University Daily Kansan / Friday, April 8, 1988
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Arts & Entertainment
Jacque Janssen, arts/features editor
11
Artists want new gallery to be lively
By Kevin Dilmore
Kansan staff writer
Date
Kevin Byrne, Chris Fulkerson and Deirdre Humphrey take a break from renovating the Transmission studio at 11 E. Eighth St.
Art gallery. For some people, the words conjure an image of a stuffy room filled with inaccessible paintings by classic artists. That image is about to change.
But Transmission will function as a gallery only in the broadest sense of the word. Members of the cooperative plan on using the building to house not just artwork but shows by performance and musical artists, poetry readings and film screenings. The variety of activities envisioned makes some founders crine at the word gallery.
Chris Fulkerson, Wichita junior and member of the cooperative, said, "A lot of us want to steer away from the word 'gallery.' It makes us sound sort of pretentious."
Deirdre Humphrey, Lawrence resident and founder of the cooperative, said the name reflected her inspirations. (humphrey.com)
Henice, the name Transmission.
"It comes from transmitting ideas because it's going to be a very collaborative thing." she said.
"It is not going to be just a group of people paying rent on a place to hold shows," she said. "It is going to be kept open to ideas and input from anyone. People who thought they could never become artists will start to collaborate with those who have."
Humphrey said the Transmission gallery would serve as an alternative to other exhibition halls in
"It will be an outlet for artists that have no place else to go," she said.
John Henderson, Lawrence resident, said he would like to see Transmission house visual art categorized somewhere between exhibits by the Lawrence Arts Commission and movies at Liberty Hall.
Henderson said he was creating a film series for Transmission.
"I want to get a series of films too obscure to draw a big crowd," he said, "the sort of things too small to make it even at Liberty Hall."
Kevin Byrne, Lawrence resident, said he hoped the cooperative might bring art forms to Lawrence that are not readily accessible now, such as performance art.
"The stuff that gets done that is serious is not shown on TV or in movies. It is in galleries," he said.
Humphrey said Transmission formed about a month ago and had progressed rapidly. The cooperative first found the space for the gallery, then organizing members and searching for financing.
"It's been a fast and spontaneous month," Humphrey said. "But the pace has kept a certain amount of energy and tension in the air; which all artists live for."
Byrne said the cooperative was forming bylaws and was incorporating as a non-profit organization.
"We want to make sure that the practical aspects are taken care of right away so we can concentrate on the important thing of giving people an environment to work in." he said.
But he said he was trying to keep a rein on the cooperative's nace.
"We're walking a thin line," Byrne said. "If you take on too much responsibility too fast, people will burn out from the work. But if you don't take things fast enough, people will lose the enthusiasm."
"We will take on only what we can do well."
We will take on only what we can do well.
Transmission's first project will be a garage sale, April 15-16, at the gallery. All proceeds will go toward renovation costs. Byrne said the sale would offer everything from paintings and ceramics to clothes and other traditional garage sale items.
Humphrey said the gallery would officially open April 23 with a show composed of works by every member of the cooperative. She said the show would be on Monday, but no one expected to appear at Transmission, but that
Byrne said future shows would offer works for sale and that Transmission would get part of its income from a nominal commission.
"Most galleries would not want to show anything unless they could sell it and get a huge amount from it," he said. "But 'I'd rather see something sell for the artist's benefit than for the money."
future shows would probably be limited to the works of one artist.
Byrne said Transmission planned to take in money by what he described as a two-tier system. The core group of artists would pay rent on studio space, and Transmission fellowships would be sold through a system similar to the one used by public television stations.
Byrne said the money raised would be used to initiate programs for artists beyond the gallery.
"I don't want to get too ambitious, but we could end up with a group that provides a lot of supportive sources, including classes and grants," he said.
Byrne is now in the process of contacting other galleries for information on traveling exhibits and individual grants. He said the job could evolve into a full-time salaried position, depending on the success of the cooperative.
Humphrey said each of these factors would come together to place Transmission halfway between a gallery and a company.
"It's a new invention, kind of like a developing school of artists. But not a school like formal schooling," she said. "It's more like a school of fish."
'The Dead' not one of Huston's greatest
2. 2
By Kevin Dilmore
Kansan staff writer
Tony Huston's screenplay, based on a short story by James Joyce, sometimes can be pleasant to hear. He has a sense of the Irish dialect and word choice. He can to engage the viewer. They creat e feeling akin to eavesdropping on a conversation between strangers.
Huston is undeniably a talented film artist. His more than 60 years of work in Hollywood, including the 37 feature films he directed, ranks among the greatest in the film industry. But no matter how ardent "The Dead" is, his efforts fail to bolster a tedious storyline.
"The Dead," now playing at Liberty Hall, is a well photographed, well dialogued and adequately acted swan song by director John Huston. But I cannot believe it being through it because of my disobsession idea that films are supposed to be entertaining.
After the party ends, the movie focuses on two of the guests, Gretta and Gabriel Conroy, Anjelica Huston and Donal McCann. Gabriel spends the night in a hotel room listening to his wife reminisce and pine over a lost teen-age love.
A shift in the narrative to first person near the end of "The Dead" creates more curiosity about why the shift was made than it creates identification with the narrator, Gabriel.
The plot of the film is very simple. The place is Dublin in 1804. Two elderly ants play by Cathleen Delany and Helena Carroll invite a circle of friends and family for dinner on the Day of Epiphany. In a scene that lasts for almost two-thirds of the film, the guests sing, recite poetry, eat and discuss every thing from Irish politics to the merits of English-born tenors.
Throughout the film, Huston lets the camera linger on static shots. He occasionally tries to enliven the screen with slow pans, varied angles and detailed compositions.
But these scenes stand out so much that the rest of the film becomes even more tiresome.
For example, while Aunt Kate played by Carroll, sings one of her favorite folk songs before dinner. Huston takes a tour of her home. With her voice echoing through the halls, the camera focuses on old glasses and needpoint samplers. With this attention, Huston makes Aunt Kate stand out from the crowd.
Huston's careful technique makes many sections of "The Dead" lovely to look at, but that is no saving grace.
The ennu of "The Dead" is sustained by lackluster performances from a reputably good cast. Anjelica Huston seems distracted throughout the film, looking as if a fellow actor had to pinch her leg periodically to awaken her. Donal Dennelly merits the only praise for his role as Freddy, a drunken bore who gains a bit of respect for himself after speaking about religious commitment.
Critics across the country have hailed "The Dead" as a Huston masterpiece. Vincent Canby of the New York Times went so far as to say that the film almost demands an audience's attention and body of work. This comment belittles some of the greatest films in history.
Huston directed "Key Largo," "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," "The Misfits" and the greatest detective film ever, "The Maltese Falcon." Each of these films and most of Huston's others are far better examples of what John Huston was capable of put-together. Huston's performance as the Leaguer for the planet of the Apes deserves more analysis than "The Dead."
John Huston was one of the best directors ever. Many of his films will live forever in the memories of film goers and the annals of film history. But "The Dead" will not be among them.
"The Dead" is rated PG for adult situations.
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