river cities' reader issue 823 - february 7, 2013

7/29/2019 River Cities' Reader Issue 823 - February 7, 2013

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River Cities Reader Vol. 20 No. 823 February 7 - February 20, 20132 Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com

Restaurant

New restaurant (opened in 2012)

National chain restaurant

Fine-dining restaurant

Best-kept secret

Mexican restaurant

Italian restaurant

Pizza

Chinese restaurant

Thai restaurant

Japanese restaurant

Indian restaurant

Mediterranean restaurant

Steaks/steakhouse

Restaurant or vegetarian diners

Seaood

Romantic atmosphere

Restaurant wine selection

Restaurant beer selection

Locally brewed beer available

year-round (include name and brewery)

Locally brewed beer availableor a limited time (include name and brewery)

Dining bargain

Dining bargain that will also impress a date

Distinctly Quad Cities ast ood

Cofeeshop

Smoothies

Greasy spoon

Kid-riendly restaurant

Restaurant to pleaseboth young kids and their parents

Pub ood

Late-night eats

Bakery/breads/bagels

Desserts

Ice cream/sweets

Barbecue

Breakast

Burgers

Deli Sandwiches

Gyros/Greek

Sunday brunch

Wings

Sushi

Bufet

Chips and salsa

Soup

Business lunch

Catering

Mobile ood vendor

VOTINGENDS

MARCH1!

To make the Quad CitiesDining Guide even more useful, we plan to include the results of this reader survey in our next edition and make it an annual feature.

There are more than 40 categories in the survey, but you only need to provide reasonable answers to 15 categories for your vote to be counted.

You can take the survey at RCReader.com/y/survey. You may also mail your responses to 532 W. 3rd St., Davenport IA 52801.

Vote for your favorite restaurants through March 1, 2013.

Results will be published by the River CitiesReader in the Spring/Summer 2013 Quad CitiesDining Guide in April.

Name:

Daytime phone number:

E-mail address:

Quad Cities Dining Survey

RCReader.com/y/survey QuadCitiesDiningGuide.com


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River Cities Reader Vol. 20 No. 823 February 7 - February 20, 2013 3Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com

governments, regardless of political structure orideological direction.

It is vital to understand that every single U.S.government entity whether a city, county,township, borough, state, region, judicial district,or the United States itself is a registeredcorporation in and of itself, with assets, liabilities,and a Dunn & Bradstreet number. Understandingthis structural relationship is critical inunderstanding how so much financial criminalityis occurring with few to no consequences. It is

time for Americans to stop blaming corporationsover governments because governments arecorporations. And it is time for Americans tostop blaming government over corporationsbecause corporations are government. The twosocioeconomic structures are connected inevery way, like a two-headed snake. The left andright are two wings of the same bird of prey, andpolitical differences portrayed by the mainstreammedia are pure theatre.

Most of the commentary we hear onmainstream media is carefully crafted rhetoricthat is almost all opinion, and very little actual,informative substance. Our minds, and toooften our hearts, are directed to thoughts andopinions based on so little factual data that it isakin to mind control. We allow it because it is

No Society Can Live Free with So Little Civic Participation

the path of least resistance: easy, convenient, notburdensome, requiring very little response oraction on our part. No society can live free, letalone thrive, with so little actual engagement in itscivic/political processes whether local, state, ornational by its populace.

Never forget that it will be our generation,those of us who are alive today, that will bearthe legacy of lethargy, apathy, and the demise ofthe unprecedented American Republic [not ademocracy] under the rule of law. It is we early

21st-Century Americans who will be creditedwith the abdication of stewardship over a conceptof governance based on individual equalityunder the law, where majorities cannot infringeon minorities rights, and whose Constitutionexpressly restrains any government from thesame.

Which brings me to the second problem: theinsidious replacement of Common Law withAdministrative Procedure Law in every levelof government local, state, and federal. It isAdministrative Procedure Law that allows thepervasive rule-making by agencies for the largerpurpose of creating revenue streams for thepublic sector. It is Administrative Procedure Law

Americans have serious problems to sortout sooner than later. The problem withour problems is that they are so ill-defined

by the mainstream media (TV, radio, print) uponwhich too many of us depend for our news diets.So the first order of business is to accept that themainstream media is no longer a reliable sourcefor relevant, need-to-know information. In fact,much news is deliberately manipulated, crafted,and often contrived to elicit a specific responsefrom consumers, one designed to benefit the

agenda(s) of an increasingly apparent goal globalization.

If Americans are to successfully address ourproblems, we must first define, then simplifyterms; we need to get on the same page, even ifwe disagree on ideology, policy, etc. By definingterms, we can better understand the issues,communicate our ideas, and allow meaningfulsolutions to percolate for implementation. Themainstream media is deliberately vague anddevoid of solutions of any kind, allowing each ofus to individually fill in the blanks, and giving usinfinite meanings and very little to actually agreeon together. It is a strategy that has been workingbeautifully on the American people, keeping uscontinually divided and impotent.

First, we have to agree on exactly what we

mean by globalization, and who is behind it(i.e., who benefits the most from aggregatingnations resources). The who also needs tobe clarified. Referring to the elite, one percent,corporations/monopolies, government, UnitedNations, liberals, conservatives, progressives,communitarians, immigrants, illegals, right wing,left wing, extremists, terrorists, etc., is convenientrhetoric for the mainstream media to keep usblaming general somethings, but never specificsomeones again, leaving us impotent to even

find a starting point for each of us, as individualAmericans, to create change.

We need to start identifying the realculprits. For example, not all bank employeesare banksters, but certainly the leadership ofthe large central banks and finance-sectorcartels are culpable for privatizing profits andsocializing losses. This is true for most of theleadership of the mega corporations in eachof the primary industries on the globe. Not allleaders of corporations are in the one percent.In fact, the number of actual culprits is notas large as we might imagine. And not all arepart of mega-corporations; some are leaders inacademia, foundations, associations, unions, andof course, the leadership comprised of politiciansand bureaucrats in the planets numerous Continued On Page 16

by Kathleen McCarthy

[email protected] FROM THE EDITOR


4/24


Daley leads in suburban Cook 40-36. Quinnhas a narrow half-point lead in the collars andleads by less than two points Downstate. TheDaley name aint what it used to be.

Could Daley be a spoiler who helps Quinnin a three-way race? Not according to theWe Ask America poll, in which Madigan

leads with 37 percentto Quinns 20 percentto Daleys 15. Public

Policy Polling did nottest a three-way race lastNovember.

Madigans lead amongwomen in a three-waycontest is pretty big. Shegets 38 percent to Quinns17 percent and Daleys13 percent. Among men,her lead is a bit smaller 34 percent to Quinns24 percent to Daleys 18percent.

Madigan leads Quinnand Daley in Chicago35-22-17. Her lead insuburban Cook is 35-18-18. She leads 36-17-16 inthe collars and is ahead

40-19-11 Downstate.Public Policy Polling had Quinns job-

approval rating among Democrats at 40percent, with a 43-percent disapproval. Last

weeks We Ask America poll had Quinnsapproval among fellow party members at37 percent, with a 42-percent disapproval.Despite the head-to-head matchups, womengive him a slightly lower disapproval ratingthan men; 41 percent of women disapprovecompared to 46 percent of men. But just 36percent of Democratic women and 37 percentof Democratic men approve of the way Quinnis handling his job.

Quinn won the 2010 primary and general

elections despite low approval ratings. Sohes been here before. What he didnt haveto do back then, however, was take on oneof the most popular politicians in Illinois.PPPs November poll pegged Lisa Madigansfavorable rating at 68 percent amongDemocrats, while just 16 percent had anunfavorable view.

If Lisa Madigan runs, she likely wins theprimary. Daley is another story. Like 2010, aDaley-Quinn race will be a hard-fought and

bloody battle that could end up being prettyclose. If Quinn has to get a single primaryopponent, Daley would be the one hed want.

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax (a dailypolitical newsletter) and CapitolFax.com.

ILLINOIS POLITICS

Its little surprise that a poll taken Janu-ary 30 of 1,255 likely Illinois Demo-cratic primary voters shows Attorney

General Lisa Madigan leading GovernorPat Quinn by a very large margin.

Madigan also leads Quinn and formerWhite House chief of staff Bill Daley in athree-way contest,according to the poll,but Quinn leads Daley

in a one-on-one race.And a large plurality ofDemocrats disapproveof the governors jobperformance. The WeAsk America Poll hasa margin of error of3 percent. About 18percent of the resultscame from non-landline users.

In the poll, Madiganleads Quinn 50.5 to25.7. Among women,who almost alwayscast a majority ofDemocratic primaryvotes, Madigans lead is53-22, while she leadsamong men 46-30.

Madigans lead over the governor inChicago is 46-30, and its 51-28 in suburbanCook. Madigan is ahead 53-23 in the

suburban collar counties and by a massive53-21 Downstate.

Madigan has not yet decided whether sheis going to run for governor. People close toher are divided over what they think shell do.She reportedly plans to take her time with herdecision.

A Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey takenin November had Madigan leading Quinn64-20. But that poll was of just 319 usualDemocratic primary voters with a margin of

error of 5.5 percent. Still, the survey companydoes excellent work, so if you average thetwo polls you get a 57-23 lead for Madigan. IfMadigans decision is heavily weighted towardwhether she can win the primary, shell run.

Quinn has a better shot against Daley a white, Irish Democratic Chicago manwho may not bring much more to the tablethan Dan Hynes did in the 2010 primary.According to the We Ask America poll,Quinn leads Daley by 5 points, 38-33.

Novembers PPP survey had Daley leadingQuinn 37-34, so average those two results andyou get an essential tie 36 for Quinn and 35for Daley.

According to last weeks We Ask Americapoll, Quinn leads Daley in the city 45-30, but

by Rich Miller

CapitolFax.com

Polls: Madigan withPrimary Leads If She Runs

Governor Quinn

won the 2010elections despite

low approval

ratings. What he

didnt have to do

back then was take

on one of the most

popular politicians

in Illinois.


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Babe talks with her endearinglyawkward lawyer Barnette (Alec

Peterson), and recounts thetime they first met. During theirdiscussion, Babe pauses whensearching her memory for thespecifics of the event, whichbecome gradually more evidentwhen an excited smile forms on herlips. While this may seem like aninsignificant moment, its actually abeautiful one that testifies to KylieJansens talent for genuineness in herportrayals.

Jen Sondgeroth leans towardcaricature as the sisters cousinChick, the sisters cousin, thoughthe caricature is fitting, giventhat Chicks hoity-toity attitudeis, in itself, insincere. AlthoughChick is disliked by the sisters,Sondgeroths putting-on-airsroutine is so much fun to watchthat I relished her every scene, andshes also dressed in a wonderfully

appropriate ensemble, wearing abusy-patterned, predominantly redskirt, yellow top, and red necklacethats disproportionately largeand chunky for the outfit but doesmatch her red heels and purse.(The shows program doesnt list acostume designer, but whoever it is

made similarly smart choices for all of thecharacters.)

In her dual role as production designer,

Chris Jansen also sets the presentationstone by setting the entire play in a simple,light-green kitchen space with basic, olderappliances, a small table, and chairs though theres also a bed to the side. I foundthe simplicity of this scenery noteworthyeven prior to the start of Saturdaysperformance, and its this sort of unaffectedsimplicity that makes New GroundTheatres Crimes of the Heartspecial.

Crimes of the Heart runs at the VillageTheatre (2113 East 11th Street, Villageof East Davenport) through February 10,and information and tickets are availableby calling (563)326-7529 or visitingNewGroundTheatre.org.

Vol. 20 No. 823Feb. 7 - Feb. 20, 2013

River Cities Reader532 W. 3rd St.

Davenport IA 52801

RiverCitiesReader.com

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Publishing since 1993

The River Cities Readeris an independent

newspaper published every other Thursday, and

available free throughout the Quad Cities and

surrounding areas.

2013 River Cities Reader

AD DEADLINE:5 p.m. Wednesday prior to publication

PUBLISHERTodd McGreevy

EDITORKathleen McCarthy

EDITORIALManaging Editor: Jeff Ignatius [email protected]

Arts Editor, Calendar Editor: Mike Schulz mike@rcreader.

com

Contributing Writers: Amy Alkon, Rob Brezsny, Rich

Miller, Frederick Morden, Bruce Walters, Thom White

ADVERTISINGAccount Executives:

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Advertising rates, publishing schedule, demographics,

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Cray Sisters, Soul Siters

By Thom White

W

hile Beth HenleysCrimes of the Heartfalls

into too many theatricaltraps primarily, its tendency todescribe action rather than physi-calize it its author avoids one ofthe most common by making herplays second act funnier and moreinteresting than its first. While Iliked the first act of New GroundTheatres Saturday-evening pro-duction, I enjoyed its second halfa lot more, laughing heartily withHenleys characters as they cack-led over serious subject mattersuch as their grandfathers lapsinginto a coma.

Interestingly, though, thatcoma isnt the core of the plot,which instead centers on theMaGrath sisters who reunitein Hazlehurst, Mississippi afterthe youngest sibling shoots herhusband. Gathering in their ailinggrandfathers home, the trio is

reminded of their dysfunctionalupbringing and forced to confronttheir long-held resentments, anddirector Chris Jansen treats thistragicomedy with a gentle hand;she allows Crimes of the Heattoplay as a natural reunion of sisterswho each bring their own baggageto the table, instead of shoving theirindividual situations and resentments inour faces. While this approach does result

in blandness at times, its much morewelcome than overplaying the sistersmiseries would be issues that includea shyness that prevents the forming ofrelationships, a failed singing career, andthat aforementioned shooting.

As Lenny, the socially (andpathologically) inept caretaker of hergrandfather, Jenny Winn shines in herawkward, limited movements, keepingher arms close to her sides as though to

not attract anyones attention. Yet herLennys meek kindness, and hope forsomething bigger from life, shine throughduring a scene in which she makes a wishon a birthday candle, one that she tries toplace on a cookie. After her face registers

Crimes of the Heart, at the Village Theatre through February 10

a bright happiness from the sheer joy ofmaking her wish, Lenny then repeats theprocess, and with equally joyous results.

In contrast, Tracy Pelzer-Timm gets tobe a lot louder as Meg, the singer who cantmake a living of it. The actor, however,never crosses the line into overplaying thepart, and maintains a welcome sincerity.Pelzer-Timm incorporates wonderfultics that can make siblings annoying particularly her habit of taking the first sipof a drink shes bringing to someone else and sports a sweet, girlish grin wheneverthe name of neighbor Doc is mentioned.

(Dana Moss-Peterson plays this marriedman whom Meg flirts with and, especiallyfor this actor, gives a relatively subduedperformance.)

Kylie Jansen appears at the height of hercraft when the husband-shooting sister

THEATRE

Tracy Pelzer-Timm, Jenny Winn, and Kylie Jansen

Jen Sondgeroth and Jenny Winn


6/24


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kind of a deal I made with my parents,

Hubbard said in a phone interview

January 25, that I would get a degree and

get a backup plan before I moved forward

with my music career. When I asked

what the backup plan is, he laughed and

said, There

isnt one.

Hubbard

said hes

finishing a solo

record for fall

release, and

while he and

the band have

done some

touring outside

of the Midwest,

for now theyre

focusing on

markets within a three-hour drive oftheir home base. When were doing

everything ourselves, its kind of

unrealistic to build in those markets

across the country, because its just hard

to get back to [them] on a consistent

basis, he said.

One of those target markets is the

Quad Cities. While Hubbard and his

band have in the past had shorter support

gigs in the area at the Redstone Room

and the 2011 River Roots Live festival the Rozz-Tox show, both because of the

set length and the intimacy of the venue,

will give audiences a different side of the

band.

The concert will likely be skewed in

favor of quieter songs, and in a more

personal setting like that, I like to talk

about the songs, talk about where they

came from, kind of connect with the

audience in that way, Hubbard said.

But dont expect him to reveal secretsof songwriting, which he said remain a

bit mysterious to even him. Thats one

of the reasons I feel Im doing what Im

supposed to be doing, he said, because

Ive found something I cant explain. Its

just there.

Dan Hubbard & the Humadors will

perform on Friday, February 8, at Rozz-

Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island;

RozzTox.com). The show starts at 9 p.m.and also features Mo Carter of Busted

Chandeliers. Admission is $5.

For more information on Dan Hubbard &

the Humadors, visit DanHubbard.net.

The Web-site bio of Dan Hubbard &the Humadors says the band buildsits music on the classic sounds of

Tom Petty, Van Morrison, Neil Young,and Jackson Browne. Thats a prettycommon set of influences, and one thathas producedplenty of earnestbut dull music inthe hands of less-skilled singers/songwriters.

But withHubbard and hisband playingtheir firstheadlining gig inthe Quad Citieson February 8 atRozz-Tox thoseforebears mostly hint at an unpretentious,

straightforward, gimmick-free, andsong-based style. And when the hooksare plentiful and the arrangements arethoughtful and performed with vigor asthey usually are the guys pull it off.

The first song on 2011s The Love Showis a warm slice of lovelorn Americana,a bit on the generic side but sterling inits singing and performance with anunderstated but catchy guitar lead, achugging rhythm section, and harmonica

accents. Youre all I have to lose,Hubbard sings without emphasizing thedesperation of the lyric, thus giving it anodd dimension of confidence.

Vocally, Hubbards sturdy if notparticularly distinctive voice can recallChris Isaaks, and other times it has itsown convincing character, particularlywhen he employs a slight, unshowyvibrato. The album is a mix of balladsand upbeat rockers, and the slower

songs sometimes suffer from a heartfeltvagueness in the lyrics. But even thoselesser tracks have plenty of bright spots inthe details, such as the casually deft guitarsolo of Darkness on the Loose loadedwith more emotional depth than thewords and the opening verse of ThisIs Your Life, an absurdist counterpointto the standard-issue piano lead: Wokeup this morning on the wrong side of thebed / My fever on my pillow / My socks

were on my head.Based in Bloomington-Normal,Illinois, Hubbard has released six albumssince 2003, and music has been hisfull-time job since his graduation fromIllinois State University in 2007. Its

The Art of Sturdy SongsDan Hubbard & the Humadors, February 8 at Rozz-Tox

by Jeff Ignatius

[email protected]

MUSIC

Davenport, Iowa 563.326.7804www.fggeartmuseum.org

Figge Art MuseuM

Inspired by folk and outsider art of the

American South and the Caribbean, Los

Angeles-based artist Alison Saar creates

sculptures of wood, glass, bronze and

found objects that serve as metaphors

for issues of womanhood, aging and race.

PrOgrAMs

Learn more at www.fggeartmuseum.org

Alion saa talk and Book sinin

2:30 p.m. Saturday, February 9

Docen-led tou

1:30 p.m. Sundays in March6 p.m. Thursday, March 14 & 28

6 p.m. Thursday, April 11

Ai talk

7 p.m. Thursday, March 14

Speakers: Zaiga Thorson, Terry

Rathje, Steve Banks and Skip Willits

Alison sAAr:STILL...February 9Apr i l 14, 2013

Alison Saar, Rouse(detail), 2012, wood, bronze, paper

and antler sheds. Photo: Chris Warner.

Alison Saar: STILL... was organized by the Ben MaltzGallery, Otis College of Art and Design. Fundedin part by the Contemporary Collectors OrangeCounty, CA.

This exhibition is sponsored by Iowa American Water


8/24


Alison Saar: STILL ... , at the Figge Art Museum February 9 through April 14

Heavy Ideas with Elements of Play

Describing the creator of the newexhibition STILL ...,on displayfrom February 9 through April

14 at the Figge Art Museum, the venuesexecutive director Tim Schiffer says thatinstallation artist and sculptor Alison Saaris kind of pushing the boundaries of whatsculpture is. Clearly, Schiffer has a gift forunderstatement.

In Saars exhibit piece titled 50 Proof, avintage washstand sits below a glass bust

of a human head, from whose eye socketsflows a continuous stream of black tears.In Black Lightning, a red fluid signifyingblood is pumped, through copper tubing,from a bucket on the floor into a pair ofboxing gloves on the wall. And in Rouse,a nude figure stands amidst a healthyassemblage of deer antlers, and cradlesover her head another nude figure restingin deer antlers.

Well, make that antler sheds, as Saar is

quick to say, No animals were harmed inthe making of this piece of art. She laughs.I dont want PETA in there setting it allon fire.

The Los Angeles-based artist explains,CalArts [the California Institute of theArts] had done a theatre productionwhere they needed all these antlers. Theyordered them from eBay or whatever. Butthey recycle all their materials after theproductions end, and I wound up getting

about 200 antler sheds from them. So forRouse, what I did was I covered the antlersat the feet in graphite, so they look liketheyre cast in metal but dont weigh, like,five bajillion pounds. And the antlers onthe head are cast bronze, but theyre madefrom a combination of wax molds andactual antler sheds.

My studio is floor-to-ceiling withmaterials like that, Saar continues.And when I start cleaning up and goingthrough them, then ideas start coming.Like, Oh,yeah! This could be something!So I try to keep stuff around. Its the new,little things that can take you differentplaces.

In the years since receiving her 1981MFA degree from Los Angeles OtisParsons Institute (now known as OtisCollege of Art & Design), Saar has beena recipient of two fellowships from theNational Endowment for the Arts anda 1989 recipient of the John Simon

Guggenheim Memorial FoundationFellowship, and has had residencies withWashington, DCs Washington Project forthe Arts, New Mexicos Roswell Museumof Art, and New Hampshires Dartmouth

College. Her works, meanwhile, havebeen exhibited at such esteemed venuesas the Metropolitan Museum of Art, theWhitney Museum of American Art, and

the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, whileSaars public commissions have includedthe York statue for Portlands Lewis &Clark College and New York Citys HarrietTubman memorial statue Swing Low.

Among art critics,Art in AmericasLeah Ollman wrote that Saars work isso deeply informed by myth and historythat its narratives become universal andinclusive. Cali fornia-based art journalistRebecca Epstein states that Saars works

often embody a balance of strength andtenderness in form and idea, with herinstallation piece Suckle exuding inherentgrace. And the Los Angeles TimesChristopher Knight opined that the artist

means to invoke no less a precedent thanMichelangelo for her own work ... [and]that Alison Saar does so and that shemanages to pull it off in a provocative way

is a testament to her considerable artisticskills.

WithAlison Saar: STILL ..., which hadits world-premiere showing at Otis in2012, Figge guests will find themselvesexploring numerous themes of vitalinterest to the exhibits artist, amongthem racism, sexism, ageism, empty-nestsyndrome, and the continued challengesof being bi-racial in America. TheFigges Schiffer adds that he believes the

exhibition will be completely accessibleto the layperson. A lot of people dontknow where to start with contemporaryart. But a lot of her work is really rootedin personal experience, and I think that

makes it more accessible, and gives peoplethis kind of avenue of understanding.

Saar herself seems to hope so. With alot of my work, there are these really heavysorts of ideas and issues. But I like to thinktheres always some element ofplayinthem, she says with a laugh, so I dont

just scare everybody off.

A Better MakerThan Writer

Born in Los Angeles in 1956, Saar hadart practically encoded in her DNA: Herfather Richard is an illustrator and art

conservationist, and her mother Betyeis a renowned artist known mostly forher assemblage and mixed-media works,among them her famed 1972 piece TheLiberation of Aunt Jemima.

A good portion of the day wasdedicated to the [art] studio, says Saarof her upbringing in Californias LaurelCanyon. So a lot of what I learned was

just by osmosis. Part of the studio wasdedicated to my fathers painting, and mymother was primarily a printmaker, butthey always left a little corner for my twosisters and me to make messes and dabblein the arts.

COVER STORY

Continued On Page 14

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Hankerin' Heart:Gimpy; Black Lightning; Still Run Dry


9/24


by Mike Schulz

[email protected]

The Figges New Executive

Director Outlines a Modest but

Tangible Vision

by Jeff Ignatius

If youre looking for excitement fromTim Schiffer the Figge Art Museumexecutive director who started on

August 1 dont talk to him. Instead, justlook at the walls.

In our interview on January 25, thesoft-spoken Schifferarticulated a modestplan for the Figge,but one that visitorswill be able to see

for themselves inclusters of exhibitsthat play off each

other.Schiffers predecessor, Sean OHarrow

who left after three years at the Figgeto head the University of Iowa Museumof Art in November 2010 believed thatthe Figge needed to emphasize educationabove all else (including being an artmuseum) and that the endowment

needed to be built from $5 million tosomewhere between $20 million and $50million.

Because the process of developing astrategic plan for the Figge is just gettingunderway, the new executive directordidnt offer measurable goals in thoseareas. But Schiffer who had beenexecutive director of Californias Museumof Ventura County since 1999 hasalready put his stamp on the museum in adifferent way.

In part because the Figge wentalmost two years without a permanentexecutive director, Schiffer at the outsethad the opportunity to fill in some gapsin the exhibition schedule. He didnt takefull credit during our interview, but heplayed a key role in securing the Quilts:

Masterworks from the American Folk ArtMuseum show (which closed February 3),theAlison Saar: STILL ... exhibit (runningFebruary 9 through April 14), and an

installation this summer by local artistTerry Rathje.

The Saar exhibit the subject of thisissues cover story shows an interest in

contemporary art thats both challengingand accessible. It will be paired withthe University of Iowa Faculty Biennial(February 23 through May 5).

The quilt and Rathje exhibits Schifferviews as clear complements. A lot ofwhat Ive been doing is getting those linedup and looking at the exhibit scheduleout a few years and trying to get a senseof what kind of mix we want to have, hesaid. My idea is to try to present clustersof exhibits that relate to each other, andthen build the programming aroundthat.

The quilt show, he said, was a goodmatch for Portrait of Maquoketa: TheDimensional View (which closed January20), and Rathjes work will be shown withan installation by Chicago artist Juan

Angel Chavez. Theres a dialogue, so itkind of makes sense, Schiffer said.

In the fall, the exhibit 1934: A NewDeal for Artists will be augmented byWorks Progress Administration artfrom the collection of Western IllinoisUniversity and pieces by Walter HaskellHinton, an illustrator and painter whoworked for John Deere. Schiffer saidHintons work is from the same timeperiod, but its kind of the flip side,

because it was done for a commercialpurpose its kind of like commercialsocial realism. Its kind of interesting,because it is so local, and its a differenttake on that era.

Schiffer also said the museum isfocusing on Thursday nights, when itsopen until 9 p.m. The museum offers abar and free admission that night, andon February 28 it will start a monthlyPechaKucha series featuring speakers

that are given the opportunity to show 20slides, but only for 20 seconds apiece.A lot of what I would like to see is just

doing programming and doing eventsthat make people feel really comfortableabout coming here, he said. A lot oftimes, art museums are a place wherepeople only go to when they have friends

visit from out-of-town. Id like to see it bea place where people would feel like itsa resource that they can just go to, andpop into. People are often hesitant to

visit an art museum, he said, and thatsexacerbated by the Figge structure itself,

A Comfortable Place for Dialogues



10/24


Icannot praise Bryan Tankenough for his take oncomposer Jonathan Lar-

sons Rent, as the directorsconcept renders the much-loved Broadway hit an evenmore cohesive ensemblepiece than any productionof the musical Ive yet seen.Fridays District Theatreperformance left me witha renewed love for Larsonsmaterial and, in what may be the highestcompliment I can give in regard to theemotionality of the presentation, it leftmy rarely-moved-to-tears partner Matt intears twice.

For the District Theatres second production

of this rock opera (first produced in 2010,

when the company was the Harrison Hilltop

Theatre), Tank creates an honorable sense of

story, rather than attempting to present it as

a slice-of-life look at the lives of the musicals

characters. This is evident right from the start,as the entire cast is present on stage during

the first song Tune Up/Voice Mail #1, which

really only requires five characters; the full casts

presence suggests a self-awareness that this is

a show in which the characters will observe

the proceedings as much as the audience

does. This, in turn, creates a greater sense of

connection with the audience a were all in

this together feeling and even though the

full cast isnt on stage throughout the entire

production, this atmosphere of collectivenessremains.

You feel this most poignantly during the

Another Day number, as Kelly Lohrenzs

Mimi struggles to break through the defensive

mask of Chris Causers Roger. As Causer, with

a breathtakingly gorgeous voice, sings his

brokenhearted reasons for deflecting Mimis

advances, the support group on another part of

the stage (from the Life Support scene) stands

and surrounds the pair, singing the no day

but today mantra to Roger, and subsequentlyrepresenting his inner struggle as Mimi finds a

way into his heart.

For her part, Lohrenz offers a fresh takeon Mimi, one that reveals layer after layer ofpersonality thats apparent beginning with thecharacters introduction to Roger in the LightMy Candle number. Rather than engagingin the flirting Ive seen in past productions,including the movie and Broadway DVD,Lohrenzs Mimi seems indifferent to Roger;

she reallyis just visiting his apartment to get alight for her candle. Consequently, instead ofMimi manipulating Roger (though she doesturn on the sexual charm when it serves herpurposes), Roger is left tentatively chasingMimi, and with Lohrenz giving her role more

By Thom White

Reasons of Love

edge than were used to seeingin it, her fully and impressivelyrealized interpretation is now,by far, my favorite take on thecharacter.

Joseph J. Baez manages asimilar accomplishment inhis portrayal of the cross-dressing Angel. I still believeLarson intended this figureto be stronger than he hasbeen written a problem

that weakens the impact of the charactersdeath but Baez rises above this weakness,making clear why Angel is so beloved by hisfriends. While hes helped by Tanks ensembleapproach to the musical, Baezs selflessphysical choices offerings a supportivesqueeze on the shoulder here, a loving pat onthe leg there enable Angel to make moresense; we understand why hes so importantto those who know him. This gives Angelsdeath the emotional impact it needs, as do the

sincere reactions from those gathered at hisfuneral. Lighting designer Matthew Carneyadds further punch to the scene with an effectthat leaves only the word Angel glowingon a wall of graffiti following the charactersdemise. (Its also worth noting that costumedesigner Sara King thankfully forsakes thefamiliar Santa-esque dress Angel typicallywears in favor of a red dress, a short, whitebutton-up sweater, and knee-high black-patent-leather boots a look that suggests

it was assembled at the local thrift shop, aswould be appropriate given Angels finances.)

Meanwhile, Tristan Layne Tapscottssubtle approach to Mark the filmmakerdocumenting the lives of his bohemianfriends is remarkable. In past productionsIve seen, Mark is portrayed with more gustoand given more importance than the characterdeserves, which has generally turned Rent,for me,into The Mark & Roger Show. Here,though, Tapscott avoids hogging the spotlight,

allowing his Mark to blend in with theensemble and, in turn, strengthen it.Other than it featuring a few missed

notes on Friday, I have nothing negativeto say about the District Theatres Rent,which succeeds primarily through Tanksstorytelling approach, one thats different fromproductions that attempt to mimic the originalBroadway staging. As the premiere productionin the theatres fifth-anniversary season, Rentsets the bar high for the rest of the yearslineup.

Rent runs at the District Theatre (1611 SecondAvenue, Rock Island) through February 24, andinformation and tickets are available by calling(309)235-1654 or visiting DistrictTheatre.com.

Rent, at the District Theatre through February 24

Chris Causer and Kelly Lohrenz

THEATRE


11/24


dueling-hambone act Pacino withhis guttural braying, Walken with hissleepwalker-from-Mars melancholy themovie would hardly be worth discussing.Not much happens in this autumn-years crime drama that finds Walkenforced to perform a gangland hit on bestfriend Pacino; the men eat, drink, visita brothel, assist a naked lady, and steala car (bringing the typically, amusinglydyspeptic Alan Arkin along for the ride),and none of these events, as presented,is of particular import or interest. Yetwhile Stevens direction is ham-fisted andscreenwriter Noah Haidles dialogue aimsfor a noir-esquepungency that it doesntcome close to achieving, at least the filmsstars appear to be having some fun. (Morethan we are, at any rate.) Pacino, his hair

standing up as though a finger werepermanently ensconced in a light socket,brings a cheerful, revved-up vulgarity tohis underwritten role. And Walken, blesshim, is so divinely loopy that he can evenpronounce a word as simple as sunsetsin a way youve never heard before. StandUp Guys is by no means earth-shattering or, to use Walkens cadence here, earth-shattering but it could easily satisfyyour yen for big-screen eccentricity for

years.

For reviews ofHansel & Gretel: WitchHunters, Parker, Movie 43, and othercurrent releases, visit RiverCitiesReader.com.

Follow Mike on Twitter at Twitter.com/MikeSchulzNow.

by Mike Schulz [email protected] Mike Schulz [email protected] Reviews by Mike Schulz [email protected]

WARM BODIES

See if this sounds familiar: A sweet,lonely, non-human but decidedlymale being with a limited vocabularytoils through a portion of Earth all butcompletely devoid of life, performing thesame mundane, regimented activities day

after day. Occasionally, he augments thedreariness by collecting tchotchkes frommore civilized days, which he stores in hismakeshift home-slash-warehouse, andcomforts himself by playing old musicon a recognizably antiquated device. Oneday, a beautiful female enters his life,and although hes initially nervous aboutmaking contact, he proceeds to woo herby offering safety and shelter, making herlaugh, and subtly expressing his undying

devotion. The female, however, soonleaves, but our protagonist doesnt take herevacuation lying down. Instead, he followshis beloved, and subsequently sets intomotion events that not only might reunitethe pair, but might lead to the rejuvenation indeed, the very survival of the entirehuman race.

If you didnt know the movie in questionwas titled Warm Bodies, and didnt knowit was a romantic comedy about a zombiewho becomes enamored with a girl with apulse, wouldnt that description sound justa teensybit reminiscent ofWALLE?

Having said that, there are certainlyworse films to shamelessly pilfer from. Andwhile writer/director Jonathan Levinesadaptation of Isaac Marions novel stealsfrom several other works along the way with the sad-sack narration familiar from

Adaptation and the narrative familiar

from, well, nearlyeveryromancein which younglove is potentiallythwartedby class anduncomprehendingparents, a l Prettyin Pink WarmBodies still feelslike something of an original. Like Levines50/50, which dared to find the laughs in acancer diagnosis, his new release offers up apotentially off-putting premise, consideringthat Nicholas Hoults zombie hero R (as inrr-r-r-rh-h-h) falls for Teresa Palmers Julieafter eating boyfriend Dave Francos brains.Yet the movie is so thoroughly charming, andeven touching, that the occasional gross-outs

in this agreeably lightweight endeavor cometo seem less alienating than dramaticallynecessary; without them, Levines outingcould easily be indistinguishable from anyother moist-eyed (dead-)boy-meets-girlrom-com.

Then again, youd still have Hoult in thelead, and in the end, his clever, empathetic,lovely performance is more than enoughto make the film worth a viewing. Withoutquestion, Levine delivers some terrific verbal

and visual gags, and hes great at satiricallyupending expectation; in one of his finerinspirations, the director begins Rs zombie-makeover scene with Roy Orbisons PrettyWoman on the soundtrack, and before youcan complete your eye roll at the clich, Julietells her friend Nora to turn that damnedsong offalready. (What? Its funny! repliesNora, taking the needle off the record.) And

while Palmer whose resemblanceto Kristen Stewartis downrightuncanny is ratherdull as the objectof Rs affections,the movie boastswonderfullyenjoyable turns by

Rob Corddry and Analeigh Tipton, and byJohn Malkovich, who plays it straight andwinds up bringing forceful, welcome gravitasto the proceedings. But Hoult is Levinesace-in-the-hole. Comedically graceful evenwhen stumbling and lurching, and exudingscreen charisma and sexiness even underpallid pancake makeup, the actor makes Rsromantic plight both amusing and moving,

and scores numerous laughs with hishilariously self-effacing, woe-is-me voice-overs. (Embarrassing himself in front ofJulie, Hoults R laments, I wanna die all overagain.) Warm Bodies is pretty terrific. Hoult,in his committed and inventive portrayal,is something else entirely: cinemas firstzombie that you could happily, and proudly,take home to mother.

STAND UP GUYSBy this point in their careers, Al

Pacino and Christopher Walken are bothso absurdly mannered that just abouteverything they say comes off as funny,whether its meant to or not. Consequently,theyre probably the best things that couldhave happened to director Fisher StevensStand Up Guys, because without the actors

Listen to Mike every Friday at 9am on ROCK 104-9 FM with Dave & Darren

Eat and Greet

Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer in Warm Bodies

DOLAND JEWELERS

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12/24


Whats HappeninWhats HappeninMusicLevi LowreyThe Redstone Room

Thursday, February 7, 7:30 p.m.

Roots-rock andAmericana singer/songwriterLevi Lowrey performs at DavenportsRedstone Room on February 7, and

I considered a lot of different optionsregarding the composition of thisarticle.

I thought about making this piecepurely biographical, as Lowreys riseto professional success and acclaimmakes for a terrific rags-to-richesstory: The great-great-grandson of thelate fiddler Gid Tanner, who was oneof the U.S.s very first country-musicstars, Lowrey grew up in rural Dacula,Georgia (where he still resides), joineda rock band in high school, formeda friendship with chart-toppingcountry singer Zac Brown, served asa collaborator on several Zac BrownBand albums, embarked on a careeras a solo artist, and, for the releaseColder Weather, eventually earneda 2011 CMA Award nomination forSong of the Year.

I thought about devoting the articlesolely to the sensational reviews

Lowrey has amassed for both histouring engagements and his solo CDsIve Held the Devils Handand I ConfessI Was a Fool, as CountryMusicPride.com calls the latter album an

undeniable masterpieceand Lowrey himselfartistically brilliant,Roughstock.comapplauds Lowreysstrong, lush tenorvoice, and PopMatters.com raves that the mans

output is sure to please fans of classicand modern [country music] alike.

But in the end, I decided to take mycue from Lowrey himself. Describing

the inception of his hit single AnotherSunday Morning Hangover, Lowreyis quoted as saying, I guess I camehome hammered . When I wokeup, I found a napkin laying on thecoffee table, and I couldnt even get up it was the worst hangover Ive everhad in my entire life. So I just leanedover, grabbed the napkin, and startedwriting the song down. So I thoughtId take the same approach for the

writing of this piece, and heres whatwound up on my napkin:

Levi guitar man CMAs knows Zac lives in Dracula Handy Devils masterpiece lushvoice tenor Davenport February7 axcpqpofjewjkckl .

Okay, so the guys a little betterat the post-hangover writing than Iam .

Levi Lowrey performs at the

Redstone Room with an openingset by Brooklyn Heuer, and moreinformation on the evening is availableby calling (563)326-1333 or visitingRiverMusicExperience.org.

Music andTheatreQuad City Symphony

Orchestra: Valentines DayAdler Theatre

Saturday, February 9, 7:30 p.m.

Augustana Colleges

Centennial HallSunday February 10, 2 p.m.

West Side StoryAdler Theatre

Monday, February 18, 7:30 p.m.

Once youve heard LeonardBernsteins lush, gorgeous,heartbreaking score for West Side

Story, that haunting music is likely tostay in your head forever. Employeesat Davenports Adler Theatre areabout to learn what forever times twofeels like.

On February 9, the Quad CitySymphony Orchestra will bringto the Adler a 7:30 p.m. concertprogram titled Valentines Day, thelatest presentation in the ensembles

Masterworks series. (The concertwill also be performed on February10 at 2 p.m., at Augustana CollegesCentennial Hall.) This romantic eventwill feature swing-era favorites sungby the noted vocal quintet Five by

Design, but as

an added treat and in additionto offerings bycomposers CarlMaria von Weberand Pyotr Illyich

Tchaikovsky Valentines Daywill alsofind the QCSO performing Bernsteinslegendary Symphonic Dances fromWest Side Story, a 23-minute pieceshowcasing some of its composers

most memorable work.If, however, those 23 minutes only

whet your appetite for hearing theWest Side Storyscore in full, boy are

you in luck! The touring productionof Broadways latest, Tony Award-winning revival of the show is set tohis the Adler stage on February 18,treating audiences to all of the t ragicromance, beautiful songs, and hoofingand jumping gang members that

have made West Side Storya beloved,musical-theatre touchstone for morethan half a century.

Youre no doubt familiar with theshows reputation; how about itsspecifics? Try your hand at this quiz onWest Side Storymovie and stage trivia,courtesy of our pals as FunTrivia.com.

Tickets to both the Quad CitySymphony Orchestras ValentinesDayconcerts and West Side Storyareavailable by calling (800)745-3000.For more information on the former,

visit QCSymphony.com; for more onthe latter, visit AdlerTheatre.com.

Answers:1A,2C,3C,4B,5C.SevenJets?Man,thatsgottabeonehu-u-ugeplayground.

1) George ChakirisBernardo in the WestStorymovie. Who didplay on the London st

A) RiffB) ActionC) Tony

2)According to theoriginal book, what isHands real name?

A) Harry Lenzer

B) George DadresC) Murray Benowit

3) How many weeksthe movie soundtracknumber one on the Bilcharts?

A) 32B) 40C) 54

4) Which actor didappear in both the Broand movie versions ofSide Story?

A) William BramleB) Jose DeVegaC) David Winters

5) How many Jets argathered at the playgrin the movies opening

scene?A) 5B) 6C) 7

West Side Story


13/24


TheatreTreasure IslandDavenport Junior Theatre

Saturday, February 16, through

Sunday, February 24

For this piece on Davenport Junior Theatresupcoming production ofTreasureIsland running Saturdays and Sundays

at the organizations Annie Wittenmyer

Complex venue, from February 16 through24 I actually had a handy source for some

inside information, as I happen to share an

apartment with the shows director, Thomas

Alan Taylor. So, in my continuing effort to

do as little work as possible, I convinced Tom

to come up with 10 reasons why you should

bring your kids and/or grandkids to TreasureIsland, an hour-long show thats sure to be a

charming, engaging, fun-filled entertainment

for audiences of all ages.

1) The original, clever adaptation of Robert

Louis Stevensons adventure classic, which is

being staged at JT for the first time.

2) The 21-student cast, all of whom are

between nine and 18 years old, and none of

whom, after three pages, ever leaves the stage."

3) The swordplay, pirates, and buried

treasure. And ghost. Or is it a ghost ?

4) The creation of an 18-foot-long pirate

ship right before your eyes.

5) The magical transformation of an 1875

one-room school into Skeleton Island.

6) The magical transformation of an

adorable nine-year-old girl into a bloodthirsty

pirate.7) The sing-along song, and the live sound

effects created by the kids themselves.

8) The reasonable ticket price only $5 at

the door for ages three and older.

9) The half-man, half-savage that is

11-year-old Roger Pavey.

10) The guarantee that our theatre will be

100-percent scurvy-free.

If only I could say the same about our

apartment.

Treasure Islandwill be performed on

Saturdays at 1 and 4 p.m. and Sundays at 2

p.m., and more information on the show is

available by calling (563)326-7832 or visiting

DavenportJuniorTheatre.com.

What ElseIs HappeninMUSIC

Thursday, February 7 Keller

Williams. Concert with the singer/

songwriter and one-man band. Englert

Theatre (221 East Washington Street,Iowa City). 8 p.m. $20-22. For tickets and

information, call (319)688-2653 or visit

Englert.org. For a 2012 interview withWilliams, visit RCReader.com/y/keller.

Friday, February 8 Chicago

Farmer. Album-release show withthe folk singer/songwriter, featuringan opening set by Ernie Hendrickson.The Redstone Room (129 Main Street,Davenport). 8 p.m. $8-10. For ticketsand information, call (563)326-1333 orvisit RiverMusicExperience.org.

Saturday, February 9 The Nadas.

CD-release show with the rock/folkquintet, with an opening set by SHEL.The Redstone Room (129 Main Street,Davenport). 8 p.m. $13-15. For ticketsand information, call (563)326-1333 orvisit RiverMusicExperience.org.

Sunday, February 10 Beausoleil

avec Michael Doucet. Cajun andzydeco musicians in concert. TheRedstone Room (129 Main Street,Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $18-20. Fortickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.For a 2009 interview with Doucet, visitRCReader.com/y/doucet.

by Mike Schulz

[email protected]


MusicDavid BurgessRedeemer Lutheran ChurchSaturday, February 16, 7 p.m.

From the New York Times: Technically incontrol and interpretively most persuasive.From the Washington Post: Impressive

technique and a fine sense of style.

From Greenwich Time magazine:

Hauntingly beautiful, tastefully phrased with

exquisite nuance, and yet with an aristocratic

understatement that held his audience

spellbound.And no, Im not starting yet another one

of these Whats Happenin articles by talking

about my own work. But Im touched by your

confusion.

Those quotes are actually in reference to

the musical gifts of renowned guitarist David

Burgess, who, as the latest guest in Quad City

Arts Visiting Artists series, will perform a

special concert on February 16 at BettendorfsRedeemer Lutheran Church. For more than

three decades, Burgess has been thrilling

audiences on both sides of the Atlantic with

his virtuoso skills, and has reaffirmed the

lie of those who cant do, teach by serving

as a guitar instructor at the University of

Washington and the Cornish Institute of the

Arts.

A first-prize winner at international events

ranging from the Guitar 81 Competition

in Toronto to the 31st Annual MusicCompetition in Munich to the Ponce

International Competition in Mexico City,

Burgess has played solo recitals to packed

houses and critical praise throughout Europe

and North America. Of course, with his

national engagements including performances

at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and

Carnegie Recital Hall, its easy to see why

reviewers have been so effusive.In addition to the aforementioned plaudits,

Acoustic Guitarmagazine raved about Burgess

flashy scale passages and crisp rasgueados.

Italys La Nazione praised the guitarists

vivacity of tone colors and polished phrasing.

AndFanfare magazine made note of Burgess

exciting style and technique to burn. I was

actually told that I had technique to burn, too.

But as it was mentioned in an e-mail addressed

Dear pretentious hack, I dont think it was

meant as a compliment.For more information on David Burgess

concert at the Redeemer Lutheran Church

(1107 Tanglefoot Lane, Bettendorf), call

(309)793-1213 or visit QuadCityArts.com.

layedidehege?

howsGlad

didit at

lboard

otadwayWest

eund

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD

Quad Cities Hash House Harriers 3rd Annual

QCRedDressRun.com Facebook: Quad Cities Red Dress Run

1 p.m. Daiquiri Factory 1809 2nd Ave, Rock Island

Proceeds Benet the American Heart Association

Cole Hark-

sen, Emily

Baker, and

Sam Jones


14/24


We were also at the museums

constantly, she continues, and we werein art classes when we were really young.And when we were really, reallyyoung,some of our early drawings made it intomy mothers prints and assemblages, andwed sometimes submit things to the LosAngeles County Art Fair and places likethat, and sometimes pieces would sell for,like, $5, and you would just be so happy.

But when I was maybe 12, I startedmaking these little handmade dolls.They were dolls, but they all had specifichistories, and they were aboutcertainthings, and their experiences wouldkind of form them as characters. Thatswhere I became really interested in 3Dwork doing three-dimensional stuff andfigurative stuff. And so, curiously enough,I think those dolls really had a lot to dowith the work that I do currently. Myfigures are very stoic and almost doll-likein the way they stand.

Saar adds that her interest in figurative

art increased in high school, when sheserved as an assistant in her fathersrestoration business. One of his big clientscollected early-Chinese, Tang-dynastyworks, she says, so Id spend part of mytime cleaning frescoes. But he also hada client who collected African art, and Ilearned how to carve these reproductions,and thats really where I learned some ofmy more sculptural techniques.

Working alongside her father, she also

developed a fascination for works fromother cultures, one that deepened whileSaar was earning her BA in studio artand art history from Californias ScrippsCollege.

I became really interested in Africanart working with my father, says Saar.And when I was taking a course in artof non-Western cultures, that includedart from India and China and Japan, aswell as South and Central America. So I

was looking at all those things, and alsobecame very interested in self-taughtAfrican-American artists, and discoveringwhat things did and didnt carry over fromAfrican traditions. Thats what I eventuallydid my [masters degree] thesis on: self-taught African-American artists.

Saar planned to pursue a career as anart historian, specifically the art of non-Western cultures. But I realized I was abetter maker than a writer, she says witha laugh. I had a senior thesis show, andI had gotten a really good response fromthat, and after I graduated and took a yearoff and traveled a little bit, I just decidedthat what I really wanted to do was makeart. So I went to Otis a year after Id gotten

out of Scripps, for the MFA, and was just

doing straight-up art from then on. Asked if she was at all scared about

embarking on a full-time career as aprofessional artist, Saar says, Well, yeah.But I think if you have a parent whos donethat, its not so scary. I think my motherand father are both really good examplesof how you can have a familyandmakeart. Sometimes you have to do other jobs my mother did costume design and allthese other things as well as doing her art and there were some lean times growingup, but it was always under control.

I think what was scary was the thoughtof competing with them, she continues.Specifically my mother. I think I was inhigh school when she got her first nationalendowment, and so I was kind of thinking,Will I ever get out from under hershadow? That was more frightening thanworrying about not being able to make it.

Following graduation from Otis, Saarspent two years employed at Los Angeles

Baum Silverman Gallery, which hosted theartists first solo exhibition. They showedcontemporary Los Angeles artists as wellas African art, says Saar, so that was kindof a perfect match for me, and it wentgreat.

Of course, I already had an inthere because of my mother, she adds,referencing her mothers art-worldcelebrity. And so I didnt really feel that Ihad made it all on myown, per se.

But while its good that doors areopened for you, because you have parentsin the arts, at the same time people arealways quick to slam you if you dont comeup to snuff, says Saar with a laugh. So itfelt good to prove myself, and know that Icould exist on my own ground.

And beginning in 1983, when sheaccepted a residency at the Studio Museumin New York a city that the artist woundup living in for 15 years Saars sculptures

and installations have gone to be shown ingalleries, museums, and outdoor venuesfrom coast to coast.

Its a great feeling, says Saar, who addswith a laugh, but you dont want to getcocky, because it can go away as easily asit came to you, you know? We artists arealways holding our breath, but so far, Ivebeen very, very fortunate.

Quasi-AutobiographicalWhen I conducted my phone

interview with Saar on January 21, theday in question was, of course, a rathermomentous one, especially for someoneof African-American descent. (Saars

father is white; her mother is half-black,half-white.) Not only was Barack Obama

being inaugurated for his second term aspresident, but the event also happened tofall on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Andmaking the timing of our conversationeven more appropriate, and ironic, wasthat President Obamasfirstinaugurationactually served as the artists initialinspiration for STILL ... .

As African Americans, says Saar of thepresidents 2009 swearing-in ceremony,there was a certain sense that, you know,

we had arrived. But then all this backlashcame with it, and all this racism percolatedto the surface, and so, for me, it was allkind of bittersweet. You see that, yes, wevemade these great advances, but at the sametime, you realize that a good portion of thenation was still looking back, and still hadsome pretty horrific ideas about who couldand could not be president.

So I think that really kind of got mestarted with this show, she says ofSTILL

... . Wanting to just try to understandwhat it takes to really understand thesource of bigotry, and how bigotry can stillthrive in this country that seems to be soprogressive.

One piece in the STILL ... exhibit,titled Weight, is a visual representation

of the exploitation and dehumanizationof slaves, symbolized by Saars figure ofa young black girl on a swing dangling

from a cotton scale, counterbalanced byitems including an iron ladle, shackles,

and a lock and key. Saars Black Lightningconsiders the African-American males

stereotypical labor options, and high rateof violent death, in its boxing gloves that

fill with makeshift blood. And questionsof bi-racial identity, and the bigotry

associated with it, are explored in 50 Proof,which Saar says reflects this cultural mythof the tragic mulatto.

That one is kind of quasi-autobiographical, says Saar of50 Proof.

My mother is also bi-racial, and wasalways trying to pass trying to be as

white as she could possibly be. Frommygeneration, coming out of the Black

Power movement and all that, I wanted tobe recognized for my African-American

ancestry. But theres this notion that wedont really belong in eithercamp wereneither this northat and that came back

to this notion of Obama. Initially, he wasntblack enough for the black community,

COVER STORY Continued From Page 8

Heavy Ideas with Elements of Play

which Schiffer called very formal ... . Itsa really beautiful building, but its a littlebit forbidding its this glass box. I thinkyou have to work against that, or work toovercome that ... .

Schiffer said he hasnt yet gottenmuch direction from the Figges board although the strategic plan will certainly

set an agenda. They didnt set anythingspecific, he said. In a broad sense,I think, the vision is that the Figgewould be known as one of the majorMidwestern museums.

To that end, the museum is nowmarketing a traveling exhibit drawn fromits collection of Haitian art an effort thatwas already underway when he started.Down the line, he said, Id like to lookat developing more shows in-house.

But he said he hasnt gotten or

established targets for museumattendance (presently between 60,000 and65,000 visitors a year, including schoolgroups) or an endowment (still roughly$5 million). The strategic plan will needto address the museums relationship

with the City of Davenport, which hasa contract through 2023 to contribute$750,000 annually to the Figge. (Themuseums annual budget is nowapproximately $2 million.)

Schiffer and the museum would likethat financial contribution to continue.The city owns the art collection managedand displayed by the Figge, and I would

hope the city sees the value of having alandmark museum right downtown,he said. I happen to think theyregetting very good value for that. Butthe museum needs to prepare for thepossibility that the relationship wont beextended beyond 2023.

And he didnt deny that the Figgepresents challenges to its board andits management. I think it is a reallyambitious building for a ... relativelysmall town, he said. And although hecompared it to a park, its a public spacethat is different from other public spaces one that needs to balance entertainmentwith education, and its local audiencewith a desire for a regional and nationalreputation sufficient to attract visitors.

A Comfortable Place for DialoguesContinued From Page 9


15/24


by Mike Schulz

[email protected]

and he certainly wasnt white enough for

the white community; he kind of existed inthis strange kind of in-between land.So the head of the [50 Proof] figure

is invisible, its glass, and when it fills upwith this black fluid, you can see her. Butyou cant really see that blackness untilher head is filled up with this black fluid,which cycles from this basin into her headand through her heart, and causes her tocry black tears.

Yet racism is hardly the only themeexplored in STILL ... . In Saars Still RunDry, a visual-art critique of sexism andageism in America, glass, copper, steel,lead, and rubber are sculpted to resembleno-longer-functional female body partsplaced on display and caked in dust. Iwanted it to speak to how theres still alot of bigotry against women as they age,she says. You know, the media alwaysexpects us to be young and beautiful and

voluptuous and vivacious and all thosethings, and often, once weve reached a

certain age, were kind of pushed aside insociety.

The antler-shed sculpture Rouse,says its creator, was inspired by Saarsdaughter Maddy leaving for college, andthe feelings her departure aroused in theartist. The main figure has this sort offierceness about her, and theres this senseof protection, and the figure thats restingin her horns is almost like a baby bird, ora vulnerable being thats still in its nest. It

really kind of represented Maddy comingout as a young woman, and this sort ofawakening in her.

But at the same time, continuesSaar, both of those figures are kind ofautobiographical for me. Because I kindof feel that theres a new self thats startingto come out whos no longer a mother, inthe sense of my feeling that I have to watchand protect my children every step of theway. Like theres a new self being born in

the process, as well. So that smaller figureis, in a way, both myself and Maddy at thesame time.

And in a completely different visualvein, the three cast-bronze figures thatcompose Saars Hankerin Heartsculptures playfully named Hincty, Mosey, andGimpy are human hearts with long,lanky tendrils that wouldnt look out ofplace in a stop-motion-animated movieby Tim Burton. (I get that, repliesSaar when I reference Burton. Peoplealso mention that theyre very LouiseBourgeois, because she did all those giant,beautiful spiders.)

As adults and as partners, says S aarof her trio ofHankerin Heartsculptures,

we kind of carry this baggage of our

past experiences and loves. And try ashard as we may, if weve been scarredor wounded, we proceed into our nextrelationships with our defenses up.Were not always able to be as open andgenerous as we perhaps were in our firstrelationships, because weve been burned.

So those figures are kind of like thesethree little hearts. Hincty, the one upfront, is kind of tightly wound, and shesbeing pursued by Mosey and Gimpy one has these lumps of what look like stabmarks, and the other one has this gashthats been roughly sutured back together.I wanted to create these little heartsthat are sort of their own little animalselves, and that go on even when theyfeel vulnerable or exposed or susceptible;theyre kind of silly and kind of goofy,but I think they have this sort of darkundertone.

Assessing the combined 13 works inherAlison Saar: STILL ... exhibit, the

artist says, I just never really know wheremy inspiration will come from. Usuallyit just has something to do with howImfeeling, you know, and reflects whatIm going through personally. And all Ican hope is that it opens up a little bit ofdialogue. I like that young kids can comeexperience it, and old people can comesee it, and hopefully there can be somesort of exchange between the two. I thinkthat would be great.

As for whether she has favoriteindividual pieces amongst her decadesof creations, Saar says, I dont know.I remember I had a show about threeor four years ago it was kind of like aretrospective and there were pieces thatwere some of my earliest works, and therewere works from like 10 years ago, and tosee them all in this room together, it feltlike seeing the big siblings with the littlesiblings.

For me, they kind of have a life of theirown they go out, and they get movedaround, and theyve probably been moreplaces than Ihave, says Saar with a laugh.And because different people bringdifferent things to them, I feel like theykind ofgrow in a weird sort of way. So Iguess they are kind of like kids. And itsalways nice to visit them.

Alison Saar: STILL ... is on display at theFigge Art Museum from February 9 through

April 14, and the artist will discuss herworks at a special Figge presentation at 2:30

p.m. on Saturday, February 9. For moreinformation on the exhibition, call (563)326-7804 or visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.


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Featured Images from the Quad Cities Photography ClubPHOTOGRAPHY

T

his action image of a white pelican

landing was captured by QuadCities Photography Club member

Bill Nice. It was one of the high-scoringimages in the nature section of themonthly club competition. Bill shotthis image in May on the Illinois sideof Lock & Dam 14, near Hampton. Heused a Nikon D3100 with a Tamron70-200-millimeter lens at 180 millime-ters, f/3.2. He did some cropping andadjusted levels using Picasa 3 software.

The Quad Cities Photography Club

welcomes visitors and new members.The club sponsors numerous activitiesencompassing many types and aspectsof photography. It holds digital andprint competitions most months. Atits meetings, members discuss theimages, help each other to improve, andsocialize. The club also holds speciallearning workshops and small groupsthat meet on specific photography topics,and occasionally offers interesting

shooting opportunities. The club meets

at 6:30 p.m. the first Thursday of themonth September through June at theButterworth Center, 1105 Eighth Streetin Moline.

For more information on the club, visitQCPhotoClub.com.

(Editors note: The River Cities Readereach month will feature an image orimages from the Quad Cities PhotographyClub.)

Photo by Bill Nice

authority to give up its own oversight. The U.S.Constitution protects us from such illegal acts,but only if the American people challenge thelegislators if such criminal conduct occurs.

The federal judiciary cannot be counted onto uphold the Constitution on behalf of wethe people because it is a federal branch ofgovernment in favor of more government control,not less. This explains the countless rulings thathave upheld lawless acts of Congress and the

various federal agencies over the decades. Itwould be like asking your own father to rule on a

Continued From Page 3

that gives ever-increasing authority to public-sector bureaucrats over American lives, includingpenalties and fines that can take our individualliberties and resources. Most of this authority ispatently unconstitutional and is contributing toour government morphing from an agency ofprotection to one of suppression and lawlessness.

Americans should know that whenCongress passed the Affordable HealthcareAct (Obamacare), they also delegated completeauthority for rule-making without congressionaloversight. Congress itself does not have the

No Society Can Live Free with So Little Civic Participationdispute between you and your neighbor. Who doyou think he will favor in such a circumstance?

We the people have enormous power andstanding in our own governance, but we mustchoose to act on it, engage in it, and participatewith it. If we ignore our own part in the Americangoverning equation, what else but predatoryinterests should we expect to prevail?

We have all heard of the power of the purse.

We can choose not to do business with entities

that are contrary to our interests or, conversely,we can greatly support those entities that

support our interests, whether financially or with

volunteerism of time. We have all also heard ofthe power of the vote. We do not have to wait

for legislation to impose term limits. We can

impose our own in the voting booths: one termfor Senators, three for House Representatives

no exceptions. At a minimum, never forget that

when an elected official (most especially a statelegislator, county supervisor, or city councilman)

violates his or her oath of office by not protecting

your rights, we can vote him or her out,regardless of political-party affiliation. It is we

WORDS FROM THE EDITOR


17/24


engage in ensuring that Americas voting system

is clean, honest, and 100-percent accountableand auditable. If we do nothing else, each of

us can at least contribute to this effort. Visit

BlackBoxVoting.org to familiarize yourself withthe serious threat(s) to our elections at every level

of government.

If we individually commit to recognizingthe vast manipulation and misdirection of the

mainstream media, and allow ourselves to define

terms together, we will be on our way to savingour future.

Thursday, February 14 Joe

Robinson. Concert with the 21-year-old

guitarist and winner of TVsAustralias GotTalentcompetition. The Redstone Room(129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $15.For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.For a 2011 interview with Robinson, visitRCReader.com/y/robinson.

Thursday, February 14, and Friday,

February 15 Miguel Zenn. Latin jazzwith the touring saxophone musician, ina Hancher Auditorium presentation. The

Mill (120 East Burlington Street, Iowa City).7:30 and 10 p.m. $10-20. For tickets andinformation, call (319)335-1160 or visithttp://www.Hancher.UIowa.edu.

Friday, February 15 Harlem Gospel

Choir. Concert with one of Americaspremier gospel ensembles. Englert Theatre(221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8p.m. $25-35. For tickets and information,call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.

Saturday, February 16 Smooth

Jazz Valentines Concert. SaxophonistPaula Atherton and the Urban JazzCoalition in concert, with a winetasting, hors doeuvres, desserts, andmore. The Redstone Room (129 MainStreet, Davenport). 8 p.m. $100-120/couple, $55/single. For tickets andinformation, call (563)324-4208 or visitRiverMusicExperience.org.

Saturday, February 16 Diamond

Rio. Concert with the country musiciansof Youre Gone and Unbelievable fame.

Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center(1777 Isle Parkway, Bettendorf). 7:30 p.m.$20-30. For information, call (800)724-5825or visit Bettendorf.IsleOfCapriCasinos.com.

Saturday, February 16 Dailey &

Vincent. Concert with the award-winningbluegrass duo, in a Hancher Auditoriumpresentation. Englert Theatre (221 EastWashington Street, Iowa City). 7:30 p.m.$10-35. For tickets and information,

call (319)335-1160 or visit http://www.Hancher.UIowa.edu.

Saturday, February 16 TommyJames & the Shondells.An eveningwith the chart-topping musicians ofMony Mony and Crimson & Cloverfame. Riverside Casino Event Center (3184Highway 22, Riverside). 9 p.m. $29-49. Fortickets and information, call (877)677-3456or visit RiversideCasinoAndResort.com.

Saturday, February 16, and Sunday,

February 17 Madrigals, Chansons, &

Jazz. Winter concerts with Galesburgs

professional vocal ensemble the NovaSingers. Saturday First Lutheran Churchof Galesburg (364 East Water Street,Galesburg), 7:30 p.m. Sunday St. PaulLutheran Church of Davenport (2136Brady Street, Davenport), 4 p.m. $15-18.For tickets and information, call (309)341-7038 or visit NovaSingers.com.

Sunday, February 17 Bobby

Goldsboro.Chart-topping pop andcountry guitarist/vocalist in concert.Riverside Casino Event Center (3184Highway 22, Riverside). 5 p.m. $15-30. Fortickets and information, call (877)677-3456or visit RiversideCasinoAndResort.com.

Sunday, February 17 Drum

Talk to Jazz: A Black History MonthCelebration. Maggie Brown, AfricaBrown, and the Ayodele African Dancersperform and educate in PolyrhythmsThird Sunday Jazz presentation. TheRedstone Room (129 Main Street,Davenport). 6 p.m. $10-15. For tickets

and information, call (309)373-0790 or visit Polyrhythms.org orRiverMusicExperience.org.

THEATREThursday, February 7, through Sun-

day, February 17 Out of the Pan Intothe Fire. Theatrical exploration of thephysical imagery and movement, mon-strous characters, and impossible narra-

tives in fairytales. University of Iowas Da-vid Thayer Theatre (200 North Riverside

Drive, Iowa City). Wednesdays-Saturdays8 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m. $10-17. For ticketsand information, call (319)335-1160 orvisit http://www.hancher.uiowa.edu.

Friday, February 15, through Sunday,

February 17 Godspell. Off-Broadwayslong-running Biblical musical by Wickedcomposer Stephen Schwartz. OhnwardFine Arts Center (1215 East Platt Street,Maquoketa). Friday and Saturday 7 p.m.,Sunday 2 p.m. $10-18. For tickets and

information, call (563)652-9815 or visitOhnwardFineArtsCenter.com.

DANCESaturday, February 16 Love

Stories: An Evening of Mixed Repertoire.

Romantic vignettes performed by theprofessional dancers of Ballet Quad Cities.Scottish Rite Cathedral (1800 SeventhAvenue, Moline). 1 and 7:30 p.m. $12-22.For tickets and information, call (309)786-3779 or visit BalletQuadCities.com.

COMEDYFriday, February 8, and Saturday,

February 9 The Second City: LaughingMatters. A collection of the best sketchesand songs over the 50-year history ofChicagos famed comedy troupe. EnglertTheatre (221 East Washington Street,Iowa City). 8 p.m. $25-30. For tickets andinformation, call (319)688-2653 or visitEnglert.org.

MOVIETuesday, February 19 Mongolia:

Land of Genghis Khan. Screenings inthe museums World Adventure Series,presented by filmmaker Buddy Hatton.Putnam Museum (1717 West 12th Street,Davenport). 1 and 7 p.m. $5-7. For ticketsand information, call (563)324-1933 or visitPutnam.org.

EXHIBIT

Saturday, February 9, through Sunday,April 14 Alison Saar: STILL ... .Exhibitof sculptures and installations informedby artistic traditions from the Americasto Africa and beyond. Figge Art Museum(225 West Second Street, Davenport).Tuesdays-Saturdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m.,Thursdays 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sundays noon-5p.m. Free with $4-7 museum admission.For information, call (563)326-7804 or visitFiggeArtMuseum.org.

EVENTSTuesday, February 12 Mardi GrasRajun Cajun Fest. New Orleans-themedfundraiser featuring music, beads, acash bar, and Cajun cooking from someof the Quad Cities finest chefs. FiggeArt Museum (225 West Second Street,Davenport). 5:30-7:30 p.m. $25-30/person, $45-55/couple. For tickets andinformation, call (563)326-7804 extension2046 or visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.

Saturday, February 16 Fifty Shadesof Clay. Event offering couples theopportunity to re-create the pottery-wheel scene from Ghost, experimentwith papier-mch clay, and createValentines Day cards, with a silentauction, hors doeuvres, desserts, andmore. Bucktown Center for the Arts(225 East Second Street, Iowa City). 6p.m. $50/couple. For information andto reserve, call (563)424-1210 or [email protected].

Tuesday, February 19 The Price

Is Right Live!Interactive touringpresentation of the popular TV gameshow, with contestants given the chanceto win appliances, vacations ... and a newcar! Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street,Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $37.50-47.50.For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visitAdlerTheatre.com.

Continued From Page 13

What Else Is Happenin

January 24 Crossword Answers

by Kathleen McCarthy

[email protected]

voters who consistently give these politicians a

pass and reelect them, over and over again, basedon nothing more than party considerations.

Most voters have no clue what business their

legislators are conducting on a daily basis. Whydo you think the two-party system has such

influence and does all it can to keep us as divided

as possible? The real truth is that most Americanvoters are much closer on issues than we know,

but the mainstream medias concentrated efforts

to keep us blaming one party over the otherkeeps us from realizing all the common ground

and finding real solutions.

The power of our individual vote is totalleverage. The career politicians want one thing

more than the the limitless funds the special

interests provide: they want to be reelected.Nothing matters more to most of these men

and women. If each really believed he or she

would be held truly accountable, no amountof special-interest pressure could persuade

them to continue acting against the people.

Which brings me to problem number 3: thecorruption of American elections. We must all


18/24


thing you couldve done and the least sociallyawkward wouldve been telling this guy,

clearly and firmly, from the start, that the tone

and quantity of his Facebook comments were

a problem. Then, if inappropriate remarks and

behavior kept flying, youd tell him explicitly:

Friendship. Period. Tell him so now, in the least

embarrassing way in writing. Explain that the

text made you feel really upset and disrespected,

and add, Im going to forget this happened

(and hope you will, too). To stop feeling angry,

remind yourself that he most likely didnt get themessage because it wasnt sent in a way he could

understand which kept him marching clueless-

doofus-style toward that ever-so-charming Cant

a friend drop by at midnight for a quickie?

The Gift That Keepson Giving You the

CreepsFor my birthday, my 26-year-old girlfriend

(of five weeks) gave me anAlice In Wonderlanddecorative plate. Im a 33-year-old man, and I

couldnt fathom why she thought Id like it. I

simply did notwant to display that thing but

knew shed expect to see it whenever she came

over. Feeling trapped, I gently confessed that it

was more her taste than mine and suggested we

keep it at her place. She immediately broke up

with me. What happened here?

Sad But Unrepentant

A gift for a romantic partner is a way to tellthem, I get who you are. Apparently, youre a

78-year-old lady with room in your curio cabinet

next to your hatpin collection. Nothing against

white rabbits with pocket watches and hookah-

smoking caterpillars, but what woman buys this for

any man who does not moonlight as a gay British

country decorator with a love of whimsy? She may

just be wildly clueless, but giving somebody an

aggressively wrong gift can be an aggressive act.

Was this some twisted test maybe to see how

moldable you are? Whatever her reason, this didnt

need to end with the Queen of Hearts yelling,

Off with his head! (Although youre probably

ultimately lucky it did.) Gifting gone wrong, like

other relationship misfires, is an opportunity to

get a better sense of who your partner is and what

is right for them. And an emotionally balanced

woman could see it that way bad as she might

feel that shes gotten you a gift that begs for you to

reciprocate on her birthday with a Tiffanys box

containing a Peyton Manning bobble-head.

Got A Problem? Ask Amy Alkon.171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405

or [email protected] (AdviceGoddess.com)2013, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved.

Ask

theAdviceGoddess BY AMY ALKON

When Horn-dogMet Sally

A male friend just tried to booty-call me

(texting after midnight that he was horny).

Im angry and revolted. Ive known hes liked

me, thanks to his constant icky comments all

over my Facebook photos, even while I was in

a serious relationship. I deleted most, thinking

hed get the hint, and after my relationship

ended, I hin

river cities' reader issue 823 - february 7, 2013

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