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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 1983)
Pegs 12 'Thursday, September 15, 1S33 Daily Ncbrsskan O ' mtei?'an33iiEiiif!!: A 11 Artist shed By Peter Schraitz , "Shock and dismay" are not nor mally the emotions an artist hopes to generate with his or her work, but that is how Rebecca Ross describes response to her work from people within and outside the art profession. Her art also has generated favorable reaction. Since 1979, when she entered UNL to study art, she has been awarded two scholarships. For the 1982-83 academic year she was one of four undergraduates to receive the Vreeland Award. This year she became the first recipient of the Shelly Arnold Waggoner Memorial Scholarship, an award which also is given to promising undergraduates who are art majors. Paintings and drawings by Ross have made the rounds in numerous exhibitions. Several of her works have been shown in conjunction with the Art League (a group organized by stu dents within the UNL art department) at the Nebraska and East unions. Last spring she participated in an exhibition for Women's Week at UNL. Her work also has been on dis play at the Village Art Gallery; Sunday school tiuzt While attending Sunday school, a. young Rebecca Ross was certain of what she wanted to be when she grew up after winning first prize for a tem pra painting. Because she thought that the piece was undone (there was an ample amount of space which she did not have time to fill in), the prize came as a surprise to her. Yet it was important for two reasons she said: Someone recognized her talent, and more importantly, she was taught to value her work, however unconven tional or unfinished it might appear. At 21, Ross has created a substantial traints;. paints -emotion r V U Ml I StsSf pheto by Dsva Lentx Rebecca Ross, working ca her latest Vdothes-line" artwork. body of work which bears her unique imprint in style and subject matter. Like any visionary painter, writer or filmmaker, she will re-work her themes and subject matters innumer ably. Her portfolio is thus replete with paintings and drawings of fetuses, clo theslines, ironing boards and skyscapes. Depending upon her theme and how long she has approached it, the style of Ross' work can.be romantic, abstract . or expressionistic. . But whatever movement or combination of move ments a single work may recall, one can usually count on her to paint on a large Canvas in broad and frequent strokes. Awars cf rules ' , The sources of Ross imagination stem from complex theoretical, emo tional and political concerns. Until she . studied at the university, art was a "free and easy", pursuit Higher educa tion nowever, had made her aware of rules of design, composition and manipulation of materials, she said. Initially this restrained her,j3ut later, the grammar of art gave her the ability and freedom to express matters cf, importance to her. Many of these concerns aware out of spontaneous flow of emotion, she said. "I may be walking around and I will see something and it will really nora me and I don't forget about it," Rcs3 said ... . "So that fa definitely one source, particularly with clothing. . "With the paintings of fetuses, I was just going through a time where I was aware of violent transition and I was longing for the security of the wemb. ; And I ended up making these series cf fetuses progressing through violent transition." Feminism is also foundation for hear art, she said. This philosophy supports her notion that subject matters such as clotheslines and ironing boards, objects known mainly by women, are "acceptable themes for high art." Feminism In perfective Ross is not hesitant to clarify the importance of placing feminism within a proper perspective in relation to her work. She says that "it's easy to be tempted to use feminism as a crutch as far as finding subject matter, as far as finding a reason to do something ... I want to show more respect for it than to jump on a bandwagon." Most of Ros3 pointings and draw ings are characterized by what our culture would deem "feminine con cerns." But her style gives her work a transcendent quality that gac3 beyond gender distinction. And because of her unique way of representing an object, viewers cannot help but abandon socially-conditioned responses to seemingly unimportant things as laundry. Her work with the fetuses has done much to reveal the frightening beginnings of the human experience which encompass unknown mysteries which may be found somewhere betveen the clothesline and the After graduation, Ross plans to attend graduate school outside of Nebraska. Upon completion of her studies she hopc3 to teach at a college or to become affiliated with an art ,r On Sept. 25, Rcss and 19 ether arti:ts will be presenting and market ing their work (which includes gl3, ceramics, paintings, photographs, prints and sculpture) in an exhibition titled "Emerging Artists" to be at 3710 an important Fcloom, between 1 p.m. and 7:C0 pjn. R.EM, 's 'Murmur 1 full of 'thoughtful music ' . Llumur . - . HIS Records IHJ5. Records may have hit the cash on the regis ter when it gave the go ahead to another Athens, Ga., fun club, R.E1L The band has proved its worth lately with the entrance of it's debut LP, IZurrr.ur, into the Top 30. But should one be so quick to call R.E.I.L another of I.ILS.'s "dance bands?" One open-minded listen to M urmur gives an idea of what RiU.il. is trying to say and it has nothing to do with rapid eye movement. ' Careful evaluation of RE.ii's music reveals inspi ration from the best of American rock V rc!L If one ' . characteristic of ILE.iL can be given as a to their overall sound, it would have to be the blending cf guitars with a lead vocal that pushes every eong along to success. The band breaks down to a group cf four individ uals who seem to be serious about what they're doing. This is no high school band, Brad and Huffy, '. Lead guitarist Pete Buck provides most cf the fun . . with a sound that cfTers direction as well as fine tuned intricacy. Ditto for bass whiz llika Hills. BUI Berry offers some fine percussion effects, and many times fa up against the rhythm cf bad vocalist ' Michael Ciipe. Uipe's vocals never overshadow the instrumentation, largely due to steady production. Technical consideration aside, the band has done : well, to say the boot, for a first-album ebrt The debut single "Radio Free Europe" . stands above rzzr.y cf the ser.gi with its steady guitar mix and cr'; cn:ntcsd boot. cr.o :V : c :cl::: cf Cto's vocal rt:::t::3 j r " j ; m ill : , . f ' j i .-. " i v - ' I j ....... 1 1 J mmm.mnim I I f mhmmi 7 U V. ; C i i -- r I mm$masmm 9m r - i - . p r ST: ; "2 : 1:273 a cemt-"d cf th2 i 0 IV - if f f n . t! 2 L:r,J dcr;:it rrclu to cr i th2 r. :t m ::i r.I.o c: id in Best of the English Beat is excellent compilation Arista Fcst (UH) Two members of the English Beat, Dave VaksIlng ' and Ranking Roger departed this summer, leaving' the Beat with no lead vocaliots. There fant a better time to come out with an album compiled cf songs from the Beat's three previous albums. - IVtzt is Best? contains material from their three and a half years together. The 14 songs cn this album are basically the best cf the Beat And the Cong 3 ran -e frcm the group's Erst b!g hit with the remain of "Tears cf a Clown" to songs cH cf last "Illrrcr in the Bathroom" has a uniquely Beat sound, with lots cf saxophone. "Ackee 1-2-3" has a throughly Jamaican feel it even has children as baclground vocalists. "Rankin Full Ctcp" fa probably the reason why the Beat named their label Go Feet This cut really docs movefest. There are the fun refae songs H!:e "Ctar.d Dcvn llargaret" and "flares 0 J. . . Che's !.I;r.e" cr the more serious se-undlr.g songs such as "Can't Get II:: J To Losing You," but z3 cf the cuts have a certain bounce and an undrrljing excitement that the Beat were doing what they wanted to do. " This isnt ju:t another sla dance album either. This fa tli3 ska dance album and is perfect for those who have heard little or nothing cf the group and for these who want to complete their Beat collection. No, they're not breaking up. In fact, almost ri'ht - after 7a!:dir.g and Hog-r 1:2, the rcrt cf the brnd start: J looldr.g for rcl::ec:r.ent3. V:' :;rg r- j Rc-:r have forced a r.sv grc-p c:!!:,l C:z:r: Tho Eritl:h vcrrlsn cf the rlbumc'ro-! 3 H r record ztzzzx It L-.iludas a free t:iz: ci czizzEi 4 . rcr::o el: at: cfth2C..;..Ii::: . ... . ' , - - - -.-." a !.' :r rr.:2 t:- t: i t: