To Represent Opera

When I was little I was greatly immersed in the Opera world. I went to my first opera when I was five, it was The Tale of Three Oranges and I remember it vividly. I was on the edge of my seat, nearly in tears when I saw the princesses that bloomed from within the orange, wither and die slowly from dehydration. I don’t remember the words, but I remember the sorrow in their elongated notes and the lament of a life not lived. It’s not a coincidence that opera has been infused in my life, my godfather, Richard Troxell, is a world famous tenor. He’s the one that gave us the tickets, the backstage passes, and a childhood full of singing around the house. Yes now you know one of my hidden talents, singing opera. When tenor Lawrence Brownlee came to Art Sanctuary for a personal interview with Valerie Gay and a Q&A session, I was ecstatic. Throughout the day as a worked to set up the event and prepare the recording for the podcast, no one knew that I was singing under my breath or imaging grandiose sets and costumes swirling in my mind, they didn’t even know I cared about opera. Lawarence Brownlee is particularly important because he’s the lead role in the World Premiere show of YARDBIRD, which details the trials and tribulations of jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker. This is important because Charlie Parker was a black man and Lawarence Brownlee is a black man, and black men do not get portrayed in opera, let alone cast. Their stories are very rarely told, and if they make an appearance it’s often as a token or a buffoon. I remember meeting Denise Graves when I was in early elementary school. She is a black opera star, known for her powerful presence. Meeting her backstage was like staring up at a queen. She was sparkly and larger than life and seeing her sing across the stage taught me that women are powerful, and more importantly to me is that black women are powerful. With all this personal history with opera living in me, no one expected me to raise my hand and pour out my heart about opera and what it’s done for me. They didn’t expect me to engage in a discussion with Lawarence Brownlee about the future of opera and how it will connect to future generations and people of color. The Art Sanctuary has provided me with many opportunities in my very short amount to time to extend myself and meet new people with great stories and insight. Like with most art, it’s about more than just representation, it’s about acknowledgement as a fully enlightened, creating being that is equal to anyone else on this small planet.

Week #2: Supper Rehearsals "like a machine"

The dedication of the dancers (pictured above) is astounding to me. Even after one of the dancers got into a bike accident and spent the day in the emergency room, he still showed up to rehearsal. The best part is that he didn't have one complaint during the rehearsal. It appeared as though he was effortlessly lifting other dancers, getting lifted, and executing physically demanding choreography. However, I bet it took a lot of determination to get through the rehearsal. Watching these dancers has really impacted how I view a professional dancer's job. They are like machines.  Silvana mentioned that the entire piece must be run "like a machine", meaning that the choreography is being done like it is supposed to be done during the final show.

I never thought that I would enjoy being behind the scenes as much as I do. It's difficult for me to picture myself as someone who isn't performing. By learning all of the music cues and making sure each track is played at the right time, I  feel like I am a valuable part of the artistic process. I'm not saying that I want to leave from my goals of becoming a performer, though I see the value of an assistant's role during the rehearsal processes. My respect is constantly growing for people who work behind the scenes to make performances truly come to life.

When I return to Uarts in the fall I will have an easier time experimenting with choreography. Being by Silvana's side and watching her during each rehearsal is teaching me how to run rehearsals and how to communicate with other artists. Being a choreographer can be difficult because you have to rely on other artists to display your work for you. I have been reluctant in the past to set choreography on dancers because I simply was uncomfortable being in the choreographer's chair. Now I feel like I have a much better understanding of how to effectively communicate my artistic ideas to other artists. Silvana's choreographic language is something I have been admiring and learning from constantly.

I am also gaining more confidence during this process. Being a part of such a creative and thought-provoking project is helping me to understand how to take ideas and turn them into a performance or an art piece in general. I am fairly new to choreography, so now I feel like I have a much clearer mindset.

Meeting Michele

     Hello! My name is Amber Gaul; I am a rising Junior Printmaking major here at the University of the Arts. The artist that I am working with this summer is Michele Kishita, a studio painter that works here in Philadelphia. This summer we will be preparing for the many shows and events that Michele is going to be in, including a solo show and a two person show happening in the fall. I will be learning how to prep surfaces for her to paint on, managing finances and expenses, what it’s like working with galleries and customers, packing and transporting artwork to a show, and how to social network and promote yourself as a serious artist successfully. She will also help me with writing artist statements, finding shows and opportunities for myself to submit to. 

    
    When I first meet Michele, I was a little intimidated. I could tell right away that this woman was a force to be reckoned with. I could tell that she was very particular about things and that she knew exactly what she wanted to get done and how to get those things done. I wasn’t intimidated by her in the sense that I was scared of her, more so in the way that I wanted to live up to her standards. I enjoy challenges and being challenged as a person and an artist so I was very excited and ready for this opportunity. So far we have been preparing and organizing her studio to get it ready for a summers worth of work to be done. I have already learned a lot from Michele and I’m really excited to see what else she can teach me! 

Skyler's Week #2

This week with Monika we continued some of the work I had started last week. If you look at her work on meekajewelry.com, you will see a lot of the jewelry being made involves stone setting. You can set a stone in a variety of ways but she and the other artists at her store use bezel setting. Bezel setting is basically creating a perfect wall around the stone & pushing the metal over, so that it will stay.

So for my first project with Monika, she had me create a ring with a simple bezel set stone. I had done a bezel setting once before but I did not exactly enjoy doing it so I was curious to see how this would all work out.

I started with silver flat wire to creat a simple ring shank. Monika taught me a different way of forming a ring by using half round pliers. This was really interesting for me because the way I had been creating rings before was completely different. Then Monika introduced me to a variety of different tools to create the bezel. My favorite one was a metal hole punch that essentially creates a perfect circle from metal by hammering it through a steel plate. She also showed me how to dome the back of the bezel which was an extra step but really added more dimension to the ring. She then demonstrated how to move the metal walls around the stone to set it, which was a completely different method than I had been taught. Her method was actually a lot more controlled and easier. When it was my turn to give it a try, I definitely enjoyed it a lot more than the last time I had done it, which was my freshman year.

Once I was all done with the setting she showed me different ways to clean up the metal and perfect the ring. She showed me an abrasive rubber wheel that can clean the rim of the setting without scratching the stone. I love being introduced to these types of tools because this will allow me to use them in my own work... and part of making good work is having the right tools.

Once I was all done, she gave me the ring to keep which I was very excited about. I plan to wear the ring as a reminder of my learning experience. I am really excited to start incorporating more stones into my jewelry.

Skyler's Week #1 - Getting to know Monika

My first day with Monika started in May. I was very excited to travel to Harrisburg to see her store along with the studio space inside. The first day there, we spent a lot of time talking about jewelry as I assisted her in setting up my space to work. She equipped me with a new workbench, new tools and my very own mini torch. I was thrilled to have a space of my own where I could work along side of her. Through out the day we disccused many topics regarding jewelry but I was especially interested in Diamonds. I don't really know that much diamonds... but there's a lot to know! She taught me the 5 C's of diamonds - carat, color, cut, clarity, & certification. It was so interesting for me to learn all about the things considered when choosing a diamond. Jewelry making is so much more than metal, there's an entire world or stones I need to know!

Later on in the day Monika shared with me some of her own work she created when she was at UArts. Her stuff was extremely well made but a lot of it was actually quite funny. She had an interest in vintage trinkets & so she incorporated a lot of them into her jewelry. My favorite piece of hers was a little toilet brooch... you just have to see it, it's on my instagram! She also made the ring that had a tiny vintage phone on top. Her work was really well made & I was very impressed with her creativity. She has become a good role model for where I want my work to go while I am at UArts.

Skyler's Introduction

Hi Everyone!
My name is Skyler Bradford. I'll be going into my junior year at UArts this fall in the Craft & Material Studies program. My focuses are currently between Jewelry Metalsmith & Woodworking. I am hoping that through my involvement with the Summer Fellow's program, I'll be able to narrow down my interests. For the summer, I will be interning with jeweler, Monika Krol. She graduated from UArts about 8 years ago and since then has worked under many successful artist such as Gabriella Kiss & Lola Brooks. Just recently she has opened her own fine jewelry store in the suburbs of Harrisburg and that is where I'll be working with her! I am really excited to soak up all I can and learn! I'll be working with her for 5 weeks, two consecutive days each week. My plan is to tell everyone about a positive moment from each week, along with something I have learned about jewelry or maybe some that has changed my perspective. I also have an instagram that I'm sure I'll be posting on if anyone is interested in following me: @skylerbradford. Thanks!

Week #1: Supper Rehearsals "Decisions move you"

My first day on the job took place in the beautiful studios on Walnut above Banana Republic. What a beautiful space! The first rehearsal was with two dancers: Beth and Will. I found it interesting that Silvana (the director and choreographer) choreographed before hearing the music. The music for the entire work consists of short soundscapes that were created by Nick Zammutto. I immediately saw an emphasis on shapes and visuals in Silvana's work. The duet's physical choreography produced many images for the viewer to follow. There was also discussion that the choreography was meant to portray mobility and decisions. This is based on the movement and decision making that immigrants experience when they are "on the move".  Silvana instructed the dancers by saying “decisions move you” and “that each decision has its own set of moves”.  It is interesting to watch Silvana direct her dancers. It seems to me that each choreographer has his or her own language and method of transforming a vision into movement. It became clear to me on my first day on the job that Silvana has specific images and stories that she is drawing from and she is replicating them on the dancers. 

The duet between Beth and Will is all about support. The movement is harsh on the body and physically demanding. It’s supposed to be hard and it’s not supposed to look easy. It’s supposed to show the struggle that the “People on the Move” go through. And as partners, they are there to support each other.

Here are some pictures of Beth and Will from their rehearsal.