A local to Ann Arbor and University of Michigan alum, David Zinn will be holding a workshop at the Ann Arbor District Library this Thursday, the 5th of January. Zinn has been making his mark on the city with artwork through murals, business logos, posters, and cartoons, but he is well known for the chalk art he makes on the streets and sidewalks of Ann Arbor, Manhattan, and other locations. In recent years, Zinn has recieved global attention from outlets such as Facebook and the Huffington Post. This local artist is now sharing some of his artistic experience through the workshop, Drawing from Your Imagination with David Zinn, where he will be demonstrating illustration techniques with color pencils. Take the opportunity to meet and learn from David Zinn this week, one of Ann Arbor’s local artists!
Details
When: Thursday, January 5th
Time: 1:00 -2:00PM
Location: Ann Arbor District Library, Multi-Purpose Room
Workshop is intended for kids grade six to adults, free admission.
A Tibetan book cover featuring carvings of three divine figures and intricate decal, coated in gold-colored paint. Photo courtesy of the Crow Collection website
I had never thought of book covers as anything besides dusty, worn out blankets that hugged pages of a story together, but the special exhibit at the UMMA proved me wrong. Being the first ever exhibit in the United States to showcase Tibetan book covers, Protecting Wisdom: Tibetan Book Covers from the MacLean Collection, this collection is currently on display until April 2 of 2017, and so I took the opportunity to visit.
Expecting to see 8 x 11 cardboard covers encased in cloth or leather, I was greeted by wooden covers that measured two feet wide and about a foot tall; 33 or so of these were either situated on the gallery walls or in showcases. As I made my way through the gallery, I took in the intricacies of these Tibetan treasures: multiple gods were carved into these covers along with dragons, peacocks, floral decals, and so on. Paint in hues of gold, red, and green embellished the slabs of wood. Some of the detailing was so intricate that the cover was designed by several people.
Photo courtesy of the Crow Collection websitePhoto courtesy of the Crow Collection website
The elaborate nature of these book covers is understood through its purpose. For Tibetan Buddhists, books are a divine presence where the Buddha lives and reveals himself, and so to honor him, detailed book covers were frequently commissioned. Tibetan book cover design has a history of more than a thousand years, and so these covers date back from anywhere in the 11th century to the 18th century. A gem of the exhibit is a wonderfully carved and painted book cover from the early 1290s.
I left the exhibit with a newfound respect for the art of designing book covers, especially the Tibetan book covers created by Buddhists. This exhibit is currently on display until the 2nd of April from 8:00am to 5:00pm from Tuesdays through Sundays, so please come out to view this gallery!
The King’s Singers take their final bow after a marvelous performance.
The sounds of the winter season rang out in the arches of Hill Auditorium last night as The King’s Singers presented a concert full of holiday favorites. The virtuosity and versatility of the group was made apparent by the several stunning arrangements that they shared with a crowded Hill auditorium audience.
The first half of the concert highlighted the group’s abilities as a classical vocal ensemble. They sang familiar traditional carols, including works in Latin and French, demonstrating their mastery over the affective vocal style that is characteristic of singing sacred music and madrigals. The second half lightened the mood as the group sang more contemporary favorites, such as Winter Wonderland and Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride (which they cleverly turned into a samba halfway through). Familiar favorites came to life in a slew of sparkling arrangements that showcased the group’s ability to nail complex harmonies and rhythms.
Between every group of related songs, one of the members would speak briefly about the pieces of music they were about to sing. The program was also interspersed with Christmas-related readings, from Ogden Nash’s humorous The boy who laughed at Santa Claus to a touching diary entry from an unknown soldier dating back to December 24, 1914. This gave the evening a more personal and intimate touch.
The group had an astounding blend. Although there are only two countertenors, one tenor, two baritones, and one bass in the group, they formed such tight harmonies that they created an overall sound that was often as powerful as a church choir. The resonance of their voices ringing out at the end of every piece warmed the soul, in spite of the snowfall happening just outside the building.
The King’s Singers closed the evening with an encore in honor of 30-year UMS President Ken Fischer, who first brought the group to Ann Arbor in the 1980s. This tied up an equally fun and inspiring evening of music with a beautiful bow.
Photo taken from https://www.facebook.com/umichsmtd/?fref=ts
Have you ever wondered what life was like for Peter Pan before he actually was Peter Pan? How the Lost Boys, Tinkerbell, and Neverland came to be? How Captain Hook lost his hand? Your questions are bound to be answered in the tale of Peter and the Starcatcher; directed by Gillian Eaton, assistant directed by Martin McGuire, and musically directed by Brian E. Buckner, James Fischer, and Riley Palmer.
Jeffrey James Fox as Black Stache (photo taken from https://www.facebook.com/umichsmtd/?fref=ts)
This lighthearted show swept the audience off their feet and into the adventure-filled life of Molly (Kourtney Bell), a young girl who is on a secret mission with her father (David Newman) to destroy what is called “starstuff”. On Molly’s ship, The Never Land, she comes across three orphans, one of which is unnamed (Brooks Inciardi), and immediately befriends them. Pirates, island natives, a crocodile, and mayhem are all prevelant throughout the journey. The story of Peter Pan magically unfolds before your eyes in this easy-to-love show.
Kourtney Bell as Molly and Brooks Inciardi as Boy (photo taken from https://www.facebook.com/umichsmtd/?fref=ts)
Shows run in the Power Center on December 8 @ 7:30pm, December 9 & 10 @ 8:00pm, and December 11 @ 2:00pm. Reserved seating is $22 and $28, and students $12 with an ID.
Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.music.umich.edu/performances_events/productions/2016-2017/starcatcher.htm
Finals Season is upon us! If you need a break from craziness and want to live in a technicolor dream ( or rather CGI dream) then go see this colorful pic! It has the honest, cynical character named appropriately Brash and the cheerful happy-go-lucky character named Poppy! And it is about Poppy facing a problem once and these two working together to come and fix things!
If a visual color fest and clashing of personalities is not enough for you to go and see this, then another reason is nostalgia! Does anyone remember the 90s figurines with the funny colorful hair! I sincerely do. Which is why I am going to see it. Especially because my Daddy used to buy me those and he died a few months ago. It took me a while to write again for the Artscene blog. But as my first attempt- I thought that this would be a good movie that could help me write again.
On Saturday, December 10, UMS will present the internationally-acclaimed vocal sextet, The Kings Singers. The Seattle Times hailed the British a cappella ensemble as a group that “can do almost anything a full-sized chorus can do, with a degree of perfection that drops the jaw and delights the ear.”
Founded in 1968, the Grammy-award winning group will be presenting a program of wintertime favorites, just in time for the holidays. Pieces that will be on the program include Christmas classics like White Christmas, Silent Night, and Sleigh Ride, as well more traditional works by composers Lassus, Tchaikovsky, and Holst.
The concert will be on Saturday, December 10th at 8pm in Hill Auditorium. Tickets are available at ums.org or at the League Ticket Office. Come soak up the sounds of the season!
