4B - Thursday, November 15, 2007

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

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DIA renovated: from the ground up

From page 1B
were traveling through Italy them-
selves, relating to an historical
experience once considered essen-
tial to European students and art
enthusiasts.
Other welcome changes to famil-
iar galleries hinge on a connection
between the historical and the con-
temporary. Traditional works of
art are now flanked by photographs
providing a geographical reference
point for their place of origin as
well as an in-depth focus on con-
temporary art-making processes.
In the Native American gallery,
a three-minute video shows how
Pueblo pottery is still made using
traditional techniques; masks from
the mid-1900s hang alongside 19th-
century masks to show a continua-
tion of the art form.
In the decorative arts gallery,
new "high-tech" elements demon-
strate a similar concept but with a
sleeker package. Where silver and
china collections are on display, a
tabletop becomesthe focal point for
a video projection streaming imag-
es of a full four-course meal. With
the push of a button, costumed
hands appear and begin smoothing
the tablecloth, meticulously lining
up the centerpiece and place set-
tings. As each new course is served,
the murmur of dinner conversa-
tion is audible in the background,
and the viewer has the sensation
of actually sitting down to a meal
in 19th-century Europe. It's almost
impossible to pull away from the
spectacle. Seemingly useless arti-
facts are on display in their original
contexts, and royal life comes alive
in a waythat window displays can't
begin to evoke.
The DIA's proactive approach
also bled into its internal struc-
ture with the newly instated Afri-
can-American art department, an
endeavor Beal hoped would attract
the local Detroit community and

The DIA, remade in its own image.
publicize the museum's stance on
multiculturalism. Still, there were
reservations: Many contemporary
African-American artists specifi-
cally don't want to be labeled as
African-American, and the deliber-
ate segregation of artwork has been
criticized for further emphasizing
racial divides.
But Beal said special exhibits and
occasional programs are simply not
enough to prove that the museum
is dedicated to the issue.
"It's one very specific area of
being serious about being inclu-
sive, and being open to everyone,"
Beal said. "It's odd because you're
being exclusive in a way, but it's an
important message here."
The majority of visitors hail
from the metro Detroitarea, mostly
from Wayne and Oakland counties.
The museum's elitist atmosphere
often failed to consider the inclu-
sion of all visitors and had little to
distinguish itself as an institution
where everyone could come "for
solace and to look at what's good
with humanity."
The real challenge to recent
improvements will likely be two-
fold: maintaining the momentum
of excitement and local involve-
ment and increased financial

strain. Because Detroit doesn't
have the same appeal as a tourist
city, the DIA and other cultural
institutions need to make more of
an effort to attract visitors beyond
blockbuster exhibitions. But with
almost $8 million in.funding cuts
by the state and very little from the
city of Detroit, private donations
are integral to continuing the cur-
rent vision.
"Whether it's the Tate Gallery in
London or the Guggenheim in Bil-
bao, cultural institutions are great
attractors and great stabilizers,"
Beal said.
Though the museum will prob-
ably revert to business as usual in
the upcoming months, there's hope
thattherenovationwillhaveamore
lasting impact. While it may be the
more cynical view, it's unlikely the
DIA will be anything more than an
improved pocketofartisticadvance
unless the city begins to see more
money distributed among its many
assets.
The DIA's new slogan, "Let
yourself go," might be a little over
the top and perhaps unrealistically
optimistic, but the updated muse-
um is certainly a progressive turn-
ing point, one that willundoubtedly
speak for itself come opening day.

K ET

You really can't go wrong with "Rocky Horror."
Musical theater's sexy side


HORROR From page 1B
"Phantoms") first appear dressed
up as members of the audience
watching the film.
"The main characters are on the
movie screen, and they walk off of
it. It goes from movie to live stage,"
Whitley said. "The Phantoms
become part of the story them-
selves, too. They go from being a
viewer to being an active partici-
pant in the story."
In the spirit of the rock-and-
glamour style of "The Rocky Hor-
ror Show," the stage is engineered
to look like the setting for a rock
show. It boasts concert-like ambi-
ance, complete with bare scaf-
folding, exposed microphones and
speakers, low-hanging lights and a
live rock band.
Added musicalelementsenhance
the rock-show feel - the actors
sing deep and heartily, reminis-

cent of old-era rock'n'roll crooners.
The choreography seems in no way
sugary or sweet, but rather edgy
and sexy. The garb, in the spirit of
"Rocky Horror," is all camp and
glitter, something Keith Richards
would wear on a burlesque night.
Although the production stays
close to its old-school "Rocky Hor-
ror" feel, MUSKET's production
plays around with the traditional
formula. It's set in the 1950s (as
opposed to the 1970s), giving the
music a more doo-wop vibe; the
narrator is, according to Whitley,
no longer an Alfred Hitchcock-
style historian, but a "1950's des-
perate housewife - think Stepford
wives." There are also musical
numbers in Musket's stage produc-
tion not originally included in the
film release.
"If there are five flavors in the
movie, we want to give them a sixth
or a seventh," said Erica Ruff, the

show's producer and an LSA senior.
"I think that the 'Rocky Horror'
culture would like to embrace this
different take."
The atypical themes in the
"Rocky Horror Show" incorporate
MUSKET's attempt to connect the-
ater with the masses.
"For the last four years, Musket
has become a contemporary, edgy
musical theater outlet for this com-
munity. We've done 'Urinetown,'
we've done 'Assassins,' we've done
'Pippin' in a very different way, and
next semester we're doing'The Full
Monty' with full nudity," Ruff said.
"I think that Musket takes every
opportunity it can to reach out
and show the masses that musical
theater can be something excit-
ing," Whitley added. "In how many
productions do we hear 'slut,' see
naked people, have a real rock band
on stage and see guys in heels and
fishnets?"

FOUND
From page 1B
organization will manifest itself
in a carnival-like atmosphere
tomorrow. Rothbart will share
some favorite and recently found
items - some that have even been
found during this tour - while
his brother Peter performs songs
based on an eclectic mix of other
inspiring found items.
In a phone interview, Warren
promised to share some "secret"
secrets - the ones that are "just
too shocking" to go in the books
- as well as a personal secret,
which has been kept for 35 years
and acted as the driving force
behind PostSecret.
Both Warren and Rothbart
are often asked about the own-
ers of the secrets and found items
they publish. Does Rothbart ever
meet theims? Does Warren receive
updates? They had some anecdot-

al answers.
As he drove through Okla-
homa, Rothbart told me over the
phone about a new find brought
to his attention after a recent per-
formance. It was a piece of paper
with an illustrated picture and
personal ad. On it was his name,
some interests - he likes "oat-
meal and train stations"- and
his desire to meet a girl. Rather
than claiming extraordinary
good looks ("I'm no Brad Pitt," he
admitted), the ad described him
as more of a "biscuit" than a "stud
muffin."
While Rothbart and the finder
looked at the paper, they suddenly
noticed the "biscuit" himself in
the front row of the theater, wait-
ing for the next movie. Rothbart
struck up a conversation with the
stranger, who was both shocked
and pleasantly surprised to see
people were interested in his
homemade classified.
Warren offered a different type
of story, one that tactfully illus-
trates the cultural significance
of these unique art movements.
After a lecture at a college cam-
pus, one girl updated the audi-
ence on her secret. She had sent
in a card about anorexia and then
went on to make a T-shirt to pub-
licize statistics and symptoms of
the disease. She not only found
an accepting environment when
she wore the shirt to school, but

her friends and teachers asked for
shirts of their own.
Warren said he saw the story as
a touching display of one person's
courage,whichspread to the com-
munity and made it more "collec-
tively healthy." The postcards are
a tool for people to confront and
let go of long-held secrets simul-
taneously, and they can act as a
catalyst for community interac-
tion and growth.
FOUND and PostSecret are
two avenues into the lives of
strangers. They may be voyeuris-
tic, but, Rothbart said, "A certain
amount of voyeurism is healthy."
Our lives are spent in the midst of
strangers, and these two projects
- "kindred spirits," as Rothbart
called them - seek out points of
relation and connection. Who
knew how cathartic writing a
deeply held secret on a little post-
card and sending it off in the mail
could be? The size of Warren's
following proves the concept's
potency.
Take abreaktomorrowto expe-
rience what Warren promises
will be a "fun, poignant, sad and
happy" event. The stories exposed
via PostSecret and FOUND are
both anonymous and yet incred-
ibly public. Sometimes we need to
keep feelings and thoughts inside,
but other times it's important to
let it all out. That's what FOUND
vs. PostSecret is all about.

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