Year of Arts & Culture | 2007-08

This is an interactive exhibition that brings artists and visitors together by providing a hands-on art making experience. The exhibition is composed of works by 29 artists, drawn on flat sheets of paper and stacked in the gallery space. The visitor chooses a project, takes the printed sheet, cuts out and assembles the three-dimensional sculpture. As the weeks pass, the gallery spaces become filled with art work.

This preview of WKAR-TV's new documentary about World War II focuses on the personal stories of mid-Michigan veterans who served in the European and Pacific Theatres. Also featured, a preview of Ken Burns' new series for PBS.

Design legend Massimo Vignelli will lecture in conjunction with the screening of "Helvetica". His significant contributions to design influence how we experience our environment and the stature of graphic design in contemporary society. Far-ranging in media and scope, Vignelli's work is included in collections from the MOMA to the Die Neue Sammlung in Munich.

Sponsored jointly by the Department of Art&Art History and AIGA Detroit Chapter, this independent film explores typography, graphic design and global visual culture as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives.

Directed by Michael Roemer (1964). Presented by Jeff Wray, Department of English and Co-Director of Film Studies, in coordination with One Book One Community. A landmark independent film, Nothing But a Man is one of the most sincere and sensitive pictures ever made about the struggles and hardships of Black life in 1960s America. Lauded by critics at the Venice and New York film festivals when it first premiered in 1963, this quietly moving, beautiful film remains as relevant and powerful today as it was then. (from the distributor?s website) North Conference Room, 4th floor, West Wing, MSU Main Library

Art museum staff will give a guided tour of the BAM architectural models in The Future.

This two-part documentary tells the stories of the men and women who served in World War II's European and Pacific Theatres. Their oral histories -- telling stories of such battles as D-Day and Iwo Jima and experiences such as the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis -- offer a powerful look at courage and sacrifice. For many repeat times and interview transcripts, visit WKAR.org.

Jim Daniels, one of the most respected voices in contemporary poetry and fiction, and specifically of labor and working people, returns to the MSU campus to introduce his two films, NO PETS and DUMPSTER. Discussion to follow.

Bryan Christie is a 3D Illustrator whose work and illustrations appear regularly in WIRED, Newsweek, The New York Times, Esquire, Field&Stream and many other publications and his work covers a broad range of complex topics, from the microbiological to the gastrointestinal.This is Christie's first show, taking place in the Communication Arts and Sciences Building from Sept. 23 to Nov. 16, 2007.

An up-and-coming graphic designer, Hudd Byard is an Art Director with Contemporary Media in Memphis, TN. Before taking his current position, Byard worked at GQ Magazine in New York, NY.

This event celebrates excellence in arts and humanities outreach. Exhibits prepared by faculty and students in the College of Arts and Letters will illustrate the wide range of ways that MSU engages with communities throughout Michigan. Refreshments will be served. RSVP by September 14 to Bets Caldwell at (517) 432-2479 or caldwell@msu.edu.

The Kresge Art Center will buzz with activity until midnight on Friday, September 28, when the Department of Art&Art History and Kresge Art Museum host The Arts Blitz, a variety of art-centered events, activities and programs in the building. Be "a part of the art" and complete paper sculptures to display in the museum as a part of The Paper Sculpture Show. Enjoy a live DJ (Jeff Owens (Bloom/Ghostly) in the museum 9 p.m. – midnight. Get a peek at models and renderings of proposals for the future Eli&Edythe Broad Art Museum, or watch a screening of the film Basquiat in 108 KAC at 7p.m. See student work in a variety of media at The Graduate Show closing reception in KAC Galleries 101 and 114 (8-11 p.m.), and "draw on the walls" on large, continuous sheets of paper set up throughout Kresge Art Center. This programming is coordinated and supported by Kresge Art Museum, Department of Art and Art History, and the College of Arts and Letters.

Aka: POPIOL I DIAMENT. Directed by Andrzej Wajda (1958). Presented by Sherman Garnett, Dean of James Madison College. Ashes and Diamonds is the strongest of Andrzej Wajda's early films. Wajda's father was killed in the early days of World War II, and Wajda himself fought with the resistance against the Nazis. In Ashes and Diamonds, he revisits the themes of choice and consequences, with an overriding anti-war sentiment. Ironically, the central factor influencing Wajda's later, more mature work was the 1967 death of his close friend Zbigniew Cybulski, who plays the assassin protagonist in Ashes and Diamonds. Cybulski's performance is generally regarded as the finest of his brief career, and brought to Poland the same sort of restless youth motif that Western audiences had found appealing in the also dead-too-young James Dean. (www.allmovie.com)

Directed by Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen and Nicole Newnham (2006). Presented by Kenneth Waltzer, Professor of History and Director of Jewish Studies, and Susan Bandes, Director of The Art Museum at MSU. In coordination with The Art Museum at MSU. Adolph Hitler spent years struggling to establish himself as an artist before his political ambitions rose to the surface and he brought the Nazi Party to power in Germany, and documentary filmmakers Richard Berge, Nicole Newnham and Bonni Cohen offer a unique perspective on how Hitler?s aesthetic viewpoint may have affected his nation?s actions during World War II. The Rape of Europa examines the artistic tastes of Hitler and his leading advisors, and how they looted many of the great museums and private art collections of Europe during the course of World War II in order to stock museums built during the Third Reich (and benefit the collections of Germany?s leaders). In addition, Axis forces actively participated in raids to destroy artwork and artifacts from nations and cultures Hitler regarded as ?degenerate,? serving as a curious parallel to ?the Final Solution? that left six million dead. The film features rare newsreel footage and photographs documenting the Nazi?s obsession with art; Joan Allen narrates. (www.allmovie.com)

Exhibit of Christie's work in Room 190 (Push-Pin Gallery) now through mid-November. The stunning and talked-about computer-generated artwork now on display in room 190 was created by New Jersey-based artist Bryan Christie for a variety of clients. His art appears regularly in WIRED, Newsweek, The New York Times, Esquire, Field&Stream and many other publications and his work covers a broad range of complex topics, from the microbiological to the gastrointestinal. Journalism instructor Karl Gude curated this inaugural exhibit. Christie will sign prints purchased prior to his arrival and has offered to donate most of the proceeds from the sale of his work to help fund future exhibits in CAS.

This documentary film from Actual Films tells two strains of the story: how Hitler's hand-picked art historians and dealers conspired to steal great masterpieces from private and public European collections while the American forces fighting towards Berlin took the cultural heritage of the occupied countries seriously and saved what they could. Based on Lynn H. Nicholas' book of the same title, the movie presents a mesmerizing morality play, rich in rare archival footage and complete with heroic Allied saviors (Variety). One of the greatest antiwar films ever produced… using art as a vehicle to convey the greed, ethnic bias and sheer cruelty of the Axis. (Kenneth Lindsay, Binghamtom University, and member of the American Monument Men team). Presented by Kresge Art Museum, Jewish Studies, and the MSU Libraries. Discussants: Prof. Kenneth Waltzer, Professor of History and Director, Jewish Studies, and Susan J. Bandes, director, Kresge Art Museum.

Films, music, food, and dance from Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and Mexico and other countries of Latin America. The goal of the film festival is to communicate through film the humanity, diversity, and culture of an area of focus in the world.

Aka: CINEMA, ASPIRINAS E URUBUS. Directed by Marcelo Gomes (2005). Presented by Saulo Gouveia, Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Marcelo Gomes, co-writer of the successful "Madame Sata" makes an impressive if sober feature helming debut in "Cinema, Aspirin and Vultures" set in Brazil's desert-like sertao in 1942 as the country prepares to enter war against the Axis. The friendship that springs up between two young men, one German and the other Brazilian, is etched with a quiet delicacy. (from Young, Debra, VARIETY, vol. 399, 2, 2005)

Each year Michigan State University joins educational institutions, organizations, and agencies throughout the U.S. and around the world in celebrating International Education Week, a tradition begun in 2000 by the U.S. Department of State and Department of Education. MSU will celebrate its traditional extended version of International Education Week beginning Saturday, November 10 and continuing through Sunday, November 18, with performances, films, and other cultural events; lectures and presentations on international issues; Global Plate dinners and conversations in select residence halls; international coffee hour and the annual Global Festival.

In collection of original scenes ranging from the hilarious to the disturbing, this premiere explores censorship and snobbery involved in judging the artistic. From early Greek architecture to Christina Aguilera—nothing is safe from this biting and incisive new work.

Rania Matar, a documentary photographer who has been photographing the aftermath of the war in Lebanon, will be giving a public lecture on Tuesday evening, November 27 at 7 p.m. An exhibit of her photographs, most of which deal with the life of women in a war ravaged country, will be in the new Push Pin Gallery (Room 190 Communication Arts & Sciences building)from late November until the end of January 2008.

As the manager of the legendary Hatch Show Print shop in Nashville, Tenn., Jim Sherraden uses letterpress processes that date back to the 15th century to individually hand-pull posters from the shop's archives.

This contemporary blockbuster film with Nicole Kidman juxtaposes recent rock and pop hits with a tragic romance that takes place in Paris in the late 1890s. Among the musicals colorful cast of characters is artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who introduces lead character Christian to the scandalous cancan and other decadence of the Montmartre Moulin Rouge, a dancehall, theatre, and brothel. In fact, Lautrec lived in the area, frequented its night life, and often portrayed the cabaret dancers and customers.

North Korea's isolation from the rest of the world has made it an inspiration for many filmmakers and documentarians. In this first segment of a four-part film series, American action and imagination are spotlighted. Is North Korea really the "bad guy"?

Menilmontant (37 min., 1926), and La glace a trois faces (33 min., 1927) Speaker: Jennifer Fay, Associate Professor of English, MSU This showing of two French Impressionist films will highlight linkages between the philosophies of the Impressionist painters in the 19th century, and French Impressionist filmmakers in the 1920s. Impressionist film created a series of images which forced the audience to participate, putting various parts together into a whole.

North Korea's isolation from the rest of the world has made it an inspiration for many filmmakers and documentarians. In this second segment of a four-part film series, we present a tale of two capital cities: Seoul, South Korea and Pyongyang, North Korea.

Thirteen Palestinian filmmakers came together in a filmic experiment designed to capture the "mood" of the summer of 2006, when Gaza and Lebanon were subject to military strikes. In three minutes or less, each filmmaker was asked to tell the story of contemporary Palenstine in a single evocative shot.

During the summer of 2006 Israeli assult on Lebanon, artists and activists made use of new digital video technology to record their immediate experiences related to the war. The compulsion to construct a visual document of the violence came not only from a desire for an alternative to broadcast media, but also from an eagerness to compile an archive from the perspective of those directly affected.

During the summer of 2006 Israeli assult on Lebanon, artists and activists made use of new digital video technology to record their immediate experiences related to the war. The compulsion to construct a visual document of the violence came not only from a desire for an alternative to broadcast media, but also from an eagerness to compile an archive from the perspective of those directly affected.

North Korea's isolation from the rest of the world has made it an inspiration for many filmmakers and documentarians. In this third segment of a four-part film series, we will be highlighting short documentaries which provide an inside glimpse: "The Hermit Kingdom," "A Day in the Life," and "Inside the Shadows."

Ellen Bruno, documentary filmmaker, will tlak about her films documenting human rights abuses in Asia. Her talk will be followed by a showing of two of her films: Samsara (Cambodian genocide and recovery) and Sacrifice (child prostitution in Burma).

North Korea's isolation from the rest of the world has made it an inspiration for many filmmakers and documentarians. In this final segment of our film series, "2009: Lost Memories" director Si-Myung Lee asks the question: what if the 20th century had turned out differently? Would there be a North Korea?

The East Lansing Film Festival (ELFF) is the largest and most diverse film festival in Michigan to screen independent and foreign feature, documentary, short and students films from around the world. The ELFF was created in 1997 in cooperation with the City of East Lansing and Michigan State University. Since then, ELFF has been dedicated to bringing quality foreign and independent films to the state of Michigan in order to expose our audience to diverse cultures, ideas, and creative works. The 11th annual East Lansing Film Festival will take place March 12th through 20th, 2008. On the final day of the ELFF, the Lake Michigan Film Competition (LMFC) will be held. This competition gives cash awards to the filmmakers whose film was at least one quarter filmed, produced, or financed in the states that border Lake Michigan — Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. The categories for the awards are Feature, Documentary, Short Film and Student Film.

She was beautiful, smart, and searching. He was an emerging genius in the world of photography. When Edward Weston and Charis Wilson met in the 1930s they instantly fell in love. He was 50 and she 21. She became his model, his muse, his collaborator and even his wife. Now 90, Charis Wilson recounts her years with Weston with great humor, candor, and some regret. Combining insight from leading scholars, rare archival images, and convincingly authentic reenactments, Eloquent Nude presents a remarkable true story of love and loss, travel and adventure, and an intimate look at the making of Modern photography. Director Ian McCluskey is scheduled to attend. KAM is co-sponsoring this event as part of the East Lansing Film Festival.

Partner in the design firm Allemann, Almquist and Jones, Hans-Ulrich Alleman's work originates from Bauhaus sensibilities and addresses fundamental links between perception and expression in graphic design. Recognized in design collections internationally, Allemann is a recent recipient of the AIGA Fellows Award.

Israeli filmmaker Eyal Sivan and Palestinian filmmaker Michel Khleifi retrace the border between Israel and Palestine based on the United Nation's 1947 Partition Plan. The directors interview an array of people affected by the decree, and investigate the comtemporary terrain and entrenched politics along the contentious border. This complex, ambitious and critically acclaimed documentary has been virtually unseen in the United States. Screening will include an intermission.

In this documentary focusing on the US soldiers of the 2/3 Field Artillery (known as the Gunners), the camera follows the American men and women who live in Baghdad's Green Zone and struggle to make sense of their missions in Iraq.

This is the first feature film made by the IRAQeye Group, a production collaborative of American and Iraqi filmmakers. Several Iraqi documentarians capture life in Baghdad under US occupation and in the process introduce us to a cross section of Iraqis who experience the fateful transition from liberation, to occupation, to what seems like civil war.

In the aftermath of the Gulf War, retreating Iraqi soldier left the oils fields of Kuwait a raging inferno. Werner Herzog and his small intrepid crew fly into these blazing fields and give us terrifying sublime images of otherwordly destruction. This is not a film documentary in a conventional sense. Rather, for Herzog, this is a science fiction film, a film of catastrophe, in which Earth, as we know it, no longer exists.

Follows triplets born in an Egyptian-Jewish family and shows family relationships at their best and worst.

Elliott Caplan, University of Buffalo, will speak about the making of his film, "Hidden Things." It is a powerful visual poem that will illuminate the lives of children who experienced the Holocaust.

A film about survival and joy tells the story of a group of orphans who remake new lives in Australia after the Holocaust.

This is a film about three Buchenwald orphans and the resilience of youth after trauma.

A weekend celebrating all of the arts on the campus of MSU. Observe, participate and celebrate the arts.

Species around the world are becoming extinct at a high rate. Not since the Age of Dinosaurs ended has anything like this occurred. We talk about this contemporary extinction. Our focus, as the course title suggests, is not limited to those species. We seriously consider what this current, mass extinction might mean for humans. As a humanities course, IAH 206 emphasizes questions of meaning. It highlights the ways that people interpret situations (give them meaning), express those interpretations, and even act upon those interpretations.

A day-long event designed to provide resources about wheelchair use and other special needs from a variety of organizations in the mid-Michigan area. In addition, an inspiring program will focus on the abilities and achievements of wheelchair users

Join the museum at the East Lansing Art Festival. Look for our booth where you can make and decorate masks and crowns. FREE, all ages welcome. NO registration required.