Topic: Arts

Have popcorn, will travel: Belcourt screens ‘Body of War,’ nostalgic ‘Wrath of Khan’

By Christine Anne Piesyk | May 11, 2008 |

In the absence of an “art” theater or a movie house willing to show anything other than mainstream movies, Clarksville Online takes a look at screenings slated for Nashville’s Belcourt Theater.

Body of War, an award-winning film which opened May 9, is the story of Tomas Young, 25 years old, paralyzed from a bullet to his spine, wounded after serving in Iraq for less than a week. This coming home war story is about the evolution of one man who life was changed with a single bullet to the spine; he must re-invent himself in light of a permanent disability and as a powerful voice against the War [in Iraq]. The film, produced and directed by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro, features original music by Eddie Vedder; it is a naked, honest portrayal of what it’s like inside the body, heart, and soul of this extraordinary and heroic young man. Showtimes, Trailer and Tickets at Belcourt.Org.

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APSU Zone 3 authors showcased during “small press” month

By Austin Peay State University | April 13, 2008 |

Austin Peay State University’s Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts will participate in National Small Press Month, a celebration that will highlight the work of many poets and writers who are published in both independent and university-based presses.

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. «Read the rest of this article»

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Marsalis jazz quintet to play APSU

By Austin Peay State University | April 4, 2008 |

Classically trained trombonist and award-winning record producer Delfeayo Marsalis will present a concert sponsored by the Clarksville Community Concert Association and the Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts.

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.” «Read the rest of this article»

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APSU hosts 40th annual student exhibition

By Debbie Boen | March 20, 2008 |

This 40th Annual Student Exhibition is on display now through April 13 at the Trahern Gallery Austin Peay State University.We offer a mere tease of the exhibit, a sampling of what our artists have to offer. Hopefully it will entice you visit.

This annual student exhibition is an inspiration and a source of pride to me. Viewing this show gives me that other kind of food that is as necessary as air to a prosperous nation.

Art is a technique of communication. The image is the most complete technique of all communication.~Claus Oldenburg

In Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, she says that to recover our own sense of creativity and well-being we need to make “artist’s dates” with ourselves. We need to go out and see what others are doing, what the world is presenting to us in the way of creativity. Doing that is a huge source of food for thought and inspiration to us. «Read the rest of this article»

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My Way: Sixty years of Sinatra songs showcased at Roxy Theatre

By Christine Anne Piesyk | February 15, 2008 |

As a little girl, one of the stories my mother told me was of a trip to New York City with fellow singers to see a Carnegie Hall concert. My mother had other plans though, an ulterior motive for this Big Apple sojourn, and gave up Carnegie Hall for a chance to see a new young heart throb, a skinny crooner with dreamy blue eyes in one of his earliest performances … Frank Sinatra. It was 1942.

For nearly 60 years, old blues eyes — Frank Sinatra — was larger than life, a singer, movie star, and worldwide legend with 1300 songs to his credit. The Roxy Regional Theater captures a collection of the very best in their current production of My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra.

Even before the show began the mood was set with soft music from yesterday that hasn’t lost is charm — hummable, dance-able music that continues to endure. As the combo took their seats and began to play, as the singers stepped back in time, they carried their audience with them all the way. «Read the rest of this article»

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Barry Kitterman’s “The Baker’s Boy” arrives on bookstore shelves in May

By Debbie Boen | February 3, 2008 |

With the publication of his novel The Baker’s Boy coming in May, APSU Professor Barry Kitterman (at left) has brought a ten-year effort to a satisfying conclusion. Kitterman has worked as an editor for many years, and has watched as a number of his friends enjoy publication of their work.

“This is my first book. This is better,” he says with understandable satisfaction. He says that words like “dream book” and “inspiration” don’t work for him. “I just work hard at my writing.”

Set in Central America and in Middle Tennessee, The Baker’s Boy gives us two intertwined stories: In the first, Tanner Johnson, nearing midlife, has left his pregnant wife and taken a job as a baker, working nights, trying to avoid a shadowy presence that haunts him from the past. In the second, Tanner relives his painful experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Belize, where he taught at a boys’ reform school nearly a quarter century ago. Haunted by the past, he struggles to find the courage to accept his role as a husband and prospective father.

Years ago, Kitterman worked as a Peace Corps volunteer and teacher in Belize in Central America. He has also taught in China and Taiwan. «Read the rest of this article»

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Live from the Met HD continues in January with two productions screening in Nashville

By Christine Anne Piesyk | December 29, 2007 |

On the heels of a stunning production of Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet, HD Live from the Met will launch the New Year with an international high definition broadcast of Englebert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel on January 1, 2008. The curtain rises promptly at noon in two Nashville Regal Theaters: Green Hills and Opry Mills.

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Holiday decorating on a budget

By Michael Covington | December 14, 2007 |

I hope this article finds you ready for the holidays. If you’re like myself, between the presents, the dinners, the family, the friends, and the endless to do lists you don’t have lots money for decorating for the holidays. If you’ve got a little free time and some creativity you can have a very memorable season.

First, let’s talk about the all-important meal table. You’re probably planning on having some friends and family at a table together for the holidays, so why not give them something good to look at besides your cooking. For this project, a little bit can go a long way. First, consider a tablecloth. Nothing dresses up a dull table like a tablecloth. Even a cheap one from Wal-Mart can help spruce the kitchen up. And, don’t even think about forgetting the centerpiece. What else will guests have to talk about when the awkward silences and family feuds set in? This is where some creativity comes in play.

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