University Daily Kansan, December 8, 1980
Page 7
Party mixes culture, traditions
By KATHY BRUSSELL Staff Reporter
Holiday customs and traditions vary around the globe, but the spirit of the holiday season knows no cultural bounds.
With this idea in mind, KU's International Club, with help from the Association of University Residence Halls, has planned an end-of-the-year party for all foreign and American students.
The "Holiday Celebration Party" will begin at 7:30 p.m. this Saturday in the party room of the Satellite Union. With the aim of getting more students involved in International Club functions, Mr. McKenzie met with the party, according to Krupadamn Billa, president of the International Club.
Admission will be $2 a person, even
though the party will cost $4 a person, Billa said.
"The party is open to everyone, but it's mainly focused on foreign students because they don't have a chance to go home over break," Bills siad.
Few foreign students have host families in the United States, he said. Because of the cost of overseas travel, many foreign students do vacations or travel around the country.
"The idea of the holiday party is also that it's the end of the year," Billa said. "It will give students a chance to get away from studying for one evening."
The party will feature Mexican music, Eastern European and African dances and other activities, he said. He lunch and snacks will be provided.
AURH CONTRIBUTED $200 to the
AUHR CONTINUED Jay Smith. AURH
presented memorial.
Because a large percentage of children who were exposed to home violence had AUHR thought the holiday was
be a worthwhile activity to support, Smith said.
The office of minority affairs, which last organized an international party in 1977, is paying a portion of the room rental fee for this year's party.
Bills said the International Club hoped to attract more students to its activity than have attended activities in the past.
"The problem with our club is that foreign students are so great in number, they started having their own clubs and doing most of the activities," Billa said.
“It's not like a small school where the international club can organize all the foreign students. We have over 1,600 foreign students at KU.”
Tickets will be available until Wednesday at the office of minority affairs, 324 Strong, and at the Kansas University Clinical Club office, 115B, or the SUA office.
Italian nativity figures displayed
By JANE NEUFELD Staff Reporter
An exhibition of 18th-century Italian nativity figures, or presepio, will be displayed around the base of a sculpture depicting the central court of Spencer Art Museum.
The museum also will display a group of presepio figures in their original architectural setting in the Renaissance Gallery of the museum.
The original setting shows figures in the arched doorways and on ledges of a brick-and-marble model. It is one of the buildings in their intended settings in the world.
"The Presepio Tree" opened
Saturday and will be on display through
Sunday.
The preposio figures are a Christmas tradition at the museum, as said Douglas Hines.
"They've been on display now for
campaigning," he said. "I came as a bequest from Mrs. (William
bridges) Thayer. Ever since then, they've been displayed at the museum, first at Spooner Hall and now here."
HE SAID THAYER first saw presepio figures in 1911 while touring Italy.
"She was absolutely delighted by the appearance of these figurines," he said. "In the end, she owned several hundred of them."
Thayer donated her collection of individual figures and the presepio in its original setting to the University in 1917.
The foot-tall figures usually are made of bisque, carved wood and metal, Hyland and, often also dressed in lace, are mounted with embroidery, lace or jewels.
The figures are grouped around the base of the museum's Christmas tree, which is decorated with red velvet bowls and Christmas ornaments to her breath. Pointeissat circle the tree.
"The presepio figures took the place of the Christmas tree in the Italian
home," Linda Bailey, membership coordinator, said.
one said each figure was crafted with careful attention to its expression and costume. Figures could be religious or secular, she said.
"I imagine there was a rivalry between the artists as to who could produce the most variety of figures," Bailey said. "You can tell the artist by the expression, like this snaggletooth." One artist used that expression a lot."
TRADITIONAL NATIVITY figures occupy the front of the museum's display. Mary sits on a throne in a white silk sifon and blue cloak, holding the infant Jesus while Joseph, the shepherds, the Magi, a donkey and a goose look on.
In addition to the nativity scene, the display shows a band of peasant musicians playing a guitar, mandolin and oboe, a peasant man and woman accompanied by a collie and a man and women from the nobility, dressed in lace and gold braid and holding a greyhound on a gold chain.