Wednesday
March 22, 2006
arts.michigandaily.com
artspage@michigandaily.com
Te Sigtnt ti
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ANGELA CESERE/Daiy
The Funambulists serve popcorn to patrons at the Michigan Theater last night.
'U' alum screens film
By Sarah Schwartz
Daily Arts Writer
AARON SWICK/Daily
Former Inmate Wynn Satterlee and program coordinator Jean Borger talk at the Prison Creative Arts exhibit yesterday.
BREAKING BARRIERS
EXHIBIT SHOWCASES MICHIGAN PRISONERS'
By Abigail B. Colodner
For the Daily
Imagine it's late at night and you're having trouble
finishing a charcoal drawing without disturbing your
roommate, who sleeps only a -
few feet away from you.
Now imagine your room- Prison Creative
mate is your cellmate, and that Arts Project
drawing is your only way to Now through
escape the pressures of prison March 29
life. Work arising out of these
circumstances like these is on 10 a.m. to 7
display through March 29 at Tuesday to Saturday
12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
the annual Prison Creative Arts Sunday and Monday
Project exhibition at the Dud- Free
erstadt Center, a showcase of A ee
artwork by prisoners from 44 of At the Duderstadt Center
Michigan's 52 prisons.
PCAP has put on 11 shows since 1996, when Univer-
sity English Prof. Buzz Alexander founded the project.
The show, which he co-curated with Art and Design
Associate Prof. Janice Paul, has grown exponentially
since then. Last year, 303 works were presented from
188 artists, and this year there are 320 works by 247 art-
ists. The artwork ranges from meticulous pen-and-ink
drawings and splashy acrylic paintings to photorealistic
colored-pencil drawings. Nearly all are for sale.
The show's content is equally varied, but patterns
emerge: familial love, natural beauty and, inescapably,
the experience of life in prison. Former prison artist
Martin Scott considered a wall of works the exhibit
dominated by this theme. "Prison is a mental experience
as well as a physical one, but it's more a spiritual experi-
ence. Black or white, it makes no difference," he said.
Scott, who was incarcerated for more than 30 years
in a Michigan prison, was joined by two other former
inmates in a discussion on Sunday about the creation of
art in prisons and the project's role in supporting prison
artists. He spoke of the segregation he imposed upon
himself to avoid the resentment of other inmates who
recognized his art as a connection to the outside world.
"These artists are creating their own happiness or
well-being, brightness, vividness," Paul said.
Jerry Moore, another former prison artist, spoke pas-
sionately about one wall of paintings on display, identify-
ing how the prison experience is evident in all of them.
"You juxtapose these beautiful landscapes, these
buildings that are designed to empower you with build-
ings designed to destroy you. That's how I felt in pris-
on," he said.
The Project conducts workshops in theater, writing
and visual art in a few state and juvenile prisons and in
Detroit-area high schools. The vast majority of the fea-
tured artists are self-taught and were not provided with
either instruction or materials. This is perhaps the most
:REATIVE EXPRESSION
revelatory aspect of the show - the value of the works
doesn't lie solely in their context or emotional expres-
siveness. The works are of high technical quality and
some exhibit a familiarity with canonical artists such as
Van Gogh and Georges de la Tour.
The visitor may be taken aback by scenes of natu-
ral beauty and studied paintings of woodland creatures,
wondering how such idyllic images present themselves
to inmates. But Paul thinks this line of thought can lead
to another, more fruitful inquiry: "I'd rather have people
question themselves than the artist - 'What's wrong
with me that I think this is surprising?"
The acrylic painting "Tell the Truth Ladies, Who's
Smoking in My House?" by an artist called Pasha #72
is a disarming combination of technical prowess and
light subject matter. The large painting shows a view
of a festive get-together from the floor, where a limp
cigarette smolders. Pasha's manipulation of the acrylic
gives a shellacked effect that amplifies the elaborate
garishness of the scene.
The former inmates at the discussion Tuesday stressed
the importance of supporting inmate artists when they
get out so that they become artists, not just prison art-
ists. Scott sees a link between creating art in prison and
learning to take responsibility, which can keep a former
inmate from going back in.
"Artists have learned that because it takes time to sit
down and decide what you want to draw. I believe that's
the process inmates need when they get out," he said.
Jeff Sabatini knows that it takes cour-
age to stray from your chosen path.
After graduating in 1994 with a dual
degree in English and film and video stud-
ies from the University, Sabatini left Ann
Arbor to pursue a career as a freelance
journalist for the New York Times.
But after putting his English major to
good use as a writer, Sabatini decided to
give his other degree a try.
"Foreman," a 10-minute documentary,
is the culmination of his efforts. The film
was accepted into the prestigious Ann
Arbor Film Festival and will premiere
tonight at 7 pm.
"Foreman" tells the story of Jerry
Bowden, Sabatini's father-in-law, a Gen-
eral Motors employee who worked in the
Flint plant until its closure in 1999.
"(He was) in the plant, a lowest-level
supervisor'" Sabatini said. "He was right
there with all the blue-collar people.
But they're doing away with lower-level
management as they switch manage-
ment styles, so he's the last of the era of
guys in the United States who worked
their way up and became white-collar
management employees."
The film gave Sabatini a chance to
combine his journalistic experience in
the automotive world with his knowl-
edge of film. "I love my job and writing
about cars," he said. "Now I'm using it in
a different way."
Sabatini first thought of focusing on
multiple workers at the plant, but decided
to focus on his father-in-law's experience
there instead. With the help of Bullet-
Proof films, a Chicago-based production
company, Sabatini interviewed Bowden
and his friends. He gathered stock footage
of the plant, as well as training films and
shots of Flint today.
Making this biographical documen-
tary was a new experience for Sabatini
on many levels. Materials and techniques
have changed since he was a film major
in the early '90s. The process of making
the film was a way for Sabatini to acquaint
himself with current technology.
"The biggest challenge comes from
my own learning curve," he said. "I (first)
learned how to shoot on film and make
primarily narrative fiction films. This was
a way to teach myself how to use digital
video and edit it on a computer."
Sabatini used MiniDV film and edited
the entire movie on his computer - a far
cry from the cutting room he used during
his time at the University.
The learning experience paid off, as out
of more than 2,000 films entered in the
festival, "Foreman" is one of fewer than
150 chosen. Sabatini says his inclusion
encourages him to continue this mode of
documentary expression. "I have fallen in
love with journalism and telling true sto-
ries instead of making them up," he said.
"Documentaries are important and people
are beginning to recognize (that)."
Sabatini is hopeful for the future and
excited about the doors that technologi-
cal advances have opened for filmmakers.
"The one overriding thing is you can do
it, and there is no reason that anyone with
a good idea (who) wants to make a movie
can't," he said.
Seventh season of 'South Park' digs into Iraq war, Affleck on DVD
By Michael Passman
Daily Arts Writer
Trey Parker and Matt Stone just don't give
a fuck. ______ ,_____
Apparently, no subject
matter is taboo to the mas- South Park:
terminds behind Comedy The Complete
Central's most success- Seventh
ful original series, "South Season
Park." They won't shy
away from controversy if Paramount
it means they can make a
point. This philosophy has left a slew of enemies
in the duo's wake, and recently caused longtime
cast member Isaac Hayes - the voice of Chef
- to leave the show after its unrelenting attack
on Scientology.
Now, on the eve of the show's 10th season,
"South Park: The Complete Seventh Season" is
making its DVD debut with a collection of hit-or-
miss episodes and a limited number of features.
A few years into production,"South Park" aban-
doned the multi-plot sitcom format and devoted
its episodes to tight single plotlines - often ren-
dering main characters absent for entire episodes.
By the time the seventh season came around, the
show's humor had drastically changed. While still
blatantly offensive, "South Park" developed into
one of television's most socially observant shows,
aiming for more than just the lowbrow humor its
popularity was founded upon.
Dubbed "the Iraq War season" by Parker and
Stone in the episode commentary, the seventh sea-
son premiered at the onset of the current war. In
the show's 100th episode, the town's citizens are
divided between the rock'n'roll protesters and the
country-loving warmongers. This leads Cartman
to travel back in time to 1776 where he discovers
that America is "an entire nation founded on say-
ing one thing and doing another." In the season
finale, the boys find themselves in Canada trying
to retrieve Kyle's adopted brother Ike, who was
taken back to Canada following an order from
the new prime minister - who just happens to
be Saddam Hussein. The episode climaxes with
the capture of Saddam in a "Wizard of Oz"-esque
spoof. Amazingly, the episode aired just three
days after Saddam's actual capture.
This season also had its fair share of jabs at
celebrities, an increasingly popular trend in later
seasons. Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, the cast of
"Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and Rob Reiner
all fall victim to the show's merciless wrath.
While season seven includes some of the
show's better episodes including "Casa Bonita"
and "Cancelled;" in which the boys discover that
earth is just a big intergalactic reality show, it also
has some significant slumps. By devoting each
episode to a single focus, the show is left with
little room to falter. "South Park" doesn't have
the luxury that shows utilizing multiple plotlines
do. If an episode premise isn't great, chances are
the entire episode will bomb with a large number
of its devotees. Thankfully, a great number of the
season's episodes are first-rate, and the weaker
episodes are easily overlooked.
As with all the "South Park" DVD sets, Stone
and Parker have brief mini-commentaries on
each episode, covering inspirations and high-
lights for each show. While humorous and even
informative at times, these mini-commentaries
are lacking, especially when they are the only
bonus features on the set.
"South Park" might have hit its prime a season
or two before this, but season seven is close to its
best. At a time when cartoons are often vehicles
for social commentary, let's be thankful we still
have the fourth graders from South Park Elemen-
tary to put everything in perspective.
Show: ****
Special Features: *I
Hope. See. Feel. Model.A
University8tudents AgaInst Cancer
presents...
Cancer Awareness Week
FASHION SHOW
MACBOOK PRO
At: U-M Computer Showcase, Michigan Union
www.apple.com/students
What's an Intel chip doing in a MacBook Pro?
A whole lot more than it's ever done in a PC.
Now with Intel Core Duo, MacBook Pro is up to two times faster.
So you get super-high performance using the new iLife'06
for music, photos, movies, even your own blogs.
The built-in iSight camera makes video chatting a breeze.
And with Front Row and the apple Remote, you can put on
a show from anywhere in the room.
t+ y
4{
" ,
Special Appearance by U
of M Football Players
March 22, 2006 -Union Ballroom
7:00 pm
Tickets: VIP-$12 At the door-$10 Presale-$7
All proceeds go to Coach Carr Cancer Fund and
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