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Show 4 ARTS Lecture, art exhibit feature multicultural S.L. artist Wednesday, September 8, 2010 Jamie Rankin STAFF WRITER Local author Susan Vogel will give a lecture at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts' Dumke Auditorium today at 6:3o p.m. The free public talk inspired by her new biography, Becoming Pablo O'Higgins, coincides with the UMFA's exhibition, "Pablo O'Higgins: Works on Paper." O'Higgins was born in Salt Lake City in 1904 and graduated from East High School. As a gifted art student, he moved to Mexico City at the age of 20 to serve as mural assistant for well-renowned Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. Making Mexico his new homeland, he eventually changed his name from Paul to Pablo Esteban O'Higgins. In 1937, O'Higgins founded an antiFascist print-making workshop to reach often illiterate audiences with graphic arts and politically inspired images. For the remainder of his life, his work gained wide acclaim in Mexico, the United States and Europe. He became an official citizen of Mexico in 1961 and was honored at his death with a funeral held at El Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, in 1983. Vogel hopes students at the lecture will gain a sense of inspiration from the life of O'Higgins. Vogel calls him a "young man who went to Mexico (at a dangerous time) and who threw himself into this fascinating, exciting world of art." Pablo was just 20 when he arrived in Mexico, and was completely open to learning and embracing this entirely new culture. www.dailyutahchronicle.corn `The Show is Over' displays concert art MOHAMMAD 1p. ALLAM Arts Editor Modern Dance Ballet Interim Department Chairman Stephen Koester Interim Department Chairman Berle Arnold Theatre Film & Media Arts Department Chairr4% Gage Williams Department Chairman Kevin Hanson ello again, loyal readers of the arts section. This week's Editor's Choice is a little less mainstream than last week's and a little more local. It is "This Show is Over: An Exhibition of Hand Printed Gig Poster Art By Salt Lake City's Furturtle Show Prints," on Friday at 7 p.m., at FRESH on 87o E. 900 South. The exhibition will display all of the hand-printed posters of the gigs in the Twilight Concert Series and other local and national shows. It will feature original and creative art, incorporating the names of the bands. Travis Bone is the owner of Furturtle Show Prints and the one who makes them from start to finish. He comes up with the illustrations for each individual gig and prints all of the posters by hand. It is quite a process. Let's just say I was lost after about a minute of him describing how he creates the posters. Coming up with the template for an individual poster for a gig can take as long as 15 hours. This truly is an artisan at work. These posters are unique in a society where many of us just grab a factory-made poster at Target or Wal-Mart. It is art in its truest form. Bone will sell the posters at this exhibition, along with some of his rarer pieces. The prices of the posters will range from $20 to $100, with most posters in the $20 to $25 range. Be sure to stop by and see all of the great pieces of art. If you are as impressed as I was, purchase one of these excellent prints as well. For more info on Bone's work, check out his site at www.travis- School of Music Art & Art History bone.com. m.allam@chronicle.utah.edu Interim Department Chairman Robert Baldwin Department Chairman Brian Snapp total transition," but he hopes that a new musical theater program, instated this year, will positively influence enrollment and versatility as a department. A shuffling of staff within the dance department and the School of Music means that some department chairmen are approaching this year with fresh, albeit inexperienced, eyes. Koester was asked late in the summer to fill in as interim department chairman for the modern dance department, after former Chairwoman Donna White accepted a new role as associate dean of the graduate school. Koester sees this year as a "honeymoon," a "time to see how (the College of Fine Arts) wants to mold the future." The future of the College of Fine Arts—as Koester, Williams and the ballet department's interim chairwoman Berle Arnold all said—will focus on facilitating better communication and increased collaboration between departments. Former School of Music Director Robert Walzel moved to teach at the University of Kansas. Robert Baldwin, director of orchestral activities, filled in as the interim department chairman for this academic year. Rather than letting the 2010 academic year fall victim to tumultuous and tenuous situations, the faculty members within each fine arts department are wielding their individual bows, flutes, pointe shoes or paintbrushes and they are coming together to create a collaborative artwork. H COURTESY THE UTAH MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS This is the primary difference between O'Higgins and other artists who traveled to Mexico in the 193os—he strove to become known as a Mexican artist, not merely an artist influenced by Mexican culture. "He became really bicultural," Vogel said. "Even before there was duel citizenship, he became a citizen of the world...He didn't see any contradiction between loving the U.S. and loving Mexico at the same time." Also a graduate of East High School, Vogel first fell in love with the culture and country of Mexico while studying abroad for two undergraduate semesters at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She first learned of O'Higgins' work in 1985 when, after receiving a law degree from the University of California Hastings, she revisited Mexico City as president of Utah Lawyers for the Arts. Captivated by this mysterious artist who had connections to Salt Lake City, Vogel resolved to bring his fascinating story to life, in constant pursuit of one question: "How did this blondehaired, blue-eyed, Presbyterian kid from East High School become (known as a famous) Mexican muralist?" As a result, for the past 20 years, Vogel has been researching the art, life and influence of O'Higgins. Although many books have been written in Spanish about O'Higgins' artwork, Vogel's book, Becoming Pablo O'Higgins, is the first biography to be written in English about the intriguing artist and includes never-before published information about his life and his powerful artwork. Vogel was also highly involved with the "Pablo O'Higgins: Works on Paper" exhibition, which is currently located on the second floor of the UMFA in the LDS Galleria. j.rankin@ chronicle.utah.edu Departments focus on collaboration Sofia Strempek STAFF WRITER Stephen Koester, interim chairman of the modern dance department, said he does not want to be a "placeholder." With a faculty position that is secure for only one year, Koester is intent on making this year a productive one for the College of Fine Arts. Like other fine arts department chairmen and interim chairmen, he is absorbing the tumultuous changes of the college with excitement. The College of Fine Arts, composed of the departments of theater, music, film and media arts, art and art history, modern dance and ballet, has recently been shocked by personnel retirements, position changes, new programs and fiscal fiascos. But a conscious effort to "come together and work on creating a whole identity" could encourage more success within the college. It has been a year, but the shock of an embezzlement scandal in the theater department is still felt on campus. In 2009, former theater department accountant Jara Jane Wimmer was charged with embezzling more than sioo,000 from the department during a span of eight years. This year is the first in the past five that the theater department has functioned without a deficit, said Chairman Gage Williams. Another more recent setback is the program's declined enrollment for Fall Semester. Williams said "the theater department is in Experienceirtrue Greek hospitality at festival COURTESY TRAVIS BONE s.strempek@chronicle.utah.edu Ir Arni Sti Souvla, Loukaniko, Baklava and Kataifi are words that might seem unfamiliar to Salt Lake City residents. However, they are names of popular dishes that can be found at the Greek Festival this weekend. Starting Thursday at 5 p.m., the Holy Trinity Cathedral and the Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church will be hosting four days of authentic Greek food, music and dancing with the intention of showing some true Greek hospitality and the experience of being in a Greek village. The ribbon-cutting will take place Thursday at 5 p.m. with hours of music and dancing to follow. More information about the Greek community is available online along with a schedule of events at www.saltlakegreekfestival. Search Daily Utah ChronicleArts section COM. Elisa Schvaneveldt For the latest info on arts events going on around the U and Salt Lake City, follow our facebook page. COURTESY THE GREEK FESTIVAL |
