Rick Peterson

Author: Rick Peterson

Visiting Artist Series Lecture Address Features Milwaukee Photographer Sonja Thomsen

Photographer Sonja Thomsen discusses her work, its evolution and her influences Wednesday, April 28 in the Lawrence University Visiting Artist Lecture Series address “Sonja Thomsen Exposed…”

The talk, at 4:30 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium, will be followed by a question-and-answer session and reception. The event is free and open to the public.

Using the flatness of photography to highlight the subtlety of perception, Thomsen’s work is experiential and evocative. Her photographs, focusing on natural elements such as the surfaces of water and oil, have been featured throughout the U.S., including exhibits in New York City, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Madison.

Mary Louise Schumacher of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel described Thomsen’s images as “acts of devotion.”

“They are evidence of a humane artist developing a new visual vocabulary,” wrote Schumacher. “Charged with quiet metaphor, they betray a set of treasured beliefs about youth and sensuality, about nature and wonder, about aging and loss.”

In 2006, Thomsen was one among more than 40 photographers who founded the Coalition of Photographic Arts, a non-profit Milwaukee group devoted to promoting the growth, appreciation and creation of contemporary photography. Thomsen teaches at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.

Her visit is sponsored by Lawrence University department of art and art history and the Photography Club.

Vocalist Derrell Acon Wins Chicago’s Bel Canto Foundation Contest

Lawrence University senior Derrell Acon took top honors in the Student Division of Chicago’s recent Bel Canto Foundation contest.

He received a $2,500 prize for his winning performance for which he sang “Come dal ciel precipita” from Verdi’s “Macbeth” and “Serenata” by Enrico Toselli in the finals.

Acon also shared the Grand Prize from the competition’s young artists’ division with soprano Seihee Lee. Acon and Lee each received $5,000 to support their education and operatic pursuits.

A student in the voice studio of Professor Patrice Micheals, Acon will spend the upcoming summer as a studio artist with Opera North in Lebanon, N.H.

Since 1973, the Bel Canto Foundation has promoted Italian repertoire through contests, seminars and concerts, providing young American singers with financial support, vocal training and performance opportunities.

The Bel Canto Foundation contest combines a passion for Italian opera and fine dining. Held as a series of three opera evenings, contestants perform for guests during a banquet dinner, competing for more than $50,000 in prizes.

Economics of Climate Change Focus of LU International Lecture Series Address

Mixing levity with serious economic solutions to climate change, University of Washington environmental economist Yoram Bauman delivers the second address in Lawrence University’s 2010 Povolny Lecture Series in International Studies “The Climate for Climate Change.”

Bauman, who bills himself as “the world’s only stand-up economist,” presents “Comedy, Economics and Climate Change,” Monday, April 26, 7 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

While poking good-natured fun at the field of economics, Bauman also will provide a serious examination of the ways economics can help address the problem of climate change. His address will focus on environmental tax reform — revenue-neutral carbon pricing — and explain why he favors lowering taxes on things we want more of, including employment, savings, and investments and raising taxes on things we want less of, specifically carbon emissions.

Based on 2005 emissions information, Bauman argues a tax of $30 per short ton of carbon dioxide emissions — approximately 30 cents per gallon of gasoline or three cents per kWh of coal-fired power — would generate enough revenue in Wisconsin to eliminate the state business tax and reduce the state sales tax rate by 50 percent.

A specialist on the economics of climate change, Bauman earned a bachelor’s degree from Reed College and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Washington. He joined the UW faculty in 2006 and teaches in the environmental studies program.

He also performs stand-up regularly at Seattle’s Comedy Underground and at colleges, comedy clubs and corporate events around the country. Among his publications is the book “The Cartoon Introduction to Economics.”

“The Climate for Climate Change” lecture series is sponsored by the Mojmir Povolny Lectureship in International Studies. Named in honor of long-time Lawrence government professor Mojmir Povolny, the lectureship promotes interest and discussion on issues of moral significance and ethical dimensions.

Student Musicians Sweep Top Two Spots in Regional Organ Competition

Lawrence University sophomore Daniel O’Connor and senior Susanna Valleau earned first-and second-place honors, respectively, at the recent Young Artists Organ Competition conducted at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minn.

The competition was co-sponsored by the Twin Cities Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and the Schubert Club of St. Paul.

O’Connor, an organ performance and economics major from Dallas, Texas, received $1,500 for his winning performance, that included a 40-minute audition of five works. His repertoire featured the Bach works “Toccata in D minor ‘Dorian’” and “Chorale Prelude on Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele,” Gaston Litaize’s “Prelude et Danse Fuguee,” “Organ Sonata No. 11 in D minor” by Joseph Rheinberger and the hymn “Were you there?”

Valleau, an organ performance major from Andover, Mass., was awarded $900 for her second-place honor. Her program also included Bach’s “Dorian,” as well as his “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland,” Felix Mendelssohn’s “Sonata in A Major,” “Joies” by Jehan Alain and the hymn “Cwm Rhondda” by John Hughes.

O’Connor and Valleau are students of university organist Kathrine Handford.

Consumer Rights Advocate Ralph Nader Speaks at Lawrence University April 25

Ralph Nader, America’s most renowned consumer rights crusader, closes Lawrence University’s celebration of Earth Week Sunday, April 25 with the address “The Great Conversion: Environmentalism over Corporatism.” Nader’s presentation, at 7:30 p.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, 510 E. College Ave., Appleton, is free and open to the public.

A question-and-answer session follows his address and he will be available to sign books before and after the presentation.

Honored by The Atlantic magazine as “One of the 100 Most Influential Figures in American History,” Nader has devoted his life to giving ordinary people the tools they need to defend themselves against corporate negligence and government indifference.

A three-time presidential candidate ( 2000, 2004, 2008), Nader first rose to national prominence following the 1965 publication of his book “Unsafe at Any Speed,” an indictment of the American automobile industry for what he saw as unsafe car designs. Considered a catalyst in the consumer’ rights movement, the book led to the passage of significant safety laws designed to prevent motor vehicle-related deaths and injuries.

Nader was an influential figure in the organization of numerous citizen groups, among them Congress Watch, the Disability Rights Center and the Public Interest Research Groups, all of which played roles in the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Nader has written several best-selling books in addition to “Unsafe at Any Speed,” including “Crashing the Party: How to Tell the Truth and Still Run for President,” “Children First: A Parents Guide to Fighting Corporate Predators” and most recently “The Good Fight: Declare Your Independence and Close the Democracy Gap.”

He also writes a weekly column, “In the Public Interest,” which runs in newspapers throughout the country and was the subject of the documentary “An Unreasonable Man.”

Nader’s appearance is sponsored by the student environmental organization Greenfire and supported by The Class of 1965 Grant.

Let the Sun Shine: Lawrence University Commemorates Earth Day with Solar Panel Installation

In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and in conjunction with its two-year Green Roots initiative, Lawrence University is installing the campus’ first solar panel on the roof of Youngchild Hall. The multi-day installation is expected to be completed on Earth Day, April 22.

The 2.92 kilowatt (kW) unit, composed of 14 panels each roughly 3’ x 6’ — the size of a typical residential unit — is expected to generate approximately 3,700 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity a year.

“As our first venture, we purposefully started with a small-scale operation so that we can assess if it makes sense to invest more heavily in solar power in the future,” said Jeff Clark, associate professor of geology and faculty associate to the president for the Green Roots initiative. “The electricity generated by this unit will be used to offset a small portion of our usage load rather than being sold back to the utility.”

In addition to reducing the campus’ monthly electric bill, the panel will serve a curricular purpose as well. Data from the solar collector will be live streamed over the Internet and be used in as many as Lawrence three courses, including an introductory environmental science course, the physics course “Energy Society and Environment” and the chemistry course “The Energy Conundrum.”

“Although the direct impact on our carbon footprint will be small, the educational value and the potential to learn more about the feasibility of additional installations on campus will be invaluable,” said Clark.

The panel installation is due in large part to the efforts of freshmen Will Meadows and Austin Federa, who together conducted extensive background research and secured funding for a professional site assessment.

Meadows and Austin also applied for and were awarded funding through Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program and WE Energies, which covered nearly 60 percent of the unit’s purchase price.

Northwind Renewable Energy from Stevens Point is conducting the panel installation.

Visiting Artist Lecture Series Features New York Artist Jerilea Zempel

Artist Jerilea Zempel, who has created sculptures using dung, discusses her work in the address “Art and the Environment” Thursday, April 22 at 4:30 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium as part of Lawrence University’s 2009-2010 Visiting Artist Series.

The presentation, part of Green Roots’ celebration of Earth Week, is free and open to the public.

Jerilea-Zempel-The-Tank_web Zempel is known for uniquely integrating objects she has found in the U.S. and Europe into her art. In an attempt to alter their identities, Zempel covers ordinary objects such as cars or guns with unusual materials such as knit or crocheted yarn. One of her art pieces features a Russian tank covered with crocheted webbing and crocheted flowers.

Her installation “Laws of Nature” includes more than 35 guns covered with domestic materials such as lipstick or cornmeal. Incorporating the environment into her artwork, Zempel created outdoor replicas of master sculptors by using a more natural material — horse manure. The works were constructed with the hope that they would eventually decompose into the ground.

Along with her site-specific projects, Zempel has exhibited her work in New York galleries and museums. The recipient of numerous grants for her work, Zempel teaches at New York City’s Fordham University.

Lawrence Mourns the Death of Theatre Arts Professor Fred Gaines

It is with great sadness that I share with you today the news of the death of Professor Emeritus of Theatre and Drama Fred Gaines, who passed away early Monday, April 19 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 72 years old.

A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, Fred joined the Lawrence theatre arts department in 1977 and was appointed the James G. and Ethel M. Barber Chair in Theatre 10 years later, a position he held until his retirement in 2000.

During his career, Fred epitomized the dedicated educator while remaining an active artist, passionately pursuing his love of language throughout his life. A productive writer who constantly explored new and interesting topics, he wrote more than 80 plays, many of which were performed on stages throughout the country and the world, including Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theatre, New York’s Ellen Stewart Theatre, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Club Theatre de Notre Dame in Cahors, France as well as Lawrence’s own Cloak and Stansbury theatres.

As a playwright, he was the recipient of Guggenheim, Fulbright and Eugene O’Neill Fellowships.

In addition to writing, Fred directed more than 70 stage productions, acted in dozens more, wrote a pair of series for public television, and penned several movie scripts. The last production he directed was “Hometown,” a play he wrote about Appleton during World War II that was produced by Attic Theatre and performed in Cloak Theatre in March 2008.

Known for his incredible generosity to students, he was a compassionate and challenging mentor and a champion of student-driven projects, fostering an ethic of exploration through collaboration. He offered a wide array of tutorials and supervised independent study projects not only on all aspects of theater, but also filmmaking, poetry writing, fiction writing, as well as other kinds of experimental artwork students brought to him.

For most of his tenure, he closed the academic year with a big picnic in his back yard for all the students and any faculty who were involved in theatre productions that year.

Fred also gave generously of himself to the greater community. He was a long-time volunteer writing teacher at the Oneida Nation Reservation, taught at Appleton Renaissance School for the Arts, and wrote a series of short “Plays on History” that are still performed each summer at the History Museum at the Castle. In retirement, he taught a writing class for inmates at the Outagamie County Jail, always lending positive, but honest support for their works. He edited and published some of the writings of his inmate students in two volumes entitled “Writers Inside” in 2008 and 2009. His numerous community efforts were recognized in 2008 with the Celebrating Our Volunteers Paul and Elaine Groth Mentoring Award.

Prior to joining the Lawrence theatre arts department, Fred taught at the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Institute of Art and Hope College. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Nebraska and his Ph.D. in theatre arts at the University of Minnesota.

He is survived by his wife, Judy, of Appleton, and children Matthew ’84, Netanya, Israel; Sarah, of Appleton; Sam ’93, of Appleton; and Jennifer ’97, of Appleton; and nine grandchildren Topaz, Ruby, Opal, Sapir, Ziv, Zachary, Elizabeth, Lillian and Charley.

A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, April 24 at 11 a.m. in Cloak Theatre with an opportunity to greet the family TBA. In the meantime, I am sure the entire Lawrence community joins me in sending our warmest sympathy and regard to Fred’s family.

Jill Beck
President

Lawrence alum John Middleton ’86 reminisced beautifully about Fred in January for the website Minnesota Playlist.

Fred’s son Matthew Gaines ’84, Netanya, Israel, eloquently remembered his father at a memorial service on April 24, 2010. (Click on the arrow below.)

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Lawrence University Finishes Ninth in National Recycling Competition

Through a concerted campus-wide effort to reduce its waste production, Lawrence University finished ninth among 346 schools in the recently completed 2010 national RecycleMania competition’s per capita classic division.

Lawrence was the division’s top finisher among 14 Wisconsin colleges with an average of 44.65 pounds of recyclables per person, more than double the next closest state school (St. Norbert College, 20.48 lbs. per person). The U.S. Coast Guard Academy won the category’s national title with an average of 81.75 pounds per person.

The 10-week-long competition is a benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities.

Brit Oleson, president of the student environmental organization Greenfire, coordinated Lawrence’s first venture into the RecycleMania competition. She said Lawrence’s strong initial showing was truly a team effort.

“Credit goes to the many members of the Lawrence community who recycled wisely and consciously reduced their personal waste production,” said Oleson. “Our combined efforts over the course of the contest helped divert nearly 115,000 pounds of recyclable materials from ending up in landfills. I hope Recyclemania made members of the Lawrence community realize that even our small campus can have a substantial impact on the environment and the little things we choose to do on a personal basis from day-to-day can and do make a difference.

“A giant ‘thank you’ goes to people in facility services, Campus Life, Bon Appetit and members of Greenfire who all pulled together to help make our first year in this contest a big success,” Oleson added.

RecycleMania was first conducted in 2001 between Miami University and Ohio University. The 2010 competition included a record 607 colleges and universities across the United States, Canada and as far away as Qatar. Schools could participate in four categories:
• Grand Champion, which combined trash and core recyclable materials to determine a school’s recycling rate as a percentage of its overall waste generation.

• Per Capita Classic, which measured the combined amount of paper, cardboard and bottles and cans per person.

• Waste Minimization, which measured the least amount of municipal solid waste (recyclables and trash) per person.

• Gorilla Prize, which calculated the highest gross tonnage of combined paper, cardboard, bottles and cans during the 10-week competition, regardless of campus population.

EPA Official Opens Lawrence University International Lecture Series on Climate Change

Governmental policy-making processes — national and global — will be examined in Lawrence University’s 2010 Povolny Lecture Series in International Studies “The Climate for Climate Change.”

George Wyeth, director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Policy and Program Change Division, opens the three-part series Tuesday, April 20 at 7 p.m. in Thomas Steitz Science Hall 102 with the address “Change Isn’t Easy: An Inside Perspective.”

The presentation, part of Green Roots’ celebration of Earth Week, is free and open to the public.

A 1973 Lawrence graduate, Wyeth is spending Term III as Lawrence’s Stephen Edward Scarff Memorial Visiting Professor in the government department, where he is team-teaching the class “Environmental Politics” with professor emeritus Chong-do Hah.

The Scarff Memorial Visiting Professorship was established in 1989 by Edward and Nancy Scarff in memory of their son, Stephen, a member of the Lawrence class of 1975, who died in an automobile accident in 1984. It brings civic leaders and scholars to Lawrence to provide broad perspectives on the central issues of the day.

Swept into office on the promise of change, President Obama has found that promise difficult to fulfill, even with the advantage of Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress. Wyeth offers first-hand perspective from inside the EPA on how change efforts have progressed under President Obama, where change has or hasn’t occurred and what barriers have stifled change.

He also will discuss the gradual decay of the process for orderly transition from one administration to the next and its consequences for effective government.

At the EPA, Wyeth tests and promotes innovative approaches to environmental protection within the EPA, states and business as the county transitions to a “green economy.” He has played a lead role in overseeing the use of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma strategies to achieve environmental improvement, streamlined EPA’s administrative processes and developed agency strategies to promote the use of sustainable products.

After graduating from Lawrence with a bachelor’s degree in government, Wyeth earned a master’s degree in public policy from the University of California, Berkeley and a law degree from Yale Law School.

Prior to joining the EPA in 1989, Wyeth spent three years as a staff member in the Wisconsin State legislature working with the Joint Finance Committee and practiced law from 1982-89 with a Minneapolis law firm.

Joining Wyeth on this year’s series are:

• Yoram Bauman, professor of economics at the University of Washington and a touring “stand-up” economist, “Comedy, Economics and Climate Change,” Monday, April 26, 7 p.m.

• Lee Paddock, associate dean for environmental studies and professorial lecturer in law at George Washington University Law School, “Environmental Change: A Legal Perspective” Monday, May 10, 7 p.m.

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