Russian Artist 'A Significant Addition'

Cather Niece Donates Portrait to Sheldon Collection

Helen Cather Southwick has donated an important portrait of her aunt, Willa Cather, to the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery.

The oil on canvas was painted by Nicolai Fechin (1881­1955), a Russian artist who emigrated to the United States in 1923.

It is believed that Fechin painted the portrait in 1923 or 1924 shortly after meeting Cather, a University of Nebraska alumna and Pulitzer Prize-winning author.

Cather was pleased with the portrait, and it hung in her New York City apartment for many years. She reportedly disliked an earlier portrait of her painted by Leon Bakst, now part of the Omaha's Joslyn Art Museum collection.

Southwick, of Midway, Utah, attended NU and was a friend of Francis Sheldon, one of the museum's key benefactors.

"I'm very pleased," Southwick told the Omaha World-Herald. "I'm a graduate of the University of Nebraska, and my husband is a graduate. We met there. It's been kind of an important thing in my life."

Dan Siedell, Sheldon curator, called the donation a significant addition to the Sheldon's collection because Fechin's work had not previously been represented in the collection, and, more importantly, "the subject now enables the Sheldon to participate aesthetically in Cather scholarship."

In accepting the gift on behalf of the university, Interim Chancellor Harvey Perlman noted that the painting adds to the body of Cather scholarship being pursued at the university. He noted that Southwick's association with the univerity as an alumna, her friendship with Francis Sheldon and her family relationship to the author all add deeper meaning to the gift.

"I can think of no place where it will be more cherished than at Willa Cather's alma mater," he said.

The work will remain on view through the end of the fall academic semester, after which it will be removed for cleaning and conservation.

The Croupier Explores the World of Professional Gambling

Intense, hypnotic, assured, The Croupier, opening at the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater on Aug. 24, mesmerizes from its opening image of a roulette ball on the move.

A taut journey inside the world of professional gambling, this enigmatic, beautifully made film crosses the traditions of film noir with a distinctly modern anomie with results as ice cold and potent as the vodka its protagonist keeps in his freezer.

Also showing is a short feature from Germany, Nighthawks by Dimitri Popov, a story of love, crime, and entertainment.

Croupier and Nighthawks are showing on Aug. 24 through 27 and Aug. 31 through Sept. 3. Screenings are at 7 and 9:15 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays; at 1, 3:15, 7 and 9:15 p.m. on Saturdays; and at 2:30, 4:45, 7 and 9:15 p.m. on Sundays.

Louis Armstrong Mini-Series Concludes on Nebraska Public Radio

Jazz Profiles concludes its powerful centennial reflection on trumpeter Louis Armstrong's 50-year career - Satchmo: The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong - during September as the final five episodes in the mini-series air at 11 p.m. on the Nebraska Public Radio Network.

Louis Armstrong appeared in more than 30 films, dating back to the earliest years of talking pictures. His film career - reflecting the full spectrum of his musical evolution, from traditional jazz to swing and to pop - is recalled in "Armstrong's Hollywood" airing Sept. 1.

"Armstrong - The Duets," airing Sept. 8, looks at many of Armstrong's remarkable musical collaborations. The program will feature the music of many who joined Armstrong in radio and recording studios, plus comments from Ella Fitzgerald, Jack Teagarden, Earl Hines, Bing Crosby and the Mills Brothers.

From 1947 until the end of his life, Armstrong worked with a small band unit he called the All Stars. The creation of that band resulted in the renaissance of his career and made it possible for his music to be heard by millions of people worldwide. "Louis Armstrong All Stars" is broadcast Sept. 15.

"Armstrong's World (Ambassador Satch)," airing Sept. 22, examines the effect that Armstrong's tours had on the world and on him. Satchmo's world travels commenced in 1932 and he spend the rest of his life trotting the globe in search of a good groove.

The mini-series' concluding episode, "Armstrong Today," airing Sept. 29, explores how the influence of Louis Armstrong lingers at the centennial of his birth. Musicians, singers and historians from around the world and America reflect on his legacy.

Roger Welsch Talks with Author Stephanie Grace Whitson

Nebraska author Stephanie Grace Whitson has a legion of loyal readers who describe her novels as powerful, heartwarming and hard to put down. This prolific writer will be the guest on ROGER WELSCH & when the interview series airs at 8:30 p.m. Sept. 1 on the statewide Nebraska ETV Network. The interview will be rebroadcast on NETV2 (EduCable) at 2 p.m. Sept. 10.

Whitson has written a series of historical novels, usually set in Nebraska, that combine history, romance and suspense, often with religious themes. Her latest book, Nora's Ribbon of Memories, published last year, chronicles the struggles of young Nora, who runs away from home to build a new life. This book is actually a prequel to her earlier novel, Karyn's Memory Box, about a young German woman who comes to America after her lover dies in combat. Both books are part of the Keepsake Series published by Thomas Nelson Publishers of Nashville, Tennessee. Whitson's books are praised for their detail and historical accuracy.

Welsch says, "Karyn's Memory Box is of special interest to me because it deals with Nebraska's sod house frontier in Custer County, something I have done a little writing about myself."

Whitson grew up in southern Illinois and earned a B.A. degree in French from Southern Illinois University. She later taught at the high school level and worked as a secretary. Whitson and her husband have four children and have lived in Lincoln, Neb., since 1975. She published her first book in 1995. Her latest book, Valley of the Shadow, scheduled for release in March, will be the first book in a new series called Dakota Moons.

The Fall of Newt Gingrich

Documentary Traces The Fall of Republican Speaker

If Bill Clinton embodied Democratic politics in the 1990s, Newt Gingrich embodied his Republican opposition. And while it was Gingrich who arguably enjoyed the greater political success by drafting the "Contract with America" that seized control of Congress for the GOP and stymied Clinton's agenda, it was also Gingrich who suffered the greater political repudiation and left the public eye.

"The Fall of Newt Gingrich," airing at 7 p.m. Aug. 30, on the statewide Nebraska ETV Network, documents the events that toppled the Speaker of the House and prompted his resignation from public life. "The Fall of Newt Gingrich" also airs on EduCable at 9:30 p.m. Sept. 2 and at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Sept. 4.

The documentary employs little narration, relying instead on live video to record Gingrich's long slide from his zenith to his nadir. A film crew follows the Speaker on Capitol Hill as he conducts legislative activities, focusing specifically on the stalled 1998 Budget Bill. As the Speaker hits the campaign trail, cameras reveal the political Newt Gingrich at his best - delivering rousing political speeches and shaking hands as he stumps for struggling Republican candidates. However, on election night, Republican hopes are dashed as poor electoral results leave the House Republican majority five seats weaker.

Chaotic post-election events follow, including Bob Livingston's candidacy for Speaker - which also ended in personal humiliation and resignation - and Gingrich's 20-year reign in the U.S. Congress comes to an end. The program concludes with Gingrich reinventing himself as a private citizen.

Author Questions Future of the U.S. on Nebraska ETV's Q&A Series

Does the United States have a future? Perhaps not, at least in its present form, according to author Robert Kaplan, who will appear at 7 p.m. Aug. 31 on Q&A, the Nebraska ETV Network's weekly interview series. Kaplan's appearance on Q&A will repeat on EduCable at 10:30 p.m. Sept. 1; at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 3 and at 8 a.m. Sept. 5.

Kaplan, a contributing editor for The Atlantic magazine and the author of four books, has begun to question the future of the United States. In his latest book, An Empire Wilderness: Travels into America's Future, he raises the possibility that the United States will evolve into a borderless, culturally homogenous nation-state similar to Charlemagne's Europe.

Kaplan was interviewed for Q&A by Omaha broadcast journalist Byron Wood, who spoke with Kaplan last March when he was in Nebraska to speak about "The United States, A Nation Born to Die" at the University of Nebraska at Omaha's ABC Breakfast Speaker series.