Professors Gabriela Maya and Kimberly Meyer are showcasing their student-work exhibit “Dionysia 2012: The Agora & Ekphrastic Art Exhibit.”
Prepare to watch the Honors College commons transform into an ancient Greek agora — or marketplace — from 6 to 9 p.m.
In hopes of extending the beauty that students have created for their fellow classmates, these two professors have joined with Director for the Center of Creative Work John Harvey to create a springtime festival — a Dionysia — for the University.
“The Dionysia is the spring celebration of the ancient-city Dionysia that was held in Athens,” Harvey said. “(It is) a celebration of plays, a celebration of the god Dionysis and a celebration of the city.”
In accordance with this celebration and the play — Aristophanes’ “Frogs” — there will also be an all-encompassing art show held.
“(The ancient Greek agora) is where people met not to just trade and do marketplace sort of deals, but also to talk and philosophize what it means to be a citizen,” Maya said. “We are trying to work with that idea but we are also trying to bring in art. We want to honor the talent of the students here at the Honors College — the artistic talents.”
One of the main ideas of this exhibition is a focus on Ekphrastic art — art responding to art — in addition to a theme of Hades.
“(The art) could be a painting or a book or a dance piece — really anything at all,” Maya said.
“In our case, we have chosen to use the ‘great books’ as those pieces that we want our students to respond to so that they have the chance to think about those books not only academically or philosophically as they might in class, but in a ‘new mode.’ We hope that that helps them see them in a different perspective or to understand them in a different way.”
This year a new twist has been put into the show.
Beginning the Agora is a compilation of scores assembled by Honors College and music student Alex Winkler.
The musical pieces scheduled are not only all creations by music students at UH, but also winners of a competition that Winkler held, said Harvey.
“There is always talent here. We don’t always know from what genre it is going to come,” Maya said. “(People) need to see how talented their fellow students are and because art is good for the soul.”
“The Dionysia 2012: The Agora & Ekphrastic Art Exhibit” is held in conjunction with Harvey’s adaptation of “The Frogs” which will be held April 26, 28 and 29 at the Rockwell Pavilion, April 30 at Fitzgerald’s and May 1 at Khon’s Bar.
