Culture
Center
misnamed
U3S
ooanson
Leroy Ramsey is UNL director of minority affairs.
The Department of Minority Affairs and the students who
worked so hard to bring the Cultural Center into being react
with shock and dismay that certain information was not
readily available when the Daily Nebraskan reported on the
Cultural Center. That bit of missing information caused the
center to be labeled Black Center.
No one denies the fact that the interest and concern of
Black students are focal points in the center. Likewise, no one
denies the fact that the students are black who have supplied
all of the work, interest and concern.
We do deny the idea that it is a black center. It is a cultural
center.
The concept out of which the Culture Center grew was
specifically designed to do away with those stereotyped
concepts that have been historically linked to the word
"black."
Since so many people have a reaction to the word "black,"
we'd like to know how many people have a similar reaction to
the word "culture." To be sure, there are those people who
will always swing from the rafters when anything black
appears in print. To those people, we say we're sorry that your
views are so narrow.
We are more concerned about those people who can react
to culture as something that is neither black nor white nor any
shade in between. And that's the way the Culture Center sees
it.
It is a cause for alarm and great concern when the efforts of
a group of dedicated, intelligent, organized students from this
University get together and plan an activity-only to have
implied sabotaging and innuendoes torpedo it before it is
launched simply because some information was missing.
The Culture Center, black notwithstanding, will help
provide social necessities currently lacking in this institution.
This is not a place where a group of black revolutionaries
would dedicate themselves to "hate Whitey" rhetoric that
serves as political fodder for narrow-basecj politicians. This is,
instead, an opportunity for a group of students at this
University to contribute meaningfully to University life., ;
This contribution will be in the form of programs and
activities designed to utilize student, University and
community resources as a means of emphasizing our cultural
heritage as well as modern-day activities.
Art supporters' efforts green Midwest culture
Daily Nebraskan fine arts writer Carolyn Hull is a
sophomore majoring in Theatre.
"... to afford the inhabitants of this state the
means of acquiring a thorough knowledge of the
various branches of Literature, Science, and the
Arts."
This is the mission of the University of Nebraska
as stated in the Charter Act of the Legislature of
Nebraska, Session of 1869. Over a hundred years ago
that body had the courage to make the Arts an equal
part of education, not only for students but for all
the state's inhabitants.
The sad fact is that not until recently has there
been a whole-hearted attempt to do so, to use the
existing arts to the fullest both on campus and in
making them available to the entire state.
This year has been a rebirth of the arts at the
University with evertfs increasing both in quantity
and quality. X
This fresh look at the arts has come about as a
result of a few peopleViot content to take just what is'
brought before themAwho have gone out on a limb
for1 everyone, in' an enfort to offer more of the arts
(both visual and performing) to all Nebraskans. t
Support they have received thus far has been
encouraging. FlesponsVLfrom events held last year,
such as a visit by trarpsichordist Igor Kipnis, has
brought about a mcpewxncerted effort to contract
more visiting artists.
Establishing the University as a known center for
the arts willbring about more and more interest in the
Midwest as a valuable experience for high caliber
artists.
This is what President D.B. Varner and others are
making long range plans for, while making a start by
inviting artists for concerts and rap sessions and
arranging residencies such as the recent Grant
Johannesen series.
Varner has time and time again lent personal
assistance and encouragement to those interested in
the arts. In approving establishment of the new
Cultural Affairs Committee he laid groundwork for a
channel that future events can be planned through.
His efforts brought about artists-in-residence of the
caliber of Zara Nelsova and Grant Johannesen.
Vaughn Jaenike's post as special assistant to the
president for the arts was created through Varner's
efforts.
The new Performing Arts series is a result of a trip
he made to New York. And, with the idea of bringing
art to the whole Midwest, he became formulator of
the Mid-America Arts Council which includes Kansas,
Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska.
Another man quite active in the arts is Bill Wallis,
president of the University Friends of the Arts
(UFA). As a performer in his own right he has the
lead role in the present university theatre production
of The Front Page and has appeared in numerous
plays and operas. As a Centennial College fellow he
has study groups in music theatre and modern drama
and will be directing Fantastiks!
staff -box
This list of the contributions of just two men and
there are others as active, only goes to show that if
Nebraska is the 'cultural wasteland of nothing-to-do'
as those on the coasts would have it, it is because
they haven't received enough support and their limb
has broken from underneath them. Their efforts can
be only as successful as students decide to make an
effort in return.
As the arts are a subjective experience, each person
having his own reaction to an event, feedback is very
important in determining what direction the arts will
take on this campus, and hopefully in the state as
resources expand.
This feedback can come in many forms. Simply
letting the oraanizers know how an artist is received
by finding one and talking to them is a good way, and
they are very open to student response. A few people
one might speak to are Bill Wallis, Ron Bowlin and
Nelson Potter of the University Friends of the Arts,
Vaughn Jaenike and Mrs. Joann Kimball, 305
Administration and Peter Milstein of the
Mid-American Arts Council in 308. Other suggestions
would be a favorite professor or a department
chairman, or the Nebraska Union Program Office.
Support by attendance at fine arts events is the
most obvious means of support. Numerous events are
scheduled regularly. School of Music professors are in
recital almost every Tuesday night according to John
Moran, director of the School of Music. Film fans
have a better choice than ever with the Foreign Film
Series, Weekend films, Special Films, and three new
multiple theatres opening, in addition to existing
ones. UFA and the Nebraska Union are sponsoring
several guest artists, the new Performing Arts series
and the Community Concert Association make fine
arts available. An active chamber music following
sponsors a fine series each year, with three top-rated
groups jryjthis year's season. Sheldon Art Gallery has
some especially fine shows this fall and the art shop"
has exhibVt'-salesVurihThg continuously. "
Once out of that room there are a number of
events happening, now, and attending them will help
cause more to happen. '
Right now, the main problem in scheduling more
events is, as with so many things, getting the money
to sponsor the events so they can be made free or
offered at reduced cost. Once again, support can be
shown by rearranging priorities that indicate the fine
arts are important to students by making personal
sacrifices and letting those with money available
know that the fine arts should have a higher priority
as to where money is spent.
This is an exciting year for arts at the university, at
a state-wide level and for the whole midwest. Efforts
made now are crucial in determining the course of the
arts, every bit of support that can be made at this
time will be greatly appreciated by those working
round-the-clock to bring the best of the fine arts into
this area.
Y rf Y
Y ' I LIGS I it
JTt w""1''11;' '. - - , - , --1 - t ,. M,m it-
thursday, October 12, 1972
daily nebraskan
page 5