Monthly Archives: November 2012

So You Think You Can Dance? Chicagoans certainly think so.

Chicago troupes take the stage at Dance Chicago 2012’s latest run, giving the world a glimpse of the international caliber of the local dance scene.

A group practices in preparation for Dance Slam 2012, running through December 1, 2012.

Chicago is known for many things: pizza, skyscrapers, Da Bears… and if John Schmitz has his way, it will also be known for dance.

Schmitz is the longtime curator and artistic director of Dance Chicago, a nonprofit

movement focused on bringing Chicago choreography to the forefront of the international arts consciousness. So far, he’s been successful, with rave reviews flooding in from Time Out Chicago and the Chicago Tribune.

Choreographer-turned-director Schmitz focused on cultivating Chicago talent after growing frustrated with shows coming through that city that showcased foreign talent.

“We’re the only organization in Chicago that focuses on Chicago choreographers,” Schmitz said. “Hubbard Street spends no money on it, Joffrey spends no money on it, River North spends no money on it – they don’t want to spend no money on it.”

“These companies have dancers not from Chicago, choreographers that are not from Chicago. So they’re what I call corporate companies – they’re corporate funded, they’re based on a corporate model, they’re appealing to the higher income donors.”

Schmitz’s strategy? Take foundational support, mix it with local Chicago talent, and incubate the best choreographers for a force of Chicago dancers that rival those of internationally acclaimed stages.

At the same time, Schmitz wants to make dance an accessible art form for all. That’s why he created Dance Slam: think “So You Think You Can Dance,” the popular television show that has hosted many of Schmitz’s protégés, meets “America’s Got Talent.”

“Dance Slam is very participatory,” Jeff DeLong, marketing director at the Athaenaeum, said, pointing towards the voting nature of Dance Slam as the reason for its success.

Schmitz agrees. “Dance Slam was never intended to be a competition, but we wanted something that was interactive. It sort of developed into this.”

Another reason for its success? Schmitz has managed to democratize dance and make it something everyone can access.

“We’re the audiences that don’t have a lot of money, we’re the artists that don’t get paid, we’re the choreographers that are good but haven’t had our names branded yet in the dance world. I know this model works because we give birth to [great] people” – such as tap impresario Lane Alexander and modern dance choreographer Kate Jablonski.

The diversity of dance genres practiced in Chicago is Dance Chicago’s strength. “Right now, Chicago has one of the most vibrant tap communities in the world,” Schmitz said. “Urban dance is strong here, ethnic dance is strong here, Trinity is the best Irish dance company in the world – I mean, they’re all here.”

Schmitz hopes to not only provide affordable, high quality art to the average citizen but also promote dance as a truly universal art form that defines not only the Chicago arts scene but also the emerging world arts scene.

“Dance is visual music,” Schmitz said. “You can do things with dance that you can’t do with theatre, you can’t do with comedy improv. There ought to be more money invested in dance.

“Every culture has dance. It’s nonverbal. We could solve a lot of conflict in this world through dance.”

A Pain in the Neck.

The loss of the iconic giraffe and goat sculptures gracing Elaine’s Place in Lakeview has residents up in arms about where their beloved public art has disappeared.

The former home of John “Jack” Kearney’s giraffe sculpture at Elaine and Cornelia stands empty early Wednesday morning.

Craning your neck at the corner of Elaine and Cornelia and searching for the iconic giraffe? You’re not alone.

Lakeview residents are upset about the loss of John “Jack” Kearney’s towering, playful sculpture made from salvaged bumpers that has stood for decades in this quiet residential corner of Lakeview.

On Sunday, developer Milton Zale transferred ownership of property to Chicago Apartment Finders (CAF) and, along with it, the giraffe. Two goats on the other end of the block have also been removed.

Jack Kearney is unable to speak to the public, but his wife said the situation had pained him.

“He’s fragile,” Lynn Kearney said. “He’s very sad but deeply, deeply touched so many people care.”

“We’re concerned,” she continued. “I was told by their [Zale’s] secretary that they’re being restored to sell, but no one knows to whom or where.”

Jack Kearney made the sculpture in 1978 when developer Milton Zale commissioned a piece for Elaine’s Place. Kearney is also the creative mind behind Lincoln Park’s whimsical Oz Park, filled with characters from Frank L. Baum stories.

Kearney and her husband tried to protest, but it was beyond their control.

“It wasn’t our place, “ Lynn Kearney said.

According to Zale, a close friend of the Kearneys, CAF wanted to get rid of the giraffe because they thought it was a safety hazard. But Zale denied it was a serious concern.

“People have climbed on it, it’s nothing serious,” Zale said. “It’s been there for decades and nothing has ever happened.”

Zale expressed sadness regarding the situation.

“My wife and I were there [when the sculptures were removed],” Zale said. “It was an emotional thing. It was hard for us. But I couldn’t blow a deal. I wish these guys would have left [the giraffe] alone.”

Zale won’t say where the sculptures are, but promises they’re in a safe location, shooting down rampant rumors of the art being dismantled for scrap metal as “insane.”

“If someone wants to buy them from me at the appraised value and find a way to get them back at that location, I’d sell them. But they’re not for sale.”

The property owner is looking to go beyond placing the sculptures back on the corner. “We don’t know what to do,” Zale said. “We’re talking to a Midwestern museum, hoping to put those plus all the rest [of John Kearney’s work] in an exhibit.”

Neighborhood residents have been vocal about missing the giraffe. One resident has even gone so far as to adopt the persona of the giraffe on a Twitter feed, @ElaineGiraffes.

The person behind the account, who wishes to remain anonymous, remains hopeful for the return of the sculptures to the tight-knit community.

“We could feel the love of our neighbors every day from their smiles and photos to their tweets and decorations on holidays. We know if any neighborhood can organize for our return, it will be Boystown.”

The official letter from Chicago Apartment Finders is taped on several buildings along Elaine’s Place.

New owners Chicago Apartment Finders has posted notices reassuring residents of the sculpture’s safety. Another building formerly owned by Milton Zale is reflected in the glass.

Durga Puja.

I have 5 projects in the pipeline plus the usual Methods shenanigans – I’m quite busy and sleep is secondary. But I’m excited for the posts that will go up this week. I won’t preview too much; suffice it to say that there is more to art in Lakeview than initially meets the eye (some sinister, some democratic, all intriguing).

Today is Kali Puja, or Diwali (commonly referred to as the Hindu festival of lights). It’s a new moon tonight, but just a fortnight ago was Navratri, or the nine nights celebrating the goddess Durga’s triumph over evil. I am not religious (I’d consider myself somewhere between agnostic and deist), but I’ve grown up with the Hindu culture and it has shaped much of my childhood experiences. I thought it would be interesting to provide people with a glimpse of this vibrant, colorful, noisy festival season a few weeks ago.

As they say, namaskar, or “I bow to the divine in you.”

A Path Towards Understanding and Dialogue.

“Trajectories: Part I” explores the humanity, complexity of Iraq War

Just in time for Veterans Day, Evet Arts launches “Trajectories: Part I,” a physical performance that follows a young Iraqi vet’s tumultuous life.

A pair of boots and a couple chairs are the only props used in Evet Theatre’s debut production, “Trajectories: Part I.”

“Let me tell you something. Don’t ever think of enlisting. Ever.”

So advises the hardened Vietnam veteran in the brief but powerful physical piece “Trajectories Part I.” The story follows a young man trying to find himself; instead, he is thrown into the hard, cruel world of war and returns home unsure of his place in society.

The performance is a product of interviews conducted by Hannah Barth, artistic director of the newly formed theatre company, Evet Arts. Initially, it was meant to be a way to understand the Iraqi experience.

“I thought I wanted to tell Iraqi stories,” Barth said. “How are we going to tell them? We need a sort of contrast. That would be the veterans, the guys who fought them.

Barth realized the story was much more complex than she anticipated when she embarked on the project.

“I realized there was this whole story about the veterans that I didn’t know and that I was definitely not prepared to look at. The audience that’s going to see the show is probably going to empathize with the Iraqi story. The story that they’re not going to know and that they’re not going to empathize with is the veterans.”

The performance is done with a barebones cast of four people, only one of whom plays a constant character throughout the entire one-hour time frame. Told without props or costume, “Trajectories: Part I” instead utilizes dance, slow-motion movement techniques and sound pops for a metaphysical audience experience.

Cassandra Meyer, the sole female cast member, found sound to be integral in getting her into the mindset of a pivotal character – that of a lone Iraqi girl discovered in a raid.

“When I heard the call to prayer for the first time – I have no Islamic background, no Muslim background at all – [but] as soon as I heard the voice, the singing, and the gunshots, I had this overwhelming feeling that, ‘Oh my God, this is my country, this is what’s happening to my people.’”

The play may seem, at its surface, to be blatantly anti-war. But actor Jordan Sobel cautions against making such a judgment, pointing to a scene where a drill instructor momentarily softens towards a young soldier as an example.

“Be it liberal or conservative, regardless of that viewpoint, I think what the show helps to do is get at the humanity that is behind war and what war does to one’s humanity and sense of self,” Sobel reflects. “Yes, this is bad and we don’t like it, but that moment shows humanity in that whole structure.”

“Trajectories: Part I” is incomplete but will ideally serve as a first step towards cross-cultural understanding.

“This is the first half of this play,” Barth said. “People [Iraqi refugees and veterans] are still hesitant to talk about it.  That’s what this show is trying to do  – to get people to start talking about it, to start that healing process.”

“Trajectories: Part I” runs through Sunday at the Athenaeum Theatre.

Profile: Steve Musgrave.

Addison station artist points to accessibility, simplicity as key to public art

The man behind the iconic, retro baseball posters of the Addison Red Line stop combines new age digital realism with retro cubism in his art. Public art “kind of hits you in your head,” says Steve Musgrave.

A commuter passes by one of artist Steve Musgrave’s retro baseball art at the Addison Red Line stop.

If you’ve ever been to the Addison Red Line stop, you might have passed the iconic baseball posters plastering the otherwise nondescript walls of the station.

The man behind the art? Steve Musgrave, a lifelong Cubs fan based in Roscoe Village.

Musgrave started off as a graphic designer, but quickly burned out and refocused his career on painting and illustration, his first love.

Around this time, the CTA was promoting an Adopt-a-Station program, where local businesses took in a station and sponsored artists to beautify it. On a whim, Musgrave contacted the CTA and asked if he could adopt the Addison stop.

“They were so supportive,” said Musgrave. “I think they liked the fact that I was adopting it [the station] as an individual and provide the art and donate it.”

A long-time public arts proponent, Musgrave was excited less by the exposure his art would get and more by the ability to provide a flair of whimsy to Chicagoans on their daily commute.

“Once I thought of it, there was no way I was not going to do it,” remembers Musgrave. “It’s supposed to look like a circus banner – not like something where you think, ‘Oh wait a minute: What is this technique? What’s going on here?’”

Simplicity has always been Musgrave’s forte, especially in public art.

“I like to produce things that are very accessible. I think that is the reason why I like to make public art. Public art can be challenging and not accessible and confrontational – but to me, I want to make things that people can get right away.”

Musgrave’s art is known for its sharp lines and explosions of color. A painter by training, he switches between the type of quirky cubism that has made him a regular with the Chicago Public Library and oil works that recall Renaissance paintings.

In particular, Musgrave finds religious iconography fascinating.

“I’m not a religious person,” Musgrave notes. “But I love looking at religious paintings. There’s something so meditative about zoning out in front of these paintings. It’s a totally contemplative thing.”

The audience experience is central to producing art. Musgrave is acutely aware of public art’s fleeting presence. “Certain pieces, you’re supposed to have an immediate reaction, not be poring over it,” said Musgrave. “I never got the metaphorical sort of art. You don’t have to mull it over. It kind of hits you in your head.”

Most recently, the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago used Musgrave’s talents to paint an intricate, fanciful zoo scene. It’s “like you’re sitting in a storybook. It’s full of details. It’s so you can stare at the animals and get lost in it.” Musgrave also has a portrait of St. Andrew showing in LUMA’s upcoming “Art and Faith of the Creche” an annual exhibition of nativities from around the world.

In the meanwhile, Musgrave will be on the hunt for his next piece of public art.

“I love painting,” said Musgrave. “As visual artists, we’re lucky that way. You keep producing no matter what.”

Purpose.

I have been thinking about the purpose of this WordPress site since Tuesday, when it humbly entered the crowded, buzzy virtual world. I have thought of it because it seemed silly to me to have a site without having a use for it. Granted, this will be a place for me to learn baby steps in HTML coding and really, not having a purpose isn’t really earth shattering. But it just seemed like a waste of space not to do something with it.

…Until I was reminded of beat reporting.

At Medill, first quarter students are assigned a beat (a newsworthy topic that must be reported on in a certain area) for a few weeks to total 11 stories, many with multimedia elements. My beat happens to be arts and culture in Lakeview, a vibrant and young neighborhood on Chicago’s North Side. The stories are posted on an internal site that the public cannot access.

But what’s the point of that? No critique, no pressure, no way of performing the journalist’s central role: that of informing the public of news.

So with some trepidation but much excitement, I have decided to post stories here. Please bear in mind that this is original, nascent work. I am not a professional, nor do I claim to be. I am, however, hungry to learn and eager to improve. Any feedback is welcome and appreciated, either in the comments or via email at tanyabasu@u.northwestern.edu.

Enjoy! And thank you for taking the time to read.

Whoa. I’m a big girl blogger now.

Hi! My name is Tanya Basu. I am currently a graduate student at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism pursuing the business reporting track. I have some minor experience in blogging but this is my first time building a site from scratch with HTML coding. I am fascinated by new media, integrating design with usability, and applied economics. My goal is to merge my interests into a future career as a business media professional. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, crafting, running, and singing off-key to Bollywood hits.