Renowned Quilt Artist James to Join Faculty

Michael James, internationally known for his pieced and quilted fabric constructions, will join the department of textiles, clothing and design at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a senior lecturer in the fall of 2000.

He will teach introductory and advanced courses in the area of textile design, where his more than 25 years of experience as a studio quilt artist will inform his new role as academic instructor. It will also provide students an extraordinary opportunity to study and work with a highly renowned fabric artist.

Having James at Nebraska creates a unique center of learning for those interested in studying the pieced quilt as a medium of expression, said Patricia Crews, professor of textiles, clothing and design and director of the International Quilt Study Center at NU.

"We are thrilled to have him join us," Crews said. "His presence will provide extraordinary opportunities for students and for NU. Students yearning to explore this centuries-old art form as a medium for contemporary expression will be drawn to NU to study with James."

James is among a group of formally trained artists who turned in the 1970s from mainstream media to the tactile and sensual appeal that fabric and quilts offer. James' approach to quilt making has been influenced as much by his training as a painter as by his study of the history and development of American quilt making. He earned his bachelor of fine arts degree from Dartmouth (1971), and his master of fine arts degree from the Rochester (N.Y.) Institute of Technology (1973). Both degrees were in painting and printmaking.

James is not new to the classroom. In addition to his studio activities, he frequently lectures and leads workshops on color and design not only in North America but throughout Europe and in Japan. He led a workshop at NU last summer titled "Color Dynamics and Expression" which was exceptionally well received by students, Crews said.

His background and expertise will complement existing faculty strengths in the area of textile and apparel design, said Rita Kean, professor and chair of textiles, clothing and design. "The addition of an artist and scholar such as Michael James to our department strengthens an already excellent faculty and program."

Karen Craig, dean of the College of Human Resources and Family Sciences, said James brings idealism and pragmatism to the art of quilt making. "As an artist/scholar, James will create new synergism among faculty, students and the public."

Lentz Center Features Works by Shi Hu

Shi Hu is a prolific contemporary Chinese artist whose works include ink painting, oil paintings, acrylics and sketches. Three of these categories of paintings are represented at the show at the Lentz Center which runs through Dec. 21.

The paintings date from 1980-1997 and show dramatic stylistic changes. Although woman is the most important theme of paintings in the show, the portrayal of women changes from fairly naturalistic to a much more abstract style with controlled patches of ink as well as line drawing. The earlier paintings are somewhat specific showing Tibetan and Dai women as well as a woman in a sarong. The later paintings are frequently nude with their bodies muffled or taken apart and reassembled in a artistic composition that is more abstract. The influence of Gauguin's painting of reclining prone women can be seen in a large ink drawing of a reclining nude entitled "Woman with an oil lamp," dated 1993. The influence of Picasso can also be seen in line drawings that are an assemblage of body parts. Men, however, are not left out and there are interesting paintings of a man and also of a monk.

As Shi Hu's painting becomes more abstract, his calligraphy in the inscriptions also becomes more decorative and abstract. The latest painting in the show is called 'Happiness' and is a representation of the Chinese character for happiness. Lines change into figures and smaller versions of the character are used as abstract designs within the structure of the main character.

There are twenty-seven paintings of varying sizes in the exhibition that is organized chronologically to show the artist's development. The paintings are on loan to the Lentz Center from professor Kam-ching Leung of Lincoln.

ROBERT COLESCOTT The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 1991, acrylic on canvas. Robert Colescott, Recent Paintings opens tomorrow at the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery.

Universal Themes, Bravura Brushwork

Sheldon Exhibit Highlights Works by Robert Colescott

Robert Colescott: Recent Paintings, opens Sept. 24 and runs to Jan. 2, 2000, at the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery.

This exhibition was selected by the Federal Advisory Committee for International Exhibitions for presentation in the American Pavilion at the 47th Venice Biennale from June 15 to Nov. 9, 1997. The exhibition features 18 of Colescott's large-scale acrylics from the last 10 years of his career.

The works are painted in the artist's characteristic figurative-narrative style, with bravura brushwork, dynamic color and rich symbolic images. They deal with such universal themes as the meaning of history, standards of beauty in different cultures and the power derived from controlling those standards, the interconnectedness of the races, and the relationship between the sexes. They incorporate elements from art history and popular culture in humorous and revealing ways and raise ethical questions about how artists and cultures appropriate images and symbols from other artists and cultures, sometimes innocently, sometimes arrogantly.

Colescott, who achieved artworld notoriety in the late 1950s in the San Francisco Bay Area, has continued to challenge stereotypes through his paintings for over 40 years and has become one of the most influential African-American artists of the second half of the twentieth century.

Colescott was the first African-American artist and the first figurative artist to represent the United States in a single-artist exhibition at Venice-and the first painter since Jasper Johns in 1988. The Venice Biennale is the oldest and one of the most prestigious of the international visual arts festivals, having celebrated its centennial in 1995. Exhibitions are organized within 27 separate pavilions owned and operated by individual countries. The U.S. Pavilion is owned and managed by the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.

Robert Colescott: Recent Paintings was organized by independent curator Miriam Roberts in association with SITE Santa Fe, a center for international contemporary art in New Mexico. Following its presentation in Venice, the exhibition has toured the U.S. for two years under the administration of the University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson. An exhibition catalogue featuring essays by Miriam Roberts and Lowery Stokes Sims will be available for purchase at the Sheldon Gift Shop.

In conjunction with Robert Colescott: Recent Paintings, the Sheldon Gallery will present Black Image and Identity: African-American Art from the Permanent Collection, an exhibition surveying an by African-American artists in the 20th century.

The Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will perform at the Lied Center for Performing Arts on Oct. 3. Tickets for the performance of Verdi's Requiem remain available.

Verdi's Requiem Performed by Moscow Symphony, Chorus

The Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will perform Giuseppe Verdi's masterwork Requiem in a 7 p.m. concert Oct. 3 at the Lied Center.

Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, led by Nikolai Alexeyev, music director and chief conductor, has been a musical force since its inception in 1978. Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev believed that it would benefit the citizens of his country to be exposed to symphonic music on a regular basis through weekly radio broadcasts, per the example of the BBC Symphony Orchestra's radio series in the United Kingdom.

In 1980 the popularity of the Orchestra led to the creation of a subscription concert series in Moscow, which continues to operate. The orchestra and chorus tour extensively, together and separately, in Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world. In addition to its live performance schedule, Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus has expanded its activities to include film scores and television soundtracks.

Giuseppe Verdi's music (1813-1901) is a favorite of many opera lovers due to his skill at creating dramatic, often tragic music for the stage. Messa da Requiem (The Mass for the Dead), as Verdi's masterpiece is titled in its original Latin, takes its text from the Roman Catholic liturgy. It was written in response to the death of Verdi's hero, Alessandro Manzoni, a famed Italian author and philosopher. Verdi's intention was to express the emotions of the words in the mass through music. Although some considered Messa da Requiem too operatic for a religious piece, it was nonetheless regarded as a masterpiece in its time and continues to be performed regularly today.

Pre-performance talks begin in the Lied's Steinhart Room 55 minutes and 30 minutes prior to curtain.

Tickets are $42, $38 and $34; half-price for students.

Call the Lied box office at (402) 472-4747 or toll free, (800) 432-3231 for ticket availability.

The concert is supported in part by Ruth Marie Amen and by the Miriam Croft Moeller Endowment of the Lied Performance Fund in memory of Lucille Tackley.

Viola Recital Sept. 30 At Kimball

The School of Music presents guest artists Juliet White-Smith, viola, and Vergie Amendola, piano, at 8 p.m. Sept. 30 in Kimball Hall. Admission is free. For their program, White-Smith and Amendola will perform works by J. S. Bach, George Rochberg, and Johannes Brahms.

White-Smith is associate professor of viola at the University of Northern Colorado. A native of Baton Rouge, La., she holds degrees from Louisiana State University and the University of Houston and received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Eastman School of Music, where she was assistant to Professor George Taylor. White-Smith previously served on the faculty at Western Michigan.

White-Smith has been a featured soloist with the Ft. Collins Symphony and the Centennial Philharmonic Orchestra, and performs frequently as a recitalist throughout the United States. She has participated in chamber music festivals in New York and Michigan and has collaborated with such notable musicians as Gilbert Kalish, the Da Vinci String Quartet and the Merling Trio. She also has performed extensively as an orchestral musician with the Rochester Philharmonic, the Grand Rapids Symphony and the Texas Chamber Orchestra.

Amendola is professor of piano at the University of Northern Colorado. Amendola is an active chamber musician who has performed throughout the United States. Amendola is the coordinator of both the Class Piano and Accompanying programs at the University of Northern Colorado.

Guidelines Announced for Nebraska Premieres

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Theatre Arts' University Theatre and the Nebraska Repertory Theatre, in cooperation with the Nebraska Arts Council, has announced the guidelines for "Nebraska Premieres," the production of a new play by a Nebraska author. Production dates will be March 9-11 and March 21-25.

Only unproduced and unpublished full-length plays by native or resident Nebraskans will be accepted. There are no limitations on subject, but contemporary dramas and comedies are preferred. Playwrights may submit no more than two plays and submitted plays must be performable by no more than 10 actors.

Each play must be accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope, a brief playwriting bio and a letter giving Nebraska Premieres permission to produce the play at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Playwrights must also indicate their willingness to be present during part of the rehearsal period and for at least two performances of the play. Plays must be received no later than Oct. 1 and should be mailed to: Nebraska Premieres, Department of Theatre Arts, 215 Temple Building, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln NE 68588-0201.

The winning playwright will receive a $2,000 cash award and some funding for travel and lodging expenses for the March production of the play.

For a complete copy of the rules, contact the Theatre Department at 472-1619.

Flutist In Recital Sept. 26

The School of Music presents guest artist Valerie Watts in a flute recital at 8 p.m. Sept. 16 in Kimball Hall. Admission is free. Watts will be assisted by Sheri Ericksen, piano, and John Bailey, flute. For her program, Watts will perform works by Katherine Hoover, Marvin Lamb, Carolyn Bremer, and Eldin Burton.

Watts, a native of New York, is principal flute in the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra and assistant professor of flute at the University of Oklahoma School of Music. During the summers she teaches at the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute and performs as principal flute with the New Hampshire Festival Orchestra.

Prior to her appointments in Oklahoma, Watts played flute and piccolo in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and toured as soloist and chamber musician in Europe with the Eastman-Dryden Orchestra. In 1991, she performed the Concerto for Flute in D Major, K 314 by W.A. Mozart with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra and more recently with the International Music Festival of Natal, Brazil Orchestra. She has and continues to enjoy her collaboration as soloist and chamber musician with the Oklahoma Woodwind Quintet, Back Camerata of California, Bach Aria Festival of New York, and the newly formed Tom Patterson & Valerie Watts duo (guitar and flute).

A 1993 Finalist of the Festivales Internacionales de Flautistas Enterprises, Watts has recorded with the CBS Masterworks, Integra and W.W. Norton labels.

Czech Americans Exhibit at Love Library

An exhibition of Czech materials in the University Libraries and 19 panels featuring photographs of Czech settlers in North America, will be on display through Nov. 1 outside of room 225, on the second floor of Love Library.

The exhibit is presented in cooperation with the Czech Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Naprstek Museum of Asian, African and American Cultures, in Prague.

Watson, Lewis Return to Lied

Popular jazz artists Bobby Watson and Victor Lewis make a return appearance at the Lied Center for Performing Arts Oct. 1. The 8 p.m. performance will include Watson and Lewis' modern jazz group Horizon.

Born in the musical mecca of Kansas City, saxophonist Bobby Watson had musical ambitions at a very early age. By junior high Watson was accomplished on three instruments and had basic mastery of three others. After receiving a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Miami in 1975, Watson settled in New York where he began an informal education with many established musicians. Watson's solo talents have won him recognition from his peers and fans alike, but he is perhaps best known for his work with Horizon and his 17-piece ensemble, the Tailor Made Band.

lnternationally acclaimed percussionist/composer Victor Lewis is a native of Omaha. He began his musical studies at the age of ten and started drumming professionally at 15. After high school Watson enrolled at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to study music. Durinr his senior year, he left school to move to Minneapolis with a cabaret show to earn enough money to move to New York, where Lewis quickly fell in with established performers who recognized his talents. Woody Shaw and David Sanborn were just a few of the artists who asked Lewis to play with them and who also recognized Lewis's talent as a composer. When not touring with Bobby Watson and Horizon, Lewis continues writing and recording his own music, as well as playing on other musicians' albums.

Other members of Horizon include: Essiet Okun Essiet on the bass viol, who has performed and recorded with the likes of Bobby Hutcherson and Kenny Baron; pianist Edward Simon, who has released his own popular solo albums, as well as recording with other musicians including the Terence Blanchard Group, Kevin Eubanks, and Herbie Mann; and Terell Stafford on trumpet, who is not only a respected musician, but is also a highly regarded music educator.

Pre-performance talks begin in the Lied's Steinhart Room 55 minutes and 30 minutes prior to curtain.

Tickets are $30, 26 and 22; half-price for students. Call the Lied box office at (402) 472-4747 or toll free, (800) 432-3231 for ticket availability.

Statewide Seeks Out Nebraska's Street Kids

While most Nebraskans associate homelessness and homeless teenagers with major East or West Coast metropolitan areas, a small but significant number of teenagers live on the streets of Nebraska's capital city, according to a "Perspectives" segment airing at 8 p.m. Oct. 1 on Statewide, the Nebraska ETV Network's weekly magazine series.

The series, which repeats at 7 p.m. Saturdays and at 1:30 p.m. Sundays, includes up-to-the-minute news reports from across the state and other features of interest

Statewide is also seen on EduCable at 3 p.m. Oct. 3.

Statewide correspondent Brad Penner introduces viewers to a teenaged girl who has lived on the streets of Lincoln. Viewers also meet "Jack" and "Theresa," social workers with Cedars Youth Services, who provide whatever they can for the 20 to 30 kids who live on Lincoln's streets: clothes, counseling, housing, even toothbrushes.

Nebraska Farmer Groups Appear on Nebraska ETV's Q+A

Is Nebraska's farm economy as troubled it seems, or is the situation even worse than it's reported? Make up your own mind when representatives of the Nebraska Farm Bureau and the Nebraska Farmers Union appear at 7 p.m. Sept. 30 on Q+A, the statewide Nebraska ETV Network's weekly interview series.

Q+A is also seen at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 3 and at 8 a.m. Oct. 6 on EduCable.

John Hansen from the Nebraska Farmers Union and Bryce Neidig from the Nebraska Farm Bureau will discuss farm policy with Q+A host Ward Jacobson. Hansen and Neidig are expected to offer their organizations' views of the federal Freedom to Farm Act and recent efforts to enforce Nebraska's state constitutional ban against corporate farming.

Q+A features newsmakers of state, regional, national and international interest.