Annual children’s literature awards highlight political, social issues

It seems as though the entertainment industry has taken note from last year’s widely criticized Oscar’s ceremony. The prestigious awards were boycotted due to their failure to include minority creators in many of their categories. This year, they have corrected their past plight, and the list of nominees is no longer whitewashed. 

But filmmakers are not the only entertainment leaders to celebrate minorities and important issues. When the American Library Association announced their 2017 young adult and children’s book award winners, book lovers everywhere were pleased to note that many of the nominees and winners were those that tackled racial, political and social issues. 

Nearly all categories of awards produced such progressive winners, with topics ranging from immigration, mental and physical disabilities, politics and race. The Alex Awards are given to “the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences.” Winners in this field include In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by actress Diane Guerrero and Buffering: Unshared Stories of a Life Fully Loaded by YouTube trailblazer Hannah Hart. 

Guerrero’s memoir tells the story of her family’s deportation from America, separating the young actress-to-be from her parents—who still haven’t found a way to leave Columbia again to reunite with their daughter. Guerrero quite obviously points out issues in America’s immigration policy, which remain prominent even today. 

Hart’s Buffering is just as prolific, which details her life dealing with the mental health issues of both her family and herself. Hart, who spends much of her time online teaching her viewers the importance of mental health, shares personal stories about sexuality, self-worth, friendship and family—stories that she has never told her two million subscribers. Hart’s overt emphasis on mental health is rare in young adult and in children’s books, however—and certainly welcome. 

Meanwhile, the Newbery Medal, which is “the highest U.S. award in children’s literature” was given to The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. The fantastical children’s novel is centered on a country that believes that they must sacrifice one child every year to appease an evil witch. In the middle is Luna, a young girl who accidently received magical powers at birth, and her rag-tag family of “a good witch, a swamp monster and a pocket-size dragon.” 

Barnhill’s editor Elise Howard said that the youth novel teaches its young and impressionable readers “about asking questions and making choices and daring to question an authoritarian version of the truth”—certainly relating to the current political atmosphere.

The standout winner, however, was March: Book Three, the third in a graphic novel series written by Representative John Lewis of Georgia, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell. The series focuses on Representative Lewis’ early civil rights work, and this third and final installment won not one, but four awards this year. 

This included the Coretta Scott King Book Award—which recognizes an outstanding African American author or illustrator—the Michael L. Printz Award for “excellence in literature written for young adults,” the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for “most distinguished informational book for children” and the Young Adult Library Services Association Award, which recognizes “excellence in nonfiction for young adults.” March’s win was widely supported by librarians across the country who celebrate the book’s potential impact on race relations in the U.S. 

The messages and lessons of these books—that are more radical than their predecessors—will no doubt help to turn their young readers into brave and passionate individuals who are not afraid to participate in both local and worldwide political and social movements.

Chamber singers join RCO for magnificent holiday tradition

The Geneseo Chamber Singers kicked off the holiday season with a special opportunity to perform with the prestigious Rochester Chamber Orchestra, as directed by Geneseo’s own professor of music Gerard Floriano. The group of talented singers, along with the Bach Children’s Chorus of Nazareth College, performed Handel’s “Messiah” at Hochstein Performance Hall on Sunday Dec. 4. As the “longest-running Messiah in the region,” this full-length performance took the audience back to the time of German composer George Frideric Handel, with favorites such as the famous “Hallelujah” chorus. The two and a half hour masterpiece tells the story of Jesus’ life, from Nativity to Resurrection, and is a gem in the history of music.

But taking part in such a historic and beautiful tradition isn’t easy. The especially difficult and ornate music of the “Messiah” proved to be a challenge. The student choir rose to the occasion, however, representing the talent of the Geneseo community.

Students spent a good portion of the semester practicing their parts after classes, and the rehearsal schedule leading up to the performance was rigorous. In addition to their weekly rehearsals, the choir made weekend trips to Rochester to rehearse with the RCO at Hochstein and to Nazareth College to rehearse with the children’s choir. The dedication of the students is what made this concert feasible, with, of course, the unwavering support of Floriano.

In addition to the Geneseo Chamber Singers and the Bach Children’s Chorus, the performance featured four professional soloists: Geneseo alumna soprano Laura Heimes ‘90, mezzo-soprano Luthien Brackett, tenor Daniel Curran and baritone Jesse Blumberg. There were also some familiar faces in the orchestra, with adjunct faculty of music Jim Tiller on timpani and adjunct professor of music Herbert Smith playing the trumpet.

Despite the length of this famous composition, time flew by for the audience. Seated in a church-turned-performance-hall complete with stained glass and a “sweeping balcony,” the audience cheered long and hard for the performers when they concluded with a huge, wonderful “Amen.”

The numerous voices blended together beautifully, accented by the youthful sound of the children’s choir and the accompanying string orchestra. The sound of the choir, the orchestra and the soloists together resonated through the hall, filling the space.

Credit must, naturally, be given to the amazingly dedicated Floriano. In addition to his duties here at Geneseo, Floriano serves as artistic director for the RCO. He had an eye on all elements of the performance, expertly guiding the soloists, children’s choir and chamber singers—a truly impressive feat.

If you couldn’t make it to Rochester for this performance, don’t worry. The Chamber Singers will be performing the “Messiah” a second time, this time in Geneseo at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church on Dec. 11 at 3 p.m. The orchestra will be made up of Geneseo students and staff, and all of the soloists will be members of the choir.

Don’t miss this opportunity to see a work of musical genius in a beautiful space, as performed by your talented peers and faculty––and admission is free!

Arts and Entertainment section writer Gretta Cavatassi also contributed to this article.

Faculty piano trio gifts community with powerful array of pieces

One of Geneseo’s newest musical groups, the Geneseo Piano Trio, treated the community to a concert on Sunday Dec. 4 at 3 p.m. in Doty Recital Hall. The Trio, who keeps the tradition of chamber-music-in-residence alive at the college, performed three multi-movement works by Mozart, Shostakovich and Debussy. Debuting in November 2015, this faculty group is comprised of visiting assistant professor of violin Andrew Bergevin on violin, lecturer of music James Kirkwood on cello and professor of music Jonathan Gonder on piano.

The performance was dedicated to music listening, as there were no external elements apart from some context that was provided in the program. For the concert, the performance included just three musicians on stage, doing what they do best.

This minimalism allowed the audience to interpret each piece individually, with some even choosing to close their eyes and bow their heads in order to focus on the sounds. Others, however, decided to never take their eyes off of the flying bows on stage.

First up was Mozart’s “Piano Trio in G major, KV 564,” which was a “generally sunny” and playful three-movement piece. Although the emphasis tended to fall on the piano’s melodies, there was an accenting synchronization of the violin and cello throughout.

The collaboration between these three musicians was so seamless that the audience could fall away from the present reality and perhaps imagine Elizabeth Bennet spurning Mr. Darcy at one of Austen’s famous social dances.

Then, in a complete change of tone, the Trio performed Shostakovich’s four-movement “Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Opus 67.” Immediately “chilling,” this piece began with a short cello solo of long, scratchy strokes.

A product of the Soviet Communist demand for nationalism and patriotism, Shostakovich’s piece reflects the destruction of World War II with impressive piano octaves, string plucking and staccato notes. With its powerful urgency and quiet foreboding, this piece conjures up visions of winter blizzards and dangerous conflict.

The Trio finished the concert with Debussy’s “Trio in G major, L.3.” The four movements in this piece seemingly combined the previous two works, as it follows Shostakovich’s power and Mozart’s playfulness. One of Debussy’s earlier efforts, this piece is almost unrecognizable as the composer’s own, although—as Bergevin pointed out—bits of Debussy’s usual “elfin lightness” can still be detected.

The final movement of this piece lived up to its name, “Appassionato,” as it served as a wonderful finale of the entire performance. After tugging between intensity and gentleness, the piece seems to finally decide upon a powerful passion. It brought together the lighthearted dance of the first piece and the urgent storm of the second.

But it doesn’t matter how you individually interpreted these pieces, as one thing is for certain—the Geneseo community is lucky to have such brilliantly talented musicians to comfort us on dreary Sunday afternoons.

How will a Trump administration affect future art?

It’s no secret that the art world has had an overwhelmingly negative reaction to the results of the 2016 presidential election. Many artists—such as sculptor Jeff Koons—openly supported President-elect Donald Trump’s opponent Hillary Clinton, even raising millions of dollars for her campaign. But the future of American artists and the art market remains a mystery. The Trump administration may result in tax cuts for the wealthy, which ultimately could mean more people buying at art auctions. “Trump is probably better for the art market if you analyze it,” Co-Head of the Fine Arts Department at Sotheby’s auction house Amy Cappellazzo said.

Although many art collectors did support Trump, those who are mourning his victory could help to bolster the art world as well. It’s safe to say that many people feel defeated after this particularly draining election season.

“When people feel their world coming apart, they seek out beauty in any form to get through it,” Cappellazzo said.

Artist Gee Vaucher’s “Oh, America” is an image of the Statue of Liberty crying into her hands, a piece that was originally created for a 1980s album cover. This work has resurfaced, however, as a way for media publications and individuals to express their feelings about the election results.

Many contemporary artists have started to create protest art centered on Trump. Hanksy, a popular satirical street artist—whose name is a parody of his famously anonymous peer, Banksy—has depicted Trump as a pile of feces and a Mexican presidential candidate. Plastic Jesus, a street artist based in Los Angeles, built a tiny wall around Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Another street artist, Pegasus, from Britain, depicted Trump as the second coming of Adolf Hitler with the words, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it” spray-painted over the work. So it seems that the Trump administration is already helping the arts just by existing.

President-elect Trump has been rather vocal about his feelings about art in the past. “Trump is not just uninterested in culture and the arts, but is actively inimical to them,” according to The Irish Times. In an article published earlier this week, the Times explains that in order to build Trump Tower in New York City in 1983, the President-elect tore down a building with a pair of art deco reliefs. The Metropolitan Museum of Art wanted desperately to keep these rare reliefs for their collection, but they were destroyed.

Trump has actually announced his dislike of the diversity that characterizes contemporary art. “As President, I would ensure that the National Endowment of the Arts stops funding of this sort,” Trump said, referring to a particular work by Chris Ofili that did not appeal to the President-elect. According to The Irish Times, other Republicans have also let it be known that they support either cutting funding for the Endowment or privatizing it. With an incoming Republican White House, this may just become a reality.

So the impact of Trump’s presidency on the arts is a sticky web, indeed. On the one hand, you have what Director of the Armory Show Benjamin Genocchio calls positive “macroeconomic realities” and fuel for creative protest. But then again, Trump’s apparent dislike of the arts may just cancel these positives.

It’s too early to tell just yet, but one thing is obvious: Trump is sure to have a powerful effect on the arts.

McClure makes progress on Antarctica musical composition

It’s been a few weeks now since composer and adjunct professor of English Glenn McClure set sail for icy Antarctica in order to embark on a project for the Antarctic Artists and Writers Fellowship from the National Science Foundation—one that will translate environmental and seismic sounds into musical compositions. Media Relations Director David Irwin and the Office of College Communications and Marketing hosted a Skype call with McClure on Wednesday Nov. 16, providing students with the opportunity to ask the globetrotter questions that pertained to their various ongoing research projects.

During this session, McClure discussed the progress that he has made on his project since his arrival at McMurdo Station, a high-end science and research facility in Ross Island, Antarctica. McClure has just returned from a trip to Yesterday Camp, which is the home for a community of tents, as camped out on the Ross Ice Shelf. There, he and a team of scientists lifted seismometers out of the ice in order to retrieve the data that they had been recording for two years.

McClure’s project relies on this data, which he will eventually turn into melodies and music notes. McClure has traveled back to McMurdo Station, while scientists from the University of California continue to dig up the data. He expects to retrieve all the data by mid-December.

In the meantime, McClure is keeping busy by recording environmental sounds, such as the snow crunch—something so loud that it obstructs conversation–and conversations between penguins and seals. He has also had the chance to record sounds from underneath the ice; he noted that while Antarctica is flat and unassuming on the surface, the waters beneath it are akin to New York City bustle. He hopes to incorporate these sounds into his final compositions.

McClure divulged that his final works would eventually be released online, accompanied by video and pictures from his expeditions. In addition, he will be writing a number of choir pieces, which will be distributed through his publisher.

Apart from working on his intriguing project, McClure has been having quite the time in his temporary home—getting a visit from Secretary of State John Kerry, participating in the vibrant art sphere that exists there and experiencing “crazy mind-twisting stuff, like time and space.” He has found the “terrible beauty” and atmosphere of Antarctica to be, while quite chilly, completely refreshing, explaining that the “landscape forces you to strip distractions away from your life.”

All in all, it seems that McClure is having a great and productive time 9,450 miles away in the icy tundra. “It’s a whole lot of fun—and the food is pretty good here, too,” McClure said.

McClure will be returning home just before Thanksgiving, weather permitting. To keep updated on his time in Antarctica, visit his “Music in the Ice” blog.

Harding Lecture honors work of renowned writer, Thoreau scholar

Geneseo’s 13th annual Harding Lecture was brought to Geneseo by none other than current editor-in-chief of The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau, Elizabeth Witherell. The highly anticipated lecture, entitled “Thoreau’s Manuscripts and the Prepared Eye,” took place on Tuesday Nov. 8 for an eager audience of experienced and new Thoreauvians alike. The Harding Lecture began in 2004 in honor of Distinguished Professor Emeritus Walter Harding, known worldwide as the leading Henry David Thoreau scholar. The lecture was endowed by his late wife Marjorie Brook Harding in order to keep “Walter Harding’s tradition of scholarship and learning” alive at the college.

When Harding is referred to as the world’s leading Thoreau scholar, this is no understatement. As the author of over 30 published books, Harding’s The Days of Henry Thoreau remains the definitive and most extensive biography of Thoreau in the world.

It is widely known that Harding brought Thoreau and his works to more people around the globe than any other scholar—a fact proven by his travels around the globe, the successful American play based off of the biography and the letters received by Harding from Albert Einstein, Presidents Cater, Johnson and Nixon, Don Henley and Martin Luther King Jr.

Despite this great worldwide influence, however, Harding remained a humble individual who shared many of Thoreau’s ideas on life. Many Thoreau scholars seemingly share this trait, including Witherell, who describes Harding as an awe-inspiring individual and “an important influence on my life.”

As “Walter Harding’s heir,” Witherell cuts an impressive figure herself. Other than inheriting Harding’s own publication—he was the first editor-in-chief of The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau—she won the Thoreau Society Medal in 2008, which is another organization started by Harding.

Witherell specializes in transcription and has translated hundreds of pages of Thoreau’s writing. Most recently, Witherell worked on a new publication, which is a third volume of Thoreau’s correspondences. As a result, she can now identify Thoreau’s hand and writing habits, as well as that of his family, on sight.

She compares her discoveries to Harding’s as being “tamer … but just as exciting” and is immensely grateful for digital photography and technological innovations that make these findings possible.

In her lecture, Witherell described these findings and just how she came to them, sometimes sifting through endless scraps of paper—Thoreau was apparently very frugal—to find continuations of letters and notes.

Witherell takes special interest in the revisions Thoreau made to his letters to publishers, friends and business partners. Although the correspondences themselves reveal much about Thoreau’s personality, these revisions have allowed Witherell to make new discoveries about how Thoreau viewed himself and how he presented himself to others.

In one particular draft of a letter, Thoreau deletes a beautiful passage explaining exactly what it is he is looking for in his observations of the natural world and replaces it with a more professional, emotionless statement. Thus, Witherell can finally identify Thoreau as the “hunter of beauty” she has searched for throughout her career.

One would expect such an intelligent and impressive intellectual to be an intimidating orator who speaks with complicated jargon. But just like Harding, Witherell is a humble and unpretentious scholar, who merely wishes to share with the world her greatest interest.

Feeling a true connection to her work and a pure enjoyment of knowledge, Witherell provides a role model for all who strive to chase their curiosity. Walter Harding would be proud.

Geneseo’s first fringe festival celebrates community talent

After years of attending and participating in Rochester’s annual celebrations, Geneseo has finally gotten their very own Fringe Festival. A fringe festival is essentially a conglomeration of a variety of different artistic acts and exhibitions, from vocal performances to visual art shows. The first Geneseo Fringe Festival was brought to us by the Geneseo Campus Activities Board on Friday Nov. 4.

With performances in comedy, music, poetry and dance, the festival provided a platform for some of Geneseo’s best talent to show off their skills. Geneseo a capella groups Between the Lines, Exit 8, Hips n’ Harmony and Emmelodics brought large crowds of fans to the MacVittie College Union Ballroom, as did local bands Donner Dance Party and Woodrow Chillson.

Cultural groups Gajjda Bhangra and Slainte Irish Dance were also represented, and Slam Poetry and Gestures: Organization for Deaf Awareness added to the ensemble with breathtaking linguistic performances.

Following their performances, Slam Poetry and GODA each held workshops in the Kinetic Gallery, teaching attendees how to create their own slam poems and how to sign. It’s rare that groups such as these that focus on the spoken—or unspoken—word get a spotlight on campus, and the Geneseo Fringe Festival gave them prime time to show the student body their talent.

“[The festival] has allowed different aspects of the campus to come together and create a sense of collaboration within the community,” Geneseo Late Knight Student Coordinator English adolescent education major sophomore Neha Marolia said.

And that it did, as students filtered into the ballroom—even when initially they were on their way to Starbucks, Fusion and the Fireside Lounge, not the Geneseo Fringe Festival.

GCAB’s Valley Entertainment Coordinator communication major senior Leila Sedigh was instrumental in bringing the fringe festival to Geneseo. Working closely with GLK as well as GCAB’s advisor, Associate Director of Student Life Tiffany Brodner, Sedigh’s goal was to give students the opportunity to experience a fringe festival without the trouble of having to trek all the way to Rochester.

Sedigh brought together local performances that were “inclusive of so many students,” while GLK brought in the featured act, popular campus performer Jason LeVasseur. LeVasseur, is “the most awarded music performer in the history of campus entertainment,” according to Campus Activities Magazine.

LeVasseur is praised for both his musical skill—he plays the guitar and harmonica in addition to providing his own vocals—and his on-stage charisma. Known to crack jokes and get the crowd laughing, LeVassuer also leads several workshops and keynotes, which is a great addition to a festival bent on bringing a community together.

Although Sedigh did seek to include the visual arts in the first of what’s sure to be many campus fringe festivals, she did not receive any submissions. She remains hopeful, however, that her successors will incorporate the visual arts into future festivals. With the maintenance of the Kinetic Gallery falling under GCAB’s jurisdiction, it shouldn’t be hard to collaborate on a student exhibition for the festival.

Despite this one hiccup, it seems that Geneseo’s first fringe festival has been a success. As the Rochester Fringe Festival grows in popularity each year, there’s no doubt that Geneseo’s will as well. With so much potential to include any variety of acts, it’ll be a wonderful surprise to see what GCAB cooks up for next year’s festival.

Singer-songwriter Jacobsen provides fresh, funny take on meaningful messages

David W. Jacobsen may be a seasoned songwriter and performer—as he’s been in the music industry for 15 years now—and a graduate of Berklee College of Music, but don’t mistake him for your typical folk artist. Rather, Jacobsen gives us humorously realistic tracks that “combine poetry, satire and narrative storytelling.” With four albums already under his belt, Jacobsen debuts his most recent work, Begin the Chagrin. A set of 20 songs all equally as humorous as its predecessors, this album “presents a range of noble, relatable, pitiable and revolting characters” who are either “dealing with disappointment or causing it for someone else.” With this combination of ridiculous humor and relatability, Jacobsen creates a whole new genre of music that is sure to get every listener chuckling and thinking back on their own experiences.

Standouts are “Thanksgiving in West Paterson” and “Christmas in East Paterson.” A satire of the dread of spending holidays with the family, “Thanksgiving in West Paterson” presents a series of unfortunate events, from family food fights to getting arrested. It is cheekily followed by the refrain, “Happy Thanksgiving.”

Along a similar vein, in “Christmas in East Paterson” Jacobsen croons about a jailbird cousin, a fat uncle and an “Oxycotton-popping” aunt, which is all followed by a cheery “La La La Have a Merry Christmas.” It may seem odd at first to hear such unsavory characters described in such an upbeat song, but Jacobsen is able to pull it off, prompting listeners to think about their own weird relatives.

“Your Sister” provides a take on adultery—one that most music-lovers aren’t used to. Jacobsen unapologetically sings as a man who cheats on his wife with her sister: “Well now your mom just hates me/For all that I have done/But she looks great for her age/Maybe she could be the next one.” Somewhat reminiscent of Fountain of Wayne’s hit “Stacy’s Mom,” the lyrics of “Your Sister” have a shock-factor that only adds to the hilarity.

“Do You Want Fries With That?” is certainly not a song one would expect to hear on the radio. But this track is surprisingly deep, as it comments on the difficulty of making decisions.

The song starts off by dramatizing a scenario at a fast-food counter, but the listener quickly grasps its message with the following lyrics, “And how the mighty have fallen/How we find ourselves brought low/Where once we demanded now it’s/Do you want that to stay or to go?” Despite this rather serious theme, the song manages to stay lighthearted, always asking, “Do you want fries with that?”

Many of Jacobsen’s songs include such deeper meanings, making Begin the Chagrin more than just a satirical album. In fact, his humor works so well with the somber themes that it makes his work more accessible and rather refreshing.

Any music fanatics looking for something completely new, but still meaningful, should definitely give Begin the Chagrin a listen.

Geneseo professor combines music, science through Antarctic sounds

Geneseo’s all-star faculty has once again made headlines with their groundbreaking work. Composer and adjunct professor of English Glenn McClure has just embarked on a five-week journey through Antarctica in order to translate the sounds of the continent into music. With the help of Peter Bromirski, McClure will create choral and orchestral pieces that will be used as inspiration for various high school classes throughout the country as they compose their own pieces. In order to make this dream come to life, McClure applied for and received an Antarctic Artists and Writers Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. The fellowship brings creators and scientists together to “create works of art that dramatize and educate the general public on the good work of scientists.”

Since the Polar Division of the NSF has such difficulty shining a public light on their work, the fellowship is restricted to their division. Thus, McClure decided to head to the frosty glaciers of Antarctica; he’s spent days traipsing around in -4 degree weather.

McClure is currently in Antarctica working on recording “environmental sounds both on the surface (penguins, wind, snow crunch) and underwater with a hydrophone (seal talk, whales),” McClure said in an email. Meanwhile, Bromirski and his team are measuring the movement of “the largest floating piece of ice on the planet,” which is the Ross Ice Shelf, according to McClure.

The Ross Ice Shelf—which is the size of France—responds to the ocean waves from the North, “causing it to heave and contract.” McClure will then “sonify” these movements and convert it into “melodies, harmonies and rhythms” in order to fulfill his duty as a composer to “tell the story of this work in music and sound.”

Apart from composing some down-to-earth and creative music, McClure hopes to set an example of how the arts and sciences can merge to create beautiful works of art.

“I want to demonstrate the benefits of scientists and artists working together. From the ancient Greeks all the way up to Galileo, science, math and music were intertwined,” McClure said. “In the last couple of centuries, we have built intellectual barriers between them. I want to put them back together.”

McClure has a great support system back here in Geneseo who are helping him achieve this noteworthy goal. “We have professors and students in physics, geology, history and English doing research that helps tell the story of both the important scientific work in Antarctica, as well as the history of artists working with scientists,” he said.

Geneseo students and community members can follow along with McClure’s progress and experiences in Antarctica through his Music in the Ice blog, which is available through his website. There, he recounts his adventures ice-tenting with his scientific team, going 80 feet under the ice to record underwater sounds via a holding tank and celebrating an Antarctic Halloween.

Geneseo is lucky indeed to have such an adventurous and groundbreaking faculty member who allows us all to feel part of something revolutionary.

Ephemeral Arts Festival sparks creative freedom, environmentalism

Geneseo’s second annual Ephemeral Arts Festival continued on Saturday Oct. 22, as students gathered in the Roemer Arboretum to “let nature be [their] canvas.” A collaborative effort between the college’s Office of Sustainability, Nature Walk Club and Art Club, the festival aimed to bring artistic creativity back to the campus through an environmental lens. For the festival’s main event, students were invited to create pieces using any materials found within the arboretum.

The only rule was to avoid “research, restoration efforts or aesthetic value,” which were marked by blue flags, boards and protective cones. Photographers were available on hand to snap pictures of the completed projects, which are going to be exhibited at Cricket’s Coffee Company starting Thursday Oct. 27.

The project was partly inspired by sculptor and photographer Andy Goldsworthy and earth art of the 1970s, which is the slight modification and manipulation of natural landscapes for artistic purposes. Goldsworthy is famous for creating ephemeral pieces—pieces that are not meant to last forever, but to degrade over time. Armed with only a camera, Goldsworthy snapped photos of his work, effectively stopping time and documenting the natural materials in exactly that moment.

That being said, Director of Sustainability Dan DeZarn expressed that his hope was for student participants not only mimic Goldsworthy’s style, but also to create their own processes of creating earth art. Last year’s festival was fruitful, as students wove together wreaths and constructed sculptures out of sticks by placing leaves into beautifully colorful arrangements.

Geography major senior Sarah Kowalski—who is currently an intern at the Office of Sustainability and a past participant of the festival—remarked how fascinating it is to see how the pieces change over time. “You know that humans had something to do with it, but you don’t know the exact purpose,” Kowalski said.

In fact, one of the pieces—a wreath created by DeZarn—is still hanging in its spot on a tree branch.

As a campus that is more academically oriented—especially after the demise of the Studio Art major in 2014—it’s tough to find time to appreciate both the arts and our natural environment. Participating in the Ephemeral Arts Festival—or even finding time to simply walk through the Arboretum and creating earth art on your own—is both humbling and freeing in one of the best ways.

The process of creating earth art forces you to focus on your surroundings and to notice even the smallest of details. The rough dirt peeking through thousands of tiny bright yellow leaves, the delicate meandering veins on maple leaves and webs of thin branches all becoming visible allow participants to leave the stress of schoolwork behind and to see a bigger picture.  In a way, it ensures you that everything will be all right, the world will keep turning and the leaves will keep falling each year—even if you’re personally in a vastly different place.

With its ability to be simply beautiful, amazingly intricate or anything in between, earth art gives you a peculiar feeling of being at one with nature, while also having total control over it, as it makes you aware of your human status. It’s extremely rare that any other process of art evokes such a feeling, and it’s all thanks to those involved in the production of the Ephemeral Arts Festival that Geneseo students have such an opportunity.

Sustainability director depicts ephermeral art, encourages “creative problem solving”

Geneseo holds a true diamond in the rough on its campus. Dan DeZarn is the college’s director of sustainability and the former chair of the art department. But chiefly, DeZarn is an artist who strives to create sustainable pieces. DeZarn and the Office of Sustainability have partnered with Geneseo’s Art Club, Nature Walk Club and the Roemer Arboretum to host the Ephemeral Art Festival, a three-part event beginning with a lecture on sustainable art by DeZarn himself.

The talk, which took place on Wednesday Oct. 19, had DeZarn discussing his own work as well as the Earth Art of the late 1960s, both of which he hopes will serve as creative inspiration for the second leg of the festival. The second part was an art-making session in the Roemer Arboretum on the south side of campus. The final event of the festival will be an exhibit of the art made at the Arboretum on Thursday Oct. 27 at Cricket’s Coffee Shop.

DeZarn will expectantly share some of his skills and techniques during the creative session at the Arboretum. He wants his viewers to “not know [his art] is art”—a goal that is easily achieved through his exclusive use of natural and recycled materials. The pieces—which are not meant to last forever—have focused on gradual natural processes, with the goal to bring the viewer back to each piece repeatedly, allowing them to observe the phases that each go through as their natural materials change and deteriorate.

His piece “The Bridge That Connects Two Places That No Longer Exist” was a bridge constructed of metal dripping with a honey-like candy. Over time, the candy eventually fell completely from the bridge, leaving the metal structure to stand alone.

“A Study of Lightness, Proximity and Function” was composed of several wooden structures in the likeness of power lines, built to mimic DeZarn’s own measurements. Attached to these were sets of helium balloons that then carried the sculptures away across the landscape. DeZarn captured their flight with photography, but never knew where they ended up.

In addition to his individual pieces, DeZarn has participated in collaborative projects, such as “Pulled Resources,” which he worked on with Thomas Sturgill. A series of large-scale ephemeral pieces, the project focused on reacting to issues of climate change and processing those issues through an artistic lens.

In particular, one piece aptly titled “Bootstraps” critiques the lack of help given to those affected by Hurricane Katrina during the first few weeks of the storm, the people who were told to “pull up their bootstraps” and to help themselves. The piece takes the form of rafts and stilts built from the wood of a demolished house.

Sustainability is not just an artistic interest for DeZarn, however; he is constantly integrating it into his personal life, as well. He built his entirely sustainable house from the ground-up with his wife, who is also an artist, and is still working on it today, constantly making updates.

With the house, the two are striving to achieve “a beautiful means of living,” one that is completely hands on. As the building progressed, many of its elements actually doubled as minimalist pieces exhibited in galleries. Of this work—which arguably is largest to date—DeZarn said, “It’s a freaky and weird way to make art; it’s become bigger than me.”

DeZarn laments the scarcity of art on the campus. He is a true believer in the power of artists as “creative problem solvers.” His involvement in the Ephemeral Arts Festival plays a vital role in bringing creativity back to Geneseo. He hopes the program will inspire students to think about what we use and what we leave behind. With his help, the upcoming festival events should prove to do just that.

Professor Hall explores family history in fictional short story collection

At a college famous for its academic excellence and top-notch professors, two-time Chancellor’s Award winner Geneseo professor of English Rachel Hall has managed to make huge waves with the recent publication of her collection of linked short stories Heirlooms. Although Hall’s work has been previously featured in a number of literary journals and anthologies over the years—including Fifth Wednesday, Bellingham Review, The Gettysburg Review, New Letters and Crab Orchard Review—Heirlooms marks her first solo publication, which has already won the G.S. Sharat Chandra Book Prize.

Inspired by her own compelling family history, her debut book introduces readers to a fictional French-Jewish family during World War II. Through the ups and downs of 15 stories and four generations, the family journeys from the French city of Saint-Malo to the American Midwest, losing the tangible heirlooms that some families hold so dear, but gaining instead an intense family history and lasting memory.

Hall credits the deep relationship she had with her mother, who shared the family’s past with her. Hall’s mother was a young Jewish child during World War II whose parents died during the war, leaving her to be adopted by her paternal aunt and uncle. As a result, she and her family frequently moved around in order to escape detection by the Nazi regime. Life didn’t get much easier, however, when they moved to the United States, as Hall’s mother was bullied for her lack of knowledge of the English language and later for her accent.

“It’s almost like those stories were mine,” Hall said. She also said how, as a young girl, she would place herself within the stories of her family history, imagining herself jumping to her mother’s rescue. Thus Hall was able to “take real life events and embroider around them, invent and imagine.”

With a rich cast of reoccurring characters—many of whom are inspired by her family members—Hall hopes to capture “a different kind of Holocaust story”: one that focuses on the extremely difficult experience of immigration. This is a lesson that Hall hopes will resonate with modern audiences, as displaced people from across the border and across the globe search for comfort and reprieve from their own pasts.

In place of the usual Holocaust narrative—which often consist of gruesome tales of concentration camps, torture and disparagement—Heirlooms provides a window into the heart of one family, whose memories and experiences may seem small in the grand scheme, but are representative of the immigrant experience.

“[The book is] about the war, but it’s also about how we pass on our stories,” Hall said. “I think it’s important to remember that when that many people die—when six million people die—there are going to be about six million different stories.”

At first, “La Possette” looks like a story of class difference, but it is in fact a heartbreaking example of the loss that results from the displacement and social politics of World War II. “White Lies”—a story that Hall admitted was particularly hard for her to write—is an example of the tragic sacrifices that the war forced families to make.

Heirlooms has already had its fair share of success, participating in Rochester’s fifth annual Fringe Festival. With the help of fellow assistant professor of English Kristen Gentry, Hall enlisted three Geneseo creative writing major seniors—Oliver Diaz, Evan Goldstein and Sarah Steil—to present their own stories based on “what gets left behind, what gets passed on.” Hall chose these three students based on their creative writing talent and ability to mold Heirlooms into their own creative content.

The Geneseo community has another opportunity to hear a sneak peek of Hall’s work in Heirlooms. She will be hosting a reading and book signing at the Geneseo Barnes & Noble Bookstore in the MacVittie College Union on Wednesday Oct. 5 from 1-5 p.m.

Geneseo talent represented at Fringe Fest

Rochester’s annual Fringe Festival begins this Thursday Sept. 15 and runs until Sept. 24. As one of the city’s most highly anticipated events, the Fringe Festival is a “no-holds-barred, multi-disciplinary visual and performing arts festival featuring international, national and local artists.” Over the course of 10 days, this year’s festival will be home to over 500 events at over 25 venues in Rochester’s East End. Although this is only Rochester’s fifth Fringe Festival, it has grown larger and more successful each year since 2012.

This year, a number of Geneseo-based performances and exhibitions will be featured at the festival, including “Heirlooms.” “Heirlooms” includes both student creative writers and professor of English Rachel Hall posing the question, “How do we move forward?” through their stories and poems. In addition to “Heirlooms,” Guerilla Art—an organization that publishes student art and literature in public spaces—will also be there.

Putting Geneseo’s finest talent on display with some of the biggest names in Rochester—and around the world—proves that the college and the community have much more to offer than beautiful fields and science programs.

Pokemon Go leaves art world scrambling to “catch em all”

There is no doubt that Pokemon Go has taken the country by storm. The interactive video game has young children, teenagers and college students alike traipsing all over towns and cities, trying to catch the small animated creatures—virtually, of course. In this age of technology, it’s no surprise that the interactive reality game has had so much success. What does come as a bit of a shock, however, is that such a game—played entirely on smartphones—could have even the slightest effect on the world of visual arts.

The game requires players to get out of their houses and to walk around their neighborhoods—a fact that has been applauded by those worried about the United States’ obesity rates. As players walk around, they look for PokeStops–locations and landmarks where Pokemon can be found and caught. Many of these stops are at art centers, museums and local landmarks.

In fact, it seems to have been the creator of the game—Niantic’s—intention to place PokeStops at places of cultural importance. In a March press release, the company urged users to “explore cities and towns around where you live and even around the globe to capture as many Pokemon as you can … Also look for PokeStops located at interesting places, such as public art institutions, historical markers, and monuments.”

There are countless PokeStops in Rochester alone. Stops can be found at the Memorial Art Gallery, the George Eastman House, the Rochester Museum and Science Center and many freestanding sculptures and murals throughout the city’s Neighborhood of the Arts.

Naturally, one would think that museums and art centers would benefit greatly from people walking around trying to “catch ‘em all” and oming across underappreciated cultural centers that they always knew were there, but never thought to take advantage of.

And yes, people have noticed that more people are wandering around and inside of these sites, but how many of those people are absorbing what’s around them and how many have their eyes locked on their smartphones?

Museums have tried to capitalize on this increased foot traffic by hosting scavenger hunts and activity nights. The game even has a program in which institutions can “lure” Pokemon to their location, hopefully increasing their amount of visitors. So it seems that the game has admirable intentions when it comes to helping the art world.

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City—which is another popular PokeStop—recently arranged several meet-ups for Pokemon Go players. While the museum saw an increase in attendance by 13 percent in one week, it is still impossible to know how many of those people were focused on the game versus the art in the museum.

Even though it is inevitable for one to see a beautiful sculpture or painting while playing Pokemon Go in a museum or art center, the fact remains that the piece will stay in the player’s peripheral vision, rather than persuade them to rip away from the virtual world of Pokemon.

Museums, however, still try to market themselves to Pokemon players—and admirably so—in the hopes that at least one of them will put down their phone, look up and see something even greater than a Pikachu.

D.I.Y. WOW event provides creative outlet during syllabus week

Yet another Geneseo Weeks of Welcome event has been a success for the campus. Geneseo Late Knight hosted a DIY Room Night on Thursday Sept. 1 in the MacVittie College Union lobby at 6 p.m. For those unfamiliar with the concept, DIY—or do-it-yourself—is a popular movement that encourages people to create and to repair their own items rather than buy them from a store or enlisting professional help.

It can apply to home improvement, fashion, arts and other small projects and is often very cost efficient.

DIY is popular among younger crowds because ideas for projects are easily spread over social media with websites such as Pinterest, Buzzfeed and Instagram, which offer countless ideas. Older generations are now joining in on the fun, too, as their familiarity with social media increases.

GLK’s event featured three DIY stations in addition to a chocolate fountain and free giveaways. The first of the three stations had the Union lobby filled to the brim, as students sat down to paint three-dimensional cardboard letter G’s—the perfect way to calm down from the stress of settling into school. Students could be heard lamenting over how long it had been since they had indulged in such a creative activity.

Inside the Union Ballroom were the remaining two DIY opportunities. With the help of the GLK staff, students created personalized street signs–printed Geneseo blue–and covered whiteboards with pictures that were taken there of the participants and their friends in order to reflect the spirit of Geneseo.

Childhood education major senior Melissa Paravati expressed her approval of the event.  “[It was a] chance for new students to show their spirit and get excited about being here at Geneseo,” Paravati said.

At this event, GLK’s new image was very prominent. According to communication major and GLK staff member junior Lexi Lovric, GLK has recently rebranded. She also noted that all events held by the organization would have free Geneseo paraphernalia for students to collect.

In addition, GLK is attempting to popularize their loyalty cards. The loyalty cards operate much like the punch cards available at the local shops on Main Street. A student can attend eight GLK events, getting their loyalty card punched each time. After attending eight events they will be entered into a raffle in order to win big prizes such as iPads, Fitbits and Kindles.

The popularity of DIY Room Night seems to be proof of the success of GLK’s new image, which is altogether more energetic and encouraging. Staff members became active recruiters as they offered free “True to the Blue” T-shirts to students in Starbucks and around the Union. Students responded positively, seeming to prefer these one-on-one interactions rather than the half-hearted exchanges usually experienced from those tabling in the Union.

GLK has also released a calendar so that students can be up-to-date on all of this semester’s late night events, such as laser tag and a Dia de los Muertos celebration. As new and old students alike look forward to these various events, one thing is for sure: we haven’t seen the last of GLK’s success.u

Comedian Gene Wilder remembered for eccentricity, creative versatility

To younger generations, the name Gene Wilder may not garner an immediate reaction. But mention the popular fantasy flick Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and you’ll find excited expressions and recollections of childhood memories. The 1971 film is perhaps best known and remembered for titular character Willy Wonka, played by American stage and film actor, screenwriter, director and novelist Gene Wilder, who passed away from complications from Alzheimer’s disease on Aug. 29 at the age of 83. Born Jerome Silberman, Wilder was known in the movie industry for his hilarious performances and whimsical personality. He often played eccentric but charming characters, which were made all the more unconventional by his recognizably mellow voice and piercing blue eyes.

Wilder’s career started on the stage, where he performed on and off Broadway. It was during this time that he met director Mel Brooks, who soon became a lifelong business partner and friend.

His first on-screen performance was a small but memorable role, to which he added his own comedic genius, as he portrayed the kidnapped undertaker in Bonnie and Clyde in 1967. From then on, Wilder had no trouble finding work in Hollywood, appearing in some of Brooks’ most successful films.

Wilder did much more than act–he created. He began to co-write screenplays with Brooks, and it was his idea to turn the famous gothic novel Frankenstein into a modern comedy. Young Frankenstein got him nominated for an Oscar and won him a slew of additional awards. He also worked with Brooks on the popular Blazing Saddles, which featured popular yet controversial comedian, Richard Pryor.

To the world, Wilder was a hilariously successful figure in entertainment. He could write and act, in addition to even trying his hand at directing. Underneath it all, however, Wilder was a sensitive soul who had been through a great deal during his childhood and was still experiencing hardships.

At school, Wilder had been bullied for being Jewish, and at home his mother was physically and mentally unstable. In his adulthood, Wilder struggled with his inner demons. Visits to a psychotherapist became a way he could express his feelings concerning not only sexual repression, but also an embarrassing compulsion to pray aloud to God at inappropriate times. He said that it was on stage or acting in movies that he actually felt free from all of it.

Later, his third wife and “Saturday Night Live” actress Gilda Radner was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, which she eventually died from. One year after her death and the creation of Gilda’s Club—an ovarian cancer detection center—Wilder himself was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s  lymphoma. Wilder went into remission in 2005.

It was around this time that Wilder began to withdraw from Hollywood. He took on smaller roles and focused more on writing, eventually announcing in 2003 his official retirement from acting.

“I like show, but I don’t like the business,” Wilder said. Instead, he turned to the quiet life of novel writing.

Not only did he prove his worth in show business, but Wilder also possessed great inner strength. No matter what maladies he or the people close to him faced, he maintained his positive attitude and desire to make people laugh.

Wilder’s roles allowed him to act as a wide variety of characters—a reluctant scientist, a bumbling undertaker, a mysterious chocolatier–and put him into contact with some of the most noteworthy people. He himself credited all his success to one simple rule: “Just be real and it will be funnier.”

Women defy objectification in student’s photography exhibit

The Lockhart Gallery on Main Street has a reputation for exhibiting great artistic talent, both historic and contemporary. But this time around, the gallery—which is housed in the McClellan House—has chosen to display a student’s work, namely senior English major and film studies minor Britina Cheng’s photography exhibit “We Were Girls.” Cheng is a student employee at the McClellan House and, as a result, has developed a close working relationship with director of galleries and curator Cynthia Hawkins. This relationship gave Cheng the unique opportunity to show her own work in the very gallery that Cheng helps to install other artists’ exhibitions.

Cheng’s own exhibit is a series of portraits, all of which are women. The key is that the subjects of every shot are very consciously returning the male gaze; the male gaze is a concept in visual art that is used to describe the tendency of fine art to depict the world—and more specifically women—from a masculine point of view. In other words, the male gaze expresses that the purpose of women is to be looked at by men. It is a practice seen over and over again in art history. It is this practice that Cheng is combating.

Each woman in Cheng’s portraits are aware that they are being looked at, and so they have decided to stare right back at the viewer in an effort to humanize themselves. The male gaze turns women into mere objects, but Cheng’s women unapologetically defy their objectification.

In addition to their strength and attitude, the women in Cheng’s portraits are ethnically and sexually diverse in the truest way possible. “My Immigrant Mother, Qing Hua” is a shot of the artist’s Asian mother, “Velvet Rouge, Chloe” features a beautiful black woman set against a vibrant red background, “Genderfuck Us In The Snow” showcases a transgender woman, “Prowess” is of a white woman and “We Don’t Shave” is a shot of a white woman proudly showing the audience her unshaved underarms.

Cheng does not limit herself in terms of style either. Her exhibit includes photos that are large and small, in color and in black and white. She even throws a mixed media piece, “They/Them,” into the mix of photographs.

All of this variety, however, is woven together seamlessly by Cheng. Perhaps this smooth array is meant to drive home the bigger message of the exhibit: all women—no matter their shape, size, ethnicity or orientation—deserve to be respected and embraced.

All of the women in the photographs are Cheng’s friends and family. Cheng noted that although the positions of the models are supposed to be posed in order to enhance the message of playing with the male gaze, most of the poses came naturally and are unforced. This element of naturalness in Cheng’s work sends another message: everyone—even your friends and family whom you see every day—can become the embodiment of art and beauty.

This participation from her loved ones is vital to Cheng’s work. She deals mostly with portrait photography and film, as in mediums that deal with storytelling. She feels that people and their relationships are very meaningful to her life, and so naturally they have become the subject of her artistic work.

Many of those friends that are featured in Cheng’s work—along with other members of the Geneseo community—were in attendance at the opening of her exhibit on April 20. This audience demonstrates the great, relatable aspect of Cheng’s work. A viewer can look at her work and see a beautiful, striking portrait, but—more importantly—they can see themselves.

Art lovers everywhere should be on the lookout for more from Cheng.

Folk band takes a fresh spin on classic sounds

“From deep in the hills of the Finger Lakes” comes Mulberry Soul, a Middlesex-based band that “blends folk, bluegrass and old time music with soulful original songs.” The band is set to release their debut album, Mulberry Soul, on May 20. Started in 2012 at the Rochester Folk Art Guild, the band has had major success playing all around upstate New York, including the popular Rochester bar, Bug Jar, and bar-pub-concert venue combination, Flour City Station. Members include Gabriel Schliffer, Scott Calpin, Cordelia Hall, Aaron Oldweiler, Carla-Marie Padvoiskis and Chris Machanoff ‘06.

In true folk and bluegrass style, Mulberry Soul’s sound uses an eclectic array of instruments including the banjo, the mandolin, the upright bass, the fiddle and an acoustic guitar. It is the use of these instruments—combined with their authentic sound—that distinguishes Mulberry Soul from other popular bands.

Their self-titled debut album is a compilation of 10 songs inspired by traditional folk, bluegrass and country music. Overall, the album is a great addition to anyone’s summer playlist. Many of the songs, such as “Pappy Johnson,” have a storytelling quality that seems to be lacking in today’s pop hits.

In addition to the storytelling within the songs, there are also many long instrumental breaks. In fact, “Harlem Blues” has no lyrics at all. One would think that a lack of lyrics would make a song hard to listen to, but that is not the case here. “Harlem Blues” delivers such a strong fiddle melody that the listener is never bored. Other songs, such as “Shed,” provide a happy medium of both lyrics and instrumental breaks.

The album mixes it up a bit with vocals, as well. In some songs Hall—the band’s only female member—can be heard complimenting the main vocals with her own warm and earthy voice. The closing track, “What We’re Made Of,” features Hall’s voice at the front and center, providing a nice change of pace and a perfect end to the album.

Whether they are channeling old school country music or leaning more toward a folksy sound, every song on Mulberry Soul takes classic roots and turns them into fresh new melodies and rhythms. We may have heard the banjo and the mandolin before, but we’ve never heard them quite like this.

“Wilding Grove” and “Shed” are great examples of this innovation, “Wilding Grove” with its edgy chords and “Shed” with its delicate and airy introduction. This seamless merging of the old and the new evokes a wistful longing for simpler times, but also a fresh feeling that suggests that those times are still here.

Mulberry Soul isn’t slowing down anytime soon, either. Accompanying the release of their album, they will be embarking on a summer tour that will take them to big festivals throughout the state, including the upcoming Rochester Lilac Festival and the Grassroots Big Splash.

It seems that Mulberry Soul achieved a great balance: their sound is divergent from the rest, and yet they receive recognition at some of New York’s greatest musical events. From the sound of this album, it is well deserved.

Hugo and Hepburn honored in student’s presentations

For the past 10 years, Geneseo Recognizing Excellence, Achievement & Talent Day has been giving students the chance to share their areas of interests with others on campus. Usually, students give one presentation on a topic of their choice, but English education major junior George Goga has too many topics that interest him. Goga gave two presentations at G.R.E.A.T. Day on Tuesday April 19, each on very different subjects: Victor Hugo and Audrey Hepburn. In his presentation on Victor Hugo, he focused on the author’s famous 1831 gothic novel, Notre-Dame de Paris—more popularly known as The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Most will recognize the story from the 1996 Disney movie of the same title, but Goga managed to ignore this overused cultural reference and focused on the novel itself. After briefing the audience with a summary of the novel, Goga jumped into his main argument: Can the cathedral itself be considered the main character of the novel?

Goga’s answer to this question is yes, the Cathedral of Notre Dame can be considered the main character of the novel, rather than Quasimodo, who most assume to be the protagonist. Goga’s reasoning behind this interesting and intriguing hypothesis is that the cathedral “breathes through [Hugo’s] pen.” In other words, Hugo personifies the Cathedral of Notre Dame to the extent that it becomes a living, breathing character, keeping an eye on all that is transpiring under its roof.

Goga closed his first presentation with a comparison of the Notre Dame Cathedral with Hugo himself. He argues that both are creators of their own stories, which make them essentially immortal through memory.

In a slight change of speed, Goga embarked on his second presentation of the day. This time, he addressed Audrey Hepburn’s cinematography. Written out on the board beside the presentation was a Hepburn quote: “I don’t want to be alone; I want to be left alone.” This quote demonstrates the fine line that Goga walked in his argument of how Hepburn’s hidden feminism is established in her films.

Goga attacks the concept of the “cupcake film,”—a film made by women, for women—which has stereotypically feminine themes. Many believe that Hepburn’s films can be classified as cupcake films because of their fantastical romance storylines. Goga disputed this by pointing out that love doesn’t make a movie a cupcake film.

Using one of her earlier films, Roman Holiday, Goga proved that Hepburn used her films—particularly shots that involve works of art—to advance her feminist beliefs, rather than to just tell love stories.

Focusing on a small scene in Roman Holiday that revolves around the legendary Mouth of Fear in Rome, Goga asserts that the presence of the ancient artifact allows Hepburn’s character to level the playing field. Instead of having to prove herself to her male co-star, she forces him to prove himself to her. Goga revealed to his audience that it is in this moment that we realize that emotions are not gender specific, but are equally felt by everybody.

It is truly commendable for a student to complete not one, but two G.R.E.A.T. Day presentations in the same year. What’s more is that he was able to do so without compromising either of his projects. Each presentation, though vastly different in content, was fascinating and presented insightful ideas. If you have had the pleasure of meeting Goga in the past, you will know that it is impossible for him to deliver a presentation—or two—that is anything less.

Jungle Book reboot captivates audiences with CGI technology

Lately, the Walt Disney Company has been making everyone’s childhood dreams come true with a number of live-action reboots of their most popular movies. We’ve already seen Maleficent—an alternative perspective of Sleeping Beauty—Cinderella—a new fantastical twist on the classic tale—and Pan—the story of how Peter Pan never grew up. Everyone is also abuzz about the new Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid remakes, which have A-list celebrities such as Emma Watson set to star in them. The latest Disney remake to hit theaters is The Jungle Book, written by Justin Marks and directed by Jon Favreau. The Jungle Book was originally a collection of tales written by English author Rudyard Kipling and later turned into an animated film in 1994.

The film is a combination of computer-generated imagery animation and live acting. The only human actor in the film is Mowgli—played by 12-year-old Neel Sethi. Both the animals and the jungle environment are CGI, but in order to create a heightened sense of reality, animal behaviors were acted out by their voice actors and then translated into animation. What results is animation so realistic that one cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is computer-generated.

That being said, the film is not without star-power. A famous cast of actors—both new and old—voice the key jungle animals that most fans will remember from the 1994 film. Among the fairly new actors are Lupita Nyong’o—who was celebrated for her roles in 12 Years a Slave and Star Wars: The Force Awakens—as well as Idris Elba—star of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and the BBC hit “Luther.” Nyong’o plays Raksha, the fiercely loyal mother wolf who raised Mowgli from a baby to a young boy, while Elba plays the chief villain of the story—Shere Khan, the ruthless tiger who harbors resentment against all humans and their “red flower.”

The film also includes seasoned actors, most notably Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Walken and Scarlett Johansson. A lot of the buzz has surrounded Murray, whose character Baloo is a seemingly perfect fit for the actor. Baloo is a lovable oaf of a bear who cracks the film’s only jokes, in many ways mirroring Murray’s down to earth personality.

Kingsley’s role as the ever-so-wise and accepting Bagheera was a perfect fit as well. Kingsley is a revered actor sensitive to social issues; just as Bagheera is respected in the jungle for his reason and guidance, but is also able to see when change is needed.

Johansson and Walken voice two more of the films villains, Kaa and King Louie, respectively. Disney fans will remember these two from the 1994 film because of Kaa’s sly tricks and Louie’s large-and-in-charge personality. Although they may be well remembered, these two characters had insignificant roles in the newer version.

We meet them both because they try to take advantage of the young Mowgli when he is alone in the jungle, but these characters left the film just as quickly as they came in. This is interesting, especially because both Kaa and Louie introduce the audience to very important plot points: Mowgli’s past and “man’s red flower”—what the animals call fire.

Perhaps this de-emphasis on Kaa and King Louie is to make room for a larger concentration on characters that were ignored in Disney’s previous adaption of Kipling’s stories, such as Raksha and Akela—leaders of the wolf pack that took Mowgli in as their own “man-cub.”

Many viewers love this departure from Disney’s first attempt at The Jungle Book because of its amazing computer animation and the dedication of the voice actors. But it seems as though the chief reason that the film is doing so well is because it’s for young and old audiences alike. Its message of embracing differences and finding a place to belong are timeless.