"Elaboratous" by Mark Cole

Premiering in Baker Center's Trisolini Gallery, Marc Cole's "Elaboratous" explores how our personalities enhance situations in ways we might not expect. Marc explains on his website, "When I work in the studio I am developing the expression of my own aesthetic intentions in a similar way that I might express my personality while interacting with other people." This concept is displayed through several ceramic pieces within the collection that range from single cups to larger serving platters. At face value the creations represent little more than a uniquely crafted vessel. However after reading the artist's statement behind the motivation for his collection, I was much more interested in discovering the process behind each individual piece. Stop by the gallery before the 22nd to catch the exhibit or come chat with the artist during the exhibit's reception on Friday, the 21st from 6-9 pm.

Fishtank

Today marks the first day of the Athens International Film and Video Festival, a week overflowing with fantastic films from all over the world. With so many films (and an equally busy class schedule) I am setting a goal to view two a day (although with a subdued aspiration of no less than one). The first film on my list is Fishtank which gathered two awards at the British Independent Film Awards for both Best Director and Most Promising Newcomer for the lead Actor Katie Jarvis. The movie's main emphasis is on Katie Jarvis' character Mia who at 15 is struggling with the sexuality and vulnerability that is so often a part of the psychological composition of a quickly maturing teenager. At constant disagreement with her family she develops a love for hip-hop dance and it is not until the appearance of her mother's new boyfriend Connor that she begins to finally make sense of the world around her. Show times are at both 4:30 and 7:00 pm today as well as scattered throughout the remainder of the festival. Come see why Andrea Arnold is being called one of the leaders of new British cinema.

It’s coming… 37th Athens Film Fest screens record number of film

The 37th Athens International Film and Video Festival opens April 23 and runs through April 29. This year’s line-up features a banner crop of new independent films from around the world selected from an all-time record number of entries. More than 250 titles were chosen from the 1,100 submissions by a rigorous selection process that started in October.
“The overall quality of filmmaking today is really impressive,” said Ruth Bradley, director of the Athens Center for Film and Video who runs the festival. “We received many, many more quality works that we have time to screen. What’s included in this year’s festival really represents the stellar productions from both established and emerging film artists from around the globe.”
In addition to the Competition Films, the festival also features an “International Showcase” of new works. Among these films are “Ajami,” an Israeli/Palestinian production that was nominated for a Best Foreign Language Oscar; “Fish Tank,” a highly acclaimed British film; “Buick Riviera,” a story about former-Yugoslavians confronting their shared past in the cold expanse of Minnesota; and “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers.”
While all screenings will take place at the Athena Cinema on Court Street in uptown Athens, there is one very special screening of “Saint Misbehavin’” at Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 24. A spirited portrait of the legendary Wavy Gravy, an artist, activist and prankster, this important new documentary weaves together the spirit, music and politics of the 1960s in a hilarious and inspirational manner.
The festival includes appearances by many of the filmmakers. In partnership with the Ohio University Office of Sustainability, Ian Cheney, co-director of “Big River,” will present the film on at 7:15 p.m. Friday, April 23. Director of the feature documentary “Dirty Business,” Peter Bull will present and discuss his feature documentary, which investigates the business and culture of coal. Currently, filmmakers from Poland, Italy, Turkey and many from the United States plan to visit Athens.
The film festival is sponsored by the College of Fine Arts at Ohio University, and is unique among festivals in that its staff comprising students and volunteers.
“It is an amazing experience for students to go through this process of organizing and executing the festival,” Bradley said. “One of the great sources of pride for me is seeing how the festival comes together through the efforts of these terrific young people.”
The full schedule of screenings is available at the festival Web site, www.athensfest.org. Program booklets are available at the Athena Cinema, at 20 S. Court Street, and at various public areas around Athens.
All competition shows before 5 p.m. are free admission. Admission to International Feature Showcase films that begin before 5 p.m. is $5 and all shows after 5 p.m. are $ 6.50; $5.50 senior/children. Tickets may be purchased at the Athena Cinema beginning at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 21.
The Arts for Ohio initiative provides Ohio University students with a valid ID free admission to festival screenings. Tickets for students through the Arts for Ohio are available the day of the screening (no Arts for Ohio tickets will be given out in advance).

'The Bear' comes to campus

Long time activist for transgender and transsexual individuals S. Bear Bergman has traveled the country lecturing at colleges about gender and sexuality. This week, Bergman comes to Athens.

Sponsored by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Center, Bergman will perform his one-man show "Monday Night in Westerbork" at 8 p.m. on Thursday at the Elizabeth Evans Baker Theater in Kantner Hall.

The play is based on the experiences of a group of Jewish prisoners at the Westerbork concentration camp in the Netherlands during the Holocaust, where they put on cabaret performances to cope with their certain and inevitable deaths.

While the performance will educate the audience on the horrors of the Holocaust, it will also simultaneously bring in an air of humor and lightheartedness to the time, and be extremely moving. Bergman was inspired by his own experiences being brought up around Holocaust survivors and also coming out as a transgender Jew.

"(The play) is a multi-layered piece that can touch some aspect of most audience members' lives," said Mickey Hart, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Center. "I hope the performance resonates with each person on some level. At the same time, I hope audience members come to see the diversity within the LGBT community."

Ohio University's rural setting makes it a vital stop for LGBT performers and artists such as Bergman.

"Since we are located in rural Ohio, it is vital to have LGBT speakers and artists come to campus on a regular basis. In larger cities, students have more exposure to LGBT people and events. Bringing an LGBT artist is a thought-provoking way to stir students' thoughts about issues they may not deal with on a regular basis, while also reflecting the lived experience for non-majority students," Hart said.

Bergman also will participate in discussions Friday at the School of Theater Lunch Bag Forum from noon to 1 p.m. at the Elizabeth Evans Baker Theater in Kanter Hall and at the "Perspectives: A Discussion with S. Bear Bergman" event from 2 to 4 p.m. at the LGBT Center in Baker University Center 354. All events are free and open to the public.

School of Theater takes 'The Hostage'

The School of Theater will present its first main-stage production of the year, Brendan Behan's classic Irish play "The Hostage," at 8 p.m. today through Saturday and Oct. 21 through 24 at the Forum Theater in the RTV Building.

"The Hostage" is set in 1950s Ireland and revolves around the IRA kidnapping of a young British solider that was used as a ploy to get British troops to release an IRA member before his execution. The young soldier is held in a brothel, where he meets a misfit group of people and falls in love with a resident of the house.

"The play itself is extraordinarily theatrical and has a lot of unconventional breaking of the fourth wall, like talking directly to the audience and singing out to the audience in a music hall fashion," said Dennis Delaney, head of the professional directing program and director of "The Hostage."

The integration of music into this play is one of the many things that make it unique, with more than 20 songs incorporated as well as a pianist and Celtic fiddler as members of the cast.

"The play has music, it has comedy, it has drama and it has a very strong political statement. It is one of those plays that has a little bit of everything, but the thing I love most about this play is its tremendous amount of heart," Delaney said.

Though the play was written by Behan over half a century ago and set in a time of prejudice and religious turmoil between England and Ireland, the major themes of the play can still resonate with audiences and students today.

"(The themes) are relatable to audiences now more than ever," Delaney said. "The idea of secular violence, religion as a controversial wedge between people who are really not that different from each other and the waste of human life for political and religious causes never stop."

Admission is free for Ohio University students, $7 for seniors and non-OHIO students, and $10 for general admission. Tickets are available by calling 740-593-4800 or visiting the College of Fine Arts ticket office in Kantner Hall.

Writers Harvest aims to break hunger's hold

The Ohio University Program in Creative Writing will host its annual Writers Harvest benefit reading at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, in the Baker University Center Theatre. Proceeds from the $5 admission fee will go to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeastern Ohio.
This year's featured writers are Ohio University faculty members Joan Connor and Erik Ramsey and local writer John Thorndike. The event aims to bring awareness to the issue of poverty in Southeastern Ohio.

"We choose writers who have a strong connection to the local community and a desire to have their work benefit those who are less fortunate," said Kevin Haworth, coordinator of special projects for the English department.

The Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeastern Ohio is one of 196 regional affiliates of Feeding America, which was formerly America's Second Harvest. It distributes surplus food, donated from manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, to more than 200 food pantries, soup kitchens and congregate meal sites throughout Athens, Hocking, Perry, Vinton, Jackson, Gallia, Meigs, Morgan and Washington counties. Donations will be accepted at various locations throughout the week.

"Our university is based in a lovely rural area but not everyone sees those benefits directly,” Haworth said. “This is an opportunity to extend the bounty of the university to those outside its immediate reach."

The department is hoping to raise $1,000 from the event, which translates into several hundred meals -- or about two months of nutritious meals for a needy family, Haworth said.

"In the current economic environment, it would be difficult for most of us to write a check for $1,000, but by working together, $5 at a time, we can deliver just that."

Connor, professor of creative writing, is an award-winning author for her collection of short stories, "History Lessons" and her book of essays, "The World Before Mirrors." Two earlier collections of stories she has written are, "We Who Live Apart" and "Here on Old Route 7."

Ramsey is head of the BFA Playwriting Program at Ohio University. His plays have been workshopped and produced around the country, and several of his short works have been published by Samuel French and Dramatic Publishing. His latest play, "Lions Lost in Translation," has been developed, read and workshopped at numerous regional theaters.

Thorndike is the author of the memoir "The Last of His Mind," published in 2009 by Ohio University/Swallow Press. He is also the author of two novels, "Anna Delaney's Child" and "The Potato Baron," and a previous memoir, "Another Way Home." He lives in Athens, Ohio.

School of music faculty present talent

The School of Music is showcasing some of its talented members with a series of faculty recitals. During the first two weeks of October, distinguished faculty members Paul Barte, organ; Matthew Morris, bassoon, and Sylvia Eckes, piano, will present their talents for the community.

"As a faculty musician, you strive to tell the composer's story," said Morris, a visiting assistant professor. "It's like time travel; I connect with them across time. It's as if I animate the bones of a dinosaur and make it get up and walk around the room."

Morris will showcase his love for 20th century English composers at 4 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 4, at the School of Music Recital Hall in Glidden Hall. The works included in his recital are pieces he is preparing to record for a CD project.

"The CD will showcase the English gift for lovely melodic writing and the depiction of vivid images," Morris said.

Barte performs at 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 2, at Galbreath Chapel and Eckes performs at 8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the School of Music Recital Hall. Admission is free to all concerts.