Star City Blog

Clawfoot House Hosts First Art Show

Local artists Brad Krieger and Cathy Patterson exhibit a selection of their individual works at the Clawfoot House from February 5th to March 11th. Both artists avoid the use of representational imagery, in favor of abstract and nonobjective pieces. Kreiger’s pieces vibrate with moving, energetic lines, and engaging space, while Patterson’s pieces draw the viewer in with large areas of fluid, saturated color, and meditative brushstrokes, using repeated simple forms like circles, or more organic abstract shapes.

Both artists work with oil on canvas, or watercolor, pastel, and mixed media on paper. Krieger and Patterson last shared the bill when they exhibited Collaborative Works on Paper at the Haydon Art Center in 2007.

'The Horse Show' Presents Iconic Interpretations at Sheldon Museum of Art

The Sheldon Museum of Art at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will present "The Horse Show" beginning Feb. 2. The exhibition of horse images and sculptures from the museum's collections and artworks on loan from private local collections will be on view through May 23.

Art featuring the horse as a subject dates to times earlier than the cave paintings at Lascaux, France, and Altamira, Spain. An animal evoking strength, speed, power and endurance, the horse excites the human aesthetic imagination in interpretations of beauty, power and fantasy.

Science Odyssey: Spotting Killers in Space

We think of space as being empty, but in reality it is studded with rocks that range from microscopic to mountain-sized. Some of the bigger ones have smacked into Earth in the past, causing havoc. NASA, under orders from Congress, has launched an infrared observatory into orbit. Science Odyssey, in a program that aired Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010, talks with Dr. Ned Wright, the chief scientist on the project, to learn about how the WISE satellite spotted its first asteroid and whether it's likely to collide with Earth. Later, we hear from physicist Bob Park on why space policy should change to put more resources in to spotting potential killers in space.

The audio for this program is provided below:

Spotting Killers in Space, Part 1 11:20

Spotting Killers in Space, Part 2 09:20

'Dinosaurs and Disasters' Feb. 6 at University of Nebraska State Museum

The University of Nebraska State Museum and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Geosciences will host the sixth-annual "Dinosaurs and Disasters" family fun day 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Feb. 6, at Morrill Hall, south of 14th and Vine streets on the UNL City Campus.
       
"Dinosaurs and Disasters" provides a day of discovery and hands-on activities throughout the museum with more than 20 stations staffed by UNL scientists, graduate and undergraduate students. Attendance topped 2,600 last year, and weather permitting, the same turnout is expected this year. This year's theme is "Extinction." Activities and games will help visitors better understand the natural world and explore the reasons behind the extinction of living things. Scientists will explain extinction in Earth's history by interpreting disasters, climate change and other catastrophic events.

Forecasters: Nebraska's Economy Set for Sustained Growth

The Nebraska Business Forecast Council is providing an optimistic economic outlook for Nebraska over the next two years, and estimates broad-based growth in the state's economy during that span.

The council's first economic projection in the new decade, published through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Bureau of Business Research, estimates that Nebraska will see solid job and income growth in 2010, and especially strong growth in
2011.

Lux Center for the Arts Presents: Eddie Dominguez

LUX Center for the Arts presents the work of two-time National Endowment for the Arts grant recipient Eddie Dominguez in La Pierra Cortada, February 5 – March 27.  The opening reception will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, February 5.

In this exhibition, La Pierra Cortada; which translates in English to "The Earth Cut," Dominguez uses the human figure made of clay as the surface to carve the landscapes and terrains of New Mexico and Nebraska, the two places Dominguez calls home. Dominguez will give a brief talk at the reception and will be on hand to answer questions.

UPDATED: Blog Talk Live: Interview with Morrie Enders, Executive Director of LCP

by Dennis Kornbluh

Tune in to Blog Talk Live on KZUM this Tuesday, January 26th at 6pm to get the inside story on the Lincoln Community Playhouse from their new Executive Director, Morrie Enders.  Morrie is a self- proclaimed “Theatre Evangelist” who is proud to have spent a lifetime in community theatre. 

As the former Artistic Director of Kalamazoo Civic Theatre in Michigan, Morrie’s directing credits include The Full Monty, Ragtime, Ruthless, Lost in Yonkers, 42nd Street and the community theatre pilot production of Avenue Q (attendance record for the Parish Theatre). His production of High School Musical is the highest attended youth theatre show in the theatre’s 81 year history. In addition to directing, Morrie was responsible for the Civic’s education and outreach endeavors.

The audio for this program is provided below:

Morrie Enders, 26JAN10, Part 1 26:22

Morrie Enders, 26JAN10, Part 2 25:15

Dennis Kornbluh is the publisher of Star City Blog and the host of Blog Talk Live, which airs every Tuesday from 6-7pm on KZUM 89.3 FM, on the web at kzum.org, and on KZUM-HD.

Volunteers “Pass the Bucket” and Raise Over $10,000 for Haiti Relief

American Red Cross volunteers on the ground in Haiti are reporting that relief supplies are arriving more frequently and that aid is reaching the survivors in Port-au-Prince and outlying areas. Together with its partners, the Red Cross is distributing relief items, including hygiene kits, blankets and water containers for up to 1,000 families each day.

Later this week, approximately 3 million pre-packaged meals will arrive in Haiti and be distributed by the Red Cross and the UN’s World Food Programme. In Lincoln, the Cornhusker Chapter Red Cross is continuing to provide help and hope in Haiti by raising funds for the relief effort.

Abstraction Pioneer Slobodkina Featured at Sheldon Museum of Art

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Sheldon Museum of Art presents "Rediscovering Slobodkina: A Pioneer of American Abstraction" beginning Jan. 26. On view through April 18, the retrospective showcases Esphyr Slobodkina's role in the development of American abstraction.

The exhibition includes her noted abstract artworks from the 1930s to 1950s, two original 1939 "Caps for Sale" book illustrations, her sculpture and assemblages, including Sheldon's 1939 piece, "Sailor's Wife."

Updowntowners are Courted on the Haymarket Arena

By Hanna Day-Woodruff

On the morning of January 20th, members of Updowntowners and other interested persons sat down in the Lincoln Station Great Hall for a catered meal and special presentation by Dick Campbell, Chair of Citizens For the Haymarket Arena.

Entitled “The Haymarket Arena: Let's Make it Happen,” the presentation was geared to a friendly audience, but provided an opportunity for the public to receive answers to its burning questions – would John Mayer really come to entertain our tweens? Would it really be possible to see a motocross rally and Disney on Ice in the same venue, on the same day?

The attendees had more serious questions than that, but these varied entertainments might become a reality if Lincoln puts forth its $25 million part of the deal.