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Wednesday, August 26, 2009
REVISED: Edgewood grad publishes first novel
Even when she was just 6 years old, Leanna Renee Hieber loved to dress up in lacy clothes and speak in a British accent.
“I was always drawn to Victorian England,” she said. “I’m not really sure how to explain that, except possibly that there was a past life.”
Then, a part in a local production of Oliver at age 9 helped seal the interest, and by the time she was 12, she had written her first novel — set in 1888, of course.
This week marks the debut of her first published novel, “The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker,” the story of a ghostly-pale young woman and a secretive group of Victorian-era Ghostbusters known as “the Guard” when the Jack the Ripper murders start occurring in London.
Book Signings:
5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, Follet’s Miami Co-Op Book Store, 110 E. High St., Oxford. (513) 523-4900.
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, Barnes and Noble, 9455 Civic Centre Blvd. West Chester. (513) 755-2258.
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The publication follows the news that she won this year’s Prism Award, given out annually by the Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal chapter of Romance Writers of America, in the novella category for her short novel, “Dark Nest.”
After graduating as the valedictorian of Edgewood High School in 1997, Hieber took a bachelor’s degree in theater from Miami University with a concentration in Victorian studies, and landed an internship with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.
“We were working 14 hours a day there, then I’d stay up all night consumed by this story,” she said. “I was always going back and forth between my love for theater and my love for writing, and I knew at some point that I didn’t want this to just be a hobby, that I wanted this book to get out into the world.”
But it was a long, hard road. She always got positive feedback when she’d submit the manuscript to a publisher, but it was rejected because the mesh of genres made marketing it difficult.
She moved to New York four years ago, and it was at an audition call-back for a Broadway show that she got the message she was waiting for.
“I was sitting there waiting for the audition and all I could think about was the book,” she said.
So while she still does some background television work and small acting jobs, she’s now focusing on the sequels to “The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker.”
“It’s actually going to be a series of four or five books, depending on how the story arc progresses, to be called ‘The Strangely Beautiful’ series,” she said. “I’m discussing that with my publishers now, but I’m writing the next two books concurrently.”
Hieber thinks the timing may be just right for “The Strangely Beautiful Series” to become a big hit.
“The Victorian Era is really coming into vogue right now,” she said, “although I didn’t know that when I started writing this book nine years ago. “Plus, with the Harry Potter and the Twilight series ending, something’s got to take their place.”
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TweetMiami U. Art Museum dips into the collection for season exhibitions
Reception for “200 at 200” Fall Exhibitions, 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3; Miami University Art Museum, Oxford. (513) 529-2232
At the jump: More images, plus a list of gallery talks and programs for the fall exhibitions…
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With a collection of more than 16,000 works of art and no permanent exhibition space, most of the Miami University Art Museum remains unseen by anyone except staff.
That’s why curator Lena Vigna has decided to devote the 2009-10 season to bring portions of the collection into the galleries with “200 at 200,” that is, taking 200 works out of the closet in honor of the university’s 200th anniversary.
“It’s still just a drop in the bucket,” Vigna said. “That’s been one of our challenges, to get the art out, but there’s no way we can represent everything.”
Vigna came up with a series of topics that has allowed her to cull items for a series of thematic exhibitions throughout the year. Each exhibition offers a different conceptual framework and a mixture of time periods, places of origin, materials and techniques.
First up, is “Ring of Truth,” opening to the public Thursday, Aug. 20.
“There are many different ways of looking at truth,” Vigna said, “and some of them aren’t in the way that the dictionary defines it.”
In an era of digital manipulation, she said, reality can be altered quickly and seamlessly. This exhibition features more than 25 photographs, prints and paintings, including works by John James Audubon (1785-1851), Audrey Flack, Cindy Sherman, Victor Vasarely (1908-1997), George W. White (1826-1890) and Margaret Bourke White (1904-1971).
“The gallery looks really crowded,” Vigna said. “We installed this ‘salon-style,’ with work seemingly piled up on top of each other so that the viewer is bombarded with images.” One of the highlights is a recently-acquired print from Frank Stella, one of a series of 266 large works he created in response to the classic novel “Moby Dick.”
Opening Aug. 27 will be “Compositions in Black and White,” which not only features objects that are literally composed in black and white, but also works in black and white that explore issues of race and identity.
It features more than 55 works including selections from Leon Golub (1922-2004), Philip Morsberger, Julian Stanczak, Thom Shaw and Kara Walker.
“Figure and Form,” an exploration of works involving the human form, opens Sept. 3, when there will be a reception for the three fall exhibits.
“This exhibition is a survey of how the body is imagined in two and three dimensions,” Vigna said.
More than 110 works will be on display, including portrait paintings by Thomas Satterwhite Noble (1835-1907) and Allan Ramsay (1713-1784), bronze and ivory Art Deco sculpture by Demetre Chiparus (1886-1947), Pre-Columbian figures, a selection of African and Native American jewelry from the 20th century and an oversize neckpiece by contemporary metalsmith Jesse Mathes.
IMAGE ABOVE: Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Seated Ballerina, ca. 1885, charcoal on paper, 12 5/8” x 9” (paper size). Gift of Barbara Hatch Lore, 2008.5
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William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905), “Young Girl Seated on a Ledge, ” 1899, oil on canvas, 45” x 25”, from the Miami University Art Museum exhibition “Figure and Form.”
Audrey Flack, “Self-Portrait Holding Charcoal Stick, ” 1956, oil on canvas, 41” x 29”, from the Miami University Art Museum exhibition “Ring of Truth.”
Julian Stanczak, “Light of Darkness, ” 1960, oil on canvas, 53 3/4” x 63 ¾”, from the Miami University Art Museum exhibition “Compositions in Black and White”
Frank Stella, “The Whale Watch, ” 1993, color lithograph, etching, aquatint and screen-print on handmade paper, 72” x 73”, from the Miami University Art Museum exhibition “Ring of Truth.”
Gallery Talks and Programs
Figure and Form: The Body as Subject and Object, Gallery Talk with Lena Vigna, Curator of Exhibitions, 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10. The human body can be depicted in paintings, photographs and sculpture but it is also “shaped” by garments and adornment that emphasize, hide and mold it. The exhibition Figure and Form juxtaposes representations of the body in two and three dimensions with objects that consider the body in a different way. Join Lena Vigna, curator of exhibitions, as we explore these concepts with both familiar and seldom seen works from the museum’s permanent collection currently on display in the galleries.
Grey Matter: Compositions in Black and White, Gallery Talk with Professor Ellen Price, Department of Art, Miami University, 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17. An overview of the unique formal and aesthetic qualities of artwork executed in black and white will be examined with a special focus on works in the exhibition Compositions in Black & White.
Art Explorers, 10 a.m. to noon, Thursday, Sept. 24. Story time by the Lane Library children’s department followed by a related craft. Recommended for toddlers age 3-5 accompanied by an adult.
Ring of Truth: The Visual Mediation of Reality, Gallery Talk with Rina Kundu, Assistant Professor, Department of Art Education and Art History, College of Visual Arts & Design, University of North Texas, 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24. Do we live in a world of cross-mediation? Do visuals have the power to construct the social? This presentation will examine how visuals are a place where meanings get constructed and contested.
Opening Reception: Darwin’s Firsts, 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1. October 1st is the 150th anniversary of the date Charles Darwin completed his corrections to the page proofs of “On the Origin of Species.” The reception features remarks by Maggie Heran, director, Lloyd Library; Heather Snyder, assistant, and Dr. Nicholas Money, Miami University professor of botany, on the Lloyd Library in Cincinnati. There will also be a guest appearance by Mr. Darwin himself, portrayed by Professor Thomas Gregg.
From the Author: Presentation Copies of Darwin’s 1859 On the Origin of Species, brown bag discussion with Dr. Robert S. Wicks, Director, Miami University Art Museum (brown bag).noon Tuesday, Oct. 13. The first edition of On the Origin of Species was limited to 1,250 copies; famously, the entire edition was sold to the trade on the first day of publication. What is less well known is that 58 copies of Origin were sent out for presentation and review. Of that number, the whereabouts of no more than two dozen can be accounted for. The Lloyd Library’s presentation copy (here on exhibit) was sent to Sir Walter Eliot in Madras, India, providing insight into the dissemination of scientific knowledge in the nineteenth century.
Asian Art at the Miami University Art Museum Panel Presentation in association with the Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs, 2-3:45 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16. Topics include new perspectives on dating the ancient art of Gandhara (Carolyn Schmidt), Chinese paintings (Ann Wicks), and Chinese and Japanese screen painting (Robert Wicks). A tour of the galleries begins at 4 pm.
Figure & Form: Negotiating Personal Space through Adornment artist talk with Jesse Mathes, 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22. Artist Jesse Mathes will speak about the evolution of her work and her interest in the psychology of adornment and personal space. She has been featured in Metalsmith Magazine, Lapidary Journal and other national publications. Her work, Personal space: eighteen inches, is on view in gallery 3.
Art Explorers, 10 a.m.-noon, Thursday, Oct. 29. Story time by the Lane Library children’s department followed by a related craft. Recommended for toddlers age 3-5 accompanied by an adult.
Wed. Nov. 4, 7-8:30 pm
The American Reception of Darwin, 1859-1900: An Interdisciplinary Introduction, 7 p.m. Wednesday Nov. 4. Dr. Kimberly A. Hamlin, Assistant Professor, Department of History and American Studies, Miami University, will explore the United States reception of Darwin’s Origin of Species (1859) and The Descent of Man (1871) from an interdisciplinary perspective, focusing on the varied and often surprising ways in which individuals and even entire fields incorporated, challenged and reformulated Darwin’s groundbreaking ideas about the origins of life on earth. Students and attendees will be asked to think about the following questions: What are some of the long-standing beliefs that evolutionary theory called into question at the end of the nineteenth century? How do you imagine that individuals responded to this new way of thinking about organic life? Which disciplines (religion, science, psychology, etc.) do you think were most impacted by Darwin’s ideas? Why? Which were most likely to embrace evolutionary theory? Which do you think rejected it?
Re:Design, a play by Craig Baxter, 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12 and 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13. “Re:Design” is a play about the life and ideas of Charles Darwin. Drawn directly from his voluminous correspondence, it features two actors—Charles Darwin (played by Luke Utter) and Asa Gray, a botanist and professor of natural history at Harvard University (played by Howard Blanning). Re:Design explores the conflicts of science and religion in the middle of the nineteenth century, raising issues that remain relevant in our day. Tickets are free, but seating is limited. Tickets will be available at the Art Museum beginning October 1, 2009.
Art Explorers, 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, Nov. 19. Story time by the Lane Library children’s department followed by a related craft. Recommended for toddlers age 3-5 accompanied by an adult.
Paint it Black: Color and Meaning in Ceramic Traditions, with Dr. Robert S. Wicks, Director, Miami University Art Museum, 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19. This presentation examines the underlying symbolism and the impact of local technologies on the development of monochrome wares in ancient Greece, South America, the American Southwest, German salt glaze ceramics and English Wedgwood. Most artifacts represented in the lecture can be viewed in the current exhibition Compositions in Black and White.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Galleries/Exhibitions, Miami University
TweetGreater Hamilton Civic Theatre casts “12 Angry Men”
Greater Hamilton Civic Theatre has announced the cast for its Oct. 8-11 production of “Twelve Angry Men” by Reginald Rose.
The cast includes:Dick Bell, Mark Durbin, Brian Smith, Jack Obszarski, Justyn Rampa, Dave Loeffler, Corey Wagonfield, Brad Morris, Ray Smith, Dennis Piper, Armand Bloch, Jeff Christian and Andrew Hehe.
The production will be directed by Rhonda Lucas and produced by Jane Winkler and Barb Winkler Toth.
About “Twelve Angry Men”: It’s an extremely hot, summer day in 1954 and twelve jurors have been given instructions to deliberate on the facts of a murder trial to determine one man’s fate. If found guilty by all twelve jurors, the defendant will receive the death penalty. Did the 18 year old defendant really murder his father? The 12 move to a jury room to begin deliberations. Here, they learn about one another’s personalities and prejudices and a little about themselves, as juror number 8 tries to reason through the facts of the case.
Performances will be Thursday, Oct. 8 through Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009 at Parrish Auditorium, Miami University Hamilton Campus, 1601 University Blvd., Hamilton. Tickets are $15. Discounts available for seniors, students and groups.
For tickets call 737-PLAY or visit the GHCT web site at www.ghctplay. com.
Synopsis provided by Greater Hamilton Civic Theatre.
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TweetFairfield Footlighters audition for “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” Sept. 14-17
The Fairfield Footlighters will hold auditions for its production of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” the following times:
> Adults: 6:30 p.m. Sept. 14
> Children ages 8-10, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 16 and 17
> Children ages 11-14, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 and 17
Auditions will be at the Fairfield Community Arts Center, 411 Wessel Dr., Fairfield, and will consist of cold readings from the script.
Cast calls for two men, five women, nine girls and eight boys. There is a possibility of some or all roles being double-cast. Rehearsals begin Sept. 23 at the Community Arts Center.
For more information on auditions, call director or e-mail director John Vanderplough, (513) 939-0599.
Performance dates: November 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22 (2 shows), and 23.
For ticket information, call (513) 867-5348.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Auditions/Calls for Entry, Fairfield Footlighters, Theater
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