Sheldon Art Gallery hires new director
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She brings new vision
Exhibits show two sides of art
Social issues and metaphorical issues examined
SHELDON
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BY KEN MORTON
This foil at the Sheldon Memorial Art
Gallery, one can wander through one hall
and enjoy re-creations of common every
day objects addressing metaphorical issues.
But one is advised not to get too relaxed
enjoying these pleasant works of art,
because in the next hall, visitors will be
slapped with an array of sexual images
addressing many different social issues.
TWo exhibitions coming to the Sheldon
next month will bring two very different
styles of art into the spotlight.
Conrad Bakker’s exhibit, “Art and
Objecthood,” is made up of pieces - con
structed by Bakker - of everyday objects
that Bakker has altered in some way.
The other exhibit, “The JAM Portfolio,”
by S. day Wilson and John Gierlich, displays
a series of frames from the “underground
comics” which emerged on the West Coast
inthelate-’60s.
Bakker’s exhibit includes objects such as
nose hair dippers, a lawn mower, a race car
track and a life jacket
Instead of simply re-creating these
everyday articles, Bakker intentionally
alters the pieces.
Daniel Siedell, Sheldon’s interim direc
tor and a personal friend of Bakker said the
pieces are created in order to explore con
ceptual ideas.
me luect ui ticauiig — dim cuieruig —
everyday items is so that people can’t just
look at one of the pieces and think, ‘Oh,
what a nice life jacket or lawn mower,’"
Siedeil said.
“The distortions let viewers move away
from thinking of these pieces as re-cre
ations to thinking about the metaphorical
issues the art addresses.”
For example, Siedeil said Bakker’s life
jacket piece becomes a metaphor for leisure
activities like boating and sailing. But at the
same time, it is a life preserver.
“The life jacket becomes a symbol of
danger,” Siedeil said. “People are constantly
pursuing an illusion that they can’t ever
truly attain, and the life presaver becomes
a symbol of struggling to stay alive in pursuit
of that dream.”
Bakker also explores the theme of the
pursuit of the "American Dream” through
the “cul-de-sac,” a suburban neighborhood
that is artificially created.
“The cul-de-sac becomes a sense of
community - the ‘pot of gold’ - for many
Americans,” Siedell said. “At the same time,
it isolates the people who live on than from
the rest of the community.”
While Bakker’s exhibit is meant to be
displayed and viewed in an art gallery,
Siedell said Wilson and Gierlich’s “JAM
Portfolio” may look a bit strange on the walls
of the Sheldon.
The exhibit has been a part of the
Sheldon’s permanent collection for more
than 25 years, but has never been displayed
for the public.
Both artists have Nebraska ties. Wilson
was bom in Lincoln and graduated from the
University of Nebraska. Gierlich spent two
years in NU’s graduate program, but left and
moved to Washington state.
The “JAM Portfolio” grew out of an art
movement that sought to bring political
and social issues into art
Because so many established artists felt
these issues shouldn’t be a part of the art
world, Wilson and Gierlich moved their
work into the underground.
“The ‘JAM Portfolio, ” Siedell said, “con
veys messages through images Where every
space is filled, whether it be withapictureor
text."
Siedell said the use of sexual images in
the “JAM Portfolio” may cause some contro
versy, but he isn't too worried about it
The sexual imagery, he said, may seem a
bit childish now, but at the time, the images
were addressing social issues “with an irrev
erence for the status qua"
Karen Jacovy, the curator of education,
agreed with Siedell and saidthe exhibit
shouldn't cause too many problems.
She said the Sheldon would run a dis
claimer warning people of the mature sub
ject matter, but she felt is was important to
show the exhibit without censoring it
“The point of an art gallery,” Jacovy said,
“is to make people look, stop and think, as
well as provide a historical perspective.
If a university art gallery can't provide a
forum for ideas - all ideas - then we’re realty
missing the boat” she said.
Bakker’s “Art and Objecthood” runs
from Sept. 20 to Nov. 5, and the “JAM
Portfolio” will be displayed from Sept 19 to
Nov. 12. For more information, contact the
Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and
Sculpture Garden at 472-2461.
Courtesy Photo
Wesley Swipes stars In the action flkfc The Art of War.'His character, a member of a secret United Nations commando force, gets
framed for a murder he (Hd not committ
Snipes movie fails to qualify as art
BY SAMUEL MCKEWON
"The Art of War" is a movie
constructed by morons, so it can
only be viewed and enjoyed under
two circumstances.
One requires you to be equally
moronic in the face of common
sense. The other requires a severe
sympathy for the star, Wesley
Snipes, who acts in this film as if
his serious acting career is ending,
and he knows it
ampcs lllUM iidvc auiciy iiccu
ed to pay the bills. There is a story
in this movie, if one chooses to call
it such, and it involves a secret
United Nations commando force
that Snipes’ character, Shaw,
belongs to, and the various dou
ble-crosses that conspire to frame
Shaw for a murder he did not
commit
There are many characters
here whose mere existence mud
dies the plot There's a killer who
could not possibly have killed the
person he was supposed to, and
yet we are offered no better alter
native. There’s operative master
minds, who receive their comeup
pance for reasons I cannot under
stand other than they're bad, and
k
they're supposed to die.
In ways, “The Art ofWar” mir
rors the first “Mission: Impossible”
Him, another movie that
explained its plot twists with:
“Well they're spies, so you’re sup
posed to be at least as confused as
they are."
But "The Art ofWar” jacks that
notion up a notch, tacking on a
genuine "Who cares?” aspect to
the entire proceeding.
Writer Wayne Beach and
director Christian Duguay
attempt to validate these answers
by having a truckload of dark
gruesome deaths, exploding
bombs every BO minutes or so and
ominous (and more or less unre
lated) references to the title, which
comes from an ancient Chinese
book on winning battles. "Wall
Street" used the concept better as
a throwaway line.
For good measure, a Chinese
female sidekick (Marie Matiko) is
tossed in to get undressed and
teach our stoic Shaw a little
humanity. She wants to go to
France. A shiny quarter to any
body that can guess if she does or
not
Therecameapoint in “TheArt
The Art of War
of War” when the prospect of a
dental visit held greater promise
I put the notebook away and
halted any attempts to describe,
discern or determine the numer
ous plot lines. It became increas
ingly dear that some people were
being wrongfully chased, some
were wrongful chasers, and some
FBI agents (headed by Maury
Chaykin) would rather talk about
professional wrestlers.
I did watch with great enjoy
ment as Sliaw and his rival battled
to the death under U.N. "neigh
