Wednesdav, March 27, 1974
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
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W i If sItvy r h 27i ' .,74THESMCHIGA D ,L
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E::Y " GiYi ~a~h{~ "' ti6" - At. J ..SV N''O aM
Wilkof n show:* Cons
art or untma tnattU
By RON LEACHt
I overheard an interesting con-
versation yesterday between -
Daniel DeGraaf, manager of theI
Forsythe Gallery, and a youth-1
ful visitor to the Nancy Wilkoff
slow. They looked sort of odd
standing together, DeGraaf, a I
tall, dignified, well-dressed man in
his forties and this scrawny
youngster resplendent in blue ;
Jeans with his high school acne
in full bloom.
The kid appearing somewhat
incredulous at Wilkoff's "con-
structions" began by asking,,
"Do you buy this stuff?"
"Certainly, if it's good," re-
plied DeGraaf with a noticeable
frown.
"How much does it sell for?"
"Well, these pieces range in
price anywhere from $135 to
about $600.
"No shit? Hell I make stuff.
like this that's just as good and
I'll sell 'em to you a lot chaper."
DeGraaf muttered something
inaudible from my vantage
point, and returned to the safety
of his office.
Wilkoff'sconstructions consist
of corks, pebbles, jar tops, ma-
sonite disks, flashlight batteries,
gears and the like, all attached
to partitioned boards. She's very
big on plastic washers of various
dimensions that are partially dis-
torted by heat. The whole con-
struction then gets a heavy dose
of paint, usually grey, and viola
-it's art!
Or is it? And if we bestow her
works with the title "Art" how
about similar constructions done
by her pimpled critic? Or does
the fact that hers are more cost-
ly and hang in the Forsythe
make the difference. Or is the
distinction merely that Wilkoff
studied with the late Margaret
Evans and? Jon Naberenzy at
Youngtown University? It's true
that she has exhibited nationally
in the Motorola National Exhibit
-Chicago, "Max-24" shows at
Purdue and at Ball State. But
hers is the stuff that high school
art classes are made of. Plenty
of logic and symmetry but very
little imagination.
Not that, constructions can't be
works of art. But one expects the
artist to be in some way differ-
ent from his admirers. The artist
is someone either endowed with
more imagination than you or
1, or someone who exhibits a
unique mastery of the technical
skill of his or her medium, or
preferably both.
I found evidence of neither in
the work of Wilkoff. She seems
to operate under the sole axiom
that "like objects go together."
So you start with a board. Five
corks fit nicely in a vertical
tructive
7e craft?
opaque glass disks, metal con-
tainers, and clear glass cylin-
ders. I don't attach these items
to a board, but rather stack them
in a plastic rack. And there is
variation from one work to the
next. You see, the order in which
my dirty dishes go into the sink
partially determines the form of
the final creation in the drying
rack.
Thus, with a flourish I might
begin with the plates in the low-
er right corner of the rack. Sauc-
ers fit nicely in a perpendicular
line up the side. Of course, if I
started with pots, the saucers
would go elsewhere.
Admittedly, I wasn't born with
this flair. I'm sure Wilkoff would
admit the same. My early works
were far less ambitious and dem-
onstrated very little of the con-
summate skill I have developed
Area
By JOAN BORUS
On M a r c b 29 continuing
through April 2, the Southeast-
ern Michigan area will be host
to a unique festival presenting
a forgotten segment of America's
folk heritage. The five day eth-
nic festival will center upon the
Georgia Sea Islands, featuring
Bessie Jones and the Georgia
Sea Island Singers and Guy Cara-
wan.
The Georgia Sea Islands are lo-
cated off the Georgia and Caro-
lina coast. They are populated
largely by plantation slaves, who
as a result of isolation from the
mainland, have managed to pre-
serve many aspects of the old
slave culture - a regional dia-
lect called "Gullah;" a large
collection of folk tales, supersti-
tions and cures; and a unique
version of Christianity, charac-
terized by a "shouting" style of
singing and community worship.
Indeed, both the music and the
hosts 6
culture of these Islands repre-
sents the closest approximation
of African culture in the United
States.
Bessie Jones has lived on one
of these islands for over 40
years. She is not only noted for
her singing of blues and spirit-
uals, but is also a storyteller,
folk historian and teacher of
children's games and chants.
Accompanying Bessie will be two
other members of the Georgia
Sea Island Singers, one of them
grandchild, representing a span
of three generations.
Guy Carawan, the first white
person to live on the Johns Is-
land is a folk musician and folk-
lorist, currently teaching at Pitz-
er College in California. He has
written a book about the Island-
ers, in addition to making a
film and recording their music.
The festival is co-sponsored by
the Peter Mattis Memorial Fund
and the Michigan Council of the
y
r4
a. Sea
Arts. The Mattis fund was estab-
lished in memory of Dr. Peter
Mattis, chairman of the Com-
munity Psychology Area at the
university. Its goal is the ex-
posure of traditional music by
native performers to members
of the community who otherwise
would not have the opportunity
to experience this kind of music
firsthand. The festival is a pilot
project and the response has
been so overwhelming that the
Fund plans to establish a region-
al network of folk interest groups
as well as future festivals that
tap Michigan sources of folk-
lore.
A wide variety of events will
be featured, starting on March
29 and 30, with two concerts at
8:30 p.m, at the Ark, 1421 Hill
Street. Besides concerts, there
will also be demonstrations of
children's games, storytelling
and films, among other things.
The complete listing of events
is as follows: '
SUNDAY, MARCH 31:
4:00 p.m. Detroit Folklore So-
ciety Concert at the Ferndale
Community Center (400 E. 9
Mile, Detroit) ($1.50 adults; 50c
kids admission)BESSIE, GUY,
AND THEGEORGIA SEA IS-
LAND SINGERS.
Island
MONDAY, APRIL 1:
3:00 p.m. English Department
at Eastern Michigan U. Pray-
Harold.-Hall, Room 204, Lecture-
demonstration for 900 Michigan
High School Students. BESSIE
AND FRIENDS.
8:00 p.m. Afro-American Stu-
dies at Trotter House (1443 Wash-
tenaw). Lecture - demonstration.
BESSIE AND FRIENDS.
TUESDAY, APRIL 2:
10:00 a.m. Ann Arbor Com-
munity Center and Project Com-
munity (625 N. Main St.) Chil-
dren's concert with participating
daycare centers. BESSIE AND
music
FRIENDS.
1:00 p,m. Plymouth Middle
School West (Ann Arbor Trail at
Plymouth Rd.) Lecture - den-
onstration. B E S S IE A NtD
FRIENDS.
8:00 p.m. University of Midhi-
gan Folklore Society. Folk Tale
Telling Workshop. BESSIE AND
FRIENDS. (location to bi &n-
nounced)
A half-hour film on tt G60t-
gia Sea Islands rade by Guy
Carawar is available and ill be
shown at most of the everidt.
SAE TUNE-UP CLINIC
FREE TUNE-UP CLASS
7:30 p.m., Wed., March 27
170 P.A.
First 30 to sign up can participot&
($5 fee for non-air cond. car)
($6 fee for air cond. car)
TUNE-UP CLINIC
8-5:00-Sot., March 30
AUTO LAB-NORTH CAMPUS
.;i:=:.. . .yin . 4 i 4:: .: {: ,::i":'t?:4 .....r d . a i .,:: c ; ;x : -.
"Hers is the stuff that high school art classes are
made of. Plenty of logic and symmetry but very
.WV...V4 . ..4,V.V
little imagination."smmmme
row up the left border. Twelve
rows of match heads adorn the
top two inches of the work. A
fancy five-inch pinion gear fits
cleanly in the lower corner. The
other lower corner holdsfour
size "D" batteries . . . Craftsy
yes; artsy no.
The one I really liked was en-
titled "Napolean." It had the
same grey paint and plastic
washers, but right in the middle
of the board was a little pile of
old steak bones. Now that's art.
Alas, I must admit that, being
a man with a penchant for logi-
cal organization, I too create
constructive art. My materials
are slightly different than those
of Wilkoff, however. I work with
since acquiring my Texas Ware.
I started with pocket change
construction. You know, pennies
in one row and dimes in another.
Five pennies equal three quar-
ters and a nickel in space and
many interesting things can be
done if You've got a couple of
bucks to work with.
The question is, of course,
what do all us artists do with
our creations? Nancy Wilkoff
displays hers at the Forsythe. I
prefer to destroy ny works and
store the materials in a cup-
board. As for that kid at the gal-
lery, he had a different ap-
proach:
"My mom hangs them in my
baby sister's bedroom."
A RTH UR PENN'S
BONNIE AND CLYDE(at 6:30&10.15) 1967
Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway pair up as the egendary Depression gangsters in Penns controvdr-
sial tragic-comic look at violence and the America past.
ERNST LUBITSCH'S
TROUBLE IN PARADISE (at 8:30) 1932
A comedy of continental manners and morals with two clever high-class thieves providing the wit
polish, and charm. With Miriam Hopkins, Adolphe Menju, Kay Francis.
CINEMA GUILD $1each show ARCHITECTURE AU
Preservation Act I: The
Kinks step to center stage
Bessie Jones
By JEFF SORENSEN
1Rook "revivals" have been in
vogue for the past year or so.
Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, the
Who, the Band, the Rolling.
Stones, the Beach Boys, the Byrds
and the Butterfield Blues Band
(to name a few) have gotten back
together or have bothered to show
themselves in public for the first
time in ages.
Rumors about possible Beatle,
Crean and Buffalo Springfield re-
unions spring up almost weekly.
Far too often, though, these
"revivals" have taken place with
maxirnal hype and minimal new
musical output.
Lost in the shuffle has been the
return of the Kinks to prominence
with the release of their excel-
lent new album Preservation
Act J -(RCA LPL1-5002-B) and
their decision to tour the U.S.
later this year.
After three years of mediocrity,,
Preservation Act I returns the
Kinks to the headwaters of their
classic albuns of '68-'70: The
Kinks are the Village Green
Preservation Society, Arthur and
Lola-when the Kinks were the'
best British rock group this side
of the Stones and the Beatles.
Unlike the Stones or the Beat-
1Is, who have always attempted
to hide their British identities be-
hind American blues and R & B
forms, the Kinks have always
worn their British citizenship
with pride.
The Kinks are unique. I don't
believe that the brothers Davies
have ever penned or performed a
tune which didn't reflect in some
way the Kinks' special view of'
the world, their "Kinksdom" as
they call it.
Kink songshare often lightand
airy-so light they often seem
deceptively simpleonafirst lis-
tening. Their songs are often
twinged with nostalgia, but at the
same time they preserve a feel-
ing of wry humor.
They speak of holding onto
things that our civilization often
inclines us to forget: compassion,
caring for the small things in
life, defendingthe less powerful,
remembrance of things past.
"As long as I gaze on Water-
loo Sunset, I'll be in paradise,"
they sang on Something Else,
and they captured a feeling of
security in nature that has very
rarely been put on record.,
On Preservation Society the
Kinks made their pitch for pre-
serving some of the values of the
past, "God save the village
green," they pleaded.
Every song on the new album
is a polished gem.
Every one sinks into a very
special place in the listeners'
memory if you give it the chance.-
Every Kink song is like meeting
someone special to you.
"Sitting in the Midday Sun"
harkens back memories of
"Sunny Afternoon." The song,
sung by the tramp figure which
reappears throughout the album,
is a pure delight in which the
tramp says he lives his life
moment by moment "looking at
the world go by" and enjoys it
though most people think he's a
complete good-for-nothing - a
unique Davies' portrait.
"One of the Survivors" is the
hardest rocker from theKinks in
a coon's age-since '64 when
"You Really Got Me" the Kinks
blasted out from every Top 40
radio station.
Have a flair for
artistic writing:'
If you are interest-
ed in reviewing
poetry, and musts
or writing feature
stories a b o u t the
drama, dance. film.
arts: Contact Am
Editor, c/o The
Michigan Daily.
SAT., SUN., & WED. AT
1, 3, 5, 7, & 9:05
THURSDAY & FRIDAY at
7 p.m. & 9 p.m.
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MAY GRADS!
March 30th is the last day to or-
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Wednesday, March 27
Day Calendar
Commission for Women Mtg.: W.
Conif. Rm., noon.
Ctr. Russian, L. European Studies: E.
George, "Post-War Hungarian Poetry,"
Co~nmoin Rm., Lane Hall, noon.
Anatomy: J. Ranck, "Behavioral Cor-
relates of Single Neurons in Hippo.
eamtus of Unrestrained Rat," 4804
Med. Sci. II, 1:10 pm.
Religion, Ethics: J. Cutler. "Contact-
ing One's Epirit Guides," Aud. A. An-
gell Hail, 3 pm.
Germahic Langs. & Lits.: W. Mauser.
U of Preiburg, "Henrich Boll, Winner
of the Nobel Prize in Literature," Lec.
Rjhi. 1. 4 pn
Katz - Newcemb Lectures in Social
Psyhology: H. TaOOel, U of Bristol, "In-
ter-IndivIdual & Inter-Group Behav-
16r," Rackheih Amph., 4 pm.
P'ysts: H. Crane, "Experiments on
the Earth's Magnetic Field: Why Does
It Reverse?" P-A Bldg. Colloq. Rm., 4
pm.
Statistics: T. Miyawaki, "Rejection of
Outliers: A Bayesian View," 1007 An-
gell Hall, 4 pm.
Industrial & Operations Engrg.: C.
Simo., "generic Properties of the
Complementarity Problem," 229 W.
Eng. Bldg., 4 pm.
Psych. Frlins: "Obedience;" "Inter-
tviews with My Lai veterans." Aud. 3,
14LB, 4 pm.
Ott. Coordination of Ancient, Mod-
ern Studie;: R. Merkelbach, Univ. of
kol, germany, "The Bey of Roses: A
Modern Turkish Tale & Its Roots in
Ancient Ritual," Aud. A, Angell Hall,
4:16 pm.
English Lang. Institute: lecture, film,
dover, Mass. A teaching internship, $400
plus room and board in a dorm. More
details at CP&P.
MBA at U of Toledo, deadlineqfor
summer term is May 17, for fall quar-
ter August 20. Graduate assistantships
available for students over 3.0 GPA.
Write Director, 2801 W. Bancroft St.,
Toledo 43606.
For Grad students at Southern Ill U
at Edwardsville, resident manager of U
Apt's pays $270/mo plus housing & tui-
tion. write Tower Lake area office, Box
36A, SIU, Edwardsville, 11 62025.
Scholarships available for grad stu-
dents at U of ND. write Dean, Grand
Forks, ND 58201.
der caps and gowns.
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great taste of the spirited Royal Scot . . . a big
patty of pure beef, tomato, onion slices, & lettuce,
topped with Scotty's Great-American sauce.
4
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