 |
|
|
|
Show your Ohio Pride at the North Market Food &
Ohio Wine Festival
by Mary Martineau
While there won’t be a
fabulous parade with vibrant floats or flamboyant drag queens, you can show
your pride in the state of Ohio’s wines by attending the North Market Food
& Ohio Wine Festival Presented by National City over the weekend of July
10-12.
Ohio wines have come a long
way, baby, from the syrupy sweet Catawbas of the past
(although we’ve still got some splendid sweet wines in the line-up). Our “new”
crop of whites includes distinguished vintages with European lineages including
Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Grigio and award-claiming Ice wines. Our reds include the familiar Cabernet Sauvignon
and Pinot Noir as well as the more obscure Chambourcin and Cabernet Franc. All Ohio wines differentiate themselves from those of other
locales based on the unique characteristics of the terroir in which the grapes were grown.
What better way to get a
feel for the effects of Ohio’s terroir on our state’s
wine than by tasting it yourself? Over the weekend we’ll
have eighteen Ohio wineries set up on Spruce Street serving samples of their
Ohio vintages by the taste and by the glass. If you find one (or more) that
tickles your fancy you can buy bottles (or a case), often right from the
winemakers themselves. Throughout the weekend the following wineries from
around Ohio will offer select wines: Chalet Debonne Vineyard, Madison; Ferrante Winery, Geneva; Firelands Winery, Sandusky; Henke Winery, Cincinnati; Laurello Vineyards, Geneva; Maize Valley Winery, Hartville; Markko Vineyard, Conneaut; Meranda-Nixon
Winery, Ripley; Mon Ami Winery, Port Clinton; Ravens Glenn Winery, West
Lafayette; Slate Run Vineyard, Canal Winchester; St. Joseph Vineyards, Thompson; Stoney Ridge Winery, Bryan; Troutman Vineyards,
Wooster; The Winery at Wolf Creek, Norton; Valley Vineyards, Morrow; Viking
Vineyard, Kent and Wyandotte Winery, Columbus.
The festival will kick-off
on Friday night with a special preview party from 7-10 p.m. Tickets to the
event are $20 and include a customized wine glass, 10 tasting tickets and a $5
North Market gift certificate (in case you get the munchies). Columbus
celebrities will serve as guest pourers for the wineries. The Inner City Blues
Band will be on hand to get the party jumping and your booty shaking in the
street. Discount coupons good for $5 off Preview Party admission are available
at local National City Bank branches.
Throughout the weekend there will be two stages of live music, culinary
demonstrations, food vendors, our traditional Saturday farmers’ market and a
Sunday market featuring Ohio Proud vendors and local artisans. There will be two fun additions to the festivities
this year. Ford Motor Company will be offering test drives of their newly
designed Ford Fiesta, due at dealerships next year. Meanwhile, cooking
demonstrations will take place in the newly minted Ohio Proud mobile kitchen.
The kitchen consists of a 24-foot trailer that has the look and feel of a home kitchen
with three large screen monitors to display the demonstrations to the audience.
Robin Davis, Food Editor of the Columbus Dispatch will be giving special recipe
demonstrations in the Ohio Proud Kitchen at the Friday Night preview party
pairing Ohio wines with her culinary creations, all of which you can sample!
Show your pride in our fair
state and its growing number of wineries and winemakers by attending the North
Market Food & Ohio Wine Festival Presented by National City. Festival hours
are Friday, July 10, 7p-10p, Saturday, July 11, 10a – 7p and Sunday, July
12, 1p– 6p. Preview Party admission is $20 with $5 discount coupons available at local National City Bank branches. Saturday and Sunday
admission is free. A $5 tasting fee includes a souvenir glass with tasting
tickets available for purchase in any quantity for $.50 apiece. For additional
information on the North Market Food and Ohio Wine Festival, please call
614-463-9664 or visit www.northmarket.com.
Mary Martineau is Director of Marketing for North Market, a member organization of the Columbus Arts Marketing Association. CAMA’s mission is to promote awareness of and participation in the arts and cultural opportunities in Greater Columbus through collaborative marketing and public relations projects, and to provide professional development opportunities for members. For information visit http://www.camaonline.org.
Columbus’s Most Scenic Public Park (Or Where to Have
a Romantic Sunday Afternoon with George or Thom or Sean or…)
One of
Columbus’s most romantic and interesting sites is a unique urban sanctuary. The
Topiary Park is a one-of-a-kind interpretation of Georges Seurat’s famous
Post-Impressionist painting A Sunday
Afternoon on the Isle of La Grand Jatte in three-dimensional green.
The only topiary garden in existence based on a work of
art, this landscape-of-a-painting-of-a-landscape features 80 clipped yew trees
trained into ornamental shapes of 54 people, eight boats, three dogs, a monkey,
and a cat, and a pond reminiscent of Paris’s River Seine. Visitors will notice
that the topiary is done in exaggerated perspective to create depth. The
figures in the front are 12 feet tall - much larger than the figures at the far
end of the pond.
Visitors of all ages can literally enter the scene and
become both physically and imaginatively engaged with the artwork and its
environment. This seven-acre downtown sanctuary is accented with meticulously
planted perennials, annuals, hanging baskets, and water lilies. The Topiary
Park invites connections of ideas about art, ecology, landscape design, and
urban green spaces.
James T. Mason - the sculptor who conceptualized the topiary
park - designed, created, and installed the bronze frames and yew
trees. The park opened to the public in 1992 on the former site of the
Ohio School for the Deaf.
Seurat’s pioneering pointillist (using tiny dots of color
to create light) painting A Sunday
Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte was completed in 1887 and is
considered to be one of the most important paintings in Western art history.
The large painting - seven by ten feet - now hangs in the Art Institute of
Chicago. As Mason’s creation is both work of art and a work of nature, The
Topiary Park is a grand homage to Seurat’s masterpiece.
Located at Town and Washington streets in downtown’s
“Discovery District,” The Topiary Park is open daily from sunrise to sunset.
Admission is free. Dogs, cameras, and picnics are welcome. Self-guided tour
information, a “tree walk” and bottled water are available in the visitors’
center, which is located at the gatehouse on Town Street.
Friends of the Topiary Park was founded
in 1991 to support park improvements and to provide tours and educational
resources for thousands of visitors each year. The park is a project of the
Columbus Recreation and Parks Department.
Volunteers are always needed to help in the garden. Phone
614.645.0197 or visit www.TopiaryPark.org for more information.
Jennifer
McNally is Executive Director of Friends of the Topiary Park, a member
organization of the Columbus Arts Marketing Association. For more information,
visit www.CAMAonline.org.
10
Reasons to visit The Topiary Park:
1. It is a tres romantic place
for a date or picnic. (The park was featured on the cover of Kissing in Columbus: Romantic Things to See
and Do In and Around Ohio's Capital by Amber Stephens.)
2. It is unique.
3. It is an ideal place to take
out-of-town visitors of all ages - everyone is always impressed.
4. Great people watching (could
include art students painting and drawing; downtown residents and workers
walking their dogs, playing Frisbee, and stretching their legs after lunch;
volunteers weeding and working in the gardens; tourists from around the world;
colorful downtown characters).
5. Interesting architecture
surrounds the park (Old Deaf School, Columbus Metropolitan Library, grand 19th-Century
homes).
6. Free jazz concerts (geared
toward kids and families, but all are welcome) on the third Saturday of June,
July, August, and September from noon to 1p.
7. It is beautiful every day of
the year.
8. Since the topiaries
continually grow and change according to the season, the time of day, and the
amount of rainfall, the park is different each time you visit.
9. It is conveniently located
downtown and on-street parking is always available.
10. It is free!
Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Presents New Narratives
by Edwin George
First I want to say “S gee” which means “thanks” in
Cherokee for being included in the Riffe Gallery exhibition, New Narratives. Being a full blood
Eastern Band Cherokee and being able to tell my stories through art fulfills a
life long dream of sharing my native culture with others.
The painting and story “Gratitude” have been popular with the many schools and nature centers I have visited in my part
of Northeast, Ohio. The opportunity to be one of the 12 artists featured in New Narratives at the Riffe Gallery in Columbus has helped me reach a wider
audience as I try to tell a story of how important it is to be grateful for all
that is given us, without judgment.
I am grateful to Sequoya for inventing the first native
Cherokee written language back in 1818 and so I include the syllabary, a phonetic writing system consisting
of symbols representing syllables, in all my paintings. Though
I still speak my native language, I never had the opportunity to learn how to
write it in school because everything was taught in English. I am grateful to
all the plants that have provided food, medicine, housing and transportation,
so I painted these in Gratitude as a
way of honoring them. I am grateful to the oriole that showed up on my porch,
just as I finished Gratitude, so I
painted him in the picture. I started this painting about the witch and the
rabbit with a home school art class while the students painted their own “Gratitude”
pictures to be exhibited at the North Water Street Gallery in Kent, Ohio.
It is my hope that many school groups visit the Riffe Gallery on their field trips to the Statehouse in
Columbus or as a summer visit with families so that they have a chance to visit
my Cherokee culture through my art and story.
Se Yo (“Hello”) Edwin George
New
Narratives: Paintings by Ohio Artists is on view until July 12, 2009. Curated by Dominique H. Vasseur,
Columbus Museum of Art, this exhibition explores the various thems and styles of narrative painting by 12 Ohio
contemporary artists ranging from traditional figurative compositions to others
using signs and symbols.
The Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery showcases the work of Ohio’s artists and curators, exhibitions produced
by the Ohio Arts Council’s International program and the collections of the
region’s museums and galleries. The Riffe Gallery’s
Education Program seeks to increase public appreciation and understanding of
those exhibitions. Admission is free. For more information call the Riffe Gallery at 614.644.9624 or visit the Riffe Gallery Web site at www.riffegallery.org.
BLACKBIRD
by Sarah Mills Bacha / photo by Dave Alkire
Fifteen years ago Una and Ray had a relationship – an illegal relationship. They haven’t set eyes on each other since. Now, after great effort, she has found him again. Without warning, Una arrives late one day at Ray’s workplace. But why? What does she want? And is this man the Ray she remembers?
Blackbird, winner of the prestigious Laurence Oliver Award for Best New Play of 2007 in London, was last season’s most-acclaimed new Off-Broadway drama. David Harrower’s provocative play is recommended for mature audiences because of adult language and content. The New York Times described it as “Masterly, mesmerizing… extraordinary.”
Critic Ben Brantley wrote that "Ray and Una are peeled down to their barest souls. Shivering and unprotected, they are so utterly in the raw that you feel you should look away. On the other hand, how could you possibly?”
“Blackbird is a lot like Doubt,” said director Geoffrey Nelson, referring to John Patrick Shanley’s award-winning drama that CATCO successfully produced last spring. “It’s about a dramatic confrontation between two people who are fighting for everything they believe in and who will go to any lengths to win. The question is, ‘Whose version of what happened is the true one?’ ” Nelson predicts that Blackbird, never before staged in central Ohio, will be “the talk of the town.”
Scottish playwright David Harrower has been widely praised for his distinctive use of language in Blackbird. The characters frequently speak in unfinished sentences. “I was very conscious of wanting to write in a language that indicated these two characters’ mental state,” Harrower said in an interview for the American Conservatory Theatre production, “so the language in effect reflects the fact that they are circling around something. They can’t finish sentences, they can’t be too definite, because if they are definite about something, they don’t know what effect it’s going to have on the other person.”
Jonathan Putnam plays the role of “Ray” in Blackbird. Putnam, CATCO’s Associate Artistic Director, has played major roles in The Pillowman, Seascape, You’re My Boy (in which he created the role of Richard Nixon), Uncle Vanya, A Tuna Christmas and The Complete History of America (abridged). He is also the solo star of CATCO’s annual holiday production of The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris.
Anna Paniccia, making her CATCO debut, plays “Una.” Panniccia, who grew up in Columbus now lives in New York. She has performed with theatres all over Columbus, including 10 productions at the Columbus Children’s Theatre. At Actors Theatre she appeared as Cordelia in King Lear and Isabelle in Measure for Measure. In St. Louis, she has performed as Hannah in Angels in America, Luciana in Comedy of Errors, Hannah in Spitfire Grill, and as the Girl in Pillowman at St. Louis Rep.
Geoffrey Nelson, CATCO’s founder and artistic director, will direct Blackbird.
There are two previews for Blackbird, June 3 at 11a and June 4, at 7:30p. Tickets are $11.50 for the June 3 matinee and $32.50 for the main level (rows A-M) and $20.50 for the balcony for the June 4 performance. Opening night is Friday, June 5 at 8p. Tickets are $40 for the main level (rows A-M) and $25 for the balcony, and include admission to a post-performance party in the theatre lobby.
Tickets for two other $11@11 matinee performances June 10 and June 17 are $11.50 ($11 plus a 50-cent restoration fee). All remaining tickets for regularly scheduled performances are $40 for the main level (rows A-M) and $25 for the balcony. Visit www.catco.org for more show details.
All tickets can be purchased at the box office at 41 E. State St., next to the Ohio Theatre, by calling 614.469.0939 or by calling or visiting any central Ohio Ticketmaster location.
For more information on the play, visit the CATCO website at www.catco.org.
CAPA Announces 2009 Summer Movie Series Lineup
by Rolanda Copley
CAPA’s 2009 Summer Movie Series,
the longest-running classic film series in America, celebrates its 39th anniversary with a lineup of classics, cult favorites, and most beloved films.
The 2009 series will run July 17 – August 30, at the historic Ohio Theatre (39 E State St), and is made possible
through the generous support of National City, now a part of PNC.
2009 highlights include nine series
premieres, one silent film, five musicals, two Saturday mornings of classic
cartoons, two “Late Nite Fridays,” two “Chick Flick Fridays,” and two “dirty”
movies. With 20 films covering practically every genre, there’s something for
everyone - action, suspense, romance, comedy, drama, sci-fi, musicals, a
Western, and even a little good-humored horror.
In celebration of the 25th birthday of central Ohio’s literary jewel, the Thurber House, the 2009 Summer
Movie Series will hold Thurber Night on Wednesday, August 12. The evening
begins with A Unicorn in the Garden,
a 7-minute animated short based on a 1939 James Thurber short story, followed
by the series premiere of The Male Animal (1942). Starring Henry Fonda and Olivia de Haviland, the film is based on the
1940 James Thurber play of the same title which explores the battle between the
sexes.
This year’s silent film, Wings (1927), features silent film star
and “it girl” Clara Bow in a story of wartime romance. The film, which includes
actual WWI combat footage and stunning aerial photography, earned the very
first Oscar for Best Picture and an additional Oscar for Best Effects. Wings will be shown on Thursday and
Friday, August 13 and 14, and will be accompanied live by featured organist Clark
Wilson on the Ohio Theatre’s original
“Mighty Morton” organ.
“Chick Flick Fridays” are back in
2009 with Dirty Dancing (1987) on
Friday, July 31, and Steel Magnolias (1989)
on Friday, August 28. “Late Nite Fridays” have also returned with 11 pm
screenings of Slap Shot (1977) on
Friday, July 24, and Evil Dead II (1987) on Friday, August 21.
The popular Cartoon Capers return
to Saturday mornings - Saturday, August 1, and Saturday, August 22. Both
showings will begin at 10 am and will feature classic Warner Brothers and MGM cartoons.
The Summer Movie Series will expand
into a limited number of digital presentations in 2009, increasing the pool of
films available for screening. Digital presentations will include Slap Shot (1977), Dirty Dancing (1987), Evil
Dead II (1987), Road to Bali (1952),
and South Pacific (1958). Last shown
as part of the Series in 1987, South
Pacific had become unavailable in a 35mm format, so the new digital format
allows it to be screened once again.
Clark
Wilson, official organist for the CAPA Summer Movie Series, will once again provide
pre-show and intermission entertainment for each screening at the keys of the Ohio
Theatre’s “Mighty Morton” organ 30 minutes prior to show time. Organists Jack
Mader and David Fleischer will also provide live organ accompaniment at select movie
screenings.
CAPA
Summer Movie Series Ticket Strips, one of Central Ohio's best entertainment bargains, can be purchased now through August 9 at
the Ohio Theatre ticket office (39 E State St) or www.ticketmaster.com. Strips of 10
tickets are $25, a savings of
$1.50 per ticket off day-of-show prices. Phone orders for strip tickets can
be placed by calling 614.469.0939. For more information or to download an order
form, please visit www.capa.com. Strip
tickets are good for any film in any combination.
Day-of-show
tickets to individual
films are $4 and go on sale one hour prior to show time at the Ohio Theatre
kiosk. Senior citizen tickets are $3.50. All tickets are general admission and seating is on a first come,
first served basis.
For more information including a
complete schedule of screenings, visit www.capa.com.
Rolanda Copley is Publiscist for CAPA, a member organization of the
Columbus Arts Marketing Association. CAMA’s mission is to promote awareness of
and participation in the arts and cultural opportunities in Greater Columbus
through collaborative marketing and public relations projects, and to provide
professional development opportunities for members. For information visit http://www.camaonline.org.
05.14.09
Soul! Looks at Human Experience through Africa
American Art
Exhibition Opens May 1 at Ohio Historical Center
A new exhibit at the Ohio
Historical Center in Columbus starting May 1 showcases the “art and soul” of
African American history and culture and offers a studio where visitors can
create artwork telling their own stories.
Soul! Art from the National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, on exhibit through Feb. 28, 2010, features 119 works dating from 1835 to 2006 that reflect African heritage,
family, self-determination, love, celebration and other experiences. On loan
from the Ohio Historical Society’s National Afro-American Museum & Cultural
Center in Wilberforce, they include pieces in a variety of media by many
renowned artists, including Benny Andrews, Richmond Barthé,
Elizabeth Catlett and Willis “Bing” Davis.
Many Hands Make Great Work
According
to Floyd Thomas of the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, the
museum began collecting works by African American artists before opening in
1988 and since then has acquired many more ─ some through purchases and
more donated in appreciation by artists who’d received national exposure at
major museums after having had their work included in NAAMCC traveling
exhibitions. The museum has also received donations from friends of the museum
and from artists who simply wanted to be represented in its collections.
“We want
to have a collection that’s fully representative of the body of works that African
Americans have produced,” Thomas said. “We also feel a responsibility to
support African American artists.”
Two Ford
Foundation grants have enabled the museum to acquire important works associated
with the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
A National Collection with Ohio
Connections
Soul! will offer a taste of the National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center
collection, Thomas said. Visitors will see variety from the figurative to the
abstract. Future exhibitions will offer an opportunity to experience other
exceptional works.
“This
exhibition was conceived to be not so much a history of African American art as
one that would develop visitors’ interest in looking at and understanding art
and in gaining an insight into the African American experience and creative
genius,” Thomas pointed out.
The oldest
piece, dating to the 1830s, is by Patrick Reason, a freeman and artist whose
work illustrated abolitionist publications, making him one of the early published African American artists, according to
Thomas. Reason spent his later years in Cleveland.
“One of
the exciting things about doing this exhibit has been discovering Ohio
connections like this one that we didn’t know existed,” he said.
Conveys Human Experience
“Many of
the pieces are powerful in different ways,” Thomas added. “Soul! uses the African American experience
as a way of looking at the human experience. While it focuses on African
American creative expression, it reflects the human experience─ issues such as injustice, self-determination,
community pride and aesthetic beauty issues that people throughout the world
have faced.”
According
to Thomas, there are both significant differences and commonalities in the LGBT
and African American experience. Though dissimilar in some key respects
the legacy of slavery being the most pronounced both groups have been subjected
to discrimination, bigotry and violence.
“Both have
been denied freedoms and both have been maligned and stereotyped,” Thomas
said. “Both have fought to seek justice and to restore and promote
community pride. Both have engaged in the civil rights movement and have
advanced their cause on the streets, in courtrooms and through local, state and
national government.”
Some of
the artwork in SOUL! reflects the impact of hatred, bigotry and discrimination
that has been endured not only by African Americans, but by people around the
world because of their nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual
orientation or other characteristic that in some way distinguishes
them in an intolerant society, Thomas pointed out. Other pieces reflect
the universal determination of a people to overcome injustice and the
importance of taking pride in the beauty and dignity of a people and rejecting
the negative assessment of those who seek to diminish and limit them.
“The art
in this exhibition reveals that African Americans share with LGBT and
other communities here in the United States and abroad, the universal
appreciation of aesthetic beauty as essential to the soul,” Thomas concluded.
Jazz and Dance Exhibits Complement Soul!
Two
related exhibits from the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center
complement Soul! through Aug. 30, 2008, Making Music:Jazz Photographs by Luis Figgs and Golden Motions:
Celebrating the Art of Dance by Ademola Olugebefola.
In Making Music, 44 stunning
black-and-white photographs by Luis Figgs show some
of the world’s finest jazz musicians from 1977-1994 at work, doing what they do
… making music. Among the greats are Art Blakey,
Eddie (Cleanhead) Vinson, George Benson, Les McCann,
Junior Mance, Ray Drummond, and Jon Faddis.
A
collection of 19 limited edition lithographs celebrates the soul within dance
in Golden Motions. Seemingly simple
lines define the rhythm of a dancer’s body cutting through time and space. Born
in the U.S. Virgin Islands and raised in New York City, Olugebefola has shown his work in major museums, galleries, universities and on television throughout the United States, Caribbean, Africa, Europe and
Japan.
Sponsors of the Soul! project are the Gordon Chandler Memorial Fund and the Helen E. Sandfort Arts-in-Education Fund of the Columbus Foundation. Community partners are the
King Arts Complex and Columbus Jazz Arts Group.
The
Ohio Historical Center is located at I-71 & 17th Ave. in
Columbus. Admission to the Ohio Historical Center is $8/adults (ages 13-59),
$7/seniors (60+), $4/youth (ages 6-12) and free for
Ohio Historical Society members and children 5 years of age and
under. Museum hours are: Thursdays, 9a–9p; Fridays and Saturdays,
9a–5p; and Sundays, noon–5p.
For
information, call the Ohio Historical Society at 800.686.6124 or visit
www.ohiohistory.org/soul.
Kim Schuette is Communications and Media Relations Manager for Ohio
Historical Societya member organization of the
Columbus Arts Marketing Association. CAMA’s mission
is to promote awareness of and participation in the arts and cultural
opportunities in Greater Columbus through collaborative marketing and public
relations projects, and to provide professional development opportunities for
members. For information visit www.camaonline.org.
PHOTO: About Love by Richard Barclift.
New Narratives: Paintings by Ohio Artists
Since the beginning of
recorded history – from early cave paintings to the art of ancient Rome,
people have been telling stories through art. Early cave dwellers recorded their history on the walls of
caves and Michelangelo told us about mythology and religion through his
paintings and sculptures. Today,
history and storytelling through art live on through
narrative paintings.
Narrative paintings today
depict social issues of many kinds. At the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery, many of the paintings in the
exhibition New
Narratives: Paintings by Ohio Artists illustrate a wide range of
historical, political and fictional “stories”. The exhibition offers unique works from 12 Ohio artists ranging
from traditional figurative compositions to others using signs and symbols.
“The 12 Ohio artists in
this exhibition make paintings that deal with war, social, economic, and
political issues, global warming, the effects of chemicals on our health, as well
as matters of race and gender,” said Dominique H. Vasseur. “Their narratives
range from age-old Native American life stories, traditional Ukrainian folk
songs that offer explanations of human emotion and behavior to highly personal
and autobiographical stories that defy easy explanation.”
New Narratives: Paintings by Ohio
Artists is open until July 12,
2009. Artists in the exhibition
include Ron Anderson, Columbus; Adam Brouillette, Columbus; Donna Coleman,
Oberlin; Diane Fitch, Yellow Springs, Edwin George, Kent; Deborah
Morrissey-Goff, Cincinnati; Aka Pereyma, Troy; Lisa Schare, Cincinnati; Michael
R. Stillion, Cincinnati; Laura R. Vinnedge, Akron; Brian R. Williams, Columbus;
and Ronnie Williams, Dayton.
The Ohio Arts Council’s
Riffe Gallery is located in the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts,
77 S. High St., Columbus, OH. Admission is free. Gallery hours are Tuesday, 10
a.m. - 4 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m., Saturday, noon - 8
p.m. and Sunday, noon-4 p.m. Closed Mondays, Friday,
July 3 and Saturday, July 4, 2009. Visit www.riffegallery.org or phone
614/644-9624 for more information.
The Ohio Arts Council’s
Riffe Gallery showcases the work of Ohio’s artists and curators, exhibitions
produced by the Ohio Arts Council’s International Program and the collections
of the region’s museums and galleries. The Riffe Gallery’s Education Program
seeks to increase public appreciation and understanding of those exhibitions.
Admission is free. For information, call the Riffe Gallery at 614/644-9624.
The Ohio Arts Council is a
state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen
Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.
Jaclyn Reynolds is Communications
Specialist for Ohio Arts Council, a member organization of the Columbus Arts
Marketing Association. CAMA’s mission is to promote awareness of and
participation in the arts and cultural opportunities in Greater Columbus
through collaborative marketing and public relations projects, and to provide
professional development opportunities for members. For information visit http://www.camaonline.org.
04.30.09
EQUUS REVIVAL FIRST IN CENTRAL OHIO
Olympic Theatre Co., Columbus’
boldest, newest bar-based performing ensemble, is proud to present Equus, Peter Shaffer’s Tony Award-winning psychodrama about
societal mores in contemporary culture.
Equus completed its Broadway run earlier
this year after highly acclaimed, blockbuster performances in New York and
London featuring Daniel Radcliffe, star of the “Harry Potter” movies, in the
role of Alan.
Equus tells the story of a psychiatrist
who attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological religious, sexual
fascination with horses. Shaffer was inspired to write Equus when he heard of a crime involving a 17-year-old who had blinded six horses in
a small town near London. He set out to construct a fictional account of what
might have caused the incident, without knowing any of the details of the
crime. The play's action is something of a detective story, involving the
attempts of psychiatrist Dr. Martin Dysart to understand the cause of the boy's
actions while wrestling with his own sense of purpose.
The play explores other themes as well, chiefly religious
and ritual sacrifice, and the manner in which character Alan Strang constructs a personal theology involving the horses
and the supreme godhead, "Equus.” Also important
is Shaffer's examination of the conflict between personal values and
satisfaction and societal mores, expectations and institutions. In reference to
the play's classical structure, themes and characterization.
The show will run at 7p May 1, 2, 8 and 9 at the Q Bar & Nightclub, 205 North 5th St. Tickets are available in packages of four, at $40 and $50 per table. Call 614.222.2401.
THURBER HOUSE PRESENTS:
Evenings with Authors Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist
Tony Horwitz, Friday, May 15, and The Summer 2009
Literary Picnics, Beginning Wednesday, June 10
The 2009
Winter/Spring Evenings
with Authors series will end the season with a tale of adventure, heroism,
greed and discovery when Thurber House presents Tony Horwitz,
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author of the New York Times bestseller, A Voyage Long and
Strange, May 15, 7:30 p.m., at the Columbus School for Girls, 56 S.
Columbia Ave.
Inspired
by a visit to Plymouth Rock, Horwitz chronicles his
participatory approach to history, as he searches for the genuine bones of
Christopher Columbus and dons the heavy gear once worn by the conquistadors. Equal parts historian, journalist and
adventurer, he pursues the truth behind the myth to determine what really
happened in America from the 1400s through the Pilgrims’ landing.
“What
would it be like, I wondered, to explore the New World, not only in books but
on the ground? To take a pre-Pilgrimage through early America … rediscover my
native land?” Horwitz asked.
During his
quest to find the answers, Horwitz embarked on a
cross-continent odyssey. From
Newfoundland, to an Indian sweat lodge in sub-arctic Canada, onward to the
Dominican Republic, the deserts of Mexico and Arizona and then down the
Mississippi in a canoe, his expedition encountered a variety of
adventures. In the Voyage, he researches
and retraces the routes of Vikings, explorers, friars, castaways and
conquistadors who roamed America long before the Mayflower dropped anchor, and
then he concludes his journey where it all started, Plymouth Rock.
Following
their adventures with Horwitz, Thurber House fans
will return to the safe harbor of the Thurber House Summer 2009 Literary Picnics,
featuring five events and authors with an Ohio connection. From June through August, Thurber House
puts out the welcome mat for authors and guests alike, inviting everyone to
relax on the side lawn for the outdoor picnics at 77 Jefferson Ave.
The
picnics begin with the Thurber Treat, Wednesday, June 10, and special guest
host, Johnny DiLoretto, FOX 28 Good Day Columbus reporter. The Thurber
Treat writing contest, in celebration of the Thurber House 25th anniversary, is asking local authors to write about their Thurber House
unforgettable experiences or memories. Three winners will be chosen to read
their entries at the Treat. Wednesday picnics that follow will feature, among other awards and
accolades received, a Pulitzer Prize winner, a New York Times bestselling author and a
popular Ohio mystery writer. And,
for the first time, the series will present one picnic, NEW VOICES, highlighting emerging,
talented authors of fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction.
The
2009 Literary Picnics’ line-up of guest authors’ readings:
A Thurber Treat,
Wednesday, June 10
Julia Keller, Wednesday, June 24
Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer
Prize for feature writing, her debut book is Mr. Gatling’s Terrible Marvel, a
riveting account of the Gatling gun's invention and impact on the world.
Jennifer Crusie,
Wednesday, July 8
Crusie’s latest novel is Always Kiss Me
Goodnight, her version of The Turn of the Screw, complete with ghosts and orphans.
NEW VOICES: Wednesday, July 22
Christopher Barzak's latest work, The Love We Share Without Knowing, is a
haunting, richly woven novel.
David Giffels' book, All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-down House, is a
memoir of his growing into parenthood while restoring a ramshackle mansion.
Jay
Siegel is an Ohio
native and poet who finds his inspiration in Ohio and small town life in the
Midwest.
P.L. Gaus, Wednesday, August 5
Gaus, author of a popular series of
mystery novels set in Holmes County, Ohio, has written his sixth and latest
book in the Ohio
Amish Mystery series, Separate from the World.
Event
Information:
• Literary
picnickers are asked to bring a chair or a blanket for seating, and they may
order a catered dinner or bring their own; 5:20 p.m., free guided tours begin;
6:15 p.m., dinner is served; 7 p.m., the reading begins; Reading only tickets:
Adults, $15; children (ages 12 and under), $5; Dinner and reading tickets: $25
For more event
information, visit www.thurberhouse.org or call 614-464-1032. Patty Donahey Geiger is
Marketing/Media Relations Consultant for Thurber House, a member organization
of the Columbus Arts Marketing Association. CAMA’s mission is to promote awareness of and participation in the arts and cultural
opportunities in Greater Columbus through collaborative marketing and public
relations projects, and to provide professional development opportunities for
members. For information visit http://www.camaonline.org.
04.17.09
World Premiere Brings New Life to Classic Novel By Alana Manwaring
The F. Scott Fitzgerald novel that used opulent parties, reckless jubilance and thwarted love to showcase the fallibility of The American Dream captivates Columbus audiences in a new adaptation. The eloquent, the elusive and always extravagant Great Gatsby like you’ve never seen him—BalletMet Columbus’ world premiere, The Great Gatsby, takes the stage April 24 through May 2 at Capitol Theatre.
The Great American Novel comes alive in this new ballet, choreographed by BalletMet Company dancer Jimmy Orrante. While The Great Gatsby is his first full-length story ballet, Orrante has choreographed many works for BalletMet during his fourteen years with the Company, including his stunning pas de deux Touch and his nostalgic Ad Infinitum, set to the music of Simon and Garfunkel. BalletMet patrons likely also remember Orrante dancing the title role in BalletMet’s productions of Dracula. Orrante has been recognized nationally as a recipient of the prestigious Choreography Award from the Princess Grace Foundation, dedicated to identifying and assisting emerging talent in the performing arts.
Orrante conveys the complex storyline of The Great Gatsby successfully without using any spoken material. He follows the plot closely with his choreography and includes many pertinent details from the book. Orrante wants the ballet to be easy to follow even for audience members who haven’t read the book. He uses expressive contemporary ballet and traditional ‘20s movement blended with his own style. The result is choreography that is eloquently emotive; Orrante’s innovative partnering and dynamic personal connections immerse the audience in the multifaceted plot.
Historical accuracy is pertinent in the portrayal of this story and elaborate sets and exquisite costumes evoke that decadent era coined by Fitzgerald as The Jazz Age. The costumes, designed by Rebecca Baygents Turk and constructed by BalletMet’s Costume Shop are luxurious and eye-catching. “The costumes are inspired by the period of the 1920s, but are designed to compliment the movement and accurately embody each character,” Turk said.
Popular 1920s dances are inspiration, but audiences will experience more than just the Charleston. Orrante said he is inspired by the careless form and reckless energy of the era’s flapper style of dancing. “They didn’t care how they looked doing it. It has this raw energy, kind of wild movement.” Orrante asked the BalletMet dancers, who are used to conforming to strict choreography, to let their natural style show through. This individual interpretation of vigorous 1920s dance, paired with lively music from the era, recreate the extravagant parties held by Jay Gatsby and take audiences back to the Roaring Twenties.
Poignant choreography conveys the character’s emotions, giving the ballet depth and meaning beyond the elaborate party scenes. “My main focus is to be true to Fitzgerald’s novel,” Orrante said. “It’s a love story that never got to blossom.” Notable pas de deux captivate the audience and expressive acting by the dancers capture the lifestyles of Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby.
“So much was happening in that era. People partied hard and drove big cars and danced carelessly. I hope to show this extravagance and richness in the work, while connecting the key relationships among the few central characters,” Orrante said. The ballet features the seven main characters from novel and the entire BalletMet Company dances in each performance.
If the novel was only required reading in high school, or the movie went unseen, rediscover this classic with BalletMet and let exquisite dance reveal the secrets, the deception and the unfulfilled love of The Great Gatsby.
The Great Gatsby will run April 24 through May 2 at the Capitol Theatre, 77 South High Street 3rd Floor. Showtimes are as follows: Fri. April 24, 8p Sat. April 25, 8p Sun. April 26, 2p Thurs. April 30, 7:30p Fri. May 1, 8p Sat. May 2, 8p Tickets: $25-45; MetPass Members: $14.50-$23 Available through Ticketmaster (800.982.2787, ticketmaster.com), or CAPA Box Office (614.469.0939)
Enjoy pre- and post performance talks with choreographer Jimmy Orrante and free 1920s dance lessons from the Lindyroos before select performances. Visit www.balletmet.org for more information.
Alana Manwaring is Marketing and Communications Intern for BalletMet Columbus a member organization of the Columbus Arts Marketing Association. For more information, visit http://www.camaonline.org.
|
