Show j n — iim JoumalCacfwundyMafyti30 rw" I 1986 Famed documentary filmmaker visits USU By Patrick Williams USU Information Services Filmmaker and documentarian Les Blank will be on the Utah State University campus this week as the Obert C Tanner lecturer He will speak Wednesday April 2 at pm in the Eccles Conference Center Auditorium and a of Blank’s films will be shown in conjunction with the lecture Blank's appearance has been coordinated by the college of humanities arts and social sciences at USU and is part of the Obert C Tanner Lecture prod gram The purpose of the to students is lectures expose to a variety of “humanists people who address the human condition according to Michael L Nicholls who serves on the Tanner Lecture committee The first film offering “Burden of Dreams” will be shown April 1 at 7:30 pm in the Eccles auditorium “Chulas Fronteras” and “Garlic Is As Good As 7:30 mini-festiv- al Tanner-sponsore- 11 Ten Mothers” will be shown the evening of Blank's lecture All events are free and open to the public The film festival is supported by the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art at USU An additional Blank film “Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe” will be shown April 4 as part of the Alternative Cinema film series for which there is an admission charge Les Blank is an independent filmmaker who has produced a number of short subject and documentary films From 1962 until 1972 he worked photographing editing directing and writing educational and promotional films for a number of organizations including Churchill Films and Encyclopedia Britannic 3 Films His first independent film was produced in 1967 and broadcast on KCET in Los Angeles “God Respects Us When We Work But He Loves Us When We Dance” was a and “flower look at the early "love-ins-” children” of Los Angeles Music and ethnic topics have influ enced Blank's filmmaking Titles include “The Blues Accordin' to Lightn$n’ Hopkins" a documentary on the East Texas bluesman and his roots “A Will Spent Life" a recording of songs and thoughts of Bluesman Mance full-fledg- "Dry Wood” a perspective g on the rural Black Lipscomb French-speakin- people of Louisiana’s Cajun country and “Del Mero Corazon” a "lyrical journey” through the love songs of the x Nortena tradition from intimate family gatherings to border town dance halls “Burden of Dreams" the first film to be shown as part of the USU mini- festival documents the filming of “Fitzcarraldo” by German filmmaker Werner Herzog “Dreams" won the British Academy Award for best feature documentary in 1982 and was listed as one of the year's ten best films by critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Times among numerous others Blank's documentary looks at “an Tex-Me- ' obsessed genius and his battle to finish his project in the face of plane crashes torrential rains attacks by armed hostile Indians the loss of several leading actors and the eruption of a border war around him” The New York Times called the film “remarkableone of the most candid most fascinating portraits ever made of a motion picture director at work There's never been anything else like it” “Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mothers” showing April 2 has been called Blank’s “most gastronomically obsessional film portrait yet An exhaustive foray into the and cultivation history consumption culinary and curative powers of Allium sativum" “Chulas Fronteras” will be shown as well The film conceived and produced by Chris Strachwitz and filmed by Blank looks at life along the Mexican border Music politics and life are integrated in this film in a way that is both enchanting and unsettling Salerno joins USU art faculty in visiting instructor’s position By Patrick Williams USU Information Services Joseph Salerno will join the department of S art at Utah State University as visiting instructor for spring quarter He will teach intermediate drawing and painting in addition to evening studios According to Anton Rasmussen assistant professor of art the evening course has been designed with an open structure “People of any level can participate and the time can be quite flexible Independent work situations may be considered” he said “We would like to provide as much access to Salerno's course as possible” The painting studio course will be taught Monday and Wednesday evenings from 7 until 9:20 pm and is open to USU students and community artists Registration information is available by calling the art department at 750-346- 0 Salerno is a young artist with an impressive list of credentials according to Rasmussen He recently completed a master of fine arts degree in painting at Indiana University He was awarded a BFA degree in painting at Kent State University in Ohio in 1983 Additionally he has studied and taught painting in Europe and feels a close tie to European artistic traditions Salerno grew up in Niles Ohio a small steel town He is one of six children from an family and claims that he has been “painting all my life" “I grew up in a very ethnic community" Salerno said “The attitudes of family and community affect my work and my visits to Italy have reinforced this — I still have relatives there and the traditions carry over into Italian-Americ- my an work” Previous teaching experience has taken Salerno directly to Italy As part of Indiana University's summer study program he taught drawing in Florence Additional teaching experience was gained as an associate instructor in fundamental drawing at Indiana University during the 1984-8- 5 year Salerno's European connection was one element which impressed USU art department member According to Rasmuvtpv gdditiaav to teaching there he also studied at the La Napoule Art Foundation in 1985 He Received a full tuition scholarship for the art workshops and symposium “Aspects of Realism" working with some of the foremost modern realists Faculty members included Sigmund Abeles Jeanne Duval Jack Beal Sondra Freckleton and John Manning William Bailey was a visiting artist for the program as well Salerno says that he enjoys teaching because the enviornment ana exchange of ideas involved Teaching keeps you fresh artistically he said of His approach to teaching is simple — he tried to give students the visual skills to get at their own emotions “I try to talk in visual images" he said “At the same time if students have to draw the tree outside their kitchen windows which they've seen for years they probably see it more clearly for the first time The more students have to draw the more they begin to see” he concluded Everyone can learn to draw or paint Salerno said and everyone has some level of talent The key is to learn how to see things and use the talents that we have As a student Salerno began his studies in the area of graphics He claims that he was always a good draftsman and that continues to help his work today Professionally he has had experience on a large scale working as assistant to the master scenic artistdesigner at the Musical Arts Center at Indiana University The center produces a season of opera which is nationally recognized Following his teaching assignment at USU Salerno has an number of exhibits planned including a one man show in January of 1987 It is still possible to register for Salerno's painting studio course according to Rasmussen “This class offers a wonderful opportunity because of Joe’s talent as a painter His affinity to the landscape should be appealing to local artists” Rasmussen said “We are immensely pleased to have him as a guest faculty member and to pffer his class jo students and the iifPWWtUxge£v ova -- i i Exce$$ive credit spoofed So you thought you had credit and the prestige they every credit card imaginable? carry has become quite amusAfter all you have VISA ing in itself You begin to ask MasterCard American yourself 'What will they come Express Diners Club Carte up with next’? 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