The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, February 23, 2007 - 5
Admit it: "Bridge to Terabithia" made you cry when you first read it.
A 'Bridge to film
from fantasy lit
Museum
of the
future
ART HISTORIAN
DESCRIBES NEW IMAGE
By MICHELE YANKSON
For the Daily
Perhaps the second most common question
about the University of Michigan Museum of
Art's expansion - other than
"When will it finally be fin-
ished?" - is simply "What will Reimagining
it look like?"
Vishakha Desai, art histo- the Museum
rian and president and CEO L
of the Asia Society, attempted ast Sunday
to address this question in the At Rackham
seven-week "Reimagining the
Museum" series's concluding
lecture last Sunday at the Rackham Amphithe-
atre. Desai's Asia Society is an international edu-
cational organization dedicated to strengthening
connections between the people of Asia and the
United States.
Desai, a University alum, began her lecture
with a simple qualm: "I'm somewhat nervous,"
she quipped in a youthful voice. "It's not typical
for an art historian not to have slides, or a Power-
Point, or something as a visual aid."
Her fears proved unwarranted, as her lecture
could have captivated even the most avid avoid-
ers of museums. Desai refrained from discourse
based solely on art or art history, instead asking
Hold those tears. The University Museum of Art will be back on its (renovated) feet in no time.
By KAI QIN
Daily Arts Writer
With a trailer featuring comput-
er-generated giants and swarms of
insect-like war-
riors, Disney is far
too eager to pawn *
"Bridge to Tera-
bithia" off as a Bridge t0
standard "Chron-
icles of Narnia"
replica. With the At Quality16
current popular-
ity of children's and Showcase
fantasy flicks, you Disney
can hardly blame
them. "Bridge,"
however, adapted from Katherine
Paterson's award-winning novel,
better captures the joys and pains
of childhood than other CGI kids'
fare.
The story follows Jess Aarons
(Josh Hutcherson, "Zathura"), a boy
tormented hy hollies at school and
financial woes at home. He wears
hand-me-downs from his older sis-
ters, coloring over their old pink
sneakers with a black marker. His
greatest passion is drawing in his
notebook, and he takes any oppor-
tunity to drift away from his bleak
reality into the refuge of his imagi-
nation.
When a tomboy named Leslie
Burke (Annasophia Robb, "Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory") moves
innextdoor,the two quicklybecome
friends and eventually create their
own magical kingdom, Terabithia,
in the woods where they happily
reign together as king and queen.
But their togetherness won't last
forever - heartbreak's in store.
Rather than concerning itself
with the imaginary Terabithia and
its mythology, "Bridge" focuses
on the dynamic between its two
young leads. Jess, bogged down
by his family's hardships and his
father's expectations, is constantly
depressed, and Leslie's eccentricity
makes her an easy target at school.
But these two aren't just friends
- they're soulmates. Together they
thrive with a charming vivacity
nicely captured by director Gabor
Csupo (one half of the Klasky-Csupo
production team behind such Nick-
elodeon favorites as "Rugrats" and
"Aaahh! Real Monsters").
Classic kids'
novel receives
pale update.
Unfortunately, the film's great-
est strength - Terabithia itself
- is also its downfall. In the novel,
Katherine Paterson uses Terabithia
not only as an enchanting alterna-
tive reality, but also as an extend-
ed allegory that gives insight into
the book's real-life developments.
Like recent hit "Pan's Labyrinth,"
"Bridge" should have taken a more
fantasy-heavy route. In failing to
develop Terabithia, Csupo aban-
dons a critical aspect of the book,
stripping away the fantasy of the
story and turning it into a familiar
rehash of 1991's "My Girl" - strong
drama, but little escapism.
the audience, in a tone of undaunted optimism, to
imagine the art museum inthe year 2050 in order
to investigate how current social, political and
economic factors would assist an understanding
of what shape the institution might take.
"By the year 2050, America will no longer be
the sole superpower," Desai said. "What that
means is that America will have to share the idea
of the sole-superpower status with other coun-
tries - other cultures."
Since UMMA is scheduled to reopen in early
2009, a flash-forward to the year 2050 is a bit of
a stretch for the University's purposes, but Desai
maintained that "we can only think of where we
will be if we think of where we've been."
The histories of the museum and nation are,
according to Desai, undeniably intertwined. She
vividly recounted the journey of the art museum,
one that has included presenting colonial legacy,
instilling and restoring national civic pride and
displaying the triumphs of a civilized nation.
"Museums have a solidity with the past," she
explained. "As institutions they are products of
their time."
Desai hopes to inspire a vision in which art
museums can more than ever represent the
world of which they are a part. She suggested
using various elements of pop culture to make
museums more appealing to an often-apathetic
younger generation.
"You might have one room in which there is a
single object that kids voted on," she said. An art
museum "American Idol" of sorts
Although it may seem outlandish, muse-
ums are beginning to reflect these nuances of
American culture. Desai cited the San Francisco
Museum of Art: "One of the biggest discussions
(in designing the building) was how to fit cor-
porate functions for 300 or more," she said.
Indeed, if museums are products of their
time, the UMMA will be grandiose, intricate
and awe-inspiring - but it will also be, accord-
ing to Desai, "a space that competes for leisure
activity - museums are competing against
football games, or theatres or plays." The crux
of Desai's lecture was her insistence on bolster-
ing museums' status as recreational endeavors.
She argued for diminishing their connotation of
antiquation and making them "stand separate
from the current 'virtual' reality" she believes
characterizes American culture. For the Univer-
sity, that means making it not such an absurdity
to see students spendingtheir football Saturdays
at the UMMA.
The "Reimaginers" have their work cut outfor
them. But as Desai said, in reference to a Chi
nese proverb: "Every challenge has possibility
for opportunity."
An evening of pure folk tonight at The Ark
By JACKIE BLADZIK
For the Daily
With live concerts, either the
musician makes
the venue or the
venue makes the Richie
musician, but Haens
there's always a
significant rela- Tonight at
tionship between 8p.m.
the two.
The Ark, a bed- $27.50/$32.50
rock Ann Arbor At the Ark
venue known for
its intimate folk,
blues and bluegrass shows, will go
full-circle this Friday. Singer-song-
writer, acoustic guitar player and
folk-legend Richie Havens will per-
form his soulful repertoire tonight
at 8 p.m.
Havens got his first taste of fame
when he opened for the 1969 Wood-
stock festival. Since then, he has
performed at the Monterey Jazz
Festival and the 1993 inauguration
of President Clinton, has released
more than 25 albums, was the voice
of McDonald's and Budweiser and
even earned small roles in movies
like "Free Tibet" and "Perfect Har-
mony." It's amazing any artist with
such a demanding schedule has the
time to tour the country and per-
form - let alone at the ripe old age
of 60.
Performingis obviously still a top
priority in Haven's life. He began by
singing in gospel groups at 14 and
refined his talents in the early '60s
when he lived in Greenwich Village.
Thatbackground isreadily apparent
in his music. Havens has a soulful,
dark voice with lyrics celebrating
freedom and unity. Not to men-
tion that he's also a guitar player
extraordinaire, known for opening
every performance with an on-the-
fly instrumental intro in open D.
This makes The Ark, a staple
of the modern folk circuit, a per-
fect venue for Havens. It will be
refreshing to have Havens perform
Folk star Richie
Havens returns
to Ann Arbor.
at a place built on the foundation of
musical entertainment and, more
important, the celebration of folk:
music. T-"
Gain real world experience at
at Midin tfila
FRESHMEN!. SUMMER
SOPHOMORES!. AND FALL
JUNIORS! *
INTERNSHIPS!
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