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Art, Movies, Lit, Theater, Ozark Poets & Writers Collective

OPWC: Clayton Scott

No Comments 26 January 2012

Staff Report

Courtesy Photo: The Ozark Writers and Poets Collective's poetry reading at Night Bird Books on Dickson in Fayetteville begins at 7 PM, Tues., Jan. 31. An open mic will precede and follow

Former Fayetteville Poet Laureate, Clayton Scott, will bring some heat to the OPWC’s poetry reading at Nightbird Books on Jan. 31.

Author and former UA creative writing chairwoman, Molly Giles said of an earlier poetry performance by Scott, “I was blown away. His performance poetry is electrifying! His stage presence was professional and thoroughly compelling. I go to a lot of readings, have seen hundreds of writers, but no one has ever impressed me more than Clayton Scott.”

With an MFA in creative writing and with vast experience as an award-winning slam/performance poet, Scott brings a blend of wordsmith excellence and performance intensity to the stage. Scott, who resides in Fayetteville, delivers hard-hitting, thought-provoking poetry with an arsenal of variety — humor, mystery, drama or whimsical metaphor.

He is a master cinematographer of poetic narrative. His poetry show is like a one-man theatre of poetry, weaving one story after another. Steve Young, of the Poetry Foundation, says of Scott’s poetry, “Clayton Scott is a gifted storyteller, whose eye and ear for vivid detail illustrate Faulkner’s theme of an ever-present past. Yet it is through his poetry, and their call to the listener’s imagination, that brings us all to life, in that we grow larger and big enough to hold something beyond us.”

In describing his own work, Scott says, “My styling is strong visual narrative with a mix of provocative metaphorical spoken word. Audiences typically enjoy my work because of its engaging accessibility. In other words, my stories in poetry make it easy for the listener to join me in a sensory carnival of visual language.”

Beyond being a poet/playwright, Scott is a teaching artist, and has brought poetry and slam poetry to more than 150,000 students in classrooms and auditoriums throughout Arkansas and beyond.

The following is an excerpt from his poem, Language of Rain:
Something about rain on tin talks to a man, rain pelting down
on the top of the barn so hard at times he can’t hear himself holler, and then turns soft-fall like finger tips tapping. Makes the mind free to think; provides background music for the lyric of discovery and blank pages, pens the heart to hear what teachers in the wind have to say.

The Ozark Poets and Writers Collective’s poetry reading at Nightbird Books on Dickson in Fayetteville begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31. An open mic will precede and follow Clayton Scott’s featured poetry presentation.

Art, Movies, Lit, Theater, Events

2012: Cinematic Nerd Odyssey

No Comments 19 January 2012

By Blair Jackson

This is for all you lovers of sci-fi and fantasy. Whether you’re taking your lady or guy on a date or wanting to enjoy an afternoon matinee solo, TFW has compiled a list of the nerdiest, ahem, most anticipated, movies of the year.

Courtesy Photo: The fourth installment of the "Underworld" series releases this weekend (Jan. 20). You can expect mad scientists, leather-clad vamps and behemoth werewolves.

JANUARY
“Underworld: Awakening” (1/20)

In a magical time span between “Buffy” and “Twilight,” there evolved a different breed of vampire — the badass, bloodthirsty creatures who wear leather dusters and kick major ass. Kate Beckinsale is back for the fourth flick as Selene, who audiences last saw walking into the sunlight in “Evolution.” (Note: Before “The Twilight Saga,” it was common knowledge any vampire would be burned to a crisp in the sunlight; so Selene’s evolution into a day walker is a pretty big deal. )

After the third installment of the series, the plot is moving forward, melding science and fantasy fiction together in a Frankenstein type scenario. “Underworld: Awakening” reveals a lab experiment designed to create a vampire-lycan hybrid, and judging by the website, the hybrid is one ridiculous CGI.

It’s a good thing Selene is a serious badass or this movie would pass under my Nerdar completely. Regardless of having mediocre expectations for the movie, I do plan to rent the first three movies and go to the show next week — during the day at a discounted rate.

FEBRUARY
“Star Wars: Episode I” in 3D (2/10)

Hold on to your seats, boys and girls: All six Star Wars movies will be re-released — on the same

Courtesy Photo: Pod races and light saber battles in 3D! Thank you, Mr. Lucas. To be released Feb. 10.

date, for the next five years. As excited as I am about seeing Episodes I-III in 3D, the real excitement is in seeing the original three on the big screen for the first time. Reportedly, George Lucas is overseeing the conversion of the original movies into their 3D versions.

MARCH
“The Hunger Games” (3/23)

Based on a teen novel featuring themes of self-preservation in a post-apocalyptic world, “The Hunger Games” is a must watch (or a must read). Young people are forced to participate in a televised game in which they rely on audience approval as well as their skills and alliances to survive as they are pitted against one another in a fight to the death.

APRIL
“Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World” (4/20)

Steve Carell and Keira Knightley are scheduled to star in this romantic comedy about the behavior of individuals in the face of the demise of humanity. Carell seeks out Knightly, his high school sweetheart, after his wife leaves him.

MAY

Take your pick 1)“Battleship” (5/18), a science fiction movie in which a naval fleet battles alien spacecraft or 2) “The Avengers” (5/4) in which Captain America, Thor, The Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Iron Man come together to save the world. It seems a bit overdone at this point, but for die-hard Marvel fans, there is no choice.

JUNE

Two re-imagined fairy tales are scheduled to release this month: “Snow White and the Huntsman” (6/1) and “Jack the Giant Killer” (6/15). The cinematography and cast of both movies looks promising.
I expect “Prometheus” (6/8) to be the science fiction blockbuster of the year. Scientists searching for DNA linked to the space jockey creature ( made famous in the 1979 movie “Alien”) travel to a distant planet that “tests their physical and mental limits” according to the official plot synopsis. The plot will also present answers to the mysteries of life — quite the bold statement.

JULY
“The Dark Knight Rises” (7/20)

The conclusion to the most recent Batman series will feature Bane and Catwoman as the villains. Bane is remembered from the comics for breaking Batman’s back, and the Nolan brothers intend for him to represent a menacing archetype of brute strength paired with intelligence, presenting Batman with his greatest challenge to date. With the phenomenal success of “The Dark Knight,” fans will need to buy their tickets in advance. I, for one, will be at the midnight showing, just as I was in 2008.

AUGUST

“ParaNorman” 8/17

From the animated studios that created “Coraline” comes “ParaNorman,” a story about a boy who can speak with the dead. He must battle the paranormal to save his town from a curse. It looks like a spooky, good time.

SEPTEMBER

“Resident Evil: Retribution” (9/14)
Alice is still at it. Audiences can’t seem to get enough of a zombie apocalypse angle paired with the corporate greed of mad scientists. Alice, a genetically altered superhuman who harbors a lust for revenge, is the Umbrella Corporation’s embarrassing reminder that experimenting on humans can backfire. Fans can expect zombies to be a little more cognitive in this movie, thanks to the Las Plagas parasite, and they may even drive motorcycles, smoke cigarettes or do a Scarface impersonation with a machine gun. Who knows?

OCTOBER

Sorry, no nerdy movies this month. You can go see “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” in 3D.

NOVEMBER
“Gravity” (11/21)

George Clooney and Sandra Bullock are scheduled to star in this action adventure movie that follows two astronauts as they attempt to make it back to earth after an avalanche of asteroids damages their ship and kills their companions. Alfonso Cuaron, who brought audiences “Children of Men” in 2006, is directing the flick.

Courtesy Photo: The prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy is scheduled to release Dec. 14. Martin Freeman from "The Office" (British version) is playing the role of Bilbo Baggins.

DECEMBER

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” (12/14)
Bilbo Baggins and his companions will face trolls, goblins, giant spiders and a dragon. This movie promises to be just as action-packed as the trilogy without the political or romantic drama. A tale of camaraderie, bravery and wit, “The Hobbit” is a classic for all ages. Don’t miss it.

“World War Z” (12/21)
Based on the novel by Max Brooks (who also wrote “The Zombie Survival Guide”), “World War Z” portrays the zombie apocalypse in the reports of a UN official, that, when pieced together, create a social portrait of America. For those ladies who aren’t super crazy about zombies, Brad Pitt plays the lead character!
*Release dates may be subject to change.

Art, Movies, Lit, Theater, Entertainment Review, Events

It’s A Wonderful Life

No Comments 15 December 2011

An Exercise in Adaptation

By Blair Jackson
TFW Editor

Robert Ford’s stage adaptation of Frank Capra’s classic film “It’s a Wonderful Life” both suffers and succeeds in its limited cast and setting. In addition to the monumental challenge of recreating a beloved Christmas classic, the TheatreSquared’s stage production of “It’s a Wonderful Life” relies on a scant, seven-member cast and a small-scale, stationary backdrop. Supported by a strong script and phenomenal talent, the play excels within these limitations.

Adaptation is the key element of this play. Ford’s script serves as a wonderful adaptation to the screen version of the 1946 classic. With only seven cast members to represent a town of characters, the actors and actresses adapt fluidly to different roles as they transition between characters, costume and scene.

After 65 years of the classic film’s cultural influence, the largest challenge for this production is that it relies on the audience to adapt its expectations of the story and its presentation

In the opening scenes of the play, Coleman Ray Clark acts as George Bailey’s son, Pete. After a flurry of repositioning — banishing the Christmas tree, rolling in a counter and carrying in a few stools — Clark appears in the next scene as a young George Bailey, working as a shop boy in Mr. Gower’s store.

Audiences who are unprepared or unfamiliar with multirole performances within a single play will need time to familiarize themselves with the different faces and characters of the story. Five of the cast members switch between several different roles (sometimes within the same scene), but the fixed characters of George and Mary Bailey (Andrew Dahl and Sabrina Veroczi) serve as anchoring reference points for the audience.

Cast members also serve as stagehands by adding and removing props to prepare for the next scene. The repositioning of a table, the addition of a bench, the removal of a buffet — it all happens in front of the audience and is done with such precision and swiftness there is little time to consider the changes in setting before the next scene launches.

The methods of multirole performance and blatant scenery shifts produce two opposing effects. On one hand, there is the sense of fluttering, organized chaos, and in the first half of the play, this method borders on overwhelming as George’s life is chronicled through various scenes. Fluctuating roles paired with the repositioning of props carries the potential for confusion.

However, the script excels at using indicators in dialogue to alleviate the strain of identifying a face with a name. After a few scenes, the audience is able to trust the experience, relying on the characters to identify one another by name and thus taking the guesswork out of the transition of roles.

Once comfortable with the rotating roles and the shifting scenery, the audience can begin to appreciate the talent and skill of the actors and actresses who are portraying multiple characters. Kristopher M. Stoker, credited only as “Man #1” plays at least six different characters. Bryce Kemph (Man #2) plays seven. Kathy Legelin plays eight female characters, and young performers Sarah Behrend-Wilcox and Coleman Ray Clark play a range of characters that even include adult roles.

In one of Kemph’s scenes as Nick the bartender, a beefy roughneck with a thick Northern accent, he steps offstage and re-enters as Mr. Gower, a stooping drunkard who is ridiculed by the bar patrons. After Mr. Gower leaves the bar, he throws off his overcoat in full-view of the audience and re-enters the bar as Nick. The transformation is a testament to the method of multirole portrayal, and by allowing the audience to witness this transformation, Ford emphasizes the story’s own transformation from film to theater.

To take “It’s a Wonderful Life” and reproduce it on a big-production stage with an enormous cast would be little more than recreating the film experience. What Ford and the actors of this production have created is a brilliant mini-production that encompasses the scope of an entire town of characters. The seven members of the cast deliver a true reimagining of the story by demanding the audience lend a bit of its imagination to the experience.

Though the emotion and drama of the original story is diluted by a deluge of technique in the first half, the play’s second half offers a more streamlined approach to production, relying more on lighting changes and dialogue to indicate changes in scenery — a welcomed break from the whirling scenery shifts of the back-story. The play moves forward at a pace that mirrors George’s frantic desire to return to the life he considered ending, keeping the emotion and drama taught with expectation until those final, familiar lines:

Zuzu Bailey: Look, Daddy. Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.
George Bailey: That’s right, that’s right.
George Bailey: Attaboy, Clarence.

Ozark Poets & Writers Collective

Gabrielle Idlet

1 Comment 17 November 2011

By Ginny Massulo

Contributing Writer

When Gabrielle Idlet steps up to the Ozark Poets and Writers’ mic at Nightbird Books at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 29, she’ll read from her wild yet accessible prose.

Idlet teaches at Northwest Arkansas Community College and has been an adjunct professor at Yeshiva University and the Polytechnic Institute in New York since graduating from the University of Arkansas’ MFA creative writing program in 2005. She holds numerous writing credits in nonfiction, film and fiction. One of her stories was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

The writing life came both hard and honestly to Idlet. Her father and beat poet John Thomas read to her widely and talked deeply to her about philosophy and art. He also subjected her to a life so full of squalor and abuse that she dropped out of high school at age 15 and went to work in order to live on her own.

Inspired by the nonlinear language of Bob Dylan in the 1980s, Idlet began to write poetry herself.

“His words reflected the chaotic experience of my life,” she said. It was then that she realized she didn’t want to turn 50 and find herself still waiting tables. She wanted to write.

Through personal effort and the guidance of an extraordinary high school counselor, she obtained her GED through a program at Los Angeles Community College. She then made her way to Antioch College in Ohio where she says, “I found my people,” which is to say creative self-starters. It was there that her philosophy for life, writing and teaching were honed.

“I tend to think of all work as service. I want my writing to companion people or to shake them up in a way that is useful.”

Sustaining that goal, Idlet has worked with homeless teens in New York’s Street Work Project and for the Sundance Institute, where she helped develop a fellowship for writers. She is known in Fayetteville for her private writing classes. One of her students, Barbara Jaquish, says, “Gabrielle is a generous teacher who shows her students how to appreciate their own work as well as the work of others. I’m often surprised at what’s produced in response to her timed writing prompts. When she says ‘two more minutes to go,’ the most amazing things bubble out.” For more information, contact Idlet at gidlet@gmail.com.

An open mic, with a four-minute time limit for each participant, precedes and follows Idlet. The Brick House Kafe continues to offer some of the best spirits and creative food in town.

Art, Movies, Lit, Theater

Refinding and Redefining American Art

No Comments 10 November 2011

By Blair Jackson

The art world is buzzing in light of this week’s opening of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. Featuring artists from the eras of American history, the museum is also showcasing the work of one local artist, not on its walls, but on the shelves of its gift shop.

When Sean O’Dell received a call from Crystal Bridges, he thought the museum had mistaken him for someone else. Recruited from the First Thursday’s Art Walk program, O’Dell will now be selling his unique accessories and furnishings to the visitors of the world-class museum.

Working from his home studio in Fayetteville, O’Dell incorporates vintage items into accessories and furnishings. Each piece is functional and funky; and more importantly, each piece is repurposed. O’Dell’s first piece now serves as his kitchen table. His inspiration came from two signs he found in Kansas City that hung below a billboard for years. In red and white lettering, one sign reads “6 Miles” and the other reads “Clean Restroom.” The edges are worn and the paint is chipped, but there is charm in the table’s quirky message and the bold color palette.

His creative interest in accessories was piqued during a trip to Australia where he found a cool, functional wallet. “Why don’t guys have cool wallets?” he asked himself, and the question sparked a series of wallets made of nontraditional materials. Using the thick tracks of tire tread, O’Dell made his first wallet. The artist was forced to rethink the project when he realized the material was too bulky to stay folded in a pocket.

O’Dell rebounded, using the rubber of the tire wall instead, and recycled the tire tread on the bottom of purses. The Refinding line now boasts wallets made of trading cards and footballs. The nontraditional materials of his accessories appeal to an array of people: those who are passionate about reusing, consumers who oppose animal products, and fans of Nascar racing and pop culture. A pile of torn Converse sneakers sits on his worktable. To most people, the pieces would appear to be junk, but the finished products — a Converse wristband and coasters made of the soles — are spunky reincarnations of the original product.

The great Renaissance artist Michelangelo is said to have envisioned figures within marble slabs, and O’Dell sees a future within the castoffs of pop culture: trading cards, boxes and road signs are some of the favorite elements of his work. The dining set on his front porch features a table layered in a mosaic of license plates and chairs made from passenger seats of cars. The cargo doors of a Volkswagen van stand as the doors to his TV cabinet. O’Dell says he draws inspiration from both his own creative well and the vintage pieces he finds at flea markets, junkyards and eBay. “When I get an idea, I see if I can find it,” he says.

The journey from inspiration to creation is sometimes a challenging one. O’Dell’s latest piece — a desk that uses a Chevy tailgate as the writing surface — took six months to complete. While measuring, sawing, wiring and sewing, O’Dell sometimes “gets stuck” in the process. He says it’s frustrating to have the perfect idea in theory, only to find the execution is not as simple. “I’m not an engineer,” he says.

Faced with the challenges of carpentry and engineering, O’Dell has never given up on a project. The next two Refinding projects are lamps — one made from Model A headlights and one made from flashlights — and though the sketches seem simple enough, O’Dell says he plans on wiring each flashlight to turn on individually. For now, the flashlights are in a box on his worktable next to the pile of tattered Converse sneakers.

The artist says there is something special about used items. “They’ve been somewhere,” he says. “Repurposing things makes people see things in a different way and gives them new uses.”

O’Dell’s work sparks interest in and celebration of discarded items found at flea markets and resale shops; and he enjoys sharing his vision with others. When he sells a piece, he knows his work has struck a chord with another individual, and he enjoys the positive feedback, saying, “Wow, you want this too? That’s really cool.”

Even with some of his work at the Crystal Bridges gift shop, O’Dell’s home is full of furniture for sale. He says he has no qualms about parting with his art because anything sold can be replaced with something new. “I have way more ideas in my head,” he says. Though the exposure at Crystal Bridges is an exciting opportunity for the artist, he says mass production isn’t in his sights. Part of the appeal of O’Dell’s work is that each item is one-of-a kind. It’s for fun, not made to order, so once sold, each item will be replaced with something new.

O’Dell views his relationship with Crystal Bridges pragmatically. There is no overhead, and the exposure is much higher than First Thursday on the Square. O’Dell also uses the Internet to sell his product. (Check him out at www.etsy.com/shop/dearodell or follow him on Twitter @TheRefinder.) Unless his gift shop sales skyrocket, the artist will be keeping his day job. “If I could make stuff I wanted to make full time, that would be awesome,” he says. Until then, the artist will be filling his sketch book and searching the resale shops in his free time, refinding and repurposing castoffs of America’s past.

Art, Movies, Lit, Theater, Commentary, Community, What The ... ?!!!

Was it Left to Die?

No Comments 28 October 2011

I cannot believe the Fayetteville Underground is dissolving.

Let me rephrase that, I can’t believe the board decided to dissolve the nonprofit organization when the artists were ready and willing to continue on.

Last week, I wrote an editorial about my attempts to investigate the Save the Underground Campaign. The circumstances seemed fishy then, and they seem even less copacetic now.

Last week, I was directed back to board member after board member, and everyone seemed reluctant to give too much information. Two days ago, Cathy Bass (board president) came to talk to me in person, which I appreciated very much. I expected her to put me in place, to quell my suspicions, and to make me feel ashamed for thinking the board would let the Underground fall apart.

I expected her to prove me wrong, and I wish she had.

But no, my suspicions were dead on.

CLUES: Minimal press on a fundraising campaign. A fundraising campaign that would reimburse benefactors if the goal went unmet. No announcement of possible locations. No energetic, engaging conversation about new possibilities or direction.

This leads me to believe that there was little faith invested in the success of the campaign or in the relocation of the Underground. But, considering campaign was scrapped in less than a month, I must ask the question, how dedicated were the board members to saving the Underground ?

With two grants still in place for the nonprofit prior to the decision to dissolve, it’s difficult for me to understand why the current board members wouldn’t agree to letting the artists vote in new board members, which, as far as I understand, would allow the grants to remain in application.

It’s all moot now. There’s only a certain window for questioning before it becomes redundant. The decision has been made. The Underground Artists are optimistic about the evolution of their existing community and the creation of something new, and I hope that all of Fayetteville will stand behind them as they work to build a new organization from scratch.

But I think it’s important to question the actions of people who were responsible for the success and livelihood, not only of individuals, but of a cornerstone of our artistic community.

Was is too late to save the Fayetteville Underground?

Or was it left to die?

- Correction from the print version on 10/20: The Fayetteville Underground board of directors did submit a grant to the AP commission for renovations and rent for a new location.

Art, Movies, Lit, Theater

Underground Has New Directions

No Comments 27 October 2011

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE ARTISTS AT THE FAYETTEVILLE UNDERGROUND

Fayetteville, Ar. –

The artists and the board of the Fayetteville Underground gathered last week in the Vault Gallery, for a meeting to discuss future plans of the organization. It was at this meeting that the board revealed they would be dissolving The Fayetteville Underground at the end of the year. They did not leave open the option for the artists to carry on with the current organization. After the meeting the artists stayed to discuss the news and plan for the future. A decision was made by the artists to create a new arts organization based on the current model.

Studio Artist and current Co-Artisic Director of the Fayetteville Underground, Megan Chapman, commented,

“A lot of time and energy goes into creating something as special as The Fayetteville Underground. Every studio artist, every craft artist and every visiting artist that has shown at The Underground has made it what it is today. The artists know that we can take what we have learned through our experience here, and go forward to create something new that is even more impressive and exciting for all the artists involved, as well as for the community at large.”

The November and December First Thursdays at the Fayetteville Underground will continue as planned. The artists have launched a website to help transition to a new organization, and individuals can find the website at: morphtheorg.com. The artists are also asking that community members help them select a new name, by voting online or in person at the November First Thursday. Voting will end on November 7th, and the winning name will be released the following day. As the Fayetteville Underground takes a new shape, the artists ask that the community continue their support and direct any ideas, proposals or donations to the website at: morphtheorg.com.

###

For more information, contact Megan Chapman at megancha@gmail.com or Jennifer Libby Fay at jlfay@earthlink.net.

Art, Movies, Lit, Theater, Community, News

Nonprofit Art Organization To Dissolve

2 Comments 27 October 2011

By Blair Jackson

Less than a month after launching the Save the Fayetteville Underground campaign, the board of directors has decided to dissolve the nonprofit organization. The Fayetteville Underground will participate in two more First Thursday events, but will vacate from their current location by the first of the year.

Cathy Bass, board president, says the organization was unable to find an appropriate venue to relocate, and with nowhere to go, the board made the decision to immediately scrap the fundraising campaign and officially disband on Dec. 31. She explained that losing Ted and Leslie Belden as benefactors presented the organization with an overwhelming financial challenge. “An organization like ours depends on a benefactor. Without a benefactor of that magnitude, we just can’t make the finances work.”

All of the money donated to the Save the Fayetteville Underground Campaign will be refunded to the benefactors. The AP grant, submitted by the board, has already been withdrawn. About the dissolution, Bass said, “Everyone is disappointed.”

I asked Bass what the next step would and should be for the artists, assuming they would like to continue on their own. “I can only speak for the board,” she replied. “I can’t speak for the artists.”

I reached out to an artist from the Fayetteville Underground (who wished to remain anonymous since the affiliation has not yet been severed), to find out how the artists were affected by the news.

“We were shocked. This was not the route we were foreseeing,” said the artist, referring to the meeting when the board revealed its decision. During the meeting, artists asked to keep the Fayetteville Underground intact, proposing the current board members step aside, allowing the artists to vote on new members or to rewrite the bylaws. “They were not interested in that,” the artist said of the board members. Without the Fayetteville Underground name, the artists will have to withdraw their application for the Andy Warhol grant they were hoping to receive in January. “Essentially, they shut us down,” said the artist.

Amidst the shock, the artists have begun discussing the development of a new nonprofit organization, one that will rely on the community as its benefactor. “We’ve worked too hard, and the community has been too supportive to let this fade away,” said the artist, who is optimistic about the emergence of a new coalition of artists and community members.

“… Part of reforming is really exciting. The community will have a bigger personal experience with whatever our new incarnation is.” The artists plan on reaching out to the community for more than financial donations. They hope to involve the community in the entire development process — from creating a name, to helping find the right venue, to volunteering.

In addition to building a nonprofit from scratch, the artists still have the challenge inherited from the current organization. “We have to have a space, first and foremost.” The artist says that, realistically, the new organization may have to relocated out of the downtown area, but with the possibility of nonexistence on the horizon, location is something they are willing to compromise.

Art, Movies, Lit, Theater, Commentary

Will it be Saved?

No Comments 20 October 2011

On July 14, the Fayetteville Underground announced that it was moving to a new location. The exact location was undetermined, but rumored to be a location on the square. After three months, the board of directors finally launched its official campaign to save the local gallery.

The campaign has, thus far, consisted only of a press release, posters, fliers and an addition to their website that allows the community to make donations to the nonprofit organization.
My first week as editor of The Free Weekly sent me to the First Thursday gathering on the downtown square. When I wandered into the Fayetteville Underground for the first time, I was engaged and enthralled with the gallery. Unlike other galleries and museums I’d been to — the Louvre, the Uffizi, the Met — the Fayetteville Underground featured artists who mingled with spectators, who worked down the road from me, who were available and willing to discuss their projects, passions and processes.

I met a few of them — painters, photographers, textile artists — and the energy of their workspace and community made the experience intimate and invigorating. I saw the art on the wall as an extension of a creative, expressive community.

In light of the Save the Underground Campaign, I attempted to investigate the details behind the move. Why were they moving? Where were they moving? Why the $50,000 limit? I have attempted to contact four members of the board, and was deferred from one contact to another and was left wondering — Why does no one want to talk about this?

I went to the Underground, searching for answers. The artists were unable to share any information with me, simply saying they had been told to defer any inquiries to the board of directors. I asked if there was an artist who represented them on the board of directors. “No,” is the answer I received.

As a journalist, it is especially frustrating to encounter a block in information, especially in a situation as sensitive as this, where people’s livelihoods hang in the balance.
There is a very real possibility that the Fayetteville Underground will dissolve on Dec. 15 — the deadline for the $50,000.

I spoke to Greg Mack, who is the treasurer for the Underground who informed me that the $50,000 is the necessary amount of funding needed for the rent and renovations of the desired space. If that goal is not met by the deadline, all of the money will be returned to the donators. He said fundraisers were in the works, and that a grant had been submitted to the city’s advertising and promotion commission.

There are still many questions left unanswered.

Perhaps the board of directors is confident that the community will fund the Underground, but with less than two months left, less than $10,000 has been raised in donations. Crystal Bridges is opening in less than a month, and Fayetteville is already sizing up Bentonville as serious cultural competition. Losing the Underground would be a heavy hit to local artists, the First Thursday event and the cultural appeal of our city.

I encourage everyone who cares about this situation to not only donate but to reach out to the directors of the board as well as the artists — to offer ideas and support to truly work together to save the Fayetteville Underground. Visit fayettevilleunderground.com for more information.

Art, Movies, Lit, Theater

Mark Dion: Process and Inquiry

No Comments 13 October 2011

By Rachel Birdsell
Contributing Writer

If we are to believe the Oxford dictionary, art is defined as “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.” That definition isn’t necessarily black and white. An even grayer area is what defines “good” art. Whether a piece of art is good or bad is highly subjective and what may be rubbish to me, may be the most stunning thing you’ve ever laid eyes on.

I recently had the opportunity to explore my own definition of good art at the University of Arkansas’ new exhibition of works by international artist, Mark Dion. On opening day, I elbowed my way through a sea of rabid fans — who were anticipating the Razorback’s face-off with Auburn — and finally made it to the Fine Arts building.

I was eager to see what fine gift Dion had bestowed upon the art aficionados of Northwest Arkansas. The show was entitled Mark Dion: Process and Inquiry. The first thing I noticed when I entered the gallery, was what I can only describe as a rolling cart with windows and drawers. It looked like something from which Heidi would vend deep-fried Swiss cheese at a theme park. (If you can imagine the type of crappy theme park that would have Heidi peddling deep-fried Swiss cheese balls.) The cart is the artist’s vision of what a supply cart should be for the park rangers in Komodo National Park in Indonesia.

The cheese mobile/supply cart had a couple of rows of books on one side, white buckets, rolls of safety orange tape and a variety of other mundane objects that park rangers might need on the other side. The drawers were also full of items that were indispensable to park rangers — calculators, glue and colored pencils. (Where would park rangers be without colored pencils?) Another drawer held a stock of over-the-counter medicine and first aid supplies. Among the supplies were bottles of generic pink tummy coating medicine for when you’ve had too much chili, or perhaps for when you’ve just stumbled across a cart of school supplies that is being touted as art.

Another installment was a mustard yellow, canvas tarp laid on the floor that was covered with hand tools, a green steel thermos, a bright red flashlight and wooden boxes of books and more school supplies. Maybe the magic markers that were scattered in the brass-bound box were symbolic of something that was too deep for me to comprehend. Perhaps the large black binder clips symbolized how middle class America is bound by government and the green fishing net with the long wooden handle represented the corporations that want to snare us in their net of greed. Or, maybe they were just some BS bits and pieces on a canvas tarp.

The remainder of the exhibit was just as underwhelming. There were shelves filled with stacks of papers, a cabinet of drawers with architectural wooden pieces stacked on top, a couple of pith helmets under glass and a display cabinet with a microscope in it. I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you about the glass-enclosed alligator display. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a live alligator which would have definitely been more exciting. Instead, it was a glass-enclosed bookshelf that was packed with alligator figurines, tacky alligator souvenirs and postcards. It looked like something that would be in your grandma’s house, if your grandma is a nutty old woman who has an alligator obsession.

There are some who think that Mark Dion’s work is innovative, astounding and awe-inspiring. He’s won multiple awards for his art. He’s had major exhibitions in places like the Museum of Modern Art in New York. I’m sure there are scores of people who flock to his displays and marvel at the profundity of office supplies and cheap tools, all while cursing their too tight skinny jeans and constantly adjusting their large framed ’80s glasses. Others of us will scratch our heads and wonder how the hell Dion’s work is considered to be good art.

If we go back to the Oxford definition of art, I’m not sure that I would qualify Mark Dion’s work as art. It was boring, uncreative and the only reaction I had was WTF? It was most definitely a non-emotional, blasé WTF. If you’d like to test your own reaction, you can catch Dion’s display at the Fine Arts Building on the UA campus through Nov. 18.

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