experienced. And noticing that the seemingly dissimilar images are actually of the same event—and one distinct moment in time—is a surprising realization.

In Exposure #39: N.Y.C., 545 8th Avenue, 03.23.06, 1:17 p.m., for example, a color photograph shows a woman striding through a beautiful mountain setting. But the accompanying black-and-white image reveals that the same woman is actually on the roof of a New York skyscraper in front of an alpine backdrop.

Others works don’t startle as much as show how drastically viewpoint informs the feel of a work. Seeing a woman and two girls walk across a street in Exposure #11a: N.Y.C., Duane & Church Streets, 6.10.02, 3:07 p.m. from an aerial view seems more objective than its sister image, a tender close-up of one of the girls grasping her guardian’s hand as they cross the intersection.

And Exposure #40: N.Y.C., 545 8th Avenue, 03.23.06, 1:42 p.m. evokes (in me, at least) a sense of nervousness due to Probst’s choices of viewpoints. One image is an upside-down photo of a young woman skipping. The other exposes how close she is to the ledge of a skyscraper. They’re interesting photos on their own. But together, the disorientation of the first image coupled with the new information the second provides makes me think the woman is going to topple over the side of the building.

Other viewers may have different reactions to Probst’s work. But it’s definitely worth checking out the exhibition to see what surprises are in store for you.

EVENT: On Friday, Barbara Probst will discuss the Exposures exhibition and describe her artistic process at 6:30 p.m. at MMoCA. The event is free for MMoCA members and $5 for nonmembers.

Images—Exposure #39: N.Y.C., 545 8th Avenue, 03.23.06, 1:17 p.m.; Exposure #11a: N.Y.C., Duane & Church Streets, 6.10.02, 3:07 p.m.; and Exposure #40: N.Y.C., 545 8th Avenue, 03.23.06, 1:42 p.m.—are courtesy of MMoCA.

Mood Music

2008-11-26T07:06:00.000-08:00

There’s nothing like music to get you into the spirit of the holidays. Two seasonal concerts held this week—and right after Thanksgiving to start the next round of celebrations—are sure to do just that. Consider this your invitation to each.

What: Middleton Holiday Pops Concert
Who: Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and the Middleton High School Concert Choir
When: Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Where: Madison Marriott West
How much: Saturday: $25 adults, $22 seniors, $15 students, $8 children; Sunday: $19 adults, $16 seniors, $10 students, $5 children
Why: When the WCO joins forces with eighty student singers from Middleton High School, the result is rich, festive music. Highlights this year include Bridge’s A Christmas Dance ‘Sir Roger de Coverly’, Richman’s Hanukkah Festival Overture and Blake’s The Snowman.

What: Christmas Lights
Who: Oakwood Chamber Players
When: Friday at 2 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Where: Oakwood Village West Auditorium
How much: $20, $15 seniors, $8 students
Why: If you liked the Oakwood Chamber Players’ 2002 Christmas Lights CD, you’ll probably love hearing them in the intimate performances they’re best known for. Traditional and non-traditional music will feature excerpts from Bohmler’s Visions of the Child, Stevens’ Christmas Medley No. 1 and Jolivet’s Trio for Flute, Bassoon and Harp.

Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra.

December Artist: Coming into Focus

2008-11-19T07:15:00.000-08:00

William Wolberg is a doctor and professor emeritus with the departments of surgery and human oncology at UW–Madison. But he’s also an accomplished photographer dedicated to showing the beauty of the southern Wisconsin landscape through its details, shapes and ever-changing light.

A series of Wolberg’s nature photographs is on display through December 30 at the UW Arboretum Steinhauer Trust Gallery in a show called Prairie Portraits.

Wolberg offers some reflections on the challenges and triumphs of his work.

On his interest in nature …

My childhood home in Nakoma had endless woods and pasture as a backyard. As I roamed through the Arboretum, I had the good fortune to observe some of the icons of nature ecology at work. This, together with an interest in hunting and fishing, formed a foundation for my appreciation of the out-of-doors.

On his start in photography …

Because of my scientific interest, I became an academic surgeon and led a very structured and demanding life. The scientific world of academic surgery is objective and discoveries are analyzed statistically. When I ventured into the photographic world and using my scientific background, I naively tried to understand what constituted a perfect photograph. To my disappointment, I found that photographic evaluation defied scientific methodology. The perfect photograph does not exist because photography is subjective and each photograph is seen differently by each person. So I lowered my goals and set to learn not what constituted a perfect photo but rather what made one acceptable.

On the landscape …

I found that my favorite, landscape-nature, photography ranked way down on the contemporary critics’ hierarchal scale. In contrast, the eleventh century Chinese artists ranked landscapes on top of their hierarchal scale. Why the decreased popularity?

I believe that part of the explanation lies with the observer since photography is communication between the photographer and the observer. Regardless of how the photographer feels, the bottom line is that the perfect photograph exists only in the eye of the beholder. The observers’ feelings are determined to a great extent by the observers’ past experience. I’m attracted to landscape-nature photography because of the intellectual renewal that I experienced during my wilderness treks.

On the success of a photograph …

To quote Ansel Adams, “Either the photograph speaks to a viewer or it does not. I cannot demand that anyone receive from the image just what was in my visualization at the time of exposure. I believe that if I am able to express what I saw and felt, the image will contain qualities that may provide a basis for imaginative response by the viewer.”

My sense of photographic accomplishment comes from the elation that I experience when I discover a new scene, feel its presence, snap the shutter and print the photograph. After this, I can only hope that picture will evoke similar feelings in the viewer.

Photographs are by William Wolberg and courtesy of the UW Arboretum Steinhauer Trust Gallery.

IN THE MAGAZINE: The December issue of Madison Magazine comes out tomorrow. Here’s some of the arts content you’ll find within the pages:
• In our special pet section, learn about Marcia Sparks, a local painter who renders dogs and cats in a vibrant Pop style.
• A profile on Leotha Stanley, who leads the Mt. Zion Gospel Choir each year in the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s Christmas Spectacular.
• A poem by Cathy Conger (listen to her poetry podcast).
• Our monthly Overtones section with picks on the can’t-miss performances, concerts, exhibitions and festivals taking place in December.

Comfort Theater

2008-11-12T13:14:00.000-08:00

When Danielle Dresden and Donna Peckett thought about Madison’s historic Greenbush neighborhood, a multitude of interwoven elements came to mind. They thought of the tight-knit community, the struggles its residents faced, the families’ stories, the culture, the food.

It was with all of these ideas that Peckett and Dresden, artistic directors of TAPIT/new works Ensemble Theater, created the new play Mangia, Mangia—Family, Food and Life in the Greenbush.

“It’s about food and culture, and how food connects us to culture,” Dresden says.

In the play four actors—women of different generations including Dresden and Peckett—take on a variety of roles. The characters’ stories are interspersed over two acts, without being held to chronology, to offer a slice of life in the Greenbush.

Peckett and Dresden interviewed former residents to get their personal stories of the neighborhood, then sifted, winnowed and sometimes combined elements to create material for the play. They also took inspiration from Catherine Tripalin Murray, who has collected recipes and photos and written cookbooks based on the Greenbush.

A partner in the production is Teresa Pullara-Ouabel of Bunky’s Restaurant, who prepares samples of the recipes featured in the play to share with audiences. The food, along with the storefront theater setting of TAPIT/new works, helps create an intimate, family-style atmosphere.

In addition to showing the role food held for Greenbush families, the play highlights how residents honored their families and culture even through financial hardships.

“I think we have so much to learn from those times and those people, how less is more,” Dresden says.

Dresden and Peckett believe the timing of Mangia, Mangia is appropriate for the current economic challenges. The play serves as a reminder to keep optimism and hope alive.

“There are a lot of lessons to take back from the Greenbush,” Peckett says. “God knows we need something.”

Adds Dresden, “My goal is to evoke and share a rich and wonderful past and recreate—if only briefly—a sense of that community, and to do so long enough for us to learn something to take back with us.”

The two collected many stories through their Greenbush research that they weren’t able to fit into the play. But they’re hoping to offer a production of “leftovers” sometime soon.

Mangia, Mangia opened November 7 and runs through the 23 at TAPIT/new works, 1957 Winnebago St. Tickets are $17 and include food samples, and performances take place Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 4 p.m. For more information, call 244.2938 or visit tapitnewworks.org.

Looking Back, Moving Forward

2008-11-05T08:11:00.000-08:00

Memories, nostalgia, personal pasts and shared experiences—all of these elements have helped shape Daniel Ostrov’s glass art and kept him connected to his native Madison.

While he now lives and works in Philadelphia, Ostrov got his start in art growing up on Madison’s west side. He credits Geof Herman, a teacher who leads the ceramics program at James Madison Memorial High School, with getting him interested in three-dimensional art. He recalls spending time after school in Herman’s studio throwing pottery.

And although Ostrov had a love of art—not to mention a natural talent for it—he didn’t plan to pursue it when he entered Tulane University in New Orleans. He wasn’t sure exactly what field he wanted to go into, but he began taking glass classes as electives. And he kept taking them. “I was in the art room a lot,” he says.

Once again he found inspiration in a teacher, this time Gene Koss, head of the glass program. “He’s a pretty intense guy,” Ostrov says. “It’s funny because he’s actually from Wisconsin.”

It was at Tulane that Ostrov began creating large-scale works—something Koss and graduates of the program are known for, and that had long intrigued Ostrov. “I’ve always been interested in making things that were of human scale,” he says. “I’m not really into dainty work.”

But in order to make large glass pieces, Ostrov had to master the medium, not an easy task given its physical and mental demands. “It’s a very intense working process, almost like playing a sport,” he says. “You have to be very focused for a set amount of time. You’re totally focused and totally there. I really like that about glass.”

The medium soon led him to Tyler College of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia, from which he earned an MFA in sculpting earlier this year. However, it was anything but an easy journey. The program was demanding and the critiques brutal. “Tyler really broke down a lot of the ways I’d been making work,” Ostrov says.

A benefit was a new way of creating glass art. He wanted to make work that viewers could move through, finding different spaces and vantage points along the way. “It was not easy but I was really going for an idea of making art that was not just observed but experienced,” he says. “I wanted there to be an element of discovery,” he says.

Ostrov also gravitated toward ideas of memories and nostalgia, particularly the longing—but impossibility—of returning to the past. “I became really fascinated with the idea of nostalgia,” he says. “I think of it as longing for the past, longing for homeland—a lot of the ways I think of Madison.”

But in his second year at Tyler, he took on a broader view of nostalgia. In his artist’s statement he writes, “One of the essential human dilemmas is the yearning for, but inability to return to, the past. I see this desire manifest in two ways: the nostalgia for a lived past, as in specific memories from childhood, and the universal longing for a lost age of civilization. I am specifically interested in this longing for ‘the lost era’ because it is a memory shared by many that none actually physically experienced.”

In incorporating these ideas into his artwork, Ostrov turned to nautical imagery. Old wooden boats and waterways reminded him of how people used to travel and trade. This led to thinking about shipwreck imagery, a notion he’s still exploring in his work.

This Friday, November 7 through November 29, Ostrov—along with painter Dennis Nechvatal and needlepoint artist Mary Bero—will showcase work at Grace Chosy Gallery (and a percentage of proceeds will be donated to American Children’s Hospital to buy art for the surgical waiting area). Some work comes from his MFA thesis show at Tyler.

And while Ostrov won’t be at the show’s opening on Friday from 6–8 p.m.—he will be in North Carolina for another exhibition of his work at the Craven Arts Council and Gallery—he will unveil a new piece incorporating glass forms and a steel box. “This one I see as a bit more abstract,” he says. “It doesn’t delve into those themes as much as my thesis show.”

Ostrov has a show going up at the end of January in Brooklyn, New York, and another in Philadelphia in June.

But here’s hoping he creates more memories to share with his hometown.

Images are courtesy of Daniel Ostrov.

Year of the Landscape

2008-10-31T13:38:00.000-07:00

If the Madison area is lacking in anything, it’s certainly not talented artists. Fourteen are featured in the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission’s 2009 Art Calendar. For their tenth anniversary calendar, the group has returned to a beloved subject: the local landscape.

Here’s a peek at the art highlighted in the year to come:

January: Cross Country Skiers by Dangy Quisling Myrah
From the icy blues and purples of the trees to the skiers’ vibrant coats, this image makes me want to get out and enjoy the great, chilly outdoors.

February: Down the Valley by Leslie DeMuth
There’s something special about winter sunlight in Wisconsin. Perhaps it’s the way the light plays off the snow.

March: Winter Landscape by Patrick Farrell
This painting perfectly encapsulates March, the way snow and ice turn to rain and clouds. It shows the beauty that’s often overlooked this time of year.

April: Contour Farming—Late April by S.V. Medaris
Pastel seems the ideal medium for conveying the freshness of the local landscape in April. Bright yellowy greens signal the start of the season.

May: Dream Flying Over Koshkonong by Doug Hatch
There’s always an excitement in the air as spring comes into its own, and these streaks of vibrant red seem an embodiment of that.

June: Into a June Evening by Jonathan Wilde
The water in this painting looks particularly refreshing, as humans and animals alike know how humid a June evening can be.

July: Elegant Grasses by Lee Weiss
It’s fun to see an unusual—and beautiful—look at a familiar summer scene.

August: Farm View with Watermelon and Tomatoes by John Sayers
Rich color and strong light pay homage to some of Wisconsin’s most beloved summer treats.

September: Reflecting Pond by Mark Arnold
Mellow greens and blues make for a pleasant meditation on the local countryside.

October: The Marsh by Linda Koenig
October equals orange for many people, and this watercolor celebrates this expressively.

November: Fertile Ridge by Larry Welo
I love how this etching captures the intensity and grittiness of November—certainly not the most delicate of months.

December: To Grandmother’s House We Go by Georgene Pomplun
Who wouldn’t want to take a drive through such gorgeous scenery?

Calendars are $7.50 and available at a variety of Madison-area museums, galleries, municipal halls and retailers. Find a list at culturalaffairscommission.com.

Still want more? Then be sure to check out the Tenth Anniversary Art Calendar Retrospective, on display November 1 through January 31 at Overture Center’s Playhouse lobby. The show celebrates the first decade of the art-filled planners, with ten large frames created by Tandem Press filled with all the images from each calendar. An opening reception is November 10, 5–7 p.m., and this is also when the 2009 calendar will be officially introduced.

Images are reproductions of the artists’ work, courtesy of the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission.

Fit to Print

2008-10-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

I got the chance to tour Tandem Press recently, and I couldn’t have visited the artistic laboratory at a better time.

Activity bustled throughout the factory-like building, which Tandem shares with the state’s car fleet facility, on the city’s near east side.

In the organization’s offices, row upon row of framed prints lined the floor, waiting to be picked up and shipped to two major shows Tandem is participating in, the IFPDA Print Fair 2008 held October 30 through November in New York City and Ink Miami 2008, taking place December 4 through 7.

Also adding excitement was the presence of artist Judy Pfaff, an internationally known sculptor and installation artist who also creates large-scale prints—projects Tandem is known for being able to accommodate thanks to its twelve-by-fifteen-foot press and other equipment.

Pfaff, who has come to Madison several times since her first trip in 1992, was working busily on a print even though she and several of Tandem’s master printers had spent the entire weekend here in the cavernous room filled with presses. They were hurrying to finish works that would be sent to the Miami and New York shows.

Tandem employs seven full-time staff members and relies on the help of four students from UW–Madison, with which the organization is affiliated. All work extremely hard, says executive director Paula Panczenko. “I don’t know how they do it,” she says. “They are just amazing.”

But it’s precisely for this type of diligent work and collaboration that Tandem Press was intended (and named).

In 1986, UW art professor Bill Weege proposed that the art department establish a fine art press, one that would be self-supporting through the sale of prints. He wanted students to gain printmaking experience and artists to have the opportunity to experiment with the medium. Tandem opened the following year.

Panczenko says it’s no coincidence that UW–Madison’s printmaking department is now regarded as the best in the country and that its graduates go on to be leaders in printmaking, teaching and making art. “I think Tandem contributes to that,” she adds.

The organization is also proud of the artists who have come to work on etchings, lithographs, photogravure, digital prints and many other forms of printmaking. Included are David Lynch, Art Spiegelman, Gronk, Robert Stackhouse, Miriam Shapiro, Janet Fish, Robert Cottingham, Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, Sam Gilliam and Sam Richardson.

Next week, Tandem welcomes Nicola López, who will hold a lecture and artist reception November 14 at 5:30 and 6:30–8 p.m. She’ll be followed by Richard Bosman, Joan Snyder and Suzanne Caporael in later months.

This spring, Tandem—which curates exhibitions at the Dane County Regional Airport—will showcase a collection of works that blend science with art. It’s a theme Panczenko anticipates exploring further in the future.

And the organization is also looking forward to moving closer to the UW campus. Plans are in place to relocate to a state-of-the-art facility just east of the Kohl Center. Collaboration with the university will be simpler in the new home, but Tandem will continue building on the successes it has built.

“There’s a great history of printmakers here,” Panczenko says.

The public is welcome to visit Tandem Press Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., as well as by appointment. For more information, call 263-3437 or visit tandempress.wisc.edu.

Images Year of the Dog #10 and Untitled #8 are by Judy Pfaff and courtesy of Tandem Press.

November Artist: Living in the Moment

2008-10-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

Paula Swaydan Grebel has considered herself an artist for only a decade. But, really, she’s been one her entire life.

She grew up in California drawing, making art, taking classes in school. “I always did something with the arts,” she says. “It was my way of playing. I would doodle—and I still tend to do that—when I was bored.” Later, she earned a BFA from California State University, Long Beach, where she studied under well-known L.A. artist John Lincoln.

Yet Grebel didn’t work as an artist right out of college. Instead, she took a variety of other jobs, even working as a nurse for eleven years. But still, art was always there. “I never stopped drawing,” she says. “And I had great nursing notes.”

When she noticed herself wanting to draw all her patients, she knew art was calling. And she decided to follow it.

Over the past ten years, Grebel, who lives in Plymouth, Wisconsin, has come to specialize in oil paintings, particularly plein air studies and still-life works. She showcases nearly thirty pieces at an exhibition, In the Moment, running through the end of November at Bungalow 1227.

Her focus on plein air painting was an easy choice. “I love to be outside,” she says. “I love the light and sounds and smells. I love to travel.”

She works outside as long as possible throughout the year—and can even paint al fresco in the winter, as long as the sun is shining, it’s not too windy and the temperature is at least thirty-two degrees, she says.

When conditions aren’t favorable, Grebel moves indoors and switches to still-life work. But she tries to keep the spontaneity of her outdoor art, sometimes throwing random objects on a table to paint or asking one of her kids to choose a subject for her. “I like that chaos,” she says.

Grebel has been complimented on her ability to capture a moment in time in her work. “Part of what helps me is not to pre-plan,” she says. “If you pre-plan on your canvas and grid it out, the moment’s gone.”

She also holds back from using too much detail because she doesn’t like making photo-realistic paintings in which every element is crisply delineated. “That’s telling me too much,” she says. “I want mystery.”

By revealing her impressions of a single moment to viewers, Grebel strives to show the beauty of the world and new ways of looking at it.

“I hope that I create an emotional response of joy or something that’s positive—that it’s a good soulful experience,” she says. “The true job of an artist is to learn to see.”

IN THE MAGAZINE: The November issue of Madison Magazine comes out tomorrow. Here’s some of the arts content you’ll find within the pages:
• A tidbit on the Chicago-based Giving Tree Band, which recorded a green album at the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center this summer. (Read more in this July 2 post.)
• Associate and style editor Shayna Miller’s Window Shopping column on paper goods and artsy gifts at Anthology.
• A profile on Valerie Kazamias, the force behind MMoCA and the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s annual Arts Ball.
• A poem by Andrea Potos (listen her poetry podcast).
• Our monthly Overtones section with picks on the can’t-miss performances, concerts, exhibitions and festivals taking place in November.

Cold Comfort

2008-10-15T06:54:00.000-07:00

Today feels like fall has officially arrived, and it appears the chiller weather is here to stay.

While I could bemoan the temperature drop, this weekend I’m going to regard it as an invitation to step into Overture Center and be whisked away by the Madison Symphony Orchestra for a few hours. While escapism via the arts is fun any time of year, I think it’s enhanced when the word beyond the theater is cold and dark.

MSO has a rich program in store this weekend, a concert of Copland, Elgar and Holst featuring guest conductor Chosei Komatsu and cellist Alban Gerhardt. Performances are Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Music director and conductor John DeMain met Komatsu in 2007 at the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica, where he is artistic director; he’s also music director of Japan’s Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra. This weekend serves as Komatsu’s Madison debut, and he will open with Aaron Copland’s An Outdoor Overture, a work DeMain describes as an embodiment of the American spirit.

The second work, Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto, will showcase the talent of guest performer Gerhardt, a young German cellist quickly making a name for himself in Europe and beyond. On the MSO website, DeMain describes how the cellist and concerto are a natural fit. “I’m excited to bring back Alban Gerhardt, one of the most sought-after European cellists, for the Elgar Concerto. It’s not just one of the most important cello concertos; it’s also a great audience favorite because of its delicacy and melancholic beauty.”

And a highlight is sure to be Gustav Holst’s The Planets, one of the most popular classical music works—and considered to be inspiration for John Williams’ Star Wars music. Dramatic and powerful, it showcases a range of emotions. Says DeMain, “It will be thrilling to hear this work performed live in Overture Hall, where all of its moods will blossom.”

As much as I enjoy an evening or afternoon musical getaway, I particularly love that in Madison anyone who wants to can have this experience. It’s not just for music lovers of a certain age or income level. In fact, MSO is making it easy and fun for young adults to attend concerts with its Club 201. Under this program, a joint effort between the Symphony and Madison MAGNET targeting Madisonians ages 21 to 39, classical music lovers can get discounted tickets and an invitation to a post-concert party at a local hotspot. After this Friday’s concert, Club 201-ers will head to Fromagination for wine and a Wisconsin cheese tasting.

But what if you don’t fall into the young music aficionado category? Or you’re already booked up this weekend? Well, there’s another related program open to public tomorrow. An Open Dress Rehearsal takes place 7–9:30 p.m. at Overture Hall. It’s free but only 250 spots are available and advance reservations are required (call 257.3734).

Here’s a look at the rest of MSO’s 2008–2009 Season:

November 7–9: Barber, Brahms, Tormis and Shostakovich featuring conductor Anu Tali and violinist Sarah Chang.

December 5–7: Christmas Spectacular featuring conductor John DeMain, soprano Jamie-Rose Guarrine, tenor Gregory Turay, the Madison Symphony Chorus, Madison Youth Choirs, Mount Zion Gospel Choir and Madison Area Concert Handbells.
• Club 201: Holiday Party. December 5 at Barriques.

January 16–18: Mozart, Sibelius and Prokofiev featuring conductor Daniel Hege, violinist Hanning Kraggerud and narrator James DeVita.
• Open Dress Rehearsal. January 15, 7–9:30 p.m.

February 6–8: A Feast of Beethoven featuring conductor John DeMain and pianist Olga Kern.
• Club 201: Beethoven & Beer. February 6 at Café Montmartre.

March 6–8: Borodin, Stravinsky and Dvořák featuring conductor Yoav Talmi and violinist Julian Rachlin.

April 3–5: Wagner, Saint-Saëns and Brahms featuring conductor John DeMain and pianist André Watts.
• Open Dress Rehearsal. April 2, 7–9:30 p.m.
• Club 201: Spring Romance. April 3 at Fresco.

May 1–3: Verdi Requiem featuring conductor John DeMain, soprano Karen Slack, mezzo-soprano Kristine Jepson, tenor Arnold Rawls, bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen and the Madison Symphony Chorus.

Photos of Gerhardt and Komatsu are courtesy of the Madison Symphony Orchestra.

Water Works

2008-10-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes a stroke of bad luck turns out to be a very good thing.

For Henry Drewal, a professor of art history and Afro-American studies at UW–Madison, his blessing in disguise took place in Ghana in 1975. A specialist in Yoruba art—which he first became interested in while working in Nigeria with the Peace Corps in the sixties—he had just received a grant to conduct research in Nigeria. But when the border closed unexpectedly, he found himself stuck in Ghana.

That’s when he began to notice shrines, temples and statues dedicated to Mami Wata, a water deity believed to bring health, wealth and good fortune. “Everywhere I turned, she was there,” he says.

Intrigued by what he saw, Drewal quickly adjusted his plans.

“The more I stayed there the more I saw how vibrant Mami Wata worship was,” he says. “So I stayed and worked on that topic.”

And he’s continued working on the topic for over thirty years. All of this research has culminated in Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and Its Diasporas, an exhibition exploring five hundred years of the visual culture and history of water deities.

Drewal curated the exhibition, which was organized and started at the Fowler Museum at UCLA in April. From October 18 to January 11 it will be showcased at Madison’s Chazen Museum of Art. Then it will travel on to the National Museum of African Art in Washington, DC; the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia; and the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University.

The exhibition reveals the great diversity of media used to honor Mami Wata. Sculpture, masks, costumes, paintings, prints and multimedia works show the many faces of water spirits. And that the works come from west and central Africa, the Caribbean, Brazil and the United States show how widespread worship of Mami Wata has become.

“There are other visual and belief histories with movement across time and space,” Drewal says. “But water has always intrigued us, especially the sea.”

Not surprisingly, the nature—and imagery—of Mami Wata worship changed as it traveled and was met with new influences. For instance, in the fifteenth century European ships and coins made their way to Africa, merging images of mermaids with hybrid aquatic creatures found in indigenous rock paintings, masks and sculptures.

“It really starts to flourish in Africa at this first contact,” Drewal says.

As enslaved Africans were moved across the Atlantic, their traditions became part of local spiritual practices. And the image of the snake charmer was incorporated into Mami Wata visual culture in the late 1800s after a German poster reached West Africa; it was soon interpreted as an African water spirit. Later, traders from India brought prints of Hindu gods and goddesses to Africa, where they were adapted into female and male water spirits.

While his research on Mami Wata is intensive, Drewal is not the only scholar interested in the subject. In fact, he invited many of his colleagues to write articles for the exhibition catalog. And he’s also about to publish a large edited volume with forty-six contributions from academics, priests, artists and photographers offering unique perspectives on Mami Wata. The book will include a DVD with images, music, poetry and film clips.

And while many Madisonians likely aren’t familiar Mami Wata, Drewal thinks the city is a natural host for the exhibition.

“We live on an isthmus,” he says. “We live between two bodies of sacred water.”

The Chazen is holding a variety of events related to Mami Wata. For more information, visit chazen.wisc.edu.

October 17: A Carnival of Water Creatures
• “Mami Wata’s Big Splash!” Lecture by exhibition curator Henry Drewal. 6 p.m., room L140. Free admission.
• Mami Wata Costume Reception in Paige Court, 7–9 p.m. $8 members, $12 nonmembers, $5 UW students with I.D.

October 18: Celebrate Water Spirits!: A Family Day 12–4 p.m. Free admission. Children under 12 should be accompanied by an adult.

Sunday October 19: Exhibition Catalogue Signing 2:15 p.m. In conjunction with the Wisconsin Book Festival, curator Henry Drewal will give a brief reading and sign exhibition catalogues.

Docent-led Drop-in Tours
Tuesdays, 4 p.m., November 11–December 16. Meet in Paige Court.

Lectures on Water Spirits
• October 23: “Arts for Water Spirits in HaitianVodou.” Lecture by Marilyn Houlberg, professor, School of the Art Institute of Chicago. 6 p.m., room L150.
• October 30: “Mermaids and End-Time Jezebels: New Tales from Old Calabar.” Lecture by Rosalind I. J. Hackett, distinguished professor in the humanities (professor of religious studies), University of Tennessee. 6 p.m., room L150
• November 25: “Undercurrents: Secrecy, Initiation, and other Sightings of Mami Wata below the Radar.” Lecture by Amy L. Powell, UW–Madison Ph.D. student in art history. 6 p.m., meet in Gallery VII.
• December 4: “Osun and other Yoruba Water Divinities in the African Diaspora.” Lecture by Bolaji Campbell, assistant professor, Rhode Island School of Design. 6 p.m., room L150

Artists Talks
• November 13: “An/atom/y of a Story,” Obiora Udechukwu, professor of art, St. Lawrence University, N.Y. 6 p.m., room L150.
• November 20: “Cool Women and Hot Combs,” Sonya Clark, chair of Craft/Material Studies, School of the Arts, Virginia Commonwealth University. 6 p.m., room L150.

Water Matters: A Lecture Series
Organized by the UW Aquatic Sciences Center and the Department of Art History to enhance public awareness and understanding of water resources in a changing climate. Free and open to the public. For more information call 608 262-0905 or visit aqua.wisc.edu.
• October 21: MadTown Singers. Keynote address: “The Sacredness of Water,” Patty Loew, associate professor of life sciences communication, UW–Madison. 6 p.m., room L150.
• October 28: “Conversations on Race, Privilege, and the Environmental Movement,” Carolyn Finney, assistant professor of geography, University of California at Berkeley, and Kaylynn Sullivan TwoTrees, artist/activist. 6 p.m., room L150.
• November 6: “History of Wild Rice and its Restoration,” Anthony Kern, associate professor of biology, Northland College. “The Past, Present and Future of Great Lakes Fisheries,” Jim Kitchell, director of the UW–Madison Center for Limnology. 6 p.m., room L150.
• November 11: “Water and the Law: Two Wisconsin Ojibwe Cases,” Larry Nesper, associate professor of anthropology and American Indian studies, UW–Madison. 6 p.m., room L150.
• November 18: “Wisconsin Groundwater Resources,” Anders W. Andren, director of the UW–Madison Aquatic Sciences Center. “Global Warming and its Implications for Wisconsin/Great Lakes Waters,” John J. Magnuson, director emeritus of the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. 6 p.m., room L150.

Film at UW Cinematheque
Free admission. 4070 Vilas Hall, 821 University Avenue. Doors open at 7 p.m. Titles subject to change. Find more info at cinema.wisc.edu.
• October 24: Mammy Water (La Pêche et le culte de la mer), 1953, and the documentary Le Niger. 7:30 p.m.
• October 25: Faro, la reine des eaux (Faro, Goddess of Water), 2007. 7:30 p.m.

Film at the Wisconsin Union
Free admission. Contact 262-1143 or union.wisc.edu/film for more info.
• November 8: Lady in the Water, 2006. 11:59 p.m. Union South, Main Lounge.
• November 10: Big Fish, 2003. 7:30 p.m. Memorial Union, Play Circle
• November 20: Incident at Loch Ness, 2004. 7:30 p.m. Memorial Union, Play Circle

Jazz at the Chazen
November 21: The Onus Trio. 7–9 p.m., room L150.

Images are courtesy of the Chazen Museum of Art.