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(01/29/10 5:39am)
The cast of “A New Dress for Mona” spent hours in rehearsal, and even more time praying for their hospitalized lead actress, Lillian Chason.Based on the story of a young woman killed for her faith, “Mona” was to have featured Chason in the title role. Chason, a freshman, died on Dec. 16 with complications from the H1N1 virus.The play follows the real-life story of Mona Mahmudnizhad, a woman of the Baha’i faith in Iran, who was executed for her beliefs.
(01/19/10 4:47am)
A single, piercing note split the silence to start Sunday night’s show, setting the stage for a high-energy and emotional performance from the Soweto Gospel Choir.
(01/15/10 5:10am)
One exhibit takes you through the life of abolitionist John Brown. The other takes you on a journey through the depths of color and shapes.
(01/14/10 6:06am)
Professor Ken Strong was quick to smile, bringing an intense spirit to his classes and the stage alike.Students remember him long after their time in Drama 116, and his fellow actors and colleagues mention the presence and joy he brought to the office and the stage.
(01/13/10 5:33pm)
CORRECTION: Due to a reporting error, this article originally stated that Strong appeared in "Nicholas Nickelby" as Newman Noggs. He was cast in the role, but did not perform it. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.
(01/13/10 5:09am)
When Universes takes the stage at Kenan Theatre tonight, it will take audiences on a poetic and musical journey through the New York-based group’s past.
(01/12/10 5:28am)
A UNC professor and a local Carrboro artist went to the ends of the world and back to create the latest show at the FedEx Global Education Center.Brooks de Wetter-Smith, the James Gordon Hanes Distinguished Professor of Music, and painter Nerys Levy bring their unique take on the polar regions with their work capturing life in Antarctica and the Arctic with the exhibit “Ice Counterpoint.”“I think everyone who goes to the polar regions comes back changed,” de Wetter-Smith said.Though professionally trained in music, de Wetter-Smith said he has been interested in photography from a young age.“What I’ve tried to do is to look at these areas from the perspective of a musician because that’s what I am,” he said. “I try to see relationships visually to what I’m so accustomed to thinking about aurally — what we hear with our ears and what we perform.”He said visual relationships, such as balance and contrast, are similar to the tonal relationships of music.His work includes several photographs presented on large canvases and a multimedia piece with video, photographs and music.Levy and de Wetter-Smith took separate trips to Antarctica but traveled to the Arctic together last year.Both artists said the Antarctic seemed to be a harsher landscape. The Arctic was more accessible but seemed to be more affected by climate change, de Wetter-Smith said.“You get a sense in the Arctic that wildlife there is in a much more fragile situation because the climate is changing so rapidly,” he said.Levy created several large paintings, examining the forms of the land and some of the animals.The extreme conditions were an additional challenge for Levy because she could not sit in place and paint for a long time.“One realizes the limitations of working in those areas but learns how to deal with that to try to capture the moment,” she said.Both de Wetter-Smith and Levy said they felt compelled to bring attention to the fragility of the wildlife in these areas and the way the polar climates are changing.“To think of all that melting and threatening these animals is really daunting, and that really commits you to a show like this,” Levy said of participating in the exhibit.In addition to the exhibit, the FedEx Global Education Center is also sponsoring programs related to climate change.“Climate change is an issue currently being addressed by the world,” wrote Laura Griest, manager of global events and exhibitions for the center, in an e-mail. “Focusing on this issue is a reminder of how small and interconnected our world really is.”Levy said that after visiting the regions, she hopes to be an ambassador for their nature and wildlife, advocating on their behalf.“We have a responsibility to those animals,” she said. “They may not wear trousers and skirts, but they are communities in their own rights.”Additionally, the artists did not want to overwhelm viewers with facts and figures but instead interest them in the wonders of the region.“If you show them works of beauty, they get it,” Levy said.Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
(01/11/10 2:34am)
When students registered for professor Daniel Sherman’s First Year Seminar, they knew they would be designing a gallery, but they were unsure of how it would all come together.
(01/11/10 2:15am)
Stepping into the gallery at the Ackland Art Museum, the viewer is transported through time and space to discover life and art along the Silk Road.
(12/09/09 5:03am)
This article was published in the 2009 Year in Review issue of The Daily Tar Heel.Industrial progress, collage artists, mural painters and abstract expressionists all graced Chapel Hill with visual art in 2009.Here is a look at some of the best the community had to offer.Ackland exhibitsThe Ackland Art Museum had a variety of works on display this year.“All of 2009 has been really a wonderful year,” said Emily Kass, director of the museum.After wrapping up its 50-year anniversary celebration in January, the museum also hosted an exhibit about industrial progress, collage artist Aldwyth’s retrospective, an Asian art exhibit honoring Sherman Emery Lee, Cuban cinema posters and abstract expressionist art.“We were able to show things that for many people were new, because they haven’t been up in so long,” Kass said, about the year’s exhibits.The shows involved both new acquisitions, such as Seymour Lipton’s Sentinel II, and pieces from the museum’s existing collection.UNC alumnus David Craven donated 16 colorful 1960s and ’70s Cuban posters, many from cinema advertisements, to the museum. These were displayed in the fall.“The open-endedness to the images is surprising because it contradicts what you would have seen in Russia, China and Vietnam,” Craven said of the posters in an August interview.Student artIn 2009, students continued to create art and even had a new venue to display it.The Artery, a student-run gallery for student art, opened in early November.On Friday, the Artery will hold a student holiday print and art sale from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at 137 E. Rosemary St.In 2008, the Ackland received a $1.25 million grant to support their educational efforts, which allowed them to bring on new staff and expand programs in 2009.Kass said the number of students visiting the museum with their classes has grown from 7,500 last year to 10,000 this year.“We’ve really expanded our academic program department,” she said.Community artChapel Hill muralist Michael Brown was busy this year, raising money and restoring some of his murals around town.Meg McGurk, assistant director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, has helped with the campaign to save the murals.“They have been around for 20 years now and just about everyone that you talk to has a favorite,” she said in an August interview.Chapel Hill also installed several sculptures as part of the Sculpture Visions series.The Public Arts Commission of Chapel Hill also hired artists to create a community art project using pictures and memories from local residents.The finished work “Our Stories, In Focus” was displayed at various locations around Chapel Hill.Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
(11/23/09 5:13am)
On a good night, I get 7 hours of sleep, so the idea of watching a play for that long was rather daunting.But “Nicholas Nickleby,” the two-part play presented in a three-and-a-half hour and three-hour block, proved worth my Saturday afternoon.Part 1 was lively, with many funny scenes and only one intermission. Though the show started nearly 30 minutes after its scheduled time because of the eternal challenge to find parking on campus, I rarely found myself checking my watch or itching to stretch.A two-hour break between Part 1 and Part 2 allowed me to leave the theater and find some food. But this break was too long for me. When I returned to my seat in the Paul Green Theatre, I was feeling disconnected from the first half.During Part 2, I felt the fatigue set in. I noticed that my legs were falling asleep, or I was thirsty or yawning, more often. Though Part 2 contained some of the more gripping scenes, I was also glad for the complementary coffee I had snagged before the show began. PlayMakers Repertory Company also set up a bistro dining opportunity at the theater, but not everyone participated. There is only one more opportunity to see the show all in one day, Dec. 19. But I think watching Part 1 and Part 2 separately would not be too detrimental to the viewing experience. The 2-hour break was enough time away from the theater that I was no longer in a “Nicholas Nickleby” mind-set when I returned.I learned some new things at the play, such as that my cell phone still finds the need to sound its alarm, even when put on silent. Happily, I learned that the dark of the theater hides my blush too.My best advice: Bring a sweater, use the intermissions wisely to refill on coffee and hit the bathroom, and make friends with those sitting around you. You’ll be making a seven-hour theatrical journey with them, and it’s best to have company on the emotional experience that is “Nicholas Nickleby.”Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
(11/23/09 5:08am)
From the dark gloom of London’s slums to the cheer of a traveling theater company, PlayMakers Repertory Company breathes life into every scene of its epic play “Nicholas Nickleby.”The production is presented in two parts, spanning six and a half hours in total. The fantastic cast flexed their artistic muscle, as 25 actors portrayed 150 characters.From the beginning, the stage provided a bleak, powerful setting for the story. Using different colored lights, such as red to highlight a traumatic scene and orange to highlight the seedy criminal areas of town, the stage effectively conveyed multiple locations with only a few changes.Justin Adams was an excellent Nicholas Nickleby, portraying all of the character’s emotions perfectly. In one particular scene, he switched from a dark dramatic mood to a cheerful narration to the crowd in a split second, displaying his versatility.Saturday’s showing included Part 1 at 2 p.m. and Part 2 at 7:30 p.m. with a two-hour break for dinner. The marathon performance was trying on both the audience and the actors. Though the actors seemed a bit more fatigued in Part 2, flubbing a few lines, they still conveyed their roles with great feeling.A few members of the cast said they felt most tired during the second intermission, which came just before one of the play’s most dramatic scenes, but this fatigue did not translate to the stage.The play employed several interesting techniques. The most dramatic portion of the final act had every actor on stage, setting the somber mood and even becoming the set themselves. Various characters also appeared as narrators, occupying varying portions of the stage.Because the characters used English accents throughout, a few characters were harder to understand, such as the rolling r’s of Peg Sliderskew. Altogether, however, the accents were consistent and matched the various characters’ social standing.The costumes were intricately designed, and the skill of the designers was evident in the work. With only 25 actors playing 150 characters, several quick changes were required, but all came off without any noticeable lag, though perhaps with a bit of hurried breath.The actors effectively portrayed their characters’ emotions from frivolity to misery, the costumes were well constructed and beautiful, and the stage and sound set the scene, fully inviting the audience into the vivid life and adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
(10/27/09 4:42am)
UNC will host hip-hop artist Fabolous, who has had several successful singles in the last eight years, for Sunday’s Homecoming concert.Fabolous, born John Jackson, gained acclaim from the 2001 song “Can’t Deny It,” and more recently “Make Me Better.”The announcement came later than most years’ and coincides with the start of ticket sales. In past years, the bands have been announced as early as September.Tickets are on sale to students for $15 and open to the general public on Thursday for $30.The selection came after many students said they wanted a hip-hop or rap artist to perform, said Amanda Kao, president of Carolina Union Activities Board and member of the selection committee.Courtney Brown, Homecoming director and member of the selection committee, said they wanted the act to appeal to a broad group.“Homecoming concert should be something people get excited about. It should be someone people know,” she said.In past years, students have camped out for tickets. This year, people can purchase tickets online at memorialhall.unc.edu or at the Memorial Hall box office.“We don’t like it when we have to always monitor the lines for Homecoming tickets,” Kao said. “It’s unsafe and a real pain in the butt for students.”CUAB and the Carolina Athletic Association collaborate to determine the Homecoming act.For the past two years, two acts have played for Homecoming, but Brown and Kao said they thought Fabolous was a big enough act that it was worth having only one show.“He’s a name that people know, and he’s been around for a while. He’s not a one-hit wonder,” Brown said.Kao said this year the announcement was delayed because several artists raised their prices, and as they came closer to the date, few artists still had availability.“Unfortunately, this year it got a little out of hand because many of the artists weren’t available at this time, and some of the artists we were looking at were out of our price range,” she said.Zoey LeTendre, program adviser for CUAB, said it’s difficult to find bands that are affordable yet still high quality. “Our end of the money hasn’t changed, but we definitely are seeing that bands are asking more,” she said.LeTendre would not say how much it cost to bring in Fabolous.Students have generally expressed excitement about the act, though some questioned his relevance.“I like some of his new songs. I feel like I’m going to go support it because it’s Homecoming,” said senior Brittany Nichols. “He’s not my favorite artist, but I’m going to support it because it’s UNC.”Others said they recognized his work but weren’t excited.“Fabolous wasn’t relevant since the seventh grade,” senior Alen Makitan said.Some students said that Homecoming has provided good variety. Previous years have brought rock, country and hip-hop groups.“I would entertain it,” said junior Tyrone Sampson of attending the concert. “It’s a nice change.”Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
(10/26/09 5:58pm)
Hip-hop artist Fabolous will perform Sunday as the headliner for the Homecoming 2009 concert.
(10/02/09 4:54am)
The Ackland Art Museum will open its doors Saturday to display the treasures of its collection in an exhibit that promises to be a who’s who of abstract expressionism.Centered around the museum’s latest major acquisition, “Sentinel II” by Seymour Lipton, the exhibit is presented in two galleries displaying the avant-garde in one and guardians and heroes in the other.“The Guardian and the Avant-Garde: Seymour Lipton’s Sentinal II in Context,” came about after Shirley Siegel gave the museum funds to purchase a piece in honor of her husband, Sidney.Emily Kass, director of the Ackland and co-curator of the exhibit, said the piece is particularly interesting because of the way Lipton shaped his sculpture, which is made of flat sheets of metal.“It allowed Lipton to sculpt it almost and create this armature,” she said of the metal. “And then he covered it with bronze, which he worked with his hands, so that gives it a very tactile sense.”Lipton’s statue rests on a podium in the middle of the exhibit, creating a visual and thematic bridge between the two galleries.The avant-gardeThe Ackland had a chance to go through its collection, pulling modern works that have not been displayed in years. This gallery displays some of the museum’s modern gems.“Here is a sampling of our 20th century collection, focusing on the avant-garde — artists who were looking at Picasso, at new ways of creating art, new styles,” Kass said of the gallery.Walking through the room, viewers get a glimpse of the importance of technology and progress, the advent of photography as art, the impact of cubism and abstract expressionism.Abstract expressionism is a movement marked by the importance of emotions and feelings more than subject matter.Hans Hofmann’s “Undulating Expanse” embodies this notion of the importance of color and shape to convey emotion.“He’s using these kinds of shapes that just flow out of his mind,” Kass said. “The gesture of the artist becomes much more significant than actually telling a story where one knows the beginning and the end.”Guardians and heroesEntering the adjoining gallery, the viewer steps into a world of mythology from the ancient to the present.“A lot of abstract expressionists, Lipton included, were very interested in psychology and various kinds of mythology,” said Timothy Riggs, curator of collections and co-curator of the exhibit.Divided into four sections, the gallery tackles the concepts of guardians in life and death, women of power, conquest and sacrifice, and national heroes.The show includes work from as far away as ancient Egypt and eighth century B.C. Assyria. It also includes some familiar artists including Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and Albrecht Dürer.Riggs said 20th century art often presents viewers with images that they are not intended to be able to understand completely.“You have these general ideas about the hero and the sentinel, and it’s precisely because they are not nailed down as a series of absolute facts that they have some of their power,” he said.Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
(09/16/09 1:33am)
Taking your work from the studio or the stage to the rest of the world can be daunting. But by making moves now, students will have a leg-up after graduation.Laura Ritchie, a senior studio art major with an emphasis in art history, was having just such a thought last year.“It got to be my junior year and I realized I wasn’t really involved in the arts at all,” she said.So she went to the Ackland Art Museum and the Carrboro ArtsCenter and asked if they needed volunteers.“With the ArtsCenter, I started as a volunteer and gradually took on more responsibilities,” Ritchie said.This summer she took on some of the gallery coordinator responsibilities and was offered the position this fall.These opportunities are available, but students need to make moves to establish them now.Emily Strader, the arts and part-time job specialist at University Career Services, said the important task is building a resume by getting experience now.Students should participate in as many performances or exhibits as possible, she said.Internships are another option, as experience in the field adds to a student’s skill set.Artists do not always know how to promote their work and real-world experience can teach this, said Robert Kintz, student services official for the department of art.“School is the time and place for developing technique and for understanding how to make your ideas come alive in your art,” Kintz stated in an e-mail.“But great ideas and wonderful technique are less valuable if you do not know what to do with them after graduation.”Laura Lane, UCS assistant director, echoed a similar sentiment.“All students try to get good grades, but it’s really these complementary experiences that are going to shape the resume,” she said.Many internships are unpaid and in a distant city, requiring students to pay for housing and food.Strader said students might need to work part-time jobs during the year to financially handle an unpaid internship.Finding a way to think outside the box and make cross-industry connections is important, she said.“Every industry right now during these tough economic times is looking for ways to be creative,” she said. “With the arts, we’re used to being creative, so this won’t be anything new for artists.”
(09/11/09 4:44am)
The lives of writers, from little morning rituals to career choices, are often rich sources of inspiration.Author John Grisham and anthropologist and writer Kathy Reichs have each mined their career experiences extensively to create their best-selling novels.The authors spoke to a full house Thursday night in Memorial Hall as the first keynote address of the N. C. Literary Festival.The festival continues this weekend. All events are free and open to the public, although keynote speeches require tickets.Both discussed the way their careers influenced their writing.Grisham was a practicing criminal lawyer in Mississippi for about 10 years before he put pen to paper and crafted his first novel.When he heard a 12-year-old girl testify in court about being raped, he felt moved to write.“It was one of the most gut-wrenching things I’ve ever sat through in my life,” he said.Although Grisham had never written anything but legal briefs before, he started writing on his legal pad.“The idea of capturing this story through the eyes of a young small-town lawyer in Mississippi became an obsession,” he said.This became the basis for his first novel “A Time to Kill.” After almost two years and a round of rejections, it was published in a run of 5,000 copies.Grisham bought 1,000 himself and expected to sell them all in his hometown. But only about 100 sold at his release party.“I was furious! I took names of all the people who didn’t show up!” he said.After this, he gained national fame with his work “The Firm.” Grisham said he pulls inspiration for his work from his career and from things around him, such as newspapers.“The material is endless, and I just steal,” he said.Averaging about one novel a year, Grisham said he first makes detailed outlines and then fleshes them out. But he said he is always anxious to work on his next project.“I have a hard time writing slow,” he said, before the lecture. “There’s just so many books I want to write.”Reichs is a forensic anthropologist who splits her time between North Carolina and Montreal, just as her main character Temperance Brennan does. The UNC-Charlotte professor’s life inspired the hit TV series “Bones.”While working on the case of a serial killer in Canada, Reichs discovered the killer had divided a body into many parts, showing a knowledge of anatomy.This made her wonder what type of person the killer was, and that led to her first book “Déjá Dead.”“I take the core idea from a case and spin it off into the ‘what if,’” she said of her process.The idea for her second book stemmed from a case involving cult-motivated killings.And in every book, Reichs said she tries to cover different kinds of science, not just different stories. Even studying bugs can produce interesting stories, as different insects in dead bodies relate to different facts about the deceased.“Maggots really are cool little things from the viewpoint of anthropologists!” she said.Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
(09/03/09 5:10am)
Thomas Wolfe’s novel “Look Homeward, Angel” has inspired images in the minds of many who have read its passages.And for Douglas Gorsline, those images were put to paper, creating a series of pen-and-ink drawings for the first illustrated edition of the novel in the 1940s.Now an exhibit of those prints is on display in the Love House and Hutchins Forum on East Franklin Street.“It’s just interesting what Gorsline did with the text and how he conveyed the emotion in the novel,” said Reid Johnson, office assistant for the Center for the Study of the American South.The drawings, which are first editions, are part of the North Carolina Collection in Wilson Library.“I really enjoyed hanging the exhibit because of the quality of images and the range of images,” said Dana Di Maio, the assistant to the senior associate director of the center.The drawings are grouped by themes, such as young life, family, Dixieland and college years.Because the images are throughout the office hallways, the center has open gallery hours only on Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The exhibit will run through Sept. 30.Though the gallery has short hours, the images are interesting enough to draw visitors, organizers said.Gorsline is an American artist whose work often draws from cubism and realism.Di Maio said he enjoyed Gorsline’s use of shading, as the artist creates vivid scenes that play with shadow, such as the lighting of a cigarette.“The emotions are shown so clearly. It’s been a pleasure to see them and enter this whole world of Eugene Gant,” he said.“Look Homeward, Angel” is a semi-biographical account of Wolfe’s life through the character Eugene Gant. Wolfe lived in Asheville and attended UNC from 1916 to 1920.“Thomas Wolfe is one of the major American literary figures in the first place and certainly a quintessential example of a Southern writer,” Johnson said.Many people are familiar with the book and recall favorite scenes while looking at the works, he said.And those who have not read the novel are often interested in reading after they see the emotion of the drawings, Johnson said.The drawings cover everything from the serene, with scenes of Gant lying beneath a tree, to the humorous, including a drawing of a drunken night.Di Maio said the drawings were interesting to place because there were so many that it gave them flexibility to group by theme.The groups draw the viewer’s eye through the parlor, down the hall, through the conference room and down the hall again.“You’re really surrounded everywhere you go in the Love House by these prints,” he said.Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
(09/01/09 4:21am)
Correction: This article has been revised to correct an error that misstated the location of the Blue Mural. It is at the corner of Columbia and Rosemary streets.
(08/31/09 5:07am)
The Ackland Art Museum has turned its front gallery into a celebration of Cuban cinema from the 1960s and 1970s.Sixteen colorful posters line the walls, displaying cinema artistry, and the films they advertise are just as diverse and entertaining.“Almost Now: Cuban Art, Cinema and Politics in the 1960s and 1970s,” will run through Dec. 6.In late September, the Ackland plans to screen films in the gallery, but the schedules and films have not yet been determined. Here is a look at some of the interesting films from the gallery.Memorias del SubdesarrolloTranslated as “Memories of Underdevelopment,” this 1968 film presents a skeptical view of the Cuban Revolution, said David Craven, who donated the collection to the Ackland.The film follows a handsome former member of the elite, a Latin version of Cary Grant, who does not understand why common people get a voice, he said.“He’s trying to figure out what to do because he can’t figure out what side he’s on,” Craven said.This film is different from traditional Hollywood films because it poses a question it does not answer in the course of the movie, he said.“It ends with the film presenting the audience with an issue that’s still not resolved,” he said. “In other words, there aren’t happy endings in Cuban film.”La Última CenaThe 1977 film, which means “The Last Supper,” is partially based on events in 18th-century Cuba.“A plantation owner decided to re-enact the Last Supper with himself in the role of Jesus and 12 slaves in the roles of the disciples,” said Carolyn Allmendinger, curator of the exhibit. “It’s a film that endeavours to highlight racial issues and issues of slavery.”La Muerte de un BurócrataA dark comedy set in contemporary Cuba, the film, which translates as “Death of a Bureaucrat,” follows the troubles a family experiences when their father is accidentally buried with his identity card.“It’s a humorous take on bureaucratic society,” Allmendinger said.Lucia“Lucia” tells the story of three women named Lucia from different times and social classes in Cuba from the early 1800s to the 1960s, Allmendinger said.Craven said the film is significant for its time because it’s one of the first great feminist films in history.Por Primera VezFilmed in 1968, “Por Primera Vez,” which translates as “For the First Time,” is a film about film.“It shows the experience of a group of people in a remote town in Cuba watching Charlie Chaplin’s film ‘Modern Times’ for the first time,” Allmendinger said.She said the 10-minute film was an interesting contrast of the urban industrialized world of the film with the rural viewers’ world.Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.