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Gallery Visio’s ‘Giving Tree’ reinvents nature
May 3rd, 2010
Jennifer Meahan / The Current The Giving Tree exhibits photos taken by Julie Wise, and the tree is made up of cups, bottles, boxes and green paper.
For the student who lives for the “Go Green” lifestyle, the “The Giving Tree,” an interactive and collaborative installation, is currently being showcased at Gallery Visio, located on the lower level of the Millennium Center. The free exhibit runs from April 22 to June 24.
The ultimate idea of the exhibition is to express how much waste our society actually creates. This is displayed on an artificial tree made out of green recyclables and computer parts.
The top of the tree consists of green streamers, dangling bottles, Mountain Dew products, green plastic, cardboard beer cases, and green Mardi Gras beads. The tree stump was created out of black and white computer cords. Sitting under the tree are a variety of black records, the contents of a computer, and a petite tree. The star of the exhibit seems to be the walking toy dinosaur, who staggers around the room and greets the guests.
Gallery Visio and the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ environmental group, the Environmental Venture Organization, have been planning this collaboration since last year. The collection of green recyclables, such as Mountain Dew bottles, was pulled together by donations throughout the campus and the St. Louis City Museum, which is already known for its extensive use of recycled materials to create playgrounds for its visitors.
Web Innovations and Technology Services donated the wiring.
The organization, whose slogan is “Building Communities through Reuse, Recycling, and Education,” has rescued material from landfills, finding ways to reuse them in society and as a result has contributed to the preservation of natural resources.
As Missouri’s largest non-profit recycler, they have worked with UM-St. Louis in the past, including holding an electronics drive on campus last spring.
The walls of the exhibit are decorated in photos taken by Julianne Wise, senior, photography. They focus on the placement of broken electronics back in nature, where they once existed as the plastic from rubber trees. Most of the pictures involve a broken computer, television, and keyboard placed in fields on the side of the road.
The photography was a nice complement to the constricted room, but it would have been good to see more of a variety of broken electronics, such as cell phones, laptops, and radios.
While this was a wonderful project to follow Earth Day, with its use of cords, computer pieces, green streamers, and recyclables, it could have been extreme had there been more campus promotion other than word-of-mouth at Student Government Association meetings. Avoiding the worry of wasting a tree to spread word around campus turned out to be a promotion issue, so maybe a campus flier could have been sent through student e-mail. Next time, why not take it to another level and create a rainforest of recyclables, heavy on the walking baby dinosaurs?
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MIrthday 2010
April 26th, 2010
Musical artist Jay Sean performs for a crowd of screaming UM-St. Louis students Wednesday night. Ahmad Aljuryyed / The Current
A hired stilt walker and juggler performs & Laura Geraghty, nursing, freshman, and Kelli Buesgens, criminology, freshman, get pied at the Mirthday Carnival. Jennifer meahan / The Current
The University of Missouri-St. Louis celebrated Mirthday with a carnival and evening concert at the Touhill Performing Arts Center last Wednesday. Students took a break from classes to hit up rides such as the “Hurricane,” dabble in snow cones and get airbrushed tattoos. Even the new mascot was seen stumbling off of a ride escorted by cheerleaders.
“Aside from the nice weather everything seems to be fun,” Ben Steenrod, freshman, undecided, said. One student liked the publicity that Mirthday gave the college. “I saw a little boy with an UM-St. Louis Tritons t-shirt coming off of the dinosaur ride and I was thinking he might grow up wanting to go to UM-St. Louis one day,” Cassi Bohl, sophomore, psychology, said.
Some clubs used the carnival games to promote club membership. “This is how we draw exposure to our club and how we get people to see what the Hispanic culture is like,” Chantal Rivadeneyra, sophomore, management information systems and business, said. A table was set for students with an ID card to borrow super soakers. “It brings joy to campus; everybody is running around having fun,” Eboni Sterling, senior, education, said. However, not everyone agreed. “I did not like getting sprayed with water,” Jordan Russell, freshman, criminology, said.
As 6 p.m. approached, news of the concert possibly selling out was broadcast through stations such as Z107.7, a fact that was not denied once students got to the Anheuser Bush Auditorium and saw it was packed. Security was stationed on both sides of the stage. “I think it is pretty awesome that we can get professional artists at our school,” Bohl said. “What brought me out to this event is that I have never been to a concert before,” said Kevin Roberts, sophomore, accounting, said.
As the lights went down for the concert to start, red lights flickered and the audience cheered only to reveal the opening act Fitz and the Tantrums. Nobody knew who they were, but with their ‘60s inspired flair and powerful female singer, they won the crowd over in the end commanding them to “lose their minds” on the last song.
When Jason Derulo’s banner was revealed on stage, cameras went crazy and the number of fans standing in front of the stage multiplied. The crowd seemed to be very entertained by his performance and his shirtless backup dancers. He even serenaded a fan. He closed the show by inviting people to his MySpace account.
The stage was soon occupied by Jay Sean’s DJ who turned the auditorium into a club causing the audience to “drop it like it’s hot.” Jay Sean eventually walked on stage with a large body guard on his back. The crowd enjoyed his rhythmic melodies and watching a fan go wild on stage. He sent his audience away seduced by his verbal invitations. The concert was a success. “I think Jason Derulo did a really good job as well, and when he exposed his body it was a delight for sore eyes,” Haneen Musa, senior, business, said.
Apparently, the concert attracted even younger fans to its venue. “My favorite part was when I touched Jay Sean—I touched his leg, his thigh … I touched it all,” Tiffany Robinson, high school sophomore, said. “Jason Derulo is so sexy.”
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Parental Advisory in Gallery 210
April 19th, 2010
The piece "Sam" made by Shannon Kelly Hoelscher, Senior In Gallery 210.
Parental Advisory,” the annual BFA Student Art Exhibition, is being showcased at Gallery 210 from April 8—24. Students have come together to share their artistic vision with the University of Missouri-St. Louis community.
“Parental Advisory” displays a variety of artwork from wooden structures to photographs to work’s made of plaster and wire.
When approaching the exhibit, the first piece that stands out is an untitled oil on wood panel created by Stephen Boss. The piece focuses on white flowers that breathe of Japanese inspiration, creating the vision of a kimono loosely draped over a polished wooden table. The smooth and delicate strokes of the paint show the patience of the artist. The use of the color white was a nice contrast to the texture of the wooden panel, therefore making this piece as a whole come off as light and comforting.
Hidden in a corner of the exhibit is a piece made of intaglio/silkscreen titled “Goddess of the Sea,” created by Marla Di Benedetto. This artist used cool tones to create a silhouette of a floating mermaid under the waves of the ocean. Although detail in the facial structure was not highly exaggerated, the piece was able to create a feeling of vulnerability and depression through its shadows,.
Artist Amanda Duggan, with her etchings of “Dark Woods” and “Frozen Lighthouse,” presented a great example of how sometimes less is more. Each etching takes its viewer into its own little story world. Looking at “Dark Woods,” a feeling of danger and insecurity is created. With the trees hovering at an angle, the spectator is turned into that child lost in the woods at night, unable to see the glimmer of the porch light.
“Frozen Lighthouse” displays where nightmare meets dream, giving off a distorted, cold image of a blue shadowed memory. This artist likes to experiment with moods.
Josh Venable and his oil on canvas “Defense” differentiated itself from the rest of the work in the exhibit, which was well appreciated. This artist decided to incorporate a childlike humor into his work with his fascination for “Transformers.” Attention to the dimensions and the shading of the Transformer was well done. The use of red, blue, and green came off as a very playful color selection, which is appropriate for the subject matter. A true Transformer fan, child or adult, would be ecstatic to have this painting on his or her bedroom wall.
Another simple yet playful piece was “Notes from a class” by Matthew Hill. This student created artwork out of student excuses. Clever and smart, this was entertaining. It would be assumed one man’s dragged-out excuse is another man’s treasure.
The use of watercolor and charcoal on canvas was expressed in Valerie Signaigo’s “Behind the Butterfly.” What is appreciated about this painting, besides the excellent use of warm colors, was that it could have a variety of meanings. It could be about a woman hiding behind her beauty, a woman who desires beauty, or a woman who is tired of being seen only for her beauty. The deep strokes of dark purple, to highlight the hidden face, were a delight.
Elizabeth Schaefer’s mixed media on panel piece, “The Tale of Two Tomorrows,” was one of the most attention-grabbing in the exhibit. Separated into four segments, each section displayed a different scenario, with one appearing to be the development of a butterfly and another of a deer overlapped by snake skin. The artwork seems to celebrate life, death and reincarnation.
In addition to these selections, there is something for everybody.
A- Ashley Atkins
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Are you tired of Tiger?
April 12th, 2010I often wonder what life would be like without Tiger Woods news—walking into a grocery store without seeing his face and his mistresses plastered all over the magazine covers, or being able to watch television without seeing him perform yet another press conference about how sorry he is. I believe it would be pleasant.
But, to make up for the celebrity news, I suppose I would be bombarded with news about Heidi and Spacey, I mean Spencer, instead. Either way, news on Tiger Woods has been handled as if it were a national emergency. When the world should be continuing to direct its focus toward efforts to help Haiti, it is instead inviting itself into this man’s life.
What people do not realize is that watching someone on television for years does not connect one to that person or give one a say in his or her actions.
At the moment, Tiger is portrayed as the “lone” adulterer. Society is innocent of its sins and he must be burned at the stake because all men in business are faithful to their wives and never consider looking in the other direction. The 20-year-old assistants, club waitresses, the nanny, they would never touch. That is why the divorce rate in this country is so low.
At the beginning of this week, regular television was interrupted so that the press could take the opportunity to ask him the questions that people would want to know. Intelligent questions were asked, like whether his current situation would affect his playing. Considering that he has won numerous golf games, one would assume he has learned to separate his personal life from the game.
It is amazing how movie stars and rappers are expected to step off their relationships on various occasions and the public is supportive, usually siding with one of the women involved—Angelina vs. Jen Aniston comes to mind. The men are glorified as the ultimate player. But, when it comes to athletes like Kobe Bryant, Shaq, etc, people are in absolute shock.
Maybe it is because the ambition to become a professional athlete rather than a movie star seems more realistic for the average person. In order to see one’s favorite athlete in person, all the average person has to do is buy a ticket to his or her game. However, to get close to a celebrity, one has to get through their security first.
So, making this connection, housewives and some married men are making comments like “he is supposed to be a role model,” or “it is a shame that my kids and grandchildren are not able to look up to him.”
First off, the children should never have looked up to an athlete or celebrity in the first place. The parents are supposed to be their role models. Athletes are humans as well. This is reminiscent of the housewives at home crying about Britney Spears and her impact on their daughters. Other things do factor in to the way that a child is brought up.
The news media should be focusing on what is happening with our government, and on answering questions about what is going on with health care. There are young people and adults who have no idea what the health care involves. People are willing to complain about ideas when it is coming from the opposing party without knowing the facts.
We also need to know what is going on with Haiti. They had the charity music benefits on television and around the country for nearly two weeks, but now that the cameras have turned another direction, it feels like the majority of the U.S. has forgotten.
I actually do not remember seeing any functions going on for Haiti in my community. When Hurricane Katrina happened, the schools would have car washes. The subject—and even the Oprah special—was talked about for nearly a month. It is most likely because of what happened in Haiti did not happen in the U.S., so we do not feel obligated.
What will most likely happen with the Tiger Woods situation is that people are going to continue to talk and gossip, women will continue to come out of the woodwork (because they think it is fun), he will continue to win his tournaments, and he will regain his endorsers.
The world can still function without Tiger talk.
MADCO opens eyes to a different kind of dance
March 22nd, 2010
Riki Tanaka / The Current Dancers from MADCo during rehearsals early last week for there performances on March 19 and 20 at The Touhill.
Modern American Dance Company, the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ resident professional dance company, took over the Lee Theater in the Touhill Performing Arts Center last Friday and Saturday, showcasing their eclectic styling through their vibrant energy and unquestionable passion for modern dance.
Originally co-founded in 1976 under the identity Mid America Dance Company, MADCO has been recognized for their use of athletics and unique showcases. The professional dance company has been associated with the UM-St. Louis campus since 2007, where they not only hold practice but help run an internship for aspiring young dancers.
After a brief introduction from Stacy West, the company’s Executive/ Artistic Director of the St. Louis-based area, the show opened with their first dance called “Private Storms.”
Categorized as the classical side of contemporary, this was a fluid performance, set to the tune of exotic music and tambourine strikes.
Creating the illusion of floating about the stage, the performers were light on their feet which worked towards effortless landings. The outfits resembling sorbet were warm and breathed the essence of spring, almost melting into the figures of the dancer. The lone dancer left in the end swaying to her innermost thoughts left none disturbed, exposing her heartfelt love affair with dance. What worked well with this performance is that while it started off somewhat stagnant, it escalates into a celebration of life.
The next piece, “60 by 60,” was a re-creation of an already existent dance. It was a quirky performance set to the sounds of electronic music, a President Obama speech, dog sounds, chimes, and an annoying child repeating the word “Dad.”
While the athletic costuming in this piece came off as non-congruent with the dance, the effort the dancers gave the audience was non-stop. This modern dance gave its audience a taste of tap and pointe-work and ended in a colorful dance party.
As intermission was about to approach, the company left its audience wanting more with their simulation of a dance sweatshop in “Movement Activities: Response.”
Set in a fast-paced motion, with dancers running around the stage as if their heads were cut off, the use of body elevation from high to low kept the performance entertaining. As one of the best performances of the night, the dancers and on-looking audience were taken on a ride.
After intermission, two premiere pieces were shown. The first was created by MADCO dancer, Lindsey Hawkins, called “Little Voices.” Sporting bright tights and tutus around the stage, the performers created what appeared to be an old-school Super Mario’s game, prancing around the stage like children.
The next piece, “In My Life,” seemed to be the crowd favorite with its basketballs, cheerleaders, referees and basketballs. This cutesy, quirky performance left the crowd in high spirits. Also, recognition to the live band that backed them up must be given.
The show closed with a powerful Gothic presentation called “Twenty 12.” With a projector in the background belting out the prophecy of the fallen dancers, the performance was hard to look away from: dancers crawling about the stage in distress, the shifts from defeat to hope, black ripped leotards exposing just enough skin … it told a story.
Separately, each dance showcased its own strength and identity but lacked a main common theme. This is seen through performances such as “In My Life” and “Twenty 12”: comedy versus drama. But this does not take away from the apparent talent, heart and soul the dancers left on the stage. With an open mind and a love for modern dance, this performance sent its audience away with impressive visuals. B+ –Ashley Atkins
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