Arts and entertainment

May 10, 2012

Arts Roundup: MFA dance concert, 'Queering the Art Museum' — and all that jazz

It’s a week of variety in UW arts, with the annual master of fine arts dance concert, improvisational jazz from the School of Music’s continuing IMPfest IV, digital art, a visiting playwright and the two-day “Queering the Art Museum” symposium at the Henry Art Gallery and in Tacoma.

Museology graduate student Erin Bailey, co-organizer of “Queering the Art Museum,” said the event — which includes speakers, tours and more — should be of interest to straight folks and allies, too. “We are talking about incorporating queer culture into the museum as is. This incorporation has to be thoughtful for queer cultures and comfortable enough for non-queer cultures to understand the content.”

You can almost hear the marble-voiced announcer intone, “A very special Arts Roundup ripped from the headlines!” Or not — we’re just improvising this jazz.

Introdans, May 10-12. One of the three biggest dance companies in the Netherlands, Introdans celebrates its 40th anniversary with an international tour that includes the first performances in the U.S of its full repertory company. Meany Hall. Presented by the UW World Series. Tickets are $20-$42.

“Queering the Art Museum,” May 11-12. How can museums better address, engage, and integrate queer culture? UW graduate students Erin Bailey (museology) and Nicole Robert (gender, women and sexuality studies) present a two-day symposium to explore such questions at the Henry Art Gallery and the Tacoma Art Museum through lectures, performances, tours and community conversations. Keynote is 6:30 p.m. (reception at 5:30 p.m.) May 11 at the Henry: “How Did We Get Here? Current Practices in Queer Engagement and Exhibiting in Art Museums.” Learn more online through the Simpson Center or the Henry. Free for UW students, faculty and staff, $10 for Henry members, $20 for general admission.

IMPfest IV through May 12. The School of Music’s Jazz Studies Program and Improvised Music Project present an annual festival that pairs local up-and-coming avant-garde music visionaries with some of the worlds top performers in a series of concerts at the Glenn Hughes Penthouse Theater.
7:30 p.m. May 10: Ralph Alessi with UW Jazz Students; Smallface; Sequoia Ensemble. Donation only.
7:30 p.m. May 11: Mallethead Series/IMPfest IV: Ted Poor, Tom Collier and Dan Dean with UW Jazz Students; Operation ID. $10 general, $5 for students and seniors.
7:30 p.m. May 12: Vu-Karpen Project, Chemical Clock. Donation only.

Cookbook swap/recipe exchange, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., May 13. Bring your gently-used cookbooks and cherished recipes to the Burke Museum. Find a good home for your castoff cookbooks and meet fellow foodies, and leave with inspiration. Plus, in honor of Mothers Day, theres a unique Burke gift for every mother. Free with museum admission.

Meet playwright Joshua Sobol / play reading, 7 p.m., May 15. A reading of Sobol’s play “The Night of the Twentieth” by School of Drama students and faculty, followed by a conversation with Sobol. At the Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse. Free but reservations required; RSVP online by May 11 or call 206-221-6797.

Pianist Angela Hewitt, 8 p.m., May 15. Hewitt has established herself as one of the worlds most respected pianists. London’s Sunday Times calls her 10-year project to record all the major keyboard works of Bach “one of the record glories of our age.” Her repertoire also includes the works of Beethoven, Schumann, Messiaen, Ravel, Chopin, Couperin, Rameau, and Chabrier. Her appearance at Meany Hall will be her fourth in the President’s Piano Series, presented by the UW World Series. Tickets are $20-$42.

“Collaborations,” MFA Dance Concert, May 16-20. What’s the difference between performance art and the art of performance? Discover the unique blend that master of fine arts candidates from UW dance and drama design programs create for the annual MFA Dance Concert. It’s a collaborative concoction that melds physical movement and dramatic expression. Watch a video about the performance, too. Meany Hall. Tickets are $10-$16.

Jazz Innovations I and II, 7:30 p.m., May 16, 17. Student ensembles pay homage to the icons of jazz and break new ground with original progressive jazz compositions in two consecutive nights of performances in Brechemin Auditorium. Programs include works by Thelonious Monk and Ralph Alessi, plus selections from the great American songbook and original works by Thomas Campbell and Colin Moen. See program details for program I and II online. Tickets are $5, cash or check at the door.

Exhibit: “Rain and Flow,” through June 9. UW oceanographer Neil Banas is exhibiting colorful abstract digital photos and images that combine nature, technology and science at Blindfold Gallery. While the exhibit includes photos, such as one taken from an airplane window over Uzbekistan, the more unusual items are computer generated. In “Rain,” the image of many small blue lines appears floral at a distance but close up looks a bit like a topographical map of mountains. Opening reception 6-9 p.m. May 9.

Student recitals: The School of Music also has several student recitals in coming days. Learn more online.

Continuing: Who’s Who: Founding Faces of the UW @ OUGL, through June 1. Portraits of key people in UW history. Many campus buildings bear their names, but most
people know nothing about who these people were. The exhibit at Odegaard library was curated by Jennifer Henneman, art history doctoral student, supervised by Jacob Lawrence Gallery Director Kris Anderson.

Next week: The Gospel Choir, 100 voices strong.