Arts

Fall Dance Concert Kicks Off the Goucher Performance Season

Published on November 18, 2024 by The Quindecim

The second half of November also marks the start of the performance season for Goucher arts program – including the Studio Arts, Dance, Music, and Theater department. Working alongside faculty members, our community’s artists have consistently brought forth quality performance, and a reflection of their hard work and dedication to their chosen calling. On the nights of November 15th and 16th, the performance season kicks off with the Fall Repertoire Dance Concert in Kraushaar Auditorium, attracting both Goucher community members and the general public.

Presenting four works, choreographed by Prof. Elizabeth Ahearn, Prof. Brit Falcon, Prof. George Staib, and Nalani Brown ‘26, with visual accompaniments by Prof. Rick Dulaney, the concert gave viewers both moments of awe with the ability and range of expression using the dance medium, as well as the space to wonder and ponder upon one’s existence in the world, and the connection we have with everything both around and within us. Experience – or relive!- the beauty of the concert, through these images; and mark your calendars for November 21st, where the Goucher Choral Society will continue the season with their performance at the Haebler Memorial Chapel!

By Jamie Nguyen, ’25

Rooted Shadows and the Expressions of Asian (-American) Identity

Published on November 18, 2024 by The Quindecim

The fall exhibition season at Goucher continues with the opening of Rooted Shadows at the Rosenberg Gallery (Dorsey Center). This exhibition combined the works of six Asian and Asian-American artists: Bao Nguyen, Azumi O E, Lucia Shuyu Li, Setsuhi Shiraishi, Riya Devi-Ashby; and is noted as an interrogation of identity, place, and the self. In the context of Asian(-American) identity, Rooted Shadows actively reimagined the shared space of Maryland, not just as an innate backdrop but rather an active force: Maryland both shaped the works, and simultaneously was shaped through the eyes of the artist.

Being in the midst of the nuanced social, political, and physical backgrounds of Maryland, Asian (and Asian-American) means identities are usually in a state of flux. Expressions of those nuances between the personal and the social definitely differs. It can be seen with the large range of mediums within the exhibition: from the mixed media and the abstract of Riya Devi-Ashby, the display of craftsmanship from the works of Setsuhi Shiraishi, or the provision of a space for constant questioning and re-examining through the work of Bao Nguyen and the borderline between the grotesque and the artistic, as is the case with the work by Lucia Shuyu Li.

Walking through the exhibition, one can see the amount of abstraction and the space for examining and questioning the ideas behind the art throughout. This also translates to the lack of any further context within the exhibition guide – demonstrably do not feature any artist statements. In many ways, the position of Asian identities within Maryland also can be a very nuanced subject–the topic on the importance of Asian identities and preserving it–while definitely have some commonalities, experiences would differ between, say, someone who lived in the Baltimore metro area their entire life (where Asian residents are less than 2% of the population) and the suburbs of Washington D.C. where Asian residents are a sizable demographic.

The nuances can come between the ability to access cultural spaces and expressing your “Asian-ness” depending on where they live. Asian and Asian-American artists also have an additional weight from the “model minority” framework, especially when topics such as contemporary art is on the table: as Asian art within the U.S framework has overwhelmingly featured more traditional understandings of Asian art, the language of contemporary art can very much come as a shock to visitors. The works of Lucia Shuyu Li demonstrated this paradox, with the video component and the sculpture working in tandem to talk about the paradoxical paradigms within the understanding of what it means to be an Asian person in a world where you are simultaneously hyper-visible and invisible.

However, the multitudes in the exploration of Asian identity also can offer a space for constant questioning and realignment. The works that Bao Nguyen brought to this exhibition exemplifies that: while The Center for Questioning and Questioning and Questioning? offered that liminal mental space for interpretation through the medium of photography. I am a tree in your life offered a more interactive space, through the arrangement of wooden logs as both a place to rest and to pause to read the narrative within the laser-cut paper – memories from their performances at the garden of the Ivy Bookstore in Baltimore.

A special commendation should also be given to the curator, Liz Faust, whose Rooted Shadows is the second exhibit presented at the Rosenberg Gallery since her arrival at Goucher: much like My Mother’s Closet, the spirit of spaces for reflection and to accommodate the multitudes of expressions for the personal (which is such a grand part of the language of art) continues to shine within the curation and the artwork presented within the exhibition. Undoubtedly, this is a fitting selection for the second half of Goucher’s fall exhibition season; the season will continue with the opening of Hey, What’s That?: Mysteries in the Collection on November 18th at the 4th Floor Exhibition Space of the Library (note: this will feature work from members of the Visual and Material Culture department!), as well as the opening of Stephanie Mercedes’s I hold you close on the 21st at the Silber Gallery.

The Rosenberg Gallery is open between 9am-5pm on weekdays. For further inquiries, the Goucher Art Galleries can be contacted through the email address art.galleries@goucher.edu.

By Jamie Nguyen, ’25

A Breakup For The Books: BOPA vs. the City of Baltimore

Published on November 4, 2024 by The Quindecim

Over the past month, as the media has been focused on all levels of the election (remember to check your voter registration status and finalize your voting plan!), Baltimore—the city Goucher is proud to be part of, from our admissions brochure to our number of students, staff and faculty that call it home—has been brimming with stories. One story in development is the fate of the 22-year partnership between the City of Baltimore and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA), which was formed under the mayoralty of Martin O’Malley.

[Image: Bromo-Seltzer Tower, Eutaw Street. This architectural centerpiece of the Bromo Arts District is one of the properties under BOPA’s stewardship.]

What Happened?

On September 18th, The Baltimore Banner reported an emergency meeting of the BOPA Board of Directors had been scheduled for the next day regarding the future of the agency. “Discuss Personnel and Business Location – VOTE REQUIRED” was noted on the envelope, according to reports.

Speculation began immediately, with most people pointing towards the financial issues plaguing the organization. Being the city’s art council and film office, a facilities manager for locations such as the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower in Baltimore and the Cloisters Castle in Timonium, and the organizer for many iconic city cultural events such as Artscape, the Baltimore Book Festival, and the Baltimore Farmers’ Market, the organization has been entrenched in financial difficulties. These were worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and cancellations of events between 2020 and 2022. The matter on September 18th was a significant blow, but hardly surprising for the quasi-governmental agency which receives more than two-thirds of its funding from the city government.

Following the meeting, it was revealed that BOPA is now financially insolvent, meaning its remaining funds are not enough to cover all of its expenses. Consequently, it asked the Mayor’s Office of the City of Baltimore for $1.8 million in funding to cover immediate expenses and keep the organization afloat. This funding request became the catalyst for a back-and-forth exchange between Rachel Graham, Director of BOPA since March 2024, and Mayor of Baltimore Brandon Scott regarding a $1.5 million grant given to the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture in the lead-up to Artscape 2023. The Mayor’s Office insisted that this grant was a restricted grant reserved for use by the city (and that it would not have been majorly impacted BOPA’s financial outlook), however BOPA was adamant that the grant has always been reflected in their financial records as “expected revenues”, meaning it was meant for their use. State Senator Anthony Hayes, the broker for this grant, declared it was meant for use by the city due to the resignation of BOPA’s former CEO, Donna Drew Sawyer, in January 2023.

[Image: photo from night 1 of Artscape 2024. The first night of the festival, scheduled to feature a performance by Chaka Khan, was cut short due to inclement weather. Photo by Jamie Nguyen.]

This request for additional funding, due to mounting disagreements across multiple years—including the resignation and severance of Donna Drew Sawyer, the cancellation of the 2023 MLK Day parade, and the trademark attempt of the name Artscape—was not granted. On October 16th, the Mayor’s Office of the City of Baltimore issued a letter to the CEO and Executive Board of BOPA, noting their intent for the Mayor to terminate the contractual relationship between the city and BOPA effective January 20th, 2025. Marvin James, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, noted in the letter that this was not a lightly-made decision:

“We recognize and deeply appreciate BOPA’s long-standing contributions to Baltimore’s vibrant arts and cultural scene. For over two decades, BOPA has played a pivotal role in shaping our city’s cultural landscape, organizing beloved events like Artscape, managing vital cultural spaces, and supporting countless local artists and organizations.”

It was further noted that “financial instability has raised serious concerns about BOPA’s ability to continue fulfilling its obligations to the City and its arts community.”

The Talk of the Town

Given BOPA’s position as the heart of Baltimore’s cultural life, this unfolding saga has become the talk of the city’s cultural community. As outlined by the City’s letter, four focuses of the transition process include the organization of BOPA’s key events (especially with the Baltimore Farmers’ Market restarting in April), the stewardship of BOPA-owned properties, the future employment of BOPA staff, and the continuation of the Creative Baltimore Fund, a life-saving grant program for Baltimore-based artists and cultural organizations that is currently under BOPA. The news of the motion to end the partnership has been met with disappointment and concern from the Baltimore art community. Reacting to the news, Ryan Haase, co-owner of Station North’s The Club Car Baltimore, told the Banner that “It’s always easy to pull the plug on the arts. High school politics in the real world. Funding for the arts will always be cut first […] To lose BOPA as a funded entity will only do harm to our city and the artists who year after year rely on the funding from the nonprofit.” Professor Adam David Bencomo of UMBC’s Visual Arts department and a long-time patron of Artscape noted that “[BOPA has enabled] arts to have an opportunity to not only grow but flourish [in a city with little funding] […] Baltimore has a great arts scene, but like all great things, it needs continuous cultivation and care. With organizations like BOPA and Artscape, Baltimore can continue to evolve.”

[Image: *Retrofit,* Alyssa Dennis. AP archival print. Sondheim Art Prize semi-finalist showcase, displayed as part of Artscape 2024.]

However, the community has also acknowledged the missteps that BOPA has taken, such as not renewing the full-time director position at School 33 Art Center in South Baltimore (according to Cara Ober, editor-in-chief and publisher of BMoreArt magazine). In a statement, Emmanuel Williams—known professionally as Dapper Dan Midas—noted that “[There] have been a lot of misfires from BOPA […] In order for Artscape to continue and evolve, changes have to be made. An outside company who specializes in large-scale festivals may be the shot in the arm the city needs to get back on track while BOPA gets its house in order.”

BOPA has also conducted multiple outreach efforts to reassure the community in the wake of the breakup. In a virtual town hall held on October 29th, Rachel Graham herself advocated for the continued existence of BOPA as an essential part of the city’s cultural life. “This is a life-or-death matter. […] While we’re having these conversations, artists across this city are suffering. They are suffering from homelessness [, from inadequate health care, and] are some of the prime sufferers in the opioid addiction crisis. I believe that BOPA has a role that it can play.” An article by the Baltimore Banner quoted an attendance of 100 people for the town hall.

What Now?

Per the letter from the City, BOPA and the Mayor’s Office will continue to fulfill the joint organization of the two events remaining under their contract: the 2024 New Year’s Eve fireworks show and the 2025 MLK Day parade. The exact date of the parade is yet to be confirmed due to the scheduled inauguration of the 47th President of the United States in D.C. on the same day as MLK Day (January 20th, 2025). The final decision on this matter will be made in a meeting of the City of Baltimore’s Board of Estimates scheduled for this Wednesday, November 6th.

The consensus within the city’s transition plan is its timeframe, which has been shortened to 90 days from the initial call for an eight-month transition period at the Board meeting on September 19th. It must be noted that this Interim Board meeting also called for a reassessment of the relationship between BOPA and the City of Baltimore, especially as their current level of work has strained BOPA’s capacity for quality planning and execution of events.

[Image: Picture of the crowd for this year’s Fourth of July fireworks display at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor]

In a statement released October 18th, the Interim Board of BOPA expressed their concerns about the short transition period and the risk it poses to Baltimore’s arts community. “We are concerned by the timing of the City’s notification just hours after our board approved a responsible path forward, [which] was approved by the Mayor’s representatives on our board. This reduces […] a productive and responsible 8-month transition to 90 days without any indication of a plan on how to maintain the services provided by BOPA. This is concerning for our arts ecosystem, [places the arts community at significant risk and impacts the Interim Board’s ability to support a healthy transition in their volunteer capacity.]”, the statement noted. Rachel Graham echoed the commitment of BOPA to the city’s art community in her October 31st appearance on WYPR’s Midday; she noted the commitment of BOPA to continue its role as an art advocacy and grant-making body, but also as a partner with local, state, and even national alliances to create a “city-wide creative agenda” and a creative economy for the city.

[Image: A shot of the fireworks on show during the Fourth of July fireworks]

Another key concern is that a comprehensive plan for the transition has not been released as of writing. This includes the path forward for the Baltimore Farmers’ Market, Artscape 2025, the Baltimore Book Festival, and the Fourth of July fireworks show.

The future of the Creative Baltimore Grant is also in jeopardy, as it was created by a city ordinance and will likely be released from BOPA’s authority once their contract expires. However, Ms. Graham noted in the town hall that grants such as the Public Arts Commission and the Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize will still be under BOPA’s jurisdiction.

Additionally, the future of the staff of BOPA is under question, especially as a layoff is already in place. Stating on her X (formerly Twitter) account, Jess Solomon-DaCosta noted that she “[feels] for the staff,” a sentiment shared by the wider community.

Amongst all of this, both a sense of confusion and a sense of hope are apparent from both BOPA and the city’s artist community, that BOPA is here to stay. To close out this article, I would like to quote Ms. Graham from the October 29th town hall: “I am stubborn to a fault, especially when there are things that I believe in and I feel passionately about, and the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts is one of those things […] I believe in BOPA.”

This is a developing story. This article has cited information courtesy of The Baltimore Banner and the Baltimore Public Media Corporation.

By Jamie Nguyen, ‘25

A Call from the Baltimore Sun Guild

Published on November 4, 2024 by The Quindecim

On Monday afternoon (the 28th of October, 2024), members of the Sun Guild – the union of staff in the Baltimore Sun – announced to the public the news of the complete dissolution of the Features department of the newspaper. According to the letter published by the Sun Guild, this would mark the first time since 1888 that there would be no reporter dedicated to covering the city’s cultural life. This news came in as Guild members and the management of the Baltimore Sun are currently in negotiation rounds for a new labor contract.

The dissolution of the features department is the latest in a series of controversies surrounding the takeover of The Baltimore Sun by David Smith–son of Julian Sinclair Smith, founder of the Sinclair Broadcasting Group–and conservative radio host Armstrong Williams earlier this year.

Noted within the letter, the Guild “is devastated for the chefs, artists, musicians and business owners who are no longer considered worthy of coverage by their hometown newspaper — and for readers, who will lose information they can use to decide how to spend their money and time.” This dissolution came within the context that within the past two months, eight union reporters – or more than a quarter of the news reporting staff of the Sun – and three union-represented advertising staff had been either fired and/or laid off. One of the most prominent cases was the firing of reporter Maddi O’Neill in September, in which the Guild has officially filed a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board as of October 23rd, 2024.

[Image: Statement from the Baltimore Sun Guild concerning the firing of Maddi O’Neill on September 12, 2024]

Needless to say, this development created a strong reaction within the Baltimore culture community: attached alongside the Guild’s letter, founder of the American Visionary Art Museum Rebecca Hoffberger noted that without the Baltimore Sun’s “lavish, in-depth arts and architecture coverage for [her] idea back in 1991, […] there may well never be an AVAM.”

Jeannie L. Howe, executive director of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance said it was “unconscionable and bad business” for the Baltimore Sun to eliminate coverage of arts and culture. “According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis the culture sector contributes $11.7 billion to Maryland’s economy. Around the country, robust journalism which reflects the community continues to decline. Let’s not let this erosion in vital coverage happen here,” she noted in her statement.

[Image: Front page of Baltimore Sun’s November 3rd, 2024 edition. This is the first edition of the byline strike.]

In their latest statements, the Baltimore Sun Guild has also launched a byline strike between November 3rd and 10th of 2024, including Election Day coverage on the 5th, citing sliding journalistic standards and union-busting proposals raised by management at the bargaining table. “We are calling on readers to stand with us to demand better working conditions and newspaper ethics standards that should be the norm,” the statement noted.

The Sun Guild has asked all readers to stand in solidarity with the union – including their stance that “if the Baltimore Sun isn’t covering culture, it isn’t covering Baltimore,” by sending a pre-written letter to Smith and Williams, which can be accessed here.

This is a developing story. The Baltimore Sun Guild can be reached for additional information either through their profile @baltsunguild on X (formerly Twitter), or through their email at baltsunguild@gmail.com.

By Jamie Nguyen, ‘25

How Science Taught Leonardo How to Paint: Interviewing Francesca Fiorani

Published on October 21, 2024 by The Quindecim

It is guaranteed that when talking about the Renaissance period, the name Leonardo da Vinci will appear. Though he has only a handful of paintings to his name (art historians have only found 15 paintings that can be attributed to him), his magnum opus is his notes on the usage of light and optical science within painting and the portrayal of nature, which is believed to have been upwards of 16,000 pages. This connection between the polymath and artistry of Leonardo—which have long been considered core, yet discrete parts of his identity—have been fused together within The Shadow Painting: How Science Taught Leonardo How to Paint (published November of 2020), the latest work by Dr. Francesca Fiorani, Commonwealth Professor of Art History at the University of Virginia. Earlier this month, she was the guest speaker of the Irwin C. Schroedl Lecture series on Material Culture & Decorative Arts, with the stewardship of Goucher’s Visual and Material Culture program.

[Image: Front cover of The Shadow Painting]

—

Note from the author: I = Interviewer, F = Dr. Fiorani.

I: What has brought you to the art of Leonardo?

F: A deep understanding that Leonardo the artist and Leonardo the scientist were inextricably connected from the very beginning; that Leonardo did not become a scientist as an adult man, as it is traditionally thought, but that his interest in the science and training in it went hand in hand with his artistic training since his youth. In short, Leonardo did not become a scientist. He was one all along.

I: As we both know, the art and the artistry of Leonardo is a topic that has had a large body of scholarship over the centuries. How did you come up with the concept for the book we now know as “The Shadow Drawing: How Science taught Leonardo How to Paint”?

F: It became clear to me that among the many interests Leonardo had, the science of optics was of paramount importance to him as it was the science that taught him how to learn about the world through the eyes.

I: During the process of writing this book, was there a system/order that you thought/synthesized your ideas in? Please elaborate more on this process if there was!

F: I was focused on searching for an explanation for the things Leonardo did, rather than describing what he did or how he did them. Why did he do this? Why did he paint this way? Why did he conceive his book on painting this way? Why did he read these books?

I: Considering that The Shadow Painting was published amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, was there an aspect during either the research, writing, or editing process that was particularly challenging for you?

F: It was challenging to do the final revision of the book when libraries were closed. I used whatever resource/book/article was available online, my own personal library, and also the library of friends. It was challenging and time consuming—much more time consuming than having a library at hand—but I did it.

I: Was there any part of the research process for this particular book that surprised you?

F: It was surprisingly hard to write in an approachable way about complicated scientific matters, even though I had deep knowledge of those matters. Chapter 3 [titled “Body and Soul”] was especially hard to write.

I: In your opinion, who would be the target readership for The Shadow Painting?

F: People interested in Leonardo da Vinci, in Renaissance art and culture, and in the intersection of art, science and technology, and in the process of innovation. This includes graduate and undergraduate students in art history, the history of science and technology, faculty in various fields in the humanities, but also the general public of interested readers.

I: Chapter 12 of The Shadow Painting [titled “The Biographer and the Doctored Book”] focused primarily on the doctoring and the distortion of Leonardo’s art and artistry, with a focus on the initial publication of Leonardo’s Book on Painting [also known as the Treatise on Painting], which was heavily doctored and distorted. It could be said that this chapter is very contemporary, as it offers a case study on the distortion of an artist’s biography and the commercialization of art, which are topics that garner much debate these days. What is your take on this?

F: This is correct. The Leonardo that was known in past centuries is very different from the Leonardo we know today. This is certainly due to the fact that today we have a much deeper understanding of his works, his writings, his way of thinking, the books he read, the people he met, etc. But it is also true that in every period, country, and geographical area, different groups of people have different and selective takes on the artist, building different views based on what matters to different people at different times in different places.

––
We would like to thank Dr. Fiorani for her knowledge and time through her lecture on Leonardo da Vinci. Goucher College hosts guest speakers on various topics throughout the school year; check your email regularly for updates from the Goucher events calendar, or it can also be found at https://events.goucher.edu.

By Jamie Nguyen ’25

Does Sally Rooney Still Have It? Intermezzo Review

Published on October 21, 2024 by The Quindecim

Sally Rooney is an award-winning Irish novelist who writes contemporary fiction, primarily about romantic relationships, economic class, and how interpersonal relationships affect those around us. Both her novels Conversations with Friends and Normal People have been adapted into TV Shows, and her third book Beautiful World, Where Are You? won the Goodreads award for ‘Best Fiction’ in 2021.

It’s been three years since her last book, and now the world has Intermezzo. I’m here to talk about whether or not the hype, both on and offline, still holds up.

Intermezzo follows two brothers, Peter and Ivan. Peter is a lawyer who is in his thirties, struggling to balance the relationships between his first love Sylvia who he still pines for, and grad student Naomi ,who doesn’t seem to be taking her life too seriously. Ivan, a competitive chess player at twenty-two who sees his older brother has inferior due to his own social awkwardness, meets Margaret. An older woman who has a complicated past of her own and very quickly becomes wrapped up in his life.

Despite being brothers, they seem to have nothing in common. After losing their father, the two now grieve and their relationship takes unexpected turns.

Rooney’s way of writing characters that feel like real people is astounding. The dialogue between all of these characters plays real, and Peter and Ivan’s dynamic has so many complexities to it that also play real.

Her ability to put the spotlight on so many characters is impressive as well. As the reader, you are able to not only learn all about Peter and Ivan, but also Sylvia, Margaret, and Naomi. There is so much depth in the cast of characters, and I wish the book didn’t end.

Rooney’s writing style is more striking and emotional than ever. I loved the way she explored grief, complicated family dynamics, and love in this novel. Some of it hit close to home for me, and I know it will hit close to home for so many other readers as well.
Now, Sally Rooney is known for using no quotation marks and not many indents in her novels. This still holds true in Intermezzo, which certainly makes it a challenging read, but I would still highly recommend it. Rooney can do no wrong when it comes to picking up a pen, and I would say this is her best novel yet.

By Merryn Overbeck, ’28

Goucher Dance Department Moves with George Staib: A Guest Artist’s Vision

Published on October 7, 2024 by The Quindecim

This fall, excitement is building in Goucher’s Dance Department as resident guest artist George Staib takes the stage. Every semester, the department welcomes a new artist to mentor students, teach, and craft an original piece for the highly anticipated repertory dance concerts.

Born in Tehran, Iran, and moving to the U.S. at age ten, George Staib discovered his passion for dance at Dickinson College, where he was drawn to the rhythms and creativity of the art form. Encouraged by a professor, he pursued an MFA in Dance at Temple University. However, after facing emotional and physical challenges, George left the program to study law. Yet, his love for dance never faded, and one day, during legal research, he realized he needed to return to Temple to finish his MFA. In 2001, Staib joined Emory University’s dance faculty, teaching contemporary and ballet techniques, choreography, and a seminar on the creation and consumption of art. He served on the American College Dance Association’s executive committee for 18 years and is currently on Dance/USA’s Board of Trustees. He was recognized as one of the top five dance educators by Dance Teacher Magazine in 2014, so his work has been commissioned nationwide. Staib also contributes to ArtsATL and has received several grants for his company, staibdance, from organizations such as The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, NEA, and others.

You’re probably wondering, “But why George Staib?” I sat down with Elizabeth Ahearn, the guest artist’s rehearsal director and tenured faculty of the Goucher Dance Department. She explained that the decision to bring in a guest artist is often months, or even years, in the making. Many factors are considered when choosing a choreographer for the residency, including location, experience, diverse background, teaching style, the artist’s company, and their role in current dance trends. Before the new school year, Goucher’s Dance faculty collaborates to select the right fit. This year, George Staib stood out for his thoughtfulness, dynamic personality, highly expressive physical teaching style, as well as the insightful feedback he offers to students and cast members.

During our chat, Ahearn conveyed a sense of excitement when I asked what she looked forward to seeing from George and the student. She explained that one of the major reasons she advocated for George to come to Goucher was because of his choreographing process. Ahearn believes that if you want to pursue a career in dance or choreographing, you should be able to think about what would fit best in a piece or what would be the most comfortable for you or another dancer which is what George is proficient at.

Dancers Phoebe Harrison and Jocelyn Odom will be performing in George’s piece for the winter dance concert. I asked them to share their thoughts on working with him. Odom explains “It’s more like waiting to see where the dance takes him. I think he comes into rehearsals with some things already set, but a lot of it he kind of discovers in the process with us.” When asked what they are excited to learn from George, how his teaching style influences them, and what they have already gained from his instruction, they offered valuable insights into his unique approach to dance and mentorship. His choreographing style is described by the dancers as working on a “group project.” “He’s very interested in what the dancers bring to the choreography, not just what the dancers bring, but how they execute it. He’s going to give you a little glimpse [of what] he wants, like a little prompt, and then we’re going to create something out of it. Afterward, he’s going to shake that into what he wants the piece to be like. And whenever we’re creating, it is no more than either solo work or two or three people but what he’s been doing a lot is using those phrases that we’re making and pouring from, into a vocabulary” Harrison said.

I was able to connect with George recently and ask questions about his experience, specifically about how his teaching styles changed over time before coming to Goucher. “Teaching at Emory has shaped my work. In the classroom, I’m constantly challenged by students who bring new perspectives, and that keeps me on my toes. They ask questions that make me reconsider the choices I make as a choreographer.” Next, I asked about how it is working with his Goucher cast and if he is learning anything from them. “So much, because I learned that they are so explosive in the best way and it’s been really terrific to try to funnel that explosion into a leg or just the open torso and they’re game to go along for the ride. They’re doing stuff like I don’t normally see so they’re really taking many risks, which is fantastic”

My final question to George was “What should the people watching in the crowd expect from the piece entitled Ugly Ducklings?” He responded, “I often find even in my students, when they try to assemble a narrative I think it’s great, it helps them get through a dance, but then it also kind of puts a cap on it and then there is nothing else to do with it. Try not to figure out a storyline, try not to figure out what a dancer is doing, and why, and just let the images come by, and that’s all”.

This piece will be comprised of Aaliyah Hatcher ‘24, Sam Koseff ‘25, Tess Seibert ‘25, Nalani Brown ‘26, Lily Hickey ‘26, Brooke Goodwin ‘26, Yvonne Nguyen ‘27, Phoebe Harrison ‘27, Jocelyn Odom ‘27, Paige Fried ‘27, Tovah Oslovich ‘27, Lydia DeWitt ‘28, and Lily Perron ‘28, and they are preparing bring George’s vision to life for the winter dance concert.

While rehearsals are still in progress, there’s already a feeling of anticipation surrounding the piece. George’s presence has energized the department even more, with students eagerly embracing his approach to movement and storytelling. As the winter concert approaches, enthusiasm builds for how the performance will unfold on stage—transforming the dancers and offering the Goucher community a thought-provoking and visually captivating performance.

By Joshua Haynes, ‘27

My Mother’s Closet, and the Multitudes of Womanhood

Published on October 7, 2024 by The Quindecim

Alongside the opening of I’ll Do It Tomorrow, the Goucher faculty art showcase, on September 19th, the exhibition My Mother’s Closet also opened its doors over at Rosenberg Gallery.

Featuring the works of Emily Wisniewski, Dominique Zeltzman, Elena Volkova, Julia Kim Smith, and Bria Sterling-Wilson, My Mother’s Closet explored the multitudes that conveys various life experiences such as war, fashion, bodily autonomy, and historical legacies through the female lens. In other words, “the personal is political” – one of the cornerstone philosophies of women, gender and sexuality studies – is the central theme of each and every artwork within the exhibition.

Still from Dominique Zeltsman’s *Balance.* Video, 2012

The claim for the showcasing of the “multitudes of womanhood” can be seen with the wide range of medium that was featured within the exhibition, from Elena Volkova’s work within the Ukrainian Portraits, to the arrangements by Bria Sterling-Wilson, to the videos of Dominique Zeltsman. In her exhibits within My Mother’s Closet, Elena Volkova noted this about her project, The Me Before The War No Longer Exists: Ukrainian Portraits:

“This project is guided by my own experience of displacement: it addresses the themes of belonging, ambiguity, liminality, and subjectivity. The resulting images reflect a sense of transition, becoming, or being in between, woven into the project’s narrative of reclaiming one’s agency.” The portraits – with all subjects being Ukrainian women who have arrived in Germany in the immediate aftermath of the Russian invasion into Ukraine – also created, alongside the senses that Volkova herself noted about, a sense of intimacy, as if these are candids.

From Elena Volkova’s *Ukrainian Portraits*. Made between 2023-24.

The sense of intimacy is also extended to the work of Bria Sterling-Wilson, especially with the usage of personal memorabilia such as photos, candles, copies of the Bible (as it is in the case for The Altar (Grandma’s Dresser) ) or, even further, part of their body through the usage of the prosthetic legs (as it was in Shining).

Bria Sterling-Wilson, *The Altar (Grandma’s Dresser).* Dresser, candles, bible, photos, other personal memorabilia. 2024.

Bria Sterling-Wilson, *Shining.* Grandmother’s prosthetic legs, glass, crystal, stockings. 2024.

Julia Kim Smith’s work extends the discovery of this work, by utilizing the quick results seen through a Google search to reveal the ways people stereotype, fear, and conjecture about people who look, are, or love somewhat differently than themselves (as in Why).

All in all, the exhibition has created a sense of intimacy – a universal need for all human beings to have in order to foster belonging – while also leaving a lot of space for questioning and some speculation (especially with the minimal amount of artist statements within the space of the gallery).

The only two notes that this writer wants gallery goers to keep in mind is that the Rosenberg Gallery has minimal seating space (as it is the lobby for the Kraushaar Auditorium area), and that exhibition labels are not present, but rather pins with numbers which correspond to the labels noted within the exhibition guide.

Stills from Julia Kim Smith’s *Why.* Video, 2012

Julia Kim Smith, *Concrete Poetry 2: Cathy Park Hong.* Cast concrete letters, 2024.

By Jamie Nguyen, ’25
Photography By Jamie Nguyen

Summer Recap: Artscape 2024 In Photos

Published on September 22, 2024 by The Quindecim

Hosted by the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA) and has entered its 40th season, Artscape 2024 – heralded as one of the largest free arts festival in the United States of America – was held on August 2nd-4th, 2024 in the neighborhoods of Bolton Hill, Mount Vernon, Charles Village, and the Station North Arts District (with the center of festivities in the roads surrounding the campuses of the University of Baltimore – UB – and the Maryland Institute College of Art – MICA).

Marking its comeback since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Artscape this year was unfortunately impacted with unfavorable weather conditions – scorching hot days, and heavy rainstorms in the afternoons and evenings. Nevertheless, the festival has pulled through.

The following photographs, taken August 2nd-3rd, are some of my own photos attending the festival, exhibitions, and related events in Baltimore.

By Jamie Nguyen ‘25.

I’ll Do It Tomorrow: A Fitting Start for the Season

Published on September 22, 2024 by The Quindecim

The fall exhibition season for Goucher kicked off last Thursday, September 19th, with the opening of two exhibitions in both Rosenberg and Silber Art Galleries, as well as the Bond Exhibition Window. I’ll Do It Tomorrow, currently in the Silber Art Gallery, features works by both current and former Goucher faculty members from both the visual and the performing arts departments.

With mediums ranging from photography, painting, sculpture, printmaking, to theater costume designs, the exhibition serves as a showcase of the artistry of Goucher’s faculty, as well as the spirit of experimentation that Goucher embodies. When inquiring about the name “I’ll do it tomorrow”, Prof. Pamela Thompson, one of the featured artists, explained that I’ll Do It Tomorrow evoked a sense of procrastination, which rings especially true with the start of the semester and the rush to ‘set up’ for the months ahead for both students and faculty alike. While the actual reason for the naming of the exhibition remains open for further conversation, I’ll Do It Tomorrow also offers a chance of community-building, as Goucher faculty does not usually do group exhibitions together due to this variance of medium.”

James Year, *Teamsters Respond,* 2024. Archival pigment print.

Jason Austin, *City Lights,* 2024. Acrylics and pastels on canvas.

With this variance in medium comes the variance in narration and portrayals. For example, you may see a capture of a real moment as it happens through the medium of photography. Such is the case with Teamsters Responds (2024) from Prof. James Year, which captures organized labor’s response to the use of A.I-driven trucks within California. Artists blend the real world with a touch of the fantastical, such as the portrayal of Baltimore, as recorded by Prof. Jason Austin in City Lights (2024). In the artist’s own words via the exhibition label, “The work is meant to capture the color, speed, and intensity of the city as I interpret it. Baltimore, like any city, never sleeps. The clouds forming shapes and lights below parallel a time lapse for how Baltimore keeps going 24/7 […] [My] aim is to welcome viewers into moments from my life that appear mundane and render it as something far more intriguing […] It could be the people I know, places I visit, or unexpected narratives I create from my imagination. […] This comes from my love of comic books, surrealism and pop art works from artists such as Roy Lichtenstein”.

Dara Lorenzo, *Miss You Ten,* 2024. Print on BFk Rives.

Pamela Thompson, *Shepherd,* 2024. Needle felted wool, branch, string, wire armature.

Other works, such as Drift and Shepherd by Prof. Thompson and Miss You Ten by Prof. Dara Lorenzo, explore the human condition, and the (dis)connection between human and nature. While both go the abstract route, their realm of exploration varies: Miss You Ten portrays the connection between ritual, prose, sharing spaces and the juxtaposition of sensations; Drift and Shepherd, on the other hand, delves more towards the ecological. It investigates the sense of transition and tradition within humanity’s connection to the natural world through the use of the common, yet complex medium of wool. Through this lens, the contrast within the commonality can be thought of as one of the reasons for these works to be displayed directly across from one another within the gallery.

Some works may require more intuition from gallery goers, such as Prof. Rick Delaney’s Forgotten Heroes and the costume design archives from Prof. Allison Campbell (retired summer 2024). In observation and combination with material in the exhibition label, Forgotten Heroes asks, how does the excluded parts impact the composition? It does this through digitally altered photos of seemingly empty rooms of a USAF veteran from the Korean War. The artist statement noted that “although he had been digitally removed from the slides, there is also a sense that he had also been removed from history.”

Rick Delaney, *Forgotten Heroes,* 2025 (?). Digitally Manipulated Giclee Prints (installation).

Costume designs from the archives of Prof. Campbell explore the hypothetical inevitability of the metaphor of “sometimes you have to wash in blood.” This concept became one of the guiding threads for these designs, an interpretation of the conflicting groups within the tragedy of The Bacchae. The costume designs for Goucher’s production of Euripides’s The Bacchae in 2004 are featured in this piece.

Allison Campbell, Costume Design for Goucher Theatre Production, *The Bacchae,* 2004. Design marker, color pencil, and graphite on paper.

Some, like Prof. Christina McCleary with Xenogenesis, and Prof. David Friedham with Fantastic Creature, delight gallery goers with their similarity in process. Xenogenesis speaks of the desire to create and communicate, and Fantastic Creature was based on drawing as “a way of looking and thinking” (according to Prof. Friedham’s artist statement). Both artists place a strong emphasis on both the sensual aspect of the creative process, as well as the inclusion of the element of play. When discussing the process, Prof. Friedham noted that “[some] things can only be thought with the hands.” When discussing the element of play, Prof. McCleary wrote in her exhibition label that “I strive to communicate with people not through words, […] but through the senses and the act of play. Play is disarming, engaging, thought-provoking, and fun. It is an underrated mechanism of communication.”

Christina McCleary, *Xenogenesis,* 2024. Ceramics.

David Friedham, *Fantastic Creature,* 2023. Steel.

By Jamie Nguyen ‘25

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