June 14, 2012
Arts Roundup: A look back — at the ‘World of Tomorrow’
A new UW Libraries Special Collections exhibit takes viewers a half-century back in time to celebrate a lively vision of the future. It’s proof that even in a slow week, there’s always something cool to see on the UW campus.
Also, two new photo exhibits are up: one depicting life in the slums outside of Chandigarh, India; the other a look at volunteerism in Korea over the years.
“World of Tomorrow: Looking Back at the Seattle World’s Fair” shows off images, clippings and souvenirs from the time when John Kennedy and John Glenn were national heroes and the future looked brightly colored and atomic, with lots of space-age imagery and swoopy lines.
The exhibit was co-curated by Kate Leonard, Theresa Mudrock, Jessica Albano, Glenda Pearson and Violet Fox. “Some of the most interesting objects came from a call to library staff to contribute their own souvenirs from the fair,” Fox said. “They brought in decanters, ashtrays, rain ponchos, puzzles, and more, all printed with the image of the Space Needle.”
She added, “We wanted to show what a day at the fair would’ve been like — what fairgoers saw, what they did, what they ate, and what they bought.” And as if you needed reminding that everything old is new again, check out the Feb. 9, 1962, Life magazine displaying the headline, “Romney of Rambler: A New Star in Politics.” Find the exhibit on the Allen Library north balcony and in the south basement Special Collections lobby through July 31.
Also on campus:
Exhibit, lecture on slum life in India, through June 22. Thirty-five photographs of life in slums outside of Chandigarh, India, are on display at the UW School of Social Work, depicting efforts by the nonprofit organization Developing Indigenous Resources to improve the lives of the 14,000 people living there.
Cooking classes are intended to teach slum dwellers how to cook inexpensive, nutritious meals.Marilyn Smith
The organization trains young residents to be “health promoters” who do community work such as recording health data on dwellers in the slum. Workers visit households, weighing children to track nutrition status, teaching residents how to cook cheap and healthy meals, escorting mothers to immunization clinics and showing how to make an oral rehydration solution to combat diarrhea, a frequent problem due to unsanitary living conditions.
The photos, taken in 2010 by Canadian photojournalist Marilyn Smith, show examples of daily life in the slum such as contaminated water, crowded living quarters and blindness due to malnutrition. See the photos also on Smith’s blog, “Slum Project.”
Frederick Shaw, founder of the organization, will give a public talk 6-8 p.m. Thursday, June 21, that will include a cooking class like the ones given in the slum. As a fundraiser for the Developing Indigenous Resources, wine bags sewn by seamstresses living in the slum and trained by the organization will be sold for donations of $25 and up.
The photos and lectures will be at the school, first floor, 4101 15th Ave. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. week days. The exhibit is cohosted by the UW’s Indigenous Wellness Research Institute.
An image from “A Story of Volunteerism,” a display of photos about Americans volunteering in Korea and, in turn, Koreans volunteering around the world. Through July 28 in the north lobby of Allen Library.Peter Kelley
Friends of Korea: “A Story of Volunteerism,” through July 28. An exhibit of photographs depicting American Peace Corps volunteers in Korea from 1966 to 1981 and Koreans volunteering globally through the Korean Trust Organization, from 1991 to the present. In the north lobby of Allen Library.
Continuing:
Bachelor of Design exhibit, though June 15. Work by graduating Bachelor of Design students is displayed in the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, and on the second floor of the Art Building. Gallery hours are noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. The Design Division also has a website sharing the work of these graduating students.
2012 Master of Fine Arts / Master of Design Thesis Exhibition, through June 17. From the School of Art, at the Henry Art Gallery. Students presenting work are Caitlin Berndt, Byung Cho, Lyndsey Colburn, Tamblyn Gawley, Hilary Gray, Hannah O’Gorman, Amy Keeling, Sergei Larionov, Snehai Mantri, Adam Matthew, Dan Ostrowski, Shaun Roberts, Andrew Salituri, Steve Sewell, Anthony Sonnenberg and Rodrigo Valenzuela. See previous story.
