Entertainment – Page 10 – The Transcript

Gallery 22 brings art to Delaware

Ela Mazumdar, Transcript Reporter

Restaurants, ice cream shops and antique shops line Delaware’s street, but it is important to take note of a new establishment which has become a part of town just this past month.

Gallery 22, a local art gallery, is centrally located on East Winter Street across from Mi Cerritos, Veritas and 1808. It is now holding exhibits and adding character to what many residents of Delaware refer to as “the cultural block” of the town.

An exhibit called “Confederate Currency: The Color of Money” features the works of artist John W. Jones and depicts intricately painted people and currency based on the Civil War period. This exhibit is on loan from the Ross Art Museum and was coordinated by Tammy Wallace.

Every six weeks the exhibits are changed and feature a variety of different artists, including some professors from the OWU community. The gallery is open Fridays and Saturdays from 6-8:30 p.m. but is hoping to expand its hours over time.

The Gallery is a place for artists to work at affordable studios and for the public to see new exhibits and buy art. Currently, this gallery is also giving away free art books. The gallery also actively calls in artists and guest speakers and has wine and cheese nights on the first Friday of each month to meet and greet new artists.

Gallery 22 is run by the Delaware Arts Castle, which holds art classes for local residents and the wider Columbus area. This organization now holds ownership of the property and is run by its own board after it was given up by Ohio Wesleyan University.

The gallery runs solely on its volunteers and is one that gives back to the community by supporting OWU’s artists and providing studio space to artists for a reasonable price.

“We are looking for the help we can for spreading awareness and getting more volunteers,” said Mindy Hedger, a board member of the gallery.

Currently, the Gallery is getting limited audiences, but members of the board are hoping that people will gain awareness with time.

“What surprises me mostly is that so many people don’t know about the Arts Castle since we have been in town for so long. We try to get the word out, but maybe there’s more we can do,” Hedger said.

Although attendance is still small, there were some excited visitors.

Of these visitors were two high school students.

“I’ve always loved art exhibits and run into this along the road, the ones with the pretty skylines were my favorite,” said Abby O’Donald, a student at Olentagy High School.

Another Olentangy student was also drawn in by the art.

“I was just at the Arts Castle last weekend because we won an award there and we were in the area and saw that this gallery was linked with that, so we were interested and came in,” said Lauren Douglas, a senior at Olentangy High School.

Overall, Gallery 22 is a cultural element in town and its board members are hoping to see it grow into the Delaware community

Orange is the New Black author visits OWU

Orange is the New Black author Piper Kerman. Photo courtesy of the Huffington Post website

Ela Mazumdar, Transcript Reporter

Piper Kerman, author of Orange is The New Black, visited Ohio Wesleyan University on Jan. 20 to talk about the issue of mass incarceration.

Kerman came to speak at OWU’s Gray Chapel, sponsored by the Delaware County District Library.

The room was quickly flooded with Ohio Wesleyan students, faculty and staff and a large number of Delaware residents, eager to hear about time in prison from someone with firsthand experience.

Kerman introduced herself and her experiences in a comedic yet relatable manner, providing ease to the audience.

She then talked about meeting her significant other at a brewery, which led her into the prison system.

“Rather than run in the other direction as common sense might have suggested, I instead followed her around the globe,” Kerman said.

She discussed in detail her fears when she ended up helping her significant other travel with drug money.

“She was scared. I could tell she was scared and I was scared, too, so I did it. I carried that bag of money. I had crossed a line I couldn’t uncross.”

Kerman continued with her story, saying that eventually “our consequences catch up with us.”

She then did a statistical walk-through about U.S. incarceration and layered these facts with her initial experience in the prison in terms of surroundings, clothing and the other inmates she encountered.

“The last thing I expected to experience in prison was kindness at the hands of the other prisoners, yet that was exactly what I experienced,” Kerman said.

She went on to talk about Star, a woman in her dorm who had made her a name tag as a welcome, which was a powerful signal that gave a Kerman a sense of community.

After these personal anecdotes, Kerman discussed the impact of incarceration on people in terms of losing a parent and mental health. She also told everyone the meaning behind her novel and the reason she wrote it.

Bob Gitter, professor of economics at OWU, said Piper Kerman did an excellent job of making the case that we do indeed put too many people in prison in the U.S. In terms of cost, families and recidivism, she shows that locking up non-violent criminals is not the way to go.

“I hoped that by talking about what I experienced, people would get a better understanding of who was in prison and why they were there and what goes on behind prison walls,” Kerman said.

She ended with her favorite scene from her Netflix series and ended with questions from the audience and a book signing where fans could get up close and personal.

Freshman Natalie Campbell, an attendee at the event, said, “I thought the event was eye-opening about the problems within the U.S. prison system. It was interesting to hear Kerman’s plan of action to help reduce the amount of people, especially women, who are incarcerated every year.”

Artist prepares for the opening of her first solo show

Photo courtesy of Facebook.

Leia Miza, Transcript Reporter
“She really exemplifies what the bachelor of fine arts program in the fine arts department should be – an intensive path for building knowledge and skills across many art disciplines,” said Frank Hobbs, a fine arts professor at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Catie Beach is a senior at OWU from Columbus, Ohio, pursuing a B.F.A degree. She currently lives in the Sexual and Gender Equality House (S.A.G.E) and maintains active membership in the Student Led Art Movement (SLAM) club. She is preparing for the opening of her first solo show, which will be up by the end of the month.

Although Beach’s concentrations consist of painting and printmaking, her potential has not been limited to just that. “The biggest surprise interest was going into sculpture. I’m very interested in the physicality of it. It stimulates you beyond your hands and arms; it’s your whole body.

Her upcoming show will display a range of mediums. “It’s going to have a lot of my sculpture work, printmaking, painting and maybe some drawing work as well as ceramics. It is still to be curated,” she said.

Beach and another student learned how to pour hot iron during a class in spring 2015. Photo courtesy of Facebook.

The art exhibit will cover a “retrospective” of the work she has done over the course of her time at OWU. She explained how many of the pieces are related to personal bounds such as family as well as other thematic explorations she has pursued.

“I’ve always been interested in nature and themes of death and how there is deception in the beauty of it. Often times, beautiful anomalies are products of destruction. A lot of my works are another focus on that,” she said.

Jordana McCallen, a fellow senior fine arts student at OWU, got the chills when she spoke about Beach. “I respect Catie so much as an artist. First of all, she has an innate talent that is really rare. I respect that she aware of that talent but is still humble. I just want more people to see her work.”

The opening will take place at the Werner Student Art Gallery of Edgar Hall on Jan. 29 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Star Wars from a rookie’s perspective

Gopika Nair, Copy Editor
I haven’t watched the original Star Wars trilogy and I haven’t watched the prequels. I hadn’t even watched the trailer for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” before I saw the movie.

Stormtroopers, Han Solo, R2-D2, Darth Vader and Yoda somehow existed in my periphery throughout my childhood, but I didn’t understand the fascination or hype surrounding the Star Wars franchise.

I get it now.

“The Force Awakens” takes place 30 years after “Return of the Jedi.” The sequel features the trio from the original trilogy—Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), whose first appearances on screen had me, a novice in all Star Wars related things, cheering internally.

With lines like, “Chewie, we’re home,” “The Force Awakens” give old fans of the franchise a taste of familiarity, while also welcoming new fans and a new generation as a whole.

The sequel introduces a power trio comprising Rey, a scavenger (Daisy Ridley), Finn, a stormtrooper (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron, a pilot (Oscar Isaac).

The recent Star Wars movie and the original trilogy share several parallels and themes, serving as a subtle reminder to veteran Star Wars fans that “sequel” isn’t necessarily synonymous with “disastrous.”

For a movie that lasted more than two hours, “The Force Awakens” could have easily bored viewers, especially those who aren’t die-hard fans of the franchise. But its biggest merit is that the movie didn’t feel sluggish.

The plot was interesting. The characters tossed around clever lines which hit the right mark of being funny without trying too hard.

The fight scenes were executed well and the tight, seamless editing contributed to the overall flow of the film, particularly where Poe, Isaac’s character, is concerned.

He appears in the beginning of the film, but after an attempt to escape the First Order goes awry, Finn presumes Poe is dead. The pilot doesn’t make a reappearance until the last 30 minutes of the movie.

Even so, his return isn’t jarring or abrupt, but his absence isn’t neglected, either. Throughout the movie, BB-8, Poe’s globular droid, befriends Rey to seek its master, thus ensuring that the audience remembers Poe.

Moreover, the actors, particularly Ridley, Boyega and Isaac, command viewers’ attention with their characters’ likability, while the older actors retain the signature charm that long-time fans loved from the beginning.

Even though most of us aren’t scavengers or stormtroopers or pilots located in a galaxy far, far away, Rey, Finn and Poe have qualities that make them admirable, quirks that make them likable and flaws that make them relatable.

Ultimately, “The Force Awakens” attracted a new generation of fans and that’s evident from the sudden surge of Star Wars’ popularity since the sequel’s release.

No matter how many years pass, you can’t escape the Force. The Star Wars franchise may have been dormant after the release of “Attack of the Clones” in 2005, but not anymore.

Chamber Choir fills Gray Chapel with song and applause

By: Beth Ward, Transcript Correspondent

The voices of 60 Ohio Wesleyan students filled the chambers of Gray Chapel as the Choral Art Society and Chamber Choir performed their winter concert.

The Choral Art Society and the Chamber Choir performed on Sunday Dec. 6 from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. The choir is made up of OWU students ranging from freshmen to graduating seniors.

The concert was the first performance of the choir for the 2016 school year. They will be performing again in Gray Chapel in the coming spring.

The Choral Art Society is conducted by Christopher Dent and the Chamber Choir is conducted by Jason Hiester. Each choir is made up of four groups, the bass, the tenor, the sopranos and the altos.

The Choral Art Society is an open choir for anyone who wants to join while the Chamber Choir is an audition only choir. About 15 students make up the Chamber Choir for the 2016 school year.

Each choir performed a series of songs on Sunday. The Choral Art Society sang eight songs with a small break between every two in which conductor Dent explained what the next two songs were about.

The Choral Art Society ended their part of the concert at 3:45 p.m. Leading into a 15 minute intermission before the Chamber Choir took the stage.

The Chamber Choir performed five songs from Edward Elgar, a famous composer between the years of 1857 an 1934. He composed “The Spirt of the Lord is upon me (The Apostles, Op.48),” which the choir opened with.

Elgar’s Apostle was accompanied by the organ that was played by Joshua Brodbeck. “The organ gave an interesting tone to the song. It sounded beautiful, but left me with a slight weary feeling in my stomach,” said Melissa Smith, former OWU student class of 2014.

Heister led the Chamber Choir through four more songs ending the concert with “The Dance.”

“The Dance was a more lively song compared to the first. It had a very upbeat rhythm and left the audience on a happy note, it was an excellent way to end the concert,” said Grace Ford, senior from Hayes High School.

In close proximity

By: Gopika Nair, Copy Editor

At Ohio Wesleyan University, the chill of December doesn’t dampen art.

Seven studio arts professors from OWU’s fine arts department created works for the “In Close Proximity” exhibition, which will run from Dec. 1 through Jan. 31 at OWU’s Ross Art Museum.

An artist reception was held on Dec. 3, which was open to students and faculty members. The exhibition features a variety of artistic media such as clay, metal, photography, printmaking, sculpture, painting, drawing and computer design.

Participating faculty members include Kristina Bogdanov, Cynthia Cetlin, Frank Hobbs, James Krehbiel, Justin Kronewetter, Jeff Nilan and Jonathan Quick.

Nilan, associate professor of fine arts, said the Ross Art Museum displays faculty members’ recent works every other year to share their works and research with the community.

“It’s a fact that we are engaged with our works in our studio and I think that breeds more effective and engaged teaching,” he said. “When we’re actively involved in doing things that we teach, I think that creates a more direct connection to what we’re [teaching] our students.”

Most of Nilan’s photographs that are on display at the exhibition were taken within the last two years, he said. The photos are also part of an ongoing project concerned with soft Western Iowa.

“I usually try to touch upon that project in every faculty biennial,” he said. “This time around, it was minimal.”

Instead, his primary focus was on landscape and figuring out how to perceive it.

Each faculty member explored something different in their pieces. Cynthia Cetlin, professor of fine arts, experimented in creating forms, patterns, textures and color by working with wool and silk, she said in her artist’s statement.

“I am fascinated with the repetitive technique of covering an entire fabric with closely hand-stitched rows that are pulled board-tight and knotted, then dyed or steamed,” she said.

In her statement, she described the process of preparing work for public view as “risky” as well as “inescapable and thrilling.”

“I am an ardent learner, always drawn to new techniques and to materials that are new to me. A constant in my life has been the desire to create body adornment and to develop knowledge and technical mastery.”

Sophomore Ellen Sizer said during the reception that the pieces that grabbed her attention were “Silver River of NymphsNaissos” and “Gold River of NymphsNaissos” by Kristina Bogdanov, an associate professor of fine arts.

Bogdanov said the pieces were inspired by her birthplace and the legend and folklore of Balkans.

Other pieces by Bogdanov include “6 Hours Difference Skype Conversations” and “Surreal Letters to my Sister.”

“In general, all of my work is inspired by my family,” Bogdanov said. “They are the inspiration and motivation, the provide me the experience and understanding of life and life values. Through the exploration of shapes, color, drawing marks or simply different materials, I try to visually communicate the stories related to my family or relationships within a family.”

Jillian Maruskin, a librarian at OWU, said during the reception that it’s important for faculty to showcase their work.

“They’re the ones teaching our students, and students have to feel like they have good mentors,” Maruskin said. “[Students can also] see what it’s like to be living, working artists.”

During the academic year, the Ross Art Museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the museum to view “In Close Proximity” is free.

One Acts set to thrill audience

By: Leo W. Psenicka, Transcript Correspondent

If you plan on attending One Acts in December, there is a lot to look forward to.

The One Acts are student driven. The playwriting class produced the scripts that the directing class can choose from. Even the actors are students, with the occasional professor.

This year, the One Acts will take place on Friday, Dec. 4 and Saturday, Dec. 5. One such play is “Eremiel and Beelz”, written by junior Gabe Caldwell and directed by junior Emily Poltor.

“Eremiel and Beelz” is a comedy about an angel named Eremiel and a demon named Beelz. The play is Caldwell’s second script to be featured in One Acts. He said his inspiration came from “Good Omens,” a book by Terry Pratchett, which is about an angel and demon who are best friends.

“Beelz is really good at doing his job which is ‘bad.” Eremiel is bad at his job which is ‘good,” Caldwell said. “The central tension of the show is whether nature trumps purpose, good or bad.”

Poltor said she wanted to direct the play since she first read it. The script was “fastpaced,” good for her directing style and had likable characters.

“What stood out to me in the script is that the characters are supernatural beings,” said Poltor. “I thought that would present a unique artistic challenge.”

Because the characters are supernatural beings, Poltor looked for actors who had the skills to portray that. During auditions and callbacks, she searched for actors who were “not afraid to put humor into the script” and were experienced enough to learn the roles in the limited rehearsal time.

Freshmen Doris Ottman was cast as Eremiel and Ares Harper was cast as Beelz.

Harper was excited to be cast in One Acts. His favorite part about One Acts is that the work is done by his peers. He liked Poltor’s directing style because she was open to experimenting with characterization and takes input from her actors. However, he was surprised to be cast as Beelz.

“I’ve always wanted to play a villain. You don’t get much more ‘villain’ than a devil,” Harper said. “He’s … a big, manly character. I don’t usually get cast as that.”

Ottman, his scene partner, enjoyed working with him. She was equally surprised to have been cast as Eremiel.

The character interested her because he does not embody the stereotypical idea of what an angel should be. For Ottman, the biggest challenge of playing Eremiel is making the supernatural events seem normal.

“You have to make the supernatural seem natural,” Ottman said.

As the playwright, Caldwell appreciates how Poltor cast his characters. He thinks both actors are perfect for the challenges of the script.

“They can pull off the dramatic side…the comedic timing of the dialogue and the serious side,” Caldwell said. “Timing is harder to train, and the director needed to understand that.”

The directing class spends the semester preparing for One Acts, which is their final project.

Directors are responsible for organizing callbacks so they can choose their actors. They are also able to use elaborate props and work with lighting designers, sound designers, and the stage manager. The goal is to see the play come to life during the performance.

“People never get to see how much effort goes into the finished, polished product,” Poltor said.

Each day of the One Acts features different shows. “Eremiel and Beelz” will be performed on Dec. 5.

Jazz fills Gray Chapel

By: Katie Kuckelheim, Transcript Correspondent

Ohio Wesleyan’s Park Avenue jazz ensemble performed Tuesday, Nov. 17 in Gray Chapel and was directed by faculty member Larry Griffin. They played a large variety of jazz pieces, from smooth to classic uplifting pieces.

According to freshman Espen Stalder, a trumpet player in the ensemble, the jazz band rehearsed twice a week for an hour and a half to prepare for the performance.

Freshman Emily Sutliff, a trombone player, said, “We worked really hard on these pieces and I think it’s great that we all came together as a band even though this was really difficult music.

We did our best and everyone had a great time.”

After intermission, Griffin introduced Rachel Ballitch, a vocalist, to the stage who sang six songs with the band including “Over the Rainbow” by Harold Allen.

When asked about how jazz differs from other types of music, sophomore tenor saxophone player Zachary Worley said, “You can express yourself more. You can do a lot more with jazz than classical … You can do what you want, what you feel.”

Music education major and audience member Mary Wadell added, “I think the best part of it is that so much of what we hear is actually improvised … they can do anything they want, express how they feel. And I think that’s brought out most in their ability to improvise in jazz, which is really unique to the style.”

This ensemble will not perform again for another year.

“There’s usually two [jazz band concerts]. But Dr. Griffin is going to be on sabbatical…” said senior Logan Baker, a trumpet player in the ensemble.

Griffin added, “The band rehearses twice a week. However, next semester when I’m on sabbatical, we’re not scheduled to have a band. There is an individual that would like to rehearse the band once per week. However, I have not finalized my plans for the semester at this point.”

President Rock Jones said, “I thought they were terrific. There was great energy. Lots of new faces in the band this year and they did really well.”

The music department puts on many performances every year, the next being Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. at Jemison auditorium in Sanborn Hall. Admission is free.

Orchesis takes the stage at Chappelear

By: Gopika Nair, Assistant Copy Editor

Ares Harper, Hilary Quinn and Jeremy Griffin-Jackson practice for this year's Orchesis performance. Photo by Trent Williams. — Ares Harper, Hilary Quinn and Jeremy Griffin-Jackson practice for this year’s Orchesis performance. Photo by Trent Williams.

After nearly two months of rehearsals, the Ohio Wesleyan dancers can finally rest their feet.

Students of OWU from the department of theatre and dance have been working toward staging Orchesis, the annual contemporary dance concert, since the first week of classes, said Rashana Smith, the artistic director of Orchesis and a professor in the theatre and dance department.

The show debuted on Nov. 13 on the Main Stage in Chappelear Drama Center. Additional performances were held on Nov. 14 and Nov. 15.

Orchesis featured 24 dancers and comprised eight pieces created by students, faculty and a guest choreographer. The individual pieces explored a variety of themes.

The show opened with “Migrations,” a piece choreographed by Jill Becker, the guest choreographer. Becker created the dance in response to the crisis of migrants fleeing war zones and seeking refuge in the west, according to her program note.

“I am moved and amazed by stories of the risky journeys people are taking in the hopes of having better, safer lives for their families.”

Some other themes that Orchesis explored included depression and the socialization process and its implication on women, which were choreographed by juniors Maddie Presley-Wolff and Diana Muzina respectively.

In addition to featuring original music, this year’s Orchesis is also the product of a collaboration between the theatre and dance department and the music department for the first time in years, said Smith.

The show concluded with Smith’s piece, titled “Effort of Interface,” which featured all 24 dancers.

Junior Trenton Williams, one of the dancers, said he hoped people understood the concepts of each piece.

“Nowadays, the rise in technology has made us more connected to our phones than to each other, and I really hope the people who attended Orchesis leave with a sense of awareness of this lack of connection,” Williams said of Smith’s piece.

Sophomore Alexia Minton, choreographer of the piece “Solitude of the Soul,” said part of the appeal of “Orchesis 15/16” was that it invited the audience to contemplate psychological, sociological and political issues.

“I think the greatest challenge I faced throughout the entire process of this show was trusting myself and having faith in my own choreography,” Minton said. “When creating anything, sometimes it can be hard to appreciate your own effort/artistry.”

Now that Orchesis has come to an end, Minton said she is thankful for the opportunity to work with and learn from her small cast of dancers.

Williams also said that though Orchesis was demanding, he would consider doing it again next year.

“At this point, I have sixpack abs and strong calves,” he said. “It was a long experience, but it was definitely worth trying something new.”

OWU chamber orchestra continues to impress

On Nov. 10, the Chamber Orchestra performed their fall concert in Gray Chapel. The group was conducted by Michael Malone.

Malone has been the conductor for the Chamber Orchestra since 2010.

Malone explained that a chamber orchestra is a smaller version of a full orchestra. OWU’s consists of six first violins, four second violins, three violas, three cellos, two basses, one flute, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns and timpani.

According to his website, Malone “holds the PhD in historical musicology from The University of Texas at Austin,” and has taught courses in conducting, orchestration, music history and history of jazz.

The orchestra rehearses once a week as a group, however, the string section has a weekly sectional at which they practice separately.

Malone said, “It is my job to make sure that we are playing together as a group. I help them understand how their parts fit in with what else is happening in the music around them so that their individual parts make sense within the whole piece.”

Senior ZoAnn Schutte was appointed department concerto competition and therefore aided the process of selecting pieces for the performance.

“The most substantial piece on the program is Mozart’s Symphony No. 40, which is one of those pieces I have known and loved for a long time, so it is a great pleasure to have a chance to conduct it for the first time,” said Malone. “I always try to choose a big piece that will stretch the capabilities of the orchestra. This is a big, difficult piece, and so the students have had to work hard to learn it, but they have done an amazing job.”

Every year, the orchestra has a Concertmaster who is always a violinist.

Junior Chris Brinich is the current Concertmaster of the chamber orchestra. Brinich said that as Concertmaster he needs to “to be able to lead their section, as well as the whole orchestra in some instances. The concertmaster is generally the one who is most expected to know their part in the violin section. It also includes organizing separate string sectional rehearsals for the orchestra.”

Brinich has been involved in the Chamber Orchestra since his freshman year and has held other positions such as Principal Violinist.