This Week's Wisconsin Arts Headlines

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Top Wisconsin News for the Week of February 7, 2010

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Monday, 2/8

IN THE NEWS

Visual Arts/Museums

Artspeak? It's complicated If an artist's work is difficult, you might think those writing about it would want to make it more accessible. If only
Guardian UK
“On 14 March 1888, Vincent van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo about his latest canvas: "It is a drawbridge with a little cart going over it, outlined against a blue sky – the river blue as well, the banks orange coloured with green grass and a group of women washing linen in smocks and multicoloured caps." Dear, oh dear. Little cart, blue sky, green grass, multicoloured caps: simplistic or what? When you go to The Real Van Gogh: The Artist and His Letters, currently on show at the Royal Academy, don't bother with His Letters. Vincent, a word in your unbandaged shell-like – this is the way you write about art.”
Tehran cuts ties with British Museum
Daily Star Agence France Presse
TEHRAN: “Iran cut ties with the British Museum on Sunday in protest at repeated delays in the loan to Tehran of an ancient Persian treasure, the Cyrus Cylinder, a top official said. Hassan Mohseni, a senior official at Iran’s cultural heritage and tourism organization, said relations were annulled after the London museum failed to transfer the artifact to Tehran. “We confirm the cutting of ties and we consider it a closed chapter,” said Mohseni, who heads the state organization’s public relations. Tehran’s decision to break off relations with the museum was revealed earlier by Hamid Baghai, who heads the cultural heritage and tourism organization. “Since the Cyrus Cylinder has not been transferred to Iran, we will lodge a complaint against the British Museum to UNESCO and cut ties,” Baghai was quoted as saying by Iranian media.’
The Big Project
Michael Kaiser, President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
“In these difficult economic times, many arts organizations are working hard to develop programs that do not require many resources. Board members are pressing for small operas, small plays, and small ballets. Many executive directors, understandably concerned about balancing the books at a time when contributed income is still in jeopardy, are concurring.”

Arts and Creativity in Education

Glee: coming soon to a school near you - The TV musical has led to a rise in all-singing, all-dancing choirs
The Guardian UK
“The Glee Effect has been well-documented: an episode of the musical comedy is aired, and fans (or Gleeks) rush to iTunes to download their favourite tracks, filling the charts with high-octane choral pop. In the US there has already been a rise in membership of show-choirs like the fictional one that Glee revolves around, and a live tour is planned for the cast.”
UWM celebrates Black History and Liberation Month
UWM Post
“In celebration of black history month, UW-Milwaukee is offering various events that embrace the rich past, present lives and multi-faceted perspectives of African-Americans. Events run from Feb. 1-26, and are free and open to the public unless noted. An ongoing event throughout the month includes Golda Meir’s exhibit of films and books about African-Americans and African history and culture. Located in the Media Library, the films and books are on display and can be checked out through the end of February.”

Community Arts

Downtown History Presents Opportunity in Milwaukee
Urban Milwaukee
“Cities in the Midwest will be competing for residents and tourists over the next century. Unfortunately, it will continue to be difficult for Milwaukee to compete with the likes of Chicago in terms of sheer volume. So Milwaukee needs to continue working to distinguish itself. Urban design and architecture are the most pragmatic way to accomplish this, as demonstrated by the Milwaukee Art Museum and Miller Park a decade ago.”

Folk Arts/Folklife

Sucking the Quileute Dry
New York Times
“ALL the world, it seems, has been bitten by “Twilight.” Conservative estimates place revenue generated from Stephenie Meyer’s vampire chronicles — the books, movies and merchandise — in the billion-dollar range. Scarcely mentioned, however, is the effect that “Twilight” has had on the tiny Quileute Nation, situated on a postage stamp of a reservation, just one square mile, in remote La Push, Wash. To millions of “Twilight” fans, the Quileute are Indians whose (fictional) ancient treaty transforms young males of the tribe into vampire-fighting wolves. To the nearly 700 remaining Quileute Indians, “Twilight” is the reason they are suddenly drawing extraordinary attention from the outside — while they themselves remain largely excluded from the vampire series’ vast commercial empire.”

Literary

No end in sight: Baraboo woman writes cliffhanger novel
Baraboo News Republic
Writing relaxes Sue York, even when she’s penning a tale about a woman frantically searching for her identity and fighting for her life. York works full-time at a Lodi hotel, and spends her off days alone at home, writing. "I like it quiet. Put my music on and go," she said. "It just kind of calms me down and relaxes me." The longtime Baraboo resident became an author last fall with the publication of her mystery novel, "Dividing Tides." It’s about Basil Adair, an architect who by clicking on an e-mail finds herself drawn into a tailspin of mystery that threatens her life and robs her of her identity.”
Read-In recognizes noted black authors
Kenosha News
“Taliyah Harris, 8, walked across the small stage and stopped to pull a step stool behind the podium before ascending to speak at Sunday’s African-American Read-In. In a loud, clear voice she read poet Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son,” in which he writes of a mother speaking to her son about life experiences. When asked about the poet’s message, Harris got right to the heart of Hughes’ words. “She just keeps on trying, she never gives up, because giving up ain’t an option,” Harris said knowingly. Hughes, Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni and other African-American literary powerhouses were represented at the event at the Kenosha Public Museum Sunday afternoon.”
'On, Wisconsin' not her tune - Madison author's tale of farm girl in college lacks nuance
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Author Lorrie Moore’s latest fiction work is a novel, “A Gate at the Stairs.” Close Madison author Lorrie Moore is usually so good that she makes me want to stop writing and use my laptop for something more suitable to my talents, like watching cute puppy videos. "People Like That Are the Only People Here," the best short story in her terrific collection "Birds of America," careens so wildly yet believably from denial to panic to grief to crazed comedy that it left me slack-jawed with admiration.”
Panacea or Poison Pill: Who Gets to Decide About $10 E-Books?
Wired - Epicenter
"The question of whether e-book prices should be significantly lower than their print analogs has become a fundamental divide in a simmering dispute between book publishers and the 800-pound-gorilla that is Amazon.com. In part the issue is about consumer choices but like the other digitization wars which preceded it -- and continue -- in music, television, film and even news, it's also about ensuring that a creative industry survives."
US publishers smile again as Kindle rivals emerge
Yahoo News
NEW YORK (AFP) – “US book publishers are smiling again, after years of watching digital versions of their titles sell for below what they thought they were worth. A host of rivals to the market-dominating Kindle electronic reader has given newfound hope to publishers that they will finally be able to dictate their own terms after being at the mercy of Amazon. Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corp. stable includes publisher Harper-Collins, could hardly contain his glee during an earnings call last week. "Without content, the ever larger and flatter screens, the tablets, the e-readers and the increasingly sophisticated mobile phones would be lifeless," Murdoch said. "Without content these ingenious and wonderful devices would be unloved and unsold."
As I start to write my latest book, I fear for the future of publishing Retailing pressure and the emergence of the ebook are threatening the future of authors and their work
The Observer
“Last Monday at 8.30am I began to type the first lines of a new novel. These sentences are unlikely to see the light of day but they're a start – I am out on the pitch swinging my arm in a fashion that convinces me at least, which is certainly an advance on the week spent inside the pavilion whitening my pads and tidying the locker. To begin to write a book these days seems more than the average folly. Publishing appears to have been hit by a storm similar to the one that tore through the music industry a few years ago and is now causing unprecedented pain in newspapers”
Animals come to rescue of biography market - The biography of Casper the commuting cat is just one of a spate of 'animalit' titles being snapped up
Guardian.UK
“A genre with legs ... the life of Casper the commuting cat is the latest in a growing category of 'animalit'. Photograph: Amy Stanford/AP The story of Casper the commuting cat, set to be published this autumn, is the latest in a slew of animal memoirs which are being heralded as the saviours of a beleaguered biography market. The much-loved Casper, who used to ride the Number Three bus around Plymouth, died last month in a road accident - and the publishing world was quick to pounce, with Simon & Schuster snapping up world rights in his story late last week. "His story is unique and [Casper's owner] Susan has received emails and letters from all over the UK and as far away as Argentina and Australia," said Simon & Schuster's Nigel Stoneman, who met her last week.”
A place in posterity is a bit of a lottery. Just ask Mr Melville Among the strange fates of many great books, the bizarre afterlife of Moby-Dick is a classic example
Observer UK
“The news that Man Booker is to host a "Lost Booker" prize for the class of 1970 (including neglected work by HE Bates, Melvyn Bragg, Muriel Spark, Ruth Rendell and Susan Hill plus Joe Orton's posthumous novel Head To Toe) shows that Booker's publicity department is as full of resource as ever. When it comes to boosting their brand, these people are Olympians of spin. But they might be surprised to discover that the Romans knew all about literary retrospectives.”

Media Arts

Proliferation of Internet memes makes it difficult to stay current
Washington Post
“Consider this two-part law of how stuff ends up in your inbox: (1) There are people out there who have never seen some moldering viral video, say "JK Wedding Entrance Dance." They were not among the video's 41 million-plus YouTube viewers, they did not see it replayed infinitely on the morning shows, they did not visit the couple's hyped Web site, they missed the "Divorce Entrance" spinoff, and they were oblivious to the tribute on "The Office," which garnered 9 million viewers. When they eventually find it, they assume they have discovered a brand-new thing. (2) They forward it to you. They say, OMG so cute. Have you seen this?”
Two futures of the internet: next cold war or up in the clouds - Will the future be cyber-attacks and an uneasy balance of terror or cultural collaboration hosted by Google's
The Observer
"THE FUTURE", WROTE the novelist William Gibson in a justifiably famous aphorism, "is already here: it's just not evenly distributed". The challenge is to spot those unevenly distributed peeks into our future. The Apple iPad launch provoked a storm of peeking: optimists saw it as a sign that the computer industry had finally got the message that most people can't be bothered with the mysteries of operating systems and software updates and want an information appliance that "just works"; pessimists saw it as a glimpse into an authoritarian world dominated either by governments or a few powerful companies; sceptics saw it as just another product launch”

Performing Arts

Dance

Letters: Community supported 'Nutcracker' at Paine
Oshkosh Northwestern
“The Paine's "Nutcracker in the Castle" welcomed 14,000 people for self-guided and guided tours throughout the 2009 season. In total, 36,000 people have come from Oshkosh, the Fox Valley and state of Wisconsin to see the original production that sets the traditional Nutcracker story within the historic interiors of the Paine mansion. With more surprises in store for 2010, mark your calendar for the fourth season of "Nutcracker in the Castle" on view Nov. 19, 2010, through Jan. 9, 2011.”

Music

Singer’s dreams coming true - Country girl from Wausau creating a buzz in alternative music
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“It's a stage name, a fanciful dream of a middle-school student from Wausau who always knew she wanted to grow up and become a singer. So, she trained diligently for 10 years in classical voice. And she began to experiment, with a keyboard and her voice, then a keyboard and a computer, mixing sounds, drum beats and her own instrument, that soaring, roaring beautiful voice. The style is called lo-fi, a sound that confounds some and incites others. It's sober and powerful singing, a treasure hunt that yields mystery and magic.”
Present Music mixes it up for party performance
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Leave it to Present Music to mix and match musical elements one would never think to combine - and to turn it into a party. Playing in the Turner Hall Ballroom, music director Kevin Stalheim and the Present Music Ensemble premiered "Reaction" (2010) by New York-based composer Caroline Mallonee. Written for a winds/strings/percussion/piano octet and commissioned for Present Music, the piece is based on actions and reactions. Vacillating between bubbling rhythms and moody, hazy, random sounds, the piece is both fascinating and engaging, as it bounces ideas from player to player”
Jazz concert entertains, educates
Racine Journal Times
RACINE — “Martice Scales watched through the tiny screen of his digital video camera as Jim Sodke traveled back in time. Scales, 22, of Racine, was taking notes digitally Sunday as Sodke worked through some of jazz legend Duke Ellington’s song book. Sodke, a Racine musician and educator, kicked off a new concert series at First United Methodist Church, 745 Main St., in Downtown Racine.”
A night at the museum
UWM Post
“Revisiting the archived tapes of the Grateful Dead’s April 26, 1972 show helped Dark Star Orchestra channel the Dead’s sound with ear-bending accuracy as they recreated their set with remarkable historical accuracy last Thursday night at the Pabst Theater. Seeing several laptops hooked up to the soundboard was nothing new, but the sound quality at the Pabst Theater was superb. The sound was so crisp and clean that it gave the illusion of a commercial live recording, even in the front row; the technicians in the back talked about it all night like overexcited teenagers. There’s no doubt that this show will be passed along in bootleg circles for a while.”
Hip-hop and Milwaukee
UWM Post
Tarik Moody, local blogger and radio personality for 88.9 Radio Milwaukee, has raised the question: “Is Milwaukee afraid of hip-hop?” Actually, it seems that Milwaukee isn’t afraid of hip-hop at all. Numerous hip-hop acts have performed in venues like the Bradley Center, U.S. Cellular Arena, and the Milwaukee Theatre in recent years, and Milwaukee’s own hip-hop scene is thriving with artists like Prophetic and Ray Nitti. For the past year, local artists have been performing every Monday night at the eastside bar Live on North, as well as on Wednesday nights at El Babulous on the south side. Maybe a more important question is “What is hip-hop?” It seems as though Tarik is limiting hip-hop to rappers like Common, Talib Kweli and Mos Def; the art of hip-hop involves much more, and Milwaukee should give itself more credit for supporting its own artists in recent years.”

WHEN YOU GO

For more arts and cultural events, please go to www.portalwisconsin.org. Have you entered your events on Portal? Do it today!

Visual Arts/Museums

Neighborhood Perspectives – Two Painters Survey the Familiar
DeRicci Gallery/Edgewood College
Artist Talk – February 8 – 5:00 p.m.
Reception – February 8 – 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Long time residents Cynthia Quinn and John Ribble share recent paintings of Madison’s near west side.
Also: Doug Moe: ‘Easel’ does it for plein air painters
Wisconsin State Journal
“Here's the thing about painting "plein air" - a French expression meaning "open air." It's just you and the elements, and the elements don't care about your good reviews. "It's almost like an athletic pursuit," John Ribble was saying Friday. "Your easel blows away," added Cynthia Quinn, Ribble's wife. "The light changes every 15 minutes." But setting up outside and capturing a scene that is right in front of you can also generate a freshness and immediacy that's hard to duplicate in the studio. It's also not a bad way to meet your neighbors. Now those neighbors who have seen Ribble and Quinn setting up their easels all over the Near West Side - in Vilas Park or near the Lake Wingra boat rental, on the Southwest bike trail or in front of Mallatt's - will have an opportunity to see the finished work.”

Opening and closing this week
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Here is my rundown of art events that are opening and closing this week.

OPENING:

February 12
“Jon Wilde Revisited” at the Tory Folliard Gallery

CLOSING:

February 12
"Milwaukee Area Teachers of Art Exhibition" at Carroll University
February 13
"Wisconsin Maters Series" work by Emily Groom at the Charles Allis
February 14
MARN Salon III at the Hotel for the Arts
“One from Wisconsin: Mindy Sue Meyers (Green Bay/Appleton)” at the Museum of Wisconsin Art (West Bend)
Expert Opinion: Art collecting We talk to gallery owner Elaine Erickson about how to stock our walls
AVClubMKE
February 10
“Elaine Erickson has been a fixture of Milwaukee’s art scene since 1994, when she opened a small and welcoming gallery. Today Elaine Erickson Gallery in the Third Ward’s Marshall Building is home to contemporary works in a variety of media. Paintings and sculptures from both local national artists share space with African pieces. Clearly, Erickson is an expert when it comes to art collecting. Before giving a talk Wednesday at the Humphrey Scottish Rite Center on collecting prints for the Milwaukee Artist Resource Network, Erickson offered her expert opinion to The A.V. Club about how to get started with this potentially expensive hobby.”
Call to Artists “Vermiculture, Artists, and the Tao Te Ching”
Midwest Biennial 2010 Wisconsin Artists Fine Art Exhibition
Deadline: March 13
Midwest Biennial is now accepting entries for the 2010 Wisconsin Artists Juried Exhibition themed Vermiculture, Artists and the Tao Te Ching. This spring exhibition will be held from April 1 through May 30, 2010, in celebration of Earth Day, Arbor Day, and Mother’s Day. The competition is open to all artists, 18 years or older, residing in the State of Wisconsin. A Reception for the Artists and Awards Ceremony will be held in the gallery on from 6-9pm. in conjunction with the “Exhibitour”.

Arts and Creativity in Education

Acting workshop is free, fun for kids
Baraboo News Republic
February 13, 20, 27
“Local children are experiencing the joy of make believe and participating in a long tradition of Baraboo-area community theater during a free acting workshop that continues into March. Saturday morning a small group of students gathered in the basement of the Masonic Temple on Second Street for "Introduction to Character" with veteran Baraboo Theatre Guild actor and director Scott Kindschi. He said it is one of a series of workshops BTG has sponsored since 2007 to encourage children’s participation. Kindschi began teaching with a series of warm-up exercises, including one called "Captain Coming Aboard."

Community Arts

Let music, theater brighten February
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Almost as though they were trying to make up for the shortness (and maybe the coldness) of the month through sheer verve, local performing arts groups and producers are filling February with ambitious works and bookings. Small companies are staging big-cast plays, dancers are flinging themselves across genre lines and Duke Ellington will be heard from. Here is a look at 10 promising performances this month, listed in chronological order:’

Folk Arts/Folklife

Cedarburg's Winter Festival is a blizzard of fun
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
February 13 - 14
“Brace for Cedarburg's Winter Festival Saturday and Sunday in the city's historic downtown area. There will be enough food, music, activities and other entertainment to take up every waking moment of the weekend. This year's theme - a nod to Valentine's Day - is "Romancing the Snow."
A walk that tells a sacred story
Shawano Leader Reporter
June 1
“A very special event is set to take place this summer, honoring the Menominee Tribe. The walk is being coordinated by Richie Plass, whose Menominee name is “Powekonnay.” In the mid 1800s, the Menominee were removed from the “Paygrounds,” located near Lake Poygan in central Wisconsin. The story of the process and walk is one that is very important to Menominee and Wisconsin history. Plass said he’s doing the walk for two key reasons — education and responsibility.”

Performing Arts

Dance

Motion slickness - Ballet dancers' steps interact with digital partners
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
February 11 - 14
“When ballet dancer Jacqueline Moscicke moves, the digital imagery around her reacts in “Sur_Rendered,” one of the pieces in the Milwaukee Ballet’s “Innovative Motion,” which will be performed Thursday through next Sunday. The concept behind "Sur_Rendered" is a little like playing the Nintendo Wii: the dancers of the Milwaukee Ballet will perform, and digital objects in a virtual environment projected around them will react. "We are adopting 3-D motion for the stage," says choreographer Luc Vanier. "The minute you do this, you are getting feedback on how you are moving."

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Conversation: Ralph Ellison's Unfinished Novel Gets Some Visibility
Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man", his first novel, is widely-considered one of the great works of modern literature. After it came out in 1952, Ellison wrote and wrote, and readers waited and waited, but a second novel never came. When he died in 1994, Ellison left thousands of pages of material. Written over nearly four decades, now comes "Three Days Before The Shooting...", the unfinished second novel by Ralph Ellison, edited by John Callahan and Adam Bradley. John Callahan, a professor at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore., is the literary executor of Ralph Ellison's estate, and joined me recently to discuss the project.

Read Last Week’s Wisconsin Arts News

WAB Wisconsin Arts News is a free service of the Wisconsin Arts Board, the state agency responsible for the support and development of the arts in Wisconsin. These articles are from a variety of sources and, therefore, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Arts Board.

Despite our best efforts, links may fail without warning since each news source posts and archives its articles differently. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Updated: February 08, 2010