Posted: February 18, 2008
The Spurlock Museum is featuring two new temporary exhibits and associated events for spring 2008. Celebrate our new exhibits at the opening reception on Friday, March 28, at 7:00 PM.
Exhibits
Calypso Music in Postwar America:
Photographs and Illustrations 1945-1960 Concert for the Public
In the Campbell Gallery, Calypso Music in Postwar America: Photographs and Illustrations 1945-1960 explores the major impact of calypso music from Trinidad on the popular culture of the United States after World War II. During the postwar years, Americans were captivated by calypso's poetic statements, social observations and lively rhythms. Rare photographs and promotional graphics are featured and trace the calypso trend in phonograph recordings, song publishing, nightclub acts, concerts, Broadway shows, and Hollywood movies.
By presenting documentation of a wide range of performers, the exhibit examines how calypso's popularity was shaped by mass media, a booming entertainment industry, Caribbean migration to the U.S., American military service and tourism in the Caribbean, and the postwar folk music revival.
Calypso Music in Postwar America was organized by the Historical Museum of Southern Florida and funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. It will be on display from Tuesday, March 25, to Sunday, August 10.
Qak'aslem, Qakem: Kaqchikel Maya Weaving
The second new exhibit this spring, Qak'aslem, Qakem: Kaqchikel Maya Weavings, is a collaboration between the Spurlock Museum, visiting curator Peter Rohloff, and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Running from March 25 through June 8 in the Campbell Lobby, this small display discusses three Maya woven textiles. Each piece represents a different village in the Kaqchikel-speaking region of Guatemala. One of these pieces, a po't (shirt) of brilliant flowers, is a commissioned work, woven for the Museum by Magda Silvia Sotz Mux of San Juan Comalapa.
Qak'aslem, Qakem is supported by the Illinois Arts Council and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
Ms. Sotz Mux will be visiting the University during March and April and will demonstrate her weaving techniques on her backstrap loom in special events on April 12 and 19 at the Museum.
Events
Weaving Demonstrations by Guest Artist Magda Sotz Mux
Saturday, April 12, 10:00 am-noon and 1:30-3:30 pm
Saturday, April 19, 10:00 am-noon
Ms. Sotz Mux is recognized as a master weaver who continues the ancient Maya practice of weaving on a backstrap loom. Most of her work is done in the contemporary Chiq'a'l style, which incorporates traditional color schemes and geometric patterns as well as more modern counted patterns. Weaving on the backstrap loom-an ancient practice carried on by Maya women in Guatemala today-attests to Maya resiliency and ingenuity in the face of 500 years of colonization.
On April 12, Magda will begin a new piece by assembling and warping her loom in the Museum. On April 19, she will demonstrate how traditional brocading techniques are used when introducing design elements on a newly assembled loom. A Kaqchikel interpreter will be on hand for both demonstrations and will translate as Magda describes her weaving process and responds to questions and comments from Museum visitors.
Kaqchikel Maya Weaving
Lecture-Demonstration by weaver Magda Sotz Mux and visiting curator Peter Rohloff
Saturday, April 19, 2:00 pm
This lecture-demonstration features guest artist Magda Sotz Mux and guest curator Peter Rohloff in a lively dialogue inspired and illustrated by weaving demonstrations. Brief orienting comments on Maya weaving and indigenous identity in contemporary Guatemala will be followed by wide-ranging discussion involving the artist, curator, and audience members. Topics will include use of the backstrap loom, weaving technique, materials, and terminology as well as broader issues such as Maya identity and the place of weaving and similar practices in pan-Maya cultural revitalization. Live video, projected simultaneously on a large screen, will enhance audience participation by providing a close-up view of Magda's weaving demonstration. As Magda will be speaking in Kaqchikel with the aid of an interpreter, attendees will have the opportunity to appreciate this beautiful, vibrant language.
Steelpan Concert by Panoramic
On Friday, April 18, join us for a steelpan concert by Panoramic. Formed by steelpan virtuoso Liam Teague and Robert Chappell (piano, marimba, vibes, tabla), Panoramic combines intricate original compositions and intense improvisations with calypso, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and even East Indian rhythms. The event will begin with a 15-minute introduction to the history of steelpan. The concert begins at 7:00 pm. $5 admission.