Eric McGehearty channels his struggles and triumphs into pieces of art.

By Angela Faulkner

CultureWest catches up with Eric McGehearty, a celebrated an unique artist whose work has been on display everywhere from New York and the JFK Center in Washington, D.C. to the fields of West Texas. After struggling with dyslexia while studying at the University of North Texas, a college professor suggested Eric channel his frustrations into creating sculptures that gave life to aesthetic metaphors relating the books and words he could not read. What emerged were an artistic force and a brilliant voice in the art world that proved disabilities could not stifle true talent.

CW: When did you first initiate an interest in sculptures?

EM: Ever since I was a little kid, art class was something that I shined in. I loved building things and seeing the fruits of my labor. I focused on sculpture exclusively while in graduate school [at the University of North Texas], and about midway through, I began the work I am known for today.

CW: What were these sculptures focused on?

EM: I was doing a body of work that dealt with struggle. I did a piece entitled “Sisyphus” about a man in a perpetual state of struggle. When my professor asked why I was doing this work, I was a little embarrassed to admit that I was dyslexic.

I was having trouble getting books on tape to get help with my classes. [My professor] said he wanted to see my personal story in the art. It took my about a year to really apply that advice to my work. When I did, I created “Repetition of Unreadable Books,” which is 98 books cast in concrete blocks—literally, a library of unreadable information.  And that is when I first had a reason to make the work I enjoy making. So it went from simply enjoying the process of making art to having that enjoyment but also having a reason to continue. To have a voice [for] something I felt was important to say.

CW: Do you work solely on inspiration?

EM: I [also] do public work. When I take on a public project, I do not necessarily use my dyslexia [as motivation]. I design the work based on the space and the people using that space. My design aesthetic and desire to do something new and innovative is there though.

CW: Art stems from state of mind. It seems like you were once in that perpetual state of struggle, but what is your state of mind right now?

EM:  Well, my dyslexia has not changed, but my life has. In terms of my personal life, there is a lot going on. My wife and I have a two-year-old son, and in April, we had twin boys. That means there are three sons now, so it is keeping me busy. It has totally changed my life and my perspective, and I have yet to see how that will affect the work I am doing, but I know it will.

CW: How do you get inspired to create?

EM: I consider myself a conceptual artist. The idea is the most important part, as well as how that idea is executed when it is clean and brings about life in an exciting way. First of all, I have an idea I want to communicate, and then I decide how best to do that. It is a combination of a mental conception of what [the sculpture] should be and an emotional connection of what I want to see. What do I want to see? What would move me or excite me in some way?

CW: Is there anything you are currently working on?

EM: I am doing a series at the MAC [McKinney Avenue Contemporary] in Dallas this November. That body of work is a variation of the theme [of dyslexia] but not a complete departure. I do not want to say too much, but I will say it is very different from the work I have been doing. It is a big step in a different direction. I will leave it to the reader’s imagination. They will have to come to the show.

I have held off on more shows in terms of my art calendar until after November because I am doing so much for that show. There will be a completely new body of work. There will be all new pieces; nothing I have ever shown before. So I have turned down smaller shows because I want to do this one right.

CW: Can you give us a glimpse into this new body of work?

EM: I do not want to give too much away, but I am doing an installation that will fill most of the room. There will be pieces on the wall as well. I will have an installation on the floor that people will actually be able to walk on top of—I will give you that much. I do not know how many pieces that will hang on the wall, but the floor will be pretty dramatic.

CW: Is there anything you would like to do that you haven’t?

EM: I am interested in erasing in a sculpture that bleeds books and attaches them to medical devices as a drain or leak. This would be a part of my “Transfusion Series.”

The series is based on books being drained form the books. The concept is a blood red color of books with black dripping or draining onto a pedestal. I haven’t made the larger piece yet, but I would love to make literally a fountain with stacks of books hanging from the ceiling, and it has hundreds of medical tubes –kind of surgical tubing coming out of the book—and then literally dripping ink into a big vat. It would be “The Process of Forgetting.”

I haven’t had the opportunity to make it yet. It is one of those pieces that is a logistical nightmare because it has the kinetic component, but I don’t know what I would do with it afterwards in terms of storage. But I’m really excited about it, so when the opportunity arrives for me to make it, I will definitely do so.

CW: Many people feel like art is a foreign subject. What do you think about this?

EM: Looking at art is not hard at all, but people seem to think it is difficult, which I think is interesting. I have been to art school, been a professor, and I have taught it. So I certainly have an eye for work and get a lot out of it. I can sit and talk for thirty minutes about something I have never seen before, even though I don’t know anything about it before this initial contact. So how much of that is my experience? And how much is it as an art teacher or my experience? Or that I am a dyslexic is hard to say.

CW: What artists influence you?

EM: That is the hardest question. I could rattle off a bunch of names that have inspired me. Damien Hurst, Marc Quinn, Donald Judd, and 20 to 30 other people who have equally influenced me as much as the ones I have mentioned. Jeff Koons as well. I admire him in many ways. His work is very different from mine; his way of work is very different. I am inspired by him, but you wouldn’t see my work when you look at his work. I admire his business moxie and showmanship. There are some things about many artists who inspire me.

CW: What are your steps for creating art?

EM: 90 percent of the work I do is stuff I come up with out of the blue. Ten percent is stuff I am commissioned to do, maybe by a request or a client. The 90 percent is my sitting around my studio going, what would be cool for me to make next. It’s that simple. What would intrigue me? If I walk into a gallery, what would I want to see? And how do I fit that into my history as an artist? How does it make sense in the procession of what I have been doing and moving forward, and does it add to the conversation that I have been having?

It is almost like a monologue. I am sitting in a room. I make a piece, and I think about what that piece means. Because once you make it, the meaning changes. So I have one meaning that begins with the idea, and I make it and I show people, and they tell me what they see or think, and that becomes part of the dialogue.

It’s a step-by-step orchestration. It is a dialogue with myself then the ideas that others bring to me which I mull around and then eureka. There is the piece I want to make. All of the sudden, I know what I want to make.

CW: What is your favorite piece of work?

EM: Whatever piece I finished most recently. That is too hard to say.

I have had several pieces that I have shown once, didn’t like the way it worked, and tore it up and throw it away. That happens. That’s life. Not everything I do is going to be brilliant. The key to me is knowing what will not be a winner. If I don’t like it, I’m ruthless. I throw it away. If I show it, I only do it once.

CW: Besides your own art, you have been the subject of another medium. Can you tell us about being filmed in a documentary?

EM: Well, it came out about a year ago. Leah [Bell, director] is still working on having it aired on PBS. We are waiting to hear about that. The film can be purchased on my website.

CW: What was that process like?

EM: We spent about a year in the making. Literally, every week we would be filming something. It was probably 40 to 100 hours of film that had to be chopped down to 30 minutes. Leah would come over and film my wife and me hanging around the house, just like a reality TV show, complete with interviews with others and myself around me in my life.

[Sometimes] she would leave the camera over a weekend. So I would set it up while I would get on the computer to type things up. That is a real process for me because I can’t really read, but I can type somewhat. It is hard because what looks right to me probably isn’t right. So I will use spell check, but I can never quite get out what I am trying to write. So I will use the computer to read the info back to me.

[There is a scene] where she has me typing and listening, typing and listening. I got stuck on trying to type one word for about five minutes.

CW: Has your dyslexia changed in any way?

EM: My perspective of it has changed. In graduate school, I initially had a lot of trouble getting accommodations. I eventually got them, but it was difficult for me. I was really upset and angry and frustrations leading up to the day that I received help.

Today I see dyslexia as a very positive thing. The struggles that I have had have given me the strength to be very resilient and positive at this point in my life. I’m really strong at creative thinking and analytic reasoning, and my social skills have compensated. So, in a sense, I have been able to be really successful in life because of dyslexia. Maybe despite it too, but definitely because of it. It has pushed me to do things I may not have done otherwise. So I see it as a very positive thing in my life.

CW: Can you convey to the readers what you go through?

EM: The technical aspect of it is hard to describe. When I look at a word, I usually can read it. I just read extremely slowly, and when I look at words in a group, it becomes extremely difficult to decode each word in a row. I can read small amounts of material—a sentence or a paragraph—at a small pace, but it takes a great deal of mental energy for me to do that. So once I get past a couple of paragraphs, I start to lose my ability to focus and understand the content of the material. I begin to misread more and more words after that. It is difficult to the point that I have never read a book in my entire life.

I have read the first two or three pages of a book, but then I give up on the idea. It is not a black and white issue. A lot of dyslexics don’t have such an extreme version of it. Most can read at a slow pace, but they can still do it. Some may be like me, where they can never really become fluent at reading.

[It is] like speaking a foreign language. You may have taken Spanish in school and can speak a couple of words, and maybe you can understand even if someone speaks very slowly, but you are not fluent enough to speak the language or pick up a book or read in that language.

CW: Has this struggle inspired anything other than art?

EM: Yes, and I am really excited about a company that I am working with called Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. It is an organization that I have used since a little kid [when I needed] books for school. Their purpose is simple: to provide books for those in school who are dyslexic or blind.

CW: What part to you play with this the RBD?

EM: I have been traveling quite a bit with them, discussing my story as a dyslexic, and discussing my art. The whole process has influenced me positively, as well as my perspective on dyslexia.

CW: I understand you just did a series in San Francisco.

EM: Yes, primarily, I was talking to schools. I had the opportunity to go to several schools in the San Francisco Bay area. I went to Oakland, Palo Alto, and several schools in San Francisco itself. Primarily I talk to parents and teachers, but occasionally I get the opportunity to talk to students.

With students, I use the theme of personal success and finding the things they are talented at, bringing those things forward in their life. I use art in my life as an example of bringing forth positive influence. With parents and teachers, I go about it the same way; I tell them how to find it in their students and kids. I talk about different life skills and assisted technologies if they have a learning disorder.

CW: Do you have upcoming speaking engagements?

EM: I will speak at the JFK Center for the national summits for careers in the arts for people with disabilities by an organization called VSA Arts, of which I am on the special projects boards in Texas. It is by invitation only conference. I am one of 100 artist, educators, and researchers who come together to discuss the arts for people with disabilities.

There is also the Syracuse University symposium on dyslexia in the spring of 2010 and a speaking tour in Arkansas coming up in the next academic year. The San Francisco seminars went well, so I will be going back next year as well.

I’m very excited to get into the mix of things.

Check out more of Eric McGehearty and his work at www.ericmcgehearty.com

View a video of the artist at  http://www.ericmcgehearty.com/piedmont_artist_talk.wmv

“Yellow No. 2 Squared” (2006)

With this, there are several thousand pencils glued together in a square. I was just interested in seeing what the pencils would look like. What would the color look like with the pink erasers? How would they line up? How can a single object change when it is created into a larger object?

I wanted a special aesthetic response that inspired. Obviously, pencils have to do with writing and reading, so we are still on the theme of dyslexia there. I still use that a lot because I have strong memories in school of always using a No. 2 pencils for writing. For me, doing anything with reading or writing was so tedious and so painful that I am interested in using that material to work through that [emotion].

“Transfusion” (2007)

“In this work the Bible and the Quran are connected by surgical tubing. Transfusion is a work that is primarily about communication. The ideas within books can either bind people together or be used to separate them. Transfusion illustrates both aspects of that paradigm. This piece comes from a series of work that relates the human body to the body of text, drawing a parallel between the words in the book and the life-giving blood of our bodies. I am presenting the books connected in a state of constant dialogue. I hope that this work leads one to think about the commonality between the two religions rather than their differences.” [From the artist’s website.]

I am still working on the Transition Series. I was interested in the connection and relationship between a body of text and the human body. It was these ideas that lead me to the upcoming series for the MAC. I thought that was an interesting work relationship.

“Texas Landscape” (2008). Located in Midland, Texas.

You can definitely infer a lot from my history here, but even more, I want you to see what it would look like to have a big book sitting out there [in the Texas landscape]. The opportunity came up where the Midland Arts Association contacted me to come up with something for their sculpture park.

So I thought, what would I want to see in Midland, Texas? This middle of nowhere, dry landscape? How would I want to reflect this landscape?  I thought it would be great to have a book about it in the environment. And if you look at the pages, it has this rustic steel, which looked really well. I used a particular chemical that would rust rust it so that the model would actually look like the landscape.

[I wanted] the rust to look like the brush. It came out with the endurance and quality of the brush of that landscape.

From Beatrix Potter to Harry Potter, July is a month of celebration.

Children’s Book Authors Celebrate Birthdays in July

By Shawna Windom

Summer is the time to reminisce of one’s childhood. A time of unlimited imagination, when fairy tales and make believe coincide, creating a world of dragons, mermaids, dinosaurs, knights and princesses.

For many, summer is a time to reconnect with one’s roots, rediscovering the fantastical magic that laced their youthful memories.

Perhaps it’s no coincidence, then, that many of the notable authors who have succeeded in trying to capture the imaginations of youth have celebrated their own life’s beginning in the summer. From a pig that proved he was more than just a succulent slab of ham to a classic Christmas favorite often told before tucking anxious young minds away for a night’s rest, each author has provided stories that have been passed on from generation to generation, enchanting one childhood after another.

One such legendary author who has opened her own whimsical world to the minds of children is Beatrix Potter, born in London, England, July 28, 1866.

Through the deeds of a mischievous little bunny, Beatrix helped to teach children the importance of listening to their parents. This furry little friend has withstood the test of time and is still being shared with generations of children to teach them the same values and principles that have managed to esteem it a children’s book favorite.

Youth Services Librarian Michalena McMahill recalls her own first time listening to “The Tale of Peter Rabbit.”

“My grandma used to read it to me,” Michalena remembers. “We had a very limited number of books to read from, and so we used to read it over and over again. I really remember being able to relate to the story because my grandma had a garden like the one in the story, and it just made it seem so real to me.”

Recently, Michalena shared the tale she grew up with as a child at a story time reading at the Mustang Public Library. Michalena says she has always been fascinated with the world of children’s literature and has for the past two years been able to share that world with children as the Mustang story time reading lady.

As a young girl, Michalena says she recalls having read anything and everything that she could get her hands on. Her favorites were always “The Boxcar Children” series, “Summer of the Monkeys,” and “Where the Red Fern Grows.”

“I loved to read so much that my punishment usually was being grounded from books,” Michalena says.

Today Michalena has three children of her own. She says that each of her children have enjoyed the Dr. Seuss books, with “Hop on Pop” and “The Foot Book” being family favorites. (“Hop On Pop” was her children’s very first solo read.) Her daughter’s favorite, though, was always the “Amelia Bedelia” series of books, whose author, Peggy Parish, also celebrated her birthday in July.

Michalena says that she has been insistent on making sure that each of her children has their own little library filled with a collection of books that they enjoy reading.

“I think that [children’s books] help to develop children’s imaginations and open them up to new ideas and new experiences that they might never get to experience otherwise,” Michalena says. “I enjoy the ability to watch children travel through books. I really believe that’s where children can have some of their best adventures.”

Michalena says that the key to writing a timeless children’s book is to make sure that the story contains some element that the children can connect with.

“What makes a story last is whether or not you are able to relate to it,” Michalena says. “Whether it’s fantasy or real life, it’s important for the reader to be able to relate to the story, to be interested and engaged with the characters or the setting or just something in the story.”

Michalena says that she has always personally enjoyed reading adventure books set back in a former time period. But she doesn’t rely on her own favorites to interest the minds of the children who come to story time. She feels it’s important for the story time lady to choose books that are able to tell the story through the illustrations as well as the words, in order to captivate her young audience.

“I just read whatever catches my eye,” Michalena says. “Most of the time it’s the illustrations that draw me into a story and make me want to explore it with the children.”

Michalena’s favorite part of her job, though, comes through seeing and hearing the reactions of the children as they listen to her read.

“I don’t just want to read them the stories,” Michalena says.  “I want to interact with them and see what they are thinking about. Sometimes they can be thinking about something as simple as, ‘I have a bike also.’ And that helps them to relate to a certain character. It’s fun asking questions and seeing their minds at work.”

Michalena says she also enjoys seeing mothers that grew up going to story time continuing the tradition through bringing their own children in for her to read to them.

“Some of the moms of my children grew up going to story time in the library,” Michalena says. “And now I get the chance to read to their kids.”

Michalena currently attends the University of Central Oklahoma. She hopes to eventually receive a master’s degree, where she may be able to teach children’s literacy. In the nearer future, though, Michalena hopes to graduate and pursue her love of teaching first grade.

Mustang resident and mother Tabitha Gardner has been enjoying story time at the library regularly since the beginning of the school year. She brings her three-year-old daughter, Emmalise Gardner, to story time as a way to open her up to others and help her to socialize.

“Since coming to story time, she’s really come around and started to interact a lot more with the other kids who attend,” Tabitha says of Emmalise.

Tabitha remembers her own love of reading as a child and is thankful to be able to share that love with her young daughter, with the additional socialization benefits that come with it.

Tabitha says that Emmalise’s favorite stories at home are “Olivia” and Dr. Seuss’s “The Lorax.”

As a mother of five, and now a grandmother, Beth Stone has started to reacquaint herself with children’s literature, in the hopes of sharing that imaginative world with her grandson, three-and-a-half-year-old Wyatt Thompson.

“Reading is an investment in your children,” Beth says. “In addition to being a great way to spend time with a child, you can instill a love of reading that lasts a lifetime just by taking the time to read to your child.”

Beth believes that a lot can be learned through children’s books. And she hopes she is able to teach her grandson some of the same lessons she has taught her own children through reading stories to him.

“I think that seeing characters struggle and persevere using teamwork, persistence and hard work sets a good example for children,” Beth says. “Books can provide heroes that children can relate to and cheer for as they read…Stories with a moral are always my favorite. They don’t have to be preachy, but stories are a great way for children to learn many of life’s lessons.”

Beth recalls one of the books that she repeatedly read to her children as they were growing up was “Where the Wild Things Are,” by Maurice Sendak. She says her children always enjoyed fantasy books with make-believe characters and worlds and journeys or quests.

These children’s books, though, have not only impacted the lives of her children, they have also left precious memories in the mind of this mother.

“When my oldest son, Aaron (who is now an adult), was younger, he used to love a book called ‘Panda Cake,’” Beth says. “And I still have this book at home. He used to always sit on my lap and eventually got to the point where he could almost recite the whole book by himself. I can still hear his little voice and see him clapping his little toddler hands with excitement.”

Beth says that when she is searching for a good children’s book to read, there are some important things that she, as a mother and grandmother, looks for.

“Rhythm, rhyme and repetition are some key elements for a good book for young children,” Beth says. “Children love stories with repeating words, verses or events. My kids used to always repeat their favorite parts when I read to them, and they can still recite some of those lines as adults today. Of course, great pictures and a clear, simple storyline are both important as well.”

Beth’s own favorite book as a child was “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle.

“I really enjoyed the characters and concepts in the made-up dimensions that they traveled to and the struggle between good and evil that runs throughout the whole three-book series,” Beth says.

But when it comes to children’s authors, Beth’s tastes are more eclectic.

“I don’t really have a particular favorite author,” Beth says. “There are so many types of children’s books out there and each type has a favorite for that style. I love Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, and most recently, Kathryn Lasky, who wrote the awesome ‘Guardians of Ga’hoole’ series.”

Whether it’s to put your little tots to bed or for your own personal enjoyment, children’s books have been influential in many childhoods, opening up a world of possibilities and adventures to be explored.  Perhaps this summer is the perfect time to sit back and remember the fantastic ventures of youth by picking up an old childhood favorite or setting sail on with a new quest and getting lost in the world of a children’s book.

Authors who celebrate their birthdays during the month of July:

July 2
Jack Gantos, 1951—Rotten Ralph and Jack Henry series
Jean Craighead George, 1919—Julie of the Wolves and My Side of the Mountain

July 10
Martin Provensen, 1916—The Glorious Flight

July 11
Patricia Polacco, 1944—Once a Mouse
James Stevenson, 1929—Could Be Worse! and What’s Under My Bed
E.B. White, 1899—Charlotte’s Web—“It made me want to have a pet pig so bad,” Briana Johnson says, “or just a farm in general. As a kid, I used to go to the petting zoo to see the baby pigs and the baby goats. That book just brings back so many childhood memories.”

July 12
Johanna Spyri, 1827—Heidi
Herbert Zim, 1909—Golden Guides

July 13
Marcia Brown, 1918—The Little Carousel
Ashley Bryan, 1923—Beat the Story Drum, Pum-Pum

July 14
Leon Garfield, 1921—Smith
Peggy Parish, 1927—Amelia Bedelia series—“I liked these books because it was so comical how Amelia Bedelia could confuse the simplest of things,” Ashley Luckett says. “My favorite was ‘Amelia Bedelia Goes Back to School.’ It was hilarious when she called out rolls rather than the class roll.”

July 15
Walter D. Edmonds, 1903—The Matchlock Gun and Bert Breen’s Barn
Clement Moore, 1779—’Twas the Night Before Christmas—“I liked the flow and rhythm of the words in this book,” Callie Campbell says. “Christmas was always an exciting time, so it was always fun to read Christmas books.”

July 16
Shirley Hughes, 1927—Dogger and Ella’s Big Chance

July 17
Warwick Hutton, 1939—Noah and the Great Flood, The Nose Tree, and Theseus and the Minotaur

July 23
Robert Quackenbush, 1929—Henry’s Awful Mistake and Quick, Annie, Give Me a Catchy Line

July 25
Ruth Krauss, 1901—The Carrot Seed

July 28
Natalie Babbitt, 1932—Tuck Everlasting and The Eyes of the Amaryllis—“I liked ‘Tuck Everlasting’ because it was all about accepting everyone,” Brittany Pickering says.
Beatrix Potter, 1866—The Tale of Peter Rabbit—“I loved the delicate but bold illustrations of Beatrix Potter,” Amanda DeWeese says. “You could tell her love for science in the details of nature that she used in her books.”

July 29
Sharon Creech, 1945—Walk Two Moons, The Wanderer, and Ruby Holler

July 31
Lynne Reid Banks, 1929—The Indian in the Cupboard
Robert Kimmel Smith, 1930—Chocolate Fever, The War with Grandpa, and Jelly Belly
J. K. Rowling, 1965—Harry Potter—“I liked Harry Potter because it was a classic good versus evil story, set in an unbelievably magical realm,” Callie Yeager says. “What makes it stand out from other magical stories are the characters. They’re so true to life. At the end of the book, you feel like you have three best friends.”

Not just another Wedding Day

By Kathleen Knapp

Nora Roberts is a veteran of the Romance genre, so perhaps it is surprising that she has yet to address the subject of weddings. But the reason for her hesitancy becomes clear in the first installment of her Bride Quartet. A Vision in White could easily have been another trite portrayal of a woman’s desire to get married.  But Nora uses her prodigious skill to show marriage through another’s eyes—the eyes of a wedding photographer.  This book offers all the conventions of romance and chick-lit, but with the Nora Roberts twist: good writing.

In the character of Mac, Nora has created a woman conventional enough to be relatable yet quirky enough to be interesting. Mac is a photographer of weddings who doesn’t believe that love is for her. The possibilities are endless, and those familiar with romance novels will know that she must find her opposite—she does, in the form of a high school English professor who owns a three-legged cat. Naturally, the course of love cannot run smooth, and the budding relationship is eventually threatened by both a jealous ex and Mac’s insecurities. However, as they must, the lovers eventually reconcile and decide to live happily for now, rather than ever after.

Through all this romantic turmoil is a true convention of chick-lit: four friends who run a wedding planning company, and who all coincidentally have extremely different personalities. They shop for shoes, they flirt with men, and they are all on the seemingly hopeless search for love, all in addition to being independent career women. The reader should see the next three books unfolding before them in a heartbeat.

But despite these potentially cliché aspects, Nora’s lyrical and heartfelt writing style saves this volume from the depths of insincerity. Though her characters experience the conventional events and attributes of every romance novel in history, they are genuine and organic, and it is clear from the words on the page that Nora Roberts is invested wholeheartedly. It is this emotional investment that makes the book ultimately touching, and as is always the case with Nora Roberts’ works, engrossing and satisfying to read.

Children Reading to Dogs? It’s Not as Crazy as it Sounds.

By Kathleen Knapp

When walking into a library, one rarely expects to be confronted by a group of children surrounded by fluffy canines. And yet this is exactly what occurs on a weekly basis in many of Oklahoma City’s circulating libraries. Some children just come to pet the dogs, but most practice their reading skills on the tail-wagging companions. Reading to dogs, rather than teachers or peers, allows children to be completely uninhibited and thus enables them to learn to read aloud without feeling self-conscious. They are free from verbal corrections from parents, teachers and other readers. This creates a sense of independence that encourages self-correction and produces unbelievably competent diction in the readers. But they are not the only ones benefitting from the endeavor.

All the dogs used in the program are trained and certified therapy dogs, generally procured from Therapy Dogs International, and are accompanied by their owners. According to the owner of Tatum, a poodle mix, the dog loves the event as much as the kids, noting that “she just thrives on the attention.” Indeed, Tatum seemed to be in a state of ultimate relaxation throughout the afternoon. She fawned on the floor and allowed herself to be petted. And after the reading was finished, Tatum treated the children and their parents to a few of her most impressive tricks.

In some of the libraries, the children and the dogs sit in a big circle in the middle of the library reading all together. This is more common in the branches that are newer to the program. In other branches, however, the children are allowed into rooms with the dogs and their owners for one-on-one time, during which they are encouraged to read as many books as they like.

In looking and listening around the room filled with laughing children and panting pups, it is clear that this is more than just the new fad in learning technology. Here is a real chance for children to interact with each other and with animals, as well as learn to read and enunciate, and it is evidenced in the crystal clear diction and social confidence encountered in every participating child. A young man by the name of Jacob enthusiastically held out his hand for a shake and proceeded to elaborate on his favorite books, genres, and topics. He is a fan of nonfiction, and ancient Egypt is his current focus. The level of eloquence and social aptitude encountered in all the children was both surprising and gratifying and truly a good time. Parents of young readers throughout the OKC metro will surely want to start participating as soon as possible and give their children the chance to be a part of this unique and effective method of teaching. 

The session I attended is held every Thursday at the Village branch of the OKC Metropolitan Library system. More information about Children Reading to Dogs can be found at: http://www.mls.lib.ok.us/

Redemption in the Christian Music Circuit with the Release of Reliquarium

By Amanda Deweese

Growing up in the Bible belt, the arts are generally accepted—make that merely tolerated—as an acceptable Christian hobby.  A painting is pretty, but more importantly, a good exercise in patience and detail, and music is a good and worthy pursuit as long as it has the name of Jesus mentioned somewhere in the song’s title or in its lyrics.  But one must be cautious in listening to secular music, for we all know what that leads to—sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll.

My parents never fully disapproved of secular music.  I have childhood memories of listening to cassettes of Chicago, Abba, Elvis, Captain and Tenniel, etc. in the backseat of my family’s station wagon.  But my dad had a bargaining tool in order for us to spend most of our time listening to Christian music.  He would reward us with a Christian CD of our choice each month if we only listened to Christian music for the entire month. Being a person of great discipline and wanting a free monthly CD, I took the offer.

For several months, I only listened to Christian music. My mind—my ears!—longed for the days of being stuck in the backseat of the Vista with my two older sisters (who, by the way, had big ’80’s hair!) listening to some “real” music coming from the muffled back speakers.

I wanted something different, something of variety and something unique and not the run–of–the–mill–stolen–from–secular–radio–but–repackaged–for–a–Christian–listener–with–a–handy–Christian–slogan (which, by the way,  was stolen from a popular advertising catchphrase but with a friendly biblical twist awkwardly asserted in its wording if not its graphics) Christian music!

I wanted worship music that was not a second rate, bad copy of what the secular music industry was doing.  I wanted to go to church and worship my God through the music without battling against critical thoughts against the lacking melodic and lyrical content.  I wanted—I want—to turn on the radio, put on a CD and listen to something…well, creative, especially when it comes to worship music.

After all, the terms “secular” and “Christian” in terms of classifications of music are something not used until recently.  The big musical hits were the complex and beautifully composed works from Christian composers, or even better, composers who were Christians and effortlessly asserted that worldview into their music.  For rhythm, rhyme and beauty are all put into motion into being by the Creator.  Good musicians have their ears attuned to what can be experienced and felt but not adequately communicated with words.

Enter Kemper Crabb.

Kemper Crabb is an ordained priest and a philosophical musician who understands the needs of the critical ear as well as the desire of the believing heart to worship Jesus through music.  With a discography going back to the 1970s, he has spent the majority of his life experimenting with and producing albums.  With an excellent grasp on the historical, a tight hold on the ebb of the present and a wandering eye to the future, Kemper’s music relevantly fuses the ancient with the present, for aren’t all creative works ultimately supposed to reflect the Alpha Omega, the one “who was and is and is to come?”

Not only is Kemper’s music, but his view on worship that all good art—“secular” or “Christian”—ultimately reflects the only one who is Goodness, Truth and Beauty, for all things created for the great I AM.

After great success of the PBS aired concert, Downe in Yon Forrest: Christmas from the Middle Ages, Kemper Crabb released a new album soon with a similar style, ancient hymns with a fusion of ancient and modern sounds. Mr. Crabb was kind enough to discuss the upcoming albums, his past success and his philosophy of worship and the arts in the church.

Mandy DeWeese: When will the album be released?

Kemper Crabb: The new album, Reliquarium, should be released sometime this summer or early in the fall of 2009.

MD: Where can the album be purchased?

KC: I hope it’ll be available everywhere music is sold. [Check amazon.com and Kemper’s website.]

MD: How is this album different from other worship albums?

KC: Reliquarium is a setting of post-Reformation hymns with fairly divergent arrangements. It’s kind of difficult to describe. My father has wanted me to do a benefit album of hymns for the mission organization Servants of the King for some time, but I refused for a while because I thought there were already too many of them, a number of them excellent ones. Finally, though, I told him I would if I could arrange them however I wanted, though I told him I wouldn’t change the lyrics or melodies. That’s what I did.

MD: How does it differ from your previous albums?

KC: It differs from my other albums in that I play almost all of the instruments I’m capable of playing on the project, in contexts in which they’re not normally played. I think, though, that anyone who has liked my previous projects would like this; I believe it’s the best project I’ve ever worked on.

MD: What instruments do you use? Do you use any ancient instruments?

KC: I played over thirty instruments on the album, both modern and ancient, including oud, bouzouki, sheng, bombarde, crumhorn, cittern, recorder, whistles, bagpipes, theremin, mountain dulcimer, ocarina, celtic harp, harmonium and others electric and acoustic. I also had friends play chapman stick, handpercussives, erhu, various strings and woodwinds and so forth. It’s kind of an eclectic mix of things.

MD: Why did you choose the instruments you did? Is there a particular fusion of music genres that would describe your music to people who haven’t heard it?

KC: I set out to just arrange these great hymns, which have been in continuous use in worship for centuries in some cases in ways that were interesting to me since in light of all the good traditionally arranged hymn albums, which already exist. I didn’t think another traditional one was needed. I drew on Eastern and Western, electric and folk, modern and ancient traditions for this project and tried to blend them in ways that would cause listeners to hear these very well-known songs in ways that would reawaken appreciation for them by allowing them to hear the hymns in ways they normally wouldn’t as well as drawing the hearers to see the universal appeal implicit in them.

MD: Who is the target audience for this album?

KC: I hope that most people will find something to be drawn to in this project, regardless of their age or faith; these songs have had great impact on our formation as a culture in my estimation. I hope that when people hear this, they’ll appreciate why that is. PBS is already waiting for the recorded concert of the album that I plan to do because of that sort of interest.

MD: Will you tour?

KC: I plan to, Lord willing.

MD: Discuss some of the success of Downe In Yon Forrest. How did the PBS viewership receive or respond to the Christmas concert?

KC:  Well, most of the PBS stations nationally showed Downe In Yon Forrest, a concert of 15^th-Century and earlier Christmas carols, this last Christmas season. The PBS viewership responded very well across the nation, much better than I’d expected, due to how late the program was added to the rosters. The response was apparently fairly massive according to PBS, and we had a huge web response, as well. PBS has already begun a major promotion build-up aimed at featuring Downe In Yon Forrest in an even more high-profile fashion again this next Christmas season.

MD: How is this new album different from Downe In Yon Forrest? How is it the same?

KC: Reliquarium is unlike Downe In Yon Forrest in that all the songs are later than the Middle Ages, and that it contains electronic instruments. Reliquariumis also a benefit album for Servants of the King, which builds schools, orphanages, hospitals, leprosoriums, churches and seminaries in India and Africa; every penny of profit from its sale will go to that work The projects are alike in that both celebrate and reinterpret Western Christian music in ways which hopefully make it more accessible to people who’ve never been exposed to it, or to whom it’s become passé or cliché.

MD: How have you changed as an artist throughout the years?

KC: I’ve gotten older.

MD: What kind of artist do you want to become?

KC: I hope to become a much older one. (laughs) I want to be a good and faithful servant. Preferably a much older one.

MD: Why is there so much mediocrity in worship music?

KC: Americans seek primarily to get something from worship, normally some kind of experience, as opposed to offering the worship to God that He deserves, skewing things toward the subjective, contrasted with a balance between the subjective and objective prescribed in Scripture. Our self-fixation ends up being self-defeating since you can only manipulate emotional worship highs a certain number of times, and then the excitement wanes. However since the attitude of most American worshipers is purely a quest for an emotional experience in worship, the music written is mostly restricted to helping the worshiper achieve just that end, and this goal has largely reduced most worship music to a one-dimensionality that’s in many ways at odds with the full range of expressions demonstrated in Scriptural worship forms such as the Psalms with their lamentations, maledictions, repentance themes, ethical instruction and so forth, as well as the overwhelmingly objective, descriptive worship presented in the heavenly liturgy in Revelation, Ezekiel and Isaiah. Even the objective elements in most of today’s worship music are tied to and bent to the purpose of achieving a self-fixated emotional high.

Probably American worship would largely be revitalized by the simple expedient of beginning to view worship as primarily for God, and only secondarily for ourselves. The refusal to emulate the full range of Scriptural categories of worship has resulted in a flatly shallow quality to most worship music.

MD: If there was one thing you could change about the Christian contemporary music industry, what would that be?

KC: A similar problem to that exhibited in worship music exists across the board for CCM, in terms of an unrealistic restriction of the music to themes of spiritual happiness or emotional resolution while ignoring the full range of human experience such as you see in the Bible, and reality generally, dogs CCM as a genre, so if the practitioners of the genre would be more oriented to replicating life as it’s revealed in all its nuanced facets in Scripture.

MD: How can the Church improve the arts in general?

KC: This is a massively complicated question, but a simple answer is that unless the Church begins to see the world as it is presented in the Bible, a unified whole which, though fallen, is still the arena of God’s Glory in which his purposes for redemption play out, its art will continue to be seen as irrelevant ghetto art.

MD: How do you keep from mediocrity in you music?

KC: I’m not sure I always do, but I try not to release, perform or write anything I think is mediocre.

MD: How does being an ordained priest affect you music?

KC: I’m not sure it does unless my necessarily more intense focus on theology has helped me make more realistic and Christ-honoring music. That’s been my aim, at any rate.

MD: Thanks, Kemper.

KC: Thank you.

For  more information on Kemper Crabb, his music, art, and teaching, please visit, www.kempercrabb.net.

Sherree Chamberlain and Her Wasp

By Jenn Scott

“…when there’s a wasp in your room, no matter how hard you try to get away from it…or ignore it, it’s just there…”

What started out as a MySpace blog about the frustrations of a flying pest in her room turned into a very catchy and somewhat profound album title.

Sherree Chamberlain (www.myspace.com/thesherreechamberlainband) is a young musician, Oklahoma born and bred, deeply rooted in blue grass from an early age. She has been making beautiful tunes ever since family vacation when she was barely walking. Her family has been instrumental in influencing her toward her passion of music by instilling in her a love and importance of music and its community.

As lead vocal and guitarist of The Sherree Chamberlain Band, she also does the bulk of the lyric writing. Her latest album, “A Wasp in the Room,” was a long process in the making and was described by Chamberlain as “an obvious tension” in her life at the time.

Because the process was so long, and she had many fans anxiously awaiting her new album, she definitely felt the pressure.

Even though she had many transitions to juggle at the time (college graduation, moving to a new city, and job searching), her love for her art is clear. At points she couldn’t help “feeling creatively stifled,” but the end result is a solid album (described by Sherree as somewhat darker than the last). Chamberlain is more than pleased with the end result.

“…it’s no longer a ‘when I grow up I wanna do this,’ it’s ‘oh, I think I’m grown up now.’ I do want to play music…”

A career in music for this songstress isn’t to far off base.

With her guitar and hauntingly melodic tone of voice, she powerfully delivers the songs that she’s so carefully crafted from real-life experiences. And even though she has to work and use her degree on the side, she is focused on her music. Just earlier this year she was asked to play at the 2^nd annual Norman Music Festival (www.normanmusicalfestival.com), which boasted crowds in excess of 20,000 people.

It’s no wonder people flock to her. Chamberlain exudes and effortlessly classic feel, much akin to a combination of soulful crooners like Eva Cassidy, Joni Mitchell, and Norah Jones. 

Although comparable, her sound is that all of its own. She lends herself to be a well-rounded, stellar artist that is more than buzzworthy.

Photo 1: Jeremy Charles (www.jeremycharles.com)

Photo 2: Samantha Lamb (www.samanthalambphotography.com/)

Hometown:

Style: Folk/Country/Acoustic

Album: EP “A Light Has Dawned” released May 9, 2009 and is sold on most major online music stores (including itunes).

Influences (among others): Patty Griffin, Mindy Smith, Cindy Morgan, Bebo Norman

With a mix of acoustic guitar, soft piano, and even a little accordion, singer/songwriter Katie Kapteyn offers listeners glimpses of hope and light in the darkness. In the fast-paced world of flashing lights and traffic jams, Katie’s music will comfort, calm, and soothe a weary soul. She has been compared to mainstream artists such as Jewel, Brandi Carlile, and Loretta Lynn, but considers her style to be all her own.

Katie is trained mostly on the piano, and many of her early songs were written for the keys, but then she started playing on and writing more for guitar. She didn’t know it would come out that way, but for some reason, “the folk, alternative country feel comes more naturally [on the guitar]. I tend to write more in the pop genre or ballads on the piano.”

When asked about her music, Katie says that a common message woven through a lot of her songs is that of hope. “My faith greatly influences my writing. There will always be times of darkness and pain in life—everyone deals with hard times—but the message that there is a big, bright light on the other side is a message I want to bring loud and clear.” She’s sung in coffee shops in front of twenty people and for larger groups of over a thousand, but no matter where she plays, messages of faith and hope shine through in the poetry of her songs.

Katie has been singing and composing since she was a teenager and graduated in 2007 from Greenville College (Greenville, IL) with a degree in Contemporary Christian Music. She has since moved on to pursue her dream of writing and recording songs. The five-song EP “A Light Has Dawned” is her first record with a professional producer in Nashville, although she released a few independent projects throughout her college years.

Check out Katie Kapteyn on her myspace page at: http://www.myspace.com/KatieKapteyn.

Also become Katie’s friend on Facebook and join her music group.

Photo courtesy of Jon Duenas (www.jonduenas.com)

From Pulitzer to Oscar:

By Callie Yeager

Watching a Hollywood film, sometimes it’s hard to see how it began as a written story and evolved into the finished, polished product seen at the theater. With silver-screen actors, talented and experienced directors and billion-dollar production budgets, Hollywood makes it look easy.

But what really goes into making a film? How does a filmmaker employ the literary elements that make books worth reading? To find the answer, Culture West delved into the world of independent filmmaking, and queried the newest minds in the field.

Adam Oxsen, director/writer/producer of the independent film, The Ecstasy of Gold, was kind enough to step in and answer a few questions about filmmaking, and even divulged a bit about his own upcoming film. The deadCENTER Film Festival will be hosting a sneak preview on June 11 in downtown Oklahoma City for any film enthusiasts in the area.

Though independent filmmaking is a bit simpler than the glorified Hollywood version, our independent filmmaker sources say that the basic steps are still the same.

1. Find investors

Establishing funding sources interested enough in a film project to keep it afloat is absolutely crucial to a film’s production. Yet, even though this step seems elementary, in the independent film realm, it can oftentimes be the most troublesome.

Kurt Jones, USAO graduate and budding independent filmmaker admits, “The most difficult part is getting the financing necessary to produce the film.” Kurt studied under OCCC’s artist-in-residence, and Academy Award-winning producer of the Godfather Trilogy, Gray Frederickson.

Of course, finding investors is easier when you have a great script. Adam Oxsen, whose film is premiering at the deadCENTER Film Festival in downtown Oklahoma City, the Cannes Film Festival and several other prestigious events, agrees that when diagnosing the most difficult part of filmmaking, scheduling is second only to financing. But many times, a great script comes before a great investor.

2. Look for a script

Greg White, independent film artist, SNU graduate and former intern at Graymark Productions, said that he got into the film business because he “was always an artist.” Screenwriting happens to be an interest for him. As an intern at Graymark, he was constantly reading through scripts, among other interesting jobs, searching for a winner.

In fact, Greg and Kurt have actually teamed up to put together a script. They plan to work on it this summer. When asked about the progress of this venture, there was much head shaking and grinning. Greg eventually admitted, “We’re actually both putting together a script. It’s going to be a dark comedy. We haven’t had much time yet to finish the story.”

When Greg was asked why screenwriting and other elements of filmmaking became so interesting to him, his reply was revealing. “When I got to the point where I couldn’t convey what I wanted with a still frame, film became a way to do that. It combines all elements, acting, camera work, music and a team community. No one can make a movie with one person.”

Ecstasy of Gold’s Adam Oxsen was no exception to Greg’s assessment. He explained that he got the idea for the film in school at the University of Oklahoma, and then wrote the script shortly after graduation. He describes his script and film as “a sharp-shooting, gun-slinging, stylized western in which good and evil collide, in an epic search for hidden gold.” He adds, “I did rewrites to the script with Levi Lee [Assistant Director] and Jordan Boyd [Co-Writer/Visual Effects Supervisor/Concept Artist] when they came on board.”

When asked why he chose to set his story and film in Oklahoma, Adam replied simply, “I am born and bred in Oklahoma, and I wrote the film with the purpose of using the state. What genre fits Oklahoma? Western. Period.”

3. Search for a crew

In the independent film realm, there’s a small budget involved (if there is one at all), and finding a crew often involves acquiring the necessary filmmaking skills by yourself or with your close friends/co-workers.

Adam Oxsen divulges a few of his movie-making secrets when it comes to finding a crew: “Everyone wears multiple hats on independent films, and ours is no exception. I wrote, produced and directed. Jordan Boyd—as mentioned above—also co-wrote. In addition, Jordan was primarily the visual effects supervisor/guru. Levi Lee, who also co-wrote, acted as assistant director, visual effects artist, camera operator…you name it, at one time, each of us did it.”

Greg explained that since the crew of a film depends on the budget, an independent film can take longer or shorter amounts of time at each process. If the crew is small, they can spend more or less time shooting, depending on the expertise of the crew.

Greg says, “With an independent film, it [film production] can be a longer or shorter process because there’s no deadline from big-time investors or producers. You can do the scripting and storyboarding with less people, but it can take longer. Production usually takes less time with an independent film, but you can take longer shooting to get the exact shots you want. Getting a film green lit [as in Hollywood] takes more time because there’s so much money involved.

4. Hire actors

Finding quality actors/performers can be difficult, and with a tight budget, sometimes filmmakers have to take on some cameos. Oftentimes, if it’s a student production or a low-budget film, actors aren’t even paid at all. It’s necessary to find someone who can deliver a stunning performance without breaking the bank.

Of course, the next problem is how do directors manage to elicit performances from their actors that still reflect their own sentiments? Greg, who has been working with film since he was twelve years old, provides his own expertise.

“I haven’t taken classes on directing, but my communication background…helped me the most when working with actors. As a director, you’ve got to respect the actor, but keep the whole movie in your head at the same time, remembering positive feedback and encouragement. You’re conceptualizing the whole thing in your head.”

Obviously, the director has a hand in all the creative processes and has to control the actors, the shooting, the editing and so forth, but Kurt maintains that the producer of the film is at the top of the food chain. He says, “The producer has the ultimate creative control. They decide how far to let the director go. They get the script, look at all the elements and see the film in terms of money.”

When asked about his own directing experience, Kurt replied, “I’ve directed a few movies before. I’d say, let the actors do it naturally, but at the same time, they do need some direction. You’ve got to find a balance.” Adam’s advice was a little different. “Each actor is different, and you have to know how to coax it out of each individual actor.”

5. Complete production schedule

Actually going out to shoot the film can be the most rewarding aspect of creating a film, but it’s important for the director’s personality to come out in every aspect. Kurt agrees. He says, “Each element of the film requires part of your personality. Your knowledge and personal preferences come through in the way you light a scene, the color palette you choose, the music you use, the camera shots you take, etc.”

When asked how he gets his personality to shine through in the production of a film, Greg replied, “I’m currently writing a script for a movie, and I’m thinking ahead to what camera work I’m going to use and how it’s going to play in the scene. Camera work/color palette says a lot about how you paint a scene.”

Adam also had a lot of expertise to offer from his experience with his own independent film. When asked what he was trying to accomplish through his film, and how production aided his process, he replied,

“My goal with this film was to make a highly enjoyable, coherent, entertaining action film that highlighted the talent, the production and the state of Oklahoma that appealed to a variety of ages. Oklahoma’s a great place to live and work, and I wanted to show that. We’ve gotten reactions out of test screening in Seattle asking, ‘Where is this? Can we visit here?’ People are blown away when they find out it’s Oklahoma. I want the film to act as a calling card, a reference to show what kind of film I’m capable of making, especially as a low-budget, independent filmmaker. I also didn’t want Ecstasy of Gold to look like an independent film. I wanted it to be sharp and impressive. At a different level and production quality than similarly funded indies.”

Since production played an obviously large part in Adam’s creativity with the filmmaking process, Culture West queried him further about his film style. He said,

“I used a variety of styles, and hopefully those all come together in a wonderful sort of…marriage (I think they do, nicely). For some shots, I wanted wide classic, epic western shots. On other scenes, I wanted a hand-held, cinéma vérité dynamic. A blend of the old and new to create a new kind of western for a younger generation.”

After all the scenes have been scoped out shot, and all the actors have delivered their award-winning performances, there’s always a favorite scene. Adam divulged his favorite performance from the film: “I’ll call it the ‘Escape from the Jail’ scene. I really like the different elements of the scene—the setup, the eye-stabbing, the slow-mo Spielbergian horror buildup, the action and all the drama layered on top—I think it came together really well.”

6. Edit film

Once the last take has been filmed, it’s time for the editing room. Kurt and Greg were quick to give advice in the film-editing department. Kurt explained, “The things you want to edit in a movie are things that aren’t necessary. It’s important to get to the point. Get rid of repetitive information. Avoid oversaturation. Getting to the point without a lot of exposition is the best.”

Greg, who mentioned that he really enjoyed editing films because he can see how the whole project comes together, explained how much editing adds to an already-stellar shot. He says,

“You can really shape a performance with the editing. I’ve worked in a lot of comedies, and when working with comedy, you’ve got to take into account pauses and breaks, in regard to comedic timing. The take that you select can really change the tone and feel of the whole performance. Dropping segments, adding music and switching things around greatly shape the film.”

Greg went on to explain some more technical aspects of composition and palette choice that can add a director’s signature to a film. He adds,

“For instance, the filters you use in the camera work or later in the editing process. Yellow can make it seem brighter and more energetic, and blue makes it somber. Color correction makes it completely different. For example, if you have a guy sitting under a tree, the color can totally set the mood. If you use a blue filter, the guy could be sitting under a tree with a gun in the next frame.”

When asked about his editing choices concerning The Ecstasy of Gold, Adam admitted that he usually makes edits concerning the pacing of a film. He says, “The only time I change a performance is if the narrative is getting muddled and needs to be brought to the forefront more.”

Though this was different from Greg’s comment, it was obvious that when working with different genres of film (narrative, documentary, short), different techniques are used. But, Adam confirmed the fact that the director puts his personal stamp in every aspect of the film. He continued, “I’m editing and building a scene the entire time we’re on set shooting it. I’m already cutting it in my head. Editing is just the completion or pinnacle of all the previous decisions I made on set.”

After spilling all their great filmmaking secrets, Adam, Greg and Kurt chatted about their film role models and influences.

Who’s your favorite actor, director or producer?

Adam: Some fairly obvious answers, but true nonetheless: Ridley Scott for his visuals; John Ford for his epic storytelling (Ridley Scott too, on that point); Francis Coppola, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez for their determination to be independent and able to make whatever films they choose. There’s a whole additional list, but too numerous to continue.

Kurt: My favorite actor has to be Harrison Ford. He’s so good at making you believe he’s really hurt. Even down to the smallest flinch. He’s a bad ass.

Greg: I respect the Cohen Brothers because they transcend boundaries with movies like The Man Who Wasn’t There. Also, Ang Lee—he does period dramas, Asian action, comic books, comedy, etc. My favorite director is probably Wes Anderson. I like how he tackles dark material with such a light hand.

Kurt: David Fincher is one of my favorite directors—his color palettes and composition are very well thought out. His work is super detailed and meticulous. Without a doubt, versatility is what you need to survive in this business.

Greg: I appreciate directors who break boundaries, but still manage to entertain, like Spike Jonze, or the director of The Science of Sleep and The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Michel Gondry. Also, Julie Taymor, who did Across the Universe. I appreciate people who take liberties with the narrative. You get closer to literature when you use metaphor and symbols. They’re like visual literary elements.

Check out more of The Ecstasy of Gold here http://www.theecstasyofgold.com/

Warming up to Summer Blockbusters

By Christopher Summer

Warmer weather and sunny days can only equate to one thing: Me being indoors watching a movie.  I know you were expecting enjoying the great outdoors, but I am of a simpler taste.  I’m never one to venture too far from any climate-controlled area.

Summertime means many things to a variety of people, but it means that I temporarily make my residence at the local theater.

It’s the long awaited summer season for movies, and if you are like me, those big titles and preview trailers on MySpace are nearly too much to take in all at once.

I’m dedicated so you don’t have to be.  Believe me, this summer is looking to be another one for the records if you consider all of the many movies that Hollywood is pumping out for our economically strained eyes to behold.

I will be honest and reveal my bias up front.  The movies I’m referring to are all over the one-hundred million dollar mark.  I’m not about the foreign subtitled bore-fests.  I want computer graphics, explosions, and shallow plot lines.

Bottom line: I want some good, brain-rotting entertainment, and I’m willing to pay for it.

I have already commenced planning for the first blockbuster move, Terminator.  The robots, intense action, and the attempt at pumping life into an already strained story really get my goat.  I’m also very curious to see if it is a good enough movie to justify Christian Bale’s rant and rampage on stage.  For somebody who takes himself so seriously, it better be a good movie.

While on the subject of robots, the next installment in the Transformer series is about to hit screens in little while, and every anime-loving fanboy’s life will be enriched even further.  Yes, I too enjoy shape-shifting robots of death from space.  This movie is undoubtedly going to try to top the first, but we’ll see what the writers have come up with to ensure the milk flows from this decades-old cash cow.

Transformers Trailer

One movie of particular interest to me is District 9.  I was completely taken by surprise when I discovered what this move’s story revolved around: Aliens.  If you take a look at the trailer for the film, it looks and feels like a boring documentary.  Then, it does a complete turn and it is revealed that this district is where a group a marooned grasshopper-looking space aliens have landed. I’m intrigued enough to find out just what in the world would cause somebody to finally come up with a non-sequal/prequal film.

I’m leaving out many more, but these are the big ones on the glorious horizon.  If anything, I don’t have high expectations of any of them.  What it comes down to is the fun breaks from reality that our beloved and worshiped Hollywood is so happy to provide for us.  If one thing is true about America, it’s that no matter what adversity we might be facing, we love our movies. Get your popcorn. It’s movie time.