MUSE spoke to artist Julia Elsas, a graduating student in the UC Davis MFA program. Elsas and four other graduating students - Crystal Haueter, Cynthia Horn, Evie Leder and Josh Short - present their work at the 2009 MFA Exhibition, currently on display at the Nelson Gallery in the Art Building.
MUSIC
Multimedia Ensemble
Today, 8 p.m., free
Technocultural Studies Building (formerly the Art Annex)
Silent films are like a blank slate for musicians, and the UC Davis Multimedia Ensemble definitely cultivated a new idea when they scored Yasujiro Ozu's 1934 silent film A Story of Floating Weeds. Led by music department lecturer Sam Nichols, the film is sure to provide an avant-garde and experimental version of one of film's early forms.
Ian McFeron Band, Shannon Harney
Today, 10 p.m., $3, 21
Sophia's Thai Kitchen
Any band named after its lead is suspicious, and often terrible (well at least one well-known one is). But the Seattle-based Ian McFeron band shouldn't be feared, with their laid-back fiddle, slide guitar, Dylan-esque vocals and major-key strumming. Davis student Shannon Harney will perform as well.
Since the release of their tantalizing indie-pop EP, Chunk of Change, Passion Pit has been gaining popularity among hipsters all over the world.
The six-track-long anthology was a Valentine's Day gift for lead singer Michael Angelakos' girlfriend at the time and eventually circulated around Emerson College, where Angelakos was attending school.
Soon after the mid-September release of Chunk of Change, Passion Pit's music has been slowly introduced to the world by corporations such as PlayStation, MTV, Pitchfork and BBC's Sound of 2009.
Alas, here we reach the end, good readers. A good 28 weeks of you putting up with my Thursday antics really have gone by quickly, now haven't they?
And with my graduation coming up, it's an especially vulnerable time for me to get all gooey on you. But the only tears that will be shed will be the ones from my right eye as it heals from a corneal ulcer, because I plan to leave on a contemplative yet light-hearted note.
An imprisoned princess, a plotting stepbrother, forbidden love and a bet. That Shakespeare sure did know how to write a story.
This Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., the Integrated Studies 8B: Playing Shakespeare class will perform Shakespeare's Cymbeline in Wyatt Theatre. The event is sponsored by the University Writing Program and the performance is free.
The Playing Shakespeare class is offered every spring quarter and is taught by Dr. Eric Schroeder. Schroeder is known for wanting to study and perform each of Shakespeare's plays in the class first, before repeating any. As Cymbeline is not one of Shakespeare's most popular plays, this production will be full of surprises.
On May 16, First Lady Michelle Obama delivered a commencement speech at UC Merced. After noticing the campuswide effort that motivated the first lady to speak, two UC Davis students were inspired to get a different inspirational woman to speak at UCD.
Operation DeGeneres is a movement on campus with the main purpose of wooing Ellen DeGeneres to the UCD campus to speak. Many of those behind the project believe DeGeneres' appearance would be a great way to attract more attention to the often-overlooked UC Davis.
