The Michigan Daily-Thursday, September 10, 1981-Page 5-F
The A
By STEVE HOOK
.Lfull schedule is planned at the Ark
his'; fall; another extensive series of
'.4i-music performances can be expec-
Bwelcome as this news is for local
eidents, it is made even more
eJcome by recent history. Despite its
iwftenational recognition as one of
A erica's strongest folk music "cof-
fiuses," and despite its consistent
' ia support, the Ark has continued to
liter financially. Last winter, the
Fr6rth Annual Ann Arbor Folk
:'istival-which has kept the Ark
aIent since its inception-lost money.,
l e setback was critical for the Ark,
aceording to manager Dave Siglin, and
tcessitated a spring Pete Seeger
*iefit at the Michigan Theater, which
4Dlrlout and bought the Ark more time.
FOR FIFTEEN YEARS, the Ark has
_iwvn folk musicians (or in broader
*rips, preferred by Siglin, "live
edustic" music) to Ann Arbor on a
*e kly basis. Located at 1421 Hill
rk lures folk home
Street in a large, sky blue house with a
white porch and black shutters
covering the windows, the Ark is among
the nation's few survivors of the busy
1960s folk music coffeehouse circuit.
While similar clubs lost support an
money-and went out of business in
large numbers-during the 1970s, the
Ark remained.
The building itself is owned by a
group of churches in Ann Arbor. Dave
and Linda Siglin, who handle the Ark's
booking and publicizing, and who over-
see the performances, live upstairs in
the once private home. For the stan-
dard price of $4, local residents are
treated to consistently high quality
"traditional" music that is available on
the circuit
Performances take place in the
spacious living room of the Ark under
carefully arranged stage lighting; the
audience rests on floor cushions, or
views the performance from seats fur-
ther from the artist. Coffee and tea is
available for patrons, and the Ark's
"famous" popcorn is served during the
intermissions. Just like it was in the
late '60s when Arlo Guthrie and John
Sebastion denounced the Vietnam War
in song onstage.
ACCORDING TO SIGLIN, attendan-
ce has increased by 50 percent in recent
years, which he says "indicates we've
broadened our base, that people are
aware of the Ark and they haven't lost
interest in live acoustic music. We're
reaching more people."
Indeed, more people can be found at
Ark concerts, but with such a small
scale operation (capacity 208 people),
the numbers remain modest. In a
university town containing more than
30,000 students and thousands of staff
and faculty, as well as a sizable non-
academic population, a large majority
of local residents clearly do not support
the Ark. It relies on a small but
remarkably loyal following, which has
thus far barely managed to keep the
Ark afloat (pardon the pun)..
This fall, the Siglins plan to conduct a
fund-raising "membership drive,"
Dave announced last May, just after a
committee had been organized to
discuss the project.
He said several "high powered"
meetings were held with "various
members of the community," and they
discussed the membership drive
specifically, and the Ark's future
generally. Siglin described the new
financial strategy for the Ark, which
will be contained in "two thrusts:" the
autumn membership drive, and the
winter festival.
Siglin also said the Ark will be made
more "student-oriented" this fall; ef-
forts will be made to tap the primarily
untapped student population, which has
marginally patronized the Ark in recent
years. This attempt seems doubly
necessary; student unattentiveness to
the Ark, more often because of un-
familiarity than preference, not only
harms the Ark. It harms the students
themselves, who miss out on one of Ann
Arbor's most valuable resources.
a - r
Eclipse Jazz beginning
7th
Year
(Continued from Page 2)
field that the classically oriented
University Music School continues to
ignore. The program now benefits local
R musicians with a summer program of
free concerts in the parks, im-
provisation workshops led by local
musicians, end a series of open jam
sessions at the university Club.
Many of the musicians appearing in
concerts hold afternoon workshops,
providing an opportunity to learn
arranging from Anthony Braxton, chat
with Dexter Gordon, or hear global
musician Don Cherry reminisce about
his travels in Africa. Original works
have been commissioned from Max
Roach and the late Charles Mingus, and
a new class offers training in the care
and feeding of concert sound systems.
Ultimately, everything Eclipse does
provide educational benefits, because
everything is done by students. Some
people work for Eclipse as a social
pass-time and a chance to meet
people; some have no interest in jazz
but need outlets for skills as varied as
graphic design and bookkeeping. Some
have a real dedication to jazz and have
gone on to run concert productions all
over the country.
Many people are involved, handling
newspaper and radio publicity, ticket
sales, concert security, stage and sound
system management, bookkeeping,
writing for the newsletter and press
releases, taking care of the musicians,
or just sticking up a few posters.
New plans for the future abound, in-
cluding a series of concerts at the
University Club in a nightclub context
with performances by contemporary
classical musicians like Philip Glass.
Funds are a little tight with federal aid
drying up in the Age of Reagan, but
Eclipse has operated in the black for its
last two seasons and still enjoys the
support of the University, so the future
looks very bright. Eclipse welcomes
volunteers to come down to the office
and get involved in the action.
Daily photo
Folk artist David Bromberg is as faithful to the Ark as local fans of acoustic
music.
I
Lots to see in galleries
(Continued from Page 3)
carry some original lithographics by
artists like Chegall and Avery.
Middle Earth
Craftspeople from all over the United
States are represented at Middle Earth,
located at 1209 S. University. Local
jewelrist Pat Garrett has shown her
work here, but the shop carries mostly
items of hand-blown glass, functional
ceramics, wooden objects,: and one-of-
'-kind pieces. Middle Earth tends to
lork outside the area for artists' works.
Ii'carries "folks art" and carvings and
1W ti les from around the world,
ecia'lly from Asia.
sixteen hands
Eight local artists (hence, sixteen
hands) own, operate, and produce art
works. for sale at this shop at 119 W.
Washington. After paying bills, the
profits from the sale of art pieces are
divided up by the eight members. They
all work in leather, as well as the con-
struction of wood furniture, pottery,
jewelry, and paper cut-outs.
But these aren't the only places in
Ann Arbor to look for art. Posters and
some original graphics by Mark
Chegall, Peter Max, Jamie Wyeth, and
others can be found in Borders
Bookstore at 21,1 S. State, Contem-
porary Graphics at 321 S. Main, and
Frames unlimited at 251 N. Maple.
Works in glass are featured at Classical
Glass, located at 249 E. Liberty. And for
posters, framed pictures, Mexican pot-
tery, leather items, and custom
framing, Graphic Art Wholesalers at
224 S. Main is a place to look into.
And for any "undiscovered talents,"
if browsing is not enough, check out the
University Artists and Craftsmen
Guild. It is a non-profit organization
composed of students and local artists
committed to the promotion, develop-
ment and cultivation of contemporary
arts and crafts. The Guild sponsors
classes in photography, drawing, stain
glass design, calligraphy, quilting, and
art appreciation, all for novice as well
as intermediate. In addition, it sponsors
a multitude of exhibits, fairs, and
festivals throughout the year. With
programs geared toward non-art
majors, the Guild publishes a monthly
newsletter and maintains resource files
for current arts information and con-
cerns. A small library on local, state,
and national arts organizations is a
good resource for the beginner.
A R TWORL DS
offers workshops in.
ART DANCE
PHOTOGRAPHY
Term begins Sept.14
Register Early
For information, call
994-840U
213 S. Main, Ann Arbor, Mi
-Maw&.-
oel
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Comedy explosion hits campus
(Continued from Page 4)
-tkusical interludes at the Michigan
I'nion Ballroom.
... ,Funnyites like veteran Steve Kurtz,
the director/writer/actor/composer for
,several shows, flinch at the term
"collegiate," aiming for a more
"varied" sort of entertainment.
~ The Funnies stress professionalism
and_ popular appeal in their shows.
"We want to expand, make this a con-
tinuing institution," states John
Wasylysyn, another writer/
producer/actor.
An already established institution at
the University is the Gargoyle, a humor
periodical first published in 1906. As
social climates and staffs shifted over
4he years, the magazine suffered a
- rgcky career.
,Gil Borman, a recent University
graduate, discovered the Gargoyle
during one of its dormant states in the
spring of 1979.
"I WAS VERY EXCITED," Bor-
man recalls. "I received cosmic
,messages from my predecessors. In the
0.69s and 60s, the Gargoyle used to be
amazing-there were little glimmers of
genius there, when the institution was
rt its strongest. They did theme
magazines-parodies of Time,
,Reader's Digest, even one of the
. Monopoly game, called Michopoly.
Very rebellious, just like National
Lampoon used to be. Now it's on its feet
again, and becoming known."
Gargoyle has an open submissions
policy, gather than a regular writing
staff. Borman calls some of what is
printed "down-to-earth" (read:
sophomoric) humor about bodily ex-r
cretions and sexual habits.
But other material, such as a
scholarly critique of a Cliff Note ver-
sion of A Farewell to Arms, show more
sophistication and wit. Last year, the
Gargoyle staff put out three well-
received issues, and plans to do the
same this year.
Last year, ex-Gargoyle staffers John
Scheafer and Joseph Backer founded
Michigas, a monthly magazine with a
format somewhat similar to
Gargoyle's. Michigas, like its brother
periodical, features mostly humorous
material. But its emphasis is on eye-
catching artwork and literary content:
poetry, short. stories, drama, and
reviews, some of them serious. Also,
unlike Gargoyle, Michigas is
distributed free of charge.
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ARE YOU...
-twiddling your thumbs, feeling restless
-bored with the routine of your evenings
ARE YOU...
-intrigued by the arts & meeting artists
-interested in an art or craft class
ARE YOU...
-a Uof M student creating original work
-seeking out a good market for your work
ARE YOU...
Students have nee ds..
And life can be empty if they go unfilled. Ulrich's can help. We have
art prints and frames to decorate your room, lamps to light it,
Michigan souvenirs for fun, gifts, pens, calculators, and other supplies.
And, of course, books.
4
We can help you make a home away from home.