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(09/20/18 10:00am)
An exhibit featuring over 100 exquisite works of Islamic art is now on display at the Middlebury College Museum of Art, making it the first Islamic art exhibition in a Vermont museum in at least 30 years.
Located on the first floor of Mahaney Center for the Arts, this rich collection embodies the long history and intercontinental reach of Islamic art.
“Wondrous Worlds” features artwork in nearly all media, including ceramics, clothing, glassware, jewelry, metalworks, musical instruments, paintings, photographs, prayer rugs and textiles.
Highlights include 19th-century Indonesian crowns (fashioned from palm leaves, gold wire, animal fibers and wood), prayer-books adorned in leather and gold, Egyptian tent hangings inscribed with calligraphic and geometric patterns (measuring 160 square feet) and much more.
“Wondrous Worlds” officially opened at the Middlebury College Museum of Art on Sept. 14 and will stay through Dec. 2.
Middlebury community members and college students gathered for a first look at the exhibit during an opening reception at 5 p.m.
The diverse media presented in “Wondrous Worlds” reflect principles and practices of Islam across the world and throughout time, including pieces that date back to the ninth century as well as contemporary works. However, the exhibit is organized in a thematic sequence rather than a chronological one.
The show opens with an introduction to the Five Pillars of Islam: declaration of faith, daily prayers, charity, fasting for Ramadan and the Hajj Pilgrimage.
The exhibition then expands upon five themes, ranging from calligraphy and architecture to clothing and food. Each theme provides perspective into the utility, artistry and cultural history of the featured objects.
Because the Islamic faith discourages the creation of images of sentient beings, Islamic art is largely dominated by traditional geometric patterns and calligraphy. Not all Islamic art is strictly religious art, as it also includes the art of the varied cultures of Islamic societies.
Cynthia Packert, a professor of Art History and guest curator of the collection, gave opening remarks while guests snacked on tasty Middle Eastern delicacies last Friday. Packert highlighted the cross-cultural nature of the exhibition.
“In the centuries before amazon.com there were still lots of things moving around the planet in both directions,” she said.
The rapid spread of Islam was accompanied by the development of trade networks for material goods. Objects with imagery of carnations, tulips and birds reflect European influence.
Packert also discussed her role in Middlebury’s acquisition of this exhibit, which had been a three-year process.
“Wondrous Worlds” originally opened in February 2016 at the Newark Museum of Art in Newark, N.J.
A few years ago, Packert spoke with the museum’s Curator of Asian Art, Katie Paul, about obtaining Islamic art for Middlebury’s collection. At the time, the Newark Museum was renovating its Islamic art section and Packert’s request inspired Paul to turn the collection into a moving show. Two recent Middlebury graduates were interns at the Newark Museum and helped put together objects and information for the original opening.
Since its inception, “Wondrous Worlds” has had an active life. After its debut in Newark, it moved to Houston, Texas. After its time at Middlebury, it will travel to Emory University.
Packert emphasized the importance of bringing an exhibit like “Wondrous Worlds” to Middlebury.
“It makes all the difference in teaching and understanding the arts if you actually have real works of art to look at,” she said. “My hope is that after seeing this exhibition [audiences] will emerge with a much richer appreciation for the diversity and complexity of the arts of the Islamic world.”
More information can be found at go.middlebury.edu/museum.
(05/09/18 11:50pm)
On the evening of Friday May 4, bright neon glow sticks illuminated the packed crowd in Wilson Hall. The audience’s energy was palpable as they anxiously waited to celebrate Middlebury College’s second annual Korean Culture Show. The show began at 8 p.m. and ran for about two hours (with 18 individual acts), featuring a diverse collection of Korean performance art including dancing, singing, rapping, poetry reading, instrumental music and more.
The only requirement for participation in the show was a love of Korean culture and a desire to share it with the Middlebury community. A diverse cast, comprising ethnically Korean and non-Korean students alike, graced the stage for each performance.
“Through the Korean Culture Show, I started to engage with community members that I hadn’t been exposed to,” said Max Lucas ’21, who danced in the show. “[It’s about] bringing together different people from different backgrounds… It’s really nice because you get to learn more about traditional Korean culture but then you can also just to have fun and dance on stage. Our group had a ramen night where we had different Korean ramens, did facemasks, and watched a bunch of Korean videos to build the community and get everyone excited about the performance in general.”
The Korean Culture Show is a significant event on campus because it is one of the only formal platforms for celebrating and sharing Korean culture. While organizations such as Korean American Student Association and Asian Students in Action exist, their events usually take place on a smaller scale and in informal settings. Students praised the Korean Culture Show for giving the Middlebury community such accessible exposure to this culture.
“It was really nice to see how a lot of people came out from the Middlebury community who may have not necessarily known what K-pop is or about Korean culture, but they were willing to come and see what people had produced,” Lucas said.
This entirely student-led production showcased the talents of over 50 students and was coordinated by a logistics team made up of Abby Escobar ’20, Karl Lin ’20, and Lia Yeh ’20. These students began organizing the program as early as this fall while team-wide rehearsals began at the start of spring semester. The individual performances were conceptualized by a group of team leaders who finalized the show’s setlist and led rehearsals. Members of the Leaders Team included Mika Dab ’20, Jeffrey Formen ’19, Monica Galbraith ’20, Abla Laallam ’20, Karul Lin ’20, Nathan Nguyen ’19, Alan Ohikuare ’20, Miko Dai ’20, Jilian Ohikuare ’20, Anton Gallegos ’20 and Lia Yeh ’20. Four lively emcees, Keun Young Ko ’21, Sean Rhee ’21, Jin-Mi Sohn ’18 and Miles Tyner ’18, kept the show moving with detailed introductions of the performances and their cultural significance and helped maintain a vibrant energy among the crowd and performers alike.
Upon entering Wilson Hall, audience members were given a yellow ribbon sticker in honor of the Korean Culture Show’s theme: commemorating the heartbreaking sinking of the Sewol Ferry in South Korea and suicide awareness. Sean Rhee ’21 delivered a speech at the end of the show dedicated to these issues.
“Even though four years have gone by [since the sinking of the Sewol Ferry], the tragic accident continues to pain the people of South Korea,” Rhee said. “Tonight, we continue to honor those 153 students who lost their lives on April 16, 2014. The yellow ribbons [are] to remember the Sewol Ferry disaster and to keep pushing for justice for those students and passengers we lost that day.”
“South Korea is known for its youthful culture and viral K-pop performances like the ones you have seen tonight,” Rhee said. “However, underneath that vibrancy exists a growing concern of depression and suicide. South Korea, unfortunately, has one of the highest rates of suicide in the world, and is even referred to as the ‘Republic of Suicide.’ Tonight, we support those who suffer from society’s immense pressures. Within this society that pushes against us, stigmatizes mental health and expects us to accept these adversities as a part of life, let us push back against these ideas.”
For the show’s final performance, the entire cast gathered onstage to lead the audience in an interactive dance. Audience members exited Wilson still practicing their dance moves and smiling from ear to ear. It is safe to say the second annual Korean Culture Show was a wild success. The audience ate up every bit of the show and erupted in applause at the end of each act. Congratulations to the entire team who put on this passionate and striking performance. Your dedication truly shined through.
“It’s a baby — it’s only two years old so hopefully it becomes a tradition,” Rhee said. “I really hope that it continues because it was really exciting for me as a Korean to share that culture on this campus. As hard as it was and as stressful as it was, it was really rewarding at the end of the day.”
(04/18/18 11:22pm)
On Wednesday April 4, the College held a special screening of the documentary film “Man on Fire.” Students, professors, visiting historians and town residents alike filled the stadium seats in Dana Auditorium for the presentation, which was sponsored by the Writing and Rhetoric Program and the Film and Media Culture Department.
The documentary is about Grand Saline, Texas, a 3,000-person town east of Dallas that has a history of racism that the community does not talk about. In June of 2014, an elderly Methodist minister named Charles Moore committed suicide by lighting himself on fire to protest racism in the town. This act of sacrifice is known as self-immolation.
He parked his car in a shopping center parking lot, poured gasoline on himself, then set himself ablaze. Moore left a typed note on his car urging the community of Grand Saline and the United States to repent for its racism.
The film compiles interviews of Grand Saline residents that illustrate a vast range of opinions regarding Grand Saline’s racist history and reactions to Moore’s demonstration. One interview mentions an area nicknamed “Pole town” referencing a place in Grand Saline where black bodies used to be displayed on poles after being lynched. Another interview mentioned the existence of signs that read “Don’t Let The Sun Set On Your Black Ass” and how rare it was to see a black person walking around town.
Other interviews provided an account in direct opposition. Most residents believed the town possessed absolutely no issues with racism and that Moore was unwarranted in his protest.
Strategically layered within these interview clips are graphic, yet artistically shot, clips that reenacted Moore’s self-immolation. The cinematography employs soft focus to mitigate the graphic nature of the content, but the heart-wrenching shots force the audience to confront the implication of Moore’s violent death.
A stirring moment in the film features an interview that claims Grand Saline does not need to have conversations about racism. Then, immediately following, is a series of skillfully constructed shots displaying a Grand Saline High School pep rally, in which people wear shirts with images and words associated with native people. These shots pass by beautifully and silently.
Special guests of this screening included the director of the film, Joel Fendelman, along with producer Dr. James Chase Sanchez. Fendelman has written, produced and directed a number of award-winning narrative and documentary films. His work has been screened at film festivals such as Tribeca, Slamdance and Montreal.
James Chase Sanchez is a native of Grand Saline, Texas and an assistant professor of writing at Middlebury College where he researches cultural rhetoric and public memory. He has been published in journals such as “College Composition & Communication” and “The Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric.” He wrote his dissertation entitled “Preaching Behind the Fiery Pulpit: Rhetoric, Self-Immolation, and Public Memory” on the Charles Moore incident.
“Man on Fire” affords audience members a story with a unique perspective on modern racism. This film elucidates how many in this country still believe that electing a black president has solved the issue of racism.
(04/18/18 11:21pm)
This weekend, Hepburn Zoo was transformed into the entrancing set of Goblin Market for Ashley Fink’s ’18.5 Senior 700 work presentation. The 65-minute production ran evening performances on April 12 and 13 and one matinee on April 14.
This piece was originally a narrative poem published in 1862 by Christina Rossetti. It was then adapted into a musical by Peggy Harmon and Polly Pen in 1987.
Goblin Market tells a story of two proper Victorian sisters, Laura (Fink ’18.5) and Lizzie (Katz ’21). The show is framed as a flashback. The two sisters, now grown women, return to their childhood nursery where they relive disturbing memories of their youth. The nursey transforms into a haunted glen where goblins seduce the sisters with luscious fruits and treats, employing clear allusions to Adam and Eve, forbidden fruit, and temptation.
The play explores how the women reconcile their adolescent sexually-charged fantasies with the world they now inhabit. Though many interpretations exist, it is generally accepted that this piece is commentary on the repression of female sexuality during the Victorian era.
The dialogue and lyrics in the show all come from the original poem. The show skillfully blends the enchanting imagery of the text into eerily beautiful melodies that form an abstract yet enticing storyline.
One of the most impressive parts about this production is that it is a two-woman show. Ashley Fink ’18.5 Charlotte Katz ’21 do not leave the stage for the show’s entire duration. The two actresses demonstrated remarkable stamina in their flawless vocal delivery and passion-driven performance.
Though there were only two actresses seen on stage, this production had a large team behind it. In addition to Fink and Katz, the production team also comprised a director (Connor Pisano ’18), musical director (Gareth Cordery ’20), costume designer (Merri McMahon ’18.5), lighting designer (Stephen Chen ’19.5), technical director (Ke Yu ’18), and sound designer (Caroline Harrison ’19.5). The show also featured three student musicians who provided accompaniment with piano (Gareth Cordery ’20), cello (Emily Han ’20), and viola (Jack DeBouter ’20). Fink and Pisano received college credit for their work.
After this weekend’s performances, I sat down with Charlotte Katz ’21 who plays Lizzie.
Q: “Can you tell me a little bit about the preparation process for this show?”
“We spent a lot of time working through the text. There are so many different ways that you can interpret it. So, first we had to create a backstory first to justify all this weird stuff that was happening in the show. That probably took most of our time, creating a cohesive idea that supported our motives within the show. That was one of our toughest challenges, being clear and making specific moments” Katz said.
Q: “What was it like participating in an all student-run production?”
“At first it was a little intimidating. This was such a difficult piece to approach because it dealt with such abstract concepts. To do it all on our own was kind of hard and I think we had a little bit of trouble at first creating and solidifying a vision for what we wanted. But once we got the ball rolling it was really a cool experience to see us all grow and develop in our respective roles.”
“It was really cool doing this caliber of work my first year. It gave me a taste of what I’m gonna be faced with my senior year, whether that be in an acting thesis or independent project. To think what Ashley and Connor have accomplished, I was really impressed. It’s a super ambitious thing to take on. I feel like I’m spoiled now because I got to such a challenging but beautiful piece my first year” Katz said.
Congratulations to the entire team of Goblin Market on three polished and striking performances. Several other seniors are also presenting their thesis work in the upcoming weekends. The Middlebury College Department of Theatre and Dance is home to dedicated students who have worked tirelessly assembling their art. Be sure to go and support these awesome, completely student-run, productions.
(03/22/18 12:59am)
On Saturday March 17, six Middlebury College students graced the stage of Robison Hall in a vocal concert entitled “Songs and Arias.” The concert featured performances by Annie Beliveau ’18, Miguel Castillo ’18, Tevan Goldberg ’18, Paige Guarino ’18.5, Michael Koutelos ’20 and Miranda Seixas ’20. These students take non-credit vocal lessons for 45 minutes each week and were invited to perform by their vocal teachers.
The Middlebury Department of Music produces powerhouse vocalists who perform with a professional level of talent and poise, as demonstrated on Saturday night. The 90-minute concert included a diverse repertoire of 22 different classical pieces, containing both solos and duets and pulling from 16th to 20th century operas. Five different languages were represented, including English, French, Spanish, Italian and German. The lyrics to each piece, alongside an English translation, were printed in the playbill.
Carol Christenson, a Middlebury College Music Department faculty member of 27 years, coordinates this annual event. She approximated that Saturday night’s show was her twentieth rendition of “Songs and Arias.” She chooses students “who have been singing long enough that they have the technical prowess to handle some of [the] more challenging repertoire.” In preparing for a classical performance, she and her students first review pronunciation of the language and technical aspects of the music.
“[They] must do many exercises to be in the physical shape to sing the pieces,” Christenson said. “It’s like any other elite physical activity…I liken it to ballet, we do a lot of bar exercises in the studio. Then they have to add communication and artistry on top of it.”
The process, as intense as it is, allows for the students and Christenson to form great relationships.
“I get very close to the students,” Christenson said. “We work one-on-one and some of them I’ve had all four years. They’re all special [and] just really great people. We’ve had fun being together.”.
The concert’s repertoire also contained small snippets from larger operas.
“When we’re working on [the music] we learn the story of the whole opera, so we know where our characters fit in at that certain moment” said Miranda Seixas ’20, a soprano vocalist.
Many of the performers got the chance to workshop one of their songs this past Tuesday, in an opera master class with Stéphanie Pothier. Seixas said the class brought the performers closer together and gave them a chance to put the final touch on their pieces right before the big night.
“I’ve had a really good time and I think most of that is dependent on Carol,” Seixas said. “She puts in so much work and she’s really passionate, especially about classical stuff, so she really pushes all her students. I’ve been challenged and really developed over the past year and a half through the music department here.”
“Songs and Arias” showcased an array of melodious pieces. Some songs were upbeat and exciting, others slower and more somber, but all were sung with passion and poise. The Middlebury Department of Music is a robust community that is home to endlessly talented students, so keep your eye out for more spectacular musical events headed to campus this semester.