Arts & Culture
It wasn't unusual for the University Theatre to present the play Oxygen last spring — after all, its theme was well suited to a UW audience. Jumping back and forth between the 1770s and the present day, the production used the premise of determining who should be credited for discovering oxygen to examine what scientific discovery means and why it is important for a scientist to be named the first. But what is unusual is that the play had an ulterior motive: "smuggling science to the public under the cloak of fiction."
The quote comes from one of the play's writers, Carl Djerassi PhD'45, who shares authorship with Cornell University Professor Roald Hoffman. It could be argued, however, that Djerassi is more famous for his contributions to science than to literature.
The son of Jewish physicians, Djerassi grew up in Vienna and escaped from the Nazis in 1938. At sixteen, he arrived in the U.S. and subsequently earned his undergraduate degree from Kenyon College in Ohio. He studied chemistry at the UW, and after receiving his doctorate, found work at a lab in Mexico City. In 1951, he directed the synthesis of steroid hormone analogs from Mexican yams, leading to the development of the first oral contraceptive — and earning him the title "father of the birth control pill." The work also earned him the National Medal of Science, the first Wolf Prize in chemistry from Israel, and induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
The quote comes from one of the play's writers, Carl Djerassi PhD'45, who shares authorship with Cornell University Professor Roald Hoffman. It could be argued, however, that Djerassi is more famous for his contributions to science than to literature.
The son of Jewish physicians, Djerassi grew up in Vienna and escaped from the Nazis in 1938. At sixteen, he arrived in the U.S. and subsequently earned his undergraduate degree from Kenyon College in Ohio. He studied chemistry at the UW, and after receiving his doctorate, found work at a lab in Mexico City. In 1951, he directed the synthesis of steroid hormone analogs from Mexican yams, leading to the development of the first oral contraceptive — and earning him the title "father of the birth control pill." The work also earned him the National Medal of Science, the first Wolf Prize in chemistry from Israel, and induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Since 1959, Djerassi has been a chemistry professor at Stanford University. He's received dozens of additional awards, including seventeen honorary doctorates.
In addition to his science classes at Stanford, Djerassi is currently teaching a course for writing majors and describes his style as "science-in-fiction."
"One way to teach science and talk about its culture is through fiction or drama," says Djerassi. "By using the cloak of fiction, I can illustrate and discuss ethical dilemmas that are frequently not raised for reasons of discretion, embarrassment, or fear of retribution."
While on campus last spring, Djerassi also participated in the Oxygen Symposium sponsored by the Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy. The event featured new research on oxygen, interspersed with lively chemistry demonstrations.
But Djerassi's dedication to and support of the arts at UW-Madison has extended far beyond producing Oxygen on campus. He has created the Carl Djerassi Fellowship in Fiction for students who have completed an MFA or equivalent degree in creative writing and who will serve as artists-in-residence. Diane Wood Middlebrook, Djerassi's spouse, has also contributed to the arts on campus by founding the Diane Middlebrook Fellowship in Poetry.
In addition to his science classes at Stanford, Djerassi is currently teaching a course for writing majors and describes his style as "science-in-fiction."
"One way to teach science and talk about its culture is through fiction or drama," says Djerassi. "By using the cloak of fiction, I can illustrate and discuss ethical dilemmas that are frequently not raised for reasons of discretion, embarrassment, or fear of retribution."
While on campus last spring, Djerassi also participated in the Oxygen Symposium sponsored by the Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy. The event featured new research on oxygen, interspersed with lively chemistry demonstrations.
But Djerassi's dedication to and support of the arts at UW-Madison has extended far beyond producing Oxygen on campus. He has created the Carl Djerassi Fellowship in Fiction for students who have completed an MFA or equivalent degree in creative writing and who will serve as artists-in-residence. Diane Wood Middlebrook, Djerassi's spouse, has also contributed to the arts on campus by founding the Diane Middlebrook Fellowship in Poetry.
"Dr. Djerassi's fellowship and that of his wife, Diane, have been enormously important for the UW's creative writing program," says English Professor Ronald Wallace. "His donations have doubled the number we can offer and [they] expand the creative writing program's quality."
Says Djerassi, "For a scientist, nothing is more different than writing fiction. Fiction is where you can supposedly invent anything; as a scientist, you are not supposed to make up anything."
— Candice Gaukel Andrews '77
Says Djerassi, "For a scientist, nothing is more different than writing fiction. Fiction is where you can supposedly invent anything; as a scientist, you are not supposed to make up anything."
— Candice Gaukel Andrews '77
COLLECTION — Renaissance Man
In all honesty, you could say Lodovico Ariosto was a Renaissance man. Not only did he live five hundred years ago, during the Italian Renaissance, but his interests spanned many fields. As the author of Orlando Furioso, he's known today as the Italian Homer, but he was also a dramatist, courtier, diplomat, and apparently an avid diarist. Thanks to this volume, which resides in Memorial Library's Special Collections, we know much of what occupied Ariosto's mind in his later years — from the details of his work to the cost of feeding his horses.
The book was donated by William "Jack" Fry, who's also a bit of a Renaissance man. The UW-Madison professor emeritus of physics is an expert violin maker and avid collector of Italian books. Over the last few years, he's been donating materials to the UW, including the 480-year-old, pigskin-bound Ariosto journal, which he discovered in an Italian junk shop. The Jack Fry Collection, a part of Special Collections, is located on Memorial Library's ninth floor.
The book was donated by William "Jack" Fry, who's also a bit of a Renaissance man. The UW-Madison professor emeritus of physics is an expert violin maker and avid collector of Italian books. Over the last few years, he's been donating materials to the UW, including the 480-year-old, pigskin-bound Ariosto journal, which he discovered in an Italian junk shop. The Jack Fry Collection, a part of Special Collections, is located on Memorial Library's ninth floor.
Artifacts
It's not too early to start planning for Halloween — especially if you want your costume to make a sensation. Phyllis Galembo MFA'77 reveals a century's worth of trick-or-treating finery in her new book, Dressed for Thrills: 100 Years of Halloween Costumes and Masquerade (Abrams). Galembo's photos show the many ways that revelers have connected fashion with fantasy.
Think art is for the birds? Think again. Once you see the Elvehjem's exhibition of Jim Dine Prints, you may not even think birds are for the birds. From July to September, the museum will display a collection of forty of Dine's lithographs, intaglios, and woodcuts that explore the iconic elements of the owl and the raven, as well as cats, apes, and Pinocchio. The Dine collection is on loan from Pace Prints in New York City.
UW-Madison's fourteenth annual Writers Institute will run July 10-11 in the Pyle Center. This year's keynote speaker is Alexs D. Pate, author of Amistad: The Novel. For more details, call (608) 262-2451.
Think art is for the birds? Think again. Once you see the Elvehjem's exhibition of Jim Dine Prints, you may not even think birds are for the birds. From July to September, the museum will display a collection of forty of Dine's lithographs, intaglios, and woodcuts that explore the iconic elements of the owl and the raven, as well as cats, apes, and Pinocchio. The Dine collection is on loan from Pace Prints in New York City.
UW-Madison's fourteenth annual Writers Institute will run July 10-11 in the Pyle Center. This year's keynote speaker is Alexs D. Pate, author of Amistad: The Novel. For more details, call (608) 262-2451.
Far from Hollywood
If a film buff were to ask where the largest collection of Taiwanese films outside of Taiwan was, would you answer Wisconsin?
You should.
In February, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Development office in Chicago signed over to the UW a collection of about 120 films, which will now reside at the Wisconsin State Historical Society.
More than just a historical compilation of movies, donations such as these are "depth collections," says David Bordwell, professor of communication arts. They allow scholars, buffs, and historians to "really see the range and depth of work that was made."
More than thirty years of Taiwanese cinema is represented, including many award-winning independent films the Taiwanese government funded itself. Among the artists included is Ang Lee, the director behind Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
The prospect for new study is ripe, because among the three main markets for Asian cinema — China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan — Taiwanese films are by far the least studied.
You should.
In February, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Development office in Chicago signed over to the UW a collection of about 120 films, which will now reside at the Wisconsin State Historical Society.
More than just a historical compilation of movies, donations such as these are "depth collections," says David Bordwell, professor of communication arts. They allow scholars, buffs, and historians to "really see the range and depth of work that was made."
More than thirty years of Taiwanese cinema is represented, including many award-winning independent films the Taiwanese government funded itself. Among the artists included is Ang Lee, the director behind Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
The prospect for new study is ripe, because among the three main markets for Asian cinema — China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan — Taiwanese films are by far the least studied.
The offer from the Chicago office of the Taiwanese government came after Bordwell returned other films he had used for research. Since the advent of video, the films weren't needed at home anymore.
The historical society has already fielded requests from scholars and other archives for some of the films, but they'll have to wait until cataloguing finishes midsummer. Then, bring on the popcorn.
"This offers Western scholars an amazing opportunity to see what Taiwan has produced," says Bordwell.
— Josh Orton x'04
The historical society has already fielded requests from scholars and other archives for some of the films, but they'll have to wait until cataloguing finishes midsummer. Then, bring on the popcorn.
"This offers Western scholars an amazing opportunity to see what Taiwan has produced," says Bordwell.
— Josh Orton x'04
Bach in Action
If you're on campus this July and you catch sight of wandering minstrels warbling ancient airs, don't be surprised. The Madison Early Music Festival is Bach — er, back — for its fourth annual celebration.
The Madison Early Music Festival, sponsored by the UW's School of Music, Division of Continuing Studies, and Department of Liberal Studies in the Arts, will run from July 12-19. Each year, it brings between seventy and one hundred music enthusiasts to the UW-Madison campus, providing an opportunity for devotees of medieval, Renaissance, and baroque music to indulge their tastes to the fullest.
Although the festival covers tunes from many centuries, this year's event will focus particularly on the work of Johann Sebastian Bach, the composer whose creations marked the culmination of the baroque period. According to program director Chelcy Bowles, the festival defines "early music" as any composed before 1750, the year that Bach died. By centering on Bach, the festival will be about as late as early music can get.
The Madison Early Music Festival, sponsored by the UW's School of Music, Division of Continuing Studies, and Department of Liberal Studies in the Arts, will run from July 12-19. Each year, it brings between seventy and one hundred music enthusiasts to the UW-Madison campus, providing an opportunity for devotees of medieval, Renaissance, and baroque music to indulge their tastes to the fullest.
Although the festival covers tunes from many centuries, this year's event will focus particularly on the work of Johann Sebastian Bach, the composer whose creations marked the culmination of the baroque period. According to program director Chelcy Bowles, the festival defines "early music" as any composed before 1750, the year that Bach died. By centering on Bach, the festival will be about as late as early music can get.
"Bach is one of the biggest figures in music," says Professor Paul Rowe, the festival's artistic director. "Not only does he still have broad appeal today, but Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms all studied Bach. He was about as influential as one can be."
The festival features seven public concerts as well as classes and lectures, and organizers are bringing in professional musicians such as Musica Pacifica, Piffaro, and the Newberry Consort. "They'll be playing obscure Bach pieces, ones that are exquisite, but not done all that often," says Bowles. "And this is a chance for once-in-a-lifetime performances. This combination of musicians may never be together again."
— John Allen
The festival features seven public concerts as well as classes and lectures, and organizers are bringing in professional musicians such as Musica Pacifica, Piffaro, and the Newberry Consort. "They'll be playing obscure Bach pieces, ones that are exquisite, but not done all that often," says Bowles. "And this is a chance for once-in-a-lifetime performances. This combination of musicians may never be together again."
— John Allen
