Star City Blog

'Think Green' Exhibition Opens March 26 at Kruger Gallery

Think Green will open March 26 at the Kruger Gallery in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Architecture Hall.

This exhibition examines how past interior design styles parallel aspects of today's "green" design. Think Green features 15 miniature rooms exploring ideals in design trends, the impact interior spaces have on the environment and eco-friendly design materials.

The exhibition highlights a portion of the 20,000-piece collection of miniatures in the Kruger Collection. Lincoln resident Eloise Kruger collected the majority of these miniatures. Included in this exhibition are miniature room creations by College of Architecture architecture graduate student Emily Fleming and senior interior design student Stephanie Land.

Blog Talk Live: Debate on the West Haymarket Arena Project

by Dennis Kornbluh

We're a little less than two months away from the May 11, 2010 election that will determine whether or not the citizens of Lincoln will choose to move forward with a $25 million bond issue to fund part of the estimated $344 million cost of the West Haymarket Arena project. While the vote is technically focused on the bond issue, it is essentially an up or down vote on the arena project itself, according to city councilman Doug Emery, whom I interviewed on Blog Talk Live in February.  In his words, "If [the people of Lincoln] vote against [the bond], which I personally hope they don't...it would effectively kill the project."

Lincoln Midwest Ballet Company Proudly Presents 'Snow White'

Join the Lincoln Midwest Ballet Company as they present their 25th Anniversary production, Snow White, at McDonald Theatre on the Nebraska Wesleyan University campus. 

In this classic fairy tale, the beautiful Snow White, while fleeing from the Evil Queen, meets the jovial seven dwarves who take her into their home.  When the Evil Queen poisons Snow White with her enchanted apple, only the kiss from a noble prince can save her!

The cast of Snow White is made up of talented, young, local dancers who are selected by audition. The role of Snow White will be danced by Rachel Dowd of Lincoln.  Guest Artist Avram Gold will perform the role of the Prince.  The Artistic Director of the Lincoln Midwest Ballet Company’s Snow White production is Shari True.

The Lux Presents 'Muses, Melody and Movement: Music Inspired Prints'

LUX Center for the Arts presents, Muses, Melody and Movement: Music Inspired Prints, from the Gladys M. Lux Print Collection in the Gladys M. Lux Gallery from March 4 to June 30.  Lyrical voices, Latin rhythm, symphonies, and recitals are silently evoked in a music themed exhibition of seventeen newly framed Masters’ prints from the Gladys M. Lux print collection.

Among the artists represented are Margery Ryerson, Mervin Jules, Joseph Hirsch, Howard Baer, Georges Schreiber, Umberto Romano, Raphael Soyer, Marion Greenwood, and Miquel Covarrubias.

Rediscovering the Grant Woods Mural at the Nebraska History Museum

An art history mystery and its partial solution are the subjects of a presentation by paintings conservator Kenneth Bé scheduled for 12:00 noon, Thursday, March 18 at the Nebraska History Museum, 15th & P Streets, Lincoln.

Famed regional artist Grant Wood was hired in 1927 to paint corn farm scenery on the walls of the Chieftain Hotel in Council Bluffs. Over the decades, the vibrant murals faded, and then were dispersed as the building changed owners and uses in the 1970s. After four decades, parts of the mural have come to light.

Conservator Bé will discuss the effort to reunite the fragments and diagnose their conservation problems. Head of the Paintings Conservation Lab at the Nebraska State Historical Society’s Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center in Omaha, Bé will highlight the science and art of treating these remarkable pieces so they can be returned to public display.

The program is part of the Nebraska State Historical Society’s Brown Bag History Forum and is open to the public free of charge. It will be recorded for later broadcast on 5CItyTV and YouTube courtesy the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation. For more information call 402-471-7454 or visit www.nebraskahistory.org.

Exploring Lincoln Dance

By Hanna Day-Woodruff

Dear Readers, it is my hope that you will benefit from my dancing struggles. You see, I'm on the hunt for a Ballroom/Latin/Swing dance venue that will gently coax my reluctant partner and I away from our awkward shuffling to some semblance of united, graceful movement. I've compiled a list of the primary venues in Lincoln and hope that those with the inclination will sample them generously.

Thus far, my efforts to persuade my significant other that dancing together will enhance our relationship have stumbled – and considering that he views dancing as public torture, it will take a special alchemy to change the situation. Our first and only series of Latin dance classes ended after session three, when the instructors added step-upon-step-upon-step, styling in ways neither of us could follow, leaving him steaming out the ears and me nearly in tears.

Nevertheless, once the dust had settled, my significant other was persuaded that other circumstances and other instructors might fare better with our four left feet (two eager, two shy), and promised to join me in sampling the variety of Ballroom and Latin dancing opportunities Lincoln has to offer.

Blog Talk Live: Return of King Sunny Adé, Parts 3 & 4 (with audio)

Tune in to Blog Talk Live on KZUM 89.3 FM and KZUM-HD this Tuesday evening, March 9th, at 6pm to hear parts 3 & 4 of the "Afropop Worldwide" show "Return of of King Sunny Adé", from PRI.  This is the second week of the KZUM 2010 Spring Pledge Drive, so I will continue to ask for your support before and after the airing of these two program segments.

Video Experiment: Ustream.tv

Starting Tuesday night I'll be streaming video of the radio show via UStream.tv. This will more interesting when I have guests live in the studio, but this first show will be a trial run.  Thanks to Sean Coetzee for introducing me to Ustream.

To watch Blog Talk Live on Ustream, click here during the show, which airs every Tuesday from 6-7pm CST.

Audio for "Return of King Sunny Adé" parts 3 & 4:

Return of KSA, Part 3 14:59

Return of KSA, Part 4 11:56

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.

One Ambitious Photojournalism Project, Two Premiere Events in Lincoln

40 Nights Photography and Community Action Partnership of Lancaster and Saunders Counties, formerly Lincoln Action Program, announced today that its cooperative photojournalism project, "40 Nights In Lincoln: Surviving Poverty," will be on display in April and May in Lincoln. Surviving Poverty tells the life stories of local residents through still photos accompanied by short written essays and video documentary.

Today's economy makes everyday life activities extremely challenging for many Nebraskans. This project will harness the power of visual storytelling to show the obstacles and problems facing people in our community.

"When we started this project, we decided to forgo a lot of the traditional documentary style. We emphasized visual creativity paired with stripped-down storytelling so that fragments of each person's life would be represented in a striking way,” said Nathan Chandler, a Lincoln-based freelance photojournalist and owner of 40 Nights Photography.

Cyclist Alert: Sign Petition for Google Maps 'Bike There' Feature

by Dennis Kornbluh

I have just read and signed the online petition:

  "Google Maps 'Bike There' Feature Request"

hosted on the web by PetitionOnline.com, the free online petition
service, at:

  http://www.PetitionOnline.com/bikether/

I personally agree with what this petition says, and I think you might
agree, too.  If you can spare a moment, please take a look, and consider
signing yourself.

Time for 'Pints for Pounds' at the Nebraska Community Blood Bank

Blood donors, food donations, community resources and country music; mix it all together and you have the fourth “Pints for Pounds” campaign at the Nebraska Community Blood Bank.

From March 10-23, volunteer blood donors can multiply their spirit of giving as Russ’s Market, along with Martha Gooch Foods, will donate a pound of food to the Food Bank of Lincoln for every pint of blood collected at NCBB.  As an extra bonus, everyone registering to donate can enter a drawing for two tickets to the April 8^th Reba McEntire-George Strait–Lee Ann Womack concert at the Quest Center.