UD’s Celebration of the Arts varied and evocative

By Burt Saidel

Greater Dayton’s arts palate never ceases to amaze. Fresh from the Wright State Arts Gala, The University of Dayton proudly displayed its own cache of talent.
The UD Celebration of the Arts is part of the Stander Symposium. The Symposium is an exposition of arts, technology, humanities and science.

Students exhibit their work in far-reaching directions. Prizes are awarded and knowledge is exchanged and celebrated.

Integration of the arts into the educational fabric of this fine university is a major goal of President Dan Curran and his faculty. Engineers and doctors should be touched by an appreciation of the magic of the arts and artists should be aware of and experience the wonders of science.

The Celebration of the Arts was held at the Schuster Center. Free to the public, the orchestra and first balcony sections were completely filled. The evening, in contrast to the buffet proffered at the WSU Gala, could focus on one performance at a time.

Paul Helfrich, Dayton Philharmonic President, was the genial master of ceremonies. Ten French horn players played a welcoming prelude to warm the audience to what was to follow.

When the curtain rose, the Dayton Jazz Ensemble and the Ebony Heritage singers shared the stage. These remarkable students sent the audience rocking with decibel-rich renditions of jazz and gospel. The genres mixed well as the audience, on its feet, added rhythmic clapping to the music. In a more formal note, the University Chorale and University Orchestra played and sang several sparkling selections. Two student films were shown at intervals. One, a word-play and the other a movement-play left us with no understanding of the plot but an admiration for imagination and technique.

A much unanticipated hit was “Jumping up and Down” by the UD Text Theatre. Three charming actors sat on stools and took us, in their imaginative dialogue, onto a failed space rocket. As the trio was hurtling through space to certain death, they spun out an evocative tale of their interpersonal saga in a most unique climax. Theater icon Kay Bosse is the director of the project and her innovative genius was passed to her talented charges.

A modern dance group called the Noble Carneys came next. Their performance was steeped in dramatic movements and suggestions of The Deposition, an
entombment and a hazy but effective resolution of these dire forces.

The opera department took the stage with a too brief but delightful glimpse into Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief. Four students, all previously heard in a recital reported a few months ago, were simply wonderful in vocal and comedic ability.

The finale was a stage full of wind players, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble. One lone string bass and a few percussionists represented the rest of an orchestra. Directed by a smiling Patrick Reynolds of the Philharmonic, they were absolutely wonderful. In the interest of time, they played only one sparkling selection – many more were needed!

Cincinnati Art Museum

The Cincinnati Art Museum is a magnificent hilltop complex overlooking the Ohio River and Cincinnati. The museum building began in 1886 and has experienced steady expansion since. Another major expansion project is in the planning stage at this time.

Like the Dayton Art Institute, it is a treasure house which demands frequent visits. The permanent collection is voluminous. To me, one of its major attractions is the work of Cincinnati artist Frank Duveneck whose opus spanned the turn of the 20th century. Housed in The Cincinnati Wing, these remarkable realistic paintings are full of warmth and radiance. Often ignored by other museums, this is a treasure trove right here in neighboring Cincinnati.

The major reason for this recent visit was a unique exhibition, Surrealism and Beyond. This collection, from the Israel Museum, is to be seen only in Cincinnati.
The collection covers the incredible period of art born in the disillusionment after World War I. To many Europeans, stability, monarchy, the elaborately stratified society were all destroyed. Destroyed along with these bastions of normalcy was the sense of order in art, music and literature.

Since no codes or guides remained, anything was OK. Dadaism, a word with no meaning, overtook the intellectuals and artists. Art was anything as long as it was viewed by the artist as art.

In five sections, works by Salvador Dalí, Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, René Magritte, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Man Ray and others are featured. The subjects are fascinating. Many sizzle with effect. Others are quite passé as our tastes have moved and developed away from these societal reactions.

We were treated to a special tour by my dear cousin Joan Linder. She is married to my high school best friend Dr. Larry Linder. They have retired from doctoral pursuits in surgery and professional counseling to become devoted docents. Their enthusiasm and love of art follows a coveted family tradition.