Copper Canyon Press Poetry Celebration

Celebrate National Poetry Month with poetry readings by Chris Abani, Ellen Bass, Dan Gerber, Joseph Stroud and William Daly - translator of Pablo Neruda. Cosponsored by Copper Canyon Press and Poetry Flash. San Francisco Main Library Koret Auditorium, 100 Larkin St. (at Grove), 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Actors' Theatre Tonight

We planned so far ahead that I almost forgot to mention it. I fully expect it to be as good as the first batch of Eight Tens @ Eight in February.

Fifth Annual Monterey Bay Irish Film Festival

How did I miss the first four? Well, Movie Maven Amy didn't alert me, I suppose. Last week she asked if anybody would be interested in attending the Irish Film Festival at Cabrillo this Sunday. When I naively raised my hand she immediately declared a SCIFAM event, and being unavailable herself, appointed me hostess. It doesn't involve any more than setting a time & location for the gang to meet, but it's a commitment. No changing my mind now... Which is fine, since the movies look really promising. World Music Fans are looking forward to DAMBÉ: "A documentary following Irish musicians Paddy Keenan and Liam O’Maonlaí to Mali, West Africa, where they travel thousands of miles and collaborate with musicians ranging from Grammy award winners [Ali Farka Touré] to nomadic herders..."
The second feature film will be KINGS with Colm Meaney in the leading role. "Hey look, it's the guy from Next Generation, whatshisname!" I still haven't figured out the connection between the Royal Shakespeare Company and SciFi that I was pondering before, now Colm Meany is thrown in the mix. Not a RSC thespian, but long-time member of the Irish National Theatre, which isn't too shabby either. Mysterious... Well, let's watch some serious acting, then. In Gaelic. "Slán go fóill!"

Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona daoibh!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Trotz der traurigen Nachricht gestern, einen schönen St. Paddy's Day! Dank der Verbindung durch den Hl. Kilian ist Franken eine der wenigen Regionen in Deutschland, wo St. Patrick's Day tatsächlich gefeiert wird, u.a. mit einer Parade in Waigolshausen. Na dann, Sláinte & Prosit, hebt ein Guinness und denkt an Armin!

In Memoriam

The Santa Cruz Chorale

The Da Pacem Domine concert at Holy Cross yesterday was wonderful. Not only was the choir excellent (led by Christian Grube, emeritus professor of choral conducting at the Hochschule der Künste Berlin), the church provided a beautiful setting for the music. On a rainy day, rays of sun intermittently illuminating the interior through the stained glass windows created a colorful, yet solemn atmosphere, perfect for the repertoire. I braced myself; I thought I might be moved by the sincerity of the Gregorian Chants, or by the Motets by composers Heinrich Schütz and Hugo Distler, who both experienced the 30 Year War. I let my guard down for Mendelssohn, since I considered him the emotional lightweight in the line-up. How naive of me, of course it was his "Verleih' uns Frieden" that knocked me out completely. Never underestimate the impact of a Romantic!
(By the way, Harper's online honored Felix's 200th birthday in February with a short article and link to Fischer-Dieskau singing the aria “It is enough” from "Elija")

Junk Art

Comments by Bay Area artist Jerry Ross Barrish at the panel discussion that I thought were interesting:
1) Early works utilizing junk found on the beach in Pacifica (where Jerry lives) cannot be replicated. They are documents of their time. At any given day a particular kind of flotsam & jetsam ends up onshore, so a specific work of art could not have been created earlier or later in time.
2) When Jerry Ross Barrish started to cast some of the plastic sculptures in bronze so that they could be better displayed outdoors, critics bade him "Welcome to the World of Fine Art". He was so irritated that he actually stopped producing bronzes. He resents the notion that the sculptures made from plastic found objects should not be "real art."
It was also fascinating to hear about the Artist-in-Residence program at San Francisco Recycling & Disposal, presented by program manager Deborah Munk. I recommend you check out the website, the program's amazing!
Jerry Ross Barrish, who is a very personable guy, invited the audience at the MAH to visit his studio and Deborah Munk let us know that we can tour the facility's Sculpture Garden. That would be one great day of art in the city!
(Photo by Mel Schockner)

"Assemblage + Collage + Construction" at the MAH

Not only is admission free on the "First Friday" of every month, the The Museum of Art and History even offers extended hours from 11am to 9pm. So last Friday Heike and I checked out the current exhibitions. We enjoyed the sculptures by Jerry Ross Barrish, and found some very stimulating pieces among the rest of Assemblage + Collage + Construction. We are planning to return tomorrow for Cut and Paste, a panel discussion on "the history of the assemblage, collage and construction art movements plus the creative artists and programs that turn junk and recycled objects into artistic masterpieces."
Jerry Ross Barrish will be there, as well as Donna Hunter, UCSC Professor of History of Art and Visual Culture, who actually came by Visual Resources today to pick images for her presentation.
(Location: MAH Auditorium, 4pm, cost: free)

Poetry at Bookshop Santa Cruz Tonight

Tuesday, March 10
7:30 PM Dobby Gibson and Matt Hart. Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz. Suggested donation $3. [ Read more about this event. ]

Frozen River

For SCIFAM DVD Night on Saturday we watched Frozen River. Lance brought up Melissa Leo's role on Homicide: Life on the Street, and we decided to turn it into a double feature by adding Homicide''s trailer to our movie night. The show's aged really well, it's hard to believe it aired such a long time ago!

PS: I actually ended up borrowing Season 1&2 from Lance. I've been consuming at least one episode per day as my "Ohne Krimi geht die Mimi nie ins Bett" show. I'm afraid I've become addicted to it. And I mean afraid, literally. It's very good, but also very dark. I might be jeopardizing my happiness & mental health...

Sweet Jesus, I'd almost forgotten about Rockford!

I loved this show when I was little. (Amazingly enough, he spoke German back then...) Hear the messages on Jim's Answering Machine.
For full episodes visit Hulu. I haven't tried it myself yet, since the site was a late night find. If there's a snag, let me know. Otherwise, enjoy!

Larva, Pupa, Moth.

I saw the collection months ago. I couldn't get it out of my mind. By the time I wanted to take a second look I couldn't remember who the designer was. Alexander McQueen. I finally tracked him down. The idea of having to break out of a cocoon is a little scary, especially to somebody slightly claustrophobic like me, but the element of danger makes the theme all the more beautiful. The execution is absolutely brilliant. Do see the video for gorgeous butterfly prints, gems on heels, and other treasures.

Kumiko Uyeda & Beethoven's Piano Concerto #4

I'm enjoying the UCSC Music Department's concert season. Tickets are so affordable that I've become a regular at the Recital Hall.
The last concert of the UCSC Orchestra offered reliable crowd pleasers with Liszt's Preludes, and Mozart's overture to "The Marriage of Figaro." The entire opera is scheduled for the end of spring. I'm not a big Beethoven fan, but I loved the Forth Piano Concerto. Kumiko Uyedo was amazing. She writes in the program notes that the Forth was not appreciated until revived by Mendelssohn almost 30 years after its premier. I think I understand why. The piano sounds very modern, almost improvised in its hesitations. I googled Kumiko Uyeda. She apparently has an album recorded, "Piano Music Of Erik Satie", of which a Monterey County Weekly review says, "I felt I was sitting next to the piano, along with a quiet sort of anxious excitement - an awareness that art has just enlightened my life - that I only get when wrapped up in a really good piece of art..." I'd like to experience that myself.