The Art of Ronald Cortez
This weekend marks the opening of R2C2H2: The Evolution of a Style. This show features the work of Ronald Cortez Herd II, a.k.a. R2C2H2, a Washington University senior and printmaking major. The St. Louis Urban League’s Vaughn Cultural Art Center is sponsoring Herd’s show, through the Center’s art director, Almetta Cookie Jordan. Jordan was first introduced to Herd’s work through a mutual friend, Saint Louis writer and educator Debra Morrowloving. This is to be Herd’s first professional show.
Washington University students may recognize Herd’s work from the covers of the 2001 spring edition of the Eliot Review Literary Magazine. He has designed covers and illustrated articles for such local magazines as Sisters Nineties Poetry Magazine and The What’s Up St. Louis literary magazine, as well as providing the promotional image for Washington University’s Association for Black Students’ upcoming annual Black Anthology theatre event at WU this January 27th. Further exhibitions for Herd included two selections at the Art St. Louis XVII Exhibition, and upcoming in March, a piece to be displayed at the Janet Turner Gallery Print Exhibition in California State University, and a second one-man show at Prince Hall.
Herd’s artistic works have been influenced by such styles as Africanism and Cubism, and by such people as Jacob Lawrence, Picasso, Van Gogh, Gaugin, Basquiat, William H. Johnson and Charles White. Although Herd has majored in printmaking, he “wants to express his ideas not only through traditional painting and drawing, but also with very action oriented and accessible mediums such as film, television, music, computers and the Internet.” Herd also believes that, “education offers historic examples to support and further inspire creative thinking as well as skill.”
Outside Washington University, Herd is an active Saint Louis community member, working as a part-time arts teacher in the Chips In Motion’s Reach to Teach arts education program. As a teacher, Herd encourages children to “use their expressive voice through the arts while confronting social issues.” The show at The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis will allow Herd to not only share his works, but help him to follow one of his goals, to “lead a life of accessibility.”
Washington University students will have the opportunity to come to the artist’s reception on Saturday, January 19th, from 6-9pm. The university will provide shuttling service until 9pm, with buses leaving on the half hour from Wohl Student Center starting at 6pm. The artist’s reception will include free music, food and entertainment.
When: Artist reception on Saturday, January 19th from 6 pm – 9 pm.
The art show will continue until March 8, 2002.
Where: The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, 3701 Grandel Square
Regular gallery hours are Monday – Friday from 9 am – 5 pm.
How Much: Free
Who To Call: (314) 615-3600
SPECIAL OFFER: Wash U students will receive free transportation to the event. On Saturday, January 19th, a bus will shuttle students from 6-9pm. The bus will leave every half hour from the back of Wohl Student Center, this service ending by 9pm.
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Fully Furnished by Art: Installation Artists and a One Night Stand in Saint Louis
Washington University School of Art students will be sharing their piece of instillation art, “3 Bdr, 1 Ba, Fully Furnished,” on Friday, Jan. 25 at one of the Greenway apartments on Washington Ave. The nine WU artists, Mary Jo Castro, Camaron Cohen, J. Michael Deane, Shelby Donnelly, Liz Giardina, Bryan Miller, Ruth A. Reese, Kate Strembicki and Julia Sybalsky are current master’s and bachelor’s degree candidates, as well as one recent graduate. The group converted a University City apartment into a gallery space. On Friday, Jan. 25, “3 Bdr, 1 Ba, Fully Furnished,” will be available for a one-night-only exhibition.
The theme of this unusual approach comes from one of the group members, Camaron Cohen, and his art’s focus on household areas, although the varying mediums of all nine artists are included and integrated into the space. The art within the apartment is varied, ranging from printmaking, sculpture, painting and photography. The students had the opportunity to step out of their studios and create works in the apartment’s space. The exhibit is sponsored by the WU School of Art, the Art School Council, the Student Union and Sculpture Department, and by Parkview Properties.
When: 7 to 10 p.m., Friday, Jan. 25
Where: the Greenway Apartments, #100, 6600 Washington Ave.
How Much: Free
Who To Call: (314) 935-6500
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For WU Students, It’s Two To Tango with Romeo Sierra Tango
While watching a tragedy, often times the audience, whose understanding of the situation may be more complete than that of the characters, is overcome with the desire to warn the protagonists about their fate-“Oedipus, that’s you mother!” or “Happy, get serious, your father is trying to kill himself!” One of the most aggravating of these situations is the death of Romeo in the Shakespeare tragedy. “Juliet’s NOT dead! Don’t drink the poison!!!” But what if Romeo didn’t die? This question is posed in Rinde Eckert’s Romeo Sierra Tango, the one-man show coming to Edison Theatre for a single performance this Saturday night.
In Eckert’s retelling of the classic tale, Romeo’s suicide by poison is bungled; instead he falls into a deep sleep and reawakens, aging at a slowed rate and cursed to roam the earth. The story begins for the audience with Romeo as a lone radio operative during World War One, once again stuck between two warring “families.” Eckert uses the opportunity to muse on the death of innocence and the 20th century-including such themes as the origins of jazz music and physics, as well as the search for the personal and universal need for redemption.
Rinde Eckert, a classically trained singer, was commissioned by the New York Shakespeare Festival to put together Romeo Sierra Tango, which places him in the role of actor, writer, director, singer and composer, to create a unique piece of performance art. Eckert’s fame comes from his earlier works with the Paul Dresher Ensemble and the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company. He has released three albums form the label German Intuition, Finding My Way Home, Do the Day Over, and Story In, Story Out.
Eckert’s previous theatrical works include The Gardening of Thomas D, which set Dante’s Divine Comedy in the head of an unconscious accountant on a supermarket floor. Presently, Eckert’s And God Created Whales, is completing its third off-Broadway run.
Students have a special opportunity available to them, as Romeo Sierra Tango will be offering two-for-one tickets, allowing students to purchase tickets at the discount price of $13.00, and getting one free (Limit one per customer.)
Where: Edison Theatre
When: 8pm Saturday, January 19th
How Much: $ 13.00 for students, $ 25.00 for adults
SPECIAL DEAL: Student Deal – two for one – $13.00 (limit one per person)
Who To Call: 935-6543