Arts garden soon becoming a reality

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SPORTS, page B3
movies
music
Writer Linda Johnston
picks her favorite flicks
from 2009’s animated
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Editor Mark Newton
lists his favorite
five albums and ten
songs from the past
year.
A R T S A N D E N T E R T A I N M E N T | w ednesda y, J A N U A R Y 2 0 , 2 0 1 0
the list
Arts garden soon
becoming a reality
campus
January 22
Music Department Student
Recital, 12 p.m., Music and
Theater Hall
Spirit Day, 5:30 p.m., DSU Street
January 23
Elimination Factor Game Show, 8
p.m., DSU Street
local
January 21
Sailing, Speed andPassion: An
Evening with Gary Jobson, 7:30
p.m., The Mariner’s Museum
January 23
Bill Cosby, 5 & 8 p.m., Chrysler Hall
Billy Bishop Goes to War, 4 & 8 p.m.,
Wells Theatre
Off the Wall Art Show & Sale, 10
a.m., Norfolk Collegiate School
Virginia Festival of Jewish
Film Opening, 8 p.m., Roper
Performing Arts Center
January 24
Downtown Norfolk Restaurant
Week, Participating downtown
Norfolk restaurants
Off the Wall Art Show & Sale, 1
p.m., Norfolk Collegiate School
Virginia Festival of Jewish Film,
2 p.m., Roper Performing Arts
Center
image courtesy of george hillow
The CNU Garden of the Arts is located within the Ferguson Center for Arts and, when completed, which will provide students with an area for readings, performances, and more.
fine arts | Professor and TheaterCNU scenic designer
George Hillow’s vision of an arts garden in the Ferguson
Center for the Arts alcove is soon becoming a reality.
by sarah hayes
sarah.hay es.0 8 @ cnu.edu
Art is all around the
campus of Christopher
Newport University,
and amidst all of the
large statues and NeoGeorgian architecture
i s a h idden g em of
art in progress. For
t he l a s t few ye a r s ,
TheaterCNU’s scenic
designer George
Hillow has been hard
at work, transforming
an
abandoned
cour tyard in the
heart of the Ferguson
C enter for t he A r ts
from an empty lot into
a quiet getaway in the
midst of the Ferguson
Center’s main hall.
In his earlier
years at CNU, Hillow
a n d C N U ’s f o r m e r
la ndsc ape desig ner,
Bob Goodhart worked
on a nu mber of
projects desig ned to
improve the landscape
of CNU’s campus. In
2002, they decided to
t r a n s fo r m a n a r e a
outside the old Gaines
Theater into an arts
ga rden. “A s t hi ngs
t u r ne d out , t he old
Gaines T heater was
not goi n g to l a st
forever, and we moved
into this fabulous new
facility,” said Hillow,
i n r e fer enc e t o t he
Ferguson Center, “and
the first thing that I
saw when I came over
her e a nd fou nd out
where our offices were
going to be was this
abandoned courtyard.
And Bob and I looked
at it and thought this
wou ld b e a n ide a l
pl ace for t he a r ts
garden.”
One yea r before
t he move i nto t he
F e r g u s o n C e n t e r,
Hillow employed
his skills as a scenic
designer and drafted
plans for the changes
that would be made to
the courtyard. These
pl a n s a l lowe d t hem
to have a definite goal
and gave Hillow and
Goodhart something
t o s how t h e publ ic
when it came time to
fundraise. “W hen I
desig ned t his,” said
Hillow, “I thought, to
get rid of the boxiness
of the space, we would
d o s o m e t h i n g w it h
a g r e at c u r ve t o it
t h at wou ld h ave a
l i t t l e f o c a l p oi n t .”
H i l low ’s de si g n
provides a space that
c ou ld ac c om mo d ate
a va r iet y of event s
ranging from recitals
a nd sm a l l c onc er t s
to club meetings and
classes.
Students are already
planning big events for
the garden, pending
its completion. The
first event planned for
the garden following
its completion is the
weddi ng of Senior
theater majors, Caity
Schmidt and Tom
Watson.
“It’s great to have a
moment in our lives
that means a lot to us
happen in a place that
means a lot to us. So
we’re getting married
in a place that we’ve
been worki ng on,
“It has a lot
of emotional
attachment because
we built so much of
it. It’s part of the
theater family.”
caity schmidt, senior
that we both think is
very beautiful,” said
Wat s on . “ It me a n s
mor e t o b e g e t t i n g
ma r ried somewhere
t h at yo u’ v e h e l p e d
create than it does to
just pick some random
place.”
Schmidt ag reed,
sayi ng, “It has a
lot of emotional
at t ach ment bec au se
we bui lt so much of
it . It ’s p a r t of t he
theater family. We’re
doi ng ou r reception
in the rehearsal hall
image courtesy of george hillow
This blueprint show the location and ground plan for the arts garden.
photo courtesy of george hillow
Pictured is the arts garden as it stands today. When completed, the garden will first
host the wedding of Senior theater majors Caity Schmidt and Tom Watson.
because we’re theater
people. It’s just a little
part of us and having
t he weddi ng t here
ju st m a ke s it mor e
intimate.”
Like most of the art
a rou nd ca mpus, t he
arts garden receives
no funding from
t he school and is
sub s e quent ly b ei n g
f u nde d c ompletely
by donations. These
donations have been
received from multiple
di f ferent sou rces
including the Alumni
Society and the CNU
T he at r e Gu i ld , a nd
the senior gi ft from
the Class of 2008 was
a fou nt ai n for t he
garden.
The first work on the
garden began in the
fall of 2004, and since
then a large amount
of work has been done
to transform the space
into what it is today.
In the 5 1/2 years the
ga rden h a s b e en i n
progress, volunteers
have done nea rly
a l l t h e wo r k , w it h
the exception of the
paving, from the CNU
and Hampton Roads
community.
Though on the
outside it looks like
the garden still has a
long way to go before
it s c o mple t io n , t h e
amount of work done
ove r t h e l a s t 5 1 /2
years is sig ni ficant,
and there are still a
lot of plans for more
i mprovement s a nd
eventua l changes to
the garden. Cypress
trees have been planted
along one wall of the
g a r d e n i n or d e r t o
frame the arts garden
amidst the hardware
of the bui lding, and
competitions wi l l
be held for students
t o d i s pl ay a r t wo rk
between the columns of
the arches. There will
also be a wheelchair
ramp added to make
t he enti re ga rden
accessible to everyone
and a wa l l wi l l be
added in front of the
vent in order to reduce
t h e c o n s t a nt n oi s e
of rushing air. The
biggest project for the
spring is to stain all of
the wood beams that
have already been put
up. Eventually potters
will be added to grow
herbs a nd a va riety
of pla nts wi l l be
added throughout the
garden. “We like the
idea of as many things
that smell out here as
possible,” said Hillow.
Following the
completion of t he
ga rden, Hi l low is
hopi ng to set up a n
endowment fund for
t he upkeep of t he
garden. “The school
is not paying anything
for this,” said Hillow,
“and we have to create
a n endow ment t h at
wi l l help it suppor t
itsel f over the ages.
What I really want to
do is have enough of
an endowment that a
st udent c a n become
t he c a ret a ker as a
scholarship or a work
s t u d y.” C u r r e n t l y,
S o p h o m o r e C a it l i n
Sneed is worki ng
a s t he c a r et a ker of
t he ga rden. “W hen
Professor Hillow asked
for volu nte er s for
the weekend I would
go, and I would go so
often that he asked if I
had the time to be the
caretaker,” said Sneed.
H e r dut i e s i n c lu d e
filling the fountain,
pu l l i n g we e d s , a nd
other general care of
the garden throughout
the year.
Hillow hopes to have
a reception celebrating
the completion of the
garden, whenever that
m ay b e a nd t hou g h
an of ficial name for
the garden is still in
t he work s, H i l low
said there are plans
to name it a f ter his
parents, as the family
h a s cont ributed a
lot to t he ga rden.
“I’m actually a little
embarrassed that I’ve
got t he s a me n a me
a s my f at her,” s a id
H i l l ow, “ b e c au s e I
don’t want people to
think I’m naming
it a f ter me, but it
m ay end up b ei n g
af fectionately called
‘The Flo and George.’”
“W hen I retire,
I hope some ot her
faculty member will
shepherd that garden,”
said Hillow. With any
luck, the garden will
be completed within
t he nex t few ye a r s
a nd wi l l b e a pl ac e
for students to gather
and relax for years to
come. n
concerts
January 22
Badfish (Sublime Tribute Band), 8
p.m., The National
The Machine (Pink Floyd Tribute
Band), 8 p.m., The NorVa
Woodwork, 8 p.m., The Jewish
Mother
January 23
ABACABB, 1 p.m., Hat Factory
Badfish (Sublime Tribute Band), 8
p.m., The NorVa
The Machine (Pink Floyd Tribute
Band), 8 p.m., The NorVa
Woodwork, 9 p.m., The Jewish
Mother
January 24
Pianist Rebecca Willett, 3 p.m.,
Trinity United Methodist Church
January 25
Paul Anka, 7:30 p.m., Sandler
Center for the Performing Arts
Los Angeles Piano Quartet, 8 p.m.,
Kaufman Theatre at the Chrysler
Museum of Art
January 26
DevilDriver, 7 p.m., The NorVa
movie releases
“Extraordinary Measures”
Inspired by a true story, Harrison
Ford and Brendan Fraser search
for a cure to a life-threatening
disease.
Rated PG.
“Legion”
When God loses faith in humanity,
it’s up to the archangel Michael
(Paul Bettany) to help humanity
ensure that the second coming
of Christ is born.
Rated R.
“Tooth Fairy”
Dwayne Johnson, better known
as “The Rock,” plays a minor
league hockey player who is
sentenced to one week as a real
tooth fairy after telling a kid that
the tooth fairy doesn’t exist.
Rated PG.
cd releases
“Behave Yourself” (EP) – Cold
War Kids
“In This Light And On This
Evening” – Editors
“End Times” – Eels
“Block Party” – Missy Elliott
“My Dinosaur Life” – Motion
City Soundtrack
“The Colossus” – RJD2
“Transference” –Spoon
dvd releases
“Gamer”
“The Invention of Lying”
“Pandorum”
“Surrogates”
“Weeds” (Season Five)
“Whiteout”
w edne S D A Y, J A N U A R Y 2 0 , 2 0 1 0
PAGE B2 | T H E C A P T A I N ’ S LO G
The Best Movies of 2009 The Best Music of 2009
press photo courtesy of sony pictures
Putting forward a political drama with a unique sci-fi setting, Neill Blomkamp’s “District 9” was
one of the year’s most captivating films, according to writer Linda Johnston.
by linda johnston
lin da.johnston.0 4 @ cnu.edu
2009 was an epic year for
movies. This undoubtedly
was a hard list to write. There
was something for everyone,
ranging from the box office
sci-fi hit “Avatar,” to Pixar’s
emotionally stellar “Up.” But
in 2 0 0 9, animated movies
seem to have ruled the box
office as well as the hearts
of audiences while science
fiction/action dominated the
screens in 2009. It seems like
a lot of movie watchers are
looking to be carried away
to another world in their
choices. I narrowed my top 10
favorites to:
5. “Avatar”
PROS: A technical achievement—visually entertaining
and ambitious to the core.
Spending years on his film,
James Cameron did not disappoint fans with Avatar.
After viewing this, a part of
me longed to be a Na’vi living
in Pandora.
CONS: The storyline was
forgettable and did not match
the visual aspects. If only the
storyline met the visuals, it
would have been perfect.
4. “Inglourious Basterds”
P RO S : T he hu mor a nd
deliverance of dialogue is
brilliant, even in German.
Tarantino obviously knew
how to choose a cast that
wou ld deliver his play fu l
lines exceptionally. I also
doubt that anyone can deny
the awesomeness of mass
Nazi slaughter.
CONS : American actors
who have to use accents need
to be able to pull them off.
I found myself giggling at
the accents a few times, but
I think those less-capable
played up t he whole fake
accent thing.
3. “Moon”
PROS: With only $5 million
to work on this film, Duncan
Jone s h ad a n i nc r e d ible
debut with his first feature.
This film was a different take
on sci-fi for audiences. Not
only was the script original,
but also a smart movie. The
fact that Sam Rockwell is the
only actor on screen (aside
from Kevin Spacey’s par t
as his robotic counter-part)
for 95 percent of the movie
is a testament to his ability
to perform in feature rolls.
It’s the dramatic twists and
turns that make this film an
absolute winner.
t Dug, fitted with both the
“Cone of Shame” and a
collar that allowed him to
talk, provided comic relief
in Pixar’s latest film, “Up.”
handout via mct
press photo courtesy of sonic pr
“It’s Frightening,” the second release from the Austin, Texas-based White Rabbits, is our Arts and
Entertainment Editor’s favorite album from last year.
CONS: The lack of a climax
was a little strange, but the
originality of the script made
it easy to overlook, so it didn’t
become an issue.
by mark newton
2. “Up”
PROS : I d id n’t t h i n k I
wou ld enjoy another Disney-Pixar film as much as
“Wall-E,” but “Up” definitely
reached above and beyond
my expectations. Touching
and funny, it gives the perfect balance of humor and
emotions. The best part about
t hi s movie wa s t he mes sage it sent. “Up” serves as
a reminder to us all that the
best parts about life are the
relationships and to appreciate them.
If a kid 20 years from now
wants to now what pop and
hip hop was like in our time at
its absolute worst, The Lonely
Island have created the perfect
artifact for that purpose. Plus,
it’s downright hilarious with
classics like “I’m on a Boat,”
“Dick in a Box,” and “Like a
Boss.”
CONS: They lost their GPS
and had a whimsical adventu re t h rough t he clouds?
None?
m ar k.newton.0 6 @ cnu.edu
5. The Lonely Island –
“Incredibad”
4. St. Vincent – “Actor”
Think slicker, more modern
ve r sion s o f D i s ney s on g s
when it comes to St. Vincent’s
second album. “Marrow,” one
of the best songs off the album,
illustrates Annie Clark’s love
for both the pristine and the
1. “District 9”
PROS : With a mere $ 30
mi l lion, Nei l l Blom ka mp
was able to create a film that
was original and visually
captivating. Blomkamp also
managed to create a film that
put the politics of apartheid
and political repression in
the forefront, making it practically impossible to ignore.
T he best pa r t about t his
film is the believability of
the aliens. Without a doubt,
“District 9” was the best
alien movie with a message
in quite a while. I loved this
film.
3. Animal Collective –
“Merriweather Post
Pavilion”
“Merriweather Post Pavilion” was the first Animal Collective album that I’ve really
enjoyed, mostly because bandmember Panda Bear took the
reins. The result is some absolutely beautiful soundscapes
with some of the most heartfelt
lyrics out there today. Heck,
the album’s most racous song,
“Brothersport,” is about helping Panda Bear’s brother move
beyond their father’s death.
2. Dirty Projectors
– “Bitte Orca”
The guitars on “Bitte Orca”
come out of left field and their
sounds betray the instruments
that play them. The vocals
are simultaneously gorgeous,
unsettling, and frightening.
All this makes “Bitte Orca”
a real game changer in
the world of indie rock by
c o mbi n i n g ju s t t h e r i g ht
amounts of eclecticism and
experimentation with more
traditional and regular pop
song structures.
1. White Rabbits
– “It’s Frightening”
Mehan Jayasuriya via Popmatters.com/MCT
CONS: Some civil rights
activist groups found racist
under tones in the fi lm. I
think they should chill out. n
distorted and on this track,
the action is led by an oboe.
Awesome.
Dirty Projectors, led by Dave
Longstreth (pictured), released
“Bitte Orca” this year.
“It’s F righteni ng” is my
favorite album of the year
because the ten tightly-wound
songs that this Austin, Texas
six-piece play here never fray
at the seams and also translate the band’s live show well
onto the disc. Lead single “Per-
cussion Gun” describes the
band’s sound perfectly as two
drummers steadily pound out
rhythms for the other instruments to play off of. Live, the
band is chaotic: if the pianist
isn’t kicking his leg up as he
jams down on both of his keyboards, he’s running over to
the series of drums lined up
behind the band and beating
on them along with the two
other percussionists.
At first listen, though, “It’s
Frightening” can come off as
somewhat rest rained, pa rtially because of Spoon guitarist Britt Daniel’s production,
which keeps the instruments
clean and simple. But multiple listens reveal the energy
behind these 10 flawless songs.
Ten Favorite Songs From
Albums That Didn’t Make
The List
“This Tornado Loves You”
– Neko Case
“My Body’s A Zombie For You”
– Dead Man’s Bones
“Moonson” – Delorean
“All The Pretty Girls” – fun.
“Two Weeks” – Grizzly Bear
“You Saved My Life”
– Cass McCombs
“Gimme Sympathy” – Metric
“Fools Beneath the Sun”
– Momentary Prophets
“Sunken Union Boat”
– John Vanderslice
“Tightrope” – Yeasayer n