Success Archives

Landscapes – An Exhibit by Julia Franklin

By Doug Jones

If you think of an art exhibit as something pretentious, as some-thing cerebral or untouchable, then Julia Franklin’s Landscapes could change the way you think.

Landscapes Artist's Statement

By Julia Franklin

The memory is a quirky thing, allowing you to remember bits and pieces of the past at the most unexpected time.A recent visit to Texas took us to Baskin Robbins for an evening ice cream break, and just by holding a small, pink Baskin Robbins spoon I was transported back to the days of my childhood. There I was under the large elm tree scraping at the red earth, adding water from my glass jar, mixing it all together in my shiny aluminum pie tins and making mud pie after mud pie with the help of that tiny pink spoon. At that moment in Texas I realized that those materials – the jar, the dirt, and mud pies – were elements that had just emerged in my recent artwork. This seemingly strange departure in my work wasn’t really a departure at all; it was a return to what I was familiar with and had already experienced. As my ice cream melted into a chocolate mint puddle, I reminisced about those afternoons I spent outside traipsing around my grandparents’ yard and garden, playing fruit ball, moving snow in my red wagon, making my sister eat worms, collecting acorns and magnolia blossoms, picking up pine cones, and running through the sprinkler.

After that jolt at the Baskin Robbins, a bizarre chain of events quickly unfolded and each day brought alive old memories and a desire to capture them in three-dimensions. The very next morning we traveled to my sister’s house where I found her cleaning out her closet. Clothes and shoes were piled everywhere, but something red and worn caught my eye. There before me lay a 75 year-old weeding bench that my grandfather had faithfully used every day. The aged wood, cracked vinyl and crooked upholstery pins added up to more than a bench. It embodied my grandfather and spoke of his obsession with his lush, green lawn and tomato garden. His meticulous care of the grass and tomatoes stretched into other aspects of his life. Even his tool closet reflected a sense of order that seemed mysterious and unreal. Walnut shelves hung on the closet doors and glass jars full of nails and screws dangled from them like magic. The way in which he had managed to suspend those breakable jars in space had always perplexed and excited me.

But how does it all connect? I couldn’t figure it out so the long drive back to Iowa was frustrating as something in the back of my mind nagged at me. Instead of going immediately home, I drove straight to school and found my old, rusted Red Flyer wagon full of junk in a studio corner. I cleaned off the grime and spider webs and loaded it into the minivan without knowing why or what I was going to do with it. The next day I was standing in the checkout line at Dollar General and bumped into a stack of Mason jars. I bought all they had – 40 dozen glass jars. The wagon was still in the van and since I had a lot of jars to carry home, the jars went right into the wagon. When I picked up my three-year-old daughter from pre-school, she thought the wagon and the boxes were for her to play with. Why not? So off we went, with Skye and me pulling the full wagon together. The clinking and rattling of the jars made our new adventure somewhat dangerous and thrilling. When we had made it only half a block, Skye pointed to a tree with seed pods hanging down from it. She asked me to pick one and she examined it so closely. She thought it would be good to keep and give to her daddy so she asked for a jar to save it for him. Soon one seed pod became a jar full. Skye’s fascination in the world around her gave me pause to look again at what I had so easily passed by. We were surrounded by beautiful, colorful and unique objects and it suddenly became important to collect them and embrace our landscape. Two hours later and only a hundred feet further, we turned back for home with 24 jars filled with nature items from our neighborhood. To think, all I needed was one small pink spoon, a weeding bench, and a little girl to bring the past and present together.

Stunning Christmas Carol Costumes Made Here at Graceland

By Doug Jones

When Graceland University’s Fine Arts department announced that Dickens’ A Christmas Carol would be part of the Performing Arts Series, we expected few surprises. We expected to be entertained by the curmudgeonly Scrooge’s signature line, we expected Scrooge to be visited by three ghosts and see the error of his ways and we expected Tiny Tim to walk again. Overall, we expected an uplifting, feel-good holiday story, and, no surprise, this is what we got.

But there were also some big surprises. We were surprised by the crowds: no one expected the nearly 2500 people who jammed into the Shaw Center, making Christmas Carol the best attended stage production in Graceland history. We were surprised by the amount of community involvement: Lamoni residents joined the cast (playing young children and (ahem) mature adults), assisted with sewing, and provided valuable resources to costume designer, Professor Rebecca M. Foster. And most definitely we were surprised by the stunning costumes. “The audience was surprised at how colorful the costumes were – they had always pictured the period as dark,” says Foster. “Also, a lot of people were surprised at the quality of the costumes.”

More than simply stunning, we were surprised to learn that the costumes were also period-authentic. But most of all, we were surprised at how massive this undertaking was and, therefore, at how impressive the accomplishment was. “Carol required 60 complete accurate Victorian costumes plus 30 rehearsal costumes, and for a small university like Graceland to take on a project like this is unique.” explained Foster. “Each basic female costume included shoes, stockings, petticoat, under sleeves, bonnet, cape or shawl and jewelry in addition to the gown itself. Including canes, vests, gloves, coats and hats, we brought together 400-450 items of clothing.”

“When you say ‘Hey, let’s do this show’ you have to make hundreds of decisions before proceeding,” says Foster. When the idea of producing “A Christmas Carol” was raised, the obvious question was “Can we do this?“ Even though Foster knew that Graceland had no Victorian costumes in inventory, she also “knew what we were capable of doing,” so she dove right in. The task was daunting. “I started out with 6 costumes from my personal inventory,” says Foster, “and had to build the rest.” But Foster also enjoyed a few advantages.

“The Victorian era is my period. I know pretty much what there is to know,” she explained, “so I didn’t need to spend time on researching.” She also knew what outside resources and expertise were available. These considerations “made a huge difference in deciding to take on the project.”

Creating these costumes was a close collaboration with the Director, Professor CD Adamson, and Scene Designer and Technical Director, Professor Robert Hamel. Together they discussed issues like overall design, color and texture, and how the actors would move over the set and look in relation to the background. They discussed Adamson’s overall visual objective: since Christmas is a joyful, jolly, family-fun time and all the characters have the Christmas spirit, their colorful costumes reflect that spirit. Except, of course, for Scrooge.

Foster first developed color charts for each character, mapping changes in each scene “so that when various actors appear together on stage, the whole picture works. Colors are not passive. Colors participate in conveying the message of the story,” says Foster. “Even if a character is on stage for 30 seconds, the costume makes an impression on the audience.” For example, Scrooge’s costumes reflected his change in attitude: initially all blacks, grays and darker blues and, as Foster points out, “in the end he wore a wine-colored cravat with a brighter blue vest. The audience may not consciously catch the difference but subliminally Scrooge has warmed up.”

Critical to completing the project during a short Fall semester was the trust between director and designer. “Professor Adamson and I have worked together for 1_ years and after he reviewed the color schemes and fabrics, he gave me the green light to move ahead.”

And move ahead she did. She scouted fabric store sales, literally buying fabric for pennies on the dollar. Professor Foster cut out every garment herself but a group – including students and community volunteers – did the sewing.

Every garment was custom made. “Victorian clothes fit differently and were built differently” than today’s clothing,” she explains, and to “make the garment fit, every actor was measured and fitted…sometimes multiple of fittings.” Furthermore, she allowed no corner-cutting: “At the university level, it’s important to instill in the students that we do things as close to professional as possible. What we did is historically accurate.”

And it was all done on a budget. “We could buy a Victorian gown on the internet for $400,” Foster explains. “Instead, we spent $30 on fabric and used student labor - and we created an entire costume, not just a gown. Even when she couldn’t make an item – a period-correct felt hat, for example – she knew where to buy it. “My experience volunteering for Lamoni’s Civil War Days exposed me to a variety of local resources for period clothing that I would otherwise not have known about. I learned where to get period bonnets and hats, for example. More than you would expect in a small town, people said ‘tell me what you need and I’ll tell you who has it or where to get it.’ There was a great outpouring of help and generosity from the non-Graceland community in Lamoni.”

Particularly challenging were the ghost costumes (there are actually four, not three): Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet-to-Come. Marley appears wrapped in chains, entering and exiting through a smoky fireplace; Christmas Past immerges glowing, wearing a crown of candles; Christmas Present strides the stage at 8_ feet tall and two children appear from underneath his costume; and Christmas Yet-to-Come materializes from a cloud of glowing red smoke, shrouded from head-to-toe in torn, ragged gray and black with skeleton hands.

All of which underscores the need for rehearsal garments – 30 of them in all. In order to move correctly during performances, actors must rehearse in hoops, top hats, elevator shoes, with canes, on stilts, and wearing chains and a hood. “You get into your costume and you make it work. You have to say ‘these are my clothes’ and learn to move naturally in them,” says Foster. Still, there was a crew of three dedicated to helping with costume changes. “Every professional theatre has a dressing crew.”

How important are these costumes to Graceland? “We are an educational institution and need to offer our students a variety of theatre experiences,” say Foster, and now the Graceland costume inventory boasts a wealth of mid-19th century costumes. “This means we are well positioned to do plays like Les Miserables, Little Women, The King & I, The Heiress and others,” beams Professor Foster.

Humbug, you say? Try convincing Scrooge.

(Doug Jones is a Lamoni resident and theatre enthusiast. He appeared in “A Christmas Carol” in dual roles. He is also the founder and heart and soul of “Civil War Days,” a period-authentic reenactment event which takes place in Lamoni each Labor Day weekend. Go to www.civilwardays.org for more information.)

Award-Winner Arber Mehmeti Has a Unique Passion for Acting

By Randy Meline

Graceland senior Arbër Mehmeti has a passion for acting that few have experienced. During the late-1990’s Serb occupation of his hometown of Pristina, Kosovo, he and others put on protest plays, dodging Serb patrols at a time when artists and intellectuals were being kept under surveillance.

He and friends even built sets in the back of an enclosed truck. They would park in a neighborhood alley, pull up the back door and put on one-act plays, never knowing if they would be caught and imprisoned, or worse. That’s passion!

His passion for his art has also shone brightly during four stellar years working with the Graceland theatre department. His memorable portrayal of Sali the window washer in “Hole in the Sky," by Reed McColm, was superb. He captured the drama and tragedy of the human side of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, but also put the audience at ease with his easy-going, jocular tone and his Balkan accent. "A lot of actors take a course to get my accent," he jokes. "I have the original."

Arbër, who is 23 years old, masterfully portrayed the aged Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol," performed at Graceland in December, and for that role he was nominated to compete in late January at the Region 5 Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Competition, in Ames, Iowa. There were 323 entrants. Arbër and his scene partner Travis Pfeifer, a freshman who portrayed Bob Cratchit in "A Christmas Carol," advanced to the semi-final round of 35, then to 16 for the finals, and then, well, Arbër won. "The theatre faculty and students who attended the festival leapt to their feet when Arbër’s name was called as the winner. This is not only a great accomplishment for Arbër, but it is a major coup for Graceland," was the reaction of theatre Professor C.D. Adamson, who along with colleagues and other students, attended the competition. Adamson spent the entire week at the competition, coaching Graceland’s participants and cheering them on. Arbër now advances to the national competition, the annual Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival to be held in Washington, D.C. the week of April 16th. "Not only has Arbër beaten students from huge colleges, but he’s given the Graceland theatre department a great reputation by association," according to Adamson, who directed "A Christmas Carol."

These scholarships are made possible by the generosity of the late Irene Ryan, who is best remembered for her portrayal of the lovable and feisty 'Granny Clampett' in "The Beverly Hillbillies" TV series. There are eight regional competitions, and two finalists from each region will compete in Washington at the Kennedy Center during a week of workshops and auditions. Selected from these 16 regional finalists, two national winners will receive Irene Ryan scholarships to the school of their choice. This is the premier college acting competition in the United States. Graceland junior Filipe Valle Costa and his scene partner Timothy G. Sundell also competed in Ames. Filipe was nominated for his role as Jacob Marley in "A Christmas Carol."

Arbër’s passion started early. When he was three years old he began to recite poetry and this talent grew. In eighth grade he won second place in a national poetry-recital competition in Kosovo. But, it was not until he entered high school that the word passion took on real meaning. "I began in 1998 with the school theatre department but it was difficult to perform because of the war," he said. Thousands of ethnic Albanians were murdered by the Serbs until the United Nations, supported by NATO air strikes, forced the Serbs to retreat. Arbër’s aunt and uncle were killed during the fighting which forced nearly a million Albanians to flee their homes in Kosovo. But, the war made Arbër want to act even more. "We rehearsed in a classroom and we performed under any conditions." They performed in front of the National Theatre to many thousands of Kosovars who had gathered to protest the genocide. And he thought about the acting, not the danger. "My heart has always been with acting, no matter where or how."

Frankly, Arbër did not expect much from the regional competition, but he kept advancing and he was flabbergasted when he won. In addition to Professor Adamson, who had worked many hours with all the Irene Ryan nominees as they prepared their scenes for the competition, theatre professors Rebecca Foster and Robert Hamel were there to cheer Arbër on. Foster, who directed "Hole in the Sky," assisted Adamson with preparation for the competition.

For the competition he performed as Tupolski in a scene from "The Pillowman," by Martin McDonagh; as Greg in a scene from "Sylvia," by A.R. Gurney; and he performed a monologue from "The Merchant of Venice," by Shakespeare. He and scene partner Pfeifer will perform the same scenes in Washington. Region 5 includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

To win is a significant acknowledgement to Arbër’s skill and yes, passion, for acting. At Graceland he has also performed in "The Importance of Being Earnest," "Bye Bye Birdie," "Boy Gets Girl" and "Dona Rosita." Arbër will play the role of Robert in the upcoming play "Proof," March 8-10. His Theatre Capstone performance as various characters, including King Midas, in "Metamorphoses," is scheduled for April 26-28.

He says, "My passion for acting has grown during my years at Graceland. At first I wondered about going to such a small school. Then I realized, ‘it is the best thing.’ Here I have had a chance to work face-to-face with the professors. It is a small department so there are many opportunities." Arbër has made the most of his chances to act at Graceland. His portrayal of Scrooge was masterful, keeping the large audiences at each of the performances both angry at his miserly caricature, and wanting to hug him as he softens up and learns the lessons of Christmas.

About Graceland itself, and the community of Lamoni, Arber has some words for new students to live by. "This is a very quiet place," he said. "So quiet, it gives you a chance to know yourself. And Graceland, well there is no place in the world like Graceland. We are all family here."

Arber is now searching for the right fit in a theatre graduate program. He is looking at a lot of schools. Based on his work at Graceland, and his winning performances at the Irene Ryan competition, it seems likely that a lot of schools will also be looking at Arber.