I N D I A N A D A I LY S T U D E N T | T H U R S D AY, J U N E 1 9 , 2 0 1 4 | I D S N E W S . C O M
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An orientation leader tells his group about the IU Art Museum’s collection Thursday while they put their feet up against the wall. This was one stop of many included in the Campus Legends Tour for incoming freshman students. Freshman orientation, a 2-day event for future freshman, will be goingon most of the summer. Particiants live in the dorms, figure out their fall schedules, and get acclimated to campus life.
‘Light Totem’ to return with color BY VICTORIA LUTGRING vlutgrin@umail.iu.edu
For incoming freshmen and returning students, another Hoosier activity will be available to be checked off the IU Bucket List after its nearly one-year long hiatus. The well-known “Light Totem” that had been placed outside the IU Art Museum will finally be showing its colors June 21 during the “Midsummer Night at the Art Museum” ceremony. “It’s going to be fantastic,” Linda Baden, associate director for Editorial and Marketing Services, said in an email. “The museum’s Midsummer Night event usually draws a large crowd, and to top that off with the Totem relighting should make for a very festive and crowded celebration.” The Midsummer Night ceremony will be from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday and will include gallery tours, food vendors, music by regional favorites the Dynamics along with other events. Students who have spent nights outside the museum and watched the light show reflecting onto the wall are eager for the return of the sculpture, as is the designer of the “Light Totem,” Rob Shakespeare. “I am ecstatic!” he said in an email. “It was most frustrating to take it down about 15 months ago. Since the announcement of Light Totem’s resurrection, the sentiment has become quite joyous.” Upon its physical reinstallation May 12, the public was able to see the new totem, although no drastic changes were made to the piece. Shakespeare said the “Light Totem” has the same appearance, but it is 3/4 of an inch taller because of a thicker base plate built for permanence. It’s constructed of completely recyclable aluminum, and its lighting consumes about the same energy as a hair dryer. “The lighting was essentially new when
Light Totem was taken down, so all units were reinstalled,” Shakespeare said. “I have composed a few new light songs and light bridges between pieces which will be revealed Saturday night.” Since its absence, the IU Art Museum had been contacted by many students and citizens of Bloomington regarding the totems disappearance and inquiring about its return. “I personally know how much it was missed by the emails I received from both campus and community members,” Baden said. “I imagine visiting the Totem at night was a great way for groups of students to bond with each other.” Shakespeare said members of the Bloomington community shared how they enjoy driving by it with out-of-town guests. Even early morning exercisers have commented on enjoying the “Light Totem” during their predawn workout. The “Light Totem” was not originally meant to be a long-term structure, but its popularity among students and the community convinced the IU trustees to make it permanent. “The walls of multicolored light seems to delight most visitors, and similar to the effect of a campfire, it appears to cause reflection and conversation amongst the people that gather around it,” Shakespeare said. “Weddings, concerts, silent raves, feet up the wall, even the bucket list, all speak to how the Light Totem has been embraced by the community.” The evening will include various events celebrating the return of the “Light Totem.” Visitors will even be able to experience gallery tours featuring works of art that evoke the power of light. “For students, Light Totem is a barrierfree, fun way to interact with an exciting piece of art that was very much designed with them in mind,” Baden said.
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Guitarist T.J. Jones (top) and trombonist James “JB” Black of the Dynamics perform during the group’s performance during Tried and True Sunday evening at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.
See Weekend, page 7, to revisit your IU bucket list, including the ‘Light Totem’
IU ranks No. 6 in attendance FROM IDS REPORTS
Despite finishing the year with a 7-11 record in the Big Ten and not making the NCAA Tournament or the NIT, IU basketball was still one of the hottest tickets in the country. IU was ranked No. 6 in the nation for attendance during the 2013-14 season, with an average of 17,359 fans per game. Assembly Hall has a capacity of 17,472. Therefore, on average, Assembly Hall was 99.35-percent full this season. The Hoosiers also led the Big Ten in attendance, which was the highest ranked conference for attendance for the 38th consecutive year.
Of the 25 programs with the highest attendance, nine came from the Big Ten. Immediately following the Hoosiers in the national attendance rankings was Wisconsin at No. 7 and Ohio State at No. 8. Purdue ranked No. 23 in the nation in attendance, but Mackey Arena averaged only a 85.8-percent capacity. Of the top 10 teams in the nation for attendance, IU was the only one to not make the NCAA Tournament. Since 1972, IU has never finished worse than 17th in the nation in attendance. Evan Hoopfer
Rankings for other Big Ten teams No. 7 Wisconsin No. 8 Ohio State No. 13 Nebraska No. 15 Illinios No. 17 Iowa No. 18 Michigan State No. 23 Purdue No. 24 Michigan No. 32 Minnesota No. 72 Northwestern No. 83 Penn State
Your guide to this weekend’s events, pages 9 and 10