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Art, Air and Illness
Boydell's Vision
Fashioning Victoria
Petrifying Wealth
Navigating the Canals
Ashbee and After
Discovering the Italian Trecento
The Edwardian Sense
Displaying Victorian Sculpture
The Santa Chiara Chapel
The Life and Work of Basil Spence
Fashioning Victoria: curating the royal image for dynasty, nation and empire.
Fashioning Victoria is a collaboration between Historic Royal Palaces and University of Warwick, funded by an AHRC Research Networking Grant. This research project will examine Queen Victoria's role in the fashioning of her own image, and the consequences of this for monarchy, nation, and empire from the nineteenth century to the present.
Petrifying Wealth.
Petrifying Wealth, funded by the ERC, seeks to rewrite the social history of the central Middle Ages, emphasizing the need to reassess from an untried perspective an element that has always been present in our vision of the medieval period — the sudden ubiquity of masonry construction. This project seeks to offer novel explanations to previously unasked questions about wealth, building, and collective identity.
Navigating the Canals.
Despite the impressive scholarly attention that the Venice of the Renaissance has commanded, there is as yet no overarching study devoted to the challenges posed by the city's unique physical and geographical environment on the manufacture and delivery of paintings, particularly large scale, in the lagoon city. This doctoral project investigates two aspects of this problem...
Early Modern Sources in Translation: Carlo Cesare Malvasia's Felsina pittrice.
This project will result in a full critical edition and annotated translation of Carlo Cesare Malvasia's Felsina pittrice (Bologna, 1678), one of the most important early modern texts on Italian art. Felsina pittrice, or Lives of the Bolognese Painters, provides a history of painting in Bologna that both emulates and challenges Giorgio Vasari's Lives (1550/1568).
Boydell's Vision: The Shakespeare Gallery in the Eighteenth Century
"Boydell's Vision was an exhibition held at Compton Verney to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death. It explored the history of John Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery which opened in 1789 on Pall Mall, demonstrating how the Gallery used Shakespeare's works as a vehicle for the development of a national form of history painting."
Art, Air and Illness.
The exhibition looks at how we perceive and experience the impact of the environment on human health culturally, socially, and through the very air we breathe. Showcasing a range of rare archival maps, weather charts, historic meteorological texts, and public health photographs on loan from the National Meteorological Library and Archive and Coventry History Centre, alongside new works.
Ashbee and After: Drawing in the Silversmiths' Workshop.
The archive of drawings held by Hart's Silversmiths provides not only an extraordinary aesthetic experience but also a fascinating insight into the processes of patronage and production in the silversmith's workshop both in the heyday of the Arts and Crafts Movement and today. Objects from this remarkable archive will form the core of an exhibition currently in planning with Compton Verney.
Discovering the Italian Trecento in the Nineteenth Century.
The growing interest in medievalism and the early Italian Renaissance during the course of the 19th century has, in recent years, become a developing area of study. Our project investigates the discovery and reception of the Italian trecento during this key century for British art. It is the result of a partnership between the University of Warwick, IESA, the Seminar for Collecting & Display at the Institute of Historical Research London, Swansea University, the National Gallery, the Wallace Collection.
The Edwardian Sense.
The Edwardian Sense was a three-year project run by Michael Hatt and Morna O'Neill (Wake Forest University) at the Yale Center for British Art, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The project addressed both the Edwardians' own sense of their Edwardianism and contemporary conceptions of Edwardian, the familiar myths of the golden summer and the throwing off of the Victorian era...
Family Values.
Cultural production in early modern Italy was intimately tied to neighbourhood, friendship and extended kinship ties. The family in particular was a key component of identity but as the historian Thomas Kuehn observed some years ago, the family was not just a 'genetically constituted, co-residential unit of production and consumption. It was a group with practical interests that were mediated by cultural logic'...
Displaying Victorian Sculpture.
Displaying Victorian Sculpture is a major, three-year collaborative project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, that seeks to return sculpture to centre stage in discussions of 19th-century British culture, and to re-assert the importance of sculpture to Victorian history.
The Santa Chiara Chapel: Sacred Space in the Modern Museum
The Santa Chiara project saw Donal Cooper collaborate with curators at the V&A to understand the chequered past of the Santa Chiara Chapel as both a religious shrine and museum object. Their research informed the once-in-a-generation chance to revise the chapel's display in the museum's new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries accompanied by a virtual reconstruction of the chapel as it would have appeared in the Renaissance.
The Life and Works of Sir Basil Spence 1907-76: architecture, tradition and modernity
This project examined the work of Sir Basil Spence and his offices in Scotland and England, drawing on the extensive archive of drawings, designs, office papers, press-cuttings and photographs which Spence's family bequeathed to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland in Edinburgh in 2003.
History of Art Department
Millburn House, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7HS, United Kingdom
Email: history dot of dot art at warwick dot ac dot uk
Student Intranet Staff Intranet
Page contact: Maureen Bourne
Last revised: Thu 23 Apr 2020


1. Get Pre-Approved from a bank of your choice; (we recommend you meet with at least 2 banks and get the best rates, terms and customer service satisfaction).
2. Go shopping online at CIREBA.com to search for properties' according to your personal criteria. Then choose one of our CIREBA trained agents at Engel & Völkers who will assist with determining and viewing the homes.
3. Select your 5 top houses you are best interested in and arrange a 2nd showing/ viewing. Ensure to ask information regarding the property, past sales, any aerials photographs and interior pictures, etc.
4. Once you have chosen a Home; Make a written Offer to Purchaser.
To comply with CIREBA and Cayman Compliance Regulations, you are required to provide the agent(s) with your Identification such as your Passport, Driver's license and proof of residence (Current Address). The sales agent will help you decide on the offer price. You will want to make an offer at the current market value and not so low you insult the seller. Or wore yet another buyer may have a better offer and you will lose out.
5. Add your conditions to Clause 5 of the contract such as home inspection, pest control inspections, financing condition. If you are buying a condo, ask to see the Strata documents and the latest AGM minutes.
6. You are required to have your Deposit funds ready, to put into the listing agent's Escrow account until closing/completion.
7. Once the offer is accepted, now work thru the conditions in Clause 5.
8. Dates Agreed; Respect these dates. If it seems that the dates will expire as agreed to in Clause 5 of the Offer to Purchase, you need to request an extension from the sellers. (Some sellers may or may not agree).
9. Once you have satisfied regarding all your due diligence/conditions, you will be asked to waive those conditions, after you do so the Offer to Purchase contract will becoming Pending and your deposit is non-refundable unless the seller cannot complete the sale.
10. Your mortgage Broker will have a long list of items you will need to provide, make sure you do this quickly to keep the process moving ahead.
11. Once you have been approved for the bank mortgage, they will ask you to sign your mortgage documents. Next step is your bank will assign an Attorney for you to complete the Transfer of Land document, this is double-sided and signed in front of your Attorney, or Notary Public, 3 originals are required.
12. Your Attorney and the Seller's Attorney will liaise to complete the deal.
13. You will receive a "Section 6.4" which is a document stating that there is an outstanding strata fee to be paid from the sellers and therefore you will join the Strata with a $0.00 balance on your strata fees. Strata fees include garden and pool maintenance, common are water and power, security, pest control, cable and/or internet; all of these items will be listed in the AGM minutes. Insurance cover note will be sent to you and your lawyer as proof of insurance.
14. Before the day of closing, you can ask for another walk-thru the property.
15. At the end, you will get the keys and a copy of the Transfer Documents, take this to CUC and Cayman Water or Water Authority to put the utilities into your own name.
Congratulations! You are now a homeowner in the Cayman Islands!


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text:
Jess Banks schools you.
Lessons in life from an unreliable source
Oct 3, 2011 - AV Club, Domestic Engineering 3 Comments
My Big Fat Geek Wedding
It's my 15th wedding anniversary this Wednesday, October 5th. And there are many other things I want to write about my amazing partner in the sublime and ridiculous adventure we've undertaken together. But before I get to that, it's worth laying down a little groundwork.
Fortunately, I've already done this — rather eloquently, in fact, if I do say so myself. This essay was first published in the August 2010 issue of RPGirl zine, but I thought I'd repost it here as well, for all those who haven't enjoyed that esteemed publication. This is the astronomically unlikely, stranger-than-fiction story of how Cam and I ended up together. Enjoy!
I met my husband online in 1993. Back then, Internet marriages were still the stuff of The Jerry Springer Show; they were viewed by the general public with about as much trust as prison pen pal marriages. But they were startin to happen more often, and while "We met online" resulted in universal gasps and exclamations of disbelief and lurid curiosity, the real secret behind our marriage wasn't where we met — it was how. You see, my husband and I met through an online RPG.
Before RPG meant "Rocket Propelled Grenade" to the majority of Americans, it was better known to gamers by a different set — an altogether more contaminated set — of initials: D&D. And if couples formed on the Internet were viewed with the expectation of imminent failure, well, couples formed through the unholy bonds of D&D were viewed as if they'd joined the Heaven's Gate death-pact cult.
Only gamers really understood that D&D wasn't the only RPG out there, but even gamers didn't quite believe that women were in the gaming community to stay. Gamer guys expected women to date at least one of the party, in and out of character; if they weren't willing, then they could play a guy or bring food. To gamer girls, online RPGs, which were still entirely text-based, represented a chance to play without wondering where a guy's eyes were during each scene — wondering where his hands were would come later, but could at least be ignored, except for the typos. Though many women still felt they needed to play male characters online to be taken seriously (while many men chose to play female characters, willing to be taken in any way they could), good scene-writing was respected online, and women (not shockingly) wrote women's parts with remarkable insight. Gamer girls were starving for respect, and provided they could write passably well, they found that respect in the nascent online gaming world.
Most of the women in online RPGs came across the games as part of their experience in the computer world — many of them were already programmers or employed in the Internet industry as technicians or support personnel. As such, I was the odd bird — I was persuaded by my then-boyfriend to create a character on AmberMUSH because I'd enjoyed the novels by Roger Zelazny, on which the game was based. I had absolutely no computer skills beyond a 100 wpm typing speed and good word-processing abililties, established by my busy schedule as a French and journalism double major. Neither of us had a computer of our own, so if I wanted to spend time with him after he began playing, it would have to be at one of the computer labs on campus; and if I wanted not to be bored, then I'd better have a character of my own.
Within a year, I'd established myself both in character — a six-foot warrior woman with a pet lion, shamelessly ripped off from a Mercedes Lackey character I admired — and in the online gaming community, which shared a parallel out-of-character site called TooMUSH, with only the few they deemed decent and "real" enough to call friends. Among the TooMUSH family, I was the newbie. There I met geniuses who coded the first online RPGs based on their love of RL ("real life") gaming; many are now highly respected faculty, independent consultants, supervisors, and engineers. There I also met gaming devotees who introduced me to systems and worlds that fundamentally changed my idea of play. There I met virtuosos who dazzled me with their writing ability in scenes I'll never forget; several are now New York Times Bestselling authors [NB: The NYT just recently published an article on AmberMUSH as the successful incubator for so many successful writers, including dearest friends and my own Darling Husband; it's well worth the read.]
Me, I was just happy to have been entrusted with one of AmberMUSH's "features," the characters from the books which were handed out only by application to the board of "wizards" who were combination coders/referees/justices of the peace. I had applied for and won control of one Julia Barnes, a character in the second quartet of books in Zelazny's series, a UC Berkeley computer engineering designer and up-and-coming sorceress. To her, computer coding was the effort to impose her will over an environment through the skillful application of elegant and efficient orders; sorcery was the same thing, just on a more challenging and satisfying scale. In the books, she meets Merlin, prince of Amber, narrator of the second series and son of Corwin, prince of Amber and narrator of the first series. He shows her a good time and the secrets of the universe. While not of Amber blood, and therefore not eligible to "walk the Pattern" and gain control over "shadows," reflections of the infinitely varied images of Amber, the ultimate Order, or Chaos, the ultimate Disorder, Julia gained and maintained control of a "Broken Pattern," one of the flawed reflections of the original Pattern of Amber.
It was through this in-game prop, and through one of those up-and-coming authors (the guy with his picture in that NYT article. Yes, him.), that I met my husband. He'd started with an "unblooded" character and wanted access to greater powers and, probably more importantly to him, access to better players and better scenes. Since feature characters were screened, there was a greater, though not perfect, chance of higher quality play, and I certainly took my obligations to give access to the powers I controlled — the Broken Pattern and my online availability — very seriously. When my friend recommended this new player to me, I arranged to have my character "bump into" his at the game's common watering-hole/fight-starter. As our characters hit it off, we started talking behind the scenes, and before long, he'd made a good enough impression on enough of the influential players to merit an invite to TooMUSH.
Our biggest obstacle turned out to be the time difference. You see, I lived in Kansas; he lived in Auckland, New Zealand. A 19-hour gap is decidedly awkward to schedule around. But as my hours in the computer lab had grown exponentially as I acquired more characters to play and more friends to visit with, and he had little care for a minor thing like sleep, we managed to meet in and out of character with surprising frequency. Our online scenes coincided with the mutually simultaneous meltdown of our offline relationships, and we provided each other with sympathy and distraction. One summer evening, he confided to me that he had developed romantic feelings for one of the women he knew online. Understanding yet totally failing to understand, I asked, "Is it Adrienne's player?" His blunt response still strikes me as if I'd heard it, not read it: "No. It's you."
This revelation came only a month before my departure for a year of study abroad in France. I resisted his appeals to try a long-distance relationship, though we began exchanging the kind of care packages essential to an online romance in the '90s: letters, photographs, graphic novels, and mix-tapes. On the one hand, I felt deeply for him, and my own laptop and a 12-hour time difference greased the skids for communication. On the other hand, the Telecoms of France and New Zealand would end up costing us the equivalent of a family-sized car.
But love won out, and when he flew to the UK to meet me for the first time in person, it was with an engagement ring and a plan. The plan, to propose at midnight on New Year's Eve at a Scottish castle, was ultimately wrecked; it was finally in flannel pajamas in an Aberdeen B&B where he popped the question. And I insisted on working out the finer points of "where" and "how" before I would even open the ring box. But obviously, I said yes.
"Where" ended up being Lawrence, Kansas, in October 1996; "how" was thanks to my mom and a K-1 visa — and with a surprising number of our Amber/TooMUSH friends in attendance. If I'm not mistaken, we were one of the first AmberMUSH-originating couples to marry, but we certainly weren't the last. And if we wanted to show our two sons where we met, we'd have to do something unusual: look up an IP address. But first we'd have to explain to them about roleplaying games.
Troy December 7, 2011 at 8:26 pm
in flannel pajamas in an Aberdeen B&B is better than a castle anyways. Like that
Pride and Prejudice | Jessica Banks schools you. May 24, 2012 at 11:52 pm
[…] us new friends at home and around the world, hours of solo and group entertainment, and eventually, roleplaying games gave us each other. They are our hobby, and our work, and now our legacy to our […]
Pink & Ginger: The Secret of Our Success | Jessica Banks schools you. October 5, 2013 at 3:15 pm
[…] can read more about our backstory elsewhere on the blog, but we'll start at the beginning […]
Jess Banks is a) a wife, mother, cisgender femme, and bisexual, disabled, autistic geek; b) currently pink-haired; c) freelance editor/translator/art director in the RPG industry, and audiobook reader; d) activist on issues of equality and justice; e) recent immigrant to New Zealand; and f) enthusiastically weird.
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The most common gardening complaint I hear when traveling involves soil quality. It can be too sandy, too rocky or full of clay, and even sometimes a frustrating combination of all three. Good soil is essential to give your plants a solid foundation for growth.
Tested to exceed ISO and international standards for striking tool durability Length: 16"
The steel D-handle design offers excellent control and durability to make edging, slicing and digging in tough soil easy.
Take on transplanting tasks with a tool that's as durable as it is comfortable.
Loosen and aerate soil with a tool that's as durable as it is comfortable.
Saw rope with an outer serrated edge or use a straight edge to open bags & boxes. Integrated wire cutter lets you cut wire without damaging blades.
Rake and loosen soil in the garden with a durable, lightweight design featuring a long handle that helps eliminate kneeling and stooping.
The question is: how do I transform my rough ground into rich topsoil as quickly as possible and with minimum backbreaking labor? The best solution is to build a DIY raised garden bed. This simple technique allows you to add good soil, compost and fertilizers to your planting beds for a fresh start and a bountiful harvest.
You may think building a raised garden bed is a difficult task, but this DIY raised garden bed only requires a few hours and some basic tools.
The first step in knowing how to build a raised garden bed involves finding a location with two important garden features: sunlight and water. The amount of sunlight needed depends on the type of garden. Vegetables, herbs and many flowers require full sun. However, you can still build a raised garden bed in sheltered locations for shade-loving plants. Planning is key, as you want to build your bed in an area that receives the perfect amount of sunlight for whatever you are planting.
The second consideration – easy access to water – is often overlooked until it's too late. No one wants to carry buckets of water to their garden. Choosing a location for your raised bed garden with easy access to a water spigot will make your life much easier.
You can find a variety of raised bed garden plans, with most following the same basic steps. For this project, I'm making a raised planter 20-inches high. With a planned space of 8-feet by 4-feet, this bed is big enough to load with your favorite flowers and veggies, but not so wide that you can't reach the plants and weeds in the middle.
1. Cut boards – Begin by cutting two of your boards in half to create four 4' boards. You now have a total of four 8' boards and four 4' boards. Cut your scrap 1'x2' boards into 15-inch lengths. You need at least eight scrap pieces.
At this point, you'll want to begin leveling out your ground using the Fiskars® IsoCore™ 5 lb Pick.
2. Position boards for quick construction – Lay out two 8' boards parallel with a 4' board at each end. Position your boards as close to your finished garden bed location as possible. This eliminates having to move the DIY garden box frame. Once the frame has been laid, edged the ground to help the wood level out and sink into its final location using the Fiskars® Steel D-Handle Square Garden Spade.
3. Attach boards together – Hold up two boards on their sides so that the end board overlaps the edge of the side board. Use the Fiskars® IsoCore™ 22 oz. Milled-Face Framing Hammer (16") and 3" nails to secure the boards together. Repeat on all four corners to create a rectangular box.
4. Add supports – Position a 1'x2' section vertically at an inside corner of the box. Secure with nails. Repeat at each corner.
5. Build second level – The easiest way to add the second layer is by working your way around and using the supports as an extra set of hands. Place a 4' board on top of the bottom end board. Attach it to the support pieces. Repeat on the other side. You can now slide your 8' side boards into place and use nails to secure.
6. Reinforce the sides – Soil can be quite heavy. Secure the extra four scrap pieces of wood vertically to the inside of the garden box to help strengthen the box. Place two on each 8-foot side. If your box begins to bow out over time, you can add wooden stakes to the outside for even more support.
With the raised garden box frame built, you finally get to play in the dirt.
1. Add soil – Using the Fiskars® Ergo D-Handle Steel Transfer Shovel, fill the raised garden box planter with topsoil. This shovel is great because the long, ergonomic handle allows you to reach all the way across the planter while saving your back and knees from having to bend over. The steel handle is more durable than wood and won't break like fiberglass. This is the best shovel I have ever owned!
Now is the perfect time to mix compost and an all-natural fertilizer, like peat moss, into your soil. Mixing these elements in as you fill the bed gives you a good blend throughout the entire space. Different plants have different needs, so tailor your soil mix to the types of plants you plan to grow.
2. Smooth the surface – You need an even planting surface for the best gardening results. Use the Fiskars® Aluminum Garden Rake to spread your raised garden dirt around and smooth it out.
The 14 hardened steel tips will help power through any large chunks of compost and will loosen and aerate the soil. Your plant roots will thank you for taking this extra step.
3. Prepare your transplants – Now that the soil is ready to plant, I use my Fiskars® Multipurpose Snip to easily snip open the plastic packaging so that I don't tear apart the root structure of the young plants. These garden snips are a must-have multi-use tool for any garden bag. The serrated edges are perfect for cutting open those pesky plastic containers or any soil bags you may need to add to your raised bed.
4. Plant your garden – Plant your young plants at the recommended spacing. The Fiskars® Big Grip Transplanter has graduation marks on the blade, making it perfect for getting the exact depth that each plant needs. The Big Grip Transplanter features a comfortable handle to reduce fatigue. I can easily plant a garden full of plants in one afternoon with this handy tool.
5. Finish your bed – Once the plants are in your new garden bed, use the Fiskars® Big Grip Cultivator to make sure the soil around your new plants is smooth and aerated. Now all you need to do is sit back and watch your plants grow in your handmade raised garden planter.
There are an endless varieties of plants that grow well in raised garden beds. The main consideration is room. Proper spacing between plants provides the necessary air flow to prevent disease, the conservation of moisture and the reduction of plant competition for nutrients. I also keep in mind the root needs of each plant. Some plants require deeper soil than others to grow strong and produce well. Certain plants, such as corn, melons and squash, require deeper and larger beds than other less-space hungry options. They can still be grown in a raised bed, but the bed must fit the growing requirements.
• Zinnias are a staple of any cutting garden. Available in many different colors and sizes, their blooms are plentiful and easy to grow.
• Clary sage is a delicate looking bloom from the Salvia family. The blooms are frost hardy and last for weeks after cutting.
• Sunflowers add a rustic charm to your garden and flower arrangements. If you don't have room for a full row, consider planting a few varieties with small blooms, such as Italian White or Teddy Bear.
• Feverfew features clusters of small button-shaped flowers. These white with yellow center blooms grow up to 18 inches and have a long vase life.
• Mums are available in all shapes, sizes and colors. These easy-to-grow plants require little care and perform well from frequent cuttings.
• Potatoes adore the loose soil of a raised bed. The addition of plenty of organic matter allows for easy draining.
• Onions can take up to 100 days to mature. Get an even earlier start on the growing season with the addition of row covers or a cold box in the spring.
• Tomatoes grow best in nutrient-dense soil. You can add store-bought or homemade trellises, bamboo stakes or traditional tomato cages for support. Add bell peppers, garlic and Italian herbs for your own pizza box garden bed.
• Carrots, radishes and beets grow large and beautiful when the soil is loose and free from stones. Simply double check your soil depth to ensure plenty of room for large variety root veggies.
If you're looking for tips on how to build raised garden beds on a hill or slope, you make be encouraged to hear that it's possible to do, and probably easier than you may have once thought. If you don't have a nice, flat garden spot, a raised garden box can help you create the ideal growing space for your favorite plants and veggies. Start by building your box and placing it on your slope. Use blocks to lift the box up to a level position. Position 2'x4' corner stakes in each corner and down into the ground. Screw the garden box to these corner posts. Remove the supporting blocks from under the bed frame.
You can now work your way down to fill in the space between your box and the ground. Use a saw to cut tapered pieces of wood to fill in the front and side gaps of your box. Screw the boards to your ground stakes. Once your box is built, all you need to do is fill it with dirt and start planting.
• Elevated garden bed plans can be built to fit any height. You can reduce back strain and even build wheelchair-accessible gardens to fit the needs of any gardener.
• The height of raised garden beds inherently keep out rabbits and other pesky animals who might otherwise be tempted to eat your flowers or veggies.
• Building a raised garden bed provides a clean division between lawn and garden areas. This separation creates easier weed control.
• Gardening in raised garden beds eliminates the need to walk in the garden area, which can improve yields by reducing soil compaction.
• Raised garden boxes allow you to garden in nontraditional locations, such as along slopes and on paved surfaces.
• Garden soil in raised garden beds often warms faster in the spring, especially if the bed is formed from heat-absorbing materials such as stones or concrete. You can get a head start on the growing season with warmer soil temps.


text:
THE DEAD IN THEIR VAULTED ARCHES by Alan Bradley
1950s, England, Mystery, YA, Young Sleuth
Ah, Flavia! (I think this is how I probably began my review of the previous Alan Bradley mystery; I so adore her.) Her sixth mystery is the darkest yet, overpainted with a veneer of grief. Though more subdued that her previous exploits, she is no less delightful. Don't start here. Start with THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE, her first adventure. While Bradley fills the new reader in on Flavia's family and past adventures in THE DEAD IN THEIR VAULTED ARCHES, this can't compare to reading the first five books and growing attached to and invested in Flavia.
Flavia is an unusual amateur sleuth: a precocious eleven-year-old in 1950s England, she has the run of her family's crumbling estate, including a chemistry lab in which she happily experiments with poisons. She has a contentious relationship with her two older sisters, Daffy and Feely (Daphne and Ophelia), who remember their mother before her disappearance in Flavia's infancy. Flavia's delight in the lethal makes her a bit of a Wednesday Addams; she's strangely likable despite (or perhaps because of) it. In this installment, which smacks of the closure of a final novel in a series, Flavia investigates the death of a man falling on the railroad tracks as distant relations flood her home.
She reflects on the mourning that pervades this novel: "Daffy once told me that there are approximately half a million words in the English language. With so many to choose from, you'd think that just one person, at least, could find something more original than that stupid word 'sorry.'"
She ponders death: "He was a dear man, the vicar, but dreadfully naive, and I sometimes thought that there were certain aspects of life and death which eluded him completely. Chemistry teaches us all that can be known about corruption, and I realized with a shock that I had learned more at the altar of the Bunsen burner than at all the altars of the competition combined. Except about the soul, of course. THe only vessel in which the soul could be studied was the living human body, which made it as difficult as trying to study the soul of a Mexican jumping bean. We could learn nothing about the soul from a corpse, I had decided, after several firsthand encounters with cadavers."
She ponders the limitations of chemistry: "Perhaps in time I shall learn the antidote to grief."
Through all this, she pokes her nose where it isn't wanted, ferreting out strange truths and a series-wide twist that Bradley certainly earned over the course of six books. The mystery is absorbing and well-plotted as usual, and Flavia grows up a bit more.
The Flavia de Luce novels are not classified as YA, but they would certainly be appropriate for precocious middle- or high-school children.


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Warrior Camp runs for 7 days. All participants are screened by a clinician prior to camp to assess readiness for both group activities and individual treatment. Full participation in group activities is encouraged as it fosters connection, community and support. Group activities consist of community meetings, team building activities, equine assisted psychotherapy, yoga, and hikes or other sports.
The next Warrior Camp Program is September 30 - October 7, in Warwick, NY.


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Hello! Project Power Rankings August 2014
NSK August 7, 2014	Features, Hello!Project, Power Rankings 4 Comments
Happy August to you! Guest Contributor @thenumber244 here, trying desperately to sweat out the remaining ramen broth in my blood from J-Pop Summit 2014. After following them for some time, I feel fortunate to have seen Tokyo Girls' Style a few weeks ago; it certainly feels like their appearance at J-Pop Summit expanded their fandom in the last month. I'm also freshly anointed in the Church of the Fox God after seeing BABYMETAL recently too. But you're probably here to read about Hello! Project and not my personal concert list. So moving on, this month's Hello! Project Power Ranking might surprise you!
C-ute
(+2) For the first time since I started writing this column, a group not named Morning Musume is atop the Power Rankings. The girls of C-ute should probably enjoy their perch while it lasts - they have stiff competition in the coming months. But, before we peer too much into the near future, we should ask "How did C-ute accomplish this feat?" To begin to answer that question, let's look to Paris for some answers. Berikyuu (Berryz Koubou and C-ute) started the month with appearances and live concerts at Japan Expo, Paris. For those keeping score, this was C-ute's second trip to the "City of Light", Berryz Kobo's first trip, and interestingly, Bouno!'s second performance in Paris (we are counting this regardless of what you think).
After returning to Japan, C-ute began the promotional circuit for their 25th single "The Power / Kanashiki Heaven (Single Version)". Even though the single's sales were the group's lowest first week total in more than a year, C-ute's 55,570 units sold earned them a 3rd place ranking on the weekly Oricon charts.
Rounding out C-ute's month were a performance on Music Japan, appearances in magazines (including an appealing set of photographs in "Big Comic Spirits") and a preview video for Hagiwara Mai's "again" DVD (early September release). Finally, the strangest news from the group might be the most interesting news as Okai Chisato participates in the Club Dam Karaoke Idol Audition. Unfortunately, voting closed on July 31, so you won't be able to vote for her, but you can enjoy her audition video - a karaoke version of Matsuda Seiko's Akai Sweet Pea.
Up next for the group is Suzuki Airi's four-episode stint on the NHK E-TV drama "Sumo Neko" (yes, "Sumo Cat" is about a fat cat who becomes a sumo wrestler), and the C-ute day (September 10) concert at Nippon Budokan.
(-1) OK, let's all have our collective freak-out now. Yes, the flagship group is in second place this month. It's not for lack of trying though! July saw Iikubo Haruna, Ikuta Erina, Kudo Haruka and Fukumura Mizuki on a few different television programs and Suzuki Kanon on "VS. Arashi" (TELEVISION!). Michishige Sayumi graced us with magazine appearances in "Junon", "An An" and "Nail Venus". The photogenic leader also released her Personal Book "Sayu", which although beautiful and interesting, will hopefully NOT be her last solo Hello! Project print release (we all want another photo book). Not to be outdone, the Morning Musume High School girls made a retro (way, way retro) fashion appearance in "Photo Technical Digital" magazine. In relevancy news, the latest Fukumura Mizuki DVD, "Pancake" is set for release on August 6 and already has a preview of the jacket image. So, prepare yourself for Fuku-chan's cakes, alright?
All of this action is secondar though. We all know Sayumi is in the victory lap of her tenure in Morning Musume. Hello! Project freshly released a tour graphic and outfit preview for Sayu's last tour, "GIVE ME MORE LOVE ~Michishige Sayumi Graduation Commemoration Special". What's more, Morning Musume '14 are winding up for the release of their 57th single: the last single for leader Sayumi. The aforementioned single's has a scheduled release date on September 17, 2014; so we have good reason to think that the next few weeks will be dominated by Morning Musume '14.
(+1) H!P Jesus and the rest of the girls of Juice=Juice trend upwards this month with the generous help of a new single. The latest release from Juice=Juice, "Black Butterfly / Kaze ni Fukarete" might have drawn some mixed reviews (owing mostly to the tango flavor of "Black Butterfly"), but at the time of writing the single is placed second on the daily Oricon, beating out Momoiro Clover Z's Sailor Moon OP theme. A performance on Music Japan and swanky, gigantic billboards in Shibuya and Harajuku should help them stay near the top spot for the next week. Naturally, it remains to be seen if the Juicers can sustain their sales level.
This month also saw Kanazawa Tomoko and Uemura Akari join Miyamoto Karin's assault on print media with solo pictorials in "FINEBOYS" for Rose Quartz, and "G the Television" for Uemu. Karin's DVD "KArin" also spent some time at #1 in Amazon's idol DVD ranks so she can lord that over the other girls a bit (when they're not bullying her, that is).
S/mileage
(+1) I don't feel right about putting S/mileage so far down the rankings this month. The former Eggs finally joined the rest of Hello! Project in the Budokan club. And, if you haven't seen the hilarious VTR that showed during the concert, do yourself a favor and watch it now!
In other surprising news, Wada Ayaka's book "A Maiden's Guide to Art" (a guide to famous paintings) spawned a web series on Ukiyo-e. Next month, the Smilers perform as a special opening act for Tokyo Idol Festival 2014 along with fellow Tsunku creations Kikkawa You, LoVendoR, Up Up Girls, The Possible and Bitter & Sweet. Their 17th single, "Aa Susukino / Chikyuu wa Kyou mo Ai wo Hagukumu" with an August 20 release date promises even more great things from Dawa, Kanyon, et. al. Certainly, there's plenty to smile about!
Berryz Koubou
(-3) How is it possible that a group that performed in Paris early this month lies at the bottom of this month's Power Rankings? Well, Paris was just about the only thing of note this month for the Berryz. There's really nothing more to write about here that wasn't already covered with the C-ute ranking. So, even if Tsugunaga Momoko is the hardest working girl in Hello! Project, Berryz Koubou will be looking upwards at the rest of Hello! Project until the rest of the group find some kind of regular gig.
(This ranking was written before the announcement that Berryz would be going on hiatus. -GM)
Like always, you're free to disagree. Give me an earful in the comments below, my personal Twitter, or the New School Kaidan Twitter. Don't forget to visit me at my main blog The Number 244, where I write about (mainly) Hello! Project Idols and contemplate the perfection that is Tokyo Girls' Style's Konishi Ayano. See you next time!
Tags babymetal berryz koubou bitter & sweet Buono! C-ute Fukumura Mizuki hagiwara mai Hello!Project iikubo haruna Ikuta Erina j-pop summit festival japan expo Juice=Juice Kanazawa Tomoko kikkawa you koberries konishi ayano kudo haruka LoVendoR Matsuda Seiko michishige sayumi miyamoto karin Momoiro Clover Z morning musume '14 Okai Chisato power ranking S/Mileage Suzuki Airi Suzuki Kanon the possible tokyo girls' style tsugunaga momoko tsunku Uemura Akari Up Up Girls Wada Ayaka
About NSK
New School Kaidan is a community-focused website for the Japanese idol industry international fan base. Between podcasts, broadcasts, events, and analytic articles, New School Kaidan aims to bring an understanding of idol culture to the masses.
@newschoolkaidan
Previous Underappreciated Idol Power Rankings August 2014
Next AKS Power Rankings August 2014
New PV Alert: Up Up Girls (2) – Shi.Te.Ru.Mo.N
New PV Alert: Morning Musume '20 – Lovepedia / Relationships. No way way
New PV Alert: Up Up Girls (2) – Sekai de ichiban kawaii idol
New PV Alert: BABYMETAL – DA DA DANCE (feat. Tak Matsumoto)
New PV Alert: Up Up Girls (kakko KARI) – It's Up To You / HAPPY NAKED!!
UP UP GIRLS (kakko KARI) – It's Up To You UP UP GIRLS (kakko KARI) …


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Q: How to unpack two values at a time? So I have this input that can be as many integers as the user wants.
And I want to split them up in two's.
number = input()
a, b = (int(i) for i in numbers.split(' '))
Hey = Change(a, b)

The Change is just a class that does something to the a, b. My issue here is that when I run it and the user gives more than two integers, I get an error saying: "ValueError: too many values to unpack (expected 2)".
Is there a way to set this up so it unpacks the first two and then the next two and so on?
Thanks in advance

A: Something like this:
numbers = input()
tokens = numbers.split()
for a, b in zip(tokens[::2], tokens[1::2]):
    Hey = Change(int(a), int(b))

A: Actualy you can do something like:
gen = (int(i) for i in input().split())
for a in gen:
   Hey = Change(a, next(gen))

Because gen is an generator expression, the for loop will take the first item, and assign it to a, and next(gen) call will get the 2nd value from the generator, so you will get both values in a pair. It's better solution because you don't need an extra copy of the list, like it's being done in the answer below.

A: numbers = '1 2 5 8 6 9 4 5'
num_list = [int(i) for i in numbers.split(' ')]
for i in num_list[::2]:
    print(i, num_list[num_list.index(i)+1])

out:
1 2
5 8
6 9
4 5

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Home/Publications/Best Practices Newsletter/2002 – Best Practices Newsletter/Does Personality Count?
Deborah E. Shapiro, Technical Communications Specialist, Biosense Webster (Israel), Ltd.
I am by nature a reflective person. So when I read a want ad, I find myself wondering just what some employers are looking for. "Native language English, familiar with FrameMaker and MS Word, engineering background," and so on. I remember reading an article in Intercom, "Tools or Talent? Hiring a technical writer" (Molisani 1999, 46 2: 24-25). I kept asking myself what characteristics Molisani was looking for. It seemed to me that the person being sought after needed more than tools or talent-that special something, which for lack of better terminology I think of as "the right personality." We've all met someone who seemed to have the right skills and knowledge for the job and provided a great writing sample. Yet shortly after working with that person, we found that they were hopelessly not suited for the job. In more fortunate circumstances, we can "feel the person out" and know they are not suitable. But we have no hard measure. I recall meeting someone who had completed a course in technical writing. They had thoroughly enjoyed it and asked me, "do you think I'll be able to find a job?" I sought for a kind way to say, "no, you don't have the personality for it." I mean, who was I to say that? After all, most of my reading on technical communication rarely touches on personality. I was relieved to learn that the person later found an enjoyable job-not in technical communication.
All this reflection led to my conducting an international Internet-based survey on the personality characteristics of technical communicators. Participants were recruited from technical communication news groups around the world as well as from among my own contacts. All participants submitted an email advising that they have worked or are currently working as technical communicators. There were 223 respondents from 17 different countries.
The survey included a validated personality test based on the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality. The test was developed and tested for validity by Buchanan et al. (1999) based on a body of work by one of the major FFM researchers, L.R. Goldberg. Initially implemented on the Internet, the test has only 41 questions; Buchanan's results were within acceptable reliability. The personality questions were scored according to Buchanan's instructions (2001). The survey also included demographic and professional questions. Data was correlated to answer my research question: Are there personality characteristics that technical communicators have in common?
What is the Five-Factor Model?
Before sharing the results of my study with you, we need to understand the parameters being examined in the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality. Most of the information provided here is based on the work of Piedmont (1998) and Howard and Howard (1992).
The FFM examines a large set of personality dimensions. It has broad uses for various types of personality testing, from therapeutic psychology through the NEO Personality Inventory to vocational counseling and development of optimal working teams. The FFM is also gaining increasing attention in personality research as a possible standard for personality structure. The five factors examined (collectively termed OCEAN) are detailed below. Because Howard and Howard's work has a business orientation, I use their terminology in discussing these factors. However, the explanation of each factor is based on their work as well as that of Piedmont.
Each factor also has subfactors or "facets," which can provide more detail about the individual's personality; however, this personality test only looks at the broad five factors. The first table on page provides a summary of the five factors.
Much of our literature stresses the need for technical communicators to be open to new knowledge. The Openness factor may relate to a technical communicator's curiosity and ability to learn new technologies and tools because this factor includes creativity and the desire to learn new things.
Interest in detail, high ethical standards, and research skills are important aspects of a technical communicator's work. The Conscientiousness factor may relate to a technical communicator's motivation, ability to meet deadlines, and attention to the small details of writing or design because this factor includes self-control and ethics.
Some personality research indicates that when compared to extraverts, introverted people are more "vigilant, more sensitive to pain, more easily bored, more cautious, and more disrupted by overstimulation" (Aiken 1997, 341). This research made me wonder if introversion could interfere with good technical communication. The Extraversion factor may relate to how well a technical communicator is able to communicate with others, particularly on a team, because this factor looks at sociability.
Molisani (1999) and those job advertisements seem to imply that employers are searching for people with whom they can get along. The Agreeableness factor may relate to a technical communicator's ability to work well with others because this factor includes a person's cooperativeness and likability.
The major component of technical communication, writing ability, has been shown to be affected by apprehension, anxiety, and motivation (Sharples 1999). The Neuroticism factor may be connected with a technical communicator's people skills and writing ability because this factor is a reflection of the extent to which various stimuli affect a person.
The demographic data was most interesting. Although the participants were from 17 different countries, the mother tongue of most participants was English (92%). Interestingly while there was a good spread across the age groups, the number of male participants increased with age. The primary product documented was software, and the main technical communication specialty was writing. Also, many lone writers were represented.
For easier correlations to the personality results, I grouped the respondents into four geographical regions: North America, Europe, Israel, and Australia. The figure on page 109 provides a view of the types of products documented, correlated to gender. From this graph it's clear that while the majority of respondents were female and the majority document software, the majority of respondents were not females who document software-an important distinction.
There was a significant difference between the ages of the respondents and their level of extraversion; extraversion seems to decrease with age.
The Neuroticism factor varied more among lone writers, roughly split between a low (Resilient) or average (Responsive) score.
The correlation of the OCEAN score across geographical regions is particularly interesting.
Israelis: Of the six respondents with an A- (Challenger) score, three were from Israel. Israelis also represented the largest grouping with an O- (Preserver) score (out of 22 Preservers, 9 were Israeli).
Europeans: None of the Europeans had an A- (Challenger) score, although they had a fair number of the C- (Flexible) scores (8 out of 26).
Australians: Australians represented the largest group with N- (Resilient) scores (20 out of 31).
North Americans: In comparison to the other regions, the North Americans had the largest number of Extraverts (13% of all participants).
The Openness and Conscientiousness factors were equally important, although in general, Conscientiousness was not as high as I expected (see the second figure on page 110). Much of the related personality literature emphasizes the importance of the Conscientious factor for career success. Apparently for this group of technical communicators, being an Explorer is more important than being Focused (see the first figure on page 110).
Why is Conscientiousness not higher for the technical communicators studied? At the extreme end, one might be so focused on the details that the overall picture is missed (Tett 1998). This could be a disaster for technical communicators who must work to strict deadlines. While technical communicators must pay attention to the fine details, knowing when to stop is often more important, even when a documentation project is not perfect. Thus while the technical communication literature seems to indicate a need for high Conscientiousness, in actual practice this need does not seem to be the case. This finding is further supported by Collins (1998) who points out that high Conscientiousness, contrary to popular belief, can work against a job well done.
Openness, on the other hand, relates to the interests to which one is attracted and how deeply those interests are pursued. Given that technical communicators must be constantly learning new tools in order to perform their jobs well, in addition to learning new information that must be conveyed to various types of end users, the large number of Explorers is not a surprising finding for the group studied. In addition, the personality literature indicates that being an Explorer may be an asset to one who is highly introverted. Thus, being an Explorer may be of great benefit to a highly introverted technical communicator (see the discussion on Extraversion).
Openness also seems to relate to the creative performance of teamwork (Buchanan 1998). Consequently, being an Explorer would seem to contribute to technical communicators' effectiveness because working with others is an integral part of their work and creativity is an important aspect of writing.
Another important trait for technical communicators appears to be Agreeableness (see the third figure on the left). Part of this factor's importance may lie in its relationship to Conscientiousness and Extraversion (Piedmont 1998).
Much of a technical communicator's work requires interaction with others (planning, information gathering, collaboration, and so on). When technical communicators are also Focused, they tend to be concerned for others, helpful, and able to work "through the system." There were 47 Focused/Adaptor profiles of those surveyed. On the other hand, there were only three respondents with a Flexible/Challenger profile. This latter profile presents a rather self-seeking and controlling personality.
Technical communicators with an Adaptor/Balanced profile may be more likely to find the balance between research and writing in a friendly, communicative manner (Howard and Howard 1992).
Extraversion varied among the groups (see the first figure on page 111). This finding may indicate that extraversion is more important to technical communicators than might initially be thought. First, this factor is important when viewed in combination with others. Generally, the more extraverted the person, the more likely he or she is to communicate well and be easy to get along with, unless extraversion is combined with a high neuroticism score.
Research indicates that introverted people are more vigilant, sensitive to pain, bored, overly cautious, and easily distracted (Aiken 1997). Buchanan (1998) points out that Ambiverts in a group promote conversation and the sharing of ideas without the potential for competition if the other people in the group are highly extraverted. Thus, Ambiverted technical communicators may find it easier to work in collaborative groups than Introverts or Extraverts. Additionally, Ambiverts are probably better able to work in a group or in isolation as the need requires (Howard and Howard 1992). That the majority of lone writers surveyed were Ambiverts should not be surprising.
In light of the importance of the Extraversion factor, courses in technical communication should consider focusing on the technical communicator's individual style of communication because introversion may interfere with meeting others' needs. The importance of the Extraversion factor merits further investigation, particularly as to how this factor correlates to a technical communicator's cognitive skills.
Of the 223 technical communicators surveyed, only 20 (9%) had a high Neuroticism (Reactive) score (see the second figure on the right). Neuroticism is a measure of emotional stability, or, as Howard and Howard (1992) phrase it, a measure of how many stimuli are required for the person to elicit an emotional reaction.
With regard to competitive performance, the lower Neuroticism is in relation to a high Conscientiousness (Focused) score, the more likely the person is to be the stereotypical achiever. Resilience contributes to one's emotional stability in a competitive situation.
Twenty percent of respondents had a Focused/Resilient profile. However, when adjustments were made to this score based on the personality literature, the percentage dramatically increased to 56%. Other correlations that I performed indicated that there may also be a strong relation between Neuroticism and Professional Effectiveness see the sidebar.
Clearly, I have shared only a small part of my research. Nevertheless, much can be gleaned from what I have shared.
My research question was: Are there personality characteristics that technical communicators have in common?
My study answers the question that many of my colleagues have asked but for which we have had little concrete evidence: Does personality count? The answer is yes. Must a technical communicator have the above traits to be a good technical communicator? I think this would be a very dangerous jump to make. More research is required. Certainly, our field attracts certain types of people. I personally do not subscribe to the theory that we are what we are born. I believe we can change. Certainly Extraversion changes with age. Why not other traits such as Openness or Agreeableness? Knowledge empowers. If you have a technical communicator in your group who is highly introverted or reactive, perhaps studying these traits will help you to find their strengths and cultivate them (for example, cultivate their Explorer aspects).
I hope that others will pick up where I have left off because I believe that this study is only the beginning.


Many intergovernmental organizations advocate for the abandonment of female genital mutilation. Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation: An Interagency Statement, collectively written by ten international agencies, affirms their "commitment to support governments, communities, and the women and girls concerned to achieve the abandonment of female genital mutilation within a generation." The Interagency Statement emphasizes the need for a collective, coordinated approach at the community and national levels in order to create positive social change. The Interagency Statement has identified some promising strategies to achieve abandonment of female genital mutilation, such as empowering education through a non-threatening process for people to examine their beliefs and values related to the practice. Local religious and secular leaders should be included to sustain discussion and abandonment, while engaging all community members—women and men—in public dialogue about the consequences of female genital mutilation. A public pledge should be adopted to explicitly show the community's commitment to ending female genital mutilation. The media should be used to provide information about female genital mutilation, its consequences, and ways to combat the practice. Finally, in communities where the practice is a "coming of age" ritual, alternative rituals need to be established to reinforce positive traditional values without using harmful genital mutilation.
First, the Navrongo FGM Experiment by the Navrongo Health Research Center in Ghana set the goal of accelerating the elimination of female genital mutilation while investigating which of three different intervention approaches was most effective. This project focused on an area of northern Ghana where FGM is prevalent. The project included a multi-phased approach to study the attitudes and practices and experiment with different programs, and systematic intervention that engaged all parts of the communities. The project used a community-led approach based on alagube, a local term "connoting the process by which people solve a common problem by pooling their individual and community social resources." They found, for example, that this approach for one year, combined with a program of FGM education, was associated with a 93 percent decrease in the risk of female genital mutilation. USAID noted that the Navrongo FGM Experiment's strongest contribution was the "robust" evaluation techniques that measured actual changes in behavior instead of change in beliefs.
Second, A Five-Dimensional Approach for the Eradication of Female Genital Cutting in Ethiopia by IntraHealth International and the National Committee on Traditional Practices of Ethiopia had a multi-faceted approach to encouraging elimination of female genital mutilation by focusing on health, gender, religion, human rights/law, and access to information. This project included national and regional workshops to discuss the issue and to sensitize governmental and other leaders, workshops to educate and mobilize regional leaders on the issue, grassroots teams assigned to mobilize community members, public declarations to ban female genital mutilation, and a forum of religious leaders for advocacy, which was important because of the traditional (and false) view that the practice is required by Islam. The successes of this project include laws to prohibit and punish the practice of female genital mutilation and public declarations by hundreds of government, community, and religious leaders to ban the practice.
Third, the Community Empowerment Program by Tostan is well-known for its eradication efforts. Tostan, which means "breakthrough" in the Wolof language, is based in Senegal, but has expanded into other African countries. Its community empowerment program focuses on human rights education and community development, and also addresses hygiene, health, literacy and management skills. The Tostan Method consists of over 200 sessions, taught in modules over two to three years, and has been provided primarily to women in rural communities. Several studies of the program have found it associated with changes in attitudes about female genital cutting and reductions in the practice.
For governmental responses to female genital mutilation, please see the Law and Policy section.
Compiled from: Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation: An Interagency Statement, Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR), Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and World Health Organization (WHO) (2008) (PDF, 47 pages); Female Genital Mutilation: Information Kit, World Health Organization (WHO) (May 1999) (PDF, 50 pages); Female Genital Mutilation Resolution WHA61.16, World Health Organization (WHO) (24 May 2008); UNFPA, UNICEF Step Up Efforts to End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) (9 August 2007); International Day of Zero Tolerance, Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices (accessed 14 March 2010); Abandoning Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: An In-Depth Look at Promising Practices, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) (December 2006) (PDF, 74 pages).


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100 Best Songs of the '00s (#80-71)
Spectrum Culture Staff
These are the best songs of the 2000s.
80: Green Day- American Idiot (2004)
The title track of Green Day's seventh studio album was its first single, introducing the political punk rock opera of American Idiot to the world through anger. It was also meant to anger as many people as the band possibly could. The guitar-driven track makes way for singer Billie Joe Armstrong to condemn the Iraq War and biased media while mocking the "American Idiot," who is a follower and believes propaganda on television. The ideas were triggered by Lynyrd Skynyrd's "That's How I Like It," a song that defines its nationalism by pickup trucks, beer and hot women. Armstrong told Q Magazine, "It was like, 'I'm proud to be a redneck' and I was like, 'Oh my God, why would you be proud of something like that?' This is exactly what I'm against."
"American Idiot" was released during the election campaign of 2004, when George W. Bush was re-elected as President of the United States. "Well, maybe I'm the faggot America/ I'm not a part of a redneck agenda" Armstrong chants in the second verse, contrasting marginalized and disenfranchised groups with those who identify with Lynyrd Skynyrd. In these lyrics, Green Day suggests that it is oppressed races, sexualities and religions that make America great, to use today's terms. Although "American Idiot" received many positive responses, including four 2005 Grammy Awards nominations in addition to American Idiot's Best Rock Album Grammy win, the song was banned from many radio stations across the country. Walmart even refused to sell the record in its stores. "American Idiot" was truly one of the few rock tracks that was unapologetically anti-Bush administration, forcing album distributors and listeners to take a stand by choosing whether or not to listen to it. Billie Joe Armstrong often wore a mask of then president Bush while he performed "American Idiot." He told Rolling Stone, "We did everything we could to piss people off." – Natalia Barr
79: Spoon – The Way We Get By (2002)
No matter how you slice it, Spoon have been pretty consistent since day one. By the time they arrived to album number four, Kill the Moonlight, the band had finely distilled everything that would make them one of the most un-fuck-withable acts in modern rock. Britt Daniel was able to put his Can influences and pop hook-smith abilities where his mouth was with this album, and the best example of the latter is "The Way We Get By."
There's something that feels inescapable about the sound of "The Way We Get By." The piano melody from the song ended up everywhere you turned in television and movies, from "The OC" to "Shameless" to the criminally underrated Will Ferrell comedy Stranger Than Fiction. Spoon create earworms like it's nothing (see: "I Turn My Camera On," or "Don't You Evah"), but "The Way We Get By" does this in such a playful way. That piano jangle borderline refuses to share the spotlight, allowing only Jim Eno's woozy cymbals to mingle with the bar-room piano leading the song.
Daniel was 31 years old when Kill the Moonlight was released, but he somehow still channeled youthful abandon as easily as The Ramones did on "Blitzkrieg Bop" as though he were 10 years younger. Lyrically, the song is deceptively simple—it's just about things that "we" do (i.e. get high in backseats of cars, sleep to "Shake Appeal", etc.) or don't do (practice discernment), for the most part—but it showcases some of the wordiness that has endeared him to so many rock dorks. When was the last time you heard someone sing the word "taciturn"; plus, he manages to say it such with Jagger-esque swagger. It's a song that dares you to even try to dislike it, while gleefully dancing away from your attempts to not allow it to get stuck in your head for the rest of the day. – Hollister Dixon
78: Ween – Transdermal Celebration (2003)
Dean and Gene Ween (aka Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo) have made a career out of dubious intentions. As a rule of thumb, it's probably best to assume they're fucking with you. Ween, however, exist outside the rules. Amidst all their goofiness and druggy what-the-fuckness are some truly powerful songs full of sincere emotion. The band's eighth album quebec is full of these gems courtesy of a confluence of circumstances that conspired to make the real lives of Deaner and Gener particularly difficult. Long-time drummer Claude Coleman suffered a broken back and pelvis from a car accident in 2002, Ween were dropped from the major label Elektra and, most importantly, Freeman went through a divorce. All of that darkness resulted in a pretty downtrodden album, or, at least, the most downtrodden album a band like Ween could make.
Nestled among songs about Zoloft, fancypants and broken relationships is "Transdermal Celebration," a shockingly powerful song about the aftermath of an apocalyptic event that results in mutants taking over while the regular folk are sent "running for the hills." It's a dour concept that Ween imbue with a sense of wonder and longing thanks to the way they masterfully combine epic-ness with earnestness. Huge guitars laced with phasers, bounding bass and drums and lyrics about trying to make the best of a crappy situation are all mixed together here. Despite the destruction, the narrator of the song eventually sees beauty in the mutants and openly pines, "I wish you could see them."
Unfortunately, this epiphany comes too late. Following a soaring solo by Melchiondo, jets scream overhead raining fire and crustaceans as the narrator wonders "Where is the mutation/ That once told me it was safe/ I can't find him." Whatever realization he's had is about to be obliterated, turned to ash right in front of him. He's panicked, not because of impending death, but instead because the joy he's finally found is about to be ripped away from him.
Or maybe not. This is Ween after all. Maybe it's just an epic song about mutants. – Eric Mellor
77: Clipse – Grindin' (2002)
You know you tried drumming this beat on something—a steering wheel, a desk, whatever—when you heard it. It's OK, we all did. It's not your fault. Rarely is a rap beat so infectious and so inventive that it makes you wanna replicate it on something whenever it's playing. Thanks to the Neptunes, Clipse's "Grindin'" is a thing of minimalist beauty. The bass drum shakes any speaker it comes from, and the snare hits like a gunshot.
Of course, the skeletal production places the focus squarely on Pusha T and Malice, and they don't disappoint. In fact, Clipse accomplish the impossible: they make inherently unlikeable people worth rooting for. They're salesman, after all: they lure you in with clever pitches ("Call me Subwoofer, 'cause I pump bass like that, Jack") and next-level puns (I move 'caine like a cripple," and From days I wasn't able, there was always 'caine"), while using a children's rhyme to brag and sound menacing ("Patty cake, patty cake, I'm the baker's man/ I bake them cakes as fast as I can"). Malice even admits to selling coke as a means for providing for his family, making him a sympathetic villain. But just a few lines later, he pulls the rug out from under you by bragging about his expensive watch. Pusha T and Malice challenge you at every turn to hate them, despise them—but you won't. You're already mesmerized.
Which brings us back to the Neptunes. They had already established their hypnotic screwball sci-fi experimentation with Ludacris's "Southern Hospitality," Fabolous's "Young'n (Holla Back)" and Britney Spears' "Boys" and "I'm A Slave 4 U." With "Grindin'," though, the production was so different from what was popular at the time (even when they themselves ruled the charts), the song is eternally stuck out of time. "Grindin'" sounded like it was from the future in 2002, and 15 years later it still does. – Steve Lampiris
76: Joanna Newsom – Bridges and Balloons (2004)
Has there been a more fanciful, flat-out poetic songwriter than Joanna Newsom in this young millennium? "Bridges and Balloons," the first song on her first album The Milk-Eyed Mender, uses the language of those fantasy realms we cook up as kids and leave behind as adults in order to tell a story of… what? It could be a fond memory of a departed lover. It could literally describe a parallel world Newsom dreamed up with a friend as a child. But the overwhelming impression is the same: that the door to a more innocent, carefree mindset has been shut. Newsom recorded this song at 22, the age when people typically accept they're adults and ought to move on to the next stage of their life.
The fantasy world itself is rendered in a few brilliant strokes, worth quoting in full: "And I can recall our caravel/ A little wicker beetle shell/ With four fine maste and lateen sails/ Its bearings on Cair Paravel." It blossoms in front of our eyes: the boat, the sea, the distant castle. Cair Paravel is a C.S. Lewis creation, but the world seems Terabithian: a place dreamed up by an inseparable pair, Newsom's own part of the entity gone from her life along with her other half.
If you heard "Bridges and Balloons" when it came out, or decided to start the trek through the Newsom discography from the beginning, your opinion of the singer was perhaps formed at that moment. Many take offense at her howling, yowling voice, and a post-grunge era where punk is still arguably cooler than prog isn't exactly kind to filigreed epics played on eight-foot harp. But Newsom's ambition is as frightening as her effortless way with words, and "Bridges and Balloons" introduced a songwriter unafraid to shoot for the stars. "Bridges" might seem small compared to the towering epics she'd craft later in her career, but its scope is no less dazzling. This is purple prose perfected. – Daniel Bromfield
Tagged: best of 00s
The Spectrum Culture Staff loves you. Just go with it.
100 Best Songs of the '00s (#10-1)


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April First Friday Art Walk celebrates spring in 22 venues
1 - March 27, 2017 - 0 Comments
Join First Friday Art Walk 6-10 p.m. on April 7 for original art, live local music, live art demonstrations, arts performances, local history and much more in 22 participating locations! A special feature this month: amazing shows from area K-12 schools! See High School Creative at Art Inspired; the K-12 International Baccalaureate Art Show at The Creamery and Brick City; the Annual Central Ozarks Conference Juried High School Exhibition at OTC Fine Art Gallery at The Gillioz; and April Fools and art from Infinity Academy at U.school.
Beyond Studio presents paintings, hands-on Magazine Mosaic craft
Beyond Studio invites you to enjoy the marbleized paintings of Featured Artist John Whytock, plus a hands-on craft project: Collaborative Magazine Mosaic.
BookMarx presents Nicole Chilton: Floriography
Artist Nicole Chilton travels outside her comfort zone with a new, floral-themed exhibit at BookMarx: Floriography.
Fresh Gallery welcomes Annual Juried Competition Exhibition
Fresh Gallery is proud to present its Annual Juried Competition Exhibition in April with cash prizes plus a Fresh Gallery show for the Best in Show winner!
ideaXfactory breaks new ground with Glass & Steel – Russ RuBert
ideaXfactory Director Russ RuBert works with molten glass and rusty railroad steel, pushing the limits of himself and his materials.
Mane Salon welcomes multifaceted artist Darlene Copeland Prater
Mane Salon & Social House welcomes award-winning artist Darlene Copeland Prater with a show of whimsical, mixed media paintings.
Obelisk Home features Salt Pond: The Art of Jeff Broekhoven
Salt Pond: The Art of Jeff Broekhoven debuts at Obelisk Home with an opening reception 6-10 p.m. during the April 7 First Friday Art Walk.
Veterans' experiences take center stage at locations on the Square
The History Museum on the Square at the Fox Theatre continues From Home to Over There: Greene County in the Great War, while Park Central Branch Library presents Missouri Over There: Artwork Inspired by the Veteran Experience by Susan Neese, Janine Helton and Wayne Doornbosch.
April 2017 Gallery Guide
Art Inspired, 331 S. Campbell, the northwest corner of Campbell and Walnut, presents High School Creative: Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture by Springfield area High School students. (417) 868-8084 Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. M-Sat
Beyond Studio, 400 South Ave., Stes. 230-250, invites you to join them for Featured Artist John Whytock, painter. His marbleized pieces appear as actual stone, revealing hidden forms within that mesmerize, suggesting his photo-realistic nudes and other objects have emerged naturally within stone. Also, don't miss Beyond Studio's monthly craft project, a Collaborative Magazine Mosaic. Make some new friends while you relax into creative mode.
Whytock says, "Beauty, like truth, exists. And we, as human beings, have an almost divine capacity to recognize it. Art, for me, is an expression in paint of what my heart feels when my eyes are opened to the vast and amazing splendor of creation. In spite of the myriad struggles and changes on the path of a career artist, this one unchanging fact remains: I paint because if I didn't, my heart might explode. And when a kindred spirit is touched while viewing my painting and feels that same infilling, that same indescribable longing and appreciation for our marvelous world, I consider that work a success." (417) 414-0487 Open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. M-F
BookMarx, 325 E. Walnut St., Ste. 101, presents Floriography, a show by Artist Nicole Chilton, in April.
From the Artist: "My paintings tend to follow the rule of thumb, "More is More, and Less is a Bore" (thanks Iris). In my current series, Floriography, however, I work outside my comfort zone by scaling back and zooming in, using floral motifs as my focal points.
"By taking this micro focus on flowers, I discover a relationship with the female form as something beautiful, flowing, and morphing. It develops into an abstract landscape and roadmap that leads me to new conversations about body image and beauty. This is a stark contrast to the series it evolved from, KABLOOM, in which I painted layers upon layers, then carved away until exposing new hidden images.
"The painting process is fast-paced and intuitive, letting the paint flow and bleed into each other. I use traditional tools: paper, watercolor, inks, acrylics. My choice of color tends to be less representative and more emotional." www.facebook.com/bookmarxbooks
The Creamery Arts Center, 411 N. Sherman Parkway, home of Springfield Regional Arts Council, along with MSU Brick City Gallery, will host the 3rd annual K- 12 International Baccalaureate Art Show. The theme for this year's show is "MERAKI" which means the soul, love, or creativity put into something; the essence of yourself that is put into your work. Works featured are created by students from Central, Pipkin, Boyd, Field and Rountree schools.
The Creamery exhibition features student work from Central High School's International Baccalaureate program. Now in its 10th year, the Central IB show at The Creamery will showcase Central's art, film, music and theatre departments. The reception will feature live performances throughout the night by the different performing arts departments and an art exhibit curated by and with the work of 14 visual art students. Artwork, including photography and paintings, will be on display until Friday, April 28. K-10 International Baccalaureate art is featured at Brick City Gallery. www.SpringfieldArts.org (417) 862-ARTS (2787). Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. M-F; closed major holidays Note: The Creamery is an Early Bird Art Walk location: its reception runs 5-8 p.m.
Drury Pool Art Center Gallery, 940 N. Clay St., presents the Student Competitive Exhibition with an Opening Reception 5-8 p.m. during the April 7 First Friday Art Walk. (417) 873-7263 www.drury.edu/pacgallery Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. M, T, W, F; 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Th Note: Drury Pool Art Center Gallery is an Early Bird Art Walk location: its reception runs 5-8 p.m.
Equality Healthcare, 420 W. College, Ste. 100, welcomes you for the April 7 Art Walk with works by Featured Artists Marty Goodnight, Stephanie Cramer and T.D. Scott. (417) 633-7020 www.equality.healthcare Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. M-Fri Note: Equality Healthcare is an Early Bird Art Walk location: its reception runs 5-8 p.m.
European Café by Sweet Couture, 207 Park Central East, a proud Art Walk sponsor, invites you to enjoy its regular displays of local art and wildly creative edibles. www.417EuropeanCafe.com (417) 942-5055 Open 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m. M-Th, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. F & Sat Note: European Café is a Night Owl Art Walk location: open until 11 p.m.
Fresh Gallery, 400 W. Walnut, is thrilled to announce the Annual Open Juried Show Exhibition. This juried competition open to all area artists 18 and older allowed each artist to submit up to two entries in oil, acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, pastels, photography, textiles, ceramics, wood, sculpture or jewelry. Works submitted were created in the last three years and are originals, so that all works on display are "Fresh!"
Along with an opportunity to display work in one of the area's leading art galleries, prizes will be awarded. Best of Show will receive a cash award, as well as a Featured Artist exhibit opportunity in Fresh Gallery in 2018. Our 2016 Best of Show winner, Tammy Geisert, was featured artist for an exhibition in January 2017. Awards for this year's competition will be given out during the April 7 First Friday Art Walk festivities.
The 2017 competition and exhibition is sponsored by National Art Shop, TCI Graphics, Maschino's, Robin's Nest Stained Glass, Michael D. Smith Homes and Farris Mortgage Company. Fresh is proud and grateful to have area businesses and individuals support the competition. Without their assistance, this event would not be possible. (417) 862-9300 Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. T-Sat, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. during Art Walk
The History Museum on the Square at the Fox Theatre, 157 Park Central Square, presents From Home to Over There: Greene County in the Great War. Read the stories of local heroes who fought and died in the "war to end all wars" & their loved ones back on the home front. Walk through a recreated trench &
experience WWI on the Western Front. Free Museum night at First Friday Art Walk, regular admission applies for Second Saturday. Free admission for veterans every day, sponsored by Phenix Marble Company and Conco Companies. This exhibit is open Mon.- Sat. 10:30 am to 4:30 pm through July 8. (417) 831-1976 www.historymuseumonthesquare.org
Hotel Vandivort, 305 E. Walnut St., a proud Art Walk sponsor, is a nationally recognized upscale boutique hotel featuring An Array of Outstanding Art. Hotel Vandivort invites you to experience its unique atmosphere, art and upscale dining at The Order. Open for First Friday and Second Saturday (417) 832-1515 www.hotelvandivort.com Note: Hotel Vandivort is an Early Bird and a Night Owl Art Walk location: Open 24-7-365
IdeaXFactory, 351 N. Boonville, presents Glass & Steel – Russ RuBert in April.
Russ RuBert is an artist working at the intersection of art, science and technology whose practice includes media installation, public art, curating, and directing art and community projects. He is a founder and the director of ideaXfactory, an installation space for contemporary art. He is also the artist that created the large Kinetic Man at Jordan Valley Park, the big red Idea-X at ideaXfactory, the dish shapes at MSU known as EchoSphere, and various other public sculptures around Springfield.
"At ideaXfactory we ask our artists to take a concept or material they have been working with, and then use their time at ideaXfactory to push it even further, exploring new artistic dimensions. So, for my own show, I'm doing just that, working with materials new to me such as molten glass and rusty old railroad steel."
Flexible Glass! RuBert has developed a technique of forming molten glass that involves drawing the hot glass out to long spider like threads that become uniquely flexible even when cold. The glass is then formed into "molecular webs" suspended above the gallery floor.
Railroad Steel! RuBert is also working with railroad steel which will be displayed below the glass in the main gallery space. RuBert recently obtained formal salvage rights to an abandoned section of railroad steel from MoDot, and is now utilizing the steel in sculptural constructions. Some sculptures are based on a bench form, and the audience will be invited to sit on them!
RuBert envisions a two-part process utilizing his time in March to explore properties of Glass & Steel, with an in-process exhibition opening for the April 7 First Friday Art Walk. Later in April RuBert plans to introduce elements of sound and light, creating an immersive environment for the total Glass & Steel X Sound & Light exhibition premiering May 5. http://ideaxfactory.com
Mane Salon and Social House, 404A W. Walnut, a proud Art Walk sponsor, presents Featured Artist Darlene Copeland Prater for the April 7 First Friday Art Walk. Prater is a mixed media and mural artist. Her love for color and texture shows up in her whimsical, mixed media paintings. Darlene is inspired by the day to day events that define people's lives. In a world that is often bleak, her desire is to bring a lightness and sense of humor to her paintings. She also believes in art as therapy, which led her to teach art at Green County Jail for 8 years. Darlene works with Touche' Design Group as a mural artist. She has taught workshops and classes in oil and acrylic painting, jewelry making fiber art, and mixed media. She has been in a variety of juried shows and received best of show and 1st place awards in several categories. (417) 755-7681 manesalonandsocial.com Open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. T-Sat
MSU Brick City Gallery, 215 W. Mill, brings a pair of exhibits in various media for First Friday and Second Saturday in April, plus enjoy an Early Bird Art Walk reception for the third annual K- 12 International Baccalaureate Art Show.
In the East Gallery, experience the works of Featured Artist Manuel Molina Martagon in video, photography and performance.
In the West Gallery, enjoy the art of Featured Artist Jenny Vogel in video, photography and computer arts.
Both artists will be on site for the April 7 Art Walk and will offer a combined Artist Talk on Thursday, April 6. Enjoy these exhibits for First Friday and Second Saturday in April!
Also, enjoy the K- 12 International Baccalaureate Art Show with artists in grades K-10 from Boyd, Central, Field, Pipkin and Rountree and an early bird reception 5-8 p.m. IB works from Central High are featured at The Creamery Arts Center. (417) 836-6794 http://art.missouristate.edu/148370.htm Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. M-Fri, noon-5 p.m. Sat and by appointment; closed Sunday and University holidays
MSU Center of International Programs, 301 S. Jefferson, presents a night of the Kazakh New Year by students from Kazakhstan. Come join us in a celebration of Kazakhstani culture April 7! The Center of International Programs brings the world to southwest Missouri through art, cultural displays, food, music, and more. http://international.missouristate.eduhttp://international.missouristate.edu
MSU Student Exhibition Center, 838 E. Walnut St. presents the MFA in Visual Studies Graduate Thesis Exhibition. There are two MFA Exhibits at MSU Student Exhibition Center in April. The first is featured during the April 7 First Friday Art Walk with a reception 6-10 p.m. The second exhibit debuts April 17. Missouri State University's Master of Fine Arts and Design places an emphasis on a student's individual research. This experience culminates with an MFA candidate's thesis exhibition highlighting the outcome of their research during the program. Depending on the candidate's interests, a wide range of approaches spanning contemporary, traditional and interdisciplinary use of media may be utilized in the creation a final body of work for the thesis exhibition. (417) 836-6999 www.sec.misssouristate.edu Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. M-F, noon-5 p.m. Sat; closed major holidays and University holidays
Obelisk Home at the Inspired Commerce Building, 214 W. Phelps, presents Salt Pond: The Art of Jeff Broekhoven with an opening reception 6-10 p.m. during the April 7 First Friday Art Walk.
Artist Statement: "The undercurrent of recent paintings are three bodies of water—a pond, lake, and sea. Since 2014 I have been exploring and bearing witness to these landscapes, trying to see what I can see. The paintings are a glimpse of these adventures."
About the Artist: Jeff Broekhoven (b.1981) received his B.Arch. and BA in Fine Arts from Drury University in 2004, and practiced architecture in Chicago, IL and Springfield, MO from 2005–2011. In 2013 he received his MA and MFA in painting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His work was included in the 2010 Springfield Art Museum MOAK Exhibition. He has been featured locally in 417 Magazine and published nationally in New American Paintings 2014 MFA Annual issue no.111 and 2015 Midwest issue No.119. Jeff is a local small business owner of Benton Blind and has taught as an adjunct professor at Missouri State University and Drury University. He is active in the Springfield arts community and currently sits on the board for Sculpture Walk Springfield. Recently his work was featured at the Elmhurst Art Museum in the exhibition New American Paintings: Midwest Edition in Elmhurst, Illinois. (417) 616-6488 www.obeliskhome.com
OTC Fine Art Gallery at The Gillioz, 325 Park Central East, Third Floor, presents the Annual Central Ozarks Conference Juried High School Exhibition, which opens with a First Friday Art Walk reception 5-9 p.m. and Awards Ceremony at 7. Art Walk visitors will have the opportunity to vote for the People's Choice Award winner during the reception. The winner of this award will receive an art supply gift certificate from National Art Shop, donated by OTC Fine Arts Department.
OTC Fine Gallery enthusiastically presents this annual juried exhibition promoting regional high schools' emerging artists while celebrating the inspired dedication of their art instructors. Six high schools are participating in 27 different visual art categories. Experience the art of Reeds Spring, Bolivar, Buffalo, Hollister, Logan-Rogersville, and Marshfield students. (417) 447-8975 www.facebook.com/otcfinearts and otc.edu/finearts Open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. M-Th; 9 a.m.-3 p.m. F; and 9 a.m.-10 p.m. on First Friday.
Park Central Branch Library, 128 Park Central Square, invites you to join them for First Friday Art Walk and the opening of a new exhibit! At 6 p.m., Mu Theta, Drury University's music therapy student organization, and the Queen City Rock Camp Volunteer Band will perform a variety of songs. On Display: Missouri Over There: Artwork Inspired by the Veteran Experience by Susan Neese, Janine Helton and Wayne Doornbosch. This One Read exhibit is sponsored by Springfield Regional Arts Council. Art Walk reception ends at 9. (417) 831-1342 http://facebook.com/thelibrary.org Open 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. M-Th and 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. F & Sat Closed Sunday.
Springfield Brewing Company, 305 S. Market Ave., Will Not Participate in the April 7 First Friday Art Walk. (417) 832-8277 Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. M—Th, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. F, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Sat, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun
Springfield Hot Glass Studio, 314 S. Campbell Ave., invites you to enjoy Live Demonstrations of the glassblowing art during First Friday and Second Saturday in April. (417) 868-8181 www.springfieldhotglass.com Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. T-Sat
Springfield Pottery, 416 S. Campbell Ave., is a fine craft gallery and community clay center that not only produces a range of amazing ceramics, but also features examples of Fine Craft by over 45 Local, Regional and National Artists. Springfield Pottery welcomes you to First Friday and Second Saturday in April. (417) 864-4677 www.springfieldpottery.com Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. T-Sat
Transformation Gallery & Tattoo, 330 E. Walnut, is a venue for Original Fine Artwork by Gabe Tenneson and Austin Evans. Transformation serves as Springfield's connection to the fine art movement within the tattoo genre and is dedicated to the furtherance of other classical art mediums. (417) 869-2338 www.transformationgallery.com Open 1-9 p.m. T-Sat
U.school, 425 W. McDaniel, Ste. 160, the downtown Springfield democratic micro school will explore the theme April Fools as inspiration for April's First Friday Art Walk. The school's space at 425 W. McDaniel Suite 160 will open to the public from 6pm-9pm. The u.school gallery will showcase paintings, drawings, and installed interactive pieces inspired by "April Fools."
This month the gallery will also showcase artwork from students at Infinity Academy in Springfield. Infinity Academy serves the educational needs of middle and high school aged students who need an alternative to traditional schooling such as those with developmental disabilities, high-functioning autism, and related neurocognitive disorders. www.u.school.