Today
Friday
76/62
63/43
Saturday
Sunday
70/47
75/55
Exclusive content
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Volume 60, Issue 18
www.southerndigest.com
Peter Shire comes to SU Shire talks art, discipline and views the works of students of SU Visual Arts department Marcus Green
The Southern Digest
Ariana Triggs/DIGEST Renowned artist Peter Shire visited the Southern University Visual Arts Department Wednesday afternoon to share his experiences and education with students and to see the students’ talents. Shire from Los Angeles, visted the Visual Arts Department in Frank Hayden Hall Wednesday to show his work and talk to students. Shire shared some of his knowledge during a lecture Wednesday in Frank Hayden Hall. The lecture was also a question-answer session for students and faculty.
World-renowned artist Peter Shire lectured and reviewed work in the Visual Arts department and conducted a question-answer session with department students and faculty, Wednesday. Shire is a ceramic artist and is best known for brightly colored geometric teapots and furniture designs. Shire lives and has done most of his most famous work in Los Angeles, but has been a frequent visitor of Louisiana as his art has been shown in exhibitions at LSU. Shire talked to students in the art department and reviewed their work displayed across the walls of Frank Hayden Hall. “I saw some of the work in the halls and it looks to me that there’s a lot of kind of basic real skills that I see at the other schools,” Shire said. He talked about how being an artist is about being proactive in creating art instead of waiting for inspiration. “A lot of being a professional is making things happen, working
up to the feeling. It’s nice to think you can just wait until something hits you, but there’s lot’s of ways of creating discipline and a way of finding your way into the work everyday,” Shire said. Shire said that he was inspired by some things on campus, but wouldn’t disclose what exactly, as he said he still has to do the artwork. Although Shire is very diverse in his artistic talents, he said he has a love for the entire spectrum of his artistic talents. “Yeah, I love it all or I wouldn’t do it,” Shire said. “Ceramics and drawing are the things that I do directly especially when I work on the larger work that involves a lot of other people and all that it entails.” Shire’s visit was a learning opportunity for students and instructors as well. Randell Henry, associate professor of Art spoke about the importance of Shire’s appearance on campus and his dialogue with art students.
See Shire Visits page 8
West Texas accident prompts local concerns Felix Cunningham III The Southern Digest
An accident at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas prompted concerns of the preparation needed for Exxon Mobil and the Southern University and Scotlandville community. According to CNN News, 35 people died and 160 were injured in a fertilizer plant explosion on Wednesday April 17 in West, Texas. Of those killed, 10 were first responders, five volunteer firefighters, four emergency responders and an off duty firefighter from Dallas. The injuries were caused due to the chemical concern of the plant and that chemical is called anhydrous ammonia. When anhydrous ammonia is combined with the water in the body, it can cause severe burns and high concentrations of the substance can lead to death. The blast and not necessarily the chemical, caused the deaths, but the
injured patients are presently still being treated. With Southern in close proximity to Exxon, this accident prompted concerns of whether it could occur here. Approximately 3.5 miles from Southern University on Scenic Highway, is the home of the Baton Rouge Chemical Plant, owned and operated by Exxon Mobil. BRCP receives their feedback from the adjacent refinery that includes gas oil, cat gas, ethane and propane, higher olefins, and powerformate. Products made from these materials include: methyl ethyl ketone, secondary butyl alcohol, diisopropy ether, isopropyl alcohol, ethylene/propylene, vistalon rubber, butadiene, Exxon chlorobutyl, soprene, escorez, and many other excellent chemicals. All of these present chemicals have very high flash points and are very flammable. Of those accelerant chemicals,
Jerry Larson/AP Photo Cindy Grones looks over the remains of her kitchen in one of the most devastated the areas of West, Texas April 29, after the fertilizer plant explosion. Local residents were allowed to return to their homes over the weekend and contractors were allowed in Monday. butane can erupt into the air, it could result in frost like burns to the eyes or skin and it also reduces the availability of oxygen in the breathing air and high inhalation
can lead to nausea. Butane can only affect the air of the employees and not the surrounding area. However, when these chemicals and hazardous materials are
the official student newspaper of southern university and A&m college, baton rouge, louisiana
tampered with, it could start a chemical fire.
See Plant Explosion page 8