June 27- July 2, 2005
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FROM NEBRASKA CROPS
UNL Shifts to Alternative Fuels
Beginning July 1, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's 870 cars, trucks, buses, vans, tractors and utility vehicles will run on alternative fuels produced primarily from Nebraska crops.
At an announcement today with Nebraska Corn and Soybean board representatives,
UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman said the decision to commit to fueling the university's
fleet with soy biodiesel and ethanol blended gasoline derived from corn is best
financially, environmentally and for the future of Nebraska. "This
is a move that I've been exploring for some time and we have been investigating
the costs and dividends involved," Perlman
said.
UNL vehicles affected include the diesel vehicles such as buses, tractors, some
pickups and other vehicles that operate on a blend of 2 percent soy biodiesel
known as B2; vans, pickups and sedans that use E-10 unleaded ethanol blend, as
well as 26 specially equipped flexible fuel vehicles that can use up to E-85,
or 85 percent ethanol. UNL had been using E-10 for as long as the fuel has been
available, depending on price and convenience. more ...
TRANSPORTATION SERVICES | NEBRASKA CORN BOARD | NEBRASKA SOYBEAN BOARD
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ROBERT HILLESTAD TEXTILES GALLERY
Hillestad Gallery Shows Quilts of Political and Patriotic Persuasion
"Partisan Pieces: Quilts of Patriotic and Political Persuasion," an exhibition of quilts with political and patriotic themes, will be on view at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Robert Hillestad Textile Gallery from June 3-Aug. 31.
he exhibition includes approximately 17 quilts from the International Quilt Study Center's Ardis and Robert James Collection, and explores the impact of war, politics and political candidates on 19th- and early 20th-century American women's quilting designs. There will be a variety of examples of the "Whig Rose" pattern, also known as the "Democrat Rose." These red and green applique quilts are outstanding examples of technical skill and early innovative design put to a partisan purpose. Patriotic quilts using stars, flags, federal eagles, campaign ribbons and kerchiefs will round out the display.
All the quilts in this exhibition are visual reminders of a time when women had no public forum. Against all odds, these quilts survive to give us evocative insights into the ways American women expressed political and patriotic sentiments during an era when they could not vote.
ROBERT HILLESTAD TEXTILES GALLERY |
SHELDON MEMORIAL ART GALLERY
Sheldon Hosts Amish Quilt Exhibition
Three outstanding groups of Amish quilts from the collections of the International Quilt Study Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will be featured in this exhibition. The exhibition includes Midwestern Amish quilts from the Robert and Ardis James Collection; Lancaster, Pennsylvania quilts from the Jonathan Holstein Collection; and Mifflin County, Pennsylvania quilts from the Jill and Henry Barber Collection. Quilts in each of these groups are distinctive in their colors, patterns and aesthetics. Each group is also representative of the unique Amish culture from which they come.
Midwestern Amish quiltmakers often adapted mainstream "English" patterns, creating stars, baskets, and Log Cabin patterns in indigo and burgundy fabrics. Classic Lancaster, Pennsylvania Amish quilts are simple and direct in their piecing, with large flat planes of deep rich colors. Center Diamond and Bar patterns are constructed of saturated colors like purple, blue and green. The quilts of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania are composed of more intricate piecing, with startling pink, yellow and green accents among the more typical brown, plum and tan colors. Favorite patterns include Double Nine-Patch, Jacob's Ladder and Irish Chain. Quiltmakers of each of these distinct groups sewed intricate quilting designs in tiny stitches. The cables, fans, feathered wreaths, and chains of the quilting patterns serve to hold the layers of the quilt together, but also create a textural pattern that is subtle yet compelling.
SHELDON MEMORIAL ART GALLERY
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ABBOTT FOUNDATION GIFT FOR MUSEUM'S EXHIBITS, PROGRAMS
$1 million gift given to Sheldon
The Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden at UNL has received a $1 million gift commitment from the Ethel S. Abbott Charitable Foundation in Lincoln. The gift is the first major contribution of its kind for support of the gallery's exhibitions and programs.
The gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation creates the Ethel S. Abbott Charitable Foundation Exhibitions and Programs Fund, a permanent endowment with annual interest used to support the gallery.
Del Lienemann Sr., president of the Ethel S. Abbott Charitable Foundation, said this is one of the foundation's most significant grants, and one for which Ethel Abbott would be proud. "Mrs. Abbott enjoyed many things, but history and the arts were near the top of her list," he said. "The Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery fits both of these loves, and knowing this gift will help so many others learn and appreciate the arts is a wonderful legacy."
Sheldon Director Janice Driesbach said she is especially appreciative of this gift because exhibitions and programs are central to the museum's mission but have not previously had endowment support.
The Sheldon's exhibition program comprises about 20 exhibitions each year and focuses on American art in all media. The curatorial staff organizes exhibitions drawn from the permanent collection, some of which circulate nationally. The program also includes exhibitions organized by peer institutions throughout the United States. Educational programs such as symposia, lectures, children's workshops and tours are
organized in conjunction with each exhibition.
Ethel Abbott created a foundation in 1972 in association with her longtime financial adviser and accountant, Del Lienemann Sr. The Ethel S. Abbott Charitable Foundation supports classical music, medical research, education and family-oriented projects in western Nebraska, Lincoln and Omaha. After her death at age 97 in May 1992, a substantial portion of her estate went to the foundation.
SHELDON MEMORIAL ART GALLERY
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GREAT PLAINS ART MUSEUM
Gude, Murphy Exhibition Continues
This Week At Great Plains Art Museum
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Deborah J. Murphy, "The Silence Is Golden" 2005, prismacolor on board
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Parallel exhibitions featuring
the work of two Great Plains artists will open June 3 and run through
July 31 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Great Plains Art
Museum.
"From the Heart of a Regionalist: Paintings by Anthony Benton Gude"
will include nearly 60 works, mostly oil paintings, but also a number of
watercolors and drawings.
"WaterWays & Other Perspectives" will feature 13 Prismacolor drawings
by Deborah J. Murphy of Omaha, all completed in the last two years.
Both artists will be featured at an opening reception from 7-9 pm
June 3 at the museum, 1155 Q St., Hewit Place. The receptions and
exhibitions are free and open to the public.
"These are two wonderful exhibits and each is powerful in its own
right, although they do complement each other in some ways," said Reece
Summers, curator of the museum. "The two artists work with different
materials, Gude mostly with oils and Murphy with Prismacolor pencils, but
both look at the landscapes of the Midwest and Great Plains, and the
interactions of humans with the natural world."
Gude attended the School of the Museum of Fine Art in Boston in
1986-87 and later studied at the Art Student's League in New York City,
focusing on drawing and paint. He mastered the Venetian technique of oil
painting, a system that employs the use of monochromatic under painting to
develop form and composition before the color is painted on. The many
layers of paint give the final result a stronger body.
His recent commissions include four historical murals covering 480
square feet for the St. Joseph River Boat Partners in St. Joseph, Mo.; "The
Benton," a portrait of a stern-wheeler, for The River Club in Kansas City,
Mo.; and a mural, "A Century of Service," 8 feet by 12 feet, and five
paintings of various Kansas themes for Western Resources in Topeka, Kansas.
Gude and his family live on a small farm in southeastern Marshall
County, Kan. (county seat Marysville). The farm was originally purchased in
an unusual fashion by his grandfather, muralist Thomas Hart Benton
(1889-1975). Benton painted a picture of the farm's barnyard and silo, sold
the painting and purchased the farm with the proceeds of the sale.
A native of North Platte, Murphy has been a professional artist for
more than 30 years and has shown extensively around the Midwest, where her
work has been collected both publicly and privately. She is known primarily
for her Midwestern landscapes, and in recent years has come to prefer using
Prismacolor pencils to capture the texture and colors of prairie
vegetation. She uses poster board of a particular texture that allows her
to build many layers of color.
Murphy, who earned a bachelor's degree in music education at the
University of Nebraska at Kearney (then Kearney State College), was the
recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in painting in
1994 and a Distinguished Achievement Grant from the Nebraska Arts Council
in 1998.
The Great Plains Art Museum is part of the Center for Great Plains
Studies at UNL. It is open from 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Saturday
and 1:30-5 pm Sundays. It is closed Mondays.
GREAT PLAINS ART MUSEUM
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SHELDON SCULPTURE GARDEN, TUESDAYS IN JUNE
Jazz In June Concerts, Market, Garden Tours Set for Tuesdays
The annual Jazz in June concerts promise great jazz and great food in the great outdoors. Organized by the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, Nebraska Art Association, Downtown Lincoln Association and University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the festivities are held on the UNL campus at 12th and R streets and in the Sheldon's Sculpture Garden.
The free jazz concerts begin at 7 pm, every
Tuesday in June (June 7, 14, 21 and 28). Concertgoers are encouraged
to bring blankets or lawn chairs for a relaxing and enjoyable evening
surrounded by jazz music and Sheldon's outdoor sculpture.
In conjunction with the performances, the Jazz in June Market is the ideal place
to grab dinner or do midweek shopping. Dinner items, fresh produce, baked goods,
ice cream from the UNL Dairy Store and many more delights are available for purchase.
The market opens at 5 pm at the corner of 12th and R streets and is organized
by the Downtown Lincoln Association, city of Lincoln and UNL.
The event also includes tours of the Sheldon and guided tours of UNL gardens.
More artist information and event details are available on the Jazz In June web
site.
JAZZ IN JUNE
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MARY RIEPMA ROSS MEDIA ARTS CENTER
Continuing This Week at the Ross: The
Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill, The Ballad Of Jack And Rose.
UNL's Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center
presents the unique documentary The Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill, and
The Ballad Of Jack And Rose, the third film from talented young director Rebecca Miller (Personal Velocity).
An uncommon bond between man and nature is the focus of Judy Irving's wonderful and informative documentary, The Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill. The film follows Mark Bittner, an unemployed aging hippie, who lives off the kindness of strangers in the titular San Francisco neighborhood. His life takes on new meaning when he starts feeding a flock of wild Conures, a breed of parrot noted for its green body and cherry-red head. Native to Argentina, the birds soon feel comfortable enough to feed while perched all over Mr. Bittner. Being outcasts who yearn to remain free, a mutual respect is born between them. Daily routine soon leads to growing crowds of curious passersby, as Bittner becomes something of a local celebrity. Based on his up-close observations, Bittner gains some keen insight into the behavior of individual birds, giving them names. The resulting portraits of Connor, Mingus, Olive, Pushkin, Picasso, Sophie, and Tupelo prove that these amazing creatures deserve star credit in their own right.
1986. Jack (Daniel Day-Lewis) lives on the site of his abandoned island commune with his 16-year-old daughter Rose (Camilla Belle). Since the breakup of the commune, Jack has sheltered Rose completely from the influences of the outside world, but now his fatal illness and Rose's emerging womanhood pose troubling questions about the days ahead. A man who has lived a life motivated by environmentalism, Jack now rages at those who do not share his aesthetic, like developer Marty Rance (Beau Bridges), who is building a housing tract on the edge of his property. When Jack invites his girlfriend Kathleen (Catherine Keener) and her sons Rodney (Ryan McDonald) and Thaddius (Paul Dano) to live with them, Rose feels betrayed and the situation quickly becomes precarious. Rose acts out wildly, creating chaos. As everything flies out of control, Jack finds himself trapped in an impossible place and is forced to take action.
More information is available at the Ross website.
MRRMAC | THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL | THE BALLAD OF JACK AND ROSE |
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