The Ferris State Torch » A&E

Calling All Artists

Grace Seymore, Interim Staff Writer — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:00:34 +0000

There are over 200 registered student organizations at Ferris, but none that is specifically focused on visual art.

However, Carrie Weis, director of the Rankin Art Gallery, is trying to change that. Weis first saw the need for an art RSO when a student talked to her about the possibility of starting one. Soon after, students began approaching her about setting up art competitions across campus.

By providing an RSO for students who are interested in art, she hopes to help these students accomplish their goals of providing a creative outlet for students and help them learn more about art.

One does not necessarily need to be good at art in order to join this organization; he or she simply needs an interest in art to join. Weis said this organization would assist members in interpretation, appreciation and greater understanding of art.

Ideally, a group meeting would consist of discussing an artistic concept, going out and viewing that type of art and then making art.

“You are only limited by your creativity,” Weis said. “If you have a room full of really creative people, I just see really wonderful things happening.”

The only requirements for starting an RSO is having a faculty advisor and members, and then registering with Ferris to become an official organization.

Although there are organizations for crafting and different kinds of performing arts, this would be the first RSO for visual art.

“I think there are all kinds of reasons that art is important in and of itself, whether it’s a form of expression or a form of self reflection. It’s what makes us human,“ Weis said.

Calling All Artists is a post from The Ferris State Torch. If images or multimedia are missing, please visit the original post at the web site.

Real Life Tooth Fairies

Rachel Szucs, A&E Editor — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:00:38 +0000

With February being Children’s Dental Health Month, first– and second-year FSU dental hygiene students in the Student American Dental Hygiene Association (SADHA) are anxiously awaiting the Children’s Dental Health Fair.

Taking place Feb. 11 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the FSU Dental Hygiene Clinic, the fair aims to reach out to the community by providing much needed dental care for children. Students will be doing cleanings, sealants, x-rays, fluoride treatments, as well as providing a fun environment for the kids by providing face painting, games, snacks, and even by dressing up a couple students as tooth fairies.

“Working on kids can be difficult because they are so afraid. I know I was,” Montana Moore, first-year dental hygiene student, said. “I’m not around kids a lot so it will be interesting to socialize with someone so little and scared and to see what works and what doesn’t.”

Local dentists will also be volunteering their time and efforts.

“As hygienists there is only so much we can diagnose. But it’s a good time to help teach them about preventive practices and things they need to make a habit out of at a young age,” Moore said.

Michelle Kirby, second-year dental hygiene student and class president, said that though there is no way to know for sure what percentage of families coming in have access to quality dental care or insurance, the fair is an opportunity for those who are struggling financially to give their kids the care they need, even if it’s just education.

“It gives low income families needed dental care. We also do table clinics about diet, nutrition and child caries. I’ve been really fortunate to have dental care my whole life. I think most hygienists want everyone else to have it too,” Kirby said.

Not only does the fair benefit the children and parents, but it’s also much needed practice for the students. Working with the children gives them the opportunity to grow as hygienists, but more importantly, as people.

“You see people from all different backgrounds and life styles. I would like to work in a pediatric office eventually so I’m excited to see how another hygienist handles a child in different situations and with different needs. Sometimes it’s sad to see what comes in. But then you feel affirmed that you are helping them,” Ashley Fennema, first-year dental hygiene student, said.

Much work and preparation goes into the fair before the big day. Student committees work hard to find sponsors for prizes, campus involvement for food, and to recruit volunteers.

“It’s a busy day, a big learning experience and involves a lot of teamwork,” Kirby said.

The Children’s Dental Hygiene Fair is free for all children 13 and under. The clinic also offers $25 cleanings regularly. For more information, contact Kirby at michelleakirby@yahoo.com n

Real Life Tooth Fairies is a post from The Ferris State Torch. If images or multimedia are missing, please visit the original post at the web site.

The Bigger Picture

Christa Cwiek, Copy Editor — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:15:24 +0000

Art Show Winner: FSU junior Lauren Pinner, above, was the Judge’s Choice winner in the Honors Art Show. Her artwork was created from 365 photographs, one documenting each day of the year in her life. Photo By: Brock Copus | Multimedia Editor

They say a picture is worth a thousand words; put 365 pictures together and you’ve got quite a story to tell.

Lauren Pinner, FSU junior in graphic design, competed for the second time in the Honors Art Show held Jan. 25 at Rankin Art Gallery. This year, Pinner won the coveted Judge’s Choice Award, chosen by Dr. William Culpepper, an assistant professor in FSU’s graphic design program.

Pinner’s artwork told a year’s worth of stories in a single piece of art. Starting on her twentieth birthday, she took a photo every day for 365 days and wanted to document them in some way.

Her piece consisted of all 365 photos attached to a piece of plywood and nails connecting strings to all of the pictures. The center of her board spelled out “365” with all of the strings from the photos.

Honors Art Show: Students and faculty gathered to view dozens of artworks created by FSU honors students. Photo By: Brock Copus | Multimedia Editor

“This piece expresses the journey I took in taking all the pictures,” Pinner said. “All of the little experiences connect into one giant work. They are interwoven life events.”

Some of the photos on her board include ones she took during a mission trip to Juarez, Mexico with His House Christian Fellowship to build houses. Others include a family trip to Colorado.

Once all the pictures were taken, it took Pinner a few full days of working on the piece to complete it.

Being a graphic design major, Pinner keeps busy during the school year with projects for classes. She also enjoys photography and watercolor painting.

“Art is a way to express what’s going on inside of us,” Pinner said. “It is a creative release—a way to deal with life events and express experiences. I wanted to convey my experiences to other people who haven’t been able to do all the things I’ve done and try to involve them in my art so they can ‘experience’ it too.”

Pinner believes the main goal of art in general is to get other people to feel and experience what the artist feels.

Crowd Favorite: FSU sophomore Matt Agnone won Crowd Favorite in the Honors Art Show. Agnone’s painting was one of dozens of artworks on display in the Rankin Art Gallery. Photo By: Brock Copus | Multimedia Editor

Culpepper described Pinner’s piece as having the ability to connect viewers to different places and portray the symbolism of where she’s traveled.

“Her individual memories connected to making something bigger,” Culpepper said.

When Culpepper announced the winner, Pinner felt excited yet surprised.

“There were a lot of really good pieces,” Pinner said. “I felt honored that I was chosen and satisfied knowing that I made something that was good and that other people saw that. It feels good to have that positive affirmation.”

Pinner took home a prize of $100 dollars in gift certificates to various Big Rapids businesses and a plaque.

“I was impressed with all the pieces,” Pinner said. “I enjoyed seeing other students doing art and witnessing how it can unify people.”

The Bigger Picture is a post from The Ferris State Torch. If images or multimedia are missing, please visit the original post at the web site.

Torch Top 5 Internet

Jax Anger, Ferris State Torch — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:00:56 +0000

Tagged on YouTube as “the dumbest person in the world,” I’ll leave that judgment up to you. As a California-born person myself, I am happy to say I don’t, in any way, represent this. This should be a warning to anyone who has an opinion: Make sure you know what you’re talking about before you open your mouth, or you will be laughed at on YouTube for weeks to come.

youtube.com/ScgFIKXKFkc

If you haven’t read this story yet, here’s the link below to the “Three Surprising Reasons to Give Up Soda” article that has been being passed around. I’m going to miss Dr. Pepper.

health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/3-shocking-soda-facts

Do you like high heels? Want to see something interesting? Designer Kobi Levi takes this classic shoe into a new realm of fantasy. His odd designs are nothing normal. This blog showcases some of his best work.

mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/incredibly-creative-high-heels/

Get ready for game day on the official NFL site for Superbowl 46!

www.nfl.com/superbowl/46

A very interesting perspective about why time seems to be more transient as we get older. NPR’s Robert Krulwich tells us why.

npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122322542

Torch Top 5 Internet is a post from The Ferris State Torch. If images or multimedia are missing, please visit the original post at the web site.

Daily Dose of Creativity

Grace Seymore, Interim Staff Writer — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:00:24 +0000

Readers, get out your calendars and prepare to fill them up for the next month.

From Jan. 29 to Feb. 29, there is at least one event daily as part of Ferris’ Festival of the Arts. These events range from harp recitals to haiku workshops, so there is something for everyone. The best part of these events is that the majority are free.

Festival of the Arts aims to bring together Ferris State and the Big Rapids community while promoting the arts and providing a way for students and community members to experience art in a whole new way.

Carrie Weis, director of the Rankin Art Gallery and one of the organizers of the festival, is trying to include events related to many different artistic interests.

“We’ve selected a number of events that span the entire month that are as diverse in genre as possible,” Weis said. “We want to offer something for everyone.”

Many local artists and musicians perform or display their artwork, as well as other artists from all over Michigan. Last year, there were around 4,000 people who attended the events, and Weis is optimistic about a good turnout again this year.

Gabe Aikins, FSU freshman in music industry management, said, “I think it’s a great idea. It’s a really good way to show off all the talent that we have here in Big Rapids and at Ferris.”

Not every event is a strictly art-show type events. There are writing and poetry workshops, movie showings, concerts, plays and even a cake decorating workshop.

Weis described Festival of the Arts as “a collaborative event that is really trying to bridge Ferris and the community and develop strong relationships.”

Daily Dose of Creativity is a post from The Ferris State Torch. If images or multimedia are missing, please visit the original post at the web site.

Torch Music Review

Jax Anger, Ferris State Torch — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:00:18 +0000

The Banana Convention– “Leap”

Saginaw Michigan brought us this fun-loving band for a Saturday night stint at a local bar. With an interesting name and biography, The Banana Convention crew will not let you down with fun songs filled with a punk attitude. Working in harmony, The Banana Convention gives you something to look forward to in your player. They sound a lot like No Doubt, with the exception that their lead female vocalist actually has talent. I would compare their vocalist to Fiona Apple, but their music is much faster paced, and fits nicely into a punk-ska or rock genre. The lyrics range from political and societal innuendos to romantic intrigue. There are many themes The Banana Convention runs under, and their advertisement claimed the eccentric “Circus Rock,” but I heard no such thing on the CD that I would feel to be circus-like in the least. This album is definitely worth picking up and listening to, as it’s fun and light-hearted, though the lyrics may not be so fluffy as a ska-sounding guitar riff.

4 out of 5 Torches

Torch Music Review is a post from The Ferris State Torch. If images or multimedia are missing, please visit the original post at the web site.

Today’s Tech

Brock Copus, Multimedia Editor — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:21:41 +0000

Spotify, a music streaming service, reached an important milestone of 3 million paying users which is 20% of its user base. Spotify allows users to listen to music on various devices such as computers, mobile phones, or televisions.

The spike in premium users may have occurred since it limited free users who used the service for six months to only listen to ten hours a month.

The Swedish company recently came to the United States last July, after delay with negotiating with the major music labels to license their music. Previously, they operated in Europe but delayed their US launch till they could be legal.

Spotify has had problems making a profit since coming stateside. This is in comparison to Grooveshark, which was doing well financially with the exception of its new legal battle against the major music labels for not paying royalties since signing a licensing agreement.

Both services allow users to listen to music without the need to pay to download on iTunes or try and find a good quality version on YouTube. This is also in comparison to Pandora, which picks songs to play based off your individual music preferences. n

Today’s Tech is a post from The Ferris State Torch. If images or multimedia are missing, please visit the original post at the web site.

Auditions For “Avenue Q” Not for the Faint of Heart

Grace Seymore, Interim Staff Writer — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:00:30 +0000

Puppets and college plays are not two things that usually go together.

That is, unless your school is performing “Avenue Q,” a raunchy coming of age story that is equal parts musical and puppet show. Described by some as a very grown up “Sesame Street,” “Avenue Q” will be Ferris’ spring show, and auditions are taking place Jan. 23, 24, and 25 in the Williams Auditorium.

Director Katherine LaPietra described the play as “both funny and thought provoking and more than a little controversial.” The fact that this show is racy and a musical may contribute to a smaller audition turnout than for most shows, but LaPietra remains optimistic.

There were around 40 actors signed up to audition. There are eight main roles to fill in addition to many other smaller roles for a total of about 20 roles.

Kate Schwartz, FSU senior in business administration and assistant stage manager for “Avenue Q,” said some may be turned off by the adult content in the show.

“Some people aren’t willing to be a part of something that is so controversial,” Schwartz said. “There are many debatable topics that the show covers from gays to racism.”

This can be witnessed just by some of the controversial song names, such as “The Internet is for Porn” and “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist.” One thing that makes “Avenue Q” different from any other play put on by Ferris is that most of the cast is made up of puppets.

Schwartz said the most difficult part of the casting and auditioning process is that there is “too much talent.” Many talented actors show up and audition, but there are a limited number of roles.

“It gets very hard to see five people fit for the same role but can only cast one,” Schwartz said. “This is good for the theatre, but makes it hard on casting.”

Auditions For “Avenue Q” Not for the Faint of Heart is a post from The Ferris State Torch. If images or multimedia are missing, please visit the original post at the web site.

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New Year, New Opportunities

Rachel Szucs, A&E Editor — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:13:32 +0000

Ferris State University has always prided itself on representing students from all different races and ethnicities. But for Chinese students at FSU, yesterday was the first time that Chinese New Year was officially celebrated on campus.

“We’re trying to create awareness of the fact that it is Chinese New Year. We have a growing population of Chinese students on campus and want to give them the opportunity to share their culture and this time of celebration. They’ve been very excited about this,” Study Abroad & National Student Exchange Manager Tara Braun said.

Actual Chinese New Year began Jan. 23, and the celebration will continue for 15 days.

Each day, various events or traditions take place. For example, the first day is one to meet with family and elders. The last day is the Lantern Festival, where those who celebrate eat various traditional Chinese dishes. The event at Ferris wasn’t aimed at any particular day, but rather hoped to encompass various elements of the new year and its traditions.

The celebration, efforts of the Chinese student registered student organization, took place in the Rankin Center Dome room yesterday. It included four tables: one teaching calligraphy, another on the language, one on traditions, and one on paper cutting. There was also food from New China restaurant and students doing kung fu and singing. A professional pipa player was also hired for the event.

Xiaohua Li, Chinese international student and president of the Chinese RSO, came to Ferris two years ago from south of Beijing. Her first year at FSU was spent studying English as a second language, and her second year is in pre-dental hygiene. One of the things Li was so excited about was to be able to introduce Chinese New Year to those beyond the Chinese student population.

“The Chinese students celebrate by ourselves. If we live in the dorms we make dumplings,” Li said. “We want to remember our traditions in China and we also really want to share with a lot of friends about the Chinese culture. We want a lot of people to know about China.”

Li hasn’t been home since she came to FSU two years ago, so celebrating the new year also brings comfort through community and shared traditions.

“We have a lot of new Chinese students and we want to celebrate the holiday together because we miss our family and we want to share our culture with people and friends from other countries,” said Li.

Despite her enjoyment of immersing herself in a completely different culture, Li has met some challenges.

“I think I enjoy staying here for studying and meeting different cultured friends. But the first time I came here it was really hard for my language study. Sometimes I cannot speak and if I want to say something I don’t know how to explain it by myself,” Li said.

But Li has seen the challenges as a learning experience, and in addition to her excitement of sharing her own holiday and traditions, has appreciated learning about other cultures.

“In America they include a lot of cultures so it’s kind of fun to celebrate Christmas and other holidays,” Li said.

The Chinese New Year celebration was made possible thanks to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

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Torch Music Review January 25, 2012

Jax Anger, Ferris State Torch — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:00:37 +0000

End of Existence– Demo Tracks

End of Existence comes not from the depths of Dante’s Inferno, but from the middle of our great state of Michigan. Another metal band on the scene comes through with a vocal ability that ranges from Dio to Deicide. We’ve all heard the low warbling of other metal bands, and as stated in previous reviews, metal is an acquired taste for some. End of Existence, however, brings to the plate a large dose of falsetto and higher ranged tones I haven’t heard out of a local or regional band yet. The band has plans to release its first album in the winter of 2012. The chief complaint I had with the tracks previewed were the choppiness of some of the songs. The transitions between verse and chorus seemed more forced than natural. The lyrics weren’t exacerbating to decipher for the metal genre, but likewise they were not a shining work of poetic bliss either. However, on the bright side, the technical guitar work and vocal range differentials make me want to don my spandex jump suit and tease my hair followed by a seven hour long air guitar solo. This is possibly the only band I can think of in the Michigan area that can take an 80s hard metal sound and make it modern.

Torch Music Review January 25, 2012 is a post from The Ferris State Torch. If images or multimedia are missing, please visit the original post at the web site.

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