Maybe you’ve been taking studio art classes in the Residential College, or maybe you have friends (such as yours truly) who have, or maybe you’ll be around East Quad at some point this month with art on the mind. Maybe you’ve been itching to see student photography, ceramics, drawing, printmaking, and sculpture all in the same little space.
Lucky for you, the RC Art Gallery will be full of student work from various RCARTS courses from the 13th-27th of April, completely free to browse. The gallery and student exhibition will open with a reception on Friday, the 13th of April from 4-6pm — also free and with refreshments! The gallery is just to the right of the East University entrance when you first walk in and is usually open M-F 10am-5pm, special exception for this event.
Date: Friday, April 13th, 2018 Time: 4-6pm Location: East Quad’s RC Art Gallery
On Sunday afternoon, puppets came alive and fools came about.
It was another cold day, but luckily the sun came out to be foolish with everybody. I had been with the FestiFools class (housed by Lloyd Hall Scholars Program) earlier that day — so I rode from the studio to Main Street with the puppets and their makers and then helped them unload those massive papier-mache sculptures. Seeing all them all lining the side road gave them a new element of livelihood an hour later when they took to the stage.
Many puppets this year were politically-charged, which also added a layer of humor to the already-foolish theme. One such sculpture completed in part by the event’s founder, Mark Tucker, was a “scary go-round” featuring giant caricatures of Putin, Trump, and Kim Jong-un. Their realistic facial resemblances added to the scare factor of the piece. It was surrounded by several fish- and Nile-themed sculptures: fantastical underwater creatures, a jellyfish umbrella, a large pyramid, a Sphinx featuring another head of Trump as well as hieroglyph-esque political cartoons of his presidency, and more.
Scary Go-RoundSphinx with head and presidency of Trump (one of its makers and director of LHSP pictured)
I’d like to think the politically-charged pieces were crowd favorites, given the laughs and supportive comments from onlookers around me. The mayor of Ann Arbor also had a puppet head resembling him, which another person wore while he escorted him around the stage (up and down Main Street).
Mayor of Ann Arbor next to mayor of Ann Arbor
Alongside puppets, marching bands (ones with real brass instruments and more FestiFools-esque ones with buckets as drums) add music to the scene; dance groups and jokesters perform and interact with the crowd. A group of belly dancers in particular were fascinating, especially when following a large praying mantis led by several people at once.
Maybe I’m biased after having seen several of these puppets in the studio the week before when they were unfinished, but they all turned out incredible. While yes, some parts fell off during the procession, that’s what they’re made to do.
Hundreds of Ann Arbor fools with and without families lined Main Street for that hour on Sunday afternoon. In fact, they gathered on the sidewalks at least a half-hour before it began and stuck around during the half-hour following, eager and excited for the foolish energy that lingered.
During the event, several puppets also interacted with the crowd — particularly children. I jumped in to assist a friend’s Lego Princess Leia puppet, which had a sad face on one side of the head and a happy face on the other. When Leia got high-fives from kids to her U-shaped lego hands, her happy face would greet them.
Princess Leia as a happy Lego
One of my favorite parts of FestiFools is the last five minutes: all of the puppets and their makers gather in the intersection nearest the trucks in which they came, dancing and smiling as though the catharsis of the event. If FestiFools was a musical, this would be the final number with all cast members present, where any plot issues get resolved. The drummers and musicians don’t necessarily battle but instead give the stage one last, large energetic push, and then the crowd parts to let them dance their way back to the side street.
I highly recommend going to the next FestiFools! It takes place right on Main Street once every April. While a great chance to be your true foolish selves, consider letting that foolishness shine other days of the year, too.
I stopped dancing some time around the second grade. As a child, I was interested in anything and everything. From piano lessons to writing camps to basketball, my parents had to draw the line somewhere, so dance was the first to be cut out of a long list of disparate activities. It has always been something that I wish I had continued though. To this day, I am in awe of dancers’ grace, poise, and flexibility. Every movement of the body seems purposeful, practiced . . . perfected.
Admittedly, after I attend dance performances, I find myself imitating their movements. (Side note: there should really be a “do not try this at home” warning on show pamphlets. I’ll confess to a couple of pulled muscles).
Nevertheless, I LOVE watching dance programs. On Friday evening, I had the opportunity to check out “Impact,” a student-run dance company on campus. Their show consisted of over a dozen numbers in varying styles of dance. The performers were adept and composed. Their movements were synchronous and their limbs shifted and swayed in really elegant ways.
One of my favorite numbers, “River,” was an up-tempo piece performed with attitude and intention. Their sharp gestures exuded confidence and passion.
The show was well organized and moved swiftly from number to number. There was a variety of solos, duets, a guest performance from both The Michigan G-Men and Ballroom Dance Team, and it concluded with a full number as all 18 women united for one final time on stage.
Be sure to check out Impact next semester on campus! They are a hardworking and talented team and deserve recognition!
It’s the most foolish time of year! Or, perhaps, the best time to embrace foolishness. In its twelfth installment, founder and LHSP art director Mark Tucker’s wonderful show of large puppets will take place this Sunday afternoon in downtown Ann Arbor. You may have stumbled upon FoolMoon yesterday (Friday) — the procession of glowing sculptures parading from campus to Ashley Street on Friday night yesterday, or perhaps the dance party that followed. If you enjoyed that, consider roaming down to Main Street tomorrow at 4pm for more! The event will last an hour, and from what I’ve seen of the puppets so far, it should be spectacular. It’s a hallmark of Ann Arbor and very worth experiencing.
Date: Sunday, April 8th, 2018 Time: 4-5pm Location: Main Street
Wes Anderson is back in his first animated film since Fantastic Mr. Fox (which was fantastic). Isle of Dogs showcases the typical Anderson cast, but this time, in a Japanese setting. The movie follows the story of a young boy who joins a crew of mutts in order to rescue his beloved dog stranded somewhere on trash island. There is going to be dogs, pubescent love, and tons of trash–what more could one want?
The movie is playing NOW at the State Theatre. Student tickets are $8.
The Rogel Ballroom in the Michigan Union was transformed on Wednesday night into a colorfully-lit, almost unrecognizable concert venue in preparation for the Diet Cig and Palm concert, as brought by New Beat Happening, a student organization committed to bringing various musical acts to campus.
I was excited for this concert, especially because I was familiar with Diet Cig’s music beforehand. While not a devoted fan, I do have some favorite songs by them, including “Harvard” and “Maid of the Mist.” I was not familiar with Palm before the concert, though I did some research on them in advance and found a song or two that I also enjoyed.
Palm
Palm took to the stage first, immediately launching into their first song without any preamble. If there is anything to be said about their performance, it is the hypnotic, almost lullaby-esque, element that is maintained throughout. The songs blended into each other (the band had no pauses or gaps between their songs, maintaining a constant hum of sound, be it a droning bass or a steady drum beat as they set up for the next track), having the final effect of a long, monotonous stream of music that was punctuated by the occasional guitar riff or a faster scatter of drumbeats. The members did not really look at each other; they were very disconnected in that aspect. Instead, they all seemed more focused on the music, and would dip in and out of the melody with their contributions of guitar, drum, and bass notes, with the occasional discernible stream of lyrics.
In all honesty, their music was not really to my taste; however, I heard some very positive reviews from the people surrounding me, so perhaps mine is just a minority opinion.
In regards to the people attending the show, a nice crowd began to form as time went on, and only swelled in size as time came closer to Diet Cig’s performance. I spotted at least two girls with glitter on their cheekbones (one of the trademark aesthetic elements of Diet Cig) and a plethora of band shirts. Everyone seemed to be in a generally pleasant and excited mood for a Wednesday night, but that could also be because of their excitement and passion for music, which was palpable. To my left, a group of people were discussing different guitar models and brands of equipment, and behind me a pair was dissecting Palm’s performance into its various musical elements. It was really cool to be able to be surrounded by people with such tangible interest in music.
The crowd’s energy was kicked into overdrive as soon as Diet Cig (Alex Luciano and Noah Bowman) hit the stage. I heard more than one comment on Alex being like a fairy!, perhaps in regards to her short-cropped hair, infectious energy, the glitter smeared across her cheeks, her high-pitched voice, or some combination of all. Alex’s enthusiasm was so powerful and noticeable, radically different from the opening act, who hardly spoke to the crowd at all. In contrast, Alex interacted very openly with the crowd from the beginning, immediately letting everyone know that the show was a safe space, and addressed the importance of safety and consent during their performance, as well as where to find the people to talk to if you didn’t feel safe.
Diet Cig
As I stated before, I was excited to see Diet Cig perform, as were the people surrounding me. There was lots of dancing and shouting, and Alex fed off of the energy; she not only sang each song with as much fervor and spirit as possible, she also danced, bounced, spun, and kicked her way across the stage. What makes Diet Cig’s music interesting is its way of addressing serious topics about interpersonal and personal relationships in a way that has the capacity to be both angry and joyful at once.
I am happy to note that my two favorite songs were played. I had a nice time, and am really grateful for New Beat Happening for arranging the show. I look forward to future events hosted by them.
