Arts and entertainment  |  UW and the community

January 10, 2013

Arts Roundup: Art, lectures, photos — and novels on stage

UW arts are warming up in this chilly winter week on campus. Art exhibits abound and the School of Drama once again teams with Book-it Repertory to present staged readings of famous novels.

Also, there will be a film screening to kick off the UW’s “‘Rite of Spring’ Centennial Celebration,” about the riotously controversial 1913 ballet with music by Igor Stravinsky and choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky. Part of this, too, is the Faculty Dance/Collaborations performance Jan. 18-19 in Meany Hall.

New Voices in World Jewish Music Series, Jan. 17-March 14. Sephardic music traditions from around the world are finding fresh interpretations via a new generation of performers, three of whom will visit the UW this quarter as part of this series, presented by the UW’s Stroum Jewish Studies Program and Sephardic Studies Initiative. Through conversations with faculty and live performances, the artists will showcase their roots in places ranging from medieval Spain to Greece, Turkey, Iran and Jerusalem. Lectures are at 7 p.m. Jan. 17, Feb. 10 and March 14 at various locations. Learn more online.

The series begins Jan. 17 with singer Sarah Aroeste in conversation with Devin Naar, assistant professor of Jewish studies and history, at the Ethnic Cultural Theater. Inspired by her family’s Sephardic roots in Greece and Macedonia, the American-born Aroeste, trained in classical opera, brings a contemporary style of original and traditional Ladino music to audiences around the world. Her style combines traditional Mediterranean Sephardic sounds with contemporary influences such as rock, funk jazz and blues.

Student art exhibit: “Extravagant Extravaganza,” through Jan. 19. An exhibit of art produced by first-year Master of Fine Arts students in the Jacob Lawrence Gallery. Gallery hours are noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

School of Art faculty exhibit, through Feb. 6. Art by three faculty members — David Brody and Philip Govedare (painting and drawing) and Ellen Garvens (Photomedia) — and Norman Lundin, professor emeritus in an exhibit at the Bellevue College Gallery Space, organized by Lundin.

Art exhibit, School of Social Work, through March 4. An exhibit of paintings, drawings and photographs by members of the nonprofit Circle of Friends for Mental Health. There will be an artists’ reception from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17, at the School of Social Work First Floor Gallery.

2012 Design Program in Rome photographs, through March 23. A sampling of photographs taken by students participating in the program abroad, which was led by Christopher Ozubko, professor and director of the UW School of Art. In the UW Club’s Colleen Rorhbaugh Room. Viewing hours normally 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. but call first, 206-543-0437.

Exhibit: “Intangible Effects (No. 1),” through Jan. 20. Tad Hirsch, UW professor of interactive design and several School of Art alumni are part of “Mw [Moment Magnitude]” at the Frye Art Museum. Hirsch’s part, titled “Intangible Effects (No. 1),” debuted at the museum in December and centers on Seattle’s Yesler Terrace public housing development. Hirsch wrote in Arcade: Dialogue on Design that his project is “the first in a series of experiments investigating ephemeral and sensual aspects of the built environment.” There will be a day of celebration on Jan. 12 for the area youth and UW students who worked on the project. Learn more online at the museum and Hirsch’s Public Practice Studio website.

The Reconstruction of Nijinsky’s “Rite of Spring,” 7 p.m., Jan. 11. A screening of the one-hour PBS documentary “The Search for Nijinsky’s ‘Rite of Spring’“ on the historical significance of the piece and its reconstruction by the Joffrey Ballet in 1987. Followed by a Q & A with UW School of Music and Dance Program faculty. Admission is free, in the Henry Art Gallery.

This is the first event in the UW’s “Rite of Spring” Centennial Celebration, which will continue with lectures and performances through spring quarter. Other events in the series coming soon:

• Faculty Dance/Collaborations, Jan. 18-19, Meany Hall.
• UW World Series: Compagnie Marie Chouinard, Jan.24-26, Meany Hall.

Novel Workshop Series: UW Drama and Book-It Repertory, 7:30 p.m., Jan. 17-20. A series of readings performed by UW Masters of Fine Arts acting students in collaboration with members of Book-It. In the Meany Studio Theater. Tickets $10, 206-543-4880.

• Jan. 17, 19: “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexander Dumas, adapted by Rachel Atkins, directed by David Quicksall. Also, “Run” by Ann Patchett, adapted and directed by Myra Platt.
• Jan 18, 20: “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” by Michael Chabon, adapted by Jeff Schwager, directed by Josh Aaseng. Also, “Portrait of a Lady” by Henry James, adapted and directed by Annie Lareau.

“Designing Facebook,” 7 p.m., Jan. 17. Three School of Art alumni — Joey Flynn, Drew Hamlin and Francis Luu — discuss their experiences as product designers working in Facebook’s California headquarters. In Room 3 of the Art Building. RSVP for this event at — you guessed it.

“Critical Issues in Contemporary Art,” Jan. 17, lectures through March 14. The School of Art presents a free public lecture series, each at 7 p.m. in the Henry Art Gallery. The first will be Raymond Boisjoly of the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, B.C. Other lectures continue through March 14. Learn more online.