Where are all the kids!!??

Memphis River City Art Fest this weekend was a great way to get outside and enjoy traditional carnival food and outdoor family-friendly music whilst taking a peek at Memphis's commercial art scene. All in all, the event was just an excuse for people to be outside on one of the few sunny days we've had since we hit october. As for the art itself, it just wasn't much to behold. Every painting and sculpture looked as if it were designed to match the living room couch and carpet, or a kitch lawn piece you would expect to find in any old country home. Not much better can be said for the Jewelry vendors either.
Besides being unenthused with all of the mostly mediocre work, I could not stop wondering where the younger/student artist's booths were. Why wasn't there a section for them to showcase their latest pieces?! I'm sure that would have been much more interesting, or at least more inspirational anyway- the elderly and glim looking vendors at the rest of the booths seemed only to see their work as potential profit. This addition would surely have helped broken up the homogenity of the whole affair and brought a bit more spunk to the day as well.
This weekend's void highlighted the larger problem at hand. In order for a community to foster a strong culture of the arts, younger artists must be part of the cultivation and showcasing process as well as the more established ones. Why didn't the town offer student vending booths at a lower price (understanding that they would most likely not sell as much work) to encourgage younger local participants? All I'm saying is the whole artist community should always be considered in projects to enrich the arts in a community and until memphians understand that, memphis will remain a weak link in art world.

The Importance of Being Ernest?

To be perfectly ernest, Germantown Community Theatre's The Importance of Being Ernest is not worth the money or the drive for local mid-towners. Although a few of the actors were very convincing in their roles- both in mastering the essential british accent and achieving their character's eccentricities, for the most part, the cast's accents collectively were unbearable and line deliverey was often poor. These two faults took a toll on the production, especially because this Oscar Wilde romantic british comedy relies almost solely on subtle and witty remarks and the quaint rigidity of the englsih culture- of which the cast failed to hone. In the end, after giving up on the production's many shortcomings, I would say the show was at least mildly entertaining and made clever use of the tight space- with rotating set pieces that kept up with the various locations. I will admit GCT made a valiant effort, but I would still not recommend this play to anyone living farther than ten miles from the theatre with anything else to do with their weekend.

A Dhoad Gypsy Extravaganza

Rajasthani folk music and dancing paired with daring stunts kept every guest at the Buckman Fine Arts Center on the edge of thier seats last saturday. The colorful group introduced extraoridnary eastern instruments such as the Indian Castanets and the Jew's Harp, which Bharti, the group's leader, dubbed a "pocket size indian sythesizer". No bigger than a cell phone, the small piece spurtted out boinging vibrations. As the gypsies played on that night, I felt restricted by my seat and the rows of seated people around me. The gypsies continuously signaled the viewers the clap along with the indian beats as the dancer interacted with the musicians and the swayed to the music. It was clear that the American crowd was not accustomed to so much participation. On the other hand, the gypsies themselves seemed unaccustomed to such a passive audience. I realized that terms "audience" and "performer" are one entity in indian culture. By the end of the evening the viewers seemed to catch the gypsie's and their culture's uncontainable energy. The room boomed with clapping hands and dancing feet as Bharti and his group members stood chanting and banging passionate beats on their tablas and other precussive intsruments. This evening gave any guest a small taste of how rich this middle eastern culture really is. A cross-cultural experiences such as this was not only entertaining but an incredibly broadening experience as well.