by Anastasia Davis | Feb 12, 2020 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Bring your tissues. As described aptly in the College of Entertainment and the Arts emails, “Kindertransport depicts the agony of separating a child from her parents and wrestles with the consequences of that choice, an act of sacrifice that also wreaks devastating results.” “Kindertransport is a play that deals with personal relationships, trauma, and mental health in the interpersonal lives of people who are going through a much bigger trauma,” said Emma Harvey, lead actress in the production. Kindertransport addresses a moment in history when children were sent out and away from Nazi Germany, by Jewish families who wished for a better chance of survival for their children. The production, full of complexities in crossing timelines, follows the path of one such child. Eva Schlesinger feeling abandoned, unable to communicate in English arrives in England. After her parents fail to escape Nazi Germany, she is adopted by her host family, the Millers, and raised as their own. While struggling to keep the Ratcatcher, an embodiment of her fears, at bay she grows into her new life, and 30 years later, her daughter, Faith, discovers old letters and papers bringing back the Ratcatcher and the pain to the present. The Ratcatcher plays a key role in Eva’s PTSD. What once was her favorite story has been turned into a nightmare personifying the trauma and fear that she experiences, feeling the need to be grateful and the mentality of “grin and bear it” burying the emotional crisis deeper into her subconscious. “It’s also about refugee crises,” said Harvey, echoing the words of Scott Baker, the literary advisor for the production, from...
by Bailey Burnett | Feb 5, 2020 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
“Her Voice: Selections from the Cheekwood Collections” is honoring the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the United States and the 60th anniversary of Cheekwood as a public institution. The exhibit is on display through March 30 in the John C. Hutcheson Gallery in the Beaman Library. These pieces, on loan for the Lipscomb display at Hutcheson Gallery, were donated to Cheekwood over the course of its history. Cheekwood, 1200 Forrest Park Drive in Nashville’s exclusive Belle Meade enclave, is a 55-acre botanical garden and art museum on the historic Cheek estate. “Originally built as the home of Leslie and Mabel Cheek in 1929, Cheekwood is one of the finest examples of an American Country Place Era estate,” according to its web page. “Since being converted into a museum of art and botanical garden in 1960, Cheekwood has presented world-class art exhibitions, spectacular gardens and an historic estate unlike anything else.” This exhibition at Lipscomb highlights Cheekwood’s long-standing legacy of collecting works by female artists. It displays the voices, creative innovations, and the voices of remarkable women. The gallery includes work by Ida Rittenberg Kohlmeyer, Georgia O’Keeffe, Jane Peterson, Liliane Lijn, Grace Hill Turnbull, Helen Frankenthaler, Dorothy O’Connor, Marilyn Murphy, Betty Woodman, Perle Fine, Louise Dahl-Wolfe and more. Only four of these artists — Lijn, Murphy, O’Connor and Marylyn Ditenfass — are living, according to Mia Jaye Thomas, the gallery assistant for the John C. Hutcheson gallery and the administrative assistant for the School of Art and Design. The exhibit was curated by Campbell Mobley, Cheekwood’s curator of exhibitions. It is being staged in conjunction with the 100th anniversary...
by Erika Plunkett | Dec 18, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Based on the novel of the same name, Little Women explores the complexities of life through the four March sisters. Director Greta Gerwig artfully recreates Louisa May Alcott’s classic and weaves together a beautiful and visually powerful film. Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, and Eliza Scanlen headline as Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth March alongside Timothee Chalamet as Laurie, Meryl Streep as Aunt March, and Laura Dern as Mother “Marmie” March. The chemistry between these actresses and their faithful representations of their characters endear viewers to this family with all of its triumphs and struggles. Jo, an aspiring writer, struggles with discovering her voice, debating between the popular sensationalized drama and the real stories that move and drive our lives. Through love, sadness, separation, disagreements, and the trials of growing up, she can find clarity and discover what she truly wants in life. Alcott’s and Gerwig’s intrinsic understanding of human nature is evident in this story and provides the timeless appeal of this piece. The characters are not afraid to expose their weaknesses alongside their accomplishments, and the family dynamics of the March family take viewers back to their childhoods. The relationships forged among characters welcome viewers into the family, evoking laughter, tears, and sympathetic sighs. The powerful seamlessness of the movie is created through the frame in which the story is told. Each scene comes full circle as it is told alongside flashbacks, giving the full story of the Marches. The juxtaposition of these scenes years apart sheds clarity on the growth of the family, collectively and individually. In addition, the very real and very relatable challenges...
by Kathryn Farris | Dec 4, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Hot chocolate, Christmas cookies, Santa and Amy Grant braved the chilly temperatures all in the name of the holiday spirit for Tuesday night’s 15th annual Lighting of the Green. The festive event marked the start of Christmas for the Lipscomb community and gave students the opportunity to celebrate the past semester before the hectic atmosphere of finals week. Per tradition, Lipscomb welcomed back artist Amy Grant to host the musical celebration. During her set, Grant brought out several “friends” and musical guests to perform songs such as “Silver Bells,” “Grown-up Christmas List” and the local staple “Tennessee Christmas.” Speaking on her song “Tennessee Christmas,” Grant told the crowd “nobody really gets it quite like the Nashville crowd.” Choirs from the University as well as the Academy had a special role in the celebration, for they spent the night singing alongside Grant on stage. Other guests of the night included Marc Martel and Anthem Lights, the Christian based artists joined Grant on stage to sing the holiday songs that have shaped their “Like probaly many of you, I grew up with the music of Miss Amy Grant in the house..which is really mind-blowing for me.” Martel told the audience. Throughout the night, attendees from the Lipscomb community and the surrounding neighborhoods gathered while admiring Christmas lights and enjoying activities such as the “Merry Marketplace.” The Marketplace took place in McQuiddy Gym and featured free photos with Santa and several Holiday vendors. A major highlight of the night is the recognition of a College of the Entertainment and the Arts student with the Amy Grant Scholarship. This year’s recipient is Abby...
by Tia Calvin | Nov 20, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Disney has re-entered the world of ice, castles, and comedy with its long-awaited sequel, Frozen 2. In the past, Disney has admittingly had trouble with remakes and sequels. However, the animation giant seems to be regaining its quintessential magic with its newest release. The last two Disney sequel releases, Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4, shattered box office records to become the top two highest-grossing animated features of all time and the Frozen sequel is already right on their heels. Currently, the film is taking the third grossing spot and outpacing these two films in presale tickets alone. Despite a nearly six-year gap since the first Frozen release, Frozen 2 seems to recognize that the fan base itself has grown while leaving room for younger kids to also enjoy the film. Both Elsa and Anna lose their signature braids and dresses in favor of sleek ponytails and pants, seemingly to mark the transition from innocent young girls to courageous adult women. Their quest: to find the origin of Elsa’s ice powers and reunite the kingdom of Arendelle with its mysterious enchanted forest counterpart. Over the course of their adventure, Princess Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) worries that her sister’s ice powers aren’t enough to protect her from the world beyond their safe home. Queen Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) battles the elements to learn that she’s valued and deserving of a greater purpose than just being queen. Olaf, the living snowman, is given youthful humor that peaks at naivety while Kristoff and Sven, the former iceman/reindeer duo, figure out how to pop the question to an unsuspecting Anna. And...
by Bailey Burnett | Nov 6, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Worldview: A Photography Exhibit, was created to feature combined photo works by students who have experienced a Lipscomb Global Learning program. But it took a little extra time to get it opened. The exhibit opened Oct. 28 and will continue to be open for students to walk through and experience until Jan. 8. The original Oct. 21 opening was delayed due to shipping issues. The exhibit was rescheduled to open first thing in the morning Oct. 28, but was pushed back even then. “We are trying to get it up by the end of the day,” said Mia Jaye, Lipscomb’s program coordinator and gallery assistant. The pictures were finally hung and the exhibit was open that evening. The John C. Hutcheson Gallery, located in the east wing of the institution’s Beaman Library, is brand new to the campus. After over a week’s worth of delays the gallery is up and running and several Global Learning alumni have stopped in to see if their pictures were selected. One of those alums, Brianna Burch, said: “the pictures that were selected are really cool and I hope they do something like this again. I think it’s really cool to be able to see other students’ experiences.” Burch has been to the United Kingdom, Italy, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Vatican City. The visual arts program decided to create an exhibit where students could submit their own work from their experiences abroad. The photos have been curated by two School of Art and Design students Haley Herold and Grant Gasser. For more information, please contact Mia Jaye Thomas at miajaye.thomas@lipscomb.edu....
