Undergraduate Student Juried Exhibition

Art often is seen as individual and not competitive or comparable, but the School of Art pits student works against each other in the Undergraduate Student Juried Exhibition.

The highly competitive exhibition, juried by nationally known sculpture artist DeWitt Godfrey, features artwork created by School of Art undergraduate students. Godfrey selected about 40 works for inclusion in the exhibition, which runs through April 9 at the Ohio University Art Gallery in Seigfred Hall. The opening reception is open to the public and will be held Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. Awards will be presented at 7:30 p.m.

"I thought the works submitted were very interesting," said Godfrey, an associate professor of art at Colgate University in New York whose work has been exhibited throughout the world. "There was a wide variety of approaches including the use of nostalgia forms, quotes from popular culture, narrative and story telling and imagery, which was sometimes very strange but incredibly compelling."

Given only rough guidelines by Director of Exhibitions Petra Kralickova, Godfrey said it was up to him to decide how pieces were selected.

"I tried to focus on work that I felt had a voice and was genuine and in the end I was very happy with the works selected."

The gallery is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

26 trombones

It will sound like a scene from "The Music Man:" At 7:30 p.m. tonight, the Trombone Choir will take the stage at the School of Music Recital Hall.

For graduate student Andrew Cech, the concert will be his last performance for the school and the culmination of six years at Ohio University.

"It's really sentimental and bittersweet but also exciting because it means I'm getting ready to take the next step in my musical career," said Cech, who also completed a bachelor's degree at the school.

Homogeneous chamber ensembles, like the 26-piece Trombone Choir, have a long history and originated in Europe before coming to United State when the country was still just developing, Cech said.

"When people think of musical concerts they always think of band, orchestra and marching band. This is an opportunity for people to see that there are ensembles outside of large bands," Cech said.

The ensembles repertoire includes classical works by Handel and Brahms, the band Chicago, the musical "Hello Dolly" and big band.

"Personally, the Trombone Choir is my favorite homogenous instrument ensemble because you have such a nice variety of low to high range and a really mellow sound that we can maintain without becoming harsh or abrasive," Cech said. "The approach to chamber ensembles like the trombone choir is completely different than playing in the orchestra, and it gives us the opportunity to play intimately with other musicians and really show off our musicality."

Admission to the concert is free and yes, members will perform "76 Trombones" from "The Music Man."

'Like You Mean It'

Imagine walking on stage without knowing a single choreographed step. Frightening? Not for Visiting Associate Professor of Dance Adriana Durant.

Durant, with fellow dancers Noelle Chun and Annie Kloppenberg, uses improvisation as a choreographic tool and a method for training performers.

"Working with movement, sound and text, we construct a coherent piece in real time," Durant said. "We are crafting a completely new work in each performance, rehearsal or showing."

Audiences can observe the art in progress titled "Like You Mean It" at 6 p.m. Friday at the Shirley Wimmer Dance Theatre in Putnam Hall. Admission is free.

"Much like improvisation in jazz music, these compositions, though spontaneous, can be viewed just like finished choreography," Durant said.

Durant, who produces the shows, premiered "Like You Mean It" at Ohio State University in 2008. The trio has been performing together since 2007 and routinely performs and teaches workshops throughout Ohio.

"For 'Like You Mean It,' improvisational performance is choreography," Durant said. "It requires the same seriousness of purpose and regular rehearsing that yields engaging dance works."

'What the Butler Saw'

When Joe Orton's "What the Butler Saw" was first performed in the '60s, audiences were so shocked by the play's explicit theme that actors were booed off stage.

The university community can view the controversial play at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and Feb. 25 to 28 at the Elizabeth Evans Baker Theater in Kantner Hall. The risque comedy centers on a psychiatrist who invents a series of increasingly outrageous lies to cover up his attempts to seduce a prospective young secretary, Geraldine.

"This play was written in the '60s during a sexual revolution," said Casiha Felt, a second-year Master of Fine Arts student who plays Geraldine. "Many of the topics discussed in the play were very taboo at the time so it's interesting to see how the play will be interpreted by a modern audience."

"What the Butler Saw" was Orton's last play, completed just a month before his death at the hands of his longtime partner.

"The play was a ton of fun to work on," Felt said. "It is the first comedy the theater program has done in awhile, so it should be very exciting for audiences."

Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for senior and free for all OHIO students with a valid ID. To reserve tickets, call the fine arts box office at 593-4800.

February Cinematheque

The monthly Arts for Ohio Cinematheque series will have screenings Friday through Feb. 19 at the Athena Cinema on Court Street. Films featured this month are "Women in the Dunes," "Match Factory Girl," "Stranger than Paradise," "Rules of the Game" and "The Last Wave." Cinematheque films are free for students with a valid ID, including local high school students and those visiting from other universities. General admission is $4 per film. Visit www.finearts.ohio.edu/artsforohio/cinematheque.htm for more information.

Symphony Orchestra

The University Symphony Orchestra will take the stage at 4 p.m. Sunday in Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.

Their program titled "Flutes of Fantasy" features Alison Brown Sincoff, associate professor of flute, and includes Mozart's "Overture to The Magic Flute," Lukas Foss' "Renaissance Concerto for Flute and Orchestra" and Igor Stravinsky's "Suite for The Firebird."

Brown Sincoff has received awards at several national and international competitions including first prize in the 1996 National Flute Associations Piccolo Artist Competition and third prize in the Young Artist Competition. She was one of only two Americans selected to participate in the Fourth International Flute Competition held in Kobe, Japan.

Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for seniors. Children and Ohio University students with a valid ID will be admitted free. Tickets are available at the Memorial Auditorium Ticket Office (740-593-1780) and one hour before the performance.

Visiting artist performs history

School of Music visiting artist James Hildreth grew up aspiring to play the organ.

After receiving his first instruction from his father who was formerly employed by the Schlicker Organ Co., Hildreth excelled at the instrument as a child and became a seasoned performer in his teens.

He will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Galbreath Chapel, offering works by Vincent Lubeck, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Heinrich Scheidemann, Johann Sebastian Bach, Henry Heron and Louis Vierne.

Hildreth received a bachelor's of music in organ performance from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and a master's of sacred music from the Southern Methodist University.

Since 1987, Hildreth has served as the organist of the Broad Street Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Ohio. He also has served as organist for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra for many years and traveled with the orchestra to perform in Carnegie Hall. In 2004, he was the first American to perform at the Organ Hall in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine.

The concert is free and open to all.

Generations Trio

With age differences of more than 50 years, members of the Generations Trio bridge the gaps through a pure love of music.

The group, consisting of cellist John Sant'Ambrogio, pianist Judy Lynn Stillman and violinist DMitri Pogorelov, will perform "From Rameau to Ragtime" at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the School of Music Recital Hall in Glidden Hall.

"Their concert shows how music has evolved over about 200 years in a light and informal way," said W. Michael Parkinson, director of the School of Music. "This is not a concert where you will hear 'shhh;' the musicians are looking to reach out to the audience and expect interaction."

Stillman is artist-in-residence and professor of music at Rhode Island College in addition to serving as a piano and chamber music faculty at the New England Conservatory. She began playing piano at age 3, entered the Juilliard School at 10 and completed bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from Juilliard.

Sant'Ambrogio has enjoyed an illustrious career as a cellist in top orchestras and chamber music ensembles for more than five decades. He was appointed principal cello of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra in 1968 after being a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for nine years. In 1987, he founded and was the first artistic director of Strings in the Mountains.

Pogorelov is a prize-winning young virtuoso violinist and a seasoned performer. He is the youngest member of a well-known family of outstanding musicians in his native Russia. Pogorelov has won many international violin competitions before coming to the United States in 2001.

Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for seniors. Children and Ohio University students with a valid ID will be admitted free.

Students design sketchbooks that reflect Athens

School of Art graphic design students received some professional practice and are now reaping the rewards from their junior studio art class.

Led by Visiting Assistant Professor of Graphic Design Cindy Malon, the class was charged with creating a product. The result is a collection of wire-bound sketchbooks featuring six different covers that portray aspects of the Ohio University and Athens communities.

"The influence the university or community has had on the students is visible in each cover," Malon said. "The students whose work was chosen for a cover each wrote an artist's statement that addresses their inspiration."

The students were required to give a formal presentation of their idea to a panel that included faculty, practicing artists and marketing administrators. Panel participants offered questions, comments and suggestions that have helped make the project a success. "It was great practice for when they go out into the industry," Malon said. "It teaches them that every presentation they do should be considered a professional presentation."

The books are such a hit that the students sold out of their first 150 and are on the second printing. Proceeds from the books benefit the students' senior BFA exhibition -- a requirement for graduation. To keep production costs low, the students traveled to the printer in Toledo and spiral-bound the books by hand.

Sketchbooks are $9 each. Images of the six covers along with the artists' statements can be seen at www.finearts.ohio.edu/pages/news/student_sketchbooks.htm. To purchase a book, please contact Betsy Combs at ec198206@ohio.edu or Matt Parris at mp368606@ohio.edu.

Prints from the Print Club of Cleveland

Print Club Cleveland members and longtime Athens residents R. Budd and Janet Kelsey Werner's donation of 50 prints from their personal collections are now the feature of a Kennedy Museum of Art exhibit.

"The exhibit is incredibly rich in terms of imagery," said Edward Pauley, the John B. and Dareth A. Gerlach Director of the Kennedy Museum of Art. "The prints are a mixture of both color and black-and-white and abstract and representational images from a group of select and very well known artists with varying styles."

Beginning Friday, the exhibit showcases the prints, which were issued to the Cleveland Museum of Art annually from 1964 to 2007. Visitors have the opportunity to marvel at a broad range of prints from a variety of impressive artists including Bridget Riley, Will Barnet, April Gornik and Victor Vasarely.

"To have every print issued between 1964 and 2007 is a great way to show the history of the Print Club of Cleveland," said Jeff Carr, the museum's registrar.

The Print Club of Cleveland is dedicated to enriching the collections of the Cleveland Museum of Art and generating an interest in printmaking among the general public. Annually, the club commissions and publishes a presentation print by an influential artist.

Adding to the Kennedy Museum's already notable print collection, the donation helps to fill in gaps of content and introduce many new artists to the collection, Carr said.

The exhibit will be on display through April 5.

Selections from the Permanent Collections

The Kennedy Museum of Art also has put its permanent collections on display and is asking for feedback.

The new exhibit displays a wide cross-section of works representing the individual collections within the museum's holdings. Weavings, prints, ceramics, photographs, paintings, mixed media and jewelry infusing American, African and Native American cultures are among the offerings in the show.

Through May, visitors are encouraged to submit their personal interpretations of select pieces online.

"In acknowledging this year's theme of citizenship in the College of Fine Arts, part of being a productive citizen is participation," Pauley said. "Why not let our public participate when it comes to interpreting works of art. It also lets us know what visitors get out of their experience at the museum."

To contribute interpretations to the museum's blog, it is recommended that visitors view the entire exhibition. Works selected for public interpretation are notated with a symbol on the label. All respectful points of view are welcome.

The exhibition will be ongoing, with works being changed periodically so that additional works from the museum's collections may be display.

Museum hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 12 to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 12 to 8 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays and holidays. Parking and admission are free. Visit www.ohio.edu/museum for more information.