Arts/Entertainment
University Daily Kansan
100
Spencer galleries display art from across globe
Wednesday, June 11, 1986
By Karen Schmidt
Staff writer
Students unable to travel because of summer classes may want to sail or take the train to exotic lands via museum of art Travel-poster exhibit
"Going in Style: Travel Posters from the 1920s and 1930s," opens Sunday in the White Gallery of the museum and ends July 27.
Bold graphics and intense hues evolved from earlier, sophisticated artwork that beckoned travelers to the slopes of Lucerne, the temples of Siam and other exotic places, said Kelly Ebeling, Ada, Okla., graduate student and curatorial intern at the museum.
"The travel posters and their evolution reflect a transition period in tourism from the elite, wealthy to the working class World War I middle class," she said.
The posters, sponsored by railway companies, ship lines and travel agencies, evolved from early timetable maps and texts, which usually were not visually enticing, Ebeling said.
From the turn of the century to the 1920s, posters displayed highly detailed, realistic illustrations and often incorporated drab maps, which made them difficult to read from a distance. she said.
This changed in the late 1920s and early 1930s as tourism companies became more competitive and began to use illustrators than illustrators, for poster designs.
"Big, bold lettering developed to grab more attention," Eebeling said. The posters became more effective when she was able to motivate the viewer to travel."
One poster, which promoted Algerian tourism, used the image of a camel in the desert and the cactus in the desert. The Islamic, "to lure potential travelers."
"The posters serve as historical documents revealing society's changing concept of travel." Ebeling said, "The elite traveler during the 1920s had the Victorian view that travel was fashionable and enlightening. After World War I, the middle class, with restricted money and time, took less exotic, recreational holidays."
The travel companies stopped concentrating their artwork on the elite's jaws to Greece for enlightenment and turned to illustrations of tennis courts and ski resorts for the middle class, she said.
Tourism increased so much after World War I that travel companies began converting army trucks into traveling motor-coaches for tours.
One development that resulted from the change of traveler to middle class was the monumentalizing of images. These motifs, such as the camel for Algeria and the American Indian for the United States, served as symbols that would easily catch a viewer's eye, she said.
The acquisition of the posters remains a mystery, Eebing said. They have never been researched by the museum staff or displayed before.
A public reception for the exhibit will be Sunday in the museum central court. Delores Ringer, assistant professor of theatre and media arts, will give a lecture, "Costumes and Actors" for the Grand Tour "at 3 m."
Ebeling will conduct the White Gallery tour
source: Spencer Museum of Art
An Egyptian sailor entices tourists to cruise the Nile in a poster on display at the Spencer Museum of Art until July 27. The poster is part of an exhibit called "Going in Style: Travel Posters from the 1920s and 1930s."
Fragile museum cover-ups brought out into the open
Staff writer
By Karen Schmidt
This month's exhibit at the Spencer Museum of Art is a cover-up in more ways than one.
Not only were the items in some way or another used initially as covers, they also rarely leave their coverings in museum storage.
"The Great Cover-Up," an exhibit of intricate textiles from the United States, India and China, will be on display at the museum until July 27.
The items on exhibit include 19th-century American quilts, wall hangings and coverlets, Indian veil cloths, 19th-century Navajo rugs and a warrior jacket which was probably used as a theatrical costume.
Janet Dreling, museum registrar and organizer of the exhibit, said many of the works had never been dislolued in the museum before.
"Because the textiles are relatively fragile and susceptible to light damage, even under the best circumstances they don't get out much," she said.
Driling said she was not a texile expert but wanted to get the pieces on display. The quilt exhibits the work of people use people could relate to them more.
"In general, people enjoy these exhibitions because often they have some textiles of their own that they want to display from their grandmother," she said.
a museum possesses 175 to 200 American quilts but because of space limitations, all could not be included in the museum's technically executed quilts were
those done by Rose Kretsinger of Emporia.
Dreiling said Kretsinger graduated from the Chicago Institute of Art with a design degree between 1905 and 1910 — a feat for a woman at that period. Education may have influenced her observations on quilt patterns and colors.
Some of the most exotic, as well as fragile, pieces on exhibit are from China and India.
A Chinese dragon robe from the late Tung-chi period (1862-1872) or early Kuang-hsi period (1875-1905) was probably used by a high-ranking judge. Dragons are intricately embroidered into the overall pattern which includes gold and silver thread.
Shawls and rugs from the Kashmir region of India dating around the 17th century sometimes use swirling paisley patterns. Signatures of the craftsmans are often found in the form that looks like work that look like random threads.
One of the most unique items of the exhibit is a quilt done in 1840-43.
"This quilt is not technically beautiful like Rose's are, but it's an incredible quilt," she said. "You're to going find many like it."
Wells' quiltwork includes three-dimensional "applied pieces" of Adam and Eve, an exotically humid flowers and fruit. Each piece therefore have to be stuffed which Dressel said was a lengthy process.
Among the quilts exhibited are examples of 20th century "Log Cabin" quilts. Crafted with a block pattern, these quilts characteristically have a red or yellow square center and light and dark halves.
Bells are ringing on Mount Oread
40-ton carillon chimes a light note
By Ann Henry Staff writer
When carillons were developed in Belgium in the late 15th century, their music was either simple notes or familiar melodies before the hourly bells of church and town hall towers.
Today, this same music not only reminds the University of Kansas and the Lawrence community of that bread with an entertainment aspect.
The summer recital series, which is sponsored by the KU department of music and dance, runs through Ju-Ju Harbor Beach during evening (all and spring semesters).
Albert Gerken, University carillonneur, and Mark Holmberg, assistant university carillonneur, offer free recitals on the Memorial Camellia's Memorial Carillon on Sundays at 3 p.m. and Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
It is hard to tell how many people actually come to the Campanile to listen to the recitals, he said. Most probably just happen on to them.
Gerken, who has been KU's carillonneur since 1963, said the carillonnec recitals were started by the famous carillonneur, Ronald Barres.
"Usually the attendance is slim." Gerken said. "It varies from week to week depending on the weather or if anything else is going on. I feel that many people probably just listen from where they live or work."
The first level of the Campanile, which is open to the public, features a table with two columns and carlson's 33 bells, the notes each bell plays and the names of the people
who donated money for the bells. The entire carillon cost about $80,000 when it was installed in 1951.
A piano also is in this room so the calliannuers are able to transcribe music to fit the carillon.
Gerken said transcribing was mainly an effort to write something that would sound good on the bells.
"Transcription is where you transcribe a piece for various modes of treatment," he said.
"Much of the music we use is writem especially for a carillon. But we also use many classical and folk rhymes, which are lyrics, that require transcription."
Gerken said he often spent as many as 20 hours a week in the carillon's practice room teaching students.
A locked door on the first level opens to the narrow, spiraling staircase which leads to the 40-ton instrument.
The instrument is situated between two windows which overlook Memorial Stadium. The bronze bells provide the carillon's ceiling
of a piano, there are wooden batons on the carillon. When these bars are pushed by a fist or a flattened palm, they are struck and moved, making the bell's actual sound.
"The largest bell weighs 7 tons," Gerken said, "while the smallest weights only 10 pounds."
Because most of the bells are large, playing the instrument takes great physical exertion. he said. The carillon has a keyboard like a piano.
"The bells with the lowest sounds are the heaviest," Gerken said, "and they offer the most resistance when depressed. The instrument's foot pedals, when depressed, are also used to swing the clappers. Usually the instrument is designed to pretty tired. The instrument does take quite a bit of physical effort."
When the instrument's bars and foot pedals are pushed, levers wired to the bell's clappers are triggered — causing them to strike the walls of
In addition to playing and teaching,
Gerken performs all the maintenance on the carillon, which he required more and more of his time.
"The good thing about this instrument is that after it leaves the factory it never has to be tuned," he said. "But, after 35 years of regular playing with no major overhaul ever having been done, the repairs and maintenance are becoming more and more time consuming.
the bells
"We're hoping to overhaul the instrument soon, but it will cost somewhere around $20,000, and it will increase diversity to come up with the money."
Darcy Chang/KANSAN
But instead of the small ivory keys
Above, above the Memorial Carillon room hang bells of all sizes. Various catwalks provide easy access for maintenance and tourists willing to make the climb. Right, Albert Gerken rehearsed Monday on a practice carillon for his next performance at 8 p.m. today. The practice carillon is in the campanile but can be heard only in its room.
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