Nubian Message, Nov. 3, 2022 — A Lost Art

NUBIANMESSAGE NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | THENUBIANMESSAGE.COM | THURSDAY, november 3, 2022

A Lost Art

THURSDAY, November 3, 2022 | 2

Letter from the editor Greetings friends, readers and enemies, I don’t know about y’all, but this semester is starting to drag.

However, I am thankful for this upcoming wellness day. The conditions under which we received this are disheartening and deserve recognition. I hope you all are taking care of yourself and prioritizing mental health.

In this issue, we center a variety of subjects. Our writers focus on arts and culture by reviewing the movie Black Adam and featuring the AACC’s exhibit For the Love Art. We take a look at the political aspect of artistry through the infamous ‘Soup Protests’. We also discuss the recent tragedy in Itaewon, South Korea.

THISISSUE 4

GALLERY

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TRAGEDY IN ITAEWON

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NEW SECTION

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FOR THE LOVE OF ART

Having a good time 154 dead in Halloween celebration Summaries of staff selected films and literature AACC’s latest gallery showcases Bryce Cobbs’ Art

cover photo BY Lily McCabe / Staff Photographer Dixita Kharwa, a third-year in the college of management, dances with Jaimini Kharwa, a fourth year in the college of management at the Wolfpack Garba event on Oct. 15, 2022. The event was organized by the South Asian Student Association, NCSU EKTAA, for the Indian festival Navaratri.

I am excited to announce that Nubian Message now has a section for book and film summaries.

Additionally, we have a one-stop shop for current events.

The Sentinel of the African-American Community at N.C. State Since 1992.

Truly, I hope you all take some time for yourself— run, sleep, paint, vent, cry— whatever you do to destress. Self-care is a lost art that needs to be rediscovered.

314 Witherspoon Student Center, NCSU Campus Box 7318, Raleigh, NC 27695 office 919-515-1468 advertising 919-515-2411 online thenubianmessage.com

Enjoy the issue.

Humble, grateful, blessed.

Always, Jaz Bryant

Editor-in-Chief

Jaz Bryant nubian-editor@ncsu.edu managing Editor

Ugonna Ezuma-Igwe nubian-managingeditor@ncsu.edu Copy Editors

Jeanine Ikekhua Jo Miller Milan Hall Layout designers

Abigail Harris Milan Hall

Only with the permission of our elders do we proudly produce each edition of Nubian Message: Dr. Yosef ben-Yochannan, Dr. John Henrik Clark, Dr. Leonard Jeffries, The Black Panther Party, Mumia A. Jamal, Geronimo Pratt, Tony Williamson, Dr. Lawrence Clark, Dr. Augustus McIver Witherspoon, Dr. Wandra P. Hill, Mr. Kyran Anderson, Dr. Lathan Turner, Dr. M. Iyailu Moses, Dokta Toni Thorpe and all those who accompany us as we are still on the journey to true consciousness.

THURSDAY, November 3, 2022 | 3

news

Copernis Spray on Fabric at Paris Fashion Week Micah oliphant Correspondent

Fashion week is an event where fashion designers and brands, also known as “houses”, showcase new lines of clothing pieces. The event lasts for a week, giving it its signature name. The event happens in four cities around the world: New York, Milan, London and Paris.

During Paris Fashion Week, which was from Monday, Sep. 26, 2022, to Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022, a fairly new designer brand was one of the many houses showcased.

According to USM.com, “Coperni is a Parisian ready-to-wear and accessories brand, founded in 2013 by Sebastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant.” The author continues, “The name Coperni evokes the work of the Prussian astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus who revealed the theory of heliocentrism, placing the sun at the center of the Universe. Here, people are at the center of creation, offering an elegant, practical wardrobe, born from intensive textile experimentation.”

Coperni regained attention this year when pop star and rapper, Doja Cat, wore a baby blue, glass version of their “Mini Swipe Bag' ' on the 2022 Grammys red carpet. The Mini Swipe Bag acquired its name by the high fashion community because of how similar it looks to the Apple Lock screen icon, which indicates users to “Swipe up to unlock”.

The success of the brand continued five months later at Paris Fashion Week when they showcased a scientific product on the body of a colloquially known nepotism baby, Bella Hadid.

Coperni's Spring Summer ‘23 collection at Paris Fashion Week was an ode to their first collection, Coperni Femme, released back in 2015. This year's collection showcased garments full of neutral colored cutout dresses, skin-tight floral tops and dresses, pieces with dramatic shoulders, tailored blazers, cropped jackets and much more.

Throughout the show, models walked around the perimeter of the Salle des Textiles at the National museum of Arts et Métiers in Paris. There was space left in the middle of the room for a table with two spray guns on it.

image from creative commons

Bella Hadid posing for a camera at the Cannes Film Festival 2018 For the closing finale of the show, Hadid walked out onto the middle of the room wearing nothing but a beige bikini bottom on. Three men walked up to the table with the spray guns. Two men picked up the guns while one began to fill each container with a white liquid. They then made their way to Hadid and began spraying her body from the top-down with the spray gun. Almost immediately, the white liquid solidified into a slip dress.

A woman then entered the platform and began to clean up the excess fabric. She pushed the sleeves off of Hadid’s shoulders and cut a slit into the left thigh of the dress.

The woman exited the stage, and Hadid posed before exiting the platform.

image from creative commons

Models walking the runway during Fashion Week 2022 This spray-on fabric Coperni presented was created by Manel Torress, who created the material back in 2003, along with his brand Fabricon. According to Charlotte Hu of Popular Science, Torre’s inspiration was silly string and spider webs. He wanted to renovate silly string as we know it and turn it into a finer fiber that’s dispersed through the guns showcased at the show.

“Torres explained in a 2013 Ted Talk that when this spray-on fabric comes in contact with air, it turns into a solid material that’s stretchy and feels like suede.” says Hu. The material is also sustainable.

Fabricon states that their material is made with non-volatile organic compounds and their technology is ozone friendly.

The material is recyclable and reduces its carbon footprint by being efficient and not working with overseas supply chains.

With Coperni being the first big designer house to use Fabricon, live, on the runway, in turn it opened the door for more research on how to merge the world of science and fashion.

Sébastien Meyer, Creative Director & CoFounder of Coperni, and Arnaud Vaillant, CEO & Co-Founder of Coperni, are noted

by Jess Pullar of Elle Autrailia as “constantly pushing boundaries by merging science with fashion,” and the spray on fabric was not an exception.

THURSDAY, November 3, 2022 | 4

features

Having a good time Natalie Folsom/ Staff Photographer

(Left) Hannah Williams, a third-year studying Communications, and Zania Sanders, a first-year studying Biological Science, dance the Cupid Shuffle at the Red and White Ball in Talley Student Union on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022.

Natalie Folsom/ Staff Photographer

(Left) William Kalland, a fourth-year in Finance, as John Proctor and (right) Gabrielle Noah, a second-year in Communications, as Elizabeth Proctor question their servant, Skye Pham, a fourth-year in sustainable materials and technology, as Mary Warren in the Proctor Household during The Crucible in Stewart Theatre Oct. 18.

Versace Prew/ Correspondent

Cynthia Bilal, a graduate student studying Art and Design, enjoying herself at The Red & White Ball on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022 at Talley Student Union. According to their website, The Red & White Ball is NC State's annual formal dance and is hosted by the University Activities Board.

Kaela Belingon/ Correspondent

Students dance together in the Talley Ballroom at Wolfpack Garba on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. Garba is a dance form that is performed around a picture or shrine of the Goddess Shakti.

Arts & Culture

THURSDAY, November 3, 2022 | 5

22 2012-2016

I dream of 22 Of freedom Of happiness Of bliss Of life

playlist by Nubian Message Staff Countdown to our 30th anniversary featuring our fifth set of years, 2012-2016

Pana

tekno

Ada ada

flavour

iskaba

wande coal

fada fada

olamide ft. phyno

consideration

rihanna ft. SZA

on top your matter

wizkid

faded in the moment domo genesis ft. cam o'bi same ol' mistakes me and your mama

somebody else when you're with me

freedom Asampete edey be

childish gambino smino

blkjuptr

ghetto boy

rihanna

lauryn hill

21 has been nothing but pain Bruised thighs and frozen toes Red hands and swollen fingers Brought in through the darkest, coldest nights On a long, hard road Filled with blood, sweat, tears Shaky arms and long car rides Secret meals and bargains Concussions and blurred vision Streaks and ER visits Lies and gaslighting Binders, notecards and poems Facetimes and hot apartments Sleepless nights and bloody noses Barren faces and frizzy hair Mind, body, and soul sacrifices But now, I see the light As I refract this light, I pray for better days I pray to reconnect with my 22.

tinashe beyoncÉ ft. kendrick lamar triplemg ft. selebobo mzbel

-Elikem

THURSDAY, November 3, 2022 | 6

news

Itaewon halloween Tragedy On Oct. 29, a celebratory Halloween night in the Itaewon district of Seoul, Jo Miller Correspondent South Korea turned deadly. What people online are describing as a “crowd crush” and “stampede” has taken 154 confirmed lives. The chief of Seoul's Yongsan fire department, Choi Seong-Beom, says that the total may rise as it is unclear how many people are in critical condition.

The Itaewon district of Seoul is a hub for nightlife and every Halloween the amount of people visiting increases. Having huge Halloween celebrations in Itaewon became a norm in South Korea around 5 years ago after celebrities and foreigners popularized having parties there.

This was the first Halloween since South Korea loosened its Covid-19 regulations.

Due to the new regulations, the amount of people in Itaewon increased beyond the previous years. An estimated 100,000 people were in the streets of Itaewon.

Local media reports said the incident did not take place on a main road. It took place in a narrow alleyway behind a Hamilton Hotel, nearby a main subway exit and the busy streets of Itaewon. The slanted alleyway is 45 meters long and about 10 feet wide. This specific location was already known for typically having high foot traffic, even during regular days, due to its use as a shortcut.

Initially, the night began with people entering one direction and leaving in the other. Since the surrounding Itaewon streets mainly consist of one-way roads, car and foot traffic was slow moving. As the night went on, more people began filling the street and while some people were trying to enter the alleyway, many were trying to leave.

Witnesses described the situation as “sudden chaos.” Around 10 pm, panic quickly ignited as people could hardly breathe or move. The intensity of the local music and venues made it impossible to hear anyone's calls for help. A domino effect ensued, with people falling over on the sloped alleyway and unable to get back up.

"Lot of people were still partying and laughing. Then I saw bodies, police came.

Officers were screaming. Then I checked

milan hall Staff Writer

Image From Creative Commons

People walking on the street in the Itaewon distrist of Seoul, South Korea. the phone, then I knew what I was seeing was real…It made me angry" said Luca Ignat, an 18-year-old present after the crowd rush.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol formally established a mourning period from Oct. 29 until the “official resolution” of the incident. He ordered that all flags at government buildings and public offices be flown at half-staff. Following the release of the president's statement, he visited the Itaewon-dong neighborhood and ordered the full provision of funeral funding for the deceased and medical treatment for the injured.

Amongst the 154 victims, 80% of those who died were in their early and late 20s,

while 11 were teenagers. 133 people were injured and so far, many hospitalized patients require critical attention. During that night and the following morning, first responders were still searching and attempting to identify bodies.

“When I think of those who died and their families, I feel an indescribable sadness and responsibility as the president who should be responsible for the safety of the people,” said President Yoon.

There was a noticeable lack of established safety precautions compared to previous Seoul events. At a previous festival in Itaewon, which had official sponsors, police blocked vehicle traffic and pedestrians received police directing. There weren't any

similar form of crowd control on Oct. 29.

Critics and locals are demanding answers from the government. Individuals were asking why people were not helped sooner, considering that there was a government first-response center and the fire department was only about 660 feet from the alley.

On Oct. 31, South Korea’s National Forensic Service conducted a forensic examination of where the incident occurred. They intend to use their results to analyze why things turned out the way they did and what the local government could have done differently to avert this crisis.

THURSDAY, November 3, 2022 | 7

features

glue, Soup and Sunflowers A few weeks ago, two climate activists from the climate group Just Stop Oil made a splash when they threw tomato soup at the famous painting Sunflowers created

by Vincent van Gogh. The duo then glued themselves to the wall while shouting, “What is worth more, art or life? Is it worth more than food? Worth more than justice? Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of a planet and people?” They continued with, “The cost-of-living crisis is part of the costof-oil crisis. Fuel is unaffordable to millions of cold, hungry families. They can't even afford to heat a tin of soup." The National Gallery in London, the institute in which this took place, released a statement saying that the painting was unharmed and the two protestors had been arrested.

According to Just Stop Oil spokesperson Mel Carrington, they chose this painting as their target because they knew it would garner a lot of attention, and they did it knowing it would be protected by a glass cover. Just Stop Oil has also stated in a press release that the purpose of doing this protest was to demand that the U.K. government “halts all new oil and gas projects.” The protest ensued after the conservative U.K. government offered new licenses that allowed for a new round of oil and gas exploration in the North Sea. Additionally it, reversed a 2019 ban on fracking.

This isn’t the first time that Just Stop Oil has had a protest such as this one. In June, Just Stop Oil activists glued themselves to My Heart’s in the Highlands by Horatio McCulloch, located at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.

From then on, group members have glued themselves to half a dozen more artworks, and have inspired other activists in Italy and Germany to do the same.

All of these protests have had the same purpose– demanding that the U.K. government stops approving the manufacture and usage of fossil fuels.

The headlines, news stories and various social media posts about these incidents have captured hundreds of thousands of people’s attention. Many people have been criticizing the activists and saying that their protest had nothing to do with climate change and therefore isn’t going to bring awareness to the issue. However, with so

nadia hargett Staff Writer

Image from creative commons

Sunflowrs by Van Gogh

many people highlighting this incident, some think that this protest did exactly what Just Stop Oil intended.

Despite the tomato soup and Sunflowers occurrence being over two weeks ago, there are still articles, discussions and debates about it, as well as the other acts of creative activism performed by Just Stop Oil. These include the spray painting of Bentley, Ferrari, Ashton Martinand Bugatti showrooms. When the incident first occurred, journalists were criticizing it or had a more neutral outlook on it.

However, in recent days, more journalists are voicing their support or emphasizing why the protest is more clever than the public realizes.

India Bourke, a writer for The New Statesman, wrote that “Safe, creative activism needs all the support it can get after the protest crackdown in the government’s Public Order Bill.” She also added that “Climate activists have a keen understanding of the value and vulnerability of our natural world, as did Van Gogh.” Throughout her article, she highlights that Van Gogh himself was a

“radical” and if he were alive today, he would’ve embraced and supported the soupy protest that Just Stop Oil targeted his painting with.

Sarah Manavis, a writer for the U.K.’s morning paper, wrote that “...the group may in fact be using social media more cleverly than we immediately realise: intentionally harnessing online outrage to spread a message that had been struggling to take hold in the mainstream.” She continues by saying, “Commentary around the protests, and debates about their effectiveness, is still being churned out by major newsrooms, reaching not just the UK media, but also the international press. Each time, the aims of this movement are being stated again, reaching far more eyes and minds than before.”

Other climate activists have been making their support known as well.

For example, Hasini Wanigasuriya, a member of Extinction Rebellion and Save Passenger Rail New Zealand, said that the protest was “a fantastic protest that really highlighted how wrong people have their priorities” and continues with, “I just don't

understand, why are people not crying out, why are people not getting mad at governments and organisations and civil society?”

On the other side of the spectrum, an overwhelmingly large amount of people disagree with the protests, even other climate activists. Unfortunately, when a large spectacle is made in order to highlight an important issue, the spectacle can oftentimes obscure the issue. While it garnered a massive amount of attention from the public and news outlets alike, a lot of this attention was negative and just made climate activists be seen as “arrogant” or as “morons.”

Intelligencer’s Eric Levitz wrote that “There is little reason to believe that Just Stop Oil’s plan of attack is the most equitable and effective way of combating the climate problem. We need more climate-conscious young people to dedicate themselves to tackling the technological barriers to decarbonization and formulating industrial policies that erode the political ones.” He says that theatrical acts of activism aren’t likely to have a long-term payoff when it comes to big issues like climate change.

Former Green MP and protest organizer Sue Bradford shared that she doesn’t understand the link between Sunflowers and fossil fuels. Bradford said, "I don't understand the connection - and I think it is one of the most important things when you're organizing any kind of direct action...is that the message is very clear, that the target is clear, and I certainly don't understand the message at all.

It's incomprehensible to me why a very fantastic artwork has a link." She says she sympathizes with the activists but feels that a good protest needs to have an obvious connection to the issue it is trying to address.

The opposing perspectives on this protest and this style of protesting as a whole both have points that should be considered.

Making headlines with your protests does bring attention to the issue you’re trying to highlight, and it can make some people learn new things about the issue that they didn’t know previously. However, I think it’s also important to consider if this protest will truly make a difference ,or if it’ll just spark a surge of media attention for a short period of time before it fizzles away and no long-term action is accomplished.

THURSDAY, November 3, 2022 | 8

Arts & Culture

HERE'S WHAT YOU MISSED Ugonna Ezuma-Igwe Mangaging Editor

1.

Soup Protests

On Oct. 14, Two Just Stop Oil activists entered the U.K.’s National Gallery and vandalized “Sunflowers”, an original painting by Vincent Van Gogh, by defacing the painting with tomato soup. They then proceeded to glue their hands to the wall beneath the painting. On Oct. 23, protesters from the German group Letzte Generation (Last Generation) vandalized another piece of art at the Barberini Museum in Potsdam, Germany. They threw mashed potatoes on “Grainstacks” by Claude Monet and also stuck their hands to the wall. Just Stop Oil and Letzte Generation are both climate change groups focused on stopping fossil fuel exploration, development and production. While the trend of throwing food on valuable artwork is relatively new, Climate protesters in the UK, Germany and Italy have been gluing themselves to famous works of art. Just this summer, the “Primavera” by Sandro Botticelli and “Thunderscape With Pyramus” and “Thisbe” by Nicolas Poussin were used as part of a political statement.

Rihanna is back to music

On Oct. 18, Rihanna announced that she wrote and recorded two songs for the upcoming film “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” soundtrack: "Lift Me Up" and "Born Again." On Oct. 28, the first of the two ballads and the soundtrack's lead single, "Lift Me Up," was released. "Lift Me Up" serves as Rihanna's return to music, as this single is her first solo material released in six years. The writers of the R&B ballad were Tems, Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna and “Black Panther'' director Ryan Coogler. Ludwig Göransson, the renowned Swedish composer who scored for both “Black Panther” movies, also served as the producer. In the press release announcing the release, the writers said the ballad was "a tribute to the extraordinary life and legacy of Chadwick Boseman." Boseman was the multiple award-winning actor who played the role of T'Challa/ Black Panther in the 2018 “Black Panther” film, and unfortunately died in 2020 at the young age of 43.

3.

Elon Musk Twitter acquisition

On Oct. 27, Elon Musk officially finalized his $44 billion deal to purchase Twitter and with its completion, Musk immediately fired multiple top Twitter executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal. These layoffs are just the beginning of layoffs for the newly acquired company. This acquisition has had its chain of ups and downs as Musk has spent the last couple of months trying to get out of the deal; Twitter sued him, forcing him to honor the deal and ultimately continue with the purchase. Some of the expected rejiggering Musk will make include unbanning Donald Trump ( this was due to the Jan. 6th, 2021, insurrection in the U.S. Capitol), loosening content moderation, aka undoing Twitter's safeguards (such as the current guidelines on removing violence, hate speech and other offensive content) and making Twitter's stock private (Twitter's stock will likely stop trading on the New York Stock Exchange and Shareholders will receive $54.20 per share of stock).

Nancy Pelosi house break in

On Oct. 28, David Wayne DePape broke into the home of Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and her husband Paul Pelosi’s home in San Francisco. DePape violently attacked 82-year-old Paul Pelosi with a hammer while shouting, “Where is Nancy?

Where is Nancy?” According to law enforcement on the scene, the suspect intended to keep Paul Pelosi tied up until Nancy came home. On the day of the attack, Congress was in session, so Nancy was in Washington, D.C. Many raised the question of why DePape would choose to attack on Oct. 28 when Session dates are public record and available on the Congress Website, as it would have been evident that Nancy would not have been in her San Francisco home. As a result of the attack, Paul underwent surgery for a skull fracture. This attack has underscored fears of violence directed toward political figures and lawmakers who spoke against the Jan. 6 insurrection.

5.

2.

4.

Supreme Court Copyright usage Case

The ongoing Supreme Court case “Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith” has the ability to metamorph art and copyright law as it is. A 1981 photo of Prince by award-winning photographer Lynn Goldsmith served as the basis of a famous set of images by Andy Warhol. This art collection has undercovered the question that if a piece of art is “transformative” when it conveys a different meaning or message from its source material …, or whether a court is forbidden from considering the meaning of the accused work where it “recognizably deriv[es] from. ” The main objective of the case is to see if Warhol’s successors can continue to license the Prince collection for commercial use without the permission of or compensation to Goldsmith. However, the ruling of this case goes beyond Warhol and Goldsmith. It will alter how original creators are able to define ownership when other creators craft work based on existing work, possibly affecting everything from music to AI creations.

Ernest Gaines to appear on U.S. stamp

It was announced that Novelist Ernest J. Gaines will be depicted on a U.S. postage stamp come January. The stamp is the 46th in the U.S. Postal Service's Black Heritage series. This series was started by the Postal Service in 1978 to recognize the achievements of individual African Americans.

Today the Black Heritage series is the longest-running U.S. stamp series. The stamp itself will be an oil paint depiction of Gaines wearing his trademark beret. Gaines' works include “A Lesson Before Dying”, “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” and “A Gathering of Old Men”. Many of his works have been converted to television movies and have been published in at least 17 languages. His collection of literature awarded him illustrious awards such as the National Book Critics Circle Award, Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and MacArthur Fellowship.

6.

Arts & Culture

BOOK SUGGESTIONS Bamboozled (2000) Jaz Bryant / Editor-In-Chief

Original Film Poster

Bamboozled is a film by Spike Lee. This joint depicts two narratives of the same story: young creatives trying to make it big. Fed up with his white boss’s tactless use of AAVE, Pierre Delacroix decides to pitch a minstrel show, hoping to get fired. Instead, this idea backfires and Delacroix’s boss loves it. Delacroix approaches Manray and Womack, two struggling dancers, to participate in the show. Womack is apprehensive about participating, but Manray sees the new-age minstrel as a way to get ahead. As the show gains notoriety, some people love it for its “cheeky” depiction of race while others protest its negative representation of the Black community. This contemporary commentary on Black palatability will have you on the edge of your seat.

CANDYMAN (2021) Nadia Hargett / Staff Writer Candyman (2021) is a Nia DaCosta-directed film that is the direct sequel of the widely known horror Candyman, released in 1992. Like its predecessor, it is centered around the legend of Candyman, the apparition of a brutally murdered slave man targeted for his affair with a white woman.

When his name is said five times in the mirror, he kills the person who said it and whoever is around them. This film explores the legend of Candyman even further.

Original Film Poster

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty

by Akwaeke Emezi (2022) Jaz Bryant / Editor-In-Chief

Original Book Cover

She Made a Fool of Death with Her Beauty is a romance novel by Akwaeke Emezi. The story follows Feyi Adekola as she relearns how to live, laugh and love after the death of her husband. During the first act, Feyi meets Nasir whom she has amazing chemistry with. Nasir helps to get her art featured in a gallery in his home country. It is while Feyi is working on the galley in Nasir’s childhood home that she meets Alim, Nasir’s father. During this second act, Feyi battles her attraction to Alim while deciding how to handle her relationship with Nasir. Lines are crossed, drama unfolds and hijinks ensue.

Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle (2022) Jaz Bryant / Editor-In-Chief In the book Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle, the characters of Prince Jones and Dani Ford have different post-graduation plans. Prince wants to apply to colleges close to home to take care of his chronically ill mother. Dani wants to go to college in New York and become an author. A chance encounter at the bookstore causes these two to meet. Through each other, Prince and Dani discover themselves.

Original Book Cover

THURSDAY, November 3, 2022 | 9

UPCOMING EVENTS Thursday, Nov. 3 | 7:14 Pm XI ZETA CHAPTER OF PHI BETA SIGMA FRATERNITY, INC. NEW MEMBER PRESENTATION Wolf Plaza Friday, nov. 4 | 3:00 pm-6:00 Pm AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER HARAMBEE! Harris Field FRIDAY, nov. 11 | 6:00-7:00 pm UNIVERSITY ACTIVITY BOARD PACKHOWL Talley state ballroom Tuesday, nov. 15 | 7:00-9:00 Pm AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER KWANZAA KICKOFF Talley Student Union, Student Involvement Suite wednesday, nov.16 | 6:00-7:30 pm MULTICULTURAL STUDENT ASSOC. NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH CULTURAL SHOWCASE Witherspoon Cinema

THURSDAY, November 3, 2022 | 10

opinion

AACC showcases For the Love of Art JO MILLER Correspondent

On Oct. 19, the African American Cultural Center (AACC) hosted the opening reception for their latest art gallery entitled "For the Love of Art." This art gallery is the second solo exhibit of the work of Bryce Cobbs, an artist and creator, whose gallery portrays Black Beauty with different mediums in a soft and diverse setting.

Bryce Cobbs, was born in Roanoke, Virginia, and has been painting for as long as he can remember. He studied Art Communication at Virginia Commonwealth University, began working on creative projects and putting his works in collective galleries. Cobbs creates anatomy and portrait focused art; producing each of his pieces with a different personal story in mind, however all of them made with the intent to celebrate the depths and beauty of Black Existence.

The Opening Reception formally began with Isaiah Lucas, AACC program coordinator, who briefly introduced everyone in the space to the gallery’s artist. Cobbs humbly requested that Lucas keep the introduction short. Lucas began the Artist Talk portion of the event by introducing everyone in the space to the artist and his background, following with a few questions.

Isaiah Lucas: So when you were thinking about curating… For the Love of Art, what was your thought process behind… the title, and then selecting these pieces to sort of work with the title?

Bryce Cobbs: ...The reason I named it For the Love of Art was because thematically…the theme for each of these pieces were loosely connected, but each one of these pieces are like my favorite pieces out of like my entire portfolio… I really had to pick which ones I think I felt connected to the most, and which ones I was really the most proud of…Every single one of these are either part of a series I did before [and] they were my favorite out of the series, or they were just pieces I really just explored or just did like the best that I think I could do technically on the piece. I just think it’s important to have something that I consider my favorites or something that I consider I worked the most hard on all together. I’ve never seen these pieces

Image from africAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER

"For The Love of Art" flyer

hung up together before, [and]I really just wanted to see that.

Cobbs mentioned that viewers can see the different stages of his learning process and the results of him honing in his different skills. This intentionally made his journey as an artist visible to the viewer in the gallery. He’s passionate about learning, improving and stepping outside the box. Each of the walls in the gallery presented a different one of the mediums he practices. The left side of the room was predominantly made up of his oil paintings, the back was his pencil works and the right was his digital works.

Cobb said "When I get bored with a certain concept is when I realize it’s time to move to the next level or next step. I got bored of just doing regular portraits, I’ve done 1 million faces. [I ask myself] How can I make this face more interesting than the last? I try to do something out of the box that I didn’t do before, to me it’s like super crazy. It’s like all you did was add a triangle to the forehead; but to me, doing that like opens up new possibilities.

The path that I’ve chosen to be an artist, taught me to trust my gut. But to a certain

degree – like I made a lot of like really quick decisions to be an artist, like quitting jobs and things like that, and it taught me to be a little more patient and a little more conscious about the decisions I would make and how they affect my future, but I would also say doing that taught me to be risky."

Prior to the start of the Artist Talk, guests were enjoying music, mingling with other guests and talking about their personal interpretations of the pieces. At one point, a small group asked Cobbs to clarify the meaning of a painting they were observing.

Before answering, he first asked what they thought in a genuine tone, waited for their answer, then informed them of his intentions while creating the piece.

During the artist talk, questions showed that this was an intentional interaction.

Cobbs stated: “If they feel something speaks to them…[I] want them to understand what it means and what it could mean, …[I] Kinda [want viewers to] come up with their own stories for each piece, I really want them to leave here and not just look at the paintings and walk away, I want them to feel something. I want them to feel connected to each piece.

He was transparent about his processes, encouraging any questions about the journey of his career, his work's meanings and motivations (which includes his family and friends) and inspiring others. Much of what Cobbs’ had to say during the artist talk related to his desires of creating more space and opportunities in the world for beautiful and positive pieces of Black Art. Cobb wants to encourage confidence in others and their interpretations. As well as, confidence to take up space and create speace.

When Lucas asked about his future as an artist, and what his goals were. Cobbs’ said he has a few big, intention heavy pieces that he plans to finish up. Additionally, he wants to be able to make paintings on a bigger scale, like the mural he once did, and present his work in more galleries and creative spaces. Lastly, but what he seemed very excited about, was the idea of getting more involved with youth to inspire and urge them to tell their stories.

One of the final questions Lucas asked before opening up the floor for questions from the audience was if Cobbs’ had any advice to the student artists on campus.

Cobb said "I believe everybody is creative and I believe everybody has the ability to create…So, I would just encourage everybody to just make art…Tell the story you want to tell it, because no one can tell that story for you. Stay passionate and find the time to create, because somebody out there needs to see your art. …Somebody out there needs to hear your story, and you don't know who you might impact….[I] strongly advise y’all to never stop.

The AACC will be hosting For the Love of Art on the second-floor gallery in Witherspoon Student Center until the end of the fall 2022 academic semester.

If you are interested in purchasing any of the artwork on display, you can find that his prints and original pieces are available at ArtByBryce.com. To see any of Cobb’s additional work, be sure to check out his website and or find him on his linked social media accounts in the website's top right corner.

THURSDAY, November 3, 2022 | 11

opinion

warner bros. releases dc's black adam WARNING: the following contains spoilers for Black Adam.

Black Adam was released on Oct.21, 2022. The movie is produced by and stars Eleanor Saunders actor Dwayne “The Correspondent Rock”Johnson The character originates from DC Comics, Marvel’s main competitor. Households across the country often debate which franchise is better.

In my world, Marvel has been in mainstream media for a long time now.

However, DC and Marvel have been competitors for decades now. Some of Marvel's well known characters include Iron Man, The Hulk, Captain America and many more. Some of DC’s well known characters include Batman, Superman, The Joker, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and many others.

Black Adam became popular in the past few months. As a nineteen-year old college student in 2022, this was my first time hearing about Black Adam. I wasn’t too excited to see this movie but I knew that Black Adam is part of DC and that DC is a rival to Marvel. This viewpoint caused the movie to have some potential, so I went to go see what it was about.

As I was sitting in the theater, waiting for the movie to start, I was told that there were demonic symbols displayed in the movie within the first thirty seconds. As someone who was raised in the church, this made me weary, but I pushed on.

Sure enough, within thirty seconds of the movie, a pentagram is seen carved into the chest of the king, but let us not get ahead of ourselves.

The movie is two hours and four minutes long. This is important because there appears to be two plots within the movie.

The first plot revolves around how Black Adam was released from his prison and how the Justice Society of America and the people of Kahndaq, Black Adam’s home, reacted to his release. The second plot revolves around how Black Adam escapes from his second imprisonment to save Kahndaq and the world from the demon Sabbac.

Let’s dive into the first plot. The movie starts off by explaining Black Adam’s origin.

Image from creative commons

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

Black Adam’s real name is Teth-Adam. The death of his son, Hurut, is what causes him to become Black Adam.

Hurut notices the injustices done against the people of Kahndaq. They were enslaved by their own king to mine eternium, which is a glowing blue-purplish rock. The king wanted eternium to create the Crown of Sabbac, seaking to have the powers of a god.

Frustrated with the treatment of his people, Hurut decided to take a stand by reminding the people of Kahndaq that they are stronger together. Out of fear of an uprising against him, the king killed Hurut.

However, the Council of Wizards–who are six powerful beings that gave Black Adam his powers–had other plans The Council of Wizards gave immense powers to Hurut, which he uses to rally against the king and fight for his people's freedom. During this revolution, TethAdam gets a fatal blow from the king's soldiers. To save his father, Hurut transfers his power to him. After Hurut transferred

his powers, the king’s soldiers shot him with an arrow, killing him.

In response to his son being killed, Teth-Adam seeks revenge. While seeking revenge, Teth-Adam kills the king, destroys the city of Kahndaq and the majority of its inhabitants. This is when he starts going

by Black Adam. Due to his actions, the Council of Wizards locks him in an eternal jail and hides the Crown of Sabbac.

Okay, let’s take a step back. Throughout the movie, there were extravagant action scenes. I personally felt that many of the scenes were in the movie as fan service. I felt like DC was trying too hard to make the movie exciting.

Another example of a scene that seemed a bit much for me was when the Justice Society of America was sent to fight Black Adam. The Justice Society of America boarded a jet that was underground. When the jet was ready to take off, the cameras zoomed out on a very elegant garden. This garden opened up and out came the jet. In my opinion, the visual effects in this scene

were low quality making it stand out from the rest of the movie.

Focusing back on the plot, in search for the Crown of Sabbac, Adrianna Tomaz, a refugee from Kahndaq, intentionally frees Black Adam. She frees him because Intergang–the group oppressing modern day Kahndaq–are trying to kill her because she found the Crown of Sabbac.

The Justice Society of America is sent to fight and persuade Black Adam to say the word “Shazam” and give up his powers because he is too powerful and can’t control his anger. When his anger gets out of control, he destroys everything around him.

Ashamed of his actions, Black Adam concludes that he does not deserve the powers that the Council of Wizards bestowed upon him so he says “Shazam”.

The U.S. government then locks him up in a highly secure facility under water.

Let’s take another step back. At this point in the movie, I thought it was over.

Multiple battles and fighting scenes have already happened, a lesson was taught, lives were saved, and yet the movie is still going.

Although I enjoyed the plot, I feel like there were too many things going on in too little time.

Back to the story: A descendant of the king and member of the Intergang obtains the Crown of Sabbac. The descendant ends up dying holding the crown in his hand.

The crown is taken by the Justice Society of America to be studied. Adrianna figures out the true meaning of the words engraved into the crown and says these words out loud, “Only death can lead to life”.

Once those words were spoken, Hell's champion, Sabbac, rises from hell and brings destruction to the city of Kahndaq.

The Justice Society of America tries to fight him but they know only Black Adam can defeat him. So the Justice Society of America contacts Black Adam for his help.

Black Adam breaks out of jail, says “Shazam” and gets all his powers back. He then flies to Kahndaq and saves the city and the world from Sabbac. He remains in Kahndaq as their protector.

In conclusion, I enjoyed Black Adam. I rate it an 8/10. It lost two points because, to me, there was too much going on in this movie. I also expected more from the movie visually. However, I do recommend this movie.