It's Winter Break! Bwog will be moving in slow motion.

Art on Campus: The Leisure Suite

This past Thursday the Columbia art crowd was abuzz at the opening of "The Leisure Suite," a new group show curated by 2008 MFA student Martin Basher. High-minded conversation, M.F.A. gossip and Bud Light flowed readily as visitors ate cheese cubes and made their way around the small space of the LeRoy Neiman Gallery, taking in work by featured artists Colby Bird, Divya Mehra, and Ben Turner, among others.

Despite a wide array of media, low-culture seems to be the theme of the hour at "Leisure Suite." Striking, large-format photographs depict bedroom corners and closet contents; a hamburger with the works and then some is feted in bright, bold paint; masquerading as back-up refreshments, a mini-fridge full of 40s steams away in the middle of the gallery floor. The tennis court is the subject of two other pieces in the show. As a whole, "Leisure Suite" doesn't engender a whole lot of serious contemplation, which may explain the laid-back feel of the opening, not to mention the exhibition title.

But if you're hoping to drop by Dodge to check out the work, do it soon. There's nothing leisurely about the wall-life of these pieces. By the February 14th closing, its likely all the work will be snapped up by prescient collectors. One long-haired young man, already in possession of an unassuming, carefully framed sheet of recycled paper, gestured towards a piece composed of wall-mounted text: "I'm trying to buy that," he expressed, with some consternation. I'm betting that when the 40s go, it won't be for $1.99.

- Merrell Hambleton

See also: Arts

Posted by ... : #1 · reply · track
January 29, 2008 at 2:16 PM (from campus)
When did Bwog become a glorified online calendar and distilled news source?
Posted by i like this post : #2 · reply · track
January 29, 2008 at 2:20 PM (from campus)
but... isn't it media? I'm just asking, seriously.
Posted by Anonymous : #3 (in reply to #1) · reply · track
January 29, 2008 at 3:26 PM (from campus)
Are you a newtard? When was it ever anything else?
Posted by bobo : #4 · reply · track
January 29, 2008 at 5:01 PM (from campus)
Wouldn't the ice in the refrigerator melt with the door open like that? Or is the drip of melting ice over 40s a metaphor for the erosion of our cultural base? Invigorating.
Posted by now, now : #5 · reply · track
January 29, 2008 at 5:08 PM
the plural of medium is media.
Posted by wow : #6 · reply · track
January 29, 2008 at 5:39 PM (from campus)
god forbid we learn something about things going on outside our crappy dorm rooms! oh no, a lost opportunity to talk shit on someone we've never met but who we somehow have something against! how dare bwog do this to us!!
Posted by Calvin : #7 (in reply to #4) · reply · track
January 29, 2008 at 7:02 PM
This sculpture is about transcience. As it melts, it invites the viewer to contemplate the evanescence of life. This piece speaks to the horror of our own mortality!
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Events

01/10/2009


Apply now and keep everyone updated on the artistic pulse of the Columbia campus! Postcrypt Art Gallery is looking for a dedicated webmaster to maintain the official Postcrypt site, www.postcrypt.info. Please e-mail jenny@postcrypt.info with your name, year and school, experience, and statement of interest.

The application deadline is January 10, 2009.


01/24/2009

Contact email: info@eastasiareview.org

The Columbia East Asia Review is currently accepting submissions for its 2009 edition. Research papers from all disciplines and majors are welcome. For more information and submission details, please visit us at www.eastasiareview.org

or e-mail us at info@eastasiareview.org. The deadline for submissions is January 24, 2009.
East Asia Review Website


01/24/2009

Contact email: helvidius@columbia.edu

Publish that senior thesis! In its 20th year of publication, the Journal of Politics & Society is inviting submissions for its 2009 edition, which will be distributed in Barnes & Noble and Borders. Please email essays to helvidius@columbia.edu or visit http://www.helvedius.org
for more info. Deadline: January 24, 2009, all disciplines welcome.


01/26/2009

Contact email: cujh@columbia.edu

Positions on the editorial board are competitive, and choices are made by a committee of current editorial board members. To apply, send the following materials to cujh@columbia.edu with the subject line: Prospective Editor Application

Include your name, year, and majors and specializations;

A list of courses taken in the history department, or related courses relevant to the field of history (Philosophy of History; Historical Sociology, etc);

A writing sample of 5 to 7 pages, double-spaced, 12 point font dealing with a historical topic; it may be an excerpt from a larger paper, include a brief abstract if necessary;

An estimate of your availability for the Spring 2009 Semester; include other commitments and positions, and your ability to commit to the extensive reading and editing that a position on the editorial board requires.

The DEADLINE for all applications is JANUARY 26th, but we encourage you to prepare your application and send it right away. Email it with writing sample attached to: cujh@columbia.edu


02/01/2009

Contact email: periwynkle@gmail.com


Do you like to read and write about books, attend literary events/exhibitions, and frequent cafés and bookstores for readings by authors and poets? If you answered yes to any part of the above question, you should write for Spectator Books! My name is Yin Yin Lu, and I am the new Spectator A&E Books Editor. There are many benefits and inimitable opportunities for Books writers besides being able to see your name in print: interviewing all sorts of published writers, from debut novelists to Nobel Peace Prize winners, attending events at the NYPL, Symphony Space, book festivals, and museums for free, and getting free review copies of books before they are released! Last semester, for instance, I interviewed Lytton Smith and Karen Russell, both published graduates of the Columbia MFA program, attended a talk with critics James Wood and Daniel Mendelsohn at the NYPL, and heard Malcolm Gladwell speak at the New Yorker Festival.

Besides being exposed to these exciting opportunities, another reason you should write for Spectator Books is that it is not a long-term commitment - you can contribute as often or as little as you like. You can start your own column, write a recurring feature, or submit an article once every few weeks (or once the entire semester). Moreover, articles are flexible in terms of length and style, depending on whether they are features, reviews, or pieces for the Eye (Spectator's weekly arts and features magazine). Or you can post reviews of any length or style anytime you want on Spectacle, A&E's new and amazing blog.

There really are no obligations to being a Spec Books writer besides actually writing the articles that you want to. I will be sending e-mails with pitches and other information every week, and holding biweekly meetings at the Spec office, but those are not mandatory and are just an opportunity for me to assign pitches and meet my writers.

Completely enticed? Mildly interested? Still uncertain and would like more information? Whatever the case, e-mail me at periwynkle@gmail.com.


02/09/2009

Contact email: cufilmproductions@columbia.edu

Columbia Undergraduate Film Productions is launching our inaugural Production Season to write and produce original short films for our Film Festival!

CUFP Production Season will consist of intensive Screenwriters' Workshops and Directors' Workshops to offer you full creative and logistic support from your peers as you make your films on campus! We are looking for talented writers and directors who are passionate about film to create fresh, interesting material for our film festival.

Ideal candidates will be enthusiastic about film, dedicated to the workshop process, and excited to work on short films in a CUFP workshop setting. Workshops will be late Sunday afternoons and some Monday evenings.

The DEADLINE for Writers' Applications is Friday January 23.
The DEADLINE for Directors' Applications is Monday February 9

All Applicants: Send an e-mail with your name, e-mail, phone number, and school and class information to CUFPproductionseason@gmail.com. Please write a short personal statement (why are you interested in CUFP Production Season? How will you benefit from the workshop process?). Make sure to include all relevant experience with film and writing and/or directing.

**Writers: Please attach a screenwriting sample in Microsoft Word format. Writing sample should be maximum 5 pgs and should give us an idea of your narrative style and genre interest. It does not have to be the short film you will work on in workshop, but if it is not please include pitches/ideas for a short film you would like to workshop.


02/15/2009

Contact email: rhapsody@columbia.edu


Rhapsody in Blue, Columbia's urban affairs journal, having successfully, if belatedly gotten its first semester magazines in hand, is going to try again.

We're back to North America this semester. We need pitches from you. We want thoughtful, interesting, fun pieces that say something about cities. What are you interested in writing about? The first step is to send us a pitch--a paragraph about what you want to talk about, how will you do it? Pitches are due February 15. You'll hear from us if it's a go and drafts due a month later.

Old issues are on our website if you'd like to see more. Great opportunity to publish ideas from class, etc.

Send an email by us with any questions. Our FIRST MEETING for anyone interested in learning more about writing, editing, web or layout will be Wed, JAN 28, at 7:30, Broadway Piano Lounge. Also stay tuned for the study abroad blog, which should be going somewhere this semester. Let us know if you're interested in that as well.


01/6/2010

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