6A
Wednesday, February 12, 1997
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Exhibit explores student's art
Nature, own life inspire works
Mary Corcoran Special to the Kansar
Evolution, spirituality, connection and energy are the impressions Forrest Toby Levy, Peabody sophomore, hopes to convey through Finding the Balance, his art exhibit in the Kansas Union Gallery.
Geoff Krieger / KANSAN
Levy uses a wide variety of media for his art, much of which comes from nature. One of the major sculptures in the exhibit, Evolution of the Sculptor, is composed entirely of wood. Levy said he found the main pieces of driftwood at Clinton Lake and many of the other pieces in and around Lawrence.
The exhibit consists of sculptures and paintings done by Levy and will be displayed through Feb. 21.
"I love the whole idea of going out into nature and finding bones, wood, rocks, stone, everything," Levy said. "I can bring it back without destroying nature, so others can see."
Levy applied for an exhibit through the Student Union Activities fine arts committee by submitting a written statement and slides of his work.
"We were impressed by the variety and maturity of his artwork," said Shannon Hart, Gladstone, Mo., senior and SUA fine arts coordinator. "His art is a story-telling experience for him. It is a personal statement — he has an emotional connection to it."
Evolution of the Sculptor was one of the first sculptures Levy created at the University of Kansas. He described his piece as a representation of himself.
"The abstract form bursting out, the
Another of Levy's works, Bioelectric Evolution, expresses a universal energy, Levy said.
human form, is me," Levy said. "I did this piece after I really realized who I was and what I was about. It shows me evolving into who I am."
This sculpture, made from an old car, is one of the works by Forrest Toby Levy now on display in the Kansas Union Gallery.
"The painting shows life-giving energy and how it evolves," he said. "Everything is made of energy. We need to get in tune with these energies in order to expand our mind and horizons."
The abstract painting, one of the largest in the exhibit, is done in a burst of brilliant reds and yellows.
"I try to include spirituality in my work," Levy said. "Spirituality, evolution — they are all part of the balance. I want to include all the aspects of the transcendental realm."
Levy began working with art when he was 5 years old. His grandparents lived near a lawn mower repairman, who let Levy take rusty parts and put them together to form abstract sculptures.
At that age, he also took art classes at the Wichita Museum of Art from Judy McCrea.
Now, at the age of 20, he is once again taking art classes from McCrea, only this time it's through the University's School of Fine Arts.
"I feel a great bond with her," Levy said. "She's watching me grow and guiding me."
McCrea said that seeing Levy again after teaching him as a child reinforced her convictions that what was deep inside a person was there when he was young.
"I see similarities in the look and feel of his art," McCrea said.
Levy has been working on a painting and sculpture major for about a year. All of the artwork on display was envisioned at the University during the last year, he said.
Some people who visited the exhibit got a morbid feeling from the artwork.
"The display disturbed me a little, but I found it fascinating," said Keara Spoor, Overland Park senior.
But Levy said that his show encompassed both the positive and the negative experiences he had.
"I had to go through a negative period to get to the point where I am now," Levy said. "The display is really personal. I communicate visually. The exhibit is about me and what I've been through."
- Concerns are presented to elections commission
By Dave Morantz Kansan staff writer
The elections commission held hearings last night to discuss complaints filed about its proposed elections code.
The commission, which oversees Student Senate elections, recently proposed that no campaigning be allowed on campus during election hours. Several students filed complaints about the new code. Last night they presented their concerns to the commission.
After the meeting, the commission held private deliberations and will release its final code today.
Last week, Chad Perlow, elections commissioner, said that the new regulation resulted from low voter turnout believed to be caused by candidates harassing students.
Jason Fizel, off-campus senator,
said he agreed with the commission's belief but filed a complaint because candidates should be able to inform students of their positions
on election days. Many students do not know that there is an election unless they are informed by a candidate he said.
"I don't think they should limit campaigning on campus wholesale." Fitzel said.
Scott Sullivan, Liberal Arts and Sciences senator, said banning campaigning on campus would only force candidates to move to a location right next to campus to campaign.
"It doesn't change the game, it only changes the nature of the game," he said.
Sullivan also said he had a problem with the commission's belief that candidates harass students.
"I don't think you see campaigners forming a wall that people cannot walk through," he said. "I think it is important that we find the least restrictive way to increase voter turnout."
But Fitzel disagreed. "I can see where the people who are running don't believe that harassment occurs, but everybody else does," he said.
Group builds houses
By Sean Demory
Kansan staff writer
In 20 years of service, Habitat for Humanity, an organization that pulls people together from all walks of life to build houses for the disadvantaged, has built 13.685 houses in the United States.
Habitat refers to its program as a hand up, rather than a handout. Wishful homeowners are expected to work alongside volunteers and keep up with payments once their homes are built.
"If we have a homeowner, we tend to work with them," said Lorrie Davis, program director of the Lawrence chapter of Habitat for Humanity. "People tend to be very conscientious about making payments."
The Lawrence chapter has been operating since 1989. Davis said that only one of the 21 homeowners who have worked with Habitat had defaulted.
"We have a very successful affiliate," Davis said. "The spirit of Habitat is to help them to own a home and we're helping them do that."
Much of the Lawrence chapter's success can be attributed to its KU volunteers, said
Kathleen Wherry, KU Habitat for Humanity president.
Most of KU Habitats activities deal with fund-raising, Wherry said. KU Habitat will be traveling to Meridian, Miss., during spring break to build houses. Proceeds from an annual benefit concert sponsored by Alpha Rho Chi, the architecture honor society, will help pay for the trip.
The group also makes an effort to interact with homeowners as well, holding picnics and potluck dinners yearly.
The home-building process goes beyond construction. A donation of several shrubs was made by a Lawrence resident last year. Wherry called a homeowner who was living in a house that the KU chapter had built and offered him the opportunity to pick them up.
"I went by the house, and I saw all these great shrubs and bushes planted," Wherry said. "All it took was a phone call."
Wherry said she occasionally found herself putting Habitat before homework, but didn't find that surprising.
"You get a feeling of competence in an area that you didn't know anything about." Wherry said. "I can hang sheet rock with the best of them."
Older houses provide shelter, but no comfort
By Paul Eakins
Kansan staff writer
A leaky roof, no electricity, a cold and drafty house are common problems faced by student tenants in Lawrence, especially those who live in the so-called "student ghetto" surrounding the University of Kansas.
This area, better known as the Oread neighborhood, has many older, sometimes ill-kept houses that are often rented to students.
During the winter months, house problems can worsen, as air drafts or poorly insulated walls become apparent. When David Broz, Lisle, ill, senior, encountered these problems, they were a surprise.
"I've never lived in an old house before, I didn't know what to expect," he said. "It's cold in here, and it's quite drafty. We were unaware that it would be so bad."
The drop in temperature in his house may have surprised Broz, but the drop in cash in his wallet surprised him just as much, he said.
"Our gas bill went from about $31 a month to $321 a month," he said. "I expected it to go up, but not that much!"
Money and heat can be saved by having a weatherproofed house that is well-maintained, said Jim Sherman. City of Lawrence building inspector.
For example, furnaces and heaters need to be maintained and functional shingles should be weatherproof, there should be no holes in the siding, window sills should be caulked around the edge, and doors should fit smugly or have weather stripping around them, Sherman said.
But, tenants need not strap on their tool belt yet because these issues are the landlord's responsibility to deal with, Sherman said.
If these problems, or others that may make the dwelling unsafe or unhealthy occur, the tenant may call a city building
"It's cold in here, and it's quite drafty. We weren't aware that it would be so bad."
David Broz
Lisle, III. senior
inspector to inspect the house. If the landlord is found to be negligent in his duties, the inspector will give him a time limit to fix the problems. Should the inspector return after that time, and the problems have not been fixed, legal action could occur.
"If it hypothetically lingered on, I could file a complaint with the city prosecutor," Sherman said.
If found guilty, the landlord could be fined a penalty or serve jail time. he said.
If a tenant does not have problems that warrant a building inspection, or does not want to take that step yet, there are other alternatives.
"Most cases never even get that far," he said. "I haven't had anyone serve all time."
Bob Ebey, president of Landlords of Lawrence, Inc., an organization of local landlords, said that the best way to get something done is to tell the landlord about the problem or even write him a letter.
If conditions are so poor that the tenant no longer wants to live in the dwelling, he may write the landlord a 14/30 note, which means that if the landlord does not correct the specified problems within 14 days, the tenant may move out in 30 days, Ebey said.
Tenants should not withhold rent, he said, because it is illegal to do so. However, Ebey said a tenant need not fear eviction or a raise in rent because of his complaints because a landlord may not legally evict a tenant for this reason or raise rent if the tenant has a yearlong lease.
A lot of time landlords will respond more to a written notice than a verbal one," he said.
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