Hand
MANUAL
in the life of ... // AN EVENT DJ
living vicariously through others is ok with us.
Deciding what songs to play at a wedding reception where no one got married is not an easy task, but that is just one of the odd situations DJ John has faced during his 33-year career.
Fifty-year-old John Ellis became interested in DJing as a 17-year-old junior in high school when a large collection of 45s and 8-track tapes were trademarks of the profession. After checking out the DJ equipment at a school dance, he asked his parents to co-sign a loan and bought some equipment of his own.
Ellis' hobby turned into a part-time and lifelong career. He took a break in college to usurse his bachelors degree in fine arts, but after education picked up right where he left off. Ellis performed at more than 1,400 events and about 40 thousand songs of all genres to me. DJing high school dances turned into company gatherings, holiday parties oke. He has seen everything from a bride using their karate skills to break boards rblocks to bachelor party stripteases, while Ellis DJs at a club or Applebee's at it in Ottawa, but he has always been d and never wanted to pursue a full-on the radio or at a club.
Ellis performs anywhere from six to 12 events each month and charges about $100 to $175 an
hour. His lifetime of experience has earned him a good hourly rate, an impressive music library and expensive sound equipment, but people interested in taking a spin on the turntables can start small and upgrade over time. You can get speakers for $200 to $300, and Ellis recommends buying music through a service that gives you a certain amount for a flat monthly rate. The most important thing, though, is that you love music and you know it well. Because in the end, it's all about the music you play.
// EMILY JOHNSON
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Spin city, Elissa turned a high school hobby into a career when he began DJing at high school dances, weddings and company parties.
get some culture // STUDENT ART SHOW
it's not all about fast food and beer pong
Funny how one word can inspire so much. For the second annual Juried Art Show at the Spencer Museum of Art, art and design students selected one of four keywords to draw inspiration from: illusion, disillusion, impression and reality. Thirty students' work was selected from more than 150 submissions by the Student Advisory Board and Kate Meyer, curatorial assistant, and Susan Earle, curator of European and American art.
Even though four words inspired all of the pieces, there is an abundance of diversity, says Chase Bray, Kansas City, Kan., senior and president of the Student Advisory Board at the Spencer Museum of Art. He says works range from all different types of media, including paintings, sculptures, jewelry and glass pieces. A design student also constructed a large-scale chair that will be on display. Bray says having a piece shown in a museum like the Spencer is a huge opportunity to leverage students' work.
The second-annual Juried Art Show and Spring Student Night open at 5:30 p.m. today at the Spencer Museum of Art.
There will be free T-shirts, local food, and DJs. A group of students from a community arts class will perform art that engages the community.
If you're interested in getting more culture, check out the Arts and Culture Festival at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 1 in front of the Spencer. The Student Advisory Board invited artists and cultural groups from the KU and Lawrence communities to come together. There will be a stage for dancing, booths with information and art for sale.
// BETH BEAVERS
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Prep work. Members of the Spencer's student advisory board work ahead of the museum's second annual Juned Art Show, which begins at 5:30 p.m.