arts & culture
KANSAN.COM | THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016
Aries ( March 21-April
Career opportunities seem within reach. Stay focused. Consider what's best for family, if it goes against your grain, turn it down. You gain profound insight into a problem. Teach someone what you're learning.
Taurus ( April 20-May 20)
Travel and academics hold your focus. A formidable barrier blocks the path, so step carefully. You can see what wasn't working. Keep practicing. Work with someone who sees your blind spot. Have a backup plan.
Gemini ( May 21-June 20)
Manage shared finances with your partner. Difficulties
with your partner. Difficulties become apparent. Listen carefully, and avoid blame or argument. Focus on what can be done. Make an important
call. Keep your sense of humor.
Cancer ( June 21-July 22)
Collaborative efforts get through where a solo push fails. Keep your patience with partners and roommates. Deep breathing is good now. Negotiate to refine the plan: field baggage
Leo ( July 23-Aug. 22)
let go of old baggage.
126 (July 23-Aug. 22)
A change of direction at work does you a lot of good, but may take you by surprise.
Cut clutter to make space for what's ahead. Reconnect with your base.
Virgo ( Aug. 23-Sept.
22)
Relax, and take it easier. Pay bills before spending on treats. Simple luxuries satisfy, like open sky and hot water. You don't need gifts to express your love. Remind people what you appreciate about them.
Libra / Sept. 23-Oct. 22
Annie Crahowsku/KANSAN
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Family matters hold your focus. You and a housemate may have differing opinions. Slow down and proceed with caution, or you'll break something. Avoid harsh words by listening more. Go for clarity.
Deargare clutter
Scorpio ( Oct. 23-Nov.
Breaking news reveals a startling turn of events. Study background details before weighing in. Discover the undercurrents and hidden resources. Take abrupt action to grab a passing opportunity. You're gaining influence in a growing conversation.
Sagittarius ( Nov. 22-
Dec. 21)
Prioritize positive cash flow.
Pay bills, and send invoices.
Sell or give away stuff you no longer need. Establish efficient routines to save money. Keep things frugal,
even when a windfall lands
in your yard.
Capricorn ( Dec. 22-Jan.
10)
Take charge, and motivate others to participate. An opportunity requires action, and you see something possible. Slow down to navigate sharp turns. Get out and explore what's going on. Invite someone interesting.
Aquarius ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Peace and quiet suit your mood. Private productivity generates satisfying results.
Read instructions and histories. Plan upcoming engagements in detail. Think carefully before making an important decision. Home draws you in magnetically.
Carrie Beall's goal of the display was to create a living room in the middle of an art gallery for people to look at her books while having a comfortable place to relax.
Pisces ( Feb. 19-March
20)
Find ways to increase shared assets. Insurance? Investments? Manage accounts, and get feedback from a partner. Set up meetings, and resist temptation to spend on non-essential frills. Get expert opinions. Share ideas for
profit and savings.
Graduate student's MFA thesis tells story of childhood through illustrated memoir
► OMAR SANCHEZ
@OhMySanchez
"H ard to Say" is a feature exhibition by Univer-
tion by University graduate student Carrie Beall, an MFA thesis that will cap off her three years of education at the University. This feature will run, with one other thesis, from March 27 to April 1 at the Art & Design Gallery, which is located on the third floor of Chalmers Hall.
As a sentimental installation that focuses on themes of memory and interpersonal communication, "Hard to Say" envelops many of Beall's passions, as her degree in Expanded Media allows her to build a piece of art through illustrations, drawings, technology and paintings.
The exhibit features a "pop-up" living room with chairs and lamps that create a comfortable setting for visitors to sit down and take a look at her illustrations at their leisure.
"I wanted to give viewers the most authentic reading experience that I could inside of a traditional gallery space," said Beall. "I wanted it to feel like the furniture was pieced together in the same way that the stories from the book were."
The book, a memoir that serves as an arrangement of short stories, family photos and illustrations, tells of
Beall's childhood in Chesapeake Bay, Md., as she tries to understand how to cope with the inability to fully express her emotions.
The stories are disjoint, yet colorful and simple in a way that emanates a commonality between the pages, one that reveals a powerful message about memory and how it shapes how we know the world around us.
In this way, the furniture you will find becomes an exemplar of our collection of memories and how we use it to create new ones as well.
"I wanted them to feel like memories that fit together but weren't all exactly the same," Beall said. "I wanted the furniture to feel like it came from different points in the past but that it could maybe all belong to the same person or family."
A theme, for example, throughout her illustration book is that of her mother. The first pages introduce us to a young Beall as she meticulously attempts to fill a plastic cup with soda for her mother. In dead center of the handwritten pages of the story are the various plastic cups that Carrie associated with her mother.
Her filling up the cups is a gesture that Beall said connotes her struggle to show her love and compassion for her. Also, she said "on another level, it's about
tiny details that surround the memories of my mother."
These sucinct yet hazy memories of her interactions with her mother are an important part of Beall's life. She said there were not many kids in her neighborhood where she grew up, so she spent much of her time at home and had a difficult time communicating and making new friends.
"To me, ['A House Reset'] is the most important story in the book. I have been struggling with the memory of my mother's hospitalization for several years now, and it's something that no one in my family talks about," Beall said. "This story really functioned as a way for me to bring up the topic to my mother when she read the book — to try to open up
Her mother became a symbol for Beall of trying to break out of her shell. Throughout the rest of the illustration book, Carrie explains situations such as when she used a paper plane to tell her mother she had her first period. She also delved into her realization that she loved the way her house always changed in the short story "A House Reset," an idea that came into her mind after her mother began to be hospitalized for reasons she is still attempting to understand.
communication to her in the present."
After attending Towson University in Maryland and studying Studio Art, KU became the next step for her to continue making art and attempt to make something that could help her have some sort of closure with her past.
Tanya Hartman, director of graduate studies in the Department of Visual Arts and chair of the thesis committee, immediately saw a special quality in Beall and knew Beall could accomplish her goals using her artistic abilities.
I wanted to give viewers the most authentic reading experience that I could inside of a traditional gallery space."
Carrie Beall Expanded Media Student
"Carrie is a tremendously talented human being," Hartman said. "She is a writer and an artist with a wealth of intelligence and sensitivity to bring to her creations. She is absolutely original and needs to be encouraged to see the potential in her unique vision."
"Hard to Say" became that unique vision.
"This book was an important process for me," Beall said. "I have always loved writing and drawing, and it was a struggle to get to the point where I found a support system that allowed these ideas to flourish."
Overall, Beall said it was a therapeutic and gratifying experience creating "Hard to Say," something she described as an emotionally-healing process that she hopes others will be able to begin as they see her art.
In fact, this curative quality to her art is something she wants to continue to explore after graduation.
"I plan to move back to the east coast and continue to write, start a new collection of stories and revisit some of the ideas that I began but didn't get to flesh out in my three years in the program. I also hope to go back to school and become a certified Art Therapist," Beall said.
"Hard to Say" is available to the public and is free for all who are interested.
- Edited by Samantha Harms
Annie Grabowsku/KANSAN
Carrie Beall recreates the stack of plates in front of her. Annie Grabowsky/KANSAN
Annie Grabowsky/KANSAN Comfortable chairs and a calm atmosphere surround the books, which include stories of Beall's mother.
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