This week's stories:
Artist turns ordinary into extraordinary
By Stephanie Boyle
If you donıt recognize Ken Butler from his spots on MTV, you will certainly remember his instruments. Made from ordinary items like hammers, toothbrushes and even working telephones, Butlerıs creations incorporate both musical and visual elements to form music gone mad. The Quick Center for the Arts has a sampling of these musical sculptures, including an interactive grand piano, on display in the Dresser Foundation Gallery. The exhibits, ³Hybrid Instruments² and ³Projection Grand Piano,² opened Sept. 10 with a lecture by Butler, on his influences and works. To create one of these incredible sculptures, he said in his lecture, he relies on his imagination and whatever he has found in his travels. He started in 1978 in the basement of his home in Oregon, forming a violin from an old hatchet. Pleased with the difficulty of conception and the relative ease of assembly, Butler quickly became hooked. Since that first violin, Butler has made 400 electric-acoustic instruments, from violins to grand pianos. His work has been featured throughout the country and the world, including Germany and Holland. He has participated in 80 exhibits and given numerous multimedia performances. Butler has also set up 22 installations, events that mix sound, light, color and various images in designs so interdependent that they resemble a Rube in their complexity. In the late 1980s he moved to New York City, partly to experience the ³humbling inspiration² of other artists and partly because ³there was not enough junk on the streets of Portland, Ore.² He does not regret the decision. ³Itıs worked out very well for me,² he said. ³Hybrid Instruments² consists of dozens of his functional stringed sculptures. Made with such an incredible array of components, one could easily spend hours determining the makeup of each of Butlerıs pieces, and have a fabulous time while doing so. ³Projection Grand Piano,² a portable installation created specifically for the exhibition, combines light and sound in an interactive forum, allowing visitors to create their own unique art as they play. Since nearly 95 percent of his works resemble the bodies of well-known stringed instruments, many assume he chooses his supplies based on sonic ability. Butler quickly dispelled this myth, asking, ³Can anyone name an object thatıs not an instrument?² Anything can be turned into an instrument, he asserted, drumming on his podium. He later emphasized this point by showing a video clip of himself playing his own head with nothing but his hands and a contact microphone. In reality, he chooses his materials based on certain parameters, including weight and relative shape. In his work, Butler wanted to demonstrate the connection between musical instruments and the human body. ³Iıve always been interested in things made by hands of humans.² He went on to explain the similarities in the bodies of humans and instruments. Influenced by Cubist artists Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp, Butler said that he is often referred to as a bricoler, or jack-of-all-trades. Indeed, the idea of ³making objects into something else² intrigued Butler. With so many of these creations to his credit, many wonder what Butler will do next. ³Iıll keep (creating instruments) because itıs what I do,² adding that he now looks for more rare or unique objects to make his new sculptures. When asked if he will ever expand to wind instruments, Butler replied, ³I want to be able to keep a strong sculptural qualityIım sticking with strings.² He went on to explain that qualities of a wind instrument limit variation on design. With such a diverse collection, ³Hybrid Instruments² contains something for everyone. As for his own personal favorite, Butler chose one of his performance pieces, a small guitar made from a snow shovel, stipulating, ³If I had to live with only one.² ³Hybrid Instruments² will run until Dec. 3. Starting on Oct. 28, Butler will run a three-day residency for third graders at Eastview Elementary. Geared toward interactive creativity, the residency will educate kids on the history of music, instruments, and the science of sound. In addition, Butler will be doing a performance with a few of his amazing creations in Garret Theater on Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for ³Voices of Anxious Objects² are $5. To bring Butlerıs work to St. Bonaventure, both the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council of the Arts awarded grants to the university. According to Barbara Racker, director of the Kenney Museum and Art Study Wing, the grant from the NEA was the first ever given to the university.
By Erin Collins
Last week, The Bona Venture featured 2 freshmen trying to adjust to college life. This week two more tell what they think about being at St. Bonaventure.
Greg Conrad calls Syracuse, N.Y., home. There, he attended a private Catholic high school, with 139 students in his graduating class. As an only child, he lives with his mom and dad at home. Conrad applied to several other colleges, including Siena College, Le Moyne College, and Syracuse University. He loved the atmosphere and the people at St. Bonaventure. ³It wasnıt my first choice in the beginning, but that changed as soon as I came here,² he said. ³I love the campus, the whole family/community thing. Everybody is close. You are not a number.² Conrad also thinks Clare College gives students an opportunity to be well-rounded adults in the real world. ³I am more of an idealist. I think getting a liberal arts education is important. I consider myself very cultural and open to new things. Iım up for anything,² he said. Before college, Conrad spent a year and a half traveling around Europe, so he had an idea of what living on his own would be like. He said he is adjusting ³perfectly² to being away from his parents, adding that he talks to them two or three times a week. Conrad misses the familiarity of home the most. He also misses his friends a lot. Since Conrad lives in Francis Hall, he doesnıt have to deal with a roommate. He said he wishes he had a roommate sometimes, but enjoys the many good qualities of having a single room. ³When I first got here, I was sketchy about living in Francis. I donıt mind it as much now. I know everyone on my floor really well because we are all in singles,² he said. ³We have already started a tradition of going to Randyıs (Up the River) to watch Monday Night Football. They have great chicken wings.² He played in the Frosh Hoops Tournament, where he met a lot of new people. ³I have a wall of phone numbers I have been trying to keep track of,² he said. Conrad thinks college classes involve more discussion and class participation. ³Whenever anybody in high school gave an opinion in class, nobody else would speak up to argue,² he said. ³Here, I got into a discussion in American Politics with somebody and it almost took up the whole class period. I like that, I like voicing my opinion.² In general, Conrad said he has had a fairly easy time adjusting so far. ³When I came here for orientation, I was really happy with everything,² he said.
Mandy Botomlee from Cleveland, Ohio, had a more difficult time adjusting to life away from home. Before she moved to St. Bonaventure, she had never been away from home for more than a week and a half at a time. ³I was one of those people who said, I canıt wait to get out of here. I want to get away from this high school and away from everyone,ı² she said. ³The first night I was here, I was excited, but after a few days I was extremely homesick. I never ever thought that would be an issue.² Botomleeıs homesickness has gotten progressively better each day she spends at St. Bonaventure. She talks to her family every day and they offer support. ³Iım a very sociable person, but it takes a lot of energy to go out and meet new people every day,² she said. ³It is getting better. People are starting to find their friends and get into the swing of things.² Despite missing home, Botomlee loves going to school here. She came to watch Mike Gansey, a former classmate, play basketball last year. She looked at 15-20 colleges and ended up back at St. Bonaventure. ³I was really surprised by the mountains and small-town campus,² she said. ³It is really pretty here and everyone was so friendly. Everyone said hello. That was a really big thing for me, to be with people who are caring,² she added. Botomlee has adjusted to the college class schedule. Having different classes on different days was something new for her. In high school, she had eight 50-minute classes every day. ³There is a lot more work in general,² she said. ³I was surprised by the fact that you do a lot more reading, but there is not a lot of busy work. It is up to you to stay on top of things because you donıt have a quiz every day.² She also had to get used to sharing a room, since she had her own at home. She said it wasnıt a big issue, just something different. ³My roommate and I share everything and are considerate of one another,² she said. ³We deal with things as they come up.² One of the biggest adjustments for Botomlee has been the amount of alone time she now has. ³I spend a lot more time by myself here. At home, I was always with my family or out with my friends. I never had so much individual time,² she said. Botomlee has found herself becoming more responsible now that she is on her own. With no parents to tell her what to do and when to be home, it is now up to her to keep things on track. ³In high school, I was a really big procrastinator. But I have really been on top of things. It is only the first week, but I have really been trying to stay on schedule,² she said. ³It is weird because at home, I would go out with my friends until 11 p.m. or 12 a.m. on a school night and then come home and do homework. Now, all my homework is done by that time and I go to bed at midnight.²
Thursday released their second album, ³Full Collapse,² on Victory Records last year. Since then, the relatively unknown group has spent its time wisely and developed an audience. The band toured with Sparta last winter and played on the Warped Tour all summer. Thursdayıs hard work has paid off. MTV has been playing the video for ³Understanding in a Car Crash,² a song the group wrote about a friend who died behind the wheel. Mainstream radio seems to have picked up on the underground hype surrounding the band. At a concert featuring more than 70 bands, Thursday had the most energy of any group at Warped in Buffalo on Aug. 14 at LaSalle Park. Their 30 minute set blew away the audience with an explosion of hardcore emotion. The New Jersey-based band has a hard sound with heavy guitars, pounding drums and screeching lyrics. Lead singer Geoff Rickly alternates between angry screams and mumbles, expressing regret and compassion. On stage, he alternates between swinging his microphone dangerously close to his bandmates and holding it towards the crowd. The kids at Thursdayıs set in Buffalo knew the words to sing. In ³Autobiography of a Nation,² a song aimed against American culture, Rickly couldnıt be heard over the shouts of, "write these words back down inside. We have burned their villages and all the people in them died and we adapt their customs and everything they say." ³Full Collapse,² which has sold 152,000 copies, according to Rolling Stone, has so many emotions on it one canıt be picked to describe the bandıs nature. Thursday alternates between anger and hope. One moment they seem pessimistic, but show optimism with lines such as, "I donıt want to feel this way forever,² in the song ³Understanding...² For a band of 20-somethings, Thursday explores psychological depths that the music scene hasnıt seen in years. Their controlled chaos moves audiences. When the band plays Waterstreet Music Hall in Rochester on Nov. 9, the crowd will be treated to an experience that will leave them telling friends about a new band with whom they connected. The album is a must have. Thursday features Rickly; Tom Keeley, guitar; Steve Pedulia, guitar; Tom Payne, bass; Tucker Rule, drums and Andrew Everding, keyboard.
Finding a solution for your financial woes By Jennifer Jermain Assistant Features Editor
Itıs that time of the year again. Catching up with old friends, decorating your residence-hall room and settling into a routine for the semester. Now the only problem is what are you going to do about spending money? This is where the Financial Aid Office can help. Lorrie Fisher helps students and their parents understand how they can afford tuition at St. Bonaventure, calculates their loan eligibility based on financial need and works closely with the loan application process. In addition she coordinates Federal Work Study. She takes the information for new students and assigns them to as many jobs as she can find within the university, so that work can get done on campus. The financial aid office is also responsible for calculating time sheets. Then the balances are sent up to payroll where the final input is done so that students can get paid every two weeks. Federal Work Study is a program where one-fourth of a studentıs pay is paid by the department and the balance is paid for by the Federal government. This means that if a student earns minimum wage, the employer only pays $1.29 for the services. This allows departments on a fixed budget to hire more students. The Bona Work program is available to students who are financially ineligible to work on campus and be paid fully by the supervising department. Fisher sent out paperwork to all new students to get an understanding of their skills and interests. She then assigns jobs to students based on their listed skills and the order that they were returned to the office. The problem is that there are always more students than jobs. In order to help everyone get a job Fisher says, ³Weıve asked the employers to refrain from hiring a student who already has a position, and hire someone else first so we can get the maximum number of students in a position. Approximately 20 percent of students change jobs during the semester, mainly because the hours needed do not fit in to their schedule. Fisher said, ³Itıs important to remember that having a job is a nice thing, but it comes secondary to academics.² She advised trying out an assigned job for a few weeks before turning it down, especially if it is something new. All work-study students have to file a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and filing this determines what an individualıs need is. The government takes the cost of attendance at a university and subtracts the estimated family contribution. Then the resulting balance is considered to be the studentıs need. It is important to keep in mind that a student cannot exceed the amount of financial aid they are granted. Itıs a student responsibility to track how much they have been paid to make sure that they do not exceed their aid. If a student does happen to exceed their granted amount they may switch to the Bona Works program if the employer agrees. If they do not, the student will not be able to work anymore. It is equally important to complete time sheets correctly, or else a student will not be paid on time. Missing information, and recording an incorrect number of hours, will slow down the payroll process. Payroll sheets are generally due on Tuesdays before noon and they should be recorded in quarter hours and placed in the brown box in the financial aid office. It is important to note that all Federal and state tax paperwork must be in place before a student can be paid. Sodexho and housekeeping are two departments on campus who are always looking for employees, so feel free to contact either in regards to seeking employment, Fisher said. All available jobs are posted on the student notice board at http://sbunews.sbu.edu under the student drop down box, as soon as the financial aid office knows of them. Fisher said that work-study ³is supposed to represent the working world and environment so the students gain experience. When students leave the university theyıll know how an office truly operates and be able to build social relationships with people that they work with. Work study is meant to be a learning experience.²
Students are advised to work with supervisors to ensure that both parties
are happy. Any and all questions should be directed to the Financial Aid
office as soon as possible to be sure that everyone understands the
process.
Send questions and comments to The Bona Venture. |