Art history posters at Siena's Academic Celebration

MARIA SEGALA ('08) presents a poster on her independent study for a Robert Rauschenberg exhibition, upcoming during Senior Week and throughout the summer, in Foy Hall. Rauschenberg's prints have recently been a celebrated at the National Gallery in Washington. Segala's exhibition features five prints from the Chow Series of the 1970s. Her poster included a burlap panel to evoke the Purina Animal Chow bags from which Rauschenberg generated the series.

KATHERINE LEVINSON ('09) and KATHRYN HAMILTON ('08, not pictured) presented the work of the students of the Siena Class in Modern Art, Spring 2008. The students built the First Siena Sculpture Exhibition in March (booklet exhibited) and are currently preparing an exhibition of Women's Art from Siena Collections for June and July 2008 in the Yates Gallery of the Standish Library.

First Siena Sculpture Show

Jenna Buckley (’08,)
Kathryn Hamilton (’08)
Kristen Hans (’08)
Laura Lachell (’10)
Katherine Levinson (’08)
Megan Walsh (’08)

Students in MODERN ART have constructed the First Siena Sculpture Show in Foy Lobby, open throughout March. 

top left: drawing students working from exhibition

top right: MEGAN WALSH consults with Phyllis Chapman during installation

bottom: unpacking and examining the works

The sculpture is part of the Siena Art Collection, which got a major boost in 2007, with the accession of over 500 works from the Fine Arts Museum of Long Island. This donation was suggested by Siena student Heather Pirinea, and engineered by her father, Joseph Pirinea. We are thankful for their contribution to the academic life of Siena College. The exhibition would not have been possible without the direction of Siena Art Curator, Phyllis Chapman, and the able cooperation of the Events and Housekeeping Crews.

These Things were Offered to Me as Blessings

Friday night (February 15) the Union College Department of Music presented Branches of Words a program of dance and music set to the poetry of Hafez. Siena's Mahmood Karimi-Hakak collaborated with Ellen Sinopoli in directing the program. He voiced Hafez's Persian poetry as the dancers embodied it. The effect was extraordinary. The sound echoed the movement -- not only in grace but also in physicality -- for the Farsi was as highly textured, solid and physically three-dimensional as the dancers' efforts.

The program was well-paced, varying from poetry-dance to poetry-music to pure and exhilarating percussion of Zorki Nelson. Deeply moving was "I show Myself as I Am" with single dancer Sarah Pingel and Zoe B. Zak's classical accordion that drew out every form, every tension, every pulse. Reprised from last year's program two years ago was Munir Beken's Pottery Shards, this time laid into Hafez "Those who Stood up for Tolerance"; a new title "Into Dark Moods" gave it an even greater impact.

The fine Union College Music Hall allowed all the music, all the movement, all the poetry to move cleanly about the space and into our imaginations. I can't help but feel very jealous that we at Siena cannot offer our audiences the same opportunity to realize, with Hafez, that "These Things were Offered . . . as Blessings."

REVIEWS:
http://blogs.timesunion.com/reviews/?p=351
http://www.union.edu/N/DS/edition_display.php?e=1467&s=7657

CREA's Brian Massman at Cap Rep

Brian Massman, fondly known as Mass Man, appears in the Cap Rep's production of David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly, performances from Jan 18-Feb 10. He plays the French ambassador to China. See http://www.capitalrep.org/season/butterfly/html for tickets and information. Mass Man teaches a number of courses in CREA: Intro to Theatre, Voice and Movement, Acting for the Camera, as well as Art and Society.

Siena theatre students will see and discuss the play with the cast on February 6 and 9th.

Another Siena Premiere Make Good

Best Possible World, by Tee O'Neill has been selected to be the Australian entrant in the 7th hotINK International Play Festival in New York CIty.  It will be read at NYU (School fo TISCH) by members of the Atlantic Theatre Company at the Shop Theatre at 721 Broadway, New York, NY on Saturday, February 2, 2008 at 4:00 pm.  

For more information go to hotink.org or call for reservations at 212-998-1860.

Tee O'Neill was the winner of the International Playwrights Competition.  Best Possible World premiered at Siena College Spring Semester 2007. Tee spent several months developing the play with director Gary Maciag and a cast and crew of Siena students and staff.

Australian expatriates Bride and Orla run a former hostel in Ireland, which houses asylum seekers from all around the war torn world.  In a city where tensions run high and citizenship can be bought, sold, or snatched away, the two young women try desperately to keep their residents safe. When Bride's lover is murdered in the street, she must decide how to create a new life, even at the cost of sacrificing her own identity forever.

YATES GALLERY spring 2008 semester

FEBRUARY 13-MARCH 26

KEN RAGSDALE

How Did I Get Here? 

paintings, drawings and mixed media

APRIL 9- MAY 21

EMMA COPLEY

Nitty-Gritty

painting and drawings

SIENA COLLEGE STANDISH LIBRARY

call Liz Blum for information