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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 1994)
Nebraskan Tuesday, April 26,1994 ArtswEntertainment Sheldon’s expansion will help image By Paula Lavigne Senior Reporter__~_ When the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden was designed by architect Philip Johnson in the 1960s, no one knew the vital role it would play in the future. Th is is why an expans ion plan over 10 years in the making was designed to make the gallery a social gathering area and research facility and more than a place to view art. Gallery director, George Ncubcrt, said when he was hired in 1983, ex pansion plans were imminent. “If the Sheldon gallery is going to function and be a vital part of this community, the expansion is criti cal,” he said. In 1980, the NU Board of Regents and the Nebraska Arts Association determined the building needed to be expanded to reflect its changing role in the university and the community, he said. Politics, other priorities and a lack funding stalled the expansion plans. “If wc were crowded in 1980,” Ncubcrt said, “I don’t know what the word is to describe us now because the collection has grown in the ten years -44— If the Sheldon gallery is going to function and be a vital part of this community, the expansion is critical. — Neubert Sheldon director plus since I’ve been director.” Of the 12,000 works the Sheldon holds, only 1,000 will fit in the avail able display area. "It's like an iceberg. What you sec on top, there’s much below,” Ncubcrt said. In any great museum, he said, this is typical. However, the situation at Sheldon has reached extremes. Help may not be too far off. The University of Nebraska Foun dation, the fund-raising arm of the university, has included the Sheldon expansion i n its proposed capital cam paign to raise private funds for the university. The foundation hired a Chicago firm to evaluate the building to sec ¥ ¥ what could feasibly be done to expand it. A scale model, designed by mu scumexpansion experts John Hillberry and Associates of Detroit, sits in the gallery lobby. Neubert said the expansion would take place mainly underground, with minimal impact on the existing sculp ture garden. The Mary Riepma Ross Film The ater will move out of the gallery and intoancwlyconstruc ted building north ofthe complex, so the existing audito rium can be used for Sheldon func tions. A library, cafe and “Untergarlcn” (sunken garden) will be added, which Neubert said he hoped would attract a broader aud iencc, i ncl ud i ng more stu dents. “It will become a center or gather ing place for people and not just a museum, and that w ill be a real asset,” he said. The expansion would reflect a “three-pronged” ideal featuring a greater area for exhibits, a resource library and larger, important special exhibits, he said. These special exhibits would re quire an admission charge to generate additional revenue for the gallery, Ncubert said, while general admis sion would remain at no cost. Funding for the expansion would originate from private donors and or ganizations, Ncubert said. The expansion plans should get underway within the next five years, he said. However, no final date has been set. “In many ways, the Sheldon is considered one of the finest small museums in America and certainly one of the top five university campus museums as it is now. “With expanded fac il i lies, i t would be more respected because of its ser vices and resources,” Ncubert said. Dylan draws in fans Legend to appear on stage at Lied Once an outsider, now a legend, lyrical mastermind Bob Dylan con tinues to inspire musicians around the globe on his never-ending tour of wit, insight and raw power. Already in his early 50s, this folk hero has packed crowds since his New York Greenwich Village debut in the early ’60s. He’ll be performing to a Lincoln crowd at the Lied Center Wednesday night. Although lauded with praise from all comers of the musical world, a shy, almost reclusive, Dylan avoids public contact and interviews by dodging the media glare. This doesn’t stop his fans, though, as his concerts keep selling out wherever he goes. With every passi ng year, a new general ion picks up the tunes of “Mr. Tambourine Man.” An increasing number of Dylan fans weren’t even bom before the majority of his albums were re leased. Jason Palalus, freshman music major, is part of the ever-growing college listeners of Dylan’s time less music. When he was little, Palatus’ father would play Dylan’s songs on his guitar, he said. “He’d sit there and just play and sing, and he couldn’t sing, so he sounded like Bob Dylan,’’ Palatus said. Palatus, a saxophonist and gui tarist, said that when his interest in music grew, he started playing Dylan’s songs too. “Bob Dylan, to me, is more than a musician,” he said. “He’smore of a poet. His songs have a lot of expression and meaning.” Dylan’s lyrics, no matter when they were written, relay messages that are still true today. “The song *A Hard Rain’s Go ing to Fall’ talks about racial preju dice and people needing to get along,” Palatus said—a bel icf that still holds true. “He really plays simple chords on his guitar and simple licks on his harmonica, so his music capti vates the world with his lyrics,” he said. Toomanypcoplc arecasily ready to criticize and mock Dylan’s mu sic, he said, because they are un willing to understand it. “His messages arc really deep and once you start understanding what his songs are really about, you can get into the songs because you’11 know what he’s saying,” Palatus said. Dylan will be on stage at the Lied Center Wednesday night at 8 p.m. Tickets are $24. — Paula Lavigne Jacobo art on display By Joel Strauch * * Senior Reporter _w9 Photographer David Jacobois find ing his religion in his Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition displayed in Richards Hall. His work is entitled “Finding My Religion” and is sort of a result of a struggle between religion, magic and the scientific method, Jacobo said. Jacobo attempts to illustrate his religious interpretation of the world in a symbolic,21 -photograph display. “The notion ol using photography to further explore ideas concerning the spirituality of my own life was a logical extension,” he said. “After all, the photographic process was born of science, while at the same time be lieved by many to possess the ability of capturing the souls of those photo graphed.” The black and white photos are pictures of very concrete images but have many abstract representations. The symbolism ranges from solidly Christian to the earth-worshipping of other religions. “Photography’s tendency to quote outof context combined with its seem ingly realistic descriptions is an im portant aspect of my work,” Jacobo said. “When I see someone interacting with the world in a ritualistic manner, I may take a photograph. It is not important to me if a ritual was actu ally taking place.” Jacobo has not always been this interested in photography as art. “It started out as just a documenta tion of my travcls,”1ic said. “Later, I Photography’s tendency to quote out of context combined with its seemingly realistic descriptions is an important aspect of my work. —Jacobo photographer -ff - began photographing a lot and then started studying it in school.” Jacobo’solher school interests have affected his photography. “I was studying anthropology and pre-Columbian art, and both of these have influenced my work. “I am particularly interested in re ligious art of the past, especially sha manism, the religion of the hunter/ gatherers ” he said. Jacobo’s ideas about photography are not completely grounded in reli gion or science. “I do not wish to explain photo graphs in terms of the scientific method; I wish to interpret them as realities inand of themselves,” Jacobo said. “Finding My Religion” will be on display through Friday, April 29 in the Gallery of the Department of Art and Art History in Richards Hall, Room 102. BOOK REVIEWS “Nigbt Relics” James P. Blaylock Ace Science Fiction The cover blurb calls this “a ghost story,” a departure for James P. Blaylock, an English professor at Cal Fullerton who has authored several previous fantasy works. ‘‘Night Rel ics” is not splatter-horror, a la Stephen King. It is a more low-key effort and therein may lie one of its problems. The story centers onJ*eter Travers, recently divorced and dating again, who owns a cabin in a remote canyon. Travers becomes haunted by mysteri ous voices in the wind at night and begins seeing a woman dressed in out of-slylc clothes (who reminds him of his ex-wife) at night. Other neighbors begin seeing the same things. Blaylock weighs down the story unnecessarily with a side excursion withan obsessive window-peeper who becomes infatuated with Travers’ girl friend. The peeping Tom is involved in a shady real-estate deal with one of Travers' neighbors and resorts to some excessive means to try to force out other cabin owners. Travers’ ex-wife and son disap pear at the beginning of the book, and we never do find out what happens to them, a glaring (law. Blaylock brings “Night Relies” to its climax with half imagined images of them, along with ghostly players in a long-ago tragedy. The end result is not scary but rather confusing. Maybe some King-style gore would have improved it. The story itself meanders, veering off into side alleys, and the book ends with a whimper, not a bang. Not even the blurb by Dean Koontz on the cover (“A first-rate atmospheric talc of the supernatural”) can save this one. — Sam Kep field “Life After God” Douglas Coupland Pocket Books Douglas Coupland sheds the hu mor ofnis two earlier novels in his newest work, “Life After God.” The book is a collection of eight stories that all share a common thread: Where and what is the role of God in our modem world? The book is small and illustrated with simple drawings by Coupland. The design of the book makes it more intimate for the reader and the simple style of writing makes it seem as if Coupland were actually right there. The stories range from a man driv ing with his daughter to broken rela tionships to« man searching for his missing sister. They are all simple and powerful. Coupland’s strength as a writer lies within his ability to make them all seem real with minimum description.-— And the other nice thing is that nothing really happens in these sto ries; nothing is resolved. This just adds more power and realism to the writing. Often in commercial writing everything ends all nice and neat. But not here. These stories thrive on the ordi nary and the fact that 1 ifc. for the most part, really sucks. Being lonely, bored and empty al 1 play a part in the stories. And although it is never mentioned, the idea that these people arc all mis erable because they arc without reli gion is present throughout. My onlycomplaint is that Coupland has begun reading portions of the stories on MTV’s “Plug In” commer cials, which seem to make light of this powerful and beautiful book. — William Harms Beyond Books A Guide to this Week’s Entertainment Bands/Bars Tues, - The Hurricane: The Beef Curtains with Rosebud Royal Grove: Sing Sing Zoo Bar: Blues & Boogie Express Wed. - Duffy’s: Antiseen with Cocknoose The Hurricane: Sinister Dane with Dollface Royal Grove: Sing Sing Speak easy Lounge: Alibi Yia Yia’s Pizza: Justice League of the Blues Zoo Bar: Too Smooth Thurs. - Duggan’s Pub: Sean Benjamin The Hurricane: Go Kart with The Stranded Lads Morgan’s Upstairs: Out of Nowhere Ninth Street Blues: open stage jam, The Gypsies Royal Grove: Sing Sing Speak easy Lounge: Alibi Zoo Bar: Baby Jason & The Spankers, The Daily Blues, The Beste Bros. Fri. - Duggan's Pub: Cryin’ Heart The Hurricane: Matt Wilson & The Planetmakers with The Hang Ups Knickerbockers: Lowlife with Rosebud Morgan's Upstairs: Lost & Found Ninth Street Blues: TheWrex Royal Grove: Sing Sing Speakeasy Lounge: Alibi Zoo Bar. The Bel-Airs Sat. - Duggan s Pub: Cryin’ Heart The Hurricane: Cher U.K. with Pamper the Madman Knickerbockers: Blue Moun tain with The Sissies Morgan’s Upstairs: Blues & Boogie Woogie Express Ninth Street Blues: The Footprints Royal Grove: Sing Sing Speakeasy Lounge: Alibi Zoo Bar. The Bel-Airs Sun. - Duffy’s: The Rank Strangers The Hurricane: Floyd’s Funk Revival Laser Shows Fri. - Sat. - Pink Floyd at the Mueller Planetarium 7, 9 & 11p.m. Music Performances Thurs. - University Chamber Orchestra at Kimball Hall 3:30 p.m. FREE ADMISSION Shirley Irek and Robert Chumbley at The Carson The ater 8 p.m. FREE ADMIS SION Event of the Week Bob Dylan at the Lied Center Wed. 8 p.m. Compiled by Sean Me Carthy
