Austin Peay State University senior drawing major Katy Whitfield is daring to scream, shout, cry, and unleash anger like never before – but only silently.

“I believe there is so much more to be said through our human expression,” Whitfield said. “So many of our emotions are not successfully recorded verbally.”

With a simple charcoal stick and a few other raw materials, she is carving the lines and shapes of the human face to render the unspoken.

Sharing this silent voice with the public, Whitfield’s senior show, titled, “Physiognomy,” will be unmasked with an opening reception from 7-9 p.m., Monday, April 27 in the Trahern Gallery at Austin Peay State University.

The exhibit can be viewed from 3-7 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday, April 28 and 30 from noon-5 p.m., Wednesday and Friday, April 29 and May 1.

Though taking a new approach to her drawings with the work of “Physiognomy,” Whitfield said that whenever she begins a new body of work, “I find it always has the same underlying purpose, to represent our form: the never-ending, ever changing human figure.”

Whitfield’s current body of work only began to breathe life when she finally asked herself the question, “Why study the human figure?” She found her answer from pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, Protagoras, who is credited with the quotation, “Man is the measure of all things.”Understanding everything in our world is measured by how we perceive it, Whifield knew her objective for her current drawings. “I want to show revelations about the characteristics of an individual; I want to show our measurement, our perception, our expression.”

For more information on Whitfield’s “Physiognomy,” contact professor of Art Gregg Schlanger by e-mail at *protected email*.

Examples of her work

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Poets published in “Zone 3,” APSU’s literary journal, will read from their poetry collections beginning at 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 15 at Davis-Kidd Books in Green Hills. A book signing will follow the reading. The event is free and open to the public.

David Till, emeritus professor of English at APSU and the co-founder of “Zone 3,” will read from his debut collection “Oval.”

“The poems are irregular and sensual, concerned with distinct times and places, and he uses natural imagery to capture lived moments,” said Maria Browning in a review of “Oval” published in The Nashville Scene.

“It’s remarkable that he has waited until now to see a collection of his own work made available, but that long wait has given ‘Oval’ a breadth that no one would expect to find in a literary debut. Till has offered a completed journey in a first step,” Browning said.

Leigh Anne Couch, managing editor of the “Sewanee Review,” will read from her debut collection “Houses Fly Away.” Couch is co-recipient of the inaugural “Zone 3” First Book Award for this collection.

“The world in which these poems form and flower is stranger and more dangerous than our familiar one, but also more winged and beautiful,” said Chase Twichell, author of poetry collections, such as “Dog Language” and “The Snow Watcher.”

“I try to create a world in these poems where nothing ends, where all parts of a life—childhood, romances, my dream of being a backup singer—go on and on. Loss, grief, regret, all that bad stuff, dismantles and then defines us, making us more ourselves over time,” said Couch in a 2007 interview with The Nashville Scene.

Andrew Kozma, the co-recipient of the “Zone 3” First Book Award for his debut poetry collection “City of Regret,” also will read in honor of National Small Press Month. Kozma has published poems, plays and reviews in several literary journals, such as “Cimarron Review,” “Lilies and Cannonballs Review” and “Iron Horse Literary Review.”

“The main theme involves communication, with both the living and the dead. Once a person is dead, there’s no more real communication, even though it may be the death that brings up all the questions you suddenly want answered. With the living, open communication is hard to achieve because people are, generally, so self-protective,” Kozma said in a 2007 interview with The Nashville Scene.

“In Andrew Kozma’s poems, the world is intriguingly askew. Kozma is at his best evoking those odd moments of disorientation when the stuff of your life transforms, seeming to submerge into a matrix of dream,” said J. Allyn Rosser, author of poetry collections, such as “Foiled Again: Poems” and “Misery Prefigured.”

For more information about the reading and National Small Press Month, contact Susan Wallace by telephone at (931) 221-7031 or by e-mail at *protected email*.

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The concert will start at 7: 30 p.m., Monday, April 7 in the Music/Mass Communication Building Concert Hall and is free and open to the public.

The High School Flute Choir, a Community School of the Arts ensemble, will open the performance with works such as “Three Hungarian Folk Songs” by Matyas Seiber and arranged by McIntosh, “Two Korean Folk Songs” by Kelly Via and “Irish Jig” by Michael Kibbe.

The second half of the show will feature the APSU Flute Choir performing works such as Concerto for Flutes, Op. 15, No. 3 by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, Nymphs by Gary Shocker, Adagio, K. 411 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Grand Trio, Op. 86 by Friedrich Kuhlau and The Winds for Change by Donald Draganski.

For more information about the performance, contact the department of music by telephone at (931) 221-7818.

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The Delfeayo Marsalis Jazz Quintet’s performance will begin at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 5 in the Music/Mass Communication Building Concert Hall. Tickets are $25 for adults, $12 for students and APSU students receive free admission with their student ID.

A native of New Orleans, Marsalis began studying trombone at the age of 13. He trained at the Eastern Music Festival and Tanglewood Institute and majored in performance and audio production at Berklee College of Music.

Marsalis began producing records at the age of 17. Since then, he has produced more than 75 major-label recordings for artists such as Harry Connick Jr., Marcus Roberts and Branford Marsalis.

He has toured internationally with jazz legends such as Art Blakey, Abdullah Ibrahim, Elvin Jones, Slide Hampton and Max Roach. During a tour with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Marsalis’s performance was filmed for the Ken Burns documentary, “Jazz.”

In addition to producing and touring, Marsalis has released three critically acclaimed solo albums and written musical scores for television, theater and ballet.

For more information about the artist, visit www.delfeayomarslais.com. For more information about the performance, contact Dr. Gail Robinson-Oturu, chair and professor of music at APSU, by telephone at (931) 221-7810 or by e-mail at *protected email*.

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A native of El Salvador, Jeffcoat’s exhibition, which will showcase porcelain jewelry and drawings, reflects her contemplations of botanical life.

“I lived in the tropics for my entire childhood. I am inspired by the organic forms of the environment where I have lived, which still live in my memories,” — Maria Andrea Jeffcoat

These inspirational organic forms include everything from bacteria, fungi and algae to moss that have grown on a tree trunk and the microscopic animals on the surface of an oyster.

“My art emulates these ‘natural accidents’ that are found in the plant kingdom. All of these phenomena create textures that I use in my art pieces. I magnify the beauty of organic life by translating it and adding a twist of my own interpretation in each porcelain piece I create,” — Maria Andrea Jeffcoat

Botanical Gems makes living organisms resound to the viewer as an echo, according to Jeffcoat.

“In visual translation, each piece can be interpreted as fresh, unique and enchanting flora. Each piece is meant to be a sculpted jewel representing a new version of nature,” Maria Andrea Jeffcoat

For more information about “Botanical Gems,” contact the art department by telephone at (931) 221-7333.

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Prior to Fall 2000, APSU offered no online courses. As of Spring 2008, online enrollment has reached 3,430, compared with 2,936 for Spring 2007—a 17 percent increase in one year.

Julia McGee, interim director of the Center for Extended and Distance Education, said, “In addition to those students pursuing an online degree, many main campus and Fort Campbell students supplement their courses with online offerings.”

McGee also noted that several soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell who have been deployed to such locations as Iraq and Afghanistan take online courses through APSU.

“They may have started a program with us and, rather than putting it on hold until returning from overseas, they use their ‘down time’ to work toward completion of that degree,” McGee said. “A college degree is important for soldiers aspiring to become officers as well as those preparing to enter the civilian work force when they retire.”

For more information about APSU’s online degree programs and classes, contact McGee by telephone at (931) 221-7743 or go to www.apsu.edu and click on “Online programs.”

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Anomaly will premiere at 7 p.m., Monday, April 7 in the Don Jenkins Gallery, located on the third floor of the Morgan University Center with a reception on opening night. The exhibition will remain on display until Wednesday, April 10 and is is free and open to the public. Matthews is an art major on track to receive his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture in May.

A resident of Clarksville, Matthews’s exhibition will consist of several large wood sculptures, which he describes as, “large ambiguous forms meant to entertain the eyes and create visual significance by arousing curiosity in the viewer.”

“I look to avoid much of the mental baggage that accompanies representational work to fashion a more direct dialogue between the piece and the viewer.” — Sam Mathews

Matthews works primarily with found wood and steel. “To add to the appeal and dynamic of my piece, I look to affix a sense of movement or the possibility of rearrangement in the hopes of adding another dimension of interest. Each piece is meant to be one of a kind, foreign, something the viewer has never seen before and probably won’t see again,” he said.

“Statistically a person in an art museum looks at each piece for an average of three seconds; I look to gain that fourth second, a moment of contemplation and disorder. I don’t want the viewer to have to be an artist to appreciate or analyze my work. I don’t want to try to tell people what they see or how they should look at it. My work is a dialogue between the sculpture and the viewer, not the artist and the viewer.” — Sam Matthews

For more information about Anomaly, contact the art department by telephone at (931) 221-7333.

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Schlanger was chosen through a rigorous selection process because of his vision for creating brick column entrances to Rugby, a subdivision located in Frayser, a section of north Memphis.

The original brickyards of Memphis were in the Rugby area. “While the brickyards no longer exist, the clay soil is still perfect for brick making. I enjoy the concept of the work being made from the soil it sits upon,” Schlanger said.

Schlanger began this labor-intensive project with 80,000 pounds of Memphis clay. This clay will be made into two large, 4 square feet by 20 square feet tall, brick columns, and 10 smaller, 2 square feet by 20 square feet tall, brick columns. The two large columns will have raised letters, which will read “Rugby.” All columns will have relief images carved into them. These relief images will relate to the history of Rugby.

“These columns represent the public gateway to the neighborhood. I am very interested in exploring through my projects the potential of creating a better sense of place, (which will lead) to a respect for that place and the environment. I believe this can happen through community involvement,”  — Gregg Schlanger

Thus far, 26 high school students in Memphis spent five weeks helping Schlanger with his vision to rebuild the entrance to Rugby. Schlanger has conducted brief interviews with residents of the neighborhood to gain inspiration for the 10 smaller columns, which include the names of the residents on the 120 tiles.

“I am interested in the memorable experiences of the area, what their interest or connection to the area is, why they live there, what brought them there or keeps them there and any other stories about Rugby. I hope to bring to the dialogue on public art, new questions about public space, public accessibility and community involvement,” — Gregg Schlanger

Schlanger also chose to create a brick column gateway into Rugby, because several homes throughout Frayser have a similar entry marker. “I have chosen to use the very common visual image of a brick column pillar, one that is quickly identified. I hope that most people will relate to the use of this simple image,” he said.

In addition to his ongoing work with “Rugby Gates” Schlanger spent five weeks in Germany in 2007, researching issues on global water consumption. His research ended with an installation, titled “B. W. R. (basic water requirements) 50 Liters,” at Kunsthaus Postdam, a non-profit arts organization in Postdam, Germany.

“It has been established that the basic water requirements per person is 50 liters of water each day for basic human needs. Unfortunately 20 percent of the world’s population only uses around 5 liters each day. Global warming is another major threat to our supply of fresh water. Changing weather patterns and melting glaciers are contributing to reducing the available water supply. It would be my intention to bring awareness about this global crisis through this project,” — Gregg Schlanger

This installation consisted of a pool of water, placed in the middle of the gallery, with a skeletal shape of a house above it. The house form was used to represent the daily use of water. Water was circulating continually from the pool to a large shower head hanging above the center of the pool. Surrounding the pool were 170 glass water containers, which represented various countries and the average amount of water used per person per day in that country.

Schlanger’s third creation in the past 18 months showcases the history of Owensboro, Ky., and is now on permanent display in the Daviess County Public Library. Schlanger created a dozen digital print collages for the library, two of which were chosen to flank the entrance to the history wing of the library.

For more information on Schlanger’s artwork, contact the art department by telephone at (931) 221-7333.

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Half of the initial goal of $15 million was surpassed during the silent phase of the campaign—a feat, considering that former President Sherry Hoppe bucked the advice of a consultant who recommended against starting a major fundraising campaign, given the lagging economy of the time, the fiscal uncertainty of Tennessee higher education and the many other local nonprofit organizations already in the midst of fundraising efforts.

Three Clarksville leaders stepped forward to lead the campaign—Ann Ross, Don Jenkins and Billy Atkins. By the time the public phase began in September 2003, more than $10 million had been raised—with the initial goal of $15 million in sight.

At that time, the campaign got a shot in the arm when APSU alumnus Ben Kimbrough and his wife, Margaret, pledged $2 million-plus from their estate in addition to a gift of $150,000 during the campaign.

Funds raised during the Changing Minds Changing Lives Campaign have been earmarked for academic scholarships, athletics, equipment and land and facilities development.

At the campaign celebration, Dr. Phil Roe, Johnson City, chair of the APSU Foundation Board of Trustees, offered welcoming remarks. Following the invocation by Jim Holleman, Bob Welch gave an investment report.
Alumnus Larry Gates, Nashville, made special presentations to Dave Loos, head men’s basketball coach and athletics director, Rick Christophel, head football coach, and Dr. Jaime Taylor, interim dean of the College of Science and Mathematics.

After announcing the total amount of gifts committed to the University since the campaign began five years ago, President Tim Hall made presentations to the campaign co-chairs, each of whom gave brief remarks.
President-emeritus Hoppe recognized members of the Changing Minds Changing Lives Steering Committee.

Three APSU students—Bryan Huffman, Amanda Cooksey and Emilee McConkey—told how campaign funds have enhanced the learning experience of Austin Peay students.

Alumnus Hendricks Fox, Nashville, a retired high school teacher and football coach, gave a brief testimony about why he decided to give to APSU after which Roe and another alumnus, Aubrey Flagg, associate professor of geography at Columbia State Community College, discussed how to give to the University through estate planning.

Roy Gregory, executive director for University Advancement, and Roe gave closing remarks.

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The performance, which is part of the 47th Annual Mid-South Jazz Festival, will begin at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 3 in the Music/Mass Communication Building Concert Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

The Jazz Combo includes Bo Clayton, trumpet, Andy Robinson, saxophone, Trevor Reddick, bass, Rick Ball, drums and David Steinquest, professor of music at APSU, on vibraphone.

All of the musicians graduated from APSU and helped form the Jazz Combo, along with Steinquest, in the mid-1980s. Currently, Clayton plays trumpet in the Navy, Robinson plays throughout the Nashville area, Reddick has played with Lee Greenwood and Louise Mandrell and Ball has played with the Christian rock band Truth, according to Steinquest.

For more than four decades, The Mid-South Jazz Festival has brought top artists to the region including Gary Burton, Kurt Elling, the T.S. Monk Sextet and Sam Yahel and the Yellow Jackets.

The festival also has provided great exposure to jazz through instructional activities and performances for students, teachers and the community.

For more information about the performance, contact the department of music by telephone at (931) 221-7818.

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