6A - Monday, January 23, 2012

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

fiA - Monday, January 23, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

Context adds to experiencing art

While I was home in
Cincinnati during
our all-too-short
winter break, I had the opportu-
nity to see Tchaikovsky's "The
Nutcracker."
Of course,
being in
Cincinnati
means you
don't go just
anywhere to
see a perfor-
mance - you LAUREN
take atrip to CASERTA
the sleek and
luxurious
Aronoff Center.
Going to a show at this mas-
sive space is an evening-long
affair. You must first drive to the
heart of downtown Cincinnati,
park a few blocks away and take
a vibrant nighttime walk past
the lights, sights and sounds that
make up the soul of the Queen
City. After passing through the
venue's glass doors, up its marble
staircase and around its wind-
ing hallways, you finally emerge
in the magnificent performance
gallery known as Proctor &
Gamble Hall.
As I snuggled deeper into my
plush red seat while watching
my fellow patrons awkwardly
shuffle into theirs, I anticipated
what would come next: Soon,
all 2,719 spaces would be filled.
Next would come the magical,
collective hush that accompanies
the dimming of the lights. The
pause between darkness falling
and the beginning of the show
would hang over all of us, unit-
ing a roomful of strangers into

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ence - the audience. before.
ae to see the show - to see The atmosphere, the archi-
t would it have been the tecture, the social prompts (how
ithout the elements that close should you stand to that
p the whole experience? Monet?) - all of these aspects
tic context has always craft an artistic display, provid-
hought-provoking topic ing the cues that tell you you're
and it's come up more looking at something that's
re frequently in the art meant to be meaningful. The
nity over the past few solemn design of a museum, the
or a long time, it lurked velvet ropes and Plexiglas sepa-
essed in the shadows of rating you from its treasures,
ic conversation - until a even the day-long museum pass
ist (of all people!) decided you paid for make you feel as
to the test. though you're looking at some-
amous 2007 experi- thingspecial.
Vashington Post writer It's the absence of this deli-
eingarten asked world- cately constructed atmosphere
ed violinist Joshua Bell that would probably prevent you
trm anonymously in from giving an unframed Van
lothes in a Washington Goyen landscape a second glance
fway. After 43 minutes if you saw it hanging in your
iously difficult pieces dentist's office next to a sleepy
an a $3.5 million dollar receptionist.
tent, 1,097 people passed of course, context is more
d barely a handful of peo- crucial to some pieces than oth-
slowed down to listen. ers. Even seasoned art critics
would probably not recognize
the importance of Kazimir Mal-
is not made evich's "Black Square" if it was
hanging ina Starbucks or lurk-
r a vaCUUni. ing in the bargain bin of a Pier
r c1 Imports. Physically, it's - you
guessed it - a square piece of
canvas covered with black paint.
d I have stopped to But it is physical and historical
Would you have thrown context that brings it to life: A
guy who's played in more look at its juxtaposition against
:ss venues than most peo- the white museum walls tells you
ld expect to visit in their that the bold but isolating vibes
- your pocket change? I you're getting are intentional. A
e'll never know for sure. glance at his other pieces hang-
thing I do know is that ing nearby tells you it was part of
plays a much bigger role an intentionally geometric series
ciating a piece of art of works. A quick look at the
ever consciously realized plaque tells you it was painted by

a Russian on the eve of the Octo-
ber Revolution.
It's the presence of these ele-
ments that transforms Malev-
ich's "Black Square" into more
than the sum of its intention-
ally simplistic parts. It can now
be envisioned in context as an
expression of despair, a visionary
leap into Suprematism, a pre-
revolutionary break with Rus-
sia's ornate and imperial past.
It's the surrounding context that
brings the canvas to life.
Art isn't a singular visual or
auditory piece; it's a carefully
crafted experience in which the
construction of an environment
to support that art is often just
as important as the art atits cen-
ter. The hustle and bustle of our
daily lives can sometimes drown
the extraordinary in the ordi-
nary, allowing us to gloss over
beauty or talent without a frame
in which to see them.
So enjoy the show - the entire
show - from the time you pick
out your dress shirt and put on
your heels, to the time you spend
goggling ata theater's intricately
painted ceiling, to the time you
spend raving to your fellows
about your favorite actress on
the car ride back home.
Because there's no denying
that art should be insightful,
inspirational and thought-
provoking atits core. But some-
times, picking the right pedestal
is just as important as the statue
you place on top.
Caserta is recreating 'The
Nutcracker' in her room. To help,
e-mail caserta@umich.edu.

Wandering
Nye in A2

Zell program brings
lauded poet to
present at the 'U'
By DHRUV MADEKA
Daily Arts Writer
"Poetry (is) more necessary
than ever as a fire to light our
tongues," writes Naomi Shi-
hab Nye in

her book
of select-
ed poems,
"Salting the
Ocean -
100 Poems
by Young
Poets."
Often
regarded as
a voice of
Arab-Amer-
ican culture,
Naomi Nye

Zell
Distinguished
Poet in
Residence
Naomi Shihab
Nye: Poetry
Reading
Tonight at 7 p.m.
UMMA, The Apse
Free

said Megan Levad, assistant
director of the MFA program
at the 'U.' "Her work has such
reach, because she writes so
broadly, and also reaches to a
wide audience."
She added, "It's exciting to
bring in somebody who will
bring together a lot of different
audiences ... not just university
students and faculty, (but also)
community members and peo-
ple driving in from around the
area."
Nye has often spoken up
for Arab-American culture,
expressing indignation at preju-
dice through her work.
"I think (Nye's writing is)
ideal for the University of Mich-
igan," said Levad, who runs
the Zell Visiting Writer Series.
"I think it ... perfectly reflects
the sort of bridging of cultural
backgrounds that happens when
people come together for edifi-
cation and inspiration."
Nye's poetry has often been
lauded: She has received numer-
ous awards, including the Acad-
emy of American Poets' Lavan
Award, the Carity Randall Prize,
as well as four Pushcart Prizes.
She has been recognized as a
Lannan Fellow, a Witter Bynner
Fellow and a Guggenheim Fel-
low, and served as chancellor at
the Academy of American Poets.
"Formally (her writing)
is fairly simple," Levad said.
"People don't feel like they need
to have some long experience
in poetry to understand and
enjoy her work. If you read it
more closely ... it will continue
to reveal to you the depth of its
intelligence."
Nye will take part in three
main events this week. Tonight,
she will lead a poetry reading in
the Museum Apse at the Univer-
sityof Michigan Museum of Art.
See NAOMI NYE, Page 7A

is the new-
est participant in the historical
Zell Visiting Writers traditionat
the 'U.'
Born in St. Louis, Mo., Nye
grew up in a variety of locations
around the world, which may be
part of the reason she chooses to
refer to herself as a "wandering
poet." She has traveled around
the world three times for the
United States Information
Agency, promoting goodwill
through the use of art.
She is the author or co-editor
of 25 books including "19 Vari-
eties of Gazelle: Poems of the
Middle East," "Words Under
the Words," "Fuel," and "You
& Yours" - a 2006 best-seller.
Additionally, she is awaiting
the release of two new books:
"There Is No Long Distance
Now" and "Transfer."
"She's someone who has had a
pretty long and vibrant career,"

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RELEASE DATE- Monday, January 23, 2012
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J


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