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Artist shares talents with Lincoln
By Liza Holtmeier
Staff writer
Gaudy plastic flowers and red roosters - for
Maria Tyniec, they’re the stuff of which great art is
made.
Tyniec, a Polish fiber artist featured in
“Different Voices: New Art from Poland” at the
Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, uses the above ele
ments to elevate popular culture to the level of fme
art.
Today, she begins a two-week residency in
Lincoln to help young artists do the same.
“I believe there is not one kind of beauty,”
Tyniec said. “It only depends on from which angle
you look at it. You can look at plastic roses from
one angle and say, ‘Look! Beautiful!”’
While in Lincoln, Tyniec will participate in
two residency projects: one with Everett
Elementary School and one with the Indian
Center, which is dedicated to helping families
through job aid and child-care programs.
Graduate students from the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Textiles,
Clothing and Design will assist her on both pro
jects.
At Everett, Tyniec will help sixth-graders
compose a “carpet” of interlocking wooden
shapes. The students will embellish the shapes
with images from their own ethnic heritage.
Students at the Indian Center will work with
the same ancestral themes but will embellish pil
lows that Tyniec made in Poland.
“It’s like a trip to the past - to the roots - to find
what kind of symbols or signs can describe their
background,” Tyniec said.
Nora Lorraine, the art specialist at Everett,
said the diverse ethnic background of the Everett
students lends itself well to the project’s theme.
“I think it will help them know more about
their own family and their own background,”
Lorraine said.
After the works are finished, they will be
exhibited at the Hillestad Textiles Gallery on East
Campus. The youths will attend a special opening
of the exhibit Dec. 3, the same night they attend
the closing of “Different Voices” at the Sheldon.
Tyniec’s focus on cultural roots during her res
idency coincides with the themes of her art.
“I think what makes the difference between
different regions of the world is local culture,”
Tyniec said. “Everything else we have in common,
thanks to the computer and the television.”
Therefore, Tyniec tries to celebrate images of
local culture through her own work. She hopes to
kindle a rebirth in Polish folk art, which she feels
has become too commercial.
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Scott McClurg/DN
IN FRONT OF A DISPLAY featurinp her own work from Poland, Maria Tyniec has joined her art
work at UNL to serve as a resident artist for the department of textiles, clothing and design.
“Difference is not something to be ashamed
of,” Tyniec said, “It’s something to be proud of, not
in a national way, but by having a feeling of being
well-rooted in the ground we come from”
Wendy Weiss, an associate professor of tex
tiles, clothing and design at UNL, said Tyniec uses
bright colors and recognizable images to celebrate
her cultural heritage.
“Her works are very playful. You could call
them exuberant,” said Weiss, who organized the
“Different Voices” exhibit at the Sheldon.
Weiss said Tyniec’s pieces provide a striking
contrast to some of the other works in the show,
which tend to be more somber and meditative.
Because of her views on the importance of
cultural differences, Tyniec disagrees with the
many Europeans who fear the loss of local tradi
tions. As the economy becomes more globalized
and more goods and people cross borders, Tyniec
said, people worry about the dilution of their cul
tures.
But Tyniec believes that even if borders
between countries cease to exist, local cultures
will retain their identities. Contact with other cul
tures can only increase our appreciation of the dif
ferences, she said.
Tyniec s trip to Nebraska represents an attempt
to compare Midwestern culture with her own.
“In Europe, we only see a small part of the cul
ture. It’s really necessary to come to America to
see it,” Tyniec said.
Tyniec hopes the experience will inspire her to
create a work based on American popular culture.
However, she said, she is more interested in the
cultural exchange to take place between her and
the students.
“It’s not that important what we will do, but the
process that will happen between us,” she said.
"Trash’ uses motion
to portray its mood
By Jason Hardy
Senior staff writer
In the tradition of the big top, a
handful of UNL students are perform
ing this weekend without a net.
“Trash My Heart,” a show con
ceived and directed by University of
Nebraska-Lincoln theater students Jude
Hickey and Kerry Gallagher, is an orig
inal movement piece put together entire
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out the aid of tradi
tional theatrical
elements that most
consider essential,
such as scripts and
dialogue.
As co-director
of “Trash My
Heart,” Hickey
said the piece was a
fusion of different
movements and
dance elements
derived from a
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Gallagher’s emo
tions and experiences.
What it all means exactly is hard to
say.
“It’s not dance, and it’s not a play,”
Hickey said. “I guess it’s somewhere in
between.”
The performance’s movements
range from fast and jagged - compara
ble to marionettes - to slow and fluid.
Each motion transforms to illustrate a
different mood by using a number of
symbolic crescendos and styles.
Despite the somewhat vague direc
tion, Hickey said his intent was clear; to
convey a feeling of “hope for us humans
and our mistakes.”
By relying so heavily on something
as intangible and unstable as human
cinuuuns, me cast anu uireciurs were
forced to forge ahead without the aid of
dialogue, scripts or concrete character
features. The process brought up a num
ber of difficulties for both the directors
and the cast.
“As a director,” Hickey said, “I
know I’ve spent many a sleepless night
thinking about this show — how I get
(the cast) to interpret with their bodies’
emotion through movement. The words
come through the body and not the
muuui.
“It’s been a
very difficult
process, but I think
it’s well worth it.”
Because of the
piece’s relaxed
structure, “Trash
My Heart” under
went constant
change throughout
the many weeks of
rehearsal prior to
tonight’s show.
Hickey said the
in c i a hi o i p n i c
nature of the piece turned out to be ben
eficial to the end result. With each
change, the purpose of the show became
more apparent, and by the end, it was
manifested into a solid and fluid body of
work.
For the cast especially, the transfor
mation process wasn’t easy.
Cast member Courtney Shaw said
her character’s development was very
shaky because her movement partners
were continually changing, leaving her
character with a sort of split personality,
depending on who she Was reacting to.
“It’s like working’backwards, from a
play’s standpoint,” Shaw said. “I had to
wait until the entire show was choreo
graphed before I could really work on
my character.”
66
Its not dance and its
not a play. I guess
its somewhere in
between
Jude Hickey
co-director of “Trash my Heart”
Hickey said it took time for the cast,
which includes both directors, to
develop a cohesive style.
“I was nervous at first that it
wouldn’t come together,” he said. “I
think it finally does mesh, but there are
Dawn Dietrich/DN
(top)“TRASH MY HEART” cast members rehearse for tonight’s debut. The
play strays from the usual formulas of stage theater, using almost no dia
logue, no formal dance steps and working with only a loose outline for a
plot.
(left) DANCERS REHEARSE for “Trash My Heart,” a Theatrix production.
Created and directed by students Kerry Gallagher and Jude Hickey, the play
begins tonight and runs through Saturday.
still individual elements apparent,
which is good.”
Shaw said the combination of two
directors - Hickey, who has a strong
theatrical background, and Gallagher
who has a strong history in dance —
helped the cast become more in tune
with each other and the task at hand
“I think the contrast of directing ele
ments helped it feel together,” Shaw
said.
Both Shaw and Hickey agreed,
whether it is considered a dance produc
tion or a play, that “Trash My Heart” is a
unique view into the hearts of a handful
of students dedicated to the perfor
mance.
“It basically says, ‘This is who we
are as 12 individuals.’ We’re wearing our
hearts on our sleeves,” Hickey said, with
Shaw interjecting: “Trash it if you
want.”
“Trash My Heart” shows at 7:30
tonight in the studio theater of the UNL
Temple Building, 12th and R streets.
The 40-minute show is the latest of the
student-run Theatrix series and runs
through Saturday.