THE UNIVERSITY DIARY KANSAN
---
NEWS
3A
CERAMICS
'Dangos' give artist world recognition
Charlie Riedel/ASSOCIATED PRESS
World reknown artist Jun Kaneko looks with a pair of 10-foot-tall ceramic heads inside a kiln at Mission Clay in Pittsburg, Wednesday. Kaneko has been taking advantage of the industrial-sized equipment to create a series of giant heads and 'dangos' "Dangos" is Japanese for dumplings. Kaneko's versions are among the highest priced ceramic art in the world.
BY MARIA SUDEKUM
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PITTSBURG — Jun Kaneko, whose ceramic sculptures are on display in museums and galleries around the world, has been working on his latest project in a southeast Kansas sewer pine factory.
But as he looks around his 10,000 square foot space at Mission Clay Products, Kaneko seems perfectly at home.
"Doesn't matter. I used to live in New York, but I never go out. So what's the point?" says Kaneko, 64. "I don't need anything else. I don't watch TV. I don't go to movies, and so actually, it's much better in a smaller city or town. Less distraction. No traffic."
Kaneko's 2 1/2-year project at Mission Clay is planned for completion in October, and involves creating several of his oversized "Dangos," Japanese for dumplings, and four giant Buddha-like heads. The Dangos, which range from 9 1/2 feet to 13 feet high, weigh upward of 2,000 pounds. The heads are about 4.5 tons. Each piece requires months of preparation and weeks in two of Mission Clay's yurt-like, 15-foot kilns.
Kaneko used Mission Clay's kilns at its facility in Southern California for an earlier project making 11-foot Dangos and heard about the Pittsburg site five years ago. He was initially reluctant to attempt the massive heads and 13-foot Dangos, but decided if he didn't do it now, he might never get to it.
"This is purely an experimental project," Kaneko says. "The nature of ceramics is if you increase the size of a piece even 6 inches you will have a technical challenge. It's a hundred times more difficult adding 2 or 3 feet."
Kaneko, whose work is in several public collections, including the American Craft Museum in New York, the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, also has
scores of public commissions and about 15 dealers around the country
His Dangos are among the largest high-priced ceramics in the world and can sell for about $100,000, said Sherry Leedy, Kaneko's dealer in Kansas City, Mo. Although he also works in smaller proportions, big has always been part of Kaneko's aesthetic.
"I don't know why, but I started to make pretty good-sized pieces from the beginning. I started in California in the '60s, and the people around me were making big pieces. (Peter) Voulkos and John Mason, he was making huge pieces — but in sections."
"People joke about me. Don't you know how to make sections? Why are you struggling? Are you stupid? But I sort of like a singular piece."
Kaneko left Nagoya, Japan, in the 1960s to study art in Los Angeles. In 1986, he moved to Omaha, Neb., where he has bought seven downtown buildings for his projects. His wife, Ree Kaneko, also founded the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts there. Kaneko makes the five-hour drive to Pittsburgh every month, depending on where he is in the Dango process.
Because of the size of the Dangos, many of which he paints with geometric patterns, Kaneko has to deal with losing some work in the kiln. But a Dango in pieces on the workroom floor is just another possibility to Kaneko, who exudes calm and optimism.
"I'm going to take it home and do something else with it," he says of a broken Dango. "I don't want to lose too much, but it's the nature of the ceramic business, especially when you do this scale"
Cracks are yet another opportunity.
"Most of the people see a crack as a defect and then throw it away. But you can't create these cracks by yourself, intentionally. If you know how to cooperate with that, that it's part of what happened, then there are possibilities ... and it could be much stronger than a controlled piece."
Kaneko returns to Japan about once a year. He says he is at home in Omaha, where he has about 160,000 square feet among his buildings.
"The Midwest definitely helps me to maintain the studio activity the way I want. ... I like to have enough space so I can isolate different projects to different areas. It's not an easy thing to do, but if I lived in New York, it's impossible."
Kaneko has also lured one friend — an artist — away from the West Coast to Nebraska.
"He is really happy now. He's got 20,000 square feet, and it's completely jammed already," Kaneko says. "This guy took nine semi-trucks from California. It took a whole year to move. Now he's running out of space."
》 HEALTH CARE
BY JOHN HANNA ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOPEKA — Republican Sen. Pat Roberts is working with a Democratic colleague to block some of President Bush's budget proposals for social services, suggesting those recommendations could amount to "rationing health care"
The Kansas senator said Monday that he doubts Bush's proposals enjoy much support, so he would like Congress to avoid a lengthy back-and-forth before providing additional funds for the Medicare and Medicaid programs. He's most concerned about payments to hospitals that provide services to the programs' participants.
Bush's proposals are designed to save $76 billion over five years in Medicare, the program that provides medical services for the elderly. They also would trim $25 billion from Medicaid, the medical program for the needy. They've already received strong criticism from Democrats.
Roberts was in Topeka to discuss health care issues with the chief executive officers of 15 northeast Kansas hospitals. His visit was among a week's worth of events scheduled statewide.
He and Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., are drafting a letter to the White House and the chairman and ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, asking them to protect hospital payments.
"Health care programs are under a lot of pressure." Roberts said after meeting with the hospital CEOs. "What we end up doing is basically rationing health care, and that's not right."
Roberts' return home also comes the week after the House's approval of a nonbinding resolution opposing Bush's decision to increase troop strength in Iraq
by 21,500 soldiers. Senators are still battling over whether they'll consider only Democratic leaders' proposed resolution condemning the troop surge or Republican alternatives.
As for passing a resolution supporting the troops but opposing the surge, Roberts said, "That's rather remarkable in terms of the mixed message that it sends."
He also said he wants to give the new top commander in Iraq. Gen. David Petraeus, a chance to determine whether American and allied forces are making progress in quelling sectarian violence.
On the budget, social services spending is also a concern of Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. She said last week that U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt seems ready to work with states to help them expand coverage to more residents.
"I keep asking him if he has some new resources that he's willing to bring. Is he willing to bring his checkbook to this conversation?" she said. "I still can't get a very clear answer on that, and unfortunately, the president's budget seems to move in exactly the opposite direction."
Roberts said he doesn't want the debate this year to follow the pattern of previous budget debates.
"We usually discuss this for a full year in a session of Congress, and then we come up with an emergency supplemental," he said. "My goal will try to be to not go through that and to restore the funding."
He said squeezing Medicare and Medicaid can lead to more costs. For example, he said, if Congress reduces the number of people who receive rehab services after a serious accident, some end up back in the hospital.
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS
AIESEC
Come learn about opportunities for service, careers, and internships outside of the United States!
experience the World at the KU International Opportunities Fair
Wednesday, 10am - 3:30pm
4th Floor Lobby Kansas Union
Sponsored by: AIESEC, Global Partners, GAP KU 4 Uganda, ISA, ISAP, and AWSA.
Sports Marketing Club Charity Flag Football Tournament Benefiting: The Health Care
Access Clinic
When This Saturday
Were Broken Arrow Park
[31st and Louisiana]
Boys 9:00am
Girls 11:30am
- All participants will get a free t-shirt and a chance to win courtside tickets for KU vs. Texas!
Great Prizes Avaliable!!
Great Prizes Available!!
•KC Royals Tickets
•KU Crocs
•NFL Apparel
•Gift Certificates
•much much more
$12/ person
At LEAST 7 players
per team
ROBERT J. DOLE
INSTITUTE OF POLITICS
5600 W. 13th St.
New York, NY 10024
www.robertjdole.org
The University of New York
February 20th, 2007
"Handicapping the 2008 Election"
An Interview with America's Forensom
Political Prognosticator
Charlie Cook
Publisher of the Cook Political Report
Sports Marketing Club
Come join the KU Sports Marketing Club and guest speaker Chris Theisen, Assistant Athletics Director for Media Relations. TONIGHT at 7:00 p.m. English Room, 6th Floor Kansas Union
Engineering Expo:'007 Engineering Undercover
ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE 500 ENGINEERING UNIFACILITY
Dear Professor,
We are delighted to have you as a member of our Engineering Unifacility team. We are excited to work with you on the development of a new product that will enhance our existing products. You are an invaluable asset to our team, and we look forward to working together to achieve success.
KU SCHOOL OF ENGINEering
Student Senate
The Student Snake is looking to fill the following emps. seats:
2 Fres./Soph. CLAS
1 Engineering
4 Graduate
2 Non-Traditional
If you are interested in filling one of these open spots, pick up an application in the Student Senate office, Room 410.
Kansas Union
If you have any questions contact
Andrew Payne
apayne@kku.edu
LIQUID
acquired on 25rd of Jan. 1984 by McDonald's
GET NAKED Redefining Intimacy
A four week look at dating marriage and fig leaves Tuesdays @ 8:00 p.m. February 6th,13th,20th,27th www.wesleyku.org
Human Sexuality in Everyday Life With Dr. Dennis Dailey KU Professor of Social Welfare
this non-credit course is designed with the realities of the college aged person in mind, with a focus on how sexual development has occurred so far in their lives, how it is presently being experienced and expressed, and what might occur in the continuous development of healthy adult sexual.
Thursdays 6:30-8:30pm
Beginning February 1 for 10 sessions at the FCM
Register at the EH A day from Hampus
Students $35 and Non Students $45 late registration
For more information contact the FCM office at 843-4933
KU College Republicans
Meeting TONIGHT February 20th at 7:00pm. Parlor Room, Kansas Union
What is JayWalk?
funded by:
SENATE
PAID FOR BY KU
JAYWALK
Have you ever felt unsafe walking alone at night on campus? Wish someone could walk with you? JayWalk can help!
What is JayWalk?
JayWalk is a service available to all students who want a JayWalk volunteer to WALK them to the residence hall or car, or to wait with them for the Night Campus Express Bus or SafeRide.
Where is JayWalk? The JayWalk station and volunteers are located inside Anschutz Library.
When is the service available?
Jaywalk runs Sunday through Thursday from 8pm to midnight.
Who walks with me?
One male and one female will escort you to a specific location.
WANT TO VOLUNTEER FOR JAYWALK?
CALL US AT: 864-3224
Volunteers are greatly needed and appreciated! While you are assisting KU students you can also study and do homework! Pick up forms in the Student Involvement and Leadership Center in the Kansas Union. If you have any questions regarding the service or about volunteering, please email Safety@ku.edu.
the street K
Learn Car
Monday. Feb. 19
Tuesday, Feb. 20
20th Avenue and 59th Street
32nd Flr, New York, NY
Bearing the Winged Society (WWS)
Beijing, China
Wednesday, Feb 21
*Mike Nierman plays in 'Olympic'*
*Musik von Werner Herzog*
*MUSIK von Werner Herzog*
*Natural Sound for Karaoke*
*Natural Sound for Karaoke*
Thursday, Feb. 22
EARTH BODY & AIR
Veggie lunch
Milkshake Meatballs
Walnut Milkshake
Friday, Feb 23
Joshua Callie
College Church Chapel
Embry-Rich Hospital
Bingham Hall Baptist
Maryland Baptist University
Abstrached Methodist Lunatic
Loraine
QUEERS & ALLIES
1st Social Meeting!
Come to learn about Q&A, meet new friends have fun and get involved in the active LGBT community.
100% of IT / 30pm
Free browsing on the lowbook!!!