U-M’s ‘Arts & War’ offers provocative probe, meditation

ANN ARBOR—From the images of devastation wrought by suicide bombers in a downtown Baghdad marketplace to the horrific details of genocide in Darfur, the daily news and dramatic documentations of war have inured many to the harsh realities of sustained violent conflict.

The 21st-century drumbeat of incessant warfare threatens to create paralyzing anxiety and a sense of inevitability. In this context, the University of Michigan presents “Arts & War,” an innovative exploration of the ways in which the arts shape our experience of war.

Performances will be held from 5:10 p.m. to 6:40 p.m. on March 20 and March 21 at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre in the Michigan League, 911 North University at the corner of Fletcher Street on the U-M campus. The events are free and open to the public, and will be followed by conversations among audience members and selected artists.

“Arts & War” aims to engage audiences with a compelling assemblage of dancers, singers, musicians, writers and artists in video, photography and sculpture, all of whom present creative work about war: Some of it created to mobilize for war, some to protest war, some to dramatize and mourn war’s effects.

The timely “Arts & War” is coordinated and funded by Arts on Earth, a new U-M initiative dedicated to exploring the profound dynamic relationship between people and arts worldwide. Open-ended and campus-wide, Arts on Earth creates experiential learning events about?and through?the power of the arts. Events include performances, exhibits, screenings, installations, conversations with artists, courses, conferences, and more. Most Arts on Earth events are free and open to the public.

The first night of “Arts & War,” called “Mobilization & Protest,” features art created to mobilize for war and to generate opposition to war once begun. Among the performances:

? William Bolcom and Joan Morris performing patriotic cabaret songs.

? A harrowing demonstration by musicologist Jonathan Pieslak’s of American soldiers’ use of heavy metal and rap to gird for battle in Iraq.

? Tirtza Even’s haunting video exploration of the friendship between the Israeli artist and her Palestinian friends.

Other performers include the string ensemble, Time for Three; jazz flugelhornist, Ed Sarath; video artist Heidi Kumao; musicologist Mark Clague; and choreographer and dancer Madhavi Mai. The poet Linda Gregerson hosts the evening and the post-performance discussion.

On March 21, in a program titled “Testimony,” the arts in performance were created as a means of testifying to and processing the horrors of war. Highlights include:

? Paul Schoenfield’s gut-wrenching work about the Holocaust, “Sparks of Glory.”

? Iraqi oud player Rahim AlHaj performing his original work, “Dance of the Palms,” about the destruction of his country’s sacred natural beauty.

? The playwright and performance artist OyamO reading from “My Parents’ Bedroom,” a story by Nigerian writer Uwem Akpan about Africa’s orphans of war.

Other performers on March 21 include jazz pianist Geri Allen, poet and video artist Thylias Moss, and choreographer and dancer Amy Chavasse. Artist Glenda Dickerson will moderate the post-performance discussion.

On both nights, a video installation by Carol Jacobsen, kinetic sculpture by Michael Rodemer and video work by U-M students will also be on display.

Arts on Earth