Rock On Geoffrey Holder . . . Celebrating Black History Month

One of the unique pleasures of enjoying and treasuring books is the now and then discovery of a wonderful book you missed when it first came out. In today’s publishing world, books frequently enter with a bang and then disappear without a whimper. Recently I had the pleasure of stumbling upon GEOFFREY HOLDER: A Life in Theater, Dance, and Art, by Jennifer Dunning (Harry N. Abrams 2001). What better way to commemorate Black History Month that with this glorious book about the amazing creative life of Geoffrey Holder, a man who has imbibed life with lusty enthusiasm—fully, richly focused on cultural pursuits in a way that is quite unusual today. As he says about his growing up years in Trinidad, “If you played under this tree as I did as a child, you too would believe in fairytales.”

Holder is a larger-than-life figure in every way. His whole philosophy is that “you should do everything” regardless of age. Born in 1930 on the cusp of one of America’s most creative moments yet one of its most economically deprived times, Geoffrey grew up “dancing, singing, painting, and designing clothes . . . danced his way out of Trinidad and on to New York City.” A tall black man with a magnificent body and ready, joyful smile, Holder’s style in everything he does is bold and colorful, from his dancing to his design and choreography for such productions as The Wiz, to his dynamic, masterful portraits and imaginative art works. This book inspires us all to grab life, hold on tight, but let your feet fly out behind you as the ride begins!

CARMEN & GEOFFREY, a documentary directed by Linda Atkinson and Nick Doob about Geoffrey and his fabulous wife of more than fifty years opens March 13th at New York’s Quad Cinema, DVD release summer 2009. Now available for educational purchase at http://firstrunfeatures.com/ .

To see the man considered to be the new James Earl Jones perform, check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w45Hpocfw_I&feature=related

Rosemary Carstens

http://www.carstenscommunications.com/

Indianapolis Museum of Art provides a treat for the mind and eye . . .

Recently, my friend and colleague Alyce Barry, Shadow Work facilitator and author, discovered some interesting art in the Midwest and agreed to share. – Rosemary Carstens -

"Though I lived in the Chicago area most of my life, I had never visited nearby Indianapolis until this past December. I was there to give a speech, owing to the efforts of a friend who lived in the area. The following morning, my friend drove me around the city and, learning of my love for art museums, took me to the Indianapolis Museum of Art .

We found the featured exhibit on Chinese art rather dull and went looking for something more provocative. We found it in the Contemporary Art gallery on the second floor.

Upon entering, we were confronted with a wall-sized scene of a riverside in the Old South cast upon the opposite wall from the entrance by a small projector. The scene, titled They Waz Nice White Folks While They Lasted (Sez One Gal to Another) and conceived by Kara Walker, consisted of a variety of silhouetted figures, cut from black paper and fixed to the wall over the projected image, watching a riverboat go by. Though the figures are clearly human, their shapes are not entirely normal (see image).




In the next room was Mobius Ship by Tim Hawkinson, an old-fashioned sailing ship existing, as if it could, as a Mobius strip, and constructed entirely from materials found around the artist's house (see image). For more about Hawkinson: http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/hawkinson/index.html

In an adjoining space was The Floor, a sturdy glass floor built several inches above the gallery's floor. Sandwiched between the two surfaces are thousands of tiny plastic human figures with their arms in the air, palms up and faces looking up at you as you stand on the glass above them (image not shown). This installation is the work of Korean artist Do-Ho Suh. Korean artist Do-Ho Suh. To learn more about him, go to the Art 21 site on PBS: http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/suh/index.html

I was most captivated, however, by the large piece in the final room. The Donkey, the Jackass and the Mule by artist Allison Smith began as a parade/performance evoking the issues of slavery and the civil rights movement. The three animals stand on carts, though these are animals that usually pull the carts rather than being passengers. The thick ropes lying at their feet subtly suggest both the lynchings and the hard menial labor of slave and freed blacks in the South. The enigmatic expressions on the animals' faces could be interpreted in any number of ways. More of Smith's work can be seen at http://www.allisonsmithstudio.com/ ."

The Indianapolis Museum of Art was a great discovery—don’t miss it if you’re in the neighborhood!

ALYCE BARRY is a Shadow Work facilitator in Longmont, Colorado, and the author of Practically Shameless, more than 45 weeks on Amazon.com's bestseller list of books about Jungian psychology. Alyce writes three blogs, on shadow in the news, publishing, and her own issues, among other topics. To access her blogs and other websites, visit AlyceBarry.com.

Taking it all off . . . burlesque in the new millennium

An upcoming documentary film release was brought to my attention this past week, and it’s a delight. A WINK AND A SMILE (Golden Echo Films), directed by Deirdre Timmons, follows the lives of ten “ordinary” women who do something extraordinary—enroll in Seattle's Academy of Burlesque to learn the art of striptease. This is a group of women of varied ages, shapes, and backgrounds and not a one seems a likely candidate to stand and deliver in elaborate costuming, portraying a capricious range of characters, in front of a raucous, rowdy crowd. But this interesting film doesn’t just titillate, it delves into private thoughts about such public behavior and spotlights issues of gender, power, sexuality, and social identity as well. There is more than shake, rattle, and roll going on here, and perhaps more art than not to the historic tradition of burlesque dancing. In any case, it’s good entertainment and more than a peep into an intriguing part of our culture. Opens in New York City May 1, 2009. Distributed by First Run Features, http://www.firstrunfeatures.com

For an interview of the director, go to: http://film.prostamerika.com/Deirdre.html

For a film teaser, check out the YouTube vido: http://snurl.com/aar64

Rosemary Carstens
http://www.CarstensCommunications.com