Category: Literary Arts

PREVIEW: Who is Luther Burbank?

nina.j

Who is Luther Burbank?

WHO IS LUTHER BURBANK?– a new piece in eighteen parts. Three students from a variety of arts related disciplines have teamed up to create an original work of experimental theater. Willie Filkowski, an Interarts Performance major, Corey Smith, a composition major, and Nola Smith, a dancer major, have designed an extracurricular, innovative performance involving a variety of curious media: “dancing, text, video, original music, potatoes, prizes, costume changes, a LOT of dirt.” Inspired by a 1914 found text, Our Wonder World Vol. X: The Quiz Book, the collaborative event will entertain and puzzle, but ultimately answer the questions “Who is Luther Burbank?”

Presented with support from Basement Arts and Arts at Michigan, “WILB?” will run Thursday April 18-Saturday April 20. Performances are FREE and begin at 7 pm each night, with an additional late show at 11 pm on Friday the 19th. The show will be held in the Walgreen Drama Center on North Campus. See you there!

PREVIEW: An Afternoon with David Sedaris

Kayla Silverstein

This coming Saturday, April 13 at 2pm, David Sedaris will be speaking at Hill Auditorium. Best known for his fabulous wit and hilarious sarcasm, Mr. Sedaris has written over six books and sold seven million copies by 2008. His most popular essay collections include Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames. Utterly hilarious and brilliant, Mr. Sedaris is not someone you’ll want to miss.

Go Blue tonight and by some tickets to see David Sedaris this weekend!!

PREVIEW: Last Word of Mouth StorySLAM of the Year!: Liberation

nina.j

WORD OF MOUTH STORY SLAM

LIBERATION

Thursday, April 4th 2013

Hillel

Doors at 8:00 pm, stories at 8:30

Word of Mouth is back for our final event of 2013. Never been to our slams before? Audience members tell five-minute stories from their lives related to a theme. The friendly competition includes appetizers and live music.

In collaboration with Hillel, this month focuses on stories of Liberation. In light of the recent Passover holiday, which recognizes a historic Liberation, we’ve chosen the theme. But it does not have to pertain to history, Judaism, or religion at all. Perhaps the theme is pertinent because graduation is on the horizon, or summer vacation.

If you have stories of release, renewal, letting go, or breaking free, come share them at our slam!

You should notice that we’ve moved! If you’re used to seeing us at Work Gallery on State Street, don’t fret. We are trying a new space. The UM Hillel is located just off campus. Click here for directions.

Can’t wait to see you there!

In the meantime, check us out online:

BLOG

FACEBOOK PAGE

SOUNDCLOUD

To get emails about more upcoming events and workshops or to join our planning crew, shoot us an email.

PREVIEW: U-M SOUP

nina.j

U-M SOUP

If you haven’t already heard of UM SOUP, I’m sorry to tell you that you are one step behind. The good news, however, is that now you know! And now that you are IN the know, you can attend of the most inspiring, student organized events in town.

Inspired by DETROIT SOUP, Junior PiTE student Izzy Morrison decided to arrange Ann Arbor’s very own UM SOUP. The way it works is this: all semester long, locals and students have been submitting proposals for community oriented projects that need funding. Those who attend the dinner enjoy a great evening and vote on the project proposal with the greatest potential.

Here is a blurb about the event that Izzy wrote for AnnArbor.com:

“For $5, A2 residents and UM students can have a fun evening learning about local projects, eating a local meal, jamming to live music, and voting on their favorite community project! The event will take place March 23rd at 7pm at LIVE Ann Arbor. At the end of the night, the winner will receive collected funds. These grants support start-up community projects that might have no other means to get off the ground. All SOUP applicants have the opportunity to make connections and talk to potential supporters over dinner. There are no rules for proposals, except that they benefit the greater community.”

For a list of project proposals, click here. Some propose to address educational, health, and environmental prospects, while others focus on transportation, discrimination, or crisis aversion. Live With food donated from Zingerman’s, Crazy Wisdom, The People’s Food Co-op, and Izzy’s mom,  the dinner will surely be delectable. Live entertainment will include Music School student Gabirel Wilk’s Latin inspired band, Gabriel and the Keystones, and spoken word artist Carlina Duan. This is not a community event to be missed!

February 23rd, LIVE  Ann Arbor on 102 First St., 7pm, $5 tickets at the door. All are welcome.

Check out the Facebook event for more info. See you there!


PREVIEW: UMMA AFTER HOURS

nina.j

UMMA AFTER HOURS

Twice a year, the UMMA stays open late for visitors to explore the artwork After Hours. On Thursday March 14th, the spring celebration of the late night event will take place in the museum. There are a number of exquisite permanent collection pieces, as well as a series of visiting exhibits that are worth checking out by night. If you can’t find time during regular hours, this a great opportunity to get your art fix. In addition to the usual artwork, there will be live music performed by the Ingrid Racine Quartet, playing Jazz and Afro Pop tunes. From the UMMA’s site, After Hours is about:

Standing before the shimmering fields of color created by West African artist El Anatsui in the career retrospective El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote to You About Africa, taking a walk around London with the Queen of England’s guards in Francis Alÿs’s video work Guards, traveling to the Himalayas with Buddhist Thangkas and Treasures: The Walter Koelz Collection, Museum of Anthropology, and finding out what an architect does with Alice in Wonderland and Andy Warhol’s dessert recipes in Florencia Pita/FP mod. The

After Hours runs from 7-10 pm. Click here for more info. And for more updates about happenings at UMMA and around campus, check out the blog The Annex. See you there!

PREVIEW: PRISON CREATIVE ARTS 18th ANNUAL EXHIBITION OF ART BY MICHIGAN PRISONERS

nina.j

PRISON CREATIVE ARTS 18th ANNUAL EXHIBITION OF ART BY MICHIGAN PRISONERS

Every year for nearly two decades, the Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP) holds an exhibition of artwork by Michigan Prisoners. The gallery features paintings, drawings, sculptures, collages, and more by incarcerated men and women across the state. Whether or not these artists have participated in PCAP creative workshops, they are eligible to submit their creations to be hung in the show. The curation process is very extensive; it involves trips across the Mitten to all of the correctional facilities where artists are incarcerated. After reviewing and collecting work for the show, PCAP members organize the gallery, hanging the art in honor of the voices who created such striking beauty.

The pieces are absolutely breathtaking. From past years, I recall images of anguish, longing, joy, desire, remorse, and forgiveness; of families torn apart, of the struggle to move forward, and of troubles forgetting the unforgettable. The artwork is so skillfully created that the technicality alone is impressive. But the images are powerful and memorable. They will move you in unforgettable ways.

In addition to the visual art show, PCAP will host several other events throughout the duration of the exhibit. These include a Keynote Address by Hasan Davis in The League, a discussion about incarcerated youth with juvenile correctional facility staff, a reading and release party of the Michigan Review of Prisoner Creative Writing, and panels featuring both the artists and the family members of those who are still incarcerated. These discussions, events, and forums are most important for bearing witness to the experiences of those who are imprisoned. For more details on all of the events listed above, click here.

The art exhibit runs from March 19th to April 3rd, 2013. An opening reception will be held in the Duderstadt Center Gallery on North Campus at 5:30 pm. Thereafter, gallery hours will be 10:00am to 7:00 pm. See you there!