Solas

CANCELED

Oct. 08, 2008

midnight

The Irish-American group Solas is still playing the same sunny, Celtic music they’ve specialized in since their 1994 formation, but these days they’re doing it with a new voice. This summer the popular band, which first made a name for itself on National Public Radio, welcomed their newest singer, Mairead Phelan. The group plays an 8 p.m. concert at Shank Hall tonight, which will be the first of an unofficial, two-day Irish music event at the venuetomorrow night the Limerick group Seneca headlines a separate show.

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Hi Janet,
My name is Mary Gleason (414-840-1238). ...

Hi Janet,
My name is Mary Gleason (414-840-1238). I'm a friend of John Schneider. I'm also a social worker so my ideas come from what I see every day. My interest is in multicultural/multigenerational images.

1) Three Generations: An African-American grandmother, older teen granddaughter and her young son (age 4ish/kmale) are walking down the street. The grandmother looks world-weary but solid, the teen is bored with attitude and the youngster is lagging behind/at times frustrating the young mother. At some point the youngster hears music in or outside his head and begins to bop up and down/then eventually dance. The young mom looks critical/angry, then begins to smile, then starts to dance along. The grandmother comes out of her weary reverie, slowly smiles and joins in with her generations dance moves. There is a moment of abandoment and joy.........then the youngster walks on smiling and the teen goes back to boredom and the grandmother goes back to weariness.

2) How We See: This is inspired by my neighbor, Christine, that John and I met on the street one day. She is in her early '60's and in a wheelchair. Christine has almost white hair and a beautiful and almost unlined face with great bone structure. She is also a photographer. My idea is Woman in Wheelchair going down the street past pedestrians. They look at her directly/or out of the the corners of their eyes bc. she's disabled. They have some change in their behavior when they encounter her (make a wide berth, smile, avoid, look uncomfortable) but she is noticed differently. Under her poncho/shawl, the Wheelchair Woman has a camera. As the pedestrians check her out, she checks them out right back with her camera as if they are the objects of visual interest as well. The pedestrians exhibit the same range of reactions to being filmed as they do to the Woman.

3) How Dad Does It/How Mom Does It: Being a parent, this has always emotionally impacted me when I see this difference. A dad is walking down the street/across the street with 3 children. He walks in front of them and they follow like little ducklings. He's the leader and only rarely turns to see how they are doing/if they are safe. He expects them to follow (and take care of themselves?). Dad may talk/make pronouncements to kids without looking back over his shoulder.
A mom is walking down the street with 3/several children. She walks with them or behind them, periodically interacting with them, holding their hands, having them hold each other's hands, may guide them with her hand on their backs, making comments to keep them walking along. They look more like a "flock"/ circle of parent with kids.

4) Bus Stop: 2-3 Hispanic middle school aged Hispanic girls are standing waiting for something (bus, a ride, etc.). They may have ponytails, or long hair, maybe braces, maybe one is chewing gum. They are standing looking blankly and not engaged with each other and only blankly watching the passersby. One girl has an IPOD. Presumable a song comes on the IPOD that makes that girl smile. She starts to move her head to the music. Then she quickly engages the girl next to her, smiles broadly and shares one of the earphones. The other girl immediately bops to the same rhythm, smiles broadly and they mouth the words which engages the 3rd girl who just catches the beat and the 3 of them become much more sophisticated looking as well as beaming beautiful smiles/laughter in a row (facing front to the camera). This fades as the song faces return to blank and the girls go back to not being connected.

5) Women's Group: I have been in a women's group with my friends meeting monthly for 28 years. We are all white, in our late 50's/early 60's but look younger (as aging hippies/baby boomers often do!). We are social workers, educators, writers, therapists, etc. We are animated. I'd love to find a place for us in your project to portray our close bond as well as our generation. I would like us to somehow act out our proud connection/loving support of each other as part of this wonderful group. Maybe we are individually walking individually down the street and encounter each other one by one. We chat one on one and then the circle grows. At some point we link arms in a line and one by one act out the various emotions/struggles/interactions we've had withing the group..........one tightly hugs the woman next to her, then that woman puts herself forehead to forehead with the next woman and they experience sadness/consolation.........then one of those women give the next woman a playful push..........the pushed woman gives the next woman the "cold shoulder" by crossing her arms and looking away.................the woman rejected turns and gets an enfolding motherly bear hug from the next woman..........the hugged woman looks at the next woman and they smile, then giggle, then full out laugh like teens.........then a one of those women puts her arm around the next woman who responds in kind and they give each other wise smiles and knowing looks of respect and caring. The group starts to break off and go back down the street to their separate lives with smiles of comfort and knowing on their faces. This repeats.

That's it for now!! I hope you enjoy these scenes. Please let me know if you received this email as I'm not certain that I did this correctly. Thank you and all the best to Janet and her project!!
Mary

Mary Gleason more than 15 years ago