Carnegie
Museum Exhibit Celebrates Mural,the Painting Process, and Finlandia
Student-Artists
HANCOCK
– The Carnegie Museum, Houghton, will host an exhibit of artwork
by Finlandia University studio arts students March 11 to April 10,
2008.
A reception for the artists will take place Thursday, March 20,
6:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the Carnegie Museum. The reception is open
to the public and all are welcome.
The ten student-artists featured in the exhibit painted the multi-panel
historical mural that now hangs in the entryway of the Carnegie
Museum. The mural was completed and hung last year.
The purpose of the exhibit is threefold: it is a celebration of
the mural, it includes a display about the painting process, and
a selection of work by each of the student-artists is on display.
At the March 20 reception, officials from the City of Houghton will
present certificates of appreciation to the ten mural artists.
The Finlandia University student-artists featured in the exhibit
are Christine Sommerfeldt, Melisa Gronowski, Avery Neal, D.C. Wilson,
Lana Bosak, Benjamin Mitchel, Courtney Van Wagner, Yu-han Liaw,
Allie Wurzer, and Kourtney Wojdyla.
For additional information, please contact Yueh-Mei Cheng, studio
arts associate professor, at 906-487-7375.
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“Equinox”
Spring Fashion Show this Saturday
HANCOCK
– “Equinox,” a spring fashion show featuring the
work of Finlandia University International School of Art and Design
alumnae and current students, will take place at 7:30 p.m., Saturday,
March 22, 2008, in the ground-level auditorium of Finlandia’s
Portage Campus, Hancock.
Finlandia fashion design student Pamela Kotila says that varying
styles will hit the runway, ranging from ‘vogue crochet hats,’
earthy, natural-dyed frocks, avant-garde urbanwear, casual garments,
children’s wear, formal attire, and more.
“Dance numbers will begin and end the show, and a reception
will follow, giving the audience members a chance to meet the designers,”
Kotila adds.
Current fashion design students include Pamela Kotila, Emily Pierce,
Mai Takada, Stacy Karvonen, Ansley Knoch, and Betsi Arend. Participating
alumnae designers are Becky Weeks, Autumn Star Weglarz, Angela Smith,
Yana Weglarz, and Heidi LaBeau.
There is no charge to attend. Doors open at 7:15 p.m.
For additional information, please contact Finlandia fiber and fashion
design instructor Phyllis Fredendall at 906-487-7376. Finlandia’s
Portage Campus is located at 200 Michigan Street, Hancock.
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“Rejection
in the Reflection” Exhibit
HANCOCK
– “Rejection in the Reflection,” an exhibition
of Finlandia University International School of Art & Design
student work, will be featured at Finlandia’s student-run
Reflection Gallery March 29 to April 8, 2008.
An opening reception will take place at the gallery Tuesday, April
8, at 4:30 p.m.
“Every year Finlandia University holds a juried student art
exhibition, and every year there are many pieces that are not selected,”
says art and design sophomore D.C. Wilson (Iron Mountain, Mich.),
current Reflection Gallery director.
“I believe that every artist has the right to be displayed,
so the gallery is pleased to host a show of all the rejected works
from the juried show,” Wilson adds. “This is one of
the first opportunities some students have to publicly display their
work and offer it for sale.”
Wilson notes that all the student pieces will be priced to sell.
She invites the community to take advantage of this great opportunity
to purchase student work and support the Reflection Gallery.
The Reflection Gallery is student-run and located amidst the classrooms
and studios at Finlandia’s Portage Campus. The gallery hosts
exhibits of local and national professional artists, but also takes
great pride in displaying the work of the students who support it.
Finlandia’s Portage Campus is located at 200 Michigan Street,
Hancock. The Reflection Gallery is on the second level. For more
information, please contact Finlandia University studio arts instructor
Yueh-mei Cheng at 906-487-7375.
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Chinese Movement and Exercise Workshops
March 31
HANCOCK
– Han Jingsheng, an expert in traditional Chinese medicine,
will share his philosophy and medicinal expertise at the Finlandia
University Finnish American Heritage Center Monday, March 31, at
2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Master Han will lead two sessions of his workshop, “Traditional
Chinese Forms of Movement and Exercise” in which a four-part
movement and exercise regimen will be demonstrated. The regimen
includes opening passageways, nurturing vital organs and restoring
energy, distributing energy, and performing therapeutic self-massage.
Everyone is welcome. There is no charge to attend.
Master Han, a Fulbright Scholar-in-residence at Northern Michigan
University this semester, is a doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine
(TCM), master of martial arts, and therapeutic massage healer. Both
of his parents are TCM doctors and kung fu masters. He began studying
and training with them when he was nine years old and in his thirties
received formal transmission of traditional Chinese medicine (recognition
and acknowledgement by his teachers that he was ready to be a healer).
Combining his training in TCM and his college education in nursing,
Master Han founded Yizhi Chan Tui Na (One Finger Zen Mindfulness
Clinic) in Zhuhai, China. He is a nationally recognized expert on
mindfulness healing, acupressure treatments, and qigong interventions.
Master Han cultivates mindful living and incorporates Zen Buddhist
teachings in training his students and treating his patients. One
Finger Zen – the idea of the interconnectedness of human relationships
– is the guiding principal of his practice. He believes that
good health results in the harmony of the body and its environment,
and that the sustainability of the human race depends on mutual
understanding and assistance.
For more information, please contact Finlandia University Physical
Therapist Assistant program instructor Hilary Sproule at 906-487-7372.
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Silent
Auction, Lunch This Saturday
HANCOCK
– -The Finlandia University Servant Leadership program will
host a silent auction and soup and salad lunch Saturday, March 15,
2008, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at the Finlandia Hall Café,
Hancock.
The silent auction includes more than a hundred items including
handicrafts, textiles, sports memorabilia, gift certificates from
local merchants, books, and household items.
All proceeds will help Finlandia University students and ELCA youth
travel to Tanzania, Africa, this May for a three-week service learning
opportunity.
Admission to the event is $7.00 for adults, $3.00 for children.
Children under six are admitted free. The Finlandia Hall Café
is on the ground level of the university’s residence hall.
For additional information please contact René Johnson, director
of servant leadership, at 906-487-7239 or rene.johnson@finlandia.edu.
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Swedish
Film Featured March 13
HANCOCK
– The Finlandia University Nordic Film Series continues Thursday,
March 13, with the Swedish film, “As it is in Heaven.”
Showings will begin at 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
“As It Is in Heaven” (Så som i himmelen) is a
moving story about an internationally acclaimed conductor who is
forced to rethink his life after a mental and physical collapse.
He returns to the small community in northern Sweden where he grew
up and begins to confront past demons. He also upsets the insular
town’s social balance when he takes over as leader of the
church choir. His life, as well as life in the village, truly changes.
Filled with passion, humor, and much sadness, this Swedish-language
film will appeal to those who enjoyed such films as “Mr. Holland's
Opus” and “Billy Elliott,” with their mix of music
and aspiration.
The film was nominated for the 2005 Oscar Best Foreign Language
Film of the Year. It is directed by Kay Pollak and stars Michael
Nyquist and Frida Hallgren.
The film is in English and Swedish with English subtitles. The film
is unrated. If you have questions about its content, please call.
The Finnish American Heritage Center is at 435 Quincy Street, Hancock.
For additional information, call 906-487-7302.
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Free
Business Counseling Thursday, March 20
HANCOCK,
MI – The Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance (KEDA) and
Finlandia University invite area entrepreneurs to take advantage
of free one-on-one business counseling sessions at the university’s
Jutila Center for Global Design and Business (CGDB) on Thursday,
March 20, 2008.
Business consultant Roger Woods of Homer Productivity, LLC, can
advise on all aspects of small business development from the initial
idea through growth and expansion strategies.
Appointments are recommended and can be made by phone (906-487-7450)
or e-mail (cgdb@finlandia.edu).
The CGDB is located at the Finlandia University Portage Campus (formerly
Portage Hospital), at 200 Michigan St., Hancock.
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“Two
By Two” is Finlandia Spring Play
HANCOCK
– Finlandia University will present a production of the hit
Broadway musical, “Two By Two” March 14, 15 and 16,
2008, at the Finnish American Heritage Center, Hancock.
Friday and Saturday evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. A Sunday
matinee performance begins at 3:00 p.m.
Co-directed by Dan Maki and Mike Aubin, the light-hearted musical
tells the story of Noah’s preparation for the Great Flood
and its aftermath.
“Two By Two is a lively, humorous musical that everyone will
enjoy,” Maki says. “But while the show is generally
lighthearted, it has somber moments, too. Noah’s family has
its dysfunctional aspects and there is a good bit of generational
conflict.”
The story of Noah, his family, and the ark full of animals is well
known. In the musical, Maki says, the characters are very human,
and God is presented as an entity whose existence is both a comfort
and a mystery to those He created.
Maki, local thespian and Finlandia professor, plays Noah. Aubin,
a local school teacher and longtime Calumet Players actor and director,
plays Noah's son Japheth.
Finlandia students Samantha Horst, Emily Pierce, Amanda Moyer, and
Lauren Logue play, respectively, the parts of Noah’s wife,
Esther, Noah’s daughters-in-law Leah and Rachel, and Goldie
the priestess.
Finlandia student David Petretti-Watring plays Shem, Noah’s
eldest son, and Calumet Player Pete Manderfield plays Noah’s
son, Ham. Local musician and Finlandia associate music professor
Melvin Kangas is the music director.
The liner notes from the play’s soundtrack introduces the
story line as follows: “Start by imagining Noah as your average
600-year-old, working-class guy from the Bronx, somehow transported
back to the days of Genesis. He has a loving wife, three sons, two
daughters-in-law, and a chicken farm. One day, God plays a visit,
informs him that the world is going to be destroyed, and gives him
the job of saving two of every living species, along with his own
family. Noah reacts as many of us would with the song, ‘Why
Me?’”
“Two By Two” is based on a book by Peter Stone, with
lyrics by Martin Charnin and music by Richard Rogers. It is a musical
version of a 1954 play, “The Flowering Peach,” by Clifford
Odets.
Tickets are $8 per person. They will be available at the door prior
to each performance, or can be reserved in advance. For additional
information and to reserve tickets, contact Lynne Sweeney at 906-487-7204.
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Greg
Green at Reflection Gallery in March
HANCOCK,
MI – Thursday, March 6, 2008, at 4:30 p.m., the student-run
Reflection Gallery at Finlandia University’s Portage Campus
will host an opening reception for an exhibit of work by local artist
Greg Green.
Included in the show are several of Green’s large, colorful
paintings. Green says the paintings are about a natural process
of painting and the finding of ones true nature.
“I work from scratch with no concrete plan and follow a series
of problem solving moves,” Green explains. “I throw
myself in the middle of the lake and am forced to swim out. The
result is a trail of creative processes, letting the corrections
show. Hopefully keeping contrived ego moves at bay, I am showing
my true nature or the rhythm of nature.”
The exhibit is on display March 3 to March 21.
For additional information, please contact Finlandia studio arts
associate professor Yueh-mei Cheng at 906-487-7375.
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Jim
Denomie: Recent Work
Exhibit
Dates :
February 7 to March 19, 2008
Opening
Reception : Thursday, February 7, 2008, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Artist
talk and slide presentation beginning at 7:30 p.m.
HANCOCK,
MI – The Finlandia University Gallery will host an exhibit
of paintings by Minnesota Ojibwe artist Jim Denomie February 7 through
March 19, 2008. Denomie will exhibit over 40 paintings from his
“Painting-a Day” series.
An
opening reception for the artist will take place at the gallery
Thursday, February 7, 2008, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The artist
will present a slide lecture about his work beginning at 7:30 p.m.
in the theatre adjacent to the gallery. The reception is free and
open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
Denomie
is a member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe. This is Denomie's
second visit to Finlandia University. In 2004 he participated in
a brief visiting artist program.
“Although
I was raised in Minneapolis, I always went back to the reservation
for summer and winter breaks and stayed with my grand parents,”
Denomie says. “I am still strongly connected to my reservation and
other Indian communities in the area by my many friends and relatives.”
In
2005 Denomie embarked on a “Painting-a-Day” project, creating a
painting every day of the year, resulting in over 430 small-scale
works, of which approximately 300 are portraits. He calls the series
“Rugged Indians” and together the series reflects the powerful shifts
of thought, emotion, and events that mark daily life.
These
quick studies of the face, the portal into the expressive and complex
nature of an individual, are usually completed within 15 to 30 minutes.
What
can you express about an individual in such a short time? In a 2005
article for mnarists.org, “Finding the New Country in the Old,”
Lightsey Darst describes the power of Denomie's brushwork. “He does
not try to create a perfect work of art; instead he lets himself
play with the paint. He uses the colors already on the palette or
adds new ones based on his mood.
“Daily
surges of emotion affect the work, sometimes directly—one day's
face is grinning, another sour, one yelling (after the Red Lake
shooting)—but more often indirectly: the faces evolve their own
personalities, their own neutral but suggestive expressions, so
that looking at many of the faces at once is like staring into a
crowd of strangers.”
Denomie's
not dogmatic about what goes into a face, Darst notes. “Some of
the more abstract faces lack eyes and might not be recognizable
as faces but for their company. When the face is done, Denomie signs
the back and names it, if it happens to have reminded him of anyone….
Darst
writes that Denomie made discoveries throughout the year of daily
painting that have influenced his current work in many ways. The
loose, expressive brushwork, the use of portraiture, and, perhaps
most importantly, discoveries about the creative process will influence
his work for years to come.
“During
the Painting-a –Day project, I fell in love with portraiture but
also tried a number of other ideas and subjects,” says Denomie.
“I will probably always do some portraits here and there, but I
also intend to work on large canvases involving storytelling in
the future. And I will always listen to new ideas that float my
way and hopefully I will continue to evolve.”
Jim
Denomie received a bachelor of fine arts from the University of
Minnesota in 1995. His work has been widely exhibited, most recently
in solo exhibits at the Bockley Gallery of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis
Institute of Arts. His work is included in the permanent collections
of the Westphalian Museum of Natural History in West Germany, the
Tweed Museum of Art in Duluth, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum
at the University of Minnesota, and the Montana Museum of Art and
Culture at the University of Montana.
Jim
Denomie: Recent Work will be on display through March 19. The Finlandia
University Gallery is in the Finnish American Heritage Center ,
435 Quincy Street , Hancock. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 8:00
a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., or by appointment.
Please call 487-7500 for more information.
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Free
Business Counseling Thursday, March 6
HANCOCK,
MI – The Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance (KEDA) and
Finlandia University invite area entrepreneurs to take advantage
of free one-on-one business counseling sessions at the university’s
Jutila Center for Global Design and Business (CGDB) on Thursday,
March 6, 2008.
Business consultant Roger Woods of Homer Productivity, LLC, can
advise on all aspects of small business development from the initial
idea through growth and expansion strategies.
Appointments are recommended and can be made by phone (906-487-7450)
or e-mail (cgdb@finlandia.edu).
The CGDB is located at the Finlandia University Portage Campus (formerly
Portage Hospital), at 200 Michigan St., Hancock.
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