Feb. 10: Let your spirit soar with Sufi music (in Bloomington)

One of the country's foremost experts discusses Sufi Music & Ritual in Turkey

When: Saturday, February 10th 4:00-6:00pm

Where: IMU, Faculty Room of the University Club, IU Bloomington

Irene Markoff is adjunct faculty members in the York University Graduate Program in Music. Of Bulgarian heritage, she directs York’s Balkan Ensemble. She is considered one of the world's leading experts on Sufi music, having written her PhD dissertation on musical theory, performance and the professional baglama (folk lute).

On Friday February 9, she will lead a workshop on strategies and reflections on an ethnomusicology career. On Saturday February 10 Irene Markoff will give a talk on Sufi Music and Ritual in Turkey. The presentation will include a discussion on poetry, rituals, music, and the concepts of sama and zikr. Performance (baglama and voice) will be integrated into the presentation. Light refreshments provided

Bloomington is also hosting the Annual Middle Eastern Festival Feb 1st-10th. Middle Eastern film, poetry, and cuisine, lectures on Middle Eastern art and architecture, Egyptian and Saudi folkdance, Windfall Dancers with Salaam, Historical Society photo archive project, and more. NELC sponsored events such as Irene Markoff's performance/lecture are free and open to the public. For more information call the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at 812-855-5993.

More about Irene Markoff here. She wrote an important article about "Sufi Music and Ritual in Turkey" that you might want to read before her talk.

IndyBuzz can find no examples of Markoff playing, but this is a nice example of baglama playing; so is this.

Feb. 1-10 Make the trip to Bloomington for the Middle Eastern Arts Festival

A lot of excellent events if you are in Bloomington between February 1st and 10th:
Annual Middle Eastern Arts Festival

Contact: Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Program102 Goodbody, 3rd St, Bloomington, IN 47404, 812-855-5993, Melissa Henige at nelcmesp@indiana.edu

The Annual Middle Eastern Arts Festival Feb 1st-10th celebrates Middle Eastern art, culture, and influence. Visit the event website at www.indiana.edu/~nelcmesp/arts for descriptions, dates, locations, etc. This year, theFestival will feature Middle Eastern art and ethnomusicology, art demonstrations, films, food tasting, folkdance, poetry, lectures, and much more. The sponsored events are free and open to the public.









Windfall Dancers, and Iraqi music group Salaam

When: Feb. 2nd, 3rd, 9th, and 10th at 8:00pm

Where: John Waldron Arts Center,122 S. Walnut St. http://www.artlives.org/

Windfall Dancers use modern dance as a narrative to tell the age-old stories of Arabian Nights. The Iraqi music group, Salaam, performs with them. This show will be a magical event suitable for the entire family. Non-sponsored NELC event, so tickets cost: $10, $8 students and seniors. Tickets available by calling 812-334-0506, at 1101 N. Dunn St, or online at http://www.bloomingtonarts.info/


*********************************************************************************** Middle Eastern Book Exhibit

When: Feb 1st-18th 9AM-5PM
Where: IU-Fine Arts Library, 2nd floor 1133 E. 7th St,

A selection of Fine Arts Library books and facsimile editions of manuscripts on Middle Eastern arts and culture will be exhibited. Accompanying this exhibition will be a selection of artists' books by Buzz Spector, Chair, Department of Art, Cornell University. Contact B. J. Kish Irvine, Fine Arts Librarian for more information 812-855-5445. Free


************************************************************************************ Persian Film: "The Twilight"

When: Thursday Feb 1st, 7-9pm
Where: Swain East 140, IUB campus

"The Twilight", directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, presents an intense and stark portrait of life among the rural underclass and meditates on the meaning of freedom.

In 1998, petty criminal, Reza, who has spent half his life in prison in a northwestern part of Iran marries a woman prisoner. They have a child together and, after a while, the woman is pardoned. Several months later the man is also released. The three of them begin a new life outside the prison, but a harsh society is waiting for them. The director, Mohammad Rasoulof, was born in Shiraz in 1973. He has made numerous short films and has worked as assistant director on feature films. "Twilight" is his first feature film. It is based on true events and the characters play themselves.

Contact: plosensk@indiana.edu; sdaneshg@indiana.edu

************************************************************************************ Children's Spectacular

When: Sunday Feb 4th, 2-3pm
Where: Monroe Public County Library, 303 E. Kirkwood Ave, Library Auditorium

Children's comic program with folkdance, swordsman, and tales from the Middle East. The program has been designed specifically for children, though enjoyable for any age! Performers Katya Faris and Mohamed Shahin will dazzle with their elaborate colorful costumes, dance, and music! Free. For more information call 812-349-3100 or http://www.monroe.lib.in.us/



*********************************************************************************** Middle Eastern Cuisine Sunday

When: Sunday Feb 4th, 7pm
Where: Café Ragazzi, 212 S. Rogers Bloomington

Middle Eastern Cuisine Sunday fills up quickly so please call for reservations for International Cuisine Sunday. Graduate student, Ahmad Almallah, and Café Ragazzi owner, Tamyra Dippolito, will present the cuisine and history of Palestine. Call for reservations: 812-323-9005.

************************************************************************************ Internationally known contemporary artist Najjar Abdul Musawwir

When: Monday February 5, 7:00pm
Where: Foster International Center

Najjar Abdul-Musawwir is an award-winning painter, community-arts organizer, educator and consultant. Signatures of Musawwir’s paintings are harmonious visions of contrasting colors, flowing liquidation, and symbolic transparency. He believes the liquidation of the under painting gives balance to the glazing brush strokes in his works. Contact Andrew Gipe

************************************************************************************ Middle East Art related lectures

When: Friday Feb. 9th, 2:30-5:30pm
Where: Lilly Library, 1200 E. 7th St.

Distinguished professors and graduate students of IU-Bloomington--Christiane Gruber, Yasmine Gencer, and Deborah Justice--will provide talks on Middle Eastern art and architecture. Light refreshments will be provided. Free: 812-855-2452, http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/

************************************************************************************ Ethnomusicology Career Workshop

When: Feb. 9th, 7-9pm
Where: Mather's Museum of World Cultures, 416 N. Indiana. St

Irene Markoff, who is well-versed in Sufi music, having written her PhD dissertation on musical theory, performance and the professional baglama(folk lute),and specialist of Turkey. She will give a workshop on "The Challenges of Teaching Turkish Music in an Ensemble/Lecture Setting," as well as strategies and reflections on an ethnomusicology career. Light refreshments provided. Free, call 812-855-6873 for more information. Sponsored by the American Turkish Society.

************************************************************************************ Ethnomusicology Presentation and Performance by Irene Markoff

When: Saturday Feb 10th, 4-6pm
Where: IMU, Faculty Room of the University Club

Irene Markoff will give a talk on Sufi Music and Ritual in Turkey. The presentation will include a discussion on poetry, rituals, music, and the concepts of sama and zikr. Performance (baglama and voice) will be integrated into the presentation. Light refreshments provided. Sponsored by the American Turkish Society. For more on this event, see

February 10: Attend an artsy fundraiser for the IU-Moi partnership in Kenya

An Art benefit to support the HIV/AIDS program of the IU School of Medicine and Moi University in Kenya at The Studio School & Gallery

When: Saturday, February 10 PREVIEW SHOW : 5:00-6:30 PM; GENERAL SHOW: 6:30 PM to 10 PM

Where: The Studio School & Gallery 5610 E. Washington St. Indianapolis 46219 (Located in the heart of Historic Irvington)

The Studio School & Gallery for an evening of panoramas that startle the imagination, inspire the spirit and benefit the IU Kenya partnership and the Imani Workshop. Take home a sunrise, an Acacia, a lion or a family of rhinos.

Below is a selection of the items that will be available for purchase or custom order. All items will be hand signed by the artist, Quay:

• Large scale Gicleès and photographs.
• Matted and framed in rimless glass frames.
• Oil Paintings and Watercolors on gallery hung canvasses ready to hang in your office or home.
• Custom coffee table books. With photos selected by the artist.
• Custom Coffee Table books you co-create with the artist.
• ArtMat© greeting cards.
• Note cards.
• Magnets.
• Small scale, matted photographs.

Proceeds from any items purchased on the night of the benefit will go to support the IU Kenya Partnership and the educational programs of The Studio School & Gallery.

PREVIEW SHOW : $50 per person advance sale; $60 per person, night of show

GENERAL SHOW: $25 per person advance sale; $30 per person, night of opening

Students: $15, 13 and over with I.D. Children under 12, FREE

Light hors'dourve and refreshment service will begin at 5:00PM.

*RSVP by February 3 *

For more information, By Phone: 317-351-6990; Via E-Mail: thestudioschool@sbcglobal.net

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To read an essay about Hoosiers and Africa, "Who Can Help Africans Solve Their Problems?" that connects many of the events relating to Africa this spring, go to Views-PRI, the sister site of IndyBuzz (and forerunner of the electronic magazine Provocate).

Through the end of January: Move yourself to Big Car for an exhibit of art inspired by Mexican protests

Local artist Sarah Zeta Zuckerman shows "Carteles" at Big Car Gallery (Fountain Square)

When: Through the end of January
Where: Big Car Fountain Square 1043 Virginia Ave. Suite 215 Indianapolis 46203

IndyBuzz's "First Friday" pick for January was "Carteles" [Spanish for "poster"], the Big Car opening of Sarah Zeta Zuckerman's solo exhibition, featuring works of art inspired by political and environmental brutality witnessed by the artist. "Carteles" is an assortment of small drawings, yard signs, clothing, and paintings. The art is priced low, says Zuckerman, "in an attempt to put it out on the streets and in the hands of the masses. Given its cutting-edge, socialist, and contemporary philosophies on the nature of art and its public accessibility, Big Car Gallery was natural fit for this body of work."

The catalysts for the exhibition, Zuckerman says, were public school teachers' demonstrations and police brutality that ravaged the Mexican city and state of Oaxaca. While studying indigenous art in the Oaxaca over the summer, she witnessed the government-ordered police brutality during a peaceful demonstration led by public school teachers, parents, and students protesting for higher teacher wages. As a public school teacher (teaching art at Indianapolis Public Schools' The Key Learning Community), Zuckerman had a great deal of interest and investment in the plight of the teachers. She describes how beginning June 14, 2006, police brutality rained down from helicopter and riot squads, inflaming the demonstrators, and turning a once peaceful city into a war zone. Naturally, this deeply affected millions of families throughout the entire state of Oaxaca, Mexico. 1.3 million public school children did not begin the August semester, and the majority of public school buildings stood empty, while the government headquarters in town had been seized and occupied by members of the revolting APPO party. The protest began May 22, and is still underway, gaining momentum and members from various leftist groups and agencies.

Sarah Zuckerman is an active participant of almost every field of cutting-edge art and culture in Indianapolis, from teaching to dance to the spoken word ... plus she was winner of "Masterpiece in a Day."

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out some of the others related to Mexico coming up. Craig Auchter talks about Mexico on February 7, and Steve Smith addresses the topic February 20. For a perspective about another marginalized group in Mexico, see "African Blood," the film about African-Mexicans at IMA February 22. Conflict and poverty elsewhere in Latin America are topics featured by two of Marian College's Franciscan Center for Global Studies speakers: an official from the World Bank talks about post-conflict Central America; and an influential priest talks about the Catholic Church's work in Latin America.

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January 25: "Throw Your TV Out the Window" with RothStauffenberg

Talk on "Throw Your TV Out the Window" -- RothStauffenberg exhibition placed in context of video art and media criticism

When: Thursday January 25 7:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art DeBoest Lecture Hall

Much of early video art was understood as “media criticism” because it turned the major weapon of mass media--television--against itself. Rosanne Altstatt, former Director of the Edith Russ Site for Media Art in Oldenburg Germany and now a visiting scholar at Purdue University, presents screenings and discussion about historical and recently minted classics by artists such as Nam June Paik, Dara Birnbaum, and Ant Farm. This program, on the opening night of the RothStauffenberg exhibition, will be followed by an informal gallery walk-through led by Altstatt and Rebecca Uchill, IMA assistant curator of contemporary art.

RothStauffenberg is an artists’ team that consists of Christopher Roth and Franz Stauffenberg, both of whom live and work in Berlin, Germany. The duo work on the cusp of media, video, and installation art, often combining elements from all media to create highly experiential environments. For their exhibition at IMA, the artists of RothStauffenberg will display a range of their work, and adapt some elements of existing pieces in new installations. The project will include a multi-part projection of footage taken from the artists’ Hollywood film archive, as well as wallpaper decorated with timecode, pointing to the way that directors and editors use numbers to organize film, independently of a narrative structure.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out the RothStauffenberg exhibition, which will be at IMA January 25 to July 29 in the Off the Wall Gallery and Carmen & Mark Holeman Video Gallery. You can attend the crash courses on Pop Art at the IMA February 8, and at the Eiteljorg February 15. See the exhibition of Ed Paschke at Herron School March 9, too.

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February 1: Head to IMA to learn whether weddings in China and Nigeria look all that different

Culture, Art, and World Weddings: China and Nigeria

When: Thursday February 1 6:30 pm
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art DeBoest Lecture Hall

Participants will learn about Chinese and Nigerian wedding customs in this final installment of IMA’s World Weddings Series, in which representatives from local cultural organizations demonstrate and discuss their wedding customs. After the program, participants are invited to visit the exhibition "I Do" to see examples of wedding attire from these traditions. It's free!

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out see the manifestation of traditional Chinese art and culture at UIndy on Valentine's Day.

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To read an essay about Hoosiers and Africa, "Who Can Help Africans Solve Their Problems?" that connects many of the events relating to Africa this spring, go to Views-PRI, the sister site of IndyBuzz (and forerunner of the electronic magazine Provocate).

Visit "Views-PRI" for an essay that connects many of the events related to Asian economy and culture: "China, Japan, Indiana: Eastern and Midwestern Cultures Mingle."

February 8: Jolt your world with crash course in Pop Art

Art Jolt: Pop Art, at IMA, the first of a two part course on Pop Art (part 2 is at the Eiteljorg Museum February 15)

When: Thursday February 8 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art, Adult Lecture A

IMA offers the first of a two-part crash course on Pop art, a ‘50s and ‘60s art movement influenced by advertising, mass media, comics and consumerism. Visit the exhibition Pop Art Prints and see other Pop works in IMA’s permanent collection.

During the second session, hosted Thursday February 15 by the Eiteljorg Museum, see the exhibitions Roy Lichtenstein: American Indian Encounters and Andy Warhol’s Cowboys and Indians. Parents: Bring your children for art-making activities while you enjoy the course. Presented in collaboration with the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians & Western Art. Register by Jan. 31 for either session or both by calling 317-920-2649 or email education@ima-art.org.

$30 public/ $21 members/ $25.50 students and seniors per session
To Register: Print the registration form now and mail or fax it to the Indianapolis Museum of Art (address and fax number are on the form). Or call 317.920.2648 between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, to register by phone.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out the opening of the exhibition of pop artist Ed Paschke at Herron March 9.

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February 8 : Hear IMA's Maxwell Anderson envision a culture of responsibility for museums in the 21st century

IMA director and CEO Maxwell L. Anderson speaks to Butler University's Leadership through the Arts Forum on the important theme of "The Culture of Responsibility in Art Museums"

When: Thursday February 8, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Where: Butler University, Robertson Ford Salon

Maxwell Anderson became director and chief executive officer of the Indianapolis Museum of Art in June 2006. Along with a $354 million endowment, 152 acres of grounds, and a collection of 50,000 works of art, the IMA has among the largest art museum facilities in the United States. Anderson also serves as a research affiliate for Princeton University's Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies, a program of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and writes a column on art world trends for The Art Newspaper.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out some other discussions of civic leadership such as a talk by NPR's Tavis Smiley February 2. A similar discussion will be whether capitalism can be in the public good February 27.

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February 14: Sweeten your V-Day with Chinese and Western art and music at UIndy

Plaisir d'Amour: The greatest living traditional Chinese artist, Master Au Ho-nien, joins singers from Shanghai and Indianapolis Opera for a very special Valentine's Day

When: Wednesday February 14 7:30 PM
Where: University of Indianapolis, Christal deHaan Fine Arts Center

IndyBuzz has never been accused of sentimental romanticism, but this event is worth making a Valentine's Day recommendation. One of the city's underappreciated treasures is the Museum of Master Au Ho-nien at the University of Indianapolis. When the Master is in town, it is definitely worth clearing one's schedule. Watching Master Au create a paiting with such an economy of brushstrokes is a remarkable experience.

The theme of the UIndy Valentine's Day Concert, "Plaisir d'Amour," will be "The Butterfly Lovers," a love story that is to Chinese culture what Romeo and Juliet is to Western. Here's what the disembodied people at Wikipedia have to say:

A young woman named Zhu Yingtai from Shangyu, Zhejiang, disguised herself as a man travelling to Hangzhou to study. During her journey, she met and joined Liang Shanbo, a companion schoolmate from Kuaiji (會稽) in the same province.

They studied together for three years, during which their relationship strengthened. When the two parted, Zhu offered to arrange for Liang to marry her 16 years old fictitious sister. When Liang travelled to Zhu's home, he discovered her true gender. Although they were devoted and passionate about each other at that point, Zhu was already engaged with Ma Wencai (馬文才), a man her parents had arranged for her to be married to. Depressed, Liang died in office as a county magistrate. On the day Zhu was to be married to Ma, whirlwinds prevented the wedding procession from escorting Zhu beyond Liang's tomb. Zhu left the procession to pay her respects for Liang. Liang's tomb split apart, and Zhu dived into it to join him. A pair of butterflies emerged from the tomb and flew away.

You can see a pretty telling of the story here. This story has inspired a wide range of great music and art ... we'll have a chance to hear and see some of it. On February 14th, Liang Zhu's "Butterfly Lovers" opera will be performed as a prelude. (Constant Lambert's "Eight Poems of Li Po" will be performed. So too will be love songs from Chinese and Western opera, sung by singers from Indianapolis Opera, Shanghai Normal University, and the University of Indianapolis music faculty.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out Indianapolis Opera's free "Music in Art" performance at IMA February 22.

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Visit IndyBuzz's sister site "Views-PRI" for an essay that connects many of the events related to Asian economy and culture: "China, Japan, Indiana: Eastern and Midwestern Cultures Mingle."

February 15: Jolt your world yet again at the Eiteljorg: Pop Art Part II

Art Jolt: Pop Art Part II

When: Thursday February 15 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Where: Eiteljorg Museum
$30 public/ $21 members/ $25.50 students and seniors per session

Second of a two-part crash course on Pop art, a ‘50s and ‘60s art movement influenced by advertising, mass media, comics and consumerism. During this second session, hosted by the Eiteljorg Museum, see the exhibitions Roy Lichtenstein: American Indian Encounters and Andy Warhol’s Cowboys and Indians. Parents: Bring your children for art-making activities while you enjoy the course. Presented in collaboration with the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians & Western Art. Register by Jan. 31 for either session or both by calling 317-920-2649 or email education@ima-art.org.

Register by Jan. 31 for either session or both by calling 317-920-2649 or email education@ima-art.org

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out the opening of the exhibition of legendary pop artist Ed Paschke at Herron March 9.

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February 22: Listen and watch the Music of Art: "Daughter of the Regiment"

The Music of Art: Daughter of the Regiment

When: Thursday February 22 7:00 p.m.
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art, Pulliam Great Hall (Free)

Members of the Indianapolis Opera Ensemble will perform excerpts from Daughter of the Regiment (La fille du régiment), a comedic opera composed by Gaetano Donizetti and first performed for French audiences in 1840. The story follows the romantic entanglements of Marie, a daughter in love with a peasant soldier but pressured to marry an aristocrat’s son. After the concert, see works of art in IMA’s European galleries that offer views of class differences in 19th-century French life.

The full opera will be performed March 9 and 11 at Clowes Memorial Hall. For details visit www.indyopera.org. If this event sounds interesting, you should check out the collaboration of Indianapolis Opera and the great Chinese artist Master Au on Valentine's Day.

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February 24: Experience performance art by María Magdalena Campos-Pons

A World Premiere Performance of María Magdalena Campos-Pons: Regalos/Gifts

When: February 24 3:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art Pulliam Great Hall

February 25: Get your Cuban groove on at the opening of three Cuban-oriented exhibitions

Opening Night at the Indianapolis Museum of Art for three important Cuban-related exhibitions

February 25

AfroCuba: Works on Paper, 1968-2003 -- This groundbreaking exhibition includes 56 prints and drawings by 26 artists from Havana and Santiago de Cuba. The artists represent a cross section of Cuban society, and their works exhibit a diverse range of subject matter, style and techniques.

Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons: Everything is Separated by Water -- Organized by the IMA, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons: Everything Is Separated by Water will be the first touring mid-career retrospective of this important Afro-Cuban artist’s work, comprising approximately 40 objects produced over the past 20 years. From her earliest relief paintings to her recent room-sized mixed-media installations and large-format Polaroid photographs, Campos-Pons has built a dynamic model of inventive identity. Using art to comment on her imagined displacement from Africa, her actual exile from Cuba, and her experience as a black Cuban woman living in North America, Campos-Pons has re-assembled fragments, symbols and memories of personal and collective history, religion, mythology and art. Many of her works deploy the female body—in its entirety or fragmented—to address the challenges inherent in building a coherent identity in the modern world.

February 25: Talk about "AfroCuba Through the Artist’s Lens"

Judith Bettelheim, professor of art history at San Francisco State University and leading expert on the art of Cuba, gives a talk about "AfroCuba: Through the Artist’s Lens " at the IMA

When: Sunday February 25 1:30 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art DeBoest Lecture Hall (Free)

The kaleidoscope of the contemporary Cuban experience--rife with satire, politics, and religion--becomes vivid in the Forefront exhibition, AfroCuba: Works on Paper, 1968-2003. Dr. Judith Bettelheim, professor of art history at San Francisco State University curated this thirty-five year chronicle of prints and drawings in many styles and techniques by twenty-six artists from Havana and Santiago de Cuba. In this talk, Dr. Bettelheim will provide context for viewing these diverse artworks that present the complexity of Cuba’s military and religious ties to Africa and offer vibrant critiques of contemporary race and social relations.

Judith Bettelheim has been doing fieldwork in the Caribbean consistently since 1975, focusing on Afro-Caribbean culture and festivals. Her doctoral work was on the Afro-Jamaican Jonkonnu festival. Since 1985 she has been doing fieldwork in Cuba. In preparation for the exhibition "Caribbean Festival Arts", Bettelheim visited six different Caribbean countries. She co-curated and co-authored Caribbean Festival Arts, (University of Washington Press: 1988) with John Nunley of the Saint Louis Art Museum. She received an American Council of Learned Societies fellowship for research on Carnaval in Santiago de Cuba in 1989-90 and has returned to Cuba many times, recently leading tours to the Havana Biennial and the Fiesta del Fuego in Santiago de Cuba. Her publications include Cuban Festivals: A Century of Afro-Cuban Culture, 2001 (Ian Randle Press) and AFROCUBA: Works on Paper 1968-2003, published by San Francisco State and the U of Washington Press, 2005.

For a preview, see this nice production about "AfroCuba: Works on Paper"

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out a couple of the discussions of the work of María Magdalena Campos-Pons on March 20, or April 26.

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February 25 – July 15: Dig the African roots of Cuba with Bill Rasdell at IMA

William Rasdell: African Roots in Cuban Soil

When: Opening February 25, through July 15
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art, Star Studio

Indianapolis artist William Rasdell's exhibition in Star Studio will feature digitally altered photographs, video, and sculptures made in response to visits to Callejon de Hamel, an alley in Havana that is the site of Afro-Cuban murals and sculptures by Cuban artist Salvador Gonzalez Escalona. Callejon de Hamel is an active artist community and the site of a weekly Rumba where musicians, dancers, locals, and tourists from around the globe pack the alley. Rasdell has been inspired by the work of Salvador Gonzalez Escalona and by the sights, sounds, and energy of this unique part of Havana. Visitors will be able to explore some of the elements of a Rumba by playing musical instruments, experimenting with hands-on materials and exploring art making processes related to Rasdell's work. In 1996 Bill first ventured to Cuba as a musician researching Afro-Cuban percussion and folklore at the University of Matanzas. Bill regularly utilizes digital technology in the enhancement of his photographs. Working in Adobe Photoshop, he is exploring new areas of creativity producing giclee prints of his work on the finest quality hand made papers.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out the retrospective of Bill Rasdell's work at University of Indianapolis through February 9. You can attend a reception with the artist January 19 from 6:00-8:00 PM.

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March 9: View “Ed Paschke Nonplussed” at Herron

Opening Reception of “Ed Paschke Nonplussed: Paintings 1967-2004” (which runs March 9-April 29, 2007)

When: Friday, March 9, 5:00 - 8:00 PM
Where: Herron Galleries, Herron School of Art and Design, IUPUI

Ed Paschke (1939-2004) created images that focused on American celebrity and history, while he explored issues of idenity, race, and fame. Paschke's unique, unforgettable, images were heavily influenced by the Pop artists of the 1960's. This exhibition will compliment the Eiteljorg Museum's celebration of the great American Pop artist: Roy Lichtenstein and his American Indian Encounters series (on view January - April). Catalog Available.

Opening reception free and open to the public. Free parking available in the Herron surface lot on Opening Reception night ONLY! Public parking available in the Sports Complex Garage west of Herron. Gallery Hours: Monday - Sunday 11am to 5pm, Fridays until 8pm.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out the crash courses on Pop Art offered at the IMA February 8 and the Eiteljorg February 15.

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March 20: Set sail on a "Sea of Longing" with a lecture about Campos-Pons and Caribbean Art

Krista Thompson explores the role of the sea in the art of María Magdalena Campos-Pons and other contemporary Caribbean artists

When: Tuesday March 20 7:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art DeBoest Lecture Hall

In the Caribbean one could say that everything is connected by water, that many Caribbean people across separate islands share the experience of the sea. In striking contrast to the touristic notions of the Caribbean beach, for many contemporary Caribbean artists the sea occupies a space of ambivalence, a terrain of longing and foreboding, of inheritance and loss, of history and the end of the time, of movement and failed passage, of renewal and death, of connection and separation. Krista A. Thompson, assistant professor of African Diaspora Art at Northwestern University, will explore of how María Magdalena Campos-Pons and other contemporary Caribbean artists use the metaphor of the sea to explore their own complex personal, familial, national, and diasporic histories and futures. Krista Thompson's interests include postcolonial theory and visual culture, race and representation, the imaginative geography of the tropics, Caribbean art, African diaspora performance arts, and photography in Africa and the African diaspora. Her current research examines popular photographic practices in the Caribbean and Southern United States.

Free

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April 12: Learn about foiling art thieves in Baghdad

History Makers: IHS Distinguished Speakers Series Featuring Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, author of “Thieves of Baghdad: The Journey to Recover the World's Greatest Stolen Treasures”

When: April 12 7 :00– 9:00 p.m.
Where: Pike Performing Arts Center, 6701 Zionsville Rd Indianapolis.

A real-life "Indiana Jones," Colonel Matthew Bogdanos watched in horror with the rest of the world as looters raided the Iraq National Museum after the fall of Baghdad. His mission became clear: get the treasures back and secure some of mankind's most significant artifacts. Bogdanos will recount his undertaking amidst the chaos of post-war Baghdad and his hopes for the future of the world's greatest treasures. Tickets are $25; $20 IHS members. Registration deadline April 5. Call (317) 232-1882 for reservations. The program is sponsored by Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc. Members New York Stock Exchange, SIPC.

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April 7: See Seeing Santería with a Babalawo!

A high priest of Santería leads a tour of the art of María Magdalena Campos-Pons

When: Saturday, April 7, 3:00 pm (Thursday, May 17, 7:00 pm (tour repeats)

Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art: Meet at entrance to Special Exhibitions Gallery

Santería is a New World religion derived from Yoruba (Nigeria, West African) spiritual traditions and Spanish folk Catholicism, practiced by millions in the Caribbean and South America. Growing up in Cuba, the practice of Santería shaped the life of María Magdalena Campos-Pons. Central to Santería are Orishas, multi-dimensional beings representing forces of nature symbolized by colors, numbers, rhythms and more. On "Seeing Santería: A Guided Tour," join Anthony Artis, a.k.a Babalawo Awodele, a Santería high priest, for a fascinating tour through the Campos-Pons exhibition with an eye to the Santería rites, rituals and symbols reflected in her works. Babalawo is directly translated as "father of the secrets". For more on the rituals and divinations that only the babalawo can perform, check this out.

Free with special exhibition ticket ($12) / Free to museum members

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out discussions of the work of Campos-Pons on March 20 and April 26.

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April 26: Converse about the Art of Magdalena Campos-Pons

April 26
Panel Discussion: Art’s Window: A Conversation with the Art of Magdalena Campos-Pons
Indianapolis Museum of Art
DeBoest Lecture Hall
7:00 p.m.
Free
The art of María Magdalena Campos-Pons defies categorization, breaking the boundaries of race, culture and geography, and blurring the lines between photography, installation, and sculpture. Her work begs the question: how do artists construct meaning with the language of the visual arts? How do viewers bring meanings to art? Come to the IMA for a true conversation with art and the universal human impulse to seek narrative in form. Join Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso of Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, psychologist and educator Fayth Parks of Georgia Southern University, and Elizabeth Alexander, poet, as they view the art of Campos-Pons through the window of history, healing, spirituality, and more.

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