Arts & Entertainment

Interpreting The Natural World

Artist's work will by on display in one-woman show
at Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids.

Suzanne Chessler

Special to the Jewish News

M

ichele Oka Doner, a university
student and artist during her
18 years in Michigan, has a con-
tinuing professional presence in the state
and will be the subject of an upcoming
exhibit to recognize the range of her work.
"Spirit and Form: Michele Oka Doner
and the Natural World" will showcase her
reach from massive figurative projects in
bronze and on paper to decorative objects
in bronze and silver.
The exhibit, running Jan. 29-May 9 at
the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture
Park in Grand Rapids, will be joined
with special events offering participants
opportunities to learn more about the
artist's approach and to experiment with
their own talents. It is timed to coincide
with the official completion of Beneath the
Leafy Crown, her expansive bronze and
terrazzo tile floor that winds through the
entire scenic corridor at Meijer Gardens.
"The exhibit draws together what
I'll call an alternative world:' says Oka
Doner, 64, now a New Yorker whose work,
whether statuary or jewelry, maintains an
intricate appearance and can be seen in
public and corporate collections, including
those of the University of Michigan and
the Kellogg Foundation.
"We know the world around us, but we
don't see the world under the microscope
or with the telescope. The concepts of

micro and macro are the lenses through
which I create.
"I'm interested in the dichotomy, the
soaring feeling you get from a cosmic
sense of wonder, which would be the tele-
scope, but also the same feeling looking
through a microscope. There's a loss of the
sense of scale we know as people."
Oka Doner, who rarely creates pieces
for a specific showing, focuses on areas of
interest, concern or curiosity. She allows
them to find their way into solo and group
exhibits. That's the case with eight graphic
prints to be on view in Grand Rapids.
"They're 4 feet by 8 feet unframed figura-
tives that have been printed from roots:'
she says. "They're black ink on handmade
paper so they're very natural looking.
"I'm not gallery or market driven. I'm
much more driven by personal interests
I've had and sustained over a lifetime.
That's why the body of work has such a
cogent quality."
Oka Doner, who holds the New York Stars
of Design Award and the Pratt Institute
Legends Award among many other honors,
attributes the consistency of her work to
innate wiring. She traces her talents to a
grandfather whose immediate relatives
included scribes centered in Vilna and who
became a fresco painter in Odessa.
"I never was interested in a career:' she
says. "I was interested in creating a life. I
set about creating a profession for myself,
and that's what I have."
After growing up in Florida, Oka Doner

earned both a bachelor's and a
master's degree from the University
of Michigan and maintained a studio
in Ann Arbor.
The artist moved with family and
professional commitments to Franklin
and extended her studies to Wayne
State University while developing her
design explorations. Her husband,
Frederick, worked in the advertising
The artist's solo show is timed to coincide
agency started by his father.
with the official completion of her bronze and
"We moved to New York in 1981,"
terrazzo tile floor that winds through the
she recalls. "My husband and I were
entire scenic corridor at Meijer Gardens.
in our middle 30s and felt if we didn't
make a move at that point, it would
be very hard to ever make a change in our
Wolfsonian Museum in Florida and Bomb
lives. Our sons weren't babies anymore
arts magazine. "I get up, go right to work
and would be able to navigate New York."
and put in a 10- or 12-hour day.
Oka Doner established a studio and gar-
"My husband helps the machinery of
nered international interest in her work,
the studio go smoothly so I can concen-
which can be seen at museums such as the trate on continuing the many installa-
Art Institute of Chicago and Musee des
tions and creative work. We have several
Arts Decoratifs at the Louvre in France.
employees."
Public places holding her projects include
the Miami International Airport and three
"Spirit and Form: Michele Oka
United States courthouses.
Doner and the Natural World" will
The artist, who recently completed a
be on view Jan. 29-May 9 at the
Miriam's Cup for the Jewish Museum in
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture
New York, encouraged Jewish education in
Park, 1000 East Beltline NE, in
her home with the help of a private tutor.
Grand Rapids. Hours are 9 a.m.-5
The couple's older son, Jordan, went on
p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays-
to become a fashion photographer, while
Saturdays, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesdays
Jeremy, a writer for TV's Damages, will
and noon-5 p.m. Sundays.
have his first film released in March.
$4-$12. (888) 957-1580;
"My energy is best early in the day:'
www.meijergardens.org .
says Oka Doner, a board member of the

❑

ews

vile
or-

I

Nate Bloom

Special to the Jewish News

Hunky Hebrew

is

36

ABC Family's The Secret Life of an
American Teenager, which premiered
summer of 2008, is a big hit with
younger viewers. Last summer, the
first half of the second season was
shown. Another 12 episodes began
airing on Jan. 4, and after a short
hiatus, the third season will begin
this summer. New episodes air
Mondays at 8 p.m.; past episodes can
be seen on the ABC Family Web site.
The show centers on fictional
teen Amy Juergens, a "nice high-
school girl" who gives birth to a
baby. Daren Kasagoff, 22, plays
Ricky Underwood, a troubled 17-year-
old junior who is the school's devas-
tatingly sexy "bad boy." Ricky is the

father of Amy's baby.
A Southern
California native,
Kasagoff went to
college for a couple
of years and then
dropped out to pur-
sue acting. He was
Daren
a virtual unknown
Kasagoff
when he was cast in
his current role. He says, "The best
part about getting this job was tell-
ing my dad (a diamond dealer) that
he had to find someone to work (for
him on) Mondays and Fridays."
Last December, Darren recorded a
holiday greeting that's on the show's
Web site. He said he planned to cel-
ebrate Chanukah with his family.

Grammy Notes

The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards

airs 8-11 p.m. Sunday Jan. 31, on CBS.
Here are a few Jewish highlights:
Folk singer Leonard Cohen, 75,
and conductor/composer Andre
Previn, 79, will be awarded lifetime
achievement awards; Israel-raised
folk/pop singer Oren Lavie, 33, is
nominated for best short musical
video (his stop-motion style music
video of his song "Her Morning
Elegance" has received more than
10 million hits on YouTube); multi-
Grammy winners Herb Alpert, 74
("Besame Mucho"),
and Bela Fleck,
51 ("Throw Down
Your Heart"),
compete for best
pop instrumental;
and up-and-coming
Jewish-raised hip-
hop star Drake (real
Drake

name, Aubrey Graham, the son of a
Canadian Jewish mom and African-
American dad), 23, vies for best
rap solo performance ("Best I Ever
Had").
Nominated for
best classical
crossover album
is The Melody Of
Rhythm, performed
by the Detroit
Symphony Orchestra
under Leonard
Leonard
Slatkin, conductor,
Slatkin
with Bela Fleck,
Zakir Hussain and
Edgar Meyer. On Jan. 26, the DSO
and Slatkin released Rachmaninoff:
Symphony No. 2, their first CD under
the Naxos label, recorded in live
performances in Orchestra Hall in
September 2009.

❑