by Charissa Ricker | Mar 10, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Disney storyboard artist Natalie Nourigat spoke to Lipscomb students on Friday night and gave an inside look at being an artist in the animation industry. Nourigat has illustrated a graphic novel, worked on a Deadpool comic and published a book about pursuing animation in Los Angeles, but she actually never went to school for art. With a business major, she started doing freelance work, taking art classes and building up her portfolio through an internship. Nourigat now works on Disney feature films and currently, her only current credit is Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck it Ralph 2. Due to the long process of creating animation films, she said has to keep all current projects secret. “We work on things that are in development, so we might be working on movies that aren’t going to come out for three to five years — we don’t know,” Nourigat said. “It’s fun, it’s like animation CIA, we can’t talk about it.” Some of Nourigat’s storyboards from the Wreck it Ralph sequel were put on the screen for the audience to see the difference from a preliminary sketch to a more in depth scene. She shared that it takes her a day-and-a-half to do a rough sketch of one scene, and that Disney aims to storyboard the whole movie in three months. “On average, Disney movies are storyboarded start to finish nine times,” Nourigat said. “It gets taken apart and put back together many times to try and make it as strong as possible.” Because the crowd was predominantly animation students looking to pursue storyboarding, Nourigat gave tips on how to create a...
by Russell Vannozzi | Mar 9, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
If you’ve been to a Lipscomb basketball game, you’ve probably seen Conner Mirt dance. That’s because Mirt often makes himself the halftime entertainment at Allen Arena, much to the delight of the crowd. “The first time we saw it, we were in shock,” said Deb Mirt, Conner’s mother. “Then it went viral – somebody filmed it and put it on Facebook. He likes to get the crowd riled up.” Conner, who has Down syndrome, is a 2016 graduate of Lipscomb’s IDEAL program, which was created to offer a full college experience to students with intellectual and/or development disabilities. The 27-year-old is one of the biggest supporters of Lipscomb men’s and women’s basketball. Conner gives Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander a hug after every game, and he’s often seen encouraging the team from the stands or the sideline with a huge smile on his face. “He’s nothing but a positive influence on us, and we try hard to be the same for him,” Alexander said. “It’s a great relationship that we have with him.” That infectious grin has made Mirt a celebrity of sorts at Lipscomb. The men’s team threw him a birthday celebration after their win over Jacksonville on Feb. 9. He was one of the first people to the floor to congratulate the women’s team on its first ASUN victory that same day. “They all take care of him,” said Mike Mirt, Conner’s father. “It’s really amazing to watch.” But Conner and his family don’t just go to home games. They often attend practices and travel to select road games, along with players’ families like the Morans, the Peppers,...
by Konnor Gottfred | Mar 9, 2019 | News Slider, Opinion
DISCLAIMER: This article is the opinion of the author and is not intended to reflect the opinions of Lumination Network. Moderation is disappearing in the American political landscape. Over the past twenty years, there has been a continual shift or reoccurring trend in the politics of the everyday citizen where viewpoints across the partisan spectrum have started to become less and less varied. In turn, many citizens are slowly pulling away from the opposing side and becoming more self-contained within their preferred party. The middle ground we used to find between the parties is being swallowed up by a more radical wave stemming from both sides of the issue. This trend, often referred to as political polarization, paints a potentially bleak future of American politics as both parties continue to become more and more enveloped in their own views. The rise of polarization has had an inverse effect on compromise as these like-minded bubbles often breed little criticism, which opens the way for more extreme views to be adopted. The ideas put out by politicians keep getting more and more radical because we as a society allow them to. In many instances, polarization is furthered by the everyday people you associate with. A majority of people say that their friends and family share similar if not identical viewpoints to theirs. The Overton Window is a political theory that defines the boundaries for what stances a politician can take and still be elected. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy states that “The [Overton] window shifts to include different policy options not when ideas change among politicians, but when ideas change in...
by Russell Vannozzi | Mar 9, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb women’s basketball coach Greg Brown will not return next season, the school’s athletic department announced Friday afternoon. The news follows a disappointing season in which the Lady Bisons went 4-25 and lost 19 games in a row from mid-November to early February. The team missed the ASUN tournament for the first time since 2013. “I appreciate the effort, care for our student athletes, conscientiousness and work on behalf of our school that Greg, [and assistants] Hannah [Phillips], Aaron [Holland], Clay [Crothers] and Kelsey [Gregory] have given this year and during the rest of their time with us,” Lipscomb athletic director Philip Hutcheson said in a release. Brown compiled a 44-161 overall record in his seven seasons at Lipscomb. His best campaign came in 2017-18, when Lipscomb went 12-19 and beat USC Upstate in the ASUN Quarterfinals. Senior Loren Cagle led that team with 17.2 points and won ASUN Player of the Year honors. Brown is a 1993 Lipscomb graduate and began his coaching career as a student assistant under legendary Lipscomb men’s basketball coach Don Meyer. He eventually worked as a graduate assistant and later as an assistant coach under Pat Summit at Tennessee in the early 2000s. In 2012, Lipscomb hired him away from Central Florida, where he was the associate head coach. “Greg is as good [of] a person, husband, father, co-worker and friend as you are likely to find,” Hutcheson said. “All of his assistants are all quality and talented people too, and I appreciate everything about them as well.” Hutcheson will immediately begin the search for a new coach. Phillips will continue to work with the...
by Russell Vannozzi | Mar 8, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
One year after winning its first ASUN title, the Lipscomb men’s basketball team has earned a chance to defend its crown. The Bisons (25-6) dominated NJIT in a 78-55 ASUN semifinal victory on Thursday in Allen Arena. That sets up a rubber match with Liberty (27-6) on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT for the ASUN tournament title and a spot in the Big Dance. The game will be televised by ESPN – Lipscomb’s first-ever national television appearance at home. The Bisons topped Florida Gulf Coast 108-96 in last year’s championship, but this time, the big stage is coming to Green Hills. “It’s a big day for our campus, our program and everybody that cares about our school,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “I’m happy that our players have put themselves in a position to be here and enjoy that moment.” Lipscomb guard Garrison Mathews came out of the gate hot. He scored 10 points in the first four minutes of the contest and finished with 22 total to lead the Bisons. The senior also had nine rebounds and five assists. After Mathews sank a three in the early going, Alexander looked behind the bench to exchange a smile with Lipscomb athletic director Philip Hutcheson. “I turned around and looked at [Hutcheson], and we both knew what the other was thinking,” Alexander said. “[Garrison] can score the basketball, and he does it in pretty impressive fashion. He’s always been able to score, but now he scores a little bit deeper and a little more on the move.” NJIT kept pace with the Bisons thanks to shooting 48 percent in the...
by LeBron Hill | Mar 7, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
A painting featuring two African American men embracing one another in a kiss in the “Colour Somewhere” exhibit in the Hutcheson gallery will not be taken down, despite initial concerns from Lipscomb administration. Curator Lawrence Matthews III said his decision to choose the piece reflects the overall message of the gallery. “I try to represent all of the different aspects of blackness that are not always highlighted in the forefront — but also the wholeness — black people in love, existing in their own element,” Matthews said. In the piece by D’Angelo Williams entitled “The Lovers,” two black men wearing white tank tops are embracing each other in a kiss while their faces are each covered by Du-Rags. The piece is inspired by the 1928 painting under the same title by Rene Magritte. The original painting features a heterosexual couple with the same concept, faces covered by white cloth in an embrace. The male figure wears a black suit and tie with a solid white shirt. He embraces a woman clad in a red, sleeveless garment with white trim. Matthews said Lipscomb staff contacted him on the day of the event with concerns of “vulgarity” within some of the artwork, but Matthews noted that the actual night of the premiere went smoothly. A couple of weeks after the opening, he received word of negative reactions to Williams’ photo. “I got a text that someone was uncomfortable about that piece and that it had to come down,” Matthews said. “I immediately called the art department, and I’m like, ‘If that piece comes down, I’m taking the whole show down.’” Mike...
