It’s MLK week 2010 and a time to celebrate empowerment and equality. What Martin Luther King Jr. said in his speeches and sermons was powerful and inspiring, but not only for racial equality. His ideas and dreams were about equality for all, including those of the LGBT community. That’s why I’m choosing to attend this event in honor of MLK, though I will be going to other events this month to honor what he’s done for us too.
“Still Black: A Portrait of Black Transmen” is a documentary of six black transgender men around the US. The movie goes deep into each person’s life and explores their identities as minorities in race, sexuality, and gender. Directed by Kortney Ryan Ziegler, the movie is a groundbreaking look into the equality that MLK dreamed of and how that dream has materialized in today’s America.
What: Still Black: A Portrait of Black Transmen
When: Wenesday, January 20, 2010 6:00pm
Where: School of Social Work’s Educational Conference Center (ECC), 1st floor, Room 1840 School of Social Work Building (SSWB).
Bonuses: Free! And a Facilitated discussion after the movie.
Happy MLK everyone!
Danny Fob: Artist and Art Reviewer
I had never heard of the Jack and Jill Art Show, but after attending it, I realize it was probably the most fantastic event I’ve attended on campus. I arrived with some new friends from my women’s studies class and was thrilled to see the members of DKR (Drag King Rebellion) waiting outside the doors. After some shrill squeaks on my part and excited jumping, we paid the inexpensive entrance fee of $5 and walked in. Around one wall we saw tables covered in artwork from different females and feminists around campus and Ann Arbor. To name just a few: Olivia Su, Adonia Artega, Charles Lindsay, Laura Irene Wayne, and Sherry Lynn. There were amazing paintings, prints, and drawings covering the tables. During breaks we were able to stand up and look around at them and speak with the artists themselves. I spoke with Sherry Lynn, an artist that brought deconstructed Barbie dolls to the show. They were very interesting works that really attacked the views of femininity that the media puts out. She takes a normal Barbie doll, an offensive image that shapes the way young girls see that bodies, and defaces it into a unique work of art. It’s really amazing to see what she can do with them. For more info visit sherartdoll.blogspot.com
Along with all of the art displayed, the performances were absolutely amazing. Of course DKR performed, a group I’ve seen before and reviewed. They were great, as usual, and really do capture the soul of feminism. It’s about empowerment to be who you are, dressing the way you want, and living the way you want, whether that desire conforms to the gender binary system or not. Throughout the night they danced to many popular songs, including “Larger than Life,” “Cat Walk,” “Let It Be,” “Altar Boys,” and “It’s Gonna Be Me.” Their energy was high, as always, and they pumped up the crowd throughout the night.
There were two spoken word poets, Annie Sajid and Scott Beal. Annie is a poet here at the University of Michigan and she reads at most of the U-Club poetry slams. She read three poems, including “Brazen” a poem about her sister. I’ve seen her perform before and I enjoyed a deep conversation with her and some other poets about our recent works and future endeavors. I really look forward to the next slam to see her again. The other poet, Scott Beal, is an Ann Arbor community member, teacher, poet, and stay at home dad. The poems he read were very gender related and proved to be deep and empowering. His “Assessment of My Masculinity” really showed us how societal views of masculinity and femininity can be skewed and how people can be themselves no matter what others think. His poems were creative, comedic, and deep while conveying this message of empowerment to all of us in the audience.
Laura Irene Wayne's "In Praise of the Goddess"
A group of belly dancers brought a bit of Arabian culture to the scene and showed off their amazing hip action. The group celebrated the beauty of women through cultural and artistic presentation. Another performer, CasMercedes, took the stage. She was another spoken word performer, actually a fabulous rap artist. She’s part of a group called Dope Chic and can be found at youtube.com/dopechiccity. I’m not a big fan of rap, but I respect it for its poetic and cultural origins and I enjoy listening to artists that choose this medium. Cas and this group are famous around the country. She was a great artist.
The only act I haven’t mentioned, because I’ve been saving it, is that of Fiona Chamness. Fiona Chamness… Fiona Chamness. She was absolutely, positively, incredibly, amazing! So great, in fact, that I’ve already requested her friendship on Facebook so that I can hear more of her music. She plays acoustic and sings her own songs in a unique voice that tears at your heartstrings. Her voice is very pure and she’s a master of jumps and note runs. All of the songs that she brought to the show were original and deeply connected with her own emotions and experiences. I loved her, the crowd loved her, the microphone loved her.
Fiona Chamness
The entire night was a success. Artist and performers from all over campus and the city came to show us their wares and to see those of others. The open mc was also successful with a few poets including Annie Sajid and Brandon Wood reciting poems of famous artists, Jack from DKR speaking about her journey to find herself and her gender, and another couple singing a beautiful song with a smoky mountain voice and classic guitar accompaniment.
The F-Word has hosted this event almost every year since 2005 and it has always had a wonderful turn out. Madison Weisburg, the announcer at the show, was very personable and gave marvelous introductions and explanations of what the show was about. I would definitely recommend this show to anyone that likes any form of art. Keep up on events like this through the Arts and Programs Newsletters and the flyers posted all over campus.
I hope you enjoyed this review, and if you went to the show, than I know that you enjoyed yourself.
As always,
This is Danny Fob: Artist and Art Reviewer
Tonight is a night of art and poetry. Finally the semester is starting and I can continue to inform readers about the different art opportunities around campus, including those relating to LGBTQ student groups. Tonight’s event, The Jack and Jill Art Show, was suggested to me by the Arts and Programs New Letter, the Spectrum Center Newsletter, and the LGBT Commission on campus. The art show is being presented by the Women’s Forum and The F-Word, both of which are very active organizations working to reshape the heteronormative views of our ancestors. Tonight they are doing that through art, which I am very excited about.
Tonight’s show will be in the Michigan League, in the Michigan Room from 7-10pm. The newsletter promises snacks and refreshments while listening to performances, open mic performers, and viewing artwork showcases. The show is only $5, which is pretty cheap. You can stop by for five minutes or stay all night. I’m very excited about tonight, especially since the weekend is coming up and this show will be a much needed night out.
So in review:
What: Women’s Forum and The F-Word Present: The Jack and Jill Art Show
Where: Michigan Room in the Michigan League
When: January 14th from 7-10pm
How much: Only $5
I hope to see people of all identities there. This isn’t a feminist club meeting, it is a showcase presenting the talents of female identified artists and performers. It is a show that everyone can enjoy.
Today I went to the Michigan theater to see “Up in the Air”. I really did feel like a freshman when I entered the establishment for the first time in my life. My mouth was hanging wide open and all I could do was stare at the banisters, moldings, ceiling, grand staircases, and overall elegance of the lobby. I mean Wow! It’s beautiful and it looks like it hasn’t changed at all since it was first built. Of course that isn’t the reason I went to the movie, just a fantastic surprise as I freaked out because of my late arrival to the movie. Luckily, I only missed some previews. Whew!
Anyway, the movie. It started with introducing us to what Clooney’s character does for a living; firing people and traveling around the country to do so. He loves his life, absolutely no attachments, no “baggage,” and preaches a philosophy of freedom through having no ties to people or objects. He puts all deep connections to the world in a “backpack and burns it.” He claims that all the people that he needs are in the airports and hotels where he lives and his only goal is to rack up 10 million frequent flyer miles, something that only six other people have ever done. Poor guy doesn’t realize that he by living like this he is losing what it means to be human.
I don’t want to give away too much of this movie, so I’m not going to go too deep into the plot. Basically the movie takes place in America during the recession we’ve been in. All of the markets are going down and companies are constantly laying off more people. It’s milk and honey for Clooney’s company. A new intern “revolutionizes” the industry and designs a program that will save money by firing people via computer conference. His way of life threatened, Clooney begins his last trip with her to show her what exactly the company does. Both learn more about themselves and the things they’ve lost. The journey is revealing and personal and ends, as always it seems, with self enlightenment.
Like a College Freshman, His New Travel Companion Has Absolutely No Idea
The movie was well acted and directed. The writing was fantastic and multifaceted. And the characters are emerging figures in our progressing society. “Up in the Air” is an incredibly modern film set in the same time and place as we are, with some of the same problems and life choices. Sexting, countless plastic cards to swipe, and impersonal relationships galore, the movie really puts a mirror in front of progress and asks “Really? Really? You’re serious?”
“Up in the Air” will be playing at the Michigan Theater through Thursday the 14th. Tickets are only $7 and soooo worth it. I recommend this movie to all my readers, if only to see this new perspective on relationships and modern society. Have a great week everyone!
As always, this is Danny Fob: Artist and Art Reviewer
Up in the Air. I’m actually kind of excited to be going to this movie tomorrow. Mostly because I need a break (kind of early in the semester to be saying that isn’t it?) and I think a good movie is just what I need. I saw a commercial a while ago about “Up in the Air” and I thought it looked interesting. It’s been nominated for 6 Golden Globes, so it has to be good, plus it has George Clooney in it, who has never stopped being attractive, even as he gets older. His character Ryan Bringham travels around the country as a corporate downsizing expert, which is relevant to the recession we’re in. His job is to fire people all over the country. Vera Farmiga plays a younger version of George except she finds a way to fire people via video conference calls, effectively rendering Clooney’s job useless and destroying his entire way of life. He takes her on one of his cross country firing trip and both realize the pain and suffering they cause. I’m looking forward to seeing this movie tomorrow afternoon. For others interested, here are the details:
What: Up in the Air
Where: The Michigan Theater
When: Today Saturday Jan 9th, 4:45, 7:00, and 9:15. Tomorrow Sunday January 10th at 3:45, 6:00, and 8:15. Also check the Michigan theater website www.michtheater.org as the movie errors later this week also.
How much? Student tickets are only $7 with your Mcard.
As always this is
Danny Fob: Artist and Art Reviewer
What happens when you fill a theater in the UMMA with friends and members of the LGBTQA family? Advertise that it’s free and that there’s free food? Of course we have a blast! Any event like this is sure to leave everyone with smiles on their faces. “I Can’t Think Straight” proved to fulfill all expectations. Tonight a bunch of my Commission friends and I, along with so many other people, filled the Helmut Stern Auditorium at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) to watch the film directed by Shamim Sarif.
The film was labeled a “Romantic Comedy,” but oh it was so much more. The characters and the jokes were so well written that we were laughing constantly. Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth portrayed two Jordanian girls of Palestinian origin, one raised in Jordan, the other in London. Both must go through the process of learning about their own sexualities and coming out to their parents, a very common theme in the gay film industry, but this movie still made it seem original and close to heart.
One of the most common and best delivered themes in this movie was that of cultural diversity and identity. It was interesting to see how having roots in a culture as diverse as the middle east affected the daughter who was raised in London and then to contrast it with the daughter raised deep in the socialite culture of her country of origin. Combining this sense of cultural identity with religious views based on cultural norms and with sexual identities and how these cultures accept or don’t accept them was an amazing feat. The film gives us the journey that both take to find themselves and each other and does it while giving us great laughs, excellent back stories, wonderful acting, and of course attractive sex scenes (well, at least for people who like those kinds of sex scenes).
This theater, located in the basement of UMMA, is a nice little presentation room that was a very comfortable place to watch this, or any, film. YKB, or Yoni Ki Baat multicultural women’s organization, hosted this event due to interests from members of the group. There was supposed to be a Q&A section after the show with women’s studies prof Sri Nair, but unfortunately she was unable to make it. Good news, however, was that Lauren from the Spectrum Center filled the position and hosted an impromptu comment section. Basically the audience just made interesting observations and Lauren and the YKB member hosting the event responded in the appropriate manner.
This film opened a lot of new views for the world and consequently has won a slew of awards and LGBT Film festival honors. Most recently it has improved the Wednesday night of an audience at the University of Michigan. As our world progresses it will produce more works of art similar to this one, in which the LGBT theme is not the determining factor that makes the movie worth watching. This film was great for more than its significance in gay culture; it was a wonderful romantic comedy that just happened to have some lesbians in it.
