Nov. 19 - Dec. 18, 2009
Culture
Jeff Teegarden | Editor
Stereotypes blasted with tongue-in-cheek humor So a black guy and a jewish guy walk into a room...
multimedia, furniture store feature. They both were hired and became friends. After about five years Tish was tossing the title “Black Jew Dialogues” around in his head. Tish knew he wanted to write something that brought people together, so he called Lindsey Treffry Jones and pitched him the idea. It took a The Communicator while, separate hours at a time, but they They’ve held performances at numerous finally found it was easier to meet in a colleges such as Purdue, Penn State, along hotel room, away from family, where they with parts of the U.K. and now SFCC. Ron finally finished the show. Their performance premiered at The Jones and Larry Jay Tish come together to Edinburgh Fringe Festival located in Scotcreate Black Jew Dialogues, a comedic land: the biggest arts festival in the world. experience addressing the longstanding They performed for 27 straight nights, conflict of racism. where Black Jew Dialogues finally began The Black Jew Dialogues, which took place at SFCC on Nov. 9, are compiled of to take shape. Jones said, “Audiences kept asking us to music, dance, short video and comedic bring the show to various skits, along with “(The show is like) our non-theater places.” Unlike audience involveregular theater performent. Tish, of Jewish child that we’re trying to mances, Jones said, college decent, and Jones, raise.” of African Ameri-Ron Jones performances “resonate Comedian well with students, and recan decent, took ally opens them up.” SFCC through the A lot of bigotry, hatred, and racism history of racism, dressing up as various is due to what Jones describes as, “fear characters, such as Grandmother’s Esther and stereotypes in the name of comfort.” and Mable Featherstone. They also had In an after-performance discussion, the audience interactive games like, “Jew or audience was asked what created these Not A Jew”. “The show was hilarious, incredibly in- stereotypes or “feareotypes” as Jones and sightful and made me think about things I Tish call them. Jones shared a history of his family from had never considered,” said Amanda Burr, Virginia, where his grandmother had never an art major at SFCC. had a white friend. She had once said Jones and Tish met while doing improv white people will, “take everything you at a audition in Boston, as Pirates for a
Joshua Pearce| The Communicator
Larry Jay Tish and Ron Jones take on stereotypes with humor in The Black Jew Dialogues. have and kill you.” Feareotypes, according to the audience are also created from media, bad experiences, fear and possibly most important Tish said was, “lack of knowledge.” This show has not only personally affected students like Burr, but Jones and Tish themselves. Tish said the show has “helped me grow
as a human, with working with Ron and keeping a show moving.” He continued the show is like, “climbing a mountain that keeps getting higher. I’ve learned from the students I’ve met, and regained love for (the U.S.).” “(The show is like) our child that we’re trying to raise,” Jones said. “This child has great potential to learn and make itself better.”
Mark of the dragon
Flesh and ink become one at Jade Dragon
Jeff Teegarden| The Communicator
Jade Dragon tattoo artist Shane Gustafson begins the ground work for Rachel Clifton’s first tattoo in over two years.
fantasy. Menke and Ohler both were apprentices for other tattoo artists, however, as of right now, no certification or apprenSpenser Krotje ticeship is required in Washington state, The Communicator just a business license. This, according to Menke, is quickly going to change to a state-wide test and certification. The hum of a buzzing tattoo gun is imMenke has been a tattoo artist for over mediately heard upon entering the Jade 4 years. Graffiti art in Southern California Dragon. Pixies and dragons, crosses and were the stomping grounds for Menke, Celtic designs, clowns and skulls; these however, due to possible legal repercusdrawings and more hang to the left of sions of graffiti, tattoo art quickly became the doorway. A pool table stands in the a substitute that would pose no problems. middle of the shop’s foyer. Comic book drawing is another muse for Near the couches in the upper left corMenke. He said Michael Turner’s comic ner of the store are kids games, coloring book art is his favorite. books and children’s DVDs. Many artists “I draw a lot from comic book art just have families of their own, so a family because it’s so out there and they can get friendly atmosphere is what the shop is away with so much,” Menke said. going for. Jade dragon is home to artists Looking online at Menke’s myspace that can make a tattoo look like a picture. Jade Dragon is a custom tattoo parlor in page www.myspace.com/FrequencyInk, one can see that inspiration is drawn from the Spokane community, but with artists like Nathan Menke and David Ohler, the forms of art, like the sensual, Gothic feel of Luis Royo’s paintings of women and shop’s anonymity to the public’s eye is mechanical life forms. baffling. The shop itself will start to become more David Ohler, the owner of Jade Dragon, has been an artist most of his life and has than just a parlor, “Coffee Shack” is an been tattooing for 9 years. Ohler recieved idea the shop has been trying to pull off for quite sometime. Originally the store his Bachelor degree in fine arts in 2000, was going to be a partnership to make the with a minor in studio art and business. Boris Vellejo is one of Ohler’s favorite art- shop a tattoo parlor/internet cafe. “We have a biker barista,” Menke said. ists, with his detailed mythical paintings of centaurs, scantily clad warrior women “If you come for no other reason, come see a biker make your coffee.” and most anything else in the realm of
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