The Chronicle
recess |
Arts & Entertainment
9m
got caffeine? see Buzz Donuts on PAGE 4
volume 9, issue 21
February 22, 2007
DukePlays
reminisces
in library
Lauren Fischetti recess This Friday, Old Duke means more than free kegs on the quad. It means more than long lines of students, aggressively brandishing their IDs. And it means more than sitting out on the grass, downing those free beers as fast as you can, so you can get another. The Old Duke that DukePlays founders Rachel Weeks and Haley Hoffman, both seniors, envision is something much more spectacular. And it involves partying in the library with the von der Heydens and the Bostocks. DukePlays: The Party—a semi-formal affair with 34 sponsors and some of the buildings’ namesakes on the guest list—will take place in von der Heyden Pavilion and Perkins and Bostock libraries from 9 p.m. to midnight Friday. Weeks described DukePlays as away for students to reclaim ownership of campus culture. The party is away to bring back University history creatively and inspire people, she said. “There are Duke traditions and history-that we don’t have a sense ofevery day, as opposed to Ivy League schools that are more aware of it,” she said. “We want to bring out that history.” The party features a four-part exhibit celebrating activism, arts, romance and athletics. Each section has a shadow box of Duke memorabilia and its own cash bar, and drink vouchers will be replicas of old tickets—like those from long-ago oncampus performances and the 1942 Rose Bowl. “The caterers are doing really creative stuff organized around these themes,” Weeks said. “It’s almost like four different parties.” The event is open to the entire Duke community, including undergraduates, graduates, alumni, faculty and staff. It features a free champagne by
SPECIAL TO RECESS
Rapper Common, slated to play on Last Day of Classes along with singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, is one of several artists haunted by onstage statements.
A lack of Common courtesy Eric Bishop recess Almost every year in recent memory, Duke students have found a reason to complain about the bands selected to perform on the Last crfttonotebook Day of Classes. Invariably, the moans and groans center on some claim that the artists are either second rate, past their prime or some combination of the two. But with the news that rapper Common—one of this year’s performers—blasted Duke lacrosse players at a concert at Emory University last spring, two days after then-sophomores Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann were indicted, student disapproval has taken a by
whole new form. Current and former students have called his words irresponsible and offensive, and a Facebook group called “Keep Common out of LDOC” has 133 members. During a freestyle, Common said, ‘You know I never get lost, yo f them damn n—s from Duke lacrosse.” Why all the uproar? What difference does it make what someone said in the heat of the moment at a time when many at Duke were still divided about lacrosse? Well, for one thing, inflammatory comments by an artist in such a public forum are a dagger driven deeper than accusations confined to private opinion. “There’s definitely a difference between Common saying something at a —
concert and a random Durham resident thinking something,” said Drew Keaton, a sophomore who started the Facebook group opposing Common. In our culture of celebrity, we tend to hold musical artists to a higher standard than everyone else in terms of their public statements, said Marc Paris, visiting assistant professor of music. “We assume that once people are famous, what they say must be of greater importance,” he said. Still, if Common is coming here to entertain, can’t we put aside his statements about a criminal case and simply enjoy the experience of seeing him SEE
COMMON
ON PAGE
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SEE
DUKEPLAYS
ON PAGE 6
Krens outlines Guggenheim’s global plan CatherineKaelin recess McDonald’s is not the only franchise hopping on the globalization bandwagon. Thomas Krens, director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and The Nasher Museum of Art’s annual Semans lecturer, is following the same trend with a different product. Krens delivered his lecture to a packed Nasher auditorium last night, with crowds overflowing into the lobby area to watch on a jumbo screen. Mr. Raymond Nasher gave a brief introduction to Krens’ speech. “Tom is an internationalist. He is globally involved in great museums,” Nasher said. The Guggenheim now has branches in New York, Las Vegas, Bilbao, Venice and Berlin, and shows no indication that its exponential growth will slow in the near future. The museum is currently working to extend its reach to Guadalajara, Venice, Beijing and Abu Dhabi. Negotiations for a Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates are at the forefront of Krens’ current projects. “Abu Dhabi represents a critical moment for how society looks at and uses culture,” Krens said. “We are not in the Middle East by accident.” by
His international approach, despite its cultural benefits, also raises questions about the use of art and the art museum as diplomatic and corporate instruments. His vision of the museum can be described in the same way as the Guggenheim museum in New York was upon opening in 1959—alternately as “an abomination and a miracle,” Krens said. Krens has marketed the museum and its content as products, and experienced incredible success in doing so. Yet critics insist art cannot be managed as a tradable good, and the commodification does a grave disservice to the art itself. “The Guggenheim is the agent ofpop culture,” saidKrens. “We have created a brand.” The concept of branding lies at the heart of much of the criticism that the Guggenheim’s strategic plan has received. “It is controversial but that’s what makes it interesting,” said Kim Rorschach, director of the Nasher. “We all watch with great interest to see if it’s going to prosper, and if this model is a viable one.” Krens claims the art museum is an obsolete idea. “Art museums are by definition artificial, and you should PAI SEE KRENS
ON PAGE
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KLINSAWAT/RECESS
Krens spoke to a crowded Nasher auditorium Wednesday night.