arts

River Art, River Uses

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Displays at the “A Pause in Flow: Reconsidering the Columbia River” exhibitPause to see and ponder “A Pause” …specifically the collaborative art show “A Pause in Flow: Reconsidering the Columbia River.” The project combines the work of Kalamazoo College alumnus Nick Conbere ’94 and John Holmgren and is on display in the Light Fine Arts Gallery through October 9. A public presentation by the artists will occur on Thursday, October 8, at 4 p.m.

“Using art as a visual and narrative critical tool, our project investigates the presence and impact of hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River,” write the artists. The dams have been celebrated for their massive energy production and economic benefits, and they have also incurred environmental and related social costs as they reshape aspects of the river basin. “A Pause in Flow” explores ideas of environment, industry, time, and memory. “We ask how aesthetic relationship can offer compelling ways to consider human constructions that alter natural forces.”

The concerns are topical and consequential in the Pacific Northwest area of North America, as dam policies on the Columbia River are currently being negotiated in Canada and the United States and considerations of new dams are being discussed. “Central to our project is that the works be exhibited in locations along the Columbia River as well as in Pacific Northwest cities dependent on hydro-power,” the artists add. “Through our collaborative documentation and interpretation, we will aim to explore parallels among various places and histories along the river, suggest patterns and relationships, and facilitate documentary, metaphor, and allegory in considering the presence of the dams.”

Company co-founded by Brad O’Neill ’93 sold to SurveyMonkey

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Kalamazoo College alumnus Brad O’Neill
Brad O’Neill ’93

TechValidate, a company co-founded by Brad O’Neill ’93, has been sold to SurveyMonkey, the California firm known for its online surveys. TechValidate is a 50-person company headquartered in Emeryville, Calif. that uses cloud software to produce marketing content such as customer testimonials, reviews, return-on-investment analysis, and case studies, according to an article in Fortune.

Brad, who was also a founding investor in StumbleUpon, said in a Yahoo Finance – Business Wire article that “We are thrilled to join forces with SurveyMonkey, and look forward to benefiting from their complementary insights platform and deep industry experience as we continue to develop our product suite to enable marketers to quickly build engaging content and deliver actionable insights.” Brad earned his B.A. degree in political science from Kalamazoo College and an M.B.A. degree from Babson College.

Talking nature, culture, art and friendship

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Kim Chapman, Jim Armstrong and Lad Hanka
Three Friends Talking: (l-r) Kim Chapman ’77, Jim Armstrong, and Lad Hanka ’75 (photo by Susan Andress)

Kim Alan Chapman ’77 is co-author of “Nature, Culture, and Two Friends Talking,” a collection of essays addressing the complex relationships humans have with the natural world. The book is in part the story of a 30-year friendship between Kim, an ecologist living in St. Paul, Minn., and James Armstrong, a poet and English professor at Winona State University in Winona, Minn. Their story centers on love of nature and a shared quest to understand how to save what they love. At turns literary and scholarly, their essays, poems, and public presentations document the evolution of their ideas and expressions of this love. They also reflect American culture’s own dialogue about nature and conservation.

One section of the book, “From the Darkness, Light: What an Ecologist and Poet See in an Artist’s Work,” revolves around the two writers reacting via email to etchings of rural scenes set in southern Michigan by Kalamazoo-based artist Ladislav Hanka ’75, their longtime mutual friend. That exchange also led to a live—and lively—discussion at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts about how Lad’s work creates a dynamic confrontation between art and science, wildness and civilization, beauty and ugliness, darkness and light. All three friends joined in the conversation before a large audience at the KIA.

Listen to an interview with the two authors talking about their collaboration on WMUK-FM radio at Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo: http://wmuk.org/post/between-lines-nature-and-friendship.

Kim has worked as a conservationist, consultant, teacher, and ecologist for 30 years. In addition to his B.A. degree in biology from Kalamazoo College, he holds a M.A. degree in biology (ecology) from WMU, and a Ph.D. degree in conservation biology from University of Minnesota. His other publications include “Valley of Grass” (North Star Press), winner of a Minnesota Book Award.

Artwork by Julie Mehretu Acquired by New Los Angeles Art Museum

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Julie Mehretu painting titled "Invisible Sun"The contemporary art museum, The Broad, recently announced the acquisition of Invisible Sun (algorithm 8, fable form), a recent work by renowned artist Julie Mehretu ’92. The ink-and-acrylic-on-canvas piece is the third work by the New York-artist added to the Broad collection in the last two years. The approximately 10 foot x 14 foot abstract was on display at Art Basel in Switzerland in June. The Broad will open in September on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. It will be home to one of the world’s leading collections of postwar and contemporary art, more than 2,000 works assembled during the past 40 years by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad. In addition to Julie’s Invisible Sun, recent additions to the Broad collection include the works of artists Robert Longo, Goshka Macuga, Takashi Murakami, and Robert Rauschenberg.

Coming to the ’Zoo? Lucky You!

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Downtown KalamazooThat’s the theme of a recent (June 25) Washington Post article (“You’re going where? Kalamazoo is tired of your Creedence Clearwater jokes“) by freelance writer Maya Kroth. It’s a fun read, worth a slow pace all the way to the end–just like a good beer. And once you reach the end, you may wonder where’s the K connection. Well, the article quotes alumnus (and Bell’s Brewery founder) Larry Bell ’80 at length, and mentions National Book Award finalist Bonnie Jo Campbell, a former Summer Common Reading author and creative writing professor at K. Bottom line: Kalamazoo is a great place to live. You’ll find lots of cool history in Kroth’s article. And perhaps the next time she’s in town, we’ll get her to visit the ’ZOO within the ’Zoo

Kalamazoo College People in the News: Professors Lindley and Menta talk arts, Tim Eastman ’90 leads a new high school, and Grace Lee Boggs turns 100

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Mattawan High School Principal Tim Eastman
Tim Eastman with Hackett high school students (Kalamazoo Gazette)

Tim Eastman ’90 is the new principal of Mattawan (Mich.) High School, about ten miles west of Kalamazoo. Tim spent more than 20 years as a teacher and principal (since 2002) at Hackett Catholic Prep in Kalamazoo. He has a master’s degree from Western Michigan University.

Sarah Lindley stands next to her 3D art
Sarah Lindley and “Exposure Pathways” (Allegan County News)

Sarah Lindley, associate professor of art, and some of her recent K art students needed an estimated 800-1,000 hours to assemble “Exposure Pathways,” an art exhibit in Plainwell, Mich., north of Kalamazoo on view through July. The exhibit coincides with a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian called “The Way We Work.” Read about Professor Lindley and her exhibit in the Allegan News. Watch her talk about it on the Lori Moore Show, a Kalamazoo-area television talk-show. AND listen to her talk about her exhibit on WMUK (102.1 FM) radio.

Ed Menta, James A. B. Stone College Professor of Theatre, was a recent guest on “The Lori Moore Show” television talk show to discuss Tony Award-winning playwright Lisa Kron ’83, television stars Steven Yeun ’05 (The Walking Dead) and Jordan Klepper ’10 (The Daily Show), and other K alumni who have gone on to successful careers in theatre, television, and film.

Grace Lee Boggs turns 100
Grace Lee Boggs turns 100! (Deadline Detroit)

Grace Lee Boggs recently celebrated her 100th birthday. The Detroit-based author, civil rights activist, and labor organizer received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from K in 2007. She’s visited campus numerous times in the past 10 years to meet with students, faculty, staff, and community members. Read about Grace Lee Boggs in Deadline Detroit: http://bit.ly/1dA7pRb

Exposure Pathways

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Sarah Lindley art installationAssociate Professor of Art Sarah Lindley was interviewed by WMUK about her installation “Exposure Pathways.”

Sarah is the creator of one part of a three-part art installation taking place in the former Plainwell Paper Mill. “Exposure Pathways” appears with “After Operation,” an exhibition of photographs by Steve Nelson, and with “The Way We Worked,” a traveling exhibition of historic photography from the Smithsonian Institute.

After producing paper for more than 100 years Plainwell Paper Mill ceased production in 2000. In 2006 the city of Plainwell purchased the site and subsequently moved its offices to a redeveloped area of the mill. Several of the vacant structures were razed, and the historic buildings remain in a state of decline. The abandoned structures are surroundings served as source materials for the explorations of the sculptress and photographer.

The installation can be viewed from June 13 to July 19 at the former mill, along the Kalamazoo River Superfund site. One enters the exhibition through Plainwell City Hall (211 North Main Street). Gallery Talks occur Saturday, June 20 at 10:30 a.m. or 1 p.m. Those talks are open to the public and families are welcome. An Artists’ Reception (also open to the public and families) is set for Wednesday, July 15, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Come earlier if you wish to see the space with better light. Hours for the exhibition are: Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday by appointment; Wednesday and Thursday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“My project is in the abandoned part of the mill,” says Sarah, “which is worth the trip, itself!”

Beyond the Blood

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K students rehearse for "Carrie"
Gabrielle Holme-Miller ’17 (Carrie White) and members of the cast (background) in CARRIE the musical. Photo by Emily Salswedel ’16.

The outside gaze that condemns is the subject of Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College’s spring term production of CARRIE the musical.

“Almost the very first lyrics concern the horror of going to high school every day and the pain of trying to fit in–‘Every Day, I Just Pray Every Move I Make is Right,’” said Ed Menta, the James A. B. Stone College Professor of Theatre Arts, and the director of CARRIE the Musical. “Through song, choreography, social media, light scenery, and costumes, we hope to make this musical a fun and interactive experience for our audience that also explores one of the major social issues of our time: bullying,” he added.

Gabrielle Holme-Miller ’17, who plays the lead role of Carrie, emphasizes the need for the focus on aggression: “Almost everyone in their adolescence will find themselves a victim, aggressor, or witness to bullying in some form. Carrie’s suffering and torment is symbolic of the unacknowledged bullying many young people face.”

Festival Playhouse and the Kalamazoo College Department of Music will collaborate on the May production. The play opens Thursday, May 14, at 7:30 p.m., and continues Friday and Saturday, May 15 and 16, at 8 p.m., and on Sunday, May 17, with a matinee at 2 p.m. Additional performances occur Thursday, May 21, at 7:30 p.m. and Friday, May 22 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for seniors, and $15 for other adults. For reservations call 269.337.7333. For more information visit the Festival Playhouse website.

The performance features Professor of Music James Turner, vocal director; Jack Brooks, conductor; Kate Yancho, choreographer; Lanford J. Potts, scenic designer; Katie Anderson ’15, lighting designer; and Lindsay Worthington ’15, sound designer. CARRIE the musical is based on the novel, Carrie, by Stephen King and the book by Lawrence D. Cohen. Michael Gore scored the music; Dean Pitchford wrote the lyrics.

Jane and Grace

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Seniors Jane Huffman and Grace Gilmore
Current seniors Jane Huffman (left) and Grace Gilmore during one of their sophomore year collaborations–Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus”

Seniors Jane Huffman and Grace Gilmore are collaborating on the Festival Playhouse at Kalamazoo College’s production of Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Good Night Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet).

Jane is the assistant director of Good Night Desdemona…, a different–or, perhaps more accurately–an “expanded” directing experience than the one she enjoyed previously this term when her own play, Where the Bee Sucks, was performed at the New Play House Festival in downtown Kalamazoo. “To go from a one act play with three actors to a two act play with six actors has been illuminating,” says Jane. “I’ve learned a great deal from Karen Berthel [director of Good Night Desdemona… and an associate professor of theatre arts] about how to work in a bigger space, with a bigger company.”

Jane also finds this term’s work good preparation for the spring term, when she will direct the play, Nine Parts of Desire. Jane is earning majors in theatre arts and in English, and she has published quite a few of her poems. “I’ve learned that getting published is about 90 percent submitting and 10 percent writing.” Next year she plans to begin work on an MFA in poetry.

Grace Gilmore plays the lead role of Constance in Good Night Desdemona…. “At times I feel really connected with Constance but other times so far away from her. Her views and opinions come from second-wave feminism, which is difficult for me to relate to.” Fall term Grace performed her Senior Individualized Project, the one-woman show “2.5 Minute Ride” by Kalamazoo College alumna (and Tony Award nominee) Lisa Kron ’83. Grace also won the Irene Ryan Award for Performance for Region 3 of the American College Theatre Festival. Grace competed against 274 other contestants from Region 3, ACTF’s largest, which includes Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana. She and the seven winners from the other ACTF regions will take part in a national program at the John F. Kennedy Center this summer. Grace will work with national directors, perform at various venues in New York, and participate in a final showcase performance at the Kennedy Center. In the meantime, we can enjoy the work of these two talented seniors at Festival Playhouse this coming weekend. —Text and Photo by Mallory Zink ’15

NATURAL LIFE Screens on Kalamazoo College Campus

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A scene from "Natural Life"The documentary film “Natural Life” will be shown on Monday, February 16, at Kalamazoo College’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (ACSJL). The film focuses on juveniles who are serving life terms in prison without the possibility of parole. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. with sponsor introductions; screening of the film follows at 7 p.m. The sponsoring organizations are seeking legislative action to eliminate juvenile life sentences also for youths convicted before 2012. In addition to the ACSJL, sponsors include Amnesty International USA Group 29, Kalamazoo Metropolitan Branch NAACP, Southwest Michigan American Civil Liberties Union, and the Kalamazoo College Amnesty International Group.

In Michigan some 350 prisoners were convicted as perpetrators or accessories to capital crimes committed when they were juveniles. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In 2012 the United States Supreme Court banned such sentences as unconstitutional; nevertheless, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has held that the ruling does not apply retroactively to Michigan youths sentenced before the Supreme Court decision. The ACSJL is located at the corner of Monroe and Academy streets. The event is free and open to the public.