Don't sleep
through 'U>
roductions
M any of us come into Ann
Arbor thinking that we are
cultured, or at least somewhat
in touch with spheres of society other
than our own.
We think that we live on the cutting
edge of diversity and artistic expres-
sion. We think that we have our eyes
wide open to the spectrum of little
worlds that make up the entire society.
We think we know what life's all about.
Coming from south-suburban
cago, I thought I knew what was
gng on. My parents taught me well.
I thought that I was in touch with the
latest in living culture. From the clas-
sical concerts to multicultural events, I
thought I had it under control.
How wrong I was.
What a shock it was to come into
Ann Arbor and be put in my artistic
place, so to speak. When it comes to
the world of the creative arts, this
*n, city, community or whatever it
is that you want
to call it, has no
artistic limits. It's
.,4 taken me a
while, but I have
sfinally learned
my lesson.
From the step
KRISTIN com petitions that
LONG are performed
State of the throughout the
S syear to
Generation APA,
an Asian Pacific
American culture show that showcases
everything from hip hop dance and
lyrical dance, the students and the
University community at large beam
with amazing talents.
The dances, the music, the words of
what these performances represent are
siesn so intrinsically unique that
Nfines a crucial aspect of local life.
The culture of this campus isn't
limited to the ethnic productions
either. From the Woman's Glee Club
to the State Street Poetry Project,
student talent consumes our lives,
whether we know it our not, and the
result is exquisite spectacles of tal-
ent and creativity.
There is but one problem: The peo-
pie who don't take advantage of these
tments, and let the performances
pnthem like sports cars on South
State Street. The people who "forget"
to go or "don't have time d
C'mon, you know who you are. You
are the one that says, "That sounds
cool to go to (insert performance at
issue). I'm definitely there.
But then when the day of the event
comes, for some reason you forget to
go. One time it's too much homework.
*n another, you think it'll take to
much time, or you're too tired or, now
here's the kicker, you're just too lazy.
Then, Monday comes around, and
so-and-so friend, who happened to have
something to do with the show, asks
you if you were there. All you can do is
smile and nod, and hope that he doesn't
notice the sweat on your brow, and
respectfully, and I mean respectfully,
weasel your way out of this mess.
How do I know you so well? It's all
t~use I speak from experience, silly
foks.; I know how terrible the guilt is to
say, "Sony pal, I just couldn't make it'
It's such an awful scene.
But you move on, wipe the sweat
from your brow, and try not to ever go
through that again.
One of my friends is an aspiring
comic, and when I attended his shows, I
have to admit, he was simply wonder-
After the first performance I attend-
tried to make all that followed
without missing a minute of each.
In all of his productions, he worked
with other students, and while at times
the audience wasn't rolling on the floor
with laughter (not from my friend, of
course, he was amazing and near per-
fect), it was simple, good, old-fash-
ioned fun. No, not lame, fun, good fun.
The local musicians who are either
in a band that plays at venues like the
League or Rick's, or those who play in
<dlestras at Hill Auditorium, also
have tremendous talent. There young
and essentially just trying to get their
foot in the door, but hey, maybe they'll
make the Top 40 some day.
There's something really wonderful
about these student productions. It's
refreshing to see people perform
merely because they want to perform
because they love to perform.
's not about the money, the fame
e glamour, yet, I don't think, but
for the sheer joy of entertaining others
and actually having an audience to
entertain.
Those of us who miss these shows
are missing a tremendous opportunity
to give new talent a chance and to see
'-:'a t
NEW STUDENT EDITION
SEPTEMBER 8, 1998
_
F
'
arts advances into electronic age
By Addana Yugovich
Daily Staff Reporter
Art stew has been brewing in Ann Arbor for
years now, and the University is invariably tossing
in new ingredients. With the current focus on dig-
ital media, many artists have been turning to tech-
nology to enhance and even operate their work.
Formal art training at the University has come a
long way.
Established in 1954 as the College of
Architecture and Design, the School of Art
became independent in 1974. Renamed the
School of Art and Design in 1995, the indus-
trial and graphic design programs have taken
off, and many courses in digital media and
new genres have recently been added to the
school. While students receive instruction in
almost all traditional art fields, they also have
access to new materials.
Computer art facilities on North Campus and at
the New Media Center on East University offer
students access to new materials and allow them to
give new form to their work.
"The University may be on to something,"
said '98 alum Jacquelene Steele, who was a
general studies major at the School of Art and
Design, "There's a certain level of clueless-
ness about technology at the art school, but
they're working on it. 1 only wish they had
started all this earlier,"
Many University projects urging the growth
and development of new genres, digital and
multi-media have sprung up in the past few
years, finding fresh ways to merge traditional
media with the wave of the future. Linda's
Place, a year-old computer environment
housed in the North Campus Media Union, is
dedicated to interdisciplinary teaching and
learning. Technology and creative minds
merge there to create hybrid collaborative
media such as virtual performances and inter-
active installation.
"We're a gathering place," said program
coordinator Linda Kendall. "Flexibly equipped
to facilitate creative productivity across disci-
Miss AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
Michigan
contestant
enjoys visit
By Janet Adamy
Daily StaffReporter
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Although she didn't
walk away with the crown, dreams came true for
Miss Michigan Kimberly Stec.
At the Miss America Pageant, the Engineering
senior walked down the runway to the cheers of
more than 25,000 people who filled the sparkling
convention hall - a dream she had since her first
pageant nearly six years ago.
"To make it this far is important to me," said Stec,
who was out of the running when the contestant pool
was narrowed down to 10 semi-finalists at the begin-
ning of the competition.
"I've been waiting for this all my life:' said
Shindle, adding that she is eager to start working on
her nationwide AIDS education and advocacy cam-
paign.
Although Stec didn't get to perform her jazz rou-
tine or show off her striking swimsuit or evening
gown, her family members in the audience said they
were proud of her.
"I think she definitely should have been part of the
top 10, but I think she did a great job and it was
exciting to be here," said Alyssa Stec, Kimberly's sis-
ter and a University alumnae.
George Stec said that although he wishes his
daughter would have left with the crown, he'll be
"glad to have her home."
"She's gained a lot from the experience she's had,"
the elder Stec said.
Stec's boyfriend, Brent Williams, a Rackham stu-
dent, had the rare opportunity of watching his girl-
friend on stage at the Miss America Pageant.
"I'm just really glad that all of America could see
someone who's really special to me,' said Williams,
whose friends didn't believe him when he said he
was dating a Miss America contender
Stec spent thelast year serving as Miss Michigan,
which allowed her to promote her healthy lifestyles
campaign. Stec took a year off from classes and will
return for her senior year this fall.
"I definitely want to be back in Ann Arbor as
much as I can ... but I don't know how much time my
commitment will allow me to be there" Stec said.
Along with dresses, souvenirs and friendships,
she'll bring many memories back home with her,
Stec said.
"It's been a great opportunity seeing how much
each woman has made a difference in her state," she
said.
Although the 77th annual pageant still had all the
glamour and glitz of past years, a number of changes
were made in this past year's show to reflect each of
the 51 contestants' individual personalities.
For the first time ever, contestants bought their
swimsuits off the rack and were given the choice of
wearing a one-piece or a bikini.
Out of the 10 semi-finalists -- who were chosen
based on their performances during preliminary
rounds held earlier in the week of the pageant -
five (including Miss Illinois Kate Shindle) sported
bikinis during the swimsuit competition.
While Stec wasn't on stage as one of the 10 final-
ists, she was spotted throughout the night in video
clips shown from the past week's events and in group
dance routines.
This past year's theme, "Everything Old Is New
Again' featured a lively, all-contestant show num-
ber, where Stec wore a blue '60s-style bathing suit
and danced to surf music.
Throughout the evening, portions of the contes-
tants' week in DisneyWorld were shown, which fea-
tured Stec's radiant smile and thoughtful comments
on women in today's society. The clips exposed a
more candid side of the contestants, including Miss
Hawaii Erika Kauffinan saying her state's legaliza-
+in of nv ,..rr.o moAn ln ar",n, oA "
plines."
Linda's Place supports a variety of creative
Macintosh activities, including audio and
video recording, imaging, digitizing and edit-
ing, and to top all that off, they've even got a
big shiny virtual sound booth called the V-
Room.
The city of Ann Arbor itself has always been
a piquant haven of creative energy. With deep
roots in culture and craft, the city is famous
for the annual Street Art Fair where artisans
and craftspersons, bauble-makers and per-
formers alike have been filling the campus
streets and drawing impressive crowds since
See FUTURE, Page 2D
Museums
showcase
var "ietyof
artwork
By Anna Kovalszk
Fine and Performing Arts Editor
What do dinosaur remains, Monet
paintings, student artwork, and
Emperor Augustus's bust have in com-
mon? They, among many other art-
works and artifacts, are displayed in the
galleries of the University's museums
and exhibit halls.
The four main buildings include the
University Museum of Art, the Kelsey
Museum of Archaeology, the Exhibit
Museum of Natural History and the
Jean Paul Susser Gallery located in the
Art and Architecture Building.
The University Museum of Art wel-
comed approximately 70,000 visitors
from around the world during the winter
and spring of 1998, when it hosted its
highly successful "Monet at Vetheuil -
The Turning Point," exhibit. With a cata-
logue written by the curators, and a day-
long symposium of well-respected
scholars, the exhibit was academic as
well as aesthetically rewarding. The
museum is host to many exhibitions, and
although Monet's showing was probably
one of the largest exhibits held by the
museum, there are many promising
upcoming events.
The museum offers an extensive per-
manent collection to its audience. Not
only does it contain traditional
European and American painting and
sculpture, but also extensive Chinese,
Japanese, and Indian art displays. In
addition, approximately 13 temporary
shows visit the museum each year.
Some current and future exhibits
include: Jim Dowd's full-color tryp-
tichs of National League baseball stadi-
ums; Surrealist objects from the 20th-
Century, including works by Max
Ernst, Giorgio de Chirico, Joan Miro,
Salvador Dali, and Paul Klee; Korean
paintings, screens and scrolls from the
16th through 20th-Centuries; a survey
of the history of drawing from the 14th
OTOS through 20th-Centuries on exhibit from
the Worcester Art Museum; including
a works by Tiepolo, Copley, Degas and
rly van Gogh; and masterpieces of Chinese
s painting from the Museum's own col-
ning lection, an exhibit five years in the
planning with a catalogue.
To view ancient and early medieval
Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Middle
Eastern art, students can visit the
Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. Many
of the 100,000 artifacts in the perma-
nent collection come from the
University's own excavations.
Since its establishment in 1893 by
In Professor Francis W. Kelsey, the muse-
um has been an educational center in
the University community, with exca-
vations sponsored in the past and pre-
sent in Syria, Libya, Turkey, Egypt,
Tunisia, Israel and Italy.
rtuni- "Sepphoris in Galilee," held in the
fall and winter of 1997, was one of the
stants Kelsey's main exhibitions of the past
nerica academic year. Showcasing a city and
lk in surrounding areas in the now modern
Israel, the exhibit saw the co-existence
t cos- of three cultures and their intertwined
gs jer- artifacts and architecture.
s" - Currently on display at Kelsey,
Miss from its permanent collection, are
ornO- sculptures. vases and bowls from
FILE PH
ABOVE: Although she was not
finalist, Miss Michigan Kimbei
Stec, a University student, wa
still able to sport her red even
gown during last year's Miss
America competition.
LEFT: Contestants in the 77th
annual Miss America pageant
appear in their evening gowns
This was the first year
contestants were allowed to
wear two-piece bathing suits h
the swimsuit competition.
Going,' and an elegant piano solo by Miss North
Dakota Roxana Saberi.
From their scores in the talent, swimsuit and
evening gown competitions, the 10 semi-finalists
were narrowed down to five, who then changed into
comfortable clothing and sat on couches while field-
ing questions.
Shindle answered the questions confidently, and
moments later was given a crown that entitles her to
a $40,000 scholarship at the school of her choice.
"1It'c interectina that nt a short while aon I was
would sing at the Rose Bowl, if given the oppo
ty.
Prior to the final competition, the 51 conte
decked themselves out for the annual Miss Am
parade, which took place on the boardwa
Atlantic City.
While most of the contestants wore decaden
tumes, Stec sported a simple Detroit Red Wing
sey. As the crowd shouted "show us your shoe
a tradition started years ago when a former
Teawn wre cnwhnv hnots with her gnwn to inc
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