Performance Art

 DJs at the Fall 2018 Vertigo A-GoGo: A Night of Performance Art, November 29.

Vertigo images.

A Vertigo performance that ended up in the B.F.A. Group Exhibition.

B.F.A. Group Exhibition images.

Friends Group Bus Trip to Minneapolis

 The Friends of the UNI Permanent Art Collection and Gallery, the Friends of the UNI Museum, and UNI students bus trip to the Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC) and the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) on Oct. 26, 2018.

 Posing with the Collection's Matisse linocut, the first of 44 art objects to be delivered to MACC, all part of an IMLS Museums for America Collection Stewarship grant. Exciting!

Below: Art and Design at MIA.

Me and my buddy

Me and my buddy Charles Adelman, a selfie in the UNI exhibition That's So Gay, Sept. 2018.

Fall 2018 Art/Design Exhibitions at UNI

 Visions by Noah Doely.

 Iowa Arts Council videotapes Noah in action. Vintage bird calls!

 Drop Shadow by Aaron Wilson

 Aaron (portrait).

 Frank Lloyd Wright model on loan from Quasqeton, IA in the Roy Behrens-curated show The Reach and Richness of Design: The Elena Diane Curris Biennial Design Exhibition.

 Pencil sharpeners on loan from local collector Paul Whitson.

Dennis Ichiyama and Ad Reinhardt.

That's So Gay: An Exploration of Homophobia and Camp in Art

Installation Views:

Student research presentations, Sept. 13, 2018, in the Gallery.

UNI student Joel Wisner.

1st UNI Gallery and UNI Museum Collaboration this fall

UNI Museums objects as curated by UNI Assistant Professor of Art Noah Doely and UNI Department of Art Foundations Coordinator Angela Waseskuk,

Aug 20 - Sept. 27, 2018.

Irish 2018

Me, Mark (Ace), and Bev at the Iowa Irish Fest, Aug. 4, 2018

Cedar Valley Chamber Music Concert

July 18 2018.
 Cedar Valley Chamber Music concert: L.A. Stories: Forgotten Composers of the Silver Screen.
UNI Gallery of Art exhibition: In Sync: Objects from the UNI Permanent Art Collection.
Sponsored in part by U.S. Bank and Bergan KDV.
CVCM Artistic Director Hunter Cappoccioni introduced compositions by George Antheil, Erich Korngold, and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.

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 Artworks by Reuben Nakian (foreground) and R.B. Kitaj, Sarah Krepp, and Antonio Bueno (background).

 Performance image with portrait of Hedy Lamarr by George Hurrell (far left) and a screenprint titled Ezra Pound I by R.B. Kitaj.

 Previous 3 images courtesy of FB.

 A pairing of Milk Drop Coronet by Dr. Harold Edgerton and Palladium Knob Bowl by Virginia Scotchie.

Krasner, Nakian, and Matta.

Midsommer Mysteries

 June and July 2018 was eventful! Here's our grandson Mikey (3 yrs.) in Mark's (Ace's) lap. Pretty adorable, I know. The Renker family came to see the Waterloo clan, and we had a lovely time.

 Beautiful Bev reads to Master Mikey.

 As the Renkers were preparing to leave for Texas, this charmer walked into the yard and greeted us all. He stayed, and we fell in love. I called him Mr. Kitty but the Iowa City Shelter named her Shiraz. I like that name best.

8 Bullets from the street. The police don't know who did this or why, and the neighbors won't say. All agree, however, that they weren't aiming for us or the house. It was just a one car firing at another. Demoralizing.

DMMO's 46th Season

Image of past seasons' offerings
Des Moines Metro Opera's 2018 summer festival was vivid, expressive, ravishing! It was, hmm... dulcet. This was my fourth consecutive year in attendance, and I am more and more astonished at the talent both onstage and off. The casts, the creatives, and the administrative team and staff are more than just competent, they're inspired. DMMO always offers supplemental programming, smart and informative previews, delicious thematic meals, and this year a very, very satisfying "tech talk," which allowed us the opportunity to see the striking of the Rusalka set. The audience experience is truly holistic and intimate.

  Notes on the productions:

I saw three back-to-back operas in three days, a record for me, but I couldn't resist.

Photo credit: Jen Golay 
Rusalka (Dvorak). An excellent cast in every way, especially Zachary James (Vodnik), a water goblin who I now understand is the connective in this tale. Sinewy and powerful, sensuous and intimidating all at once. I so enjoyed the three wood sprites who try to seduce Vodnik as well as the footmen, the male dancers, one of which (Cooper Stanton?) managed to illicit great sympathy as one of the few mortals who could see mysterious creatures. Finally, I so liked the toile vignettes and wafting furniture in the set, which clearly place this story in a liminal space. A perfect choice!

Photo Credit: Duane Tinkey
Die Fledermaus (Strauss II). Scintillating and funny. An Austrian Gilbert & Sullivan. A sexy, silly farce. This was my first Fledermaus, and now I understand all the fuss; nevertheless, I felt a bit overstuffed after that feast. Anna Christy as Adele is absolutely brilliant, a singer with impeccable technique and superb comic timing.

Photo Credit: Duane Tinkey 
Flight (Dove). I saw a production of this gem (on PBS, I think) about a decade ago, and I've been waiting for the opportunity to see it live since then. First of all, I cannot say enough about the marvelous score. It' so complex and rich! With all the potential voice parts, the human vocal range is sort of a proxy for the human condition. Also, the story arc is one for our times: we are ennobled when we connect. The cast is superior, singing actors all, and each is a stand-out. I will mention I've been enamored of a few for some time, Theo Hoffman and Andrew Bidlack who, lucky for us all, are the twist/tryst in Act II, Elise Quagliata who shone brightly in DMMO's A Little Night Music and As One last year, and John Holiday whose bright countertenor and beaming face stole my heart.

Final Note: If you get the chance, the right hands to shake are General and Artistic Director Michael Egel, Conductor David Neely, and Stage Director Kristine McIntyre.

Botanical Gardens

 San Antonio Botanical Gardens, 2017

  Greater Des Moines Botanical Gardens, 2018