Phoenix Lawfirm to Partner with ASU’s Herberger Institute of School of Art.

October 17, 2011

Squire Sanders & Dempsey LLP joins three other Arizona businesses in forging partnerships with ASU School of Art in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts that range from scholarships and gallery space to donations of tons of recycled copper for art projects.

Principals in the Phoenix office of the international law firm recently turned to the ASU School of Art when they began acquiring art for their new office in the downtown Phoenix CityScape, according to the firm’s managing partner, John Welch. "church, fats, skin, home," a digital print by Teresa Miro, winner of the Squire Sanders & Dempsey scholarship. Photo by Courtesy of Teresa Miro Download Full Image

In addition to creating an annual $10,000 scholarship for an ASU art student, the firm also pledged to have scholarship winners meet and work with artists whose work the law firm acquires for its collection.

In the case of ASU art student Teresa Miro, who is from Barcelona and the first Squire Sanders & Dempsey scholarship recipient, that meant working this summer with Brazilian artist Gabriela Machado, whose work was chosen for the firm’s collection.

“Squire Sanders is an international, multi-cultural law firm that values the ability of art to communicate across the barrier of spoken and written language” said John Welch, the firm’s managing partner. “We are pleased to support the arts, locally and globally, even in this small way.’’

The new partnership with Squire Sanders is just one of four that ASU School of Art has created with local corporate and business leaders, according to Adriene Jenik, professor and director of the school since 2009. Intel Corporation, Vestar Development Company, and FastFrame at 3112 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix, have each created other nontraditional partnerships with ASU School of Art.

Vestar Development Company, which manages the Tempe Marketplace shopping and entertainment center in Tempe along with a number of other regional retail complexes, four years ago turned an empty storefront in Tempe Marketplace into Night Gallery.

Under the direction of ASU School of Art Professor James White, the 4,800-square foot exhibition space offers rotating shows of School of Art faculty, graduate students and alumni free to the public from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.

“The space has featured internationally recognized artists as well as graduate MFA shows, and increasingly hosts evening lectures, music and dance concerts, and other community events,” Jenik said. “With visitor statistics showing attendance exceeding other major cultural institutions in the region, this unique exhibition opportunity offers the public a casual, low barrier encounter with contemporary art, and the School of Art an opportunity to interface with a large and varied audience.’’

Vestar executives view the transformation of space into a public art gallery as another way to contribute to the community. “We are committed to giving back and working to make a difference in the future of Arizona, while also offering our customers arts and cultural programs in the midst of our many great stores and restaurants,’’ said Denise Hart Neff, vice president of marketing at Vestar.

Intel’s metals donation is another creative partnership with ASU School of Art. Through its copper and refuse metal recycling program, Intel each semester offers donations to the School of Art’s fine arts foundry program.

Since the program’s inception, Intel has sent more than 4,500 pounds of copper, aluminum and other scrap materials. A recent exhibit at Intel‘s Ocotillo 8 Plant in Chandler featured hand-forged medallions created by ASU students from the donated copper.

“Because bronze, at $4 to $6 a pound, has become too expensive for many of our students to buy, the ability to make our own copper-based alloys from Intel donations has enabled students to work on non-ferrous metals projects at a large scale, and learn metallurgy as well,’’ said Mary Neubauer, professor of art and director of the foundry program.

“Due to the success of the copper donations to ASU, we have encouraged other Intel locations, which have manufacturing, to reach out to universities. This allows Intel to recycle materials and support learning at the same time,” according to Renee Levin, Intel’s community engagement manager.

ASU School of Art alumnae Kate Matsler, owner of a FastFrame store in Phoenix, created the Graduate FastFrame Framing Award as a way of giving back to the School of Art. This award offers significant professional framing services to a graduating Master of Fine Arts student in advance of their final exhibition.

“Each of these partnerships represents a unique opportunity for the School of Art and for our business partners,” said Jenik. “The projects contribute to the vibrant culture of our region even as they help the School of Art fulfill its educational and cultural mission. I’ve been truly inspired by the generosity and enthusiasm Valley businesses have shown toward the school.”

Public Contact:
Media Contact:
Susan Felt
Coordinator of Communications and Marketing
Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, ASU
480.965.0478
susan.felt@asu.edu

Media Contact:
Susan Felt
Coordinator of Communications and Marketing
Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, ASU
480 965- 50478
susan.felt@asu.edu

'Blue Man Group' lands at Gammage Nov. 1-6

It has been called performance art, experimental rock, avant-garde – simply put, an experience – and now "Blue Man Group" has hit the road on its first-ever U.S. tour.

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'Blue Man Group' lands at Gammage Nov. 1-6

October 17, 2011

It has been called performance art, experimental rock, avant-garde, theatrically offbeat – simply put, an experience.

For Patrick Newton, he calls the the show home. Download Full Image

Newton will be performing Nov. 1-6, at ASU Gammage, on the Tempe campus, as part of "Blue Man Group."

Having seen the show in Las Vegas in 2003, I was excited by the opportunity to talk with Newton about being a Blue Man and find out what he thinks of the tour.

This is the first U.S. theatrical tour for "Blue Man Group," which means you spend nearly a year on the road. What is your favorite part about touring?

I think the best part about touring is getting to do the show and be a Blue Man. It's nice to see the country and it's been a lot of fun moving around, but when your life changes so much on a daily basis it's nice to have something consistent to come to. The show is the consistency – what I can invest in wholeheartedly.

When I'm on stage performing, it feels like I'm home.

How would you describe the Blue Man?

It's a little difficult to describe. After people see the show, they don't know what to think of him. A lot of people compare him to an alien or a mime, but he's none of those things. He's more like some sort of reflection from ourselves. He's primal. He doesn't have these social restrictions.

When you see him, he seems in some ways very innocent and childlike. He has these chauvinistic qualities. He can play tricks and music, and do these interesting things that we don't do in our day-to-day lives.

What skills do you need as a Blue Man performer?

There's a lot of music in the show, so music ability is a big one. The Blue Man plays percussion and things that he finds and then turns them into instruments.

You also have to have a pretty rudimentary knowledge of drumming.

There are some other interesting ones – circus-like skills – unique skills that you don't see very often, if ever.

There is a popular episode of the "Arrested Development" television show when the character Tobias Funke joins the Blue Man Group. Have you seen it? What did you think?

I'm a huge David Cross fan. I think anything he does is just gold. I got a kick out of that episode, as did a lot of people, I think. My brother bought me a shirt.

Before you were a Blue Man, what were you doing?

I went to Western Michigan University for musical theatre. I had vocal training and dance training. My parents are music teachers, so I grew up drumming. And then I found this job. Actually, it found me.

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To see Newton perform with "Blue Man Group," Nov. 1-6, at ASU Gammage, visit the box office to purchase tickets or to learn more information about the upcoming tour.

The show is appropriate for people of all ages and is 90 minutes long with no intermission.

With no spoken words, the show transcends language – perhaps the reason why it remains so difficult to define.