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Spring Arts |
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NEW YORK VOICES explores some of the mysteries of the creative process
with profiles of three artists.
William Wegman: "Funney/Strange"
William Wegman may be best known for photographs of his Weimaraner dogs, but his extensive portfolio also includes paintings, drawings, and videos. From his conceptual art days of making works from dirt, cellophane
or typing paper, to his current large format Polaroids of his dogs,
Wegman's work has consistently remained witty, humorous, and ironic.
The Brooklyn Museum is
currently hosting a Wegman retrospective, appropriately entitled
"Funney/Strange." The show will run through May 28, 2006.
The Whitney Biennial
Every two years, the contemporary arts world is abuzz with talk of the Whitney Biennial -- who's in and who's
not, and the show is always one of the hottest arts tickets in town. The exhibit is the result of months of work by curators, who
visit artists all around the country to find the most exciting and
timely work. The artwork exhibited says a great deal about the state
of art in America. Chrissie Iles explains how in this
year's Biennial, "Day for Night," she and Co-Curator Philippe Vergne
tried to represent the pervasive mood of anxiety and uncertainty they
found within the arts community.
One of the Biennial's roles is to spotlight emerging artists, which sometimes can lead to their "big break." Zoe
Strauss, a photographer who documents streets scenes of her native Philadelphia with a sense of lovingness and humanity, is one of this year's up-and-comers.
The exhibit runs through May 28, 2006 at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Maurice Sendak's BRUNDIBAR
Renowned children's author and illustrator Maurice Sendak has
illustrated over 100 children's books, many of which he has also authored,
including WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE and IN THE NIGHT KITCHEN.
He recently teamed up with playwright Tony Kushner to adapt BRUNDIBAR,
a children's opera written in 1938 by Czech composer Hans Krása. They
turned the opera into a book and a new theatrical version that is
currently touring the country. A work with a dark history, BRUNDIBAR
was performed over 50 times in the Czech concentration camp Terezin.
The one-act parable contains political commentary hidden within a
children's opera, and contains messages of hope and of triumph over
evil. Maurice Sendak talks about the impact of the Holocaust on his
life and why adapting this opera has been so important to him.
BRUNDIBAR will be at the New Victory Theater from April 28 - May 21, 2006.
(First Aired March 31, 2006)
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William Wegman: Inside the funny and strange world of the photographer best known for his dog photos. |  |   |  |
|  | Whitney Biennial:
Contemporary arts museum spotlights emerging artists.
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| Maurice Sendak: Children's author and illustrator confronts the wild things of his past with a new work, BRUNDIBAR. |  |    |  |
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