arts At,,,:,,,-,.;• • , ili'''''':7, '.*: '''':-.'4:.! ' AeN ! ".!:, i ... . , i 44 . ' ::.„.." .- . V , - „ ~.t.t.e,r.:.- ,-- 4 l"4"4"''' :4447,,..:.;...,',51 '... . -' ' 4,4'4 `,l ''''''''''-' i t;4" : '.:' cX, ~. Renowned artist Benny Andrews (second from right) was one of the featured panel speakers on Saturday at the Paul discuss the development of a uniquely Afro-American consciousness that holds universal artistic significance. All of Robeson Cultural Center concerning Black artistry and its influences. Artists from around the country gathered to the people Involved in the symposium have their art work displayed at the Museum of Art. Symposium examines Black artistry over last 60 years By ELIZABETH A. FRANK Collegian Arts Writer Historic, spiritual and enlighten ing are just a few of the words used to describe reactions to the Since the Harlem Renaissance symposium that took place this weekend at the Paul Robeson Cultural Center. The event was sponsored through a grant from the Equal Opportunity Planning Committee and co-spon sored by the Museum of Art, the Paul Robeson Cultural Center and the Black Studies program. Held in conjunction with the Since the Harlem Renaissance: 50 Years of Afro-American Art exhibit at the Museum of Art, the symposium brought scholars, artists, museum curators, students and art lovers from all over the United States to participate. "Why is it after 60 years we're still mounting surveys of Black American art?" asked executive director of the Studio Museum in Harlem Mary Schmidt Campbell at Bearden: Black art is U.S. art By VICTORIA JAFFE Collegian Arts Writer Black artist Romare Bearden doesn't want to relegate Afro- American art's impact to just Black culture. Black art is Ameri can art, Bearden told a group of reporters last Friday at the Mu seum of Art. Bearden is an internationally acclaimed American artist and the current director of New York's Cinque Gallery. He visited the University as part of the weekend symposium, Since the Harlem Re naissance.. . . This "Renais sance" took place in the 1920 s when people came from the south to Harlem for more economic op portunities. This influx of people brought ideas and fostered an ar tistic community. "What hadn't been in Harlem before then was now blooming," Bearden said. Bearden sees his art work and that of the other contributing art ists- as an important aspect of American cultural expression. In the United States after you have spent about two generalions here, "you are part New Englander, ~~.~.._ the keynote speech Friday evening. Campbell said she saw the exhibit when it was being mounted at the College of Old Westbury and thought it was both important and beautiful. "How compelling the images are," she said. But, she added, a kind of "cultural apartheid" exists that keeps Black American artists from being includ ed in general surveys of American art. Campbell said she has very mixed feelings about exhibits like this be cause it perpetuates that attitude. Referring to the recurrent images in Afro-American art she asked: "Where do these visions come from? What's kept them alive?" Campbell said if this exhibit can bring about this kind of inquiry she's in favor of it. All of the artists who participated in the symposium are represented in the exhibit. One of the most inter esting and exciting aspects of the symposium was getting to hear first-hand accounts of what it was like to be a part of the New Negro part Westerner, part Indian and part Black," Bearden said. Bearden himself grew up in Har lem and became part of the cultu rally rich community there. Now 71 years old (though he looks att least ten years younger) Bearden is a very straight-forward and personable man. He said that he is creating more art now than ever before, citing the murals that he is painting for Howard University and a Social Security building in. Long Island, N.Y. His advice for young aspiring artists is to work hard and try to find your own way. All art work expresses the time in which it was done and makes a social comment, not a political statement, he said. His own work is on display on the second and third floors of the Museum of Art. One of the paint ings, The Rites of Spring, a 1967 collage and mixed- media work is a depiction of a gardener friend he knew in the '6os who was "con cerned with growing things," he explained. His cubist rendering shows a woman giving a leafy bundle of plants to a man as a peace-offering. Movement from the Harlem Renais- sance on The first panel, The Harlem Re naissance, included artist David Driskell, Edmund B. Gaither, direc tor and curator of the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Art in Boston and David Levering Lewis, author and professor of histo ry at Howard University and Rutg ers University where he was named Martin Luther King, Jr., professor of history. Manhattan Community College professor of art Michael Chisolm moderated. Gaither said the New Negro Movement in the '2os was bigger than the Harlem Renais sance, although Harlem saw itself as the center of the movement. He explained that he sees the art of that period as part of a social movement because art objects are best understood in their historical context. The 20th century, black ur ban community began in the '2os when Blacks migrated to the cities from rural communities. Blacks who moved to New York met a whole new body of Black people, alike yet different than themselves, Count Basie orchestra provides some shinin• moments though songs are obscure at times By DIANE D. DIPIERO Collegian Arts Writer I'm a music lover, not a music critic. Thus, I can't tell you when a piano is slightly off-key or when a trumpet misses one note. I know when music is enjoyable, though, and I can tell you that the World Famous Count Basie Orchestra was entertaining: It had a good beat and• "you could dance to it." But I couldn't give it the highest rating, simply because the band didn't play enough songs that everyone could recognize. concert review The Basie Orchestra's Saturday night concert was presented by the Artists Series, Center for the Per forming Arts and the Harlem Re naissance Symposium a series of that redefined the black experience, he said. Levering agreed with Gaither's social emphasis. The first panel stressed that the Harlem Renaissance brought about a sympathetic portrayal of Blacks and legitimized the Black theme. African themes as well as the daily life of Black people became subjects of Black artists. Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Cat lett and Ernest Crichlow were the artists who participated in the.sec ond panel Afro-American Art of the 1940 s and 19505. Catlett is a sculptor and printmak er who still lives in Mexico. She described herself as 1. Black 2. a woman and 3. a sculptor. "I didn't write a speech. I'm a sculptor," she said, "not a public speaker." She described her experience of having to get special permission to bus in her students from Prairies ville University in Texas to see a Picasso Retrospective in 1940. The exhibit took place in an art museum in New Orleans thar was off 7 limits to Blacks. It was the first time most of her students had ever seen a events highlighting Afro-American contributions to American culture. It's great to know that the memory of one of America's greatest jazz composers and musicians lives on in musical form. Full of verve and wit not to mention fabulous talent the band featured upbeat versions of Basie greats such as "One O'clock Jump" and "Around about Midnight." However, guitarist Freddie Green announced the songs before the audience stopped applauding, mak ing it difficult to catch all the names and be sure they were Basie songs. "Moonlight Becomes You" and "The Good Time Blues" featured the outstanding brass section. But the songs weren't popular enough for all audience members to stop and say, "Ah, yes, I like that tune." There are other boogie numbers that v)ould have brought the whole audience into the picture. Still, how can you deny this group any praise? Danny House's alto sax museum. "Some people are still working under the same conditions in the south," she said. Commitment, support and a com mon purpose were the three things that characterized the artists of that period, she said. Her sculpture Tired is a Black woman sitting down with an exhausted look on her face. Artist Ernest Critchlow likened the artistic atmosphere of the '4os and the 'sos to the '6os. He said warmth, caring and concern were evident during the '4os and 'sos,in an interracial environment that includ ed visual artists, musicians and writers. He said that art is like a great pie: It's not all black or white, you put your piece into it and don't try to be like others. "Don't copy draw things from your own experience." Margaret Taylor Burroughs par ticipated in the 1960 s panel. She said in the '6os "Blacks held up a mirror to America and said we're Black and we're beautiful. Look what you've done to me. Americans and Africans must be free." solo during "Franii'ie and Johnny" was so smooth, it seemed too easy. A tall, husky Bob Ojeda held his trumpet as though it were a child's toy. But he put incredible power into his solos. Behind him, the other band members cheered him on. "Keep it up, Bob." "All right, man." The piano player wiped a handkerchief across his forehead as Ojeda held his notes with strength. It was nice to watch old pros enjoying themselves on stage. Trumpet player Sonny Cohn smiled through the whole performance and gave a shy grin to the audience after his excellent solos. The highlight of the evening, though, was bassist Lynn Se.4ton's wild scat singing a series of strange noises combining the voices of Louis Armstrong and Animal on The Muppets. The piano player laughed so hard he lost his place, and the audience ate it up. The performance's weak spot was vocalist Carmen Bradford. She The Daily Collegian Monday, Oct. 7, 1985 Social themes dominated the '6os, and Jeff Donaldson, William Walker and other Black artists took art to the people when they received no academic recognition. They created a wall of art on adjacent buildings in Chicago with The Wall of Respect. The last panel dealt with the con temporary scene. Benny Andrews, a panel member, characterized the present as a time when Black artists are much less visible. "They're si lently waiting behind closed doors to be ready when society opens up again," he said. Black artists, though, are becoming more a part of the selection process in exhibits, Andrews said. Panelist Lowery S. Sims, historian and associate cura tor of 20th century art at the Metro politan Museum said that Black women are making personal statements through performance art. For example, artist Lorraine O'Grady crashed a New York open ing to which she was not invited in a dress made entirely out of white gloves and a Miss America-style banner that said "Mademoiselle Bourgeoisie Noire." sweetly performed "Am I Blue?" and "My Funny Valentine." But her 'voice was too weak to project through the entire auditorium, and often her words were garbled be hind the microphone. "Were you expecting Lena Home?" a man in leaving Eisenhower Auditorium asked his disappointed wife. Not really, but it seems that such a highly acclaimed band would fea ture a more powerful singer. It would have been to the ensemble's advantage to feature Bradford at the beginning of the second set, and then gone back to swinging instru mentals. Despite the setbacks, the Basie Orchestra was a hit with the audi ence, and received two standing ovations. Talent abounds in this group, and the members exemplify the fun that the Count himself must have experienced on stage. But they say there's nothing like the real thing, and the Basie Orchestra, just lacks something that certainly its founder must have possessed. 'King Lear': Play one of several presentations given by British actors By JENNIFER EDWARDS Collegian Arts Writer A little bit of England will come to the University this week when five actors from the London stage arrive for a week long series of perfor mances. Sponsored by the Artists Series, Center for the Performing Arts, Penn State's Institute for the Arts and Humanistic Studies and the departments of English, theater and film, the group will be doing two shows of King Lear as well as one performance of Pinter This Evening, which focuses on the work and life of modern British playwright Harold Pinter. play prestory The five actors Sheila Allen, John Burgess, Julian Glover, Pippa Guard and David Rintoul have worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre in London, and are now associated with ACTER, the Association for Creative Theatre, Education and Research. Through ACTER, several prominent actors from the London stage go to different university campuses and do several performances as part of a program called Al,tors in Residence. These shows 9 ,1 .% designed to give students and fr ,ulty a deeper under standing of the nature of works in tended for the theater as presented by experts. • This group of actors will be present ing their own version of one of Shake speare's greatest tragedies, King Lear. They have reworked the play so that it can be performed by five DAILY SPECIALS!! a S S. Paws o°o and • 160 • read dtat,i,;Collegian actors instead of a larger group. "The opportunity to see a five actor version of King Lear is most unusual," said Richard Martin, manager of pro gramming for the Artists Series. The performance stars Glover as King Lear; Rintoul as both Edgar and Edmund; Guard as Regan, Fool and Oswald; Allen as Goneril and Corde lia and Burgess as the Earl of Kent and the Earl of Gloucester. Minimal scenery and costumes are another feature of this performance. Teresa Tillson, audience devel opment specialist for the Artists Se ries, commented that sometimes it is the spareness of the sets and cos tumes that lets the acting be really beautiful. "I think that the people that go will enjoy it very much," Tillson added. The first performance of King Lear will be at 8 p.m. on Wednesday in Penn State Sub Shops Meatball Monday $1 off on 18" Meatball Hoagie . Offer expires Oct. 7th MEET THE AUT MAY SART MONDAY OC 11 AM to N Tenn Sta, `BooWor on camp Owned and Oper by the Pennsylvania Stag University Wyatt Cafeterias, Inc. Wyatt Cafeterias, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is one of the most successful, stable, and rapidly growing cafeteria chains in the country. We operate over 120 cafeterias throughout 9 states in the Southwest, with a growth rate of 6-8 new cafeterias annually. To meet our needs we are looking for intelligent, energetic, and dedicated individuals that are seeking a challenging career In restaurant management. Wyatt's offers a 10 week Training Program consisting of both formal instruction and on-the-job training. The program will expose you to all facets of our operation. We also offer a full benefits package, excellent starting salary and merit based promotions. If inter ested, we will be on campus interviewing on 10/14/85 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER offer good with this ad Schwab Auditorium and is part of the Schwab Theatre Series. A second performance will be offered by the Series as a special event for non subscribers at 8 p.m. on Saturday in Schwab Auditorium. Tickets are $6 and $4 for students, and $8 and $6 for nonstudents. Pinter This Evening is also being presented by the actors as part of the Schwab Theatre Series. In this per formance the actors will dramatize the letters to and from Pinter, and they will also do a reading of his short play Old Times. Pinter will be pre sented at 8 p.m. on Friday in Schwab Auditorium. Tickets are $6 and $4 for students, and $8 and $6 for nonstu dents. Three additional events that will be free and open to the public are also scheduled for this week. Glover will be performing A Piece on Robert Graves at 8 p.m. on Tues day in 101 Kern. The actor wrote this program for the Royal Court Theatre in London in honor of Graves' 80th birthday in July 1975. Consisting of Graves' poetry and prose linked by narration from Glover, the play is, in the actor's words, "a gentle, incom plete guide to Robert Graves himself through his own writings." Glover will also be doing a solo reading of the heroic epic Beowulf at 8 p.m. on Thursday in the Playhouse Theater. A Discussion with Actors from the British Theatres is a public forum and will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday in 119 Arts Building. "In addition to the performance for the Series, the actors are assisting in teaching," Martin said, explaining that they will be going to several classes during the week for seminars issimpi 'No Expires 10/7/85 FREE DELIVERY DAILY • Starting at 11 a.m. Wear your PiZZfar T•Shirt into the store and get 1 free 234.0182 one coupon per customer topping on a slice! .4.11• Meeting will be held in 215 Armsby Bldg. Citi--...c 01111t iemm ig io s plileXacti 0rM0M— .01129101., ``.4llll7llP o ' 11111101111310 0111111211121110 womemit pinewq ci •Amw ip ommur mmlw I r's WININIIII4IO !!°= MINE=I MINNW C - diOn Wag= IT'S 9 PM! ASSIGNMENT DUE tomorrow? Don't PANIC We're OPEN LATE do you need a word processor for a term paper or thesis etc. or a computer for LOTUS or SYMPHONY RENT a Personal Computer at pc wor sho p 421 E. Beaver Ave. Mon.-Thur. 10-10 Next to Domino's Pizza Fri.-Sat. 10-5 phone 234-4220 Sun. 2-8 rzzzat *Whole wheat dough available $1 off any 16" with 2 or more rz.z. 7 ATTENTION!! Pre-Vet Club Members Room change for Oct. 7 meeting Time: 7:30 -9:30 Refreshments served ~,:i li , i, ..4t i t) '' '-: , I .. (ili rII author of J, Ai t t li :i . F E : s. ll ,R t• F r AL o. , s ? ' . F O I: . NTI: re ... S - • , The Daily Collegian Monday. Oct. 7, 1981—I Pizza POETRY READING MAY SARTON "A Celebration of Women Friends & Lovers Myths & Goddesses" MONDAY, OCT. 7 ROOM 121 SPARKS SPONSORED BY: Women's Studies Program Speech Communications Dept. Center For Women Students Religious Studies Program Gerontology Center . items 8 PM
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