Let's Look at Titles with Dorothy Howe Brooks

Jane Spencer with Dorothy Howe Brooks

Not being an artist, I have never faced the task of coming up with a name for a piece of art. I can appreciate the challenge, though, as I often struggle to come up with titles and subheadings when I'm writing a feature for Florida Weekly.  And so I was interested in poet Dorothy Howe Brooks' insights on the art of naming an artwork at the Visual Arts Center last week.  It was loads of fun.

By way of introduction to her subject, Dorothy talked about the difference between titles of poems/other forms of literature and titles of artwork.  In literature, the titles are front and center.  They are cues that give the reader a sense of what is coming up and influence whether you want to forge ahead into the writing.

In art, titles tend to be secondary.  When you walk into a gallery, it is the artwork that beckons.  When a work grabs your attention, you go closer to get a better look.  Then you might look at the wall card to find out who painted the work and what it's called. A good title will enhance your appreciation of the work.  A bad title runs the risk of turning you off.  

O'Keeffe's "Red Hill and White Shell"

The most common type of title is fact-based. "This is a painting of xxxx," the artist tells the viewer. This approach establishes a context and can be particularly illuminating for more abstract works. Dorothy used Georgia O'Keeffe's "Red Hill and White Shell" as an example.  Most everyone recognizes the nautilus shell, but the fact that the background is a hill often eludes viewers until they learn the name of the work.  The title adds to the viewer's experience as it piques their curiosity as to whether such a hill really exists in nature. 

Patricia Anderson Turner's "Mud cookies" 

We talked a bit about how a factual title can establish the political context of a work. Sue Taylor shared how struck she had been by Patricia Anderson Turner's social commentary pieces, particularly her “Mud Cookies.”   At first glance, you see a colorfully dressed woman holding some disks.  The title was intriguing, however, and led both Sue and me to read Patricia’s explanation of the work.  We then learned that the disks are “cookies” made out of mud that Haitian women feed their children.  This was a very powerful use of a fact-based title. 

Dorothy categorized other ways to title works for us.  A title can focus attention on a particular aspect of a painting.  Monet’s “Impression Sunrise” draws our attention to the glimmering light as the sun rises on the day.  A name like “Harbor at LeHavre” (the original title of the work) is informative, but doesn’t share with the viewer what really struck the artist about the scene.

"Study in Blue and White" by Dana Cooper

Other types of titles might reveal the artist’s inspiration in a common narrative (a myth, perhaps, or a historical event).  Or it might focus the viewer on a craft element of the work, like Dana Cooper's "Study in Blue and White."  A title can name an emotion being expressed by the artist (an approach Dorothy does not favor because it seems to dictate what the viewer should feel).  Finally, an artist might go with “Untitled” as the name of her work, leaving its interpretation wholly to its audience.

Carol Fogelsong's work

 Then the real fun began as Dorothy showed us some works without revealing their titles and asked us to suggest names.  First up was this work by Carol Folgelsong.  We quickly realized how hard it is to develop a good title (particularly, as one artist suggested, for a work you didn’t create). Suggested titles were “Flight’s End,” “Captured,” and “Out of Reach.”  We talked about how the bright colors evoked a happy, whimsical feeling that was contrary to some of the names we’d come up with.  (FYI, Ms. Fogelsong named her painting “Lost and Found.”)

Becky Donatucci's work

We also brainstormed to come up with a name for this painting by Becky Donatucci.  So many different types of titles could work for this one.  A fact-based title could name the cemetery or what is presumably a church.  You could call it something like “Blue Door” (an approach many people favored).  Someone suggested “Before and Beyond,” a title that uses a metaphor.  Another person proposed “Perspective of Shadows,” drawing focus to the craft element of the work.  Ms. Donatucci went with this approach, titling her work “In the Shadow.” 

The session was engaging and thought-provoking and lots of fun.  I surely will pay even closer attention to the titles of artwork in the future as I consider what they add to my experience.  Let the viewing begin!       

The Table at Ringling International Arts Fest

Moses with puppeteer Laura Caldow

I have a crush.  His name is Moses.  He is a table puppet.

Perhaps a bit of an explanation is in order.

Last week was the 6th Annual Ringling International Arts Festival.  The Festival welcomes performers from around the world to introduce Southwest Florida audiences to dance, theater and music productions that push the envelope a bit.  I was able to make four of the seven shows.

Tangram was a combination of juggling and dance that left me a bit baffled.  Keigwin + Co. featured a contemporary dance company whose work was beautiful and funny and thoroughly engaging.  (Just to give you a sense of how contemporary the choreography was, several pieces featured a mattress as a prop that the dancers jumped over and fell on during the course of the dance.)  "The Intergalactic Nemesis - Book 1:  Target Earth" was part old style radio show (complete with a Foley artist), part sci-fi, part graphic novel.  It was very creative, and I enjoyed it more than I expected.

Then there was "The Table" by Blind Summit.  Blind Summit's mission is to "present new puppets, in new places, in new ways, to new audiences."  Traditionally, the mention of a puppet show calls to mind Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop.  With the hilarious "Avenue Q," though, the art of puppetry has been elevated to adult theater.  I also was fortunate to see "The Winged" at last summer's ACCT WorldFest hosted by Venice Theatre. It was a beautiful performance featuring lifesize puppets by Armenia's Yerevan State Puppet Theater.  I am now wide open to being entertained by a puppet, and Moses captured my heart.

Moses post-performance showing off for his adoring fans

From the opening moments of "The Table," I was in.  Mark Down, director of the show and one of the puppeteers, explained a bit about table puppetry and how the show came about.  As Mark went through his explanation, Moses warmed up, rolling his neck and shaking out his body.  The audience was in the palm of his little hand.

Table puppets are different from hand puppets or life size puppets or marionettes.  They require three people to operate.  Mark was responsible for his head and left hand (and the hilarious dialogue).  Laura Caldow was bent over during the entire show manipulating Moses' feet.  And Sean Garratt was in charge of Moses' right hand and his rear end (which got in more than a little gyrating).

Being a table puppet can be exhausting

"The Table" was commissioned by the Jewish Community Centre in London to celebrate the Passover Seder.  I hope they knew what they were getting into!  The show is done improv style, so there is no script that explains Moses' role in the bible.  Sure, there were some references to Deuteronomy and Moses climbing Mount Nebo and "epic biblical puppetry," but most of the show was pretty random.  At one point Moses raised the question as to what made him a "Jewish" puppet.  He is, as he pointed out, made of cardboard.

Throughout the show, Moses blatantly flirted with a woman in the front row.  I can't remember her name, so I'll call her Eileen.  Eileen caught his eye from the start, and he heckled her and asked if she would be willing to "give it a go" (with much suggestive hip waggling).  It was truly hilarious. And then the plot thickened.

It turned out that Eileen has some experience with"string puppets" (marionettes to us lay folks).  When Sean went offstage looking for a ladder (don't ask), the puppeteers needed a third to keep Moses in action.  After much prodding, Eileen came onstage, only to pull Moses' hand right off his arm.  This was definitely not part of the plan, and the puppeteers were besides themselves laughing as they tried to work out how to move forward.  

Getting acquainted with Moses (with Laura and Sean)

After the show, the audience had a chance to get up close and personal with Moses.  I deliberately waited until the end so that I could get to know him a little better.  (You might notice that I have my hand on his little bum.)  I learned that the show started at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (no surprise there) and that a particular puppet head can be used for approximately 25 performance.  (The body can usually go for 100 performances unless an unwitting audience member rips part of it off.)  The cast was personable and enthusiastic and clearly loved the reaction that their show had received. 

"The Table" was truly a fun and unique afternoon of theater.  It was a reminder to be open to experiences that might sound a bit out there.  You never know when you're going to fall in love. 

The Psychology of Music: What Instrument are You?

I've recently started going to the quarterly talks benefiting the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra known as "Medical Grand Rounds."  I will admit to being a bit apprehensive about attending given my total and absolute lack of knowledge about neuroscience and physiology.  (The mere fact that I am writing those words is remarkable in and of itself.)  But I was interested, so decided to check it out.  The sessions are fascinating.

Dr. Tony Gil with Maestro Ponti

Last week-end's talk featured Maestro Raffaele Ponti, who spoke about the psychology of music.  Dr. Tony Gil introduced the subject with some "basic" information about "your brain on music."  The fact is that listening to music that you enjoy -- be it Rachmaninoff  or the Rolling Stones -- triggers the release of dopamine in your system.  Dopamine is the "feel good" chemical that is your body's reward for doing something you enjoy (more traditionally, eating and sex).  With that background in mind, the Maestro took the podium.

Maestro Ponti 

Raffaele began with a basic introduction to an orchestra. (I for one always appreciate a bit of "classical music for dummies.") An orchestra has four sections:  strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. A musician's choice of instrument depends in part on his or her physical attributes. Having short arms is a bit of an impediment to being a trombone player, for instance.  But once you've gotten past these physical aspects, Raffaele posits that there is a connection between a musician's personality and her instrument.  Here's a quick and dirty summary of his take on the topic.

Strings:  Violins are the core of the orchestra since they create the melody.  Violinists are often high strung and have large egos. Violas, on the other hand, are the "unsung heroes of the string section."  Their larger, darker sound bridges the gap between the violins and the rest of the orchestra, but they don't get any glory.  The bass, too, is a supporting instrument, so bass players are generally team spirited.  Everyone loves the cello, which does get some solos, so people who play this instrument have personalities that fall somewhere between those of violinists and violists.

Woodwinds:  Oboes are used to tune the orchestra, so oboists tend to think they always do things right.  Flautists and piccolo players are a bit flamboyant and love the attention they garner with their solos. Clarinetists get the chance to play a lot of notes, and they tend to love the technical aspects of music.  The bassoon is an instrument you almost never actually hear, so their players are content to be an important--if invisible--part of the team.

Raffaele showing off his honorary
MD (music director) white coat

Brass:  As a trumpet player turned conductor, Raffaele made no qualms about saying that trumpet players are the troublemakers in the room.  They tend to have big egos and want to be heard (literally).  "There's a reason you put them in the back of the hall," he said.  Trombonists, on the other hand, tend to be very easy going, and tuba players are just nice people.  (They would have to have a bit of a sense of humor, too, to be willing to schlep their instruments around.)  One of the roles of the French horn is to merge the woodwinds and brass sections.  The fact that the bell of the French horn actually points away from the audience says it all.

Percussion:  Percussionists spend their lives thinking about things that they can bang, scrape or pluck to make music.  They tend to be quirky and fun but patient since they are always setting up the next instrument to play.  (Pianos are technically considered percussion instruments since music is made with the strike of the hammer.)

Raffaele had encouraged his listeners to think about which instrument best suits their own personalities as he talked.  For once, I wasn't the only person making notes.  And here's the exciting news:  Medical grand rounds attendees have been invited to sit in "their" instrument's section at the CSO's rehearsal on November 15th.  It's an adaptation for adults of the CSO's "musical chairs" program.  Needless to say, I am all over that.  I won't, however, reveal what instrument I've selected until I share the experience with you here.  Stay tuned!

Drag Queen Bingo at The Bottom Line

Me with Bootsey (who bears
a striking resemblance to Dame Edna)

Life in Southwest Florida has something for everyone.  There's art and music and a full array of outdoor activities. There are gator hatchings and roller derby and pirate festivals. And then there's Drag Queen Bingo with Bootsey Cloverdale and Lady Licious.

Every Sunday afternoon at The Bottom Line bar in Fort Myers, people gather to be entertained by these drag queens extraordinaire. My friend Kathy Grey had been invited to check it out and asked me to tag along.  Why not?  I'd heard about this phenomenon and was eager to see what it was all about.  

We settled into our seats with Kathy's friends, waving more than a little smoke out of our eyes.  Although the game is advertised as starting at 4:00, that's really when people arrive to get lubricated for the bingo.  Bootsey roams the floor with a cart selling bingo cards and working the crowd.  You can tell from this picture that she is quite shy and reserved.

 Like any bar, there are a number of big screen TVs.  A couple were showing football games.  Other had NASCAR on.  And then there were several screens airing what I eventually figured out was the Mr. LA Leather 2014 competition on ReelGay TV.  I was definitely not in Kansas anymore.  

When it was time for the game to start, Bootsey explained the rules for people--like me--who were virgins to the experience:

1.  Whenever they call out a number that's on the "O" line, you are required to raise your arms above your head in a circle.  You will be punished if you do not do this.  (There was talk of having to go onstage and do 50 reps on the thighmaster.)  They are serious about this.  The first time an "O" number was called out, I went for my camera instead of following the rules.  Bootsey walked right up to me and I was sure I was heading for the stage.  Luckily, I got a pass as a newbie, but I whipped my arms overhead as mandated the rest of the time.  

2.  When you have one number left to get a bingo, you yell out, "I'm coming!" 

3.  If you get a bingo, you run onto the stage and spank Lady Licious vigorously.  

4.  If you incorrectly say you have a bingo, you must don the pink dress that's hanging onstage and wear it the rest of the night.  

5.  You must curse the people who get a bingo because they have made the rest of us into losers.
  

Periodically, the ladies would take a break from calling the bingo game to do a song or two.  There was, for instance, a song whose tune was taken from Mary Poppins' "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."  The refrain had been changed, however, to "Super trashy, cheap and nasty, country bitchy drag queens."  (Try it and you'll find it's actually quite catchy.)  I would say that Julie Andrews would be shocked, but she did do Victor Victoria.  Lady Licious' contribution was to the tune of Tina Turner's "Private Dancer," only she needed a private bathroom.  It was not what you would call a tasteful song. 

Kathy doing her first jello shot

After being there for three hours and playing four games of bingo, I hit the road. It was definitely a fun--and different--way to spend my Sunday night.  The only reason I won't be going back soon is the smokiness of the bar.  It's been a long time since I've had to air out clothes when I got home from a night out (and I definitely haven't missed it).  Still, I'm happy to be able to take drag queen bingo off my bucket list. 

FSU/Asolo Conservatory's New Stages Program

Each year the second year students in the FSU/Asolo Conservatory program perform a series of four shows.  I fell in love with last year's students well before the curtain fell on their first production. So I was excited to have the chance to see them perform one last time as a company before getting into this season's shows with the newly minted second year students.   The fact that the show -- a 45 minute version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream -- will be traveling to schools across Florida made the production even more special.

Conservatory third years taking
questions post-show

It is no exaggeration when I say that I smiled throughout the entire performance.  The audience laughed along as the play moved from Athens Academy (Go, Minotaurs!) where Demetrius and Lysander vie for Hermia's love to a forest where crazily dressed fairies make their mischief to a play-within-a-play performed by maintenance staff.  I was swept into the story at the beginning and the high energy of the actors and creativity of the adaptation held my interest until the final bow.

More talk-back

This will be the seventh year of the New Stages program, an extension of Asolo Rep's Education and Outreach offerings for schools.  Over the next few weeks, the company will appear more than 40 times in productions in cities as widespread as Tallahassee to Tampa to Miami.  It is estimated that 12,000 students will be reached,  many of whom will experience the magic of live theater for the first time.  Each performance will include a talk-back afterwards at which the students will have the chance to ask questions of the cast.

The entire cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream

A study guide about the show has been prepared for teachers to use with their students before seeing the production.  The programs for Asolo Rep's shows are always chockful of interesting information, and the study guide is no exception.  One section succinctly highlights the dueling perspectives on whether Shakespearean plays should be modernized or performed as in the bard's time.  In addition to laying out the two sides in the debate, tidbits of info are included such as the fact that The Lion King is a take on Hamlet.  (Who knew?)  There's also a terrific section that introduces students to the different groups within the play.  The fairies, for instance, are outsiders who didn't want to live within the confines of society.  This type of information is sure to help kids relate to the characters they see on stage.  Click here if you're interested in taking a look at the guide.

Perhaps the most exciting performance will be held on October 17th at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center in Culver Bay.  In this production, the cast will be joined by American Sign Language interpreters who will perform as the actors' "shadows."  I can only imagine how powerful this experience will be for actors and audience members alike.

If your interest is piqued and you're in the Sarasota area, the performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream on October 11, October 23 and November 8 are open to the public.  The shows will take place at different venues. For more information, click here.

Each time we go to a Conservatory performance, I thank Dorrit for suggesting last year that we get season tickets.  But don't take my word for how much fun it is to see these stars of the future.  Check it out for yourself.   The season kicks off with David Mamet's The Water Engine, which runs from November 4 - 23.  I hope to see you there.