CAPTIMES, February 13, 1997 Artist weaves her culture into quilts Amy Reeder Staff Reporter Tina Williams Brewer spoke about how "life experi ence influence art" at her reception in the gallery lounge on Feb. 6, 1997. The nine quilts that hung on the gallery walls since Jan. 6, 1997, were filled with symbolism and strong imagination. These symbols reflect her personal life experiences as a black woman through African American history and her itage. Brewer's quilts come from a family collaboration, she said. Although the artist lacks knowledge of her African American history, she said her husband John Brewer is very knowledgeable in it. She does the design for the quilts and John con- tributes the historical side. Her works are differ - ent from traditional American quilts. They are wall hangings made up of col lage and fabric that is often hand dyed. Brewer said her inspiration comes from music and poetry "What I hear, what I feel, what I see, is in my quilts." The artist who is a native of Huntington, Va., provided a slide show to demonstrate her success in her 14 years of quilting. Although her mother discouraged her from art school, Brewer graduated from Columbus College of Art and Design with a degree in advertising and merchandis ing. She has grown from that into a fiber artist who tell stories through her quilts. "I live this, art comes from passion." Brewer said when she was told by a col lege professor that to be a good artist you need to believe Brewer has believed this since the very beginning when she started making dolls out of scrap fabric. She worked with what she already had. Technique was a problem Brewer said until she quilted "Out of the Blue" - a quilt about her family. She said she then began to loosen up to feel more like herself adding beads and sequence to her works. "The Harvest" Brewer said, "was a hard quilt to do in terms of emotion." This was a quilt that was made for her daughter about slavery. "Africans weren't comfortable talking about slavery," she said This is a quilt that she did about sur vival and a memory of what people brought. "People brought a culture, a dignity, Kings and Queens." She explains this cul ture in her quilt "She has Red" which was made in honor of her grandmother who died three years ago. The mostly red quilt displays another quality of Brewer's work- vibrant ro 1- " We don't wear red," her grandmother told her. "Slaves were captured when they wore red." The artist said she questioned why we are alway accepting things because they are told to us. She said she wanted to change the idea of the color red into a positive reflection of birth and moving forward for the twenty first century. Brewer's quilts can be seen in various places throughout the nation. Her work was removed from the gallery lounge after the artist reception. Dr. King and Malcom X brought together in "The Meeting" Deb Mallek Staff Reporter Martin Luther King Day was celebrated at Penn State Harrisburg on Monday, Jan. 20, with a performance sponsored by the Black Student Union. "The Meeting" was performed by the P in Points Theatre group and is based on an imaginary meeting between civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King and black Muslim leader Malcolm X. "The Meeting" is the brainchild of playwright Jeff Stetson, who received a Alousi B. Mayer Award for outstanding achievement in play writing, eight 1987 NAACP Theatre Awards, including Best Play and Best Writer, and six New York AUDELCO nominations. The work has been produced throughout the United States and Europe. NEWS Members of the Pin Points Theatre group, featur ing Ersky Freeman as Malcolm X, J im Lucas as Dr. King, and Mark Anderson as Malcolm X's bodyguard Rachad, put on an outstanding show. The production drew such a large crowd, that i t became necessary to feed video of the performance into an adjacent room for those who could not find a seat in the overcrowded auditorium The subjects of the play are still controversial Dr. Martin Luther King was a Baptist Minister by vocation, and a civil rights activist by obligation. He created and sup- ported his own strategy of a non-violent movement for change based on the teachings of Indian leader Mahatma Ghandi. He warned his scep tics: "We will wear you down with our capacity to love." King's philosophy of About 65 students tested their luck at the roulette wheel and the black jack table at Las Vegas Night Jan. 22 in the Dining Commons. The Cabaret Event - sponsored by the Student Government Association (SGA) - was planned to provide entertainment and enhance campus life Students turned in play money for chips, and although winning at the tables was just for fun, door prizes were given away throughout the evening. Those prizes were donated by various cain- pus clubs, organizations, and the bookstore Faculty, staff and resi- dent students were the deal- ers, and SGA advisor Janet Widoff, and Director of Housing and Food Services Jo Ann Coleman served as "mocktail" waitresses SGA reported a posi- five response to the event and hopes to have another casino night next year "The Meeting" was performed by Pin Points Theatre Jan. 20 in the Auditorium. The work, by Jeff Stetson, presented a fictitious encounter with Martin Luther King and Malcom X. peaceful change was so respected that it earned him the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1964. Dr. King was mur dered on April 4, 1968 at the age of 39 as he stood on a motel balcony in Memphis, Tennessee. Born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, he embraced the Black Muslim movement, and in 1952 took the name Malcolm X. Muslim Minister, and was known as the leading spokesman for Black Muslims to the "outside world." Malcolm X used inter- national forums to organize self-defense, educational and political programs for African people. He believed in a sepa ratist philosophy. Malcolm X asserted that his credo, "Freedom by any means nec essary," was no more violent than American political WPSH airs new radio show and Chris" Christopher R. Stotz Staff Reporter Penn State Harrisburg's (PSII) radio sta tion WPSH 630 AM will never be the same Show," starring senior Chris Foltz and junior Chris Stotz - myself - airs three days dur ing the week and provides listeners with an earfulL That is, an earful of interest ing talk and a few good songs. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, "Chris and Chris" cover current, national issues and important campus events from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Along with all of the interesting conversation there will be good music and even a weather forecast or Wednesday nights from 8:30 p.m to 10:30 p.m., listeners will get a more spicey version of "The Chris and Chris Show' as the dis- cussion will focus on issues concerning the personal lives of PSI! students including human sexuality and the debate of Generation "X." In studio guests are being scheduled at this point and prove to provide very interesting conversation. The goal of the show is to get the students inter ested in WPSH. I hope that we get people to call in dur- He became a Black "The Chris and Chris leader Patrick Henry's, "Give me liberty, or give me death." Actor/playwright Ersky Freedman founded Pin Points in 1978 with the pro duction of "1001 Black Inventions." The group's mission is to utilize art to educate and "edu-fain," and to entertain - serve as an employment and training platform for both accomplished and aspiring artists GIVE TO THE UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND. A Mind Is A Terrible Thing lb ‘X,tste. IMA Public S•rv.• al Th. PubliCabOA lI N, "Chris ing our show so we can put them on the air and get many different viewpoints on many different issues. "Chris and Chris" encourage on-air phon call s and hope that during all three shows they get some interest from the student body. "Our first show, which aired on January 30, focused on the introduction of the new WPSII and we interviewed Kelly Quinn, our new station manager. I think listeners then knew that our show is going to take WPSH to a new level in radio and I hope that they begin to take the station seriously," said Chris Foltz. The show is always open to suggestions and encourages comments. So, when you see us in the hall- way, don't hesitate to go up to them and let them know what you want to hear or what you want them to talk about. Requests are welcome so call 948-6395 - live while we're on the air We aim to please. "Chris and Chris" urge you to listen and see what is really going on around the Capital Campus and the world around you. I t's worth the 1 isten. or go
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers