Arts ©Entertainment
Thursday, October 13, 1994 Page 12
Maya Angelou to be
at Pershing tonight
By Joel Strauch
Senior Reporter
Author Maya Angelou, who was the poet
at President Clinton’s inauguration, is bring
ing her insights on life to Lincoln tonight at
the Pershing Auditorium.
The University Program Council is bring
ing Angelou to Lincoln.
James Buckley, the coordinator for cam
pus programs at the University of Ncbraska
Lincoln. said that Angelou happened to be
available and had never been to Lincoln be
fore.
These factors, combined with the fact that
Angelou is a prominent writer in our cul
ture, led to UPC’s selection of her for an
appearance, Buckley said.
“She was scheduled to appear here last
fall and was unable to come, so we’re very
excited to have rescheduled her for this year.'
he said.
There was a scare earlier this week that
Angelou might cancel her appearance in
Lincoln again this year.
A Ticketmastcr phone saleswoman said
that an Angelou cancellation was just a ru
mor.
“I know that she canceled in several other
cities — all outside of Nebraska — but that
doesn’t mean that she canceled her entire
tour.’’ the phone representative said.
“There was probably just a misunder
standing about that," she said.
While Angelou rose to prominence with
her autobiographical prose, her unique style
of poetry has earned her a great deal of re
nown recently, especially with the popular
response that her inaugural poem received.
Alpana Knippling. a University of Nc
braska-Lincoln English professor, said. “1
think she is one of the most significant Af
rican-American woman poets today.
“Her inaugural poem is terrific. It extends
her concerns to all of America.
“The fact that she was asked to do the
inaugural poem shows how the African
American experience has really arrived in
the public domain.
“She shows us that you cannot read
“She deals with celebrating
womanhood in a time when
violence against women is on
the rise. ”
■
ALPANA KNIPPLING
UNL English professor
American history without or outside of Af
rican culture, history and literature."
In addition to presenting African-Ameri
can culture, Angelou's literature also advo
cates taking pride in being a woman.
“She deals with celebrating womanhood
in a time when violence against women is
on the rise,” Knippling said.
Angclou differs from other contemporary
poets because of her personal interjection
into society.
“She has moved into public culture as
opposed to the traditional ‘ivory tower’ of
poets,” Knippling said. “She deals directly
with social issues.”
Angelou's diverse array of professions
and abilities put her in high demand for ven
ues around the nation.
Buckley said, “One of the main reasons
that UPC was interested in her is because
she is a poet, writer, philosopher and educa
tor.
“She blends a lot of talents together.”
Cheryl Canty, the office manager for
Angelou's agency. Lordly & Dame, said
Angelou put a little bit of everything into
her performances.
“She does whatever the spirit moves in
her,” she said.
Angclou gives about 75 to 100 speeches
a year. Canty said crowd response always
was positive and the appearances always
were sold out.
Angclou is best known for her autobio
graphical works, including “I Know Why the
Caged Bird Sings,” an account of her child
Neubert curates national exhibit
By Paula Lav I grw
Senior Reporter
President Bill Clinton and his
family met with two University of
Ncbraska-Lincoln officials last
weekend, but they didn't discuss
education or health care.
They discussed art.
First lady Hillary Clinton hon
ored George Neubert. the director
of the Sheldon Memorial Art Gal
lery and Sculpture Garden, during
a Tuesday reception at the White
House.
Neubert curated a sculpture ex
hibit for the Jacqueline Kennedy
Onassis First Lady’s Garden, lo
cated on the White House Lawn.
More than 6 million people will
visit the exhibit in the next six
months.
“Statues into Sculpture” fea
tures 12 sculptures, two of which
are from the Sheldon Sculpture
Garden.
Neubert said the Clintons ex
pressed their gratitude for his
work.
“Hillary said that sculpture was
among one of her favorite art forms
of expression,” Neubert said. “She
said the first date she and Bill had
at Yale was at an art gallery.”
Neubert said he admired the
presidential family and was hon
ored by the opportunity to present
an exhibit at the White House.
“It was quite gratifying to see just how well
known and how well regarded we ivere. ”
■
GRAHAM SPANIER
UNL chancellor
UNL Chancellor Graham
Spanier also attended the recep
tion.
“George Neubert was certainly
a hero at the White House,” the
chancellor said.
The reception included repre
sentatives from museums, educa
tional institutions, the National
Endowment for the Arts and the
White House Historical Commis
sion.
“I was very proud of George
Neubert and the university during
(Clinton's) presentation,” Spanier
said.
Spanier said it was wonderful
to see how national art leaders re
spected Neubert and the Sheldon
collection.
“It was quite gratifying to see
just how well known and how well
regarded we were,” he said.
Neubert said the exhibit broad
ened the Sheldon Gallery’s cred
ibility within the museum profes
sion and the general public.
He said an article in The Wash
ington Post mentioned the exhibit
and tied it to UNL. If someone on
the cast coast secs that article,
Neubert said they might be sur
prised that Nebraska had such a
great art collection.
The director said that notoriety
also helped when trying to raise
funds outside of Nebraska.
Neubert was chosen by a White
House committee directed by J.
Carter Brown, a former member of
the Association of Art Museum
Directors in America.
After visiting the physical
grounds, Neubert said he chose the
works based on the first lady’s ob
jectives and goals, his own speci
fications and space limitations.
The works represented the pro
gression of American sculptures in
the 2()th century. Half of the works
were created by living and work
ing artists.
See NEUBERTon 14
Court My of Lordly & Dam*
Maya Angolou, who road hor pootry at Prosldont Clinton’s Inaugural ‘
address, will bo at tho Porshlng Auditorium tonight at 7:10.
hood growing up in Stamps. Ark., and the —————
various events that affected her life.
“The title should tell readers a lot,”
Knippling said. “It shows that even though Event: Maya Angclou
we live in the midst of haired and violence,
we need to celebrate cultural difference. At: Pershing Auditorium
“It's interesting that we live in this con- Tjmc; 7 3() (onight
tradictory moment where one thing like the
beating of (Francisco) Renteria comes right Tickets: $10. $5 for UNL students;
before a significant event such as Maya available through Tickctmastcr
Angclou coming to speak.” ---
-1- ‘ I
American theater
split by art, money,
visiting artist says
By Paula Lavlgif _
Senior Reporter
As American theater broke
from its British roots in the late
19th century, its history expanded
and confronted two opposing ide
als — art and money.
Visiting artist Todd London
has tried to capture this history
in a five-episode documentary for
a Public Broadcasting Service
station in New York City.
London will be at the Univer
sity of Nebraska-Lincoln until
Friday, when he will give a free
?ublic lecture at 1:30 p.m. in the
cmple Building
His appearance is part of the
Artist-in-Rcsidcnce program
sponsored by the College of Fine
and Performing Arts.
Until this summer, London
was an assistant professor of
drama at New York University’s
Tisch School of the Arts. He was
also the former managing editor
of American Theatre magazine
and is the author of a book, “The
Artistic Home.”
He will serve as literary dircc
*
tor of the American Repertory
Theatre and visiting lecturer of
dramatic arts at Harvard Univer
sity next spring
Although his documentary
won't be finished for another two
years, London said he was trying
to address social issues instead of
just portraying live performances
“The history of American the
ater is the history embedded in
America itself," London said.
As soon as theater in America
shed its British roots and took on
an identity of its own, play
wrights started to struggle with
capturing the American dream,
London said.
“We created a country from
people who all came from some
where else," he said. “Plays ex
plored in characters what are the
pluses and minuses, the problems
and achievements, of the Ameri
can dream — the dream of inde
pendence and liberty and
money.”
The American dream pre
sented a conflict between
See LONDON on 14