6A
Monday, November 13, 1995
Art museum showing exhibit on the body
Curator's display of 150 photos is his largest yet
By Amy Southerland Special to the Kansan
Some of them are working; others are at play. There are dead bodies and disguised bodies, posed bodies and bodies in motion, bodies in groups and bodies alone. There are parts of bodies, bare bodies and tattooed bodies. Some are hairy, others smooth; some are young, some old. There are bodies dancing, diving and dying.
The Kress Gallery at the Spencer Museum of Art is full of hundreds of bodies.
All these bodies are part of an exhibit titled, "The Body and the Lens: Photography 1839 to the Present." The more than 150 photographs in the show contain images of the human body.
The show is based on a book by John Pultz, curator of photography at the art museum and assistant professor of art history. The book and the exhibit demonstrate how the history of photography can be understood by examining photographic representations of the human body.
They also explore how those representations affect how people think about their bodies.
Pultz will deliver a related lecture, "Body as Sight/Body as
Site," at 7 p.m. Thursday at the museum auditorium. The lecture is free.
Putting the show together took months of work. Last spring, Pulitz put together a list of photographs to include in the show. During the summer, they were framed, and he began working on wall labels.
About one-third of the photographs featured in the book are from the museum's collection, so it made sense to do a show, Pultz said. About 80 percent of the photographs in the show are from the art museum's collection, and the rest are from the Museum of Anthropology and Spencer Research Library.
He said that he had hung about 10 shows through the years and that the Spencer exhibit was challenging because it was his largest show.
After finishing his master's degree in art history at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., Pultz was the Newhall Fellow in Photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, where in 1984 he hung his first major show.
And just days before the exhibit opened on Nov. 4, Pultz still had plenty of work to do.
Pultz was frenetic because he had to decide how the photographs in each of the shows' time periods would be arranged on the walls in the gallery's five rooms.
"Whenever you have a show, you don't want to be slavish to chronology, so it's a combination of chronology, thematics and the visual — whatever looks good together," he said.
The Body and the Lens
"The Body and the Lens: Photography 1839 to the Present," an exhibit created by John Putz, will be at the Kress Gallery in the Spencer Museum of Art until Dec. 23.
The museum's hours:
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday,
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday
- 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday
- Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday
- Closed Monday
There is no charge for admission.
Pultz said that in a good show, viewers weren't even aware of the decisions that have been made about sequencing — they just knew it felt right.
Part of the good sequencing is hanging the photographs so that the bodies are accentuated, he said.
In addition to emphasizing the show's central theme, Pultz played with the arrangement of the photographs in search of interesting juxtapositions.
Choir sings God's praises
By Stephanie McDuff Kansan Correspondent
From the concerts' opening prayer and scripture reading to its closing benediction, every song and word reflected the group's primary intent: to praise God. The three-hour performance, which started at 6 p.m. at Swarouth Recital Hall in Murphy Hall, consisted of a variety of contemporary and traditional gospel music, along with some Negro spirituals.
Last night's performance of the Inspirational Gospel Voices Choir was not a typical fall choral concert.
In addition to the songs performed by the Inspirational Gospel Choir, there were also individual performances by members of the group and two saxophone solos. One guest choir, Holy Ghost High from Kansas City, Mo., also performed during the evening's program. Throughout the performance the audience joined in by singing, dancing and clapping along to the music.
At the closing of the concert,
Jessica Keith, Kansas City junior and assistant director of the group, said that the choir's ability to look past its social, denominal and ethnic diversity added to the group's sense of family and ability to perform as a unit.
"There's a lot of history in gospel music," said Shawn Derritt, Lawrence graduate student and five-year member of Inspirational Gospel Voices. "For any KU student, regardless of their ethnic background, it can be an enriching experience."
about six people responded to an invitation to those who wanted to become a Christian or to renew their faith. Following the invitation and prayer time, the group sang its last song and allowed any of the members of the Inspirational Gospel Voices Choir to sing a line of it as a solo, while the choir sang the chorus as back-up.
The 70-plus member gospel choir is composed primarily of KU students from a variety of ethnic and denominational backgrounds who enjoy singing and praising God.
"These people do have a message to share," said Wendi Coleman, academic counselor and group sponsor. "This is not a show. They're singing from the heart."
Coleman said that in her four years of working with the group, she had been rewarded by the positive attitude and talent of the students.
"These people don't put themselves first," said Coleman. "They put God first, and you'll be able to see it when they sing."
This fall, the choir has sung at a variety of churches and other events, including a performance for a Fellowship of Christian Athletes group from Kansas City, Mo., on Nov. 4 in the Memorial Stadium Clubhouse following the Kansas vs. Missouri football game
Coming engagements for the group include a concert in Pamona, Kan., a spring concert at KU and participation in the Gospel Extravaganza at the Big Eight Conference on Black Student Government held at Kansas State University in February.
Students run for the border
A study abroad program in Guadalajara, Mexico teaches cultural values
By Brenden Sager Kansan staff writer
Juan Velasco says he wants you to dream in Spanish — it might help you get a job.
Velasco, assistant professor of Spanish and Portuguese, is the director of the summer study abroad program in Guadalajara, Mexico. He has been traveling to different classes during the past few weeks to inform students about the program's value in the future job hunt.
He said that students showed signs of fluency when they started dreaming in Spanish but that the best way to learn Spanish was to visit a Spanish-speaking country.
"The only way to learn a language is to study it within its cultural context," he said.
The program is designed so students can improve their Spanish
"This is an investment in the future," Velasco said.
and learn the Mexican culture, he said. A knowledge of Spanish is going to be one of the most employable skills because Spanish is becoming more widely spoken in the United States.
At the University of Kansas, students are heeding Velasco's advice.
"The need for Spanish speakers will keep on increasing," said Tracey Papineau, Overland Park senior. She went on the Guadalajara program last summer.
Papineau is majoring in education with a concentration in Spanish. She said she wanted to teach the language in high school after she graduated.
"The trip changes stereotypes." Drake said.
"I couldn't talk about sheet metal," she said.
Steven Drake, St. Louis senior, also participated in the program
Papineau said that she went to Guadalajara to improve her speaking skills and that now she was able to speak Spanish conversationally. However, professional lingo escapes her.
Drake said many U.S. citizens looked at Mexicans as lazy and Mexico as an empty desert. He said this was not the case at all.
last summer. He said he learned about the true qualities of the Mexican people.
"The Mexican people are hardworking and have a joy of life," he said. "In some parts, the country is greener than Ireland."
Drake said he was majoring in Spanish to help him find a career in international business.
"You have to make yourself more saleable." he said.
The program is open to any student with two semesters in Spanish from an accredited university. In Guadalajara, students will be offered a variety of Spanish courses at the Universidad del Valle de Atemacil.
The cost of the trip is about $2,000, which includes tuition, two meals a day and room and board. Not included are airfare, school supplies, insurance and entertainment.