Arts Orbit

I don’t remember the day I bought Licensed to Ill. I don’t remember the specific mechanics behind my acquisition of what, if I think logically about it, was and still is the most important album I have ever owned. I find that odd since I remember where and when I acquired other albums that became, like this one, as important to me as breathing—but when you’re ten years old you don’t think to store the specifics of such things in your memory bank for posterity.MORE »

Just about 20 years ago when Lois Lowry’s The Giver was published, there was no “dystopian rage.” Today, when The Hunger Games trilogy is taking today’s youth by storm and the movie is grossing a gross amount of money in the box office, I still stand by The Giver. Sure, I think The Hunger Games is an entertaining-enough read and broaches an interesting modern topic, but it doesn’t have the depth that The Giver does. But even while the novel has held its relevance since 1993, I can’t help but think that it isn’t reaping at least a smidge of the benefits from The Hunger Games’ success (there’s talk of a 2013 film starring Jeff Bridges). And to that I say … hooray!MORE »

There’s a time-tested, audience-approved recipe for opera. In some cases, it’s funny, in others, it’s heart-wrenching; Lucia di Lammermoor falls into the latter category. Melodrama with a healthy dose of romance, a dash of foreboding, and a heaping spoonful of tragedy are the perfect recipe for tragic opera. However, there’s a secret ingredient that, unless added, will cause even the most-well constructed show to fail: talent. And boy, does Lucia di Lammermoor have talent.MORE »

In the summer of 2010, the Minnesota Historical Society began an unprecedented effort to digitize its three-dimensional object collections. The ongoing project has led to the photography of an impressive range of artifacts–everything from matchbooks and tea cups to telescopes and Civil War battle flags. No two objects are photographed in exactly the same way, since they vary so widely in size, shape and age. A single object may consist of many different components, all of which must be put together before the picture can be taken. If the object is especially large, it must be brought to the photography studio, where the high ceiling and ample open space can accommodate even a life-size buffalo (taxidermied, of course). And if the object involves clothing, a mannequin must be found that can support its unique shape.MORE »