+
arts & culture
+ +
Aries
KANSAN.COM THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2017
(March 21-April 19) Break through old limitations and barriers in your relationship with money.
Taurus (April 20-May 20) A new personal phase
Gemini
(May 21-June 20)
Insights, breakthroughs and revelations percolate with the New Moon. Discover something from the past.
Begin a new philosophical, spiritual and mindful phase. Kindred spirits
with this Taurus New Moon. Step into new levels of prosperity without compromising your principles.
provide support.
A new personal phase dawns with this New Moon in your sign. Grow and develop your talents, capacities and skills. Your past work reflects you well.
Cancer
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
(June 21-July 22)
Begin a new phase in friendship, social networks and community with this New Moon. Raise a group endeavor to new levels.
Take notes.
(July 23-Aug. 22)
Complete old work and begin a new phase in your career and profession with this New Moon. Make
this New Moon. Make preparations to launch your next endeavor
(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Open a new door with your education, travels and exploration under this Taurus New Moon.
First-person experience is most memorable. Study with a mentor.
Virgo
with a master.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Libra
(Sept. 23-Oct. 22) A lucrative phase dawns under this Taurus New Moon. Find creative ways to grow your family's nest egg. Launch a profitable initiative together.
Scorpio
other
(Oct. 23-Nov. 21) New collaborative efforts come together naturally. Together, you're an unbeatable team. Advance a level in your relationship under this New Moon. Partnership blooms. Support each
Sagittarius
Suggestios (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Embrace healthy lifestyle practices under the New Moon. New energy floods your work, health and vitality. Recharge by nurturing yourself before taking care of others.
Capricorn
Dec 22, Jan
(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
This Taurus New Moon sparks a family, fun and passion phase. A relationship transforms. Create the romance of your dreams.
It's all for love
It's all for love.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
A new domestic phase arises with this New Moon.
Wrap your love around home and family. Express it with dreamy colors, textures and flavor.
Pisces
Pistes (Feb. 19-March 20) Miracles and breakthroughs arise in the conversation with this New Moon. Use your persuasive arts. Adapt communications to a new story. Share gratitude and appreciation.
Contributed photo
Competitors at Lawrence's 2016 Air Guitar Qualifiers compete for the chance to be world champion.
The Bottleneck will host second annual Air Guitar Qualifiers on Friday evening
JOSH MCQUADE
@L0neW0lfMcQuade
The Bottleneck will host the second annual Air Guitar Qualifiers for the chance to be world champion on Friday, April 28 at 9 p.m. University alumnus and 2013's air guitar world champion Eric Melin will be the night's host.
Air guitar is a kind of performance in which the entertainer trades in the traditional guitar — called a "there guitar" — and mimes the movements in creative ways. According to official air guitar association of the U.S., judges will look for three components: technical merit, or how well it
looks like the competitor is playing a guitar, stage presence and "airness," which is how well the competitor transforms air guitar playing into an art form.
You never know what you are going to get. It's very multi-dimensional."
Conor Taft Undergraduate admissions representative
"There are things a there guitar cannot do," Melin said. "An air guitar can sprout two necks. An air guitar can be broken and magically put back together-
er again. You can throw an air guitar across the stage, catch it with one hand and play it with the other arm."
Lawrence became one of the 17 official air guitar qualifier locations after Melin brought it to the area in 2016. Melin won the Air Guitar World Championship in 2013 with the stage name "Mean Melin."
The competition in Lawrence is the first step of many to reaching the world championships. After the qualifying round, those who place first or second will be given the opportunity to continue on to the national semifinals in the closest of six selected cities, Kansas City being one of them.
Melin is not the only
Lawrence native to perform well in air guitar competitions. In 2016, Conor Taft, an undergraduate admissions representative at the University, advanced to the National Championship and placed in the top five.
Taft was encouraged by his boss and coworkers to compete in last year's qualifier because he performs air guitar during parties. Taft said he enjoys the uniqueness of every performance, whether it be someone coming out of their shell, or someone who is already outgoing and jumping around the stage.
"You never know what you are going to get," Taft said. "It's very multi-dimensional."
Taft said last year's qualifier had the Bottleneck filled to the back, which created an intimate experience among the audience and the performers. According to Melin, there were about 20 competitors in 2016's qualifier, including two Olympic shot putters. He said he expects there to be around the same amount, if not more, competitors this year.
The event is free and will be held at the Bottleneck on Friday, April 28 from 9 p.m. to midnight.
"It's one of the most unique, bizarre things you will ever witness," Taft said.
- Edited by Ashley Hocking
Spencer Museum exhibit explores relationship between makeup and gender performance
BRITTANIE SMITH @britters__smith
Putting on makeup in the mornings can be ritualistic. Rose Wolf, a senior studying visual arts with a focus on expanded media and art history, dug a little deeper into the meaning of different routine behaviors while applying makeup.
Ashley Hocking/KANSAN Rose Wolf is a University senior and an artist pursuing her bachelor's degree in visual art with an emphasis in extended media. Wolf has two video pieces currently in the Spencer Museum of Art's student show.
Wolf explained this in a video installation currently at the Spencer Museum of Art titled "Herd Immunity." The video is on a continuous loop, and centers on gender performance. She said that makeup is a great tool to examine gender performance because it has become accepted as a gender neutral practice.
Ashley Hocking/KANSAN Wolf has two video pieces
"Herd Immunity" compiles makeup tutorial videos by feminine presenting makeup artists. The participants submitted these videos to Wolf and she entered them into a grid pattern, much like the famous intro of the show "The Brady Bunch." There were only about six blocks in the beginning stages of the project, but it has grown to 16.
"A lot of my art work is rooted in the notion that gender is performative and gender is a social construct," Wolf said.
Wolf sets aside 15 minutes every morning to put on makeup as a part of her self-care, a practice she said is a form of autonomy.
"I know that makeup
and beauty standards can be problematic and they represent oppressive ideas to some extent, but I feel like having the ability to wake up in the morning and
decide what my face will look like is a pretty radical idea," Wolf said. "Having that self-determination is
SEE VIDEO PAGE 7
+
.