An alum of UM and native Michigander, Buster Simpson is a renowned artist who works in architecture, sculpture focusing on creating art in public spaces.
He’s been actively creating art since the late 1960s, with socially and environmentally focused pieces that predated the more recent trends in relational aesthetics and “green art.” He’s received a number of awards and recognitions for his work including UM Distinguished Alumni Award in Architecture and Design, two National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, and the Americans for the Arts Artist of the Year Award. His work is featured in public spaces across the country and has been exhibited in at The New Museum, MoMA PS1, Seattle ArtMuseum, The Hirshhorn Museum, Capp Street Project, International Glass Museum, and the Frye Art Museum. Check out his body of work on his official website, http://www.bustersimpson.net/.
Like all of the other lectures in the Stamps speaker series, this one is FREE to the public and will take place at 5:10 at the Michigan theater. This will be the last talk in a long series of fascinating and successful lectures so be sure to stop on by. If you miss the event there will be a review of the lecture here on art[seen], and be sure to look out for the winter speaker series once its announced!
For some reason, I envisioned a collection of aged oil paintings and sculptures at the sound of the Victors for Art exhibit. I thought to myself, an exhibit of work owned by alumni? They probably have ancient sculptures and European paintings or something.
And the exhibit did have that. I spent a good ten minutes marveling at an oil painting comprised of various shades of blue, featuring two men on a cliff. Another several minutes were spent admiring an oil painting of a woman who appeared to be deep in thought, pictured below; I took note of the wonderful shading and highlight that the artist captured in this piece, especially through the wrinkles and folds of the woman’s veil.
Photo courtesy of the UMMA
But Victors for Art went beyond one’s envision of a typical museum art gallery: I found myself looking at a stuffed rooster in a glass casing, standing across from one that was identical in appearance but was comprised of various materials. Other works included a set of figurines that represented the twelve zodiac animals ( dating back to several centuries), a painting of a nude woman leaning on a large pack of Lifesavers, and a large piece of a woman dazzled in embellishments, pictured below.
Photo courtesy of the UMMA
As the group of alums who made this exhibit possible was diverse, so were the works themselves. This gallery is presented along with the theme of figuration, going with the idea that this exhibit will “allow visitors to explore the variety of artistic responses and purposes encompassed…” and that’s exactly the kind of experience I had when visiting Victors for Art: Michigan’s Alumni Collectors—Part I: Figuration.
Photo courtesy of the UMMAPhoto courtesy of the UMMA
For those who have not yet seen this exhibit, it’s a must! Victors for Art provides the opportunity for one to view art that may not usually be available for the public to view. The exhibit is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11AM – 5PM and Sunday 12PM – 5PM!
Among the plethora of special events and festivals that the University of Michigan is hosting for the 2017 Bicentennial, the UMMA is showcasing works of art collected by their very own alumni. These works, which range from oil paintings to sculptures to multimedia, come from a variety of artists such as Christo, Jean Dubeffet, and Gergia O’Keeffe. The gallery Victors for Art gives visitors the opportunity to view art that would otherwise not be seen by the public eye.
Take the chance to celebrate the university’s bicentennial and view these works while they are at display at the UMMA!
Details When: Now until June 11th
Time: Monday through Saturday 11:00AM to 5:00PM, Sunday 12:00PM to 5:00PM
Location: UMMA
On the night of Wednesday the 29th, sixteen students affiliated with the Lloyd Hall Scholars Program (current and alumni) stepped up in front of a full crowd in Lloyd’s Barner Lounge of other LHSP students and staff to read poetry. There was a mix of nine original works with seven interpretive works of other poets, and altogether, it was a great night of poetry. Out of respect for the original works, I do not have any lines from those pieces, but will link to the interpretive pieces as available.
I (to my own surprise) started the night off with current UM professor Laura Kasischke’s “Game,” but I couldn’t objectively tell you how my performance went due to forgetting some of my memorized lines. Regardless, one of my favorite parts of the piece reads: “She shouted my name, which, even as a child I knew was not ‘Stop. Please. I’m Dying.'” Next, current LHSP student leader Rhea Cheeti recited Lily Myers’ “Shrinking Women” with a powerful voice to mimic the powerful words.
Original works interweaved nicely with interpretive works: after a few interpretive pieces, students read their own original works. One of the earlier yet highly notable original pieces was Mary Oseguera’s “They don’t call it Mexi-coke in Mexico,” a gorgeously written piece with a refrain on the speaker’s experience with the descriptor “Hispanic.” My description of her piece wouldn’t dare come close to how amazing her words and recitation were. Alyson Grigsby read a piece “pages 131-133) from Claudia Rankine’s incredible book Citizen, one of the most important works of American poetry available to the public today:
“You imagine if the man spoke to you he would say, it’s okay, I’m okay, you don’t need to sit here. You don’t need to sit and you sit and look past him into the darkness the train is moving through. A tunnel. / All the while the darkness allows you to look at him. Does he feel you looking at him? You suspect so. What does suspicion mean? What does suspicion do?”
Next, a few students read their original works and Josh Segal read Rachel McKibbens’ “Selachimorpha.” Another one of my personal favorites was Hannah Rhodenhiser’s “I Wrote You A Poem for Christmas,” a refreshing love poem. It made my heart smile, and I hope it made the rest of the audience feel just as warm. Olivia Anderson read “On the Corner of Ann and Observatory,” which had a mysterious feel to it despite the title being located where we all sat in that moment. Allison Taylor’s “Poison” was a treat for the audience – instead of just reading the poem, she sang it while playing her acoustic guitar. Her talents are real.
Dhriti Deb read “The Gaffe” by CK Williams and before Dominique Witten closed the event with an original piece titled “They are not Children,” Laura Dzubay read Katie Makkai’s “Pretty.”
The event was excellent and, as advertised, full of poetry. Original works were plentiful and strong – as were the voices of their writers. As for the students who interpreted works by other poets, I was impressed. Their voices and performative skills were impeccable, and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to everybody’s works and being in a setting devoted to the enjoyment of poetry.
Winners will be announced on April 12th, at LHSP’s End-Of-Year Festival (or more recently referred to as LHSP’S LHSP: Last Hurrah for Student Projects, coined by the performance event’s emcee, Emily Miu) held at Couzens. I’m looking forward to seeing the joy on the winners’ faces, whoever they may be!
I wander into a room that sings a song from hidden speakers while people are arranged in clumps by the pizza table. A banner of hearts that reads “CONSENT BY DE-ZINE” is sprawled over that table. Unfamiliar with those around me, I slowly walk around until I stop at a table that has little blue books sprinkled on it. That’s when I see a girl with short, jet-black hair who greets me with a smile.
She introduces herself as D, the graphic designer of SAPAC: the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center. I’m at the release party for their zine, but I don’t really know anyone at the event or know what’s going on (I showed up late because of a meeting). D fills me in: this zine, called “Consent by De-Zine” is a compilation of visual art and poetry that students from campus submitted. The content ranges from healthy relationships to the topic of consent, both being very delicate yet important points of conversation on a university campus setting. This zine happens to be the first that SAPAC has put together, and so this achievement is being celebrated through music, food, and good company. I share D’s delight in this accomplishment, and then she takes me over to other members of SAPAC so that I can have a chance to meet more of board.
Page 12 of the zine. Created by Liana SmalePage 17 of the zine. Created by Lena Briggs
Through energetic conversations and warm smiles, I meet Christina Kline, the investigator with the UM Office of Institutional Equity. I also meet members of SAPAC such as Rodrigo, who shared the experiences he’s had so far with SAPAC. At some point, some SAPAC members and I discuss the content of the zine. Grabbing one from the table in the front of the room, I flip through the colorful pages of the zine, impressed by my peers for taking the step of courage and publishing work that pertains to such delicate topics. D eagerly shows me her favorite page of the zine, which features cats and a lovely background of yellow. I continue to chat with her and others, about the zine, SAPAC, and eventually random things like speaking in different languages when drunk.
D’s favorite page from the zine!
By the end of the night, I’ve made some new acquaintances, learned more about SAPAC, and got my own copy of the zine. I thanked D and Christine and others for being so open, and made my way out. I’m definitely planning on attending future SAPAC events, such as the their 12th annual art show: rEVOLUTION: Making Art for Change. There’s just something about taking heavy topics such as sexual assault & relationships, and translating that into works of art and words, that allow viewers to digest content that would normally make them turn their heads the other way.
Prior to tonight’s lecture I knew little about Hank Willis Thomas aside from the fact I had seen and been particularly struck by one of his pieces in the Detroit Institute of Art. I had no idea what a treat that night would be.
When Thomas walked out onto stage in a still brightly lit theater, phone clutched in hand, I’m sure many of us were unsure what to think. He said he then wanted us to start off the night with a collaborative project, to take a picture of a stranger or friend sitting nearby and post it on social media with the hashtag “#thetruthisIloveyou.” You can find a smattering of these photos on his twitter account here. This immediately set the tone for the overall optimistic and hopeful presentation, despite the dark subject matter.
Hank Willis Thomas and his Mother
After this brief activity, the lights were dimmed and Thomas started his presentation by introducing the audience to his mother, a talented photographer herself. He told us about how his mother was once told by a college professor that she, as a woman, was taking up the space of a “good man.” She carried those words with her for the rest of her life, but in spite of that professor, she has gone on to publish books well into the double digits and is currently a professor at NYU.
He then transitioned smoothly into talking about his own development as an artist. Thomas said that he had not originally planned to become an artist, but rather fell into the role after his close cousin was murdered in 2000. Finding himself lacking motivation and drive, Thomas eventually found his way into the artistic field.
An image from a sweater ad
He then took us chronologically through the various pieces and series that he has done. He began to talk about his fascination with framing, and how the theme of frames showed up in many of his college works. He also produced the B(r)anded Series in which he explored the African-American male body in relation to popular brands and advertisements. He was particularly fascinated with taking advertisement and stripping away all of the words and identifying information to let the images speak for themselves. He showed us the various depictions of women throughout the last century, first showing the image and then making his audience guess what the ad was actually for. It was an eye-opening and sometimes chilling experience.
He then talked about this idea of reformatting images and advertisements so that they can be viewed in a new way. He would find photos that particularly resonated with him, often of apartheid South Africa, and then find a different way to frame those events, often through cast sculptures where only parts of the original photograph will be shown, leaving the viewer to fill in the rest of the information.
Lastly, he finished up the speech by showing some of the video recording from people across the globe for the “The Truth Is” traveling project. This project involved a recording booth shaped like a giant speech bubble that simply says “truth” that was then placed in high traffic areas. Civilians were invited into the booth to record a short video telling what they believed “the truth is.” One of the most touching and heart wrenching videos, especially because of the recent developments in the news, was of a little boy not even 8 years old who wanted to share the truth that Muslims, like him and his family, were good, peaceful people.
One of the most inspiring things about his presentation, was how captivating of a speaker Thomas managed to be. He managed to be calm and yet passionate at the same time, providing a wonderful and entertaining balance that still remained informative.
When Thomas finally walked off the stage, there were whoops and cheers scattered among the fervent applause, making this the warmest and most enthusiastic sendoff of any speaker I’ve seen here yet. True to this reception, the Q&A session was the most well attended that I had seen so far, while still remaining fairly small and intimate in the Michigan Theater’s annex. Thomas got to answer questions ranging from his work, to his history as an artist, to his political views.
You can find out more information about Hank Willis Thomas at his website. The STAMPS speaker series is free to the public and is offered every Thursday at 5:10 at the Michigan Theater. You can find a full list of the upcoming speakers here.
