W I NTER /SPR I N G 2013
S I E D E L D D I F
ART FOR CURIOUS MINDS
Brandeis University
e h t s a a H n o ld r o W G N I R T S
Fearless fiddler Casey Driessen
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visions
BACK
TO THE
FUTURE
This issue of State of the Arts is dedicated to the consideration of how the art of the past — its study, appreciation and cultivation — is essential to understanding the contemporary.
As an art historian who specializes in Renaissance art, I spend much of my mental life immersed in the past, engaged in research on artists like Raphael, Bernini and Poussin and the cultural environment of papal Rome. Yet, as a teacher, my mission is to make this era seem palpable and vital to the next generation of artists
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across artistic disciplines. Such intersections inspire and animate many of the arts events at Brandeis this season.
To mention just a few: In collaboration with the classics department, the Brandeis Theater Company mounts a new production of two classical Greek texts by Euripides, “Orestes” and “Iphigenia at Tauris,” incorporating contemporary Indian narrative dance as a way of tracing the mythic stories’ cross-cultural resonance. The FiddleDeis concert series explores the evolution of violin
The arts at Brandeis seek new interpretive meanings to the classics and artistic innovation inspired by the visionaries who preceded us.
and those who appreciate art, who are more apt to create and confront a complex video installation than frescoed chapels or sculpted monuments, which, however, were often multimedia extravaganzas in their own right. I write these words of welcome having just returned home transfixed by an extraordinary performance by the Lydian String Quartet. The program was anchored at either end by the weightiest quartets of Mozart and Beethoven, especially the latter’s opus 132. Its slow movement, a profound utterance on mortal fragility and spiritual endurance from a convalescing Beethoven to his Maker, forges a meditative path of transcendence over the vagaries of existence. Between these works, repertory remade afresh, the Lydians premiered a new piece by Harold Meltzer, “Aqua,” a musical homage to the recent skyscraper of the same name in Chicago. Much as architect Jeanne Gang sheathes a tower in undulating balconies and voids that create shimmering amorphous patterns across the 80-story shaft, so too does the quartet eschew conventional structure in 13 staccato movements as multifarious as the evolving light patterns over the glimmering structure. The concert achieved a remarkable continuity between the ever-eloquent past and contemporary creative chutzpah, and charted a dialogue
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performance from the development of the “lira da braccio” in the Renaissance to jazz improvisation and new music. The new Art in Dialogue series welcomes contemporary artist-filmmaker Silvia Kolbowski and performance artist Janine Antoni, along with New York Times art critic Holland Cotter, whose writing vividly evokes both current and historical art. The Rose Art Museum presents an exhibition by the influential American artist Ed Ruscha, whose work, rooted in the pop movement, has for decades influenced graphic design, cinema, architectural theory and urban history.
As always, the performances and exhibitions of our students in the fine arts, music and theater departments show us the most extraordinary consequences of their understanding, nurtured through their faculty mentors, of how the present and past continually intermesh in the fervor of the creative act. The Brandeis School of Creative Arts mission states: “We are dedicated to seeking new interpretive meanings to the classics and discovering artistic innovations inspired by the visionaries who preceded us.” I hope you will join us to experience these timely and timeless events.
Jonathan Unglaub, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Fine Arts Chair, School of Creative Arts Council
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contents winter/spring 2013 Volume 9, Number 2 State of the Arts is published twice a year by the Office of the Arts. Office of the Arts Director Scott Edmiston
2 music
Associate Director Ingrid Schorr Art Director John Sizing JS Publication Design Photography Mike Lovett
9 theater
Copy Editor Susan Pasternack Contributors Judith Eissenberg Dabney Hailey Eric Hill Shawna Kelley Michele L’Heureux Ryan McKittrick Leonard C. Muellner Penelope Taylor Jonathan Unglaub Deb Todd Wheeler Correspondence Office of the Arts MS 052 Brandeis University PO Box 549110 Waltham, MA 02454 -9110
13 visual arts
19 festivals
brandeis.edu/arts
20 artifacts Third photograph from top: Installation view (detail), walead beshty, passages, 2009. LA><art, los angeles. Photo: fredrik nilsen. courtesy of the artist and regan Projects, los angeles.
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three-day festival brings a different kind of virtuosity to Brandeis
March 15-17
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Beginning with Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein and Irving Fine, Slosberg Music Center has hosted performances and lectures by brilliantly talented musicians, composers and conductors. This spring, it will be the locus of a different kind of virtuosity, one of duels, jams, swagger and twang. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the voice of Dublin, Oslo and Bangalore, filtered through the Brandeis music departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own wide range of knowledge and connections. >>>>>>>>>
Scots-Irish Fiddlers Jeremy Kittel Band
L EDEIS EDEI S LEDEIS Has the World on a String
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No matter their cultural origin, fiddlers tre Mariel Vandersteel
he fiddle, like no other instrument, gives voice to unlimited human expression — lament, exultation, yearning and delight, to name but a few. The fiddle inspires celebration and mourning, lively jigs and elegant waltzes. From Canada’s Cape Breton to the Louisiana bayou, from high lonesome bluegrass to the lowdown blues, it’s hard to imagine a musical landscape that does not include a fiddle or violin. No matter their cultural origin, fiddlers treasure originality and invention. A devoted fiddle player can play for hours, solo or with others, by memory or by improvising. The great ones can riff like a jazz master, staying true to the essence of the melody.
David Greely
“Fiddling is a dynamic and vastly expressive art form with all the trappings of other art forms,” writes musician Ryan Thomson in “The Fiddler’s Almanac,” a practical reference work. “There are old standards, new trends, conservatism, economic and social considerations.” With room for innovators as well as purists, it’s an art form that will never stop growing. So then: FiddleDeis. Possibly the strongest common ground of the very diverse Brandeis music department, this three-day festival celebrates the progression of the violin in performance. Distinguished faculty members and guest musicians will delight audience members with an unprecedented whirlwind of performances, master classes and workshops. There is even a yoga and relaxation session with stretches designed for string players (who will surely have earned it). Further blurring the violin-fiddle, classical-traditional distinction, many of these performers were conservatory-trained before finding their fullest expression with the addition of traditional folk forms or electronic expertise. They perform in settings as diverse as concert halls and whitewater rafting trips; they tour internationally and give high-tech TED talks to a global audience. Many have attracted a strong and faithful following at enormous music festivals, and look forward to giving an intimate performance in Slosberg’s recital hall. Others are local heroes, such as father and son Andy and Dave Reiner, directors of the annual “Fiddle Hell” musical marathon in Concord, Mass., which attracts hundreds of players from around the world.
Laura Cortese
Meena Kothandaraman Ben Powell
There’s an exuberant generosity in the fiddle world. FiddleDeis offers a welcome jam, a guided jam, an Irish jam, a groove-finding jam and a dance. Many of the performers will teach master classes throughout the festival. And Shawna Kelley, the department’s concert manager and a veteran employee of gatherings such as Newport Folk Festival, has convinced her friends on the roster to teach what she calls repertoire run-throughs: 50-minute sessions in which participants learn a song well enough to play it in one big community session on Sunday morning. ON THE NEXT PAGE IS A DAY-BY-DAY ROAD MAP. For a complete schedule and updates, please visit www.brandeis.edu/arts/concerts/ fiddledeis.
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In addition to concerts, FiddleDeis features master classes, an Irish jam, and yoga relaxation sessions.
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Friday, March 15: From the Fjords to the Moors The festival kicks off with a welcome jam and master classes throughout the day. The evening concert features Mariel Vandersteel, on the ethereal Norwegian Hardanger fiddle; Andy and Dave Reiner (bluegrass, Irish, Western swing and more); the Laura Cortese Acoustic Project, led by “the sassy local folk-pop goddess of fiddle,” grounded in bluegrass and Celtic fiddle traditions. Jeremy Kittel (ex-Turtle Island Quartet), one of the world’s leading ScotsIrish fiddlers, and his band finish up the evening.
Casey Driessen Sarah Mead
Shira Kammen
Saturday, March 16: Around the World on Four Strings Day two continues with daytime jams, master classes and workshops. The evening concert follows a wild route through a range of expressive forms: South Indian classical from Meena Kothandaraman (Bentley University); jazz improv from Ben Powell, Bob Tamagni and Tim Ray (piano), Evan Caleb-Yearsley (drums) and Bob Nieske (bass); French- and blues-influenced Cajun roots music from David Greely (founding member of the Mamou Playboys); and the genredefying Casey Driessen, known for his use of digital looping to create powerful, jaw-dropping, high-energy fiddle sounds. “Casey has performed with Béla Fleck, Abigail Washburn and Steve Earle and was the obvious choice to represent electronic and new music,” says Kelley. Sunday, March 17: Roots Revealed Remember those repertoire run-throughs? Sunday morning is the chance for everyone who’s learned tunes over the previous two days to perform en masse. The concert repertoire travels back in time to medieval and 17th-century England, revealing the roots of all that was performed on Friday and Saturday. Performers include Sarah Mead, Emily Walhout, Shira Kammen and Cathy Liddell on treble and bass violin, viola da gamba, lyra-viol and theorbo. Those Elizabethans were spirited partiers, so their music is a natural bridge to an Irish jam session in the Reinharz Residence Hall (next door to Slosberg Music Center) with the Reiner Family Band. Finally, Lydian String Quartet violinist Dan Stepner connects the music of Bach to country, Cajun and Cape Breton styles. Stepner will demonstrate the common techniques — the fast alternation of strings, for example — that link baroque and traditional playing. Stepner promises to bring the festival to a rousing close. “Why not?” he says. “Let’s go for baroque.” FESTIVAL TICKETS
Concerts: Friday, Saturday or Sunday, $20/$15/$5. Master classes: Entire day Friday, Saturday or Sunday, $25/$15/$5. For package pricing and discounts, please visit www.brandeis.edu/arts/concerts/fiddledeis or call Brandeis Tickets. Purchase tickets through Brandeis Tickets at 781-736-3400 or www.brandeis.edu/tickets.
Dan Stepner
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as well as purists, it’s an art form that will never stop growing.
ers treasure originality and invention. With room for innovators
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music Professional ConcerTS The Brandeis Department of Music hosts an exceptional series of professional concerts each year featuring faculty and visiting artists. Unless otherwise noted, concerts are in Slosberg Music Center and tickets are $20; $15 for Brandeis community and seniors; $5 for students. Purchase tickets through Brandeis Tickets at 781-736-3400 or online at www.brandeis.edu/tickets.
Genkin Philharmonic Residency
Women Making Music
The Genkin Philharmonic is a critically acclaimed genre-bending freight train, equal parts shredding rock band and virtuosic chamber ensemble. Sponsored by the Brandeis Arts Council.
Sunday, Feb. 3 Sponsored by the Women’s Studies Research Center. 3:30 p.m., Women’s Studies Research Center: Lecture by Judith Tick, professor of music at Northeastern University, with performances by Emily Corbató and Claire Dickson. Free and open to the public.
Icons of Rock Friday, Jan. 25, 8 p.m. Outrageous, incendiary arrangements of pieces by Radiohead, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa and Sergei Prokofiev. New Music Brandeis Saturday, Jan. 26, 8 p.m. Premieres of new music written for the Genkin Philharmonic by Brandeis composers Travis Alford, Victoria Cheah, David Dominique, Emily Koh, Frank S. Li, James Praznik, Rebecca Sacks and Tina Tallon. Free and open to the public.
7 p.m., Slosberg Music Center: Music by Maria Teresa Agnesi, Fanny Mendelssohn, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Dana Maiben and Ruth Lomon, performed by Pamela Dellal, Laury Gutierrez, the Mockingbird Trio and Vivian Montgomery.
MusicUnitesUS World Music Concert: New Sounds from the Arab Lands Thursday, Feb. 28, 8 p.m. (7 p.m. talk with Theodore Levin) Experience a sublime mix of spontaneity and control rooted in a thousandyear-old tradition of improvisation. From Syria, Lebanon and Tunisia come five eminent musicians who combine
jazz, classical music and the microtonal subtleties and myriad modes of Arabic music. Supported by the Brandeis Arts Council and produced in partnership with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. For full residency schedule, visit www. musicunitesus.info.
The Genkin Philharmonic
Times of Turbulence: Music for Cello and Piano, 1901-1919 Saturday, March 9, 8 p.m. War. Economic upheaval. Psychological stress. Sound familiar? Joshua Gordon, cello, and Randall Hodgkinson, piano, perform the powerful and uplifting response of three composers facing similar conditions at the beginning of the 20th century. Program includes Frank Bridge: Sonata (1913-1917); Paul Hindemith: Sonata, op. 11, no. 3 (1919) and Phantasiestück, op. 8, no. 2 (1917); and Sergei Rachmaninoff: Sonata, op. 19 (1901).
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Bob Nieske 4 Sunday, March 10, 3 p.m. The Bob Nieske 4 performs jazz improvisations and compositions from their new CD, “One, Two, Free, Four!” Dave Tronzo, guitar; Phil Grenadier, trumpet; Jon Hazilla, drums; and Bob Nieske, bass.
Lydian String Quartet Saturday, April 6, 8 p.m. (preconcert talk, 7 p.m.) Delight in the exquisite artistry of Brandeis’ resident professional quartet. Program includes a new string quartet by Kurt Rohde, winner of the 2012 Lydian String Quartet Commission Prize; Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546; and Beethoven, op. 130 (with the Grosse Fuge).
The Lydian String Quartet
EXPAND YOUR EXPERIENCE BRANDEIS.EDU/ARTS/EXTRAS
BRANDEIS STUDENT
CONCERTS Brandeis’ outstanding student ensembles perform music ranging from classical to world music to contemporary jazz. All student concerts take place in Slosberg Music Center, unless otherwise noted, and are free and open to the public.
Folk Opera: Love in Schlossberg Village Saturday, Feb. 9, 8 p.m. Based on the music of Johannes Brahms, “Love in Schlossberg Village” weaves together charming choral works and folk songs into a “folk opera” about mismatched lovers. Conceived and directed by Pamela Dellal, voice instructor in the music department, with the Brandeis University Chorus and Chamber Choir (James Olesen, director).
University Chorus and Chamber Choir: The Great American Songbook Saturday, April 13, 8 p.m. Enjoy the fascinatin’ rhythms of beloved 20th-century classics from Tin Pan Alley, Broadway and cinema. James Olesen, director.
Brandeis Wind Ensemble: A Touch of Jazz Sunday, April 14, 7 p.m. Jazzed: 1. played in a sophisticated harmonic idiom; 2. giving great pleasure; 3. excited. Thomas Souza, director.
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music BEAMS: Brandeis ElectroAcoustic Music Studio Sunday, April 28, 8 p.m. New electro-acoustic music for the sound of the future. Featuring works by Victoria Cheah, James Praznik, Emily Koh, David Dominique, Tina Tallon, Frank S. Li, Mu-Xuan Lin and Richard Chowenhill.
Brandeis University Jazz Ensemble Saturday, April 20, 8 p.m. Bask in the eclectic, outrageous, sometimes mystifying and always powerful music of the late, great Sun Ra. Bob Nieske, director.
Early Music Ensemble
Music Fest ’13 Sunday, April 21, 1-4 p.m. Experience the excitement, energy and passion of music at Brandeis as the department ensembles come together for music, food and conversation.
Brandeis Improv Collective Tuesday, April 30, 7 p.m. Share a collective improvisational experi-
ence with some of the most imaginative players on campus. Tom Hall, director.
New Music Brandeis Saturday, May 4, 8 p.m. New music by Brandeis graduate composers Seung-Hee, Jared Redmond, Travis Alford, Michele Zaccagnini, Mu-Xuan Lin, Richard Chowenhill, Frank S. Li, Rebecca Sacks and Yiguo Yan.
Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts Concerts All are free and open to the public. For full festival schedule, visit www.brandeis.edu/arts/festival.
Early Music Concert: Theatrum Instrumentorum Thursday, April 25, 6 p.m. Berlin Chapel The Brandeis Early Music Ensemble, directed by Sarah Mead, and the Tufts Early Music Ensemble, directed by Jane Hershey, present late 16th- and 17th-century works for a splendid array of instruments and voices. Music by Schein, Praetorius, Marini, Dowland, Jenkins and more.
Late Night with Leonard Bernstein Slosberg Music Center Friday, April 26, 8 p.m. This affectionate, intimate recital debuted in 2011 at Lincoln Center and is a fitting centerpiece to the Festival of the Creative Arts, founded by Bernstein in 1952. Hosted
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by his daughter, Jamie Bernstein, and Bernstein protégé George Steel (general director of New York City Opera). Acclaimed soprano Amy Burton and pianists John Musto, Michael Barrett and Michael Boriskin perform the maestro’s favorite music, including works by Copland, Confrey, Coward, Schubert and Chopin, and personal stories. Free and open to the public.
Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra: Catch a Rising Star Slosberg Music Center Saturday, April 27, 8:30 p.m. The orchestra performs the Beethoven Second Piano Concerto, with Michiko Inouye, winner of the annual concerto competition. Neal Hampton, director.
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Jamie Bernstein
Amy Burton
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theater BRANDEIS THEATER
COMPANY The Brandeis Theater Company is a collaborative home to students, guest artists, faculty and staff in the Department of Theater Arts. Performances are held in the Spingold Theater Center. Unless otherwise noted, tickets are $20; $15 for Brandeis community and seniors; $5 for students. For the full BTC season, visit www.go.brandeis.edu/arts/ btc. Purchase tickets at Brandeis Tickets at 781-736-3400 or online at www.brandeis.edu/tickets.
In the Heart of America By Naomi Wallace Directed by Janet Morrison, Feb. 7-10 A young Palestinian-American woman searches for her missing brother, a soldier who served in Iraq, in this compelling drama that explores the intersection of violence and politics, racism and patriotism, desire and the human heart. Director Janet Morrison says, “The characters represent different backgrounds, cultures and wars, but you can see the common wounds, hope and striving that are alive in all of them.”
Movement Project: Heaven and Hell/Light and Dark Choreographed by graduate and undergraduate students Directed by Susan Dibble, March 9-10 How does a still image inspire movement? This collection of original theater and dance finds meaning and connections in the symbolism and composition of paintings from medieval to contemporary. Director Susan Dibble (herself a painter) says, “Dance and movement theater create a physical world of form, line and color. Lighting is also like paint, creating shadows and angles to bring visual life to the compositions.” Free and open to the public.
Senior Festival April 9-13 In a weeklong festival, Brandeis theater arts students present stories ranging from the hidden history of Anne Boleyn to the legacy of Rachel Carson. Projects include work by Sarah Ruhl and Kurt Weill, and an original jukebox musical. Featuring Abby Armstrong, Julie Bauer, Iyvon Edebiri, Jessie Field, Ellyn Getz, Alia Goldfarb, Maya Grant, Tiffany Johnson, Viktoria Lange, Taylor Lombard, Rebecca Miller, Anneke Reich. Free and open to the public. For a complete schedule, visit www.brandeis.edu/arts/btc/. winter/spring 2013
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Scenes from the Brandeis Theater Company productions of “The Bacchae” (2006) and “Hecuba” (2009) translated by Leonard Muellner and directed by Eric Hill
ANCIENT VISIO N THE TRANSLATOR Leonard C. Muellner
My life as a scholar consists of revisiting ancient texts that always surprise me, probably because of an apparently infinite ability on my part to miss cool stuff, even the 10th or 14th time around, but also, I hope, because I’ve learned more and keep on understanding more things. Classical scholarship is about standing on other people’s shoulders, including your own, and that turns out to be possible even for a noncontortionist like me. This is so mainly because the poetry we’re trying to understand is the product of incredibly skillful artisans who worked in an exceptionally well-developed, exceptionally sophisticated tradition, so the more tuned in you are to what is going on, the more you “get” what’s going on. Greek tragedies are built like a Swiss watch, with every word in place. The two plays being produced this spring by the Brandeis Theater 10 BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY | STATE OF THE ARTS
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Company, “Iphigenia at Tauris” (c. 414 B.C.) and “Orestes” (408 B.C.) were written by the great Greek tragedian Euripides during the last 10 years of his life. Euripides was a great innovator, especially in the musical portions of these later tragedies. As he grew older, he was less and less rule-bound in the way he composed the poetic line. What is particularly challenging in “Orestes,” which my students are reading this term, is to understand the choral songs and how they relate to the episodes that they punctuate. Every single word of the songs is meaningful and enlightening, and every time I reread them it blows my mind.
The Greeks re-enacted ancient stories such as “Orestes” as a means of publicly examining their beliefs and political institutions. In the radically democratic Athenian city-state, tragedies were intended to transcend their original cultural context and make possible an understanding of the human condition. For good reason, the theater produced by this human-centered culture has stood the test of time and surpasses any social, religious, economic, linguistic and political differences. winter/spring 2013
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O NS, NEW EYES The problems that the Athenian people faced are still common to us all. Their way of looking at life and death in relatively secular, especially unflinching and beguilingly rational terms is something that my students at Brandeis can’t get enough of.
One thing to be clear on: We are creating a new translation of these works to serve as the basis of Eric Hill’s adaptation to the demands and conventions of contemporary theater. We provide a careful and effective rendering of the Greek text, but the crucial piece is how today’s theater artists transform and embody such transcendent expressions of looking at life. Join us at the Spingold Theater in April to see this ancient poetry literally come to life — the past and the present united in one vision. —Professor Muellner teaches Athenian Tragic Theatre in Modern Performance, Ancient Greek Drama, Ancient Greek Language, and Classical Mythology. He has a master’s degree in classical studies from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in classical philology from Harvard University. winter/spring 2013
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Visions of an Ancient Dreamer
A new adaptation of “Orestes” and “Iphigenia at Tauris” by Euripides Adapted and directed by Eric Hill Translated by Leonard C. Muellner and Brandeis students Movement by Navarasa Dance Theater April 25-28 The haunting classical tragedies of Orestes and Iphigenia are re-imagined by director Eric Hill as twin visions of an ancient storyteller, who relates the origin of the world, climaxing with the creation of the Furies, the avenging goddesses. The production is a yearlong collaboration between the departments of theater arts and classical studies, with training in Indian narrative dance by Navarasa Dance Theater. Experience these compelling, universal myths in a journey across time and cultures.
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ANCIENT VISIONS, NEW EYES
THE DIRECTOR
Eric Hill, Frances and Jeffrey Sachar Professor of Creative Arts
Euripides’ unique take on the disintegration of the Mycenaean Greek civilization is what inspired me to connect these two plays. The first play looks at Orestes’ radical reaction to the death sentence handed down by his own people for killing Clytemnestra, his mother, to avenge his father’s death at her hands. Orestes’ claim to have followed the will of the god Apollo, and the hypocrisy of the Mycenaean “establishment” in dealing with his situation, are Euripides’ focus in this play. It is more tragicomedy than tragedy. The second play, “Iphigenia at Tauris,” brings a painfully ironic “happy ending” to this story of familial and national self-destruction. We can learn a lot about these plays and how they might have originally looked and been performed, but in doing so we actually learn that a “traditional” interpretation of them on any level is pointless. Modern audiences have no real connection to the context or language of the originals. Every interpretation of the plays must therefore bring a meaningful framework for Euripides’ ideas and intentions. So, our production will offer a conceptual re-invention of the plays on many levels that, we hope, breathes new life into them. To this end, the creative use of movement and dance is essential. The same is true of the use of heightened or poetic language. The one thing that we and the ancient Greeks have in common is a human body that moves and speaks to dramatic effect. As theater artists, we must find a spoken language and a vocabulary of movement that communicate to modern audiences the equivalent of what the Greeks attempted to say. In production, these plays are only as relevant as the audience’s appreciation of what the plays are trying to say about how personal and national tragedies are irretrievably linked. If we can help our audience feel on a deeply personal level the unraveling of an entire social fabric when the crimes of the parents are visited on the children — of any generation — then Euripedes’ plays are not only timeless but relevant. —Professor Hill‘s productions at Brandeis include “She Stoops to Conquer,” “The Who’s ‘Tommy,’” “Macbeth,” “The Bacchae” and “Siddhartha: A Jungian Fantasy.” He has a master of fine arts degree from Temple University.
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theater PORTRAIT
RYAN MCKITTRICK Lecturer in Theater Arts Expertise: Playwriting; Dramatic Literature; Contemporary Theater; Dramaturgy; American Musical Theater. Ryan is the dramaturg at the American Repertory Theater, where recent projects include “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess” and “The Glass Menagerie,” starring Cherry Jones. He has a master of fine arts degree from the Moscow Art Theatre School. First work of drama you loved: “West Side Story.” I played the character Action in a production that performed in Moscow just after the break-up of the Soviet Union. Which writer from theater history would you want to meet? Tennessee Williams. I’m in the middle of reading a fascinating biography, “Tom,” in preparation for A.R.T.’s “The Glass Menagerie.” Name a playwright whose work should be better known to our readers: Lope de Vega. A Spanish Golden Age playwright whose work isn’t performed very much in this country. Which performer would you most want to see? I would want ‘ to see Moliere, who was said to be a terrible tragic actor and a brilliant comic performer; and Konstantin Stanislavsky, the great Russian actor and co-founder of the Moscow Art Theater. What excites you most in a work of dramatic literature? When I leave the theater asking questions. Who are your favorite visual artists? Goya, Picasso, Rothko, ‘ Velazquez, Dan Flavin and the great Russian painter Mikhail Vrubel. What is the best new play you have seen? “Natasha, Pierre, and The Great Comet of 1812” (an adaptation of “War and Peace” by Dave Malloy) and “Cockfight Play” by Mike Bartlett. Do you think theater has a connection with social justice? Theater can raise questions about the most pressing social issues of the day, and spark dialogue and debate in audiences. It is still one of the most dynamic ways of bringing people together in a room and getting them thinking, feeling and talking to each other.
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visual arts ROSE ART MUSEUM
The Rose Art Museum at Brandeis is among the premier university museums of modern and contemporary art in the country. Through its distinguished collection of mid-20th- through 21st-century art, cuttingedge exhibitions and dynamic programs, visitors can experience the great art, artists and ideas of our time. The Rose is free and open to the public Tuesday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Visit go.brandeis.edu/rose or call 781-736-3434.
EDWARD RUSCHA, STANDARD STATION, 1966. © EDWARD J. RUSCHA IV. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PHOTO © MUSEUM ASSOCIATES/LACMA.
WINTER-SPRING EXHIBITIONS Open Feb. 13 Opening celebration: Wednesday, Feb. 13, 5-8 p.m.
Ed Ruscha: Standard Foster Gallery Ruscha’s art depicts everyday objects — gas stations, street signs, billboards, commercial packaging — yet often triggers philosophical reflection about the relationship between words, things and ideas. His influence can be seen in graphic design, cinema, architectural theory and urban history. “Ed Ruscha: Standard” includes paintings, videos and works on paper from throughout his long career. This exhibition originated at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which holds more than 300 works by the iconic American artist, and is supplemented by the Rose collection. EXPAND YOUR EXPERIENCE BRANDEIS.EDU/ARTS/EXTRAS
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ABOUT ED RUSCHA Born in Nebraska in 1937 and raised in Oklahoma City, Ed Ruscha became an Angeleno in 1956 when he began studies in Los Angeles at the Chouinard Art Institute. He continues to live and work in Los Angeles, and currently shows with Gagosian Gallery. In 2005, Ruscha was the United States representative at the 51st Venice Biennale. Recent exhibitions include “Ed Ruscha: Road Tested” (2011), “On the Road” (2011) and “Reading Ed Ruscha” (2012). Ruscha combines the cityscape of his adopted hometown with vernacular language to communicate a particular urban experience. Encompassing painting, drawing, photography and artist’s books, his work holds the mirror up to the banality of urban life and gives order to the barrage of mass media-fed images and information that confronts us daily. “Good art,” he has said, “should elicit a response of ‘Huh? Wow!’ as opposed to ‘Wow! Huh?’“
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visual arts Walead Beshty Fineberg Galleries Artist Walead Beshty collaborates with Rose director Christopher Bedford to create two exhibitions drawn predominantly from the Rose collection, along with new acquisitions, that focus on two distinct accounts of postwar abstraction. Beshty has also transformed the gallery with his own work: a mirrored, multilayered glass floor installed throughout. As visitors walk through the galleries, their footsteps cause cracks to appear, transforming them from spectators to creators. Beshty’s work reflects the abstract art on the surrounding walls as well as the museum environment,
emphasizing the broader institutional context in which works of art are displayed and considered.
installation view, walead beshty, passages, 2009. la><art, los angeles. photo: fredrik Nilsen. courtesy of the artist and regan projects, los angeles.
EXPAND YOUR EXPERIENCE BRANDEIS.EDU/ARTS/EXTRAS
Sam Jury: Coerced Nature
Sam Jury, “nothing is lost 002,” 2010 © Sam Jury
Lee Gallery and across campus The tense, painterly videos of Sam Jury give visual form to the notion of suspended trauma, in particular, the fraught relationship between human beings and our environment. Staged, fragmented performances meld with eerily familiar yet unrecognizable places. These impossible scenes, slow and entrancing, hover outside a specific time, location or even artistic genre while appearing utterly contemporary. Jury’s work will be projected onto sculptural forms, walls and windows, with some work intervening on Brandeis’ public spaces.
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ROSE PROGRAMS & EVENTS Enliven your Rose experience through a series of artist talks, panels, tours and more. Events are free and open to the public, and take place at the Rose, unless otherwise noted. Museum tours are offered by student gallery guides trained in Visual Thinking Strategies, an educational approach that encourages conversation rooted in close looking and group discussions. Visit the Rose website or call 781-736-3434 to schedule a tour.
WOMEN’S STUDIES RESEARCH CENTER
KAREN MOSS, “HAVE A NICE DAY,” 2012.
Karen Moss: Off-Kilter Jan. 22-March 22 Opening reception: Thursday, Jan. 24, 5-7:30 p.m. Karen Moss’ mixed-media, multilayered paintings reference pop culture imagery, vintage coloring books, fashion magazine
photos and much more, all in the service of social commentary. Moss critiques gender roles, consumerism and human impact on the environment, among other heavy concerns, with poignancy and humor.
Yishay Garbasz
Kniznick Gallery The Women’s Studies Research Center (WSRC) is where research, art and activism converge. The center’s Kniznick Gallery is committed to feminist exhibitions of artistic excellence that reflect the activities of the WSRC scholars and engage communities within and beyond Brandeis. For more information, call 781-736-8102 or visit www. brandeis.edu/wsrc. EXPAND YOUR EXPERIENCE BRANDEIS.EDU/ARTS/EXTRAS
May 1-June 14 Berlin-based artist Yishay Garbasz, the fifth annual HadassahBrandeis Institute Artist-in-Residence, courageously explores one of society’s most taboo subjects — the unmaking of a gendered body and the creation of another.
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During her monthlong residency, Garbasz will create a multimedia installation of photographs, video and text that explores Jewish women who are transgender, as well as identity, agency and human rights.
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SEEING the UN DEB TODD WHEELER
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ER
ing, expanding and contracting stream of electricity that the university draws.
IT HAS BEEN FOUR MONTHS since I started poking around campus to develop two different public art commissions that will be unveiled in April, just in time for the Festival of the Creative Arts. As a Boston-based sculptor, until now I have had a relationship to Brandeis predominantly through visiting the Rose Art Museum. When I look at my collection of art catalogs, the shows that have had the greatest influence on me in the studio have been at the Rose over the past 10 years, among them those of Kiki Smith, Yun-Fei Ji, Tom Sachs and the “Dreaming Now” exhibition. So it is a great honor for me to be here, teaching sculpture and working in GoldmanSchwartz, the beautiful, crumbling art building next door to the Rose. The charge to create a piece of public art in the right setting, however, requires me to get out of the classroom and explore the entire campus. My work tends to be delicate and ephemeral. I need to figure out how to make something that will exist in public space, as opposed to a gallery or museum. The Brandeis community needs to be able to live with, navigate around or stumble over it — and that is humbling and slightly daunting. Wherever the work lands, I am interested in using materials from the environment to explore the clash between the desire to be productive, to be industrious, to push technology forward, and the tragic consequences this desire reaps on the ecosystem. My
The second, supported by a gift from Eric and Debbie Green, P’05, P’07, involves a series of circular panoramas comprising translucent cyanotype images of polyethylene plastic. As ambient light shifts through the pieces, they resemble an ocean filled with floating marine life (and plastic waste, which, in fact, threatens to become a new marine “species”). Placed in functional coffee tables, the panoramas act as large, complex viewing devices. Each provides unexpected viewing experiences through a series of hidden and exposed lenses and mirrors. (You know that science stuff is all smoke and mirrors anyway!) At this writing, I imagine the work might live in the Shapiro Science Center, but I am eager to hear what the campus community thinks. —Deb Todd Wheeler is a sculptor, inventor and media artist. Her work concerns technology as a mediator for human interaction with the environment. She teaches threedimensional design at Brandeis and is represented by Ellen Miller Gallery.
SEEABLE creates new public art for the Brandeis campus work often employs the vernacular of scientific instrumentation to create personal and intimate viewing experiences, creating conditions where we might understand worlds right in front of us that we don’t quite see. So: two projects. Both aim to create viewing conditions for an unseen world. The first, supported by Artists in Context and the Barr Foundation, works with energy data that are collected on campus in real time, presenting a visual light experience that is in direct relation to our consumption habits. My many collaborators include the (very generous) Brandeis facilities staff; engineers at Siemens (“the trusted technology partner for energy-efficient, safe and secure buildings”); undergraduates Olivia Leiter, Livia Bell and Daniel Stern; and my project partner, engineer Bec Conrad. Together, we are building a series of sculptural objects that will allow us to witness the pulsing, shift-
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STATE OF THE ARTS
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visual arts Art In Dialogue
The Brandeis Department of Fine Arts hosts an exceptional lecture series by prominent artists, scholars and critics. Broaden and deepen your understanding of international art movements, from the past to the present, from a range of perspectives. Each one-hour lecture is followed by conversation and a reception. For more information, visit: www.brandeis.edu/arts/calendar. Sponsored by the Brandeis Arts Council. EXPAND YOUR EXPERIENCE BRANDEIS.EDU/ARTS/EXTRAS
Janine Antoni Friday, Feb. 1, 2 p.m. She has washed away the faces of soap busts made in her own likeness and used the brain wave signals recorded while she dreamed at night as a pattern for weaving a blanket the following morning. Antoni blurs the distinction between performance art and sculpture, transforming everyday activities into ways of making art.
Silvia Kolbowski
Janine Antoni
Wednesday, March 13, 5 p.m. This category-defying artist is political in many registers: psychoanalysis, feminism, conceptualism, institutional critique, the
ethics of spectatorship, war and memory, and fate or afterlife. Acclaimed for her video-audio installations, she is author of the books “Proximity to Power, American Style” and “an inadequate history of conceptual art.”
Holland Cotter Thursday, April 25, time tba Native Bostonian Holland Cotter is one of the most influential art critics in the world. He has been on the staff at The New York Times since 1998 and is currently the co-chief art critic. In 2009, he won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism for coverage that included articles on art in China.
Brandeis Student Art Exhibitions The Brandeis Studio Art program cultivates and nurtures the student’s personal vision through the practice of various creative disciplines, such as painting, sculpture and printmaking. This complex practice is informed by both an awareness of the history of art and the individual’s own experience as a vehicle for expression. The postbaccalaureate program in studio art is recognized as one of the finest in the country. Student exhibitions are held in the Dreitzer Gallery in the Spingold Theater Center. Opening receptions take place on the first day of each exhibition from 5-7 p.m. and are free and open to the public. Visit go.brandeis.edu/finearts.
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Dimensions 2: Drawing, Painting and Printmaking Jan. 30-Feb. 27
Dimensions 3: Sculpture, 3-D Design and Digital Photography March 2-22
Prospect I and II: Postbaccalaureate Exhibitions April 3-14 and April 17-28
Class of 2013: Senior Studio Majors Exhibition May 1-24
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festivals
asher krell ‘12
The Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band
Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts April 25-28
Experience the unexpected at this annual arts happening. The Festival of the Creative Arts was founded in 1952 by legendary American composer and Brandeis faculty member Leonard Bernstein. Today, the festival honors his legacy as an artist, an educator, an activist and a humanitarian, who believed in the power of art to effect social change and engage young people. The Brandeis campus comes together to celebrate creativity and community, with
innovative performances and exhibitions by our faculty, staff and students, along with national and regional artists. Most events are free and open to the public. For a complete schedule, visit brandeis. edu/arts/festival.
Super Sunday Sunday, April 28, 1-5 p.m. More than 200 actors, singers, dancers and musicians give free performances across the Brandeis campus, with art activities and demonstrations for the whole family.
EXPAND YOUR EXPERIENCE BRANDEIS.EDU/ARTS/EXTRAS
‘DEIS Impact Social Justice Festival Feb. 1-11 Topics from global health to climate change come to life through performances, exhibits, films and more. Keynote speakers: actor Eliza Dushku (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Bring It On”) and Judy Dushku, professor of politics at Suffolk University, founders of THRIVE-Gulu, address issues of child soldiers and sex slavery in Uganda. Sponsored by the Brandeis Student Union and the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life.
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artifacts Stay in Touch Join the Arts at Brandeis E-List to receive invitations to plays, concerts and exhibitions at Brandeis, as well as free and discount tickets to arts events across Greater Boston. Visit go.brandeis. edu/arts. Get even more up-to-the-minute news on the Arts at Brandeis Facebook page and Twitter feed.
Arts at Brandeis Calendar Online Visit our online calendar for comprehensive event listings, including film, dance, lectures and arts symposia: www.brandeis.edu/ arts/calendar.
Online Extras For interviews, additional images, audio files and other extras, plus archived issues of State of the Arts, visit www.brandeis.edu/ arts/office.
Theater and Concert Tickets To buy tickets for events at the Spingold Theater Center, Slosberg Music Center or Shapiro Theater, visit www.brandeis.edu/ tickets, call 781-736-3400, or stop by the Brandeis Tickets office in the Shapiro Campus Center, Monday-Friday, noon-6 p.m. or Saturday, noon-4 p.m. Tickets are available for pickup or purchase in the lobbies of Spingold, Slosberg and Shapiro one hour before curtain. Reservations are recommended. Any person requiring wheelchair or other accommodations should call Brandeis Tickets at 781-736-3400.
ter’s undergraduate theater club productions include “Rabbit Hole,” “Seussical” and “Because I Love You.” For a full schedule, visit brandeisutc.weebly.com.
Visiting the Rose Art Museum Admission is free. The museum is open Tuesday-Sunday, noon5 p.m. For more information, visit go.brandeis.edu/rose or call 781-736-3434.
Visiting the Kniznick Gallery Admission is free. The Kniznick Gallery at the Women’s Studies Research Center is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, visit go.brandeis.edu/wsrc or call 781-736-8102.
Supporting the Arts To keep the arts at Brandeis accessible, we rely on the contributions of our community. When you make a tax-deductible gift to the arts at Brandeis, you can direct it to support the Rose Art Museum, the Brandeis Theater Company, the Brandeis Concert Season or the Office of the Arts. Please show your support by making a donation online at www.brandeis.edu/arts.
Parking Brandeis arts venues are located on Lower Campus within easy walking distance of each other. Free parking is available directly behind the Spingold Theater in the Theater Parking Lot (T Lot). There are accessible parking spaces in front of Spingold, Slosberg and the Rose.
Theater Clubs Brandeis is home to more than 60 arts and culture clubs and over 30 performing arts clubs, including a cappella groups, sketch comedy teams, dance troupes and music ensembles. This semes-
Programs, artists and dates are subject to change. For updates and additional arts events, visit www.brandeis.edu/arts. For directions to Brandeis University, call 781-736-4660 or visit www.brandeis.edu.
Dor Guez: 100 Steps to the Mediterranean, Rose Art Museum
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calendar highlights
Violist Yoni Battat ‘13 and the Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra
Jan. 22-March 22
Off-Kilter: Karen Moss
Women’s Studies Research Center
Jan. 24, 5-7:30 p.m.
Opening Reception: Karen Moss
Women’s Studies Research Center
Jan. 25-26
Genkin Philharmonic Residency
Slosberg Music Center
Jan. 30-Feb. 27
Dimensions 2 Exhibition
Spingold Theater Center
Feb. 1-11
Campuswide
Feb. 3, 7 p.m.
‘DEIS Impact Social Justice Festival ` Women Making Music: Gala Concert
Feb. 6, 12 p.m.
Brandeis Jazz Ensemble
Mandel Center for Humanities
Feb. 7-10
“In the Heart of America”
Spingold Theater Center
Feb. 9, 8 p.m.
Folk Opera: “Love in Schlossberg Village”
Slosberg Music Center
Feb. 13, 5-8 p.m.
Opening Celebration: Winter/Spring Exhibitions
Rose Art Museum
Feb. 28-March 3
“Rabbit Hole”
Shapiro Campus Center Theater
Feb. 28, 8 p.m.
World Music Concert
Slosberg Music Center
March 2-22
Dimensions 2 Exhibition
Spingold Theater Center
March 9, 8 p.m.
Gordon and Hodgkinson Duo
Slosberg Music Center
March 9-10
Movement Project: “Heaven and Hell/Light and Dark”
Spingold Theater Center
March 10, 3 p.m.
Bob Nieske 4
Slosberg Music Center
March 14, 16-17
“Seussical”
Shapiro Campus Center Theater
March 15-17
FiddleDeis
Slosberg Music Center
April 3, 12 p.m.
Lydian String Quartet
Mandel Center for Humanities
April 3-14
Prospect I Exhibition
Spingold Theater Center
April 6, 8 p.m.
Lydian String Quartet
Slosberg Music Center
April 9-13
Senior Theater Festival
Spingold Theater Center
April 13, 8 p.m.
Brandeis University Chorus and Chamber Choir
Slosberg Music Center
April 14, 7 p.m.
Brandeis Wind Ensemble
Slosberg Music Center
April 17, 12 p.m.
Brandeis Early Music Ensemble
Mandel Center for Humanities
April 17-28
Prospect II Exhibition
Spingold Theater Center
April 20, 8 p.m.
Brandeis Jazz Ensemble
Slosberg Music Center
April 21, 1 p.m.
Music Fest ’13
Slosberg Music Center
April 25-28
Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts
Campuswide
April 25-28
“Visions of an Ancient Dreamer”
Spingold Theater Center
April 25, 6 p.m.
Brandeis Early Music Ensemble
Berlin Chapel
April 26, 8 p.m.
“Late Night with Leonard Bernstein”
Slosberg Music Center
April 27, 8:30 p.m.
Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra
Slosberg Music Center
April 28, 8 p.m.
BEAMS: Brandeis Electro-Acoustic Music Studio
Slosberg Music Center
April 30, 7 p.m.
Brandeis Improv Collective
Slosberg Music Center
May 1-June 14
Yishay Garbasz Exhibition
Women’s Studies Research Center
May 1-24
Class of 2013 Senior Studio Majors Exhibition
Spingold Theater Center
May 4, 8 p.m.
New Music Brandeis
Slosberg Music Center
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Volume 9 / Number 1
Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Boston, MA Permit No. 15731
Brandeis University Office of the Arts MS 052 / PO Box 549110 Waltham, MA 02454 - 9110
www.brandeis.edu/arts
Opening Feb. 13, Ed Ruscha: “Standard”; Walead Beshty; and Sam Jury: “Coerced Nature”
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