A selection of recent mentions of 乐播传媒 and 乐播传媒 people in the news.

乐播传媒 College Museum of Art

Exploding Native Inevitable exhibition features 15 Native artists Indian Country Today

The current 乐播传媒 College Museum of Art 鈥渋s not confined to white gallery walls,鈥 writes Sandra Hale Schulman for Indian Country Today, 鈥渂ut rather explodes beyond the museum and across the campus into the community with performers, filmmakers, and writers both regional and national.鈥

Dan Mills, the exhibition co-curator and director of the Museum of Art, talked about how he broached the project with his co-curator and friend, Indigenous artist Brad Kahlhamer. 鈥淚 asked him, 鈥榃hat do you think about joining and doing a project looking at Indigenous artists from across the land who may be crazy-good artists, and many who aren’t known?鈥欌

Included in Exploding Native Inevitable is this stoneware and glaze work by Raven Halfmoon, a member of the Caddo Nation, titled Dush Toh Dancing, 55 x 40 x 35 inches, courtesy of Tia Collection, Santa Fe, N.M. 漏 Raven Halfmoon. (Photography courtesy of the artist and Kouri + Corrao Gallery, Santa Fe, N.M.)

The title of the 乐播传媒 exhibition nods to Andy Warhol鈥檚 1966 Exploding Plastic Inevitable, in which he curated multimedia events to go along with his art exhibition. Like Warhol鈥檚 exhibit, Exploding Native Inevitable features talks with artists, screenings of films, and performances.

The show will be up at 乐播传媒 until March 4 and then travel to venues in Arizona, Nebraska, and Utah.


Tyler Harper

American Fiction and the 鈥榡ust literature鈥 problem 鈥 The Atlantic

, Tyler Harper, an assistant professor of environmental studies and prolific essayist in the national media, describes the racial politics within the movie American Fiction.

In the movie, the character Thelonious “Monk” Ellison questions why a chain bookstore places his novels, which are inspired by Greek tragedy, in the store’s African American studies section rather than the mythology section. “The film trades on the gap…between how Monk is seen by others (as a Black novelist) and how Monk sees himself (as a novelist who is Black),鈥 writes Harper.

The film American Fiction presents a “remorseless ridicule of the progressive identity politics of the moment,鈥 writes Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Tyler Harper.

The film also trades on the 鈥渄istance between a writer who insists that his work is 鈥榡ust literature鈥 and an industry that demands that any novel by a Black writer is…a tool for social justice,鈥 as Monk comes to resent 鈥渉ow Black writers are recruited for anti-racism, progressive politics, and invectives against what one white character calls the 鈥榗arceral state.鈥欌

American Fiction 鈥渏oins other 2023 send-ups of the literary landscape 鈥 R.F. Kuang鈥檚 novel Yellowface, Brandon Taylor鈥檚 The Late Americans 鈥 in its remorseless ridicule of the progressive identity politics of the moment.鈥


William Pope.L

Pope.L, provocative performance artist, dies at 68 鈥 The New York Times

Media outlets in the U.S. and abroad highlighted the art of William Pope.L, a former longtime senior lecturer in theater, after his death on Dec. 23, 2023 at age 68.

called Pope.L, a member of the 乐播传媒 faculty from 1990 to 2012, 鈥渁n uncompromising conceptual and performance artist who explored themes of race, class, and what he called 鈥榟ave-not-ness.鈥欌 

Pope.L鈥檚 work spanned a wide variety of mediums 鈥 such as painting, sculpture, and photography 鈥 but he was perhaps best known for his brash and inventive performance art, specifically his public crawling performances 鈥渢hat blended satire and resistance,鈥 the Times noted.

** ADVANCE FOR MONDAY, OCT. 14 ** William Pope L. crawls Saturday, Oct. 5, 2002, in Portland, Maine as part of an exhibit by the artist at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the Maine College of Art. During his career, Pope has eaten copies of the Wall Street Journal while sitting on a Boston street corner, and handed out money while chained to a bank in New York wearing only his underwear. (AP Photo/Joel Page)
The artist William Pope.L performs a crawl on Oct. 5, 2002, in Portland, Maine, as part of an exhibit at the Maine College of Art. A member of the 乐播传媒 faculty from 1990 to 2012, Pope.L died on Dec. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Joel Page)

The Guardian described an early crawl: 鈥淲earing a business suit and pushing a potted plant, he crawled the length of 42nd Street in New York on his hands and knees, taking him across Times Square, then heavily populated with homeless people, sex workers, drug addicts, and others at society鈥檚 margins.鈥 

The Guardian鈥檚 art critic Adrian Searle described the works as 鈥済rueling, extreme, stupid, and brave 鈥 the artist adopting the position of the penitent or the religious fanatic, the most base and abject of those at the bottom.鈥

鈥淗is abiding themes were the intersecting difficulties and distinctions that he experienced as a Black American and a son of the working class,鈥 Heinrich wrote in the Times. 鈥淏ut the impact of his work came less from the literal sense of its surface contents, which could be difficult to decode, than from its sheer intensity, and from his willingness to say and do things others wouldn鈥檛.鈥

Seen at 乐播传媒 circa 1995, William Pope.L, a member of the 乐播传媒 faculty from 1990 to 2012 and an acclaimed performance artist, died on Dec. 23, 2023. (Photograph by Doug Jones)

At 乐播传媒, one of Pope.L鈥檚 well-known projects was the Black Factory, which aimed 鈥渢o re-energize discussions about race in America by inviting people to share objects that represent 鈥榖lackness鈥欌 reported Doug Hubley in 2003. The next year, Pope.L was named a Guggenheim fellow.


Ken O鈥橣riel 鈥16

Meet the newest Forbes 30 Under 30 鈥 Forbes

Ken O鈥橣riel 鈥16 was in the Finance sector for his role in founding a Toku, a firm that supports crypto companies in the areas of token compensation and tax compliance.

鈥淢any crypto startups opt to compensate their employees with tokens, and Toku…supports them in adhering to tax regulations across more than 100 countries,鈥 Forbes reports. O’Friel was named to the 30 Under 30 list with company co-founder Dominika Stobiecka.

鈥淎mong its clients are crypto exchange dYdX and Protocol Labs, developer of the decentralized data storage service Filecoin. In March, the company raised $20 million in an initial round led by Blockchain Capital,” notes Forbes.

O鈥橣riel, who majored in East Asian studies and economics at 乐播传媒, notes that 乐播传媒 classmate Stefan Stadlinger 鈥16, also a Bobcat lacrosse teammate, is a founding member of the Toku team and currently the head of product.


Maine

What is Maine? 鈥 Jeopardy!

More of a noteworthy pop-culture mention than a news mention, Tuesday’s Jeopardy! put the 乐播传媒 name into the show鈥檚 familiar Gotham font when host Ken Jennings gave this $400 clue in the category 鈥淐ollege Prep鈥: 鈥溊植ゴ, Beal, and Bowdoin are colleges in this state that does not begin with B.”

The correct response was offered by April Marquet, a digital production artist from Oakland, Calif.

This Jeopardy! clue on show No. 9,012 didn’t stump 乐播传媒 folks.

乐播传媒 folks were proud of the 乐播传媒 mention on show No. 9,012. 鈥淎ll watching in this house shouted out the answer simultaneously and correctly!鈥 said 乐播传媒 parent Lisa Backer of Del Mar, Calif.

But there might be some brushing up to do when it comes to awareness of Maine colleges, A number of 乐播传媒 viewers said they didn鈥檛 know there was a Beal in Maine. It鈥檚 actually Beal University, located in Bangor, a two-year business-focused school that was founded in 1891.


James Parakilas

Napoleon’s piano lends authenticity to Ridley Scott’s biopic 鈥 狈笔搁鈥檚 Morning Edition

狈笔搁鈥檚 Morning Edition turned to Jim Parakilas, professor emeritus of music, to .

The melody heard in Ridley Scott鈥檚 biopic comes from a piano once owned by the French emperor himself. Morning Edition鈥檚 Olivia Hampton noted that the piano, known as the Erard no. 7493, 鈥渉as a less damped sound than that of a modern piano.鈥

Parakilas said that 鈥渆ven when the dampers have fallen on the strings, you still hear resonance from the strings. So it’s kind of a more echoey sound.鈥 The piano is on permanent loan from the Museum of Music History to the Cobbe Collection of historic instruments outside London.


This short video about making of the Napolean soundtrack shows how the piano known as Erard no. 7493 “finds its largest audience to date.”

Parakilas, the author of Piano Roles: A New History of the Piano, put the instrument into historical context, noting that 鈥淣apoleon was also a contemporary of Beethoven. Both men made a tremendous impact on society in a fast-moving time. Music was part of that. 

鈥淭he piano changed more in their lifetimes than at any other time in history. So this little instrument…represents a moment of truly staggering change in the way pianos were made, designed, sounded, and the music that could be made on them.鈥


Anne Williams

The nine best puzzles for adults in 2023 鈥 NBC Select

Professor Emerita of Economics Anne Williams, nationally known for her puzzle expertise, told that the “best puzzles for adults are challenging and fun to solve. When finished, the puzzler feels pride and a sense of accomplishment at having conquered the unknown.鈥

Willliams offered tips for evaluating puzzles by size, image, type and budget, and cutting style. For example, when choosing the number of pieces, ask yourself, 鈥淎re you looking for entertainment for a couple of hours, or a couple of days?鈥

The image of a puzzle affects the experience, said Williams. 鈥淒o you want a busy, energetic picture or a more relaxed and contemplative one?鈥

Featuring a nostalgic image, this 300-piece jigsaw puzzle is titled Shoreview Drive, with art by the late Ken Zylla. When choosing a puzzle, the image affects the experience, says Anne Williams. (John / CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED)

Studies show that doing jigsaw puzzles can help prevent cognitive decline. Plus, says Willliams, solving puzzles 鈥渋nvolves making order out of chaos, and gives a sense of control.鈥 They鈥檙e a 鈥渟oothing and solitary way to get absorbed in something that diverts one from the outside world.鈥


Ghasharib Shoukat 鈥20

Corporate farming in Pakistan: opportunities and pitfalls 鈥 The Express Tribune

Introducing corporate farming in Pakistan could pose challenges for existing farming systems, local communities, and the traditional rights of migratory livestock herders, wrote , a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan.

To protect local farms and communities, Shoukat and coauthor Daud Khan offered a number of recommendations, such as guiding corporate farms to land that is difficult to farm. 鈥淪uch lands are not suitable for family farms but are eminently suitable for agile corporates who can move in inputs, machinery, and manpower if and when rains are sufficient to produce a good crop.鈥

Also, corporate farms should 鈥渆stablish strong links with local communities. The local population must be given priority for jobs and suitable training and coaching should be provided to upgrade their skills.鈥

Shoukat is a researcher focused on policy implementation and social reform who is head of product at Pakistan Agriculture Research.


Ryan Dean 鈥09 

Studio visit with Illustrator Ryan Dean 鈥 GoLocalProv

by Michael Rose for GoLocalProv, a local news portal in Providence, R.I. 

Rose notes that Dean, who was a double major in German and art and visual culture at 乐播传媒, is well known for LUMUKU, and related fine art and public art that Dean developed for children鈥檚 language learning.

LUMUKU, which stands for 鈥渓ove you, miss you, kiss you,鈥 to honor one of Dean鈥檚 mentors, features 鈥減layful illustrations that allow for children and families to learn languages in an approachable way,” wrote Rose.

Ryan Dean ’09 is known for creating and illustrating LUMUKU, the 鈥渟eries of card games he has developed for children鈥檚 language learning.鈥 (Ryan Dean ’09)

An 鈥渋mmersive鈥 exhibition of Dean鈥檚 work is on view in AS220鈥檚 Resident Gallery in Providence. Rose calls it a 鈥渂uoyant show [that] indicates this artist鈥檚 signature aesthetic and worldview…. The bright and cheerful designs that come from his studio can inspire both those who are young and young at heart.鈥