Arts & Culture
Making an Overture
Students at UW-Madison are about to get a hands-on lesson in how great theater is made - literally. This fall, the university is offering an interdisciplinary arts course that will study the creation and construction of the Overture Center, which, when it's finished, will become downtown Madison's premier performing and visual arts facility.
Entitled Overture: The Art and Design of a Cultural Arts Center, the course is the invention of Tino Balio, executive director of UW-Madison's Arts Institute. Its goal is to look at the development of the Overture Center, both as an individual building and within the context of the many forces that shaped its design and construction. Balio has invited a series of lecturers to discuss the various concerns that the architect and builders must consider, from acoustics and lighting to economics, city planning, and the wishes of philanthropist W. Jerome Frautschi '56, whose gift to the city made the center possible.
Entitled Overture: The Art and Design of a Cultural Arts Center, the course is the invention of Tino Balio, executive director of UW-Madison's Arts Institute. Its goal is to look at the development of the Overture Center, both as an individual building and within the context of the many forces that shaped its design and construction. Balio has invited a series of lecturers to discuss the various concerns that the architect and builders must consider, from acoustics and lighting to economics, city planning, and the wishes of philanthropist W. Jerome Frautschi '56, whose gift to the city made the center possible.
"The construction of the Overture Center presents arts students with an unusual opportunity," says Balio. "A group of world-class designers and consultants will be available to discuss the challenges the center presents. This is more than the matter of designing the Overture Center - it's the complex process of dealing with Madison's city council and the resident arts community to create a structure that meets expectations and fits into the space of the Isthmus."
Designed by architect Cesar Pelli, the Overture Center will house a performance hall, several rehearsal spaces, and three community exhibit spaces.
Construction began in 2001 on a site adjacent to the Madison Civic Center in the 200 block of State Street.
Previously, UW-Madison had offered a similar course under the title Design: Making Things Work, which took a more abstract look at the concerns that might affect construction of an arts arena. But with the Overture Center as a handy lab, students can now see more concrete examples of how design and construction come together. During the semester, they'll be able to visit the construction site and speak with the people who are responsible for making the Overture Center a reality. Balio believes that such contact could lead to long-term benefits for UW design courses.
Designed by architect Cesar Pelli, the Overture Center will house a performance hall, several rehearsal spaces, and three community exhibit spaces.
Construction began in 2001 on a site adjacent to the Madison Civic Center in the 200 block of State Street.
Previously, UW-Madison had offered a similar course under the title Design: Making Things Work, which took a more abstract look at the concerns that might affect construction of an arts arena. But with the Overture Center as a handy lab, students can now see more concrete examples of how design and construction come together. During the semester, they'll be able to visit the construction site and speak with the people who are responsible for making the Overture Center a reality. Balio believes that such contact could lead to long-term benefits for UW design courses.
"I'm hoping that these designers and consultants will establish a relationship with the university so that we can call on them in the future," he says.
—John Allen
—John Allen
Big Night on Campus
The Arts Institute is getting ready to host an open house for UW-Madison culture - and the house will be more open than it's ever been before.
On September 28, Arts Night Out will return to showcase the wide variety of artistic endeavor taking place on campus. But while in the past Arts Night Out was geared primarily toward new students, this year the event targets a wider audience, in the hope that members of the surrounding community will come and share the experience.
"This is part of the university's efforts to create an ambience of good relations with Madison," says Tino Balio, executive director of the Arts Institute. "We want to remind the city that there's a vibrant arts community here on campus."
On September 28, Arts Night Out will return to showcase the wide variety of artistic endeavor taking place on campus. But while in the past Arts Night Out was geared primarily toward new students, this year the event targets a wider audience, in the hope that members of the surrounding community will come and share the experience.
"This is part of the university's efforts to create an ambience of good relations with Madison," says Tino Balio, executive director of the Arts Institute. "We want to remind the city that there's a vibrant arts community here on campus."
The institute has joined with the Campus Information and Visitor Center and a variety of university arts organizations and departments to sponsor a collection of musical, dramatic, and visual arts events at such venues as the Memorial Union, the Elvehjem Museum of Art, and the Humanities Building.
Headline performances include an exhibition by the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, a University Theatre production of The Passion of Dracula, and Night Light, a combination of music, light, and video that the Arts Institute bills as "a nocturnal art circus."
Headline performances include an exhibition by the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, a University Theatre production of The Passion of Dracula, and Night Light, a combination of music, light, and video that the Arts Institute bills as "a nocturnal art circus."
