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Saturday, September 05, 2009

Portage Library to present folk music program Sept. 8

HOUGHTON -- The Portage Lake District Library invites everyone to enjoy an evening of traditional and original folk music performed by Michigan singer/songwriter Gary Brandt.

Brandt, who has performed with the New Christy Minstrels, will present his show "Rocky Mountain Shadows" at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The performance is a revival of and tribute to some of the old classic folk songs along with several original new songs written by Brandt. The young, old and those in between will enjoy his easy and relaxed style while listening to songs by Bob Dylan, Jim Croce, Arlo Guthrie, John Denver, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Gordon Lightfoot, Dan Fogelberg, the Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul and Mary and many others.

This presentation is free, and everyone is invited to attend. For more information please call the library at 482-4570 or visit www.pldl.org.

Friday, September 04, 2009

Updated: "Waterlife" documentary to be shown Sept. 9 at MTU

HOUGHTON -- The Great Lakes are many things: bodies of water, sources of life, stories and poems. Waterlife, a film that follows the flow of the water in the Great Lakes from the Nipigon River to the Atlantic Ocean, captures the significance of the Great Lakes and the Great Lakes ecosystem in a compelling, feature-length documentary.

Michigan Tech's Center for Water and Society is sponsoring a free showing of the film at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, in Dow 641.* The film has only been shown once before in Michigan, at the Traverse City Film Festival.

Using both documentary footage and computer imaging, Waterlife begins in the primeval forests of Lake Superior's northern coast, makes a stop at the baroque fountains of Chicago on Lake Michigan, continues to the rain-swept streets of Detroit and beyond, all the while examining how the greatest body of fresh water on Earth transforms the societies it passes through and is transformed by them.

"The film's goal is to take viewers on a tour of an incredibly beautiful ecosystem that is facing complex challenges," say the filmmakers. "Beyond that, our hope is that Waterlife will bring viewers a visceral understanding of the element that is so integral to all of our lives."

Narrated by Gordon Downie, of the rock band The Tragically Hip, the film features music by Sam Roberts, Sufjan Stevens, Sigur Ros, Robbie Robertson and Brian Eno.

*Update: Please note the change of location since our earlier posting.

Auditions for MTU theatre productions to be Sept. 8, 9, 10

HOUGHTON -- Auditions for Michigan Tech's two fall theatre productions will be held at 7 p. m. on Sept. 8, 9 and 10, in McArdle Theatre, second floor, Walker. Those interested in auditioning for either production (or both) may do so on any of the three evenings.

The Bald Soprano and The Lesson, two one-act plays by Eugene Ionesco, will be performed on Oct. 15-16 and Oct. 22-24. The style of both is absurd, expressionistic and existential. This is a "high concept" production in need of a strong ensemble of energetic actors.

Vaster than Empires is Michigan Tech's annual vocal and sound extravaganza. It features sound design and technology, with actors' voices altered in interesting ways. This year's offering is a collection of stories by Ursula Le Guin, including both science fiction and fantasy pieces. Production dates are Nov. 12-14.

No preparation is necessary. Those auditioning need to wear comfortable clothing and be ready to take part in improvisational activities, as well as reading from the script(s). Scripts are available for overnight perusal in the Visual and Performing Arts office, 209 Walker.

No experience is necessary to audition for these productions. Auditions are open to college students and community members.

For more information, contact Patricia Helsel, helsel@mtu.edu, 487-3283.

Eve 6 to rock Rozsa Sept. 11

HOUGHTON -- As part of the Michigan Tech K-Day entertainment line-up, the iconic punk-pop band Eve 6 will perform at 9 p. m. on Friday, Sept. 11, in the Rozsa Center. The band made their mark with their self-titled Platinum debut in 1998, and they continue to excite audiences with every appearance. Their chart-topping hits include "Inside Out," "Promise," "Here’s To The Night" and "Think Twice."

Eve 6 will perform at 9 p. m. on Friday, Sept. 11, in the Rozsa Center on the MTU campus. (Photo courtesy Rozsa Center)

Eve 6 scored three Top 40 singles (as well as eight modern rock hits) during the late 90s and early 2000s. The band’s two founders, guitarist Jon Siebels and bassist/vocalist Max Collins, signed a contract with RCA Records while still attending high school in La Crescenta, a neighborhood in northern Los Angeles. Originally called Eleventeen, the bandmates took three long years -- during which time they added a new drummer, Tony Fagenson -- to prep their debut album. The delay was intentional, as RCA Records had demanded the boys graduate from high school before releasing any material. While waiting to issue an album (which ultimately arrived in 1998), Eve 6 sharpened its act by playing local coffeehouses.

"Inside Out," the leadoff single from Eve 6’s self-titled debut, became a number one modern rock hit in 1998, ousting the Goo Goo Dolls’ "Iris" from the chart-topping position. "Leech" also proved to be a popular single, and Eve 6’s record went platinum as a result. Two years later, the band returned with Horrorscope, which went gold on the strength of "Promise" and the power ballad "Here’s to the Night," which was also a Top 40/MTV smash. Eve 6 toured the globe throughout 2000 and 2001 while writing songs for a third record, It’s All in Your Head, which was released in mid-2003.

(Text by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide)

Sponsored by the James and Margaret Black Endowment.

Ticket prices for the general public are $25 and $20; MTU student prices are $20 and $15 (MTU student ID required). To purchase tickets contact the Rozsa Box Office at 487-3200, the Central Ticket Office (SDC) at 487-2073, Tech Express (MUB) at 487-3308 or go online at tickets.mtu.edu. No refunds, exchanges, or late seating, please.

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Galleries in Hancock, Calumet to hold artist receptions Sept. 4

HANCOCK, CALUMET -- Art lovers are invited to receptions in three local galleries for opening September exhibits this Friday, Sept. 4. First Friday events in Calumet will also include a concert of organ music.

Kerredge Gallery: "Iron and Steel, Found and Forged" by Gordon Gearhart

"Iron and Steel, Found and Forged" by Gordon Gearhart will be the exhibit in the Copper Country Community Arts Center Kerredge Gallery in Hancock through Sept. 26. A public reception for the artist will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4.

"Iron and Steel, Found and Forged" by Gordon Gearhart is the September exhibit at the Kerredge Gallery in the Community Arts Center in Hancock. (Photo courtesy Community Arts Center)

Gearhart began blacksmithing in 1981, in the backyard of his parents' suburban Atlanta, Georgia, home. With his self-built brick forge, an anvil, a hammer and a desire to make knives, Gordon embarked on mastering the skills needed to forge iron and steel. He studied under the direction of Professor Dale Wedig at Northern Michigan University and has since operated a shop in Marquette, worked in Jacksonville, Florida, for a company constructing architectural ironwork and assisted Dale Wedig with various commissioned jobs.

In 2003 Gordon was an artist in residence at the Hancock Labyrinth where he created the metal signage for the site. Gordon's work includes functional items from coat hooks to tables and lamps and has expanded to include sculpture.

Vertin Gallery: "Explorations on Canvas by Kayo Miwa"

The Vertin Gallery in Calumet will hold a reception for artist Kayo Miwa from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sept. 4, part of Calumet's First Friday events. The exhibit, "Explorations on Canvas by Kayo Miwa" will continue through Sept. 30.

Kayo Miwa was born and raised in Ogaki, Japan. She studied art at Finlandia University, at Gogebic Community College in Ironwood, Mich., and at Arapaho Community College in Colorado. She now lives in Marquette.

Miwa says her art journey took a natural path in response to her environment -- from making greeting cards with four-inch prints in a small kitchen to oil painting on four-foot canvases made possible by studio space at Finlandia University.

Lower Falls - Tahquamenon, Oil, 2009, by Kayo Miwa. (Photo courtesy Vertin Gallery)

"I kept drawing inspiration from the ordinary beauty of nature around me and was easily convinced that it would never run out as long as I continued my art," Miwa writes in her biography.

Artist Joyce Koskenmaki notes in her Gallery Guide that Miwa's paintings reflect the Upper Peninsula lakes and rivers where her husband, Joe, is an avid fisherman.

"He takes her and her sketchbooks along and she paints the secret places where he catches fish!" says Koskenmaki. "Don't miss this wonderful show."

Miskwabik Ed Gray Gallery: "Distilling Nature" by Michael Ramos

"Distilling Nature," a one-person show of acrylic / enamel works by Michael Ramos, will open with a reception from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4, at the Miskwabik Ed Gray Gallery in Calumet. For more info call 906-337-5970.

Organ concert at Calumet Art Center

The new Calumet Art Center will host a First Friday pipe organ performance -- "Autumn Pipes," by Connie Boruta, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sept. 4.

The Calumet Art Center is located at 57055 Fifth Street. For information email info@calumetartcenter.com.

Evangeline Moore reflects on her childhood, living under constant threat

HOUGHTON -- The last thing Susan Carol McCarthy did before she published Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands was track down Evangeline Moore. She wanted the blessing of the lone surviving daughter of Harry T. and Harriette M. Moore before publicizing the story surrounding her parents' 1951 murder by the Klan.

In a recent presentation at Finlandia University, Evangeline Moore, left, daughter of slain Civil Rights leader Harry T. Moore and Harriette M. Moore, victims of Ku Klux Klan violence in the 1950s, joins Susan Carol McCarthy, author of Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands, in relating events affecting the families of both women. McCarthy and Moore also spoke at Michigan Tech University. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

McCarthy's own father had known Harry T. Moore and had worked with the FBI to build a case against Florida Klan members involved in a string of terror attacks against blacks, Jews and Catholics. The spree ended with a fatal Christmas Day bombing at the Moores' house.

When Evangeline Moore read the manuscript, she approved. "She said, 'That's my daddy,'" McCarthy said. Now the daughters of two civil rights activists are friends and tour the country giving talks on McCarthy's book, which was Michigan Tech University's 2009 summer reading selection for first-year students.

Finlandia University students are also reading and discussing the book. McCarthy and Moore recently gave presentations at both universities.

Read the rest of this second article on their visit by Marcia Goodrich, MTU senior writer, in the Sept. 2 issue of Tech Today.

Fear Factor: MTU students discuss underlying drivers of racism

HOUGHTON -- Few things are scarier than change, and few emotions are more powerful than fear. Students in the summer reading seminar led Aug. 26 by Michigan Tech humanities professor Robert Johnson batted around these and other concepts raised by the novel Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands, with author Susan Carol McCarthy sitting in on the discussion.

McCarthy recently spoke to students, faculty and community members at both MTU and Finlandia universities, where students have been reading and discussing the novel, based on experiences of her own family.

The novel is the coming-of-age story of young Reesa McMahon, the daughter of an orange grower, set against an historical truth: a violent string of Klan bombings and lynchings that wracked Florida in 1951.

Read the article on responses to the book by one group of MTU students -- written by Marcia Goodrich, MTU senior writer, in the Sept. 1 issue of Tech Today.