Hometown Happenings

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By Jason Andreasen

Artist brings social commentary to LSU
Over the past few years, LSU's College of Art + Design's Lecture Series has had some truly impressive guest speakers, from Vito Acconci to Kara Walker. Now, if you're not a student of contemporary art, you might not have a clue as to who those people are. However, that doesn't mean the lecture can't be your introduction.

The Lecture Series is at it again Wednesday, November 4, bringing Michael Ray Charles to Room 103 of the LSU Design Building at 5 PM.

A Lafayette native, Charles is a celebrated artist whose paintings, "investigate stereotypes drawn from the history of American advertising, product packaging, billboards and commercials." His investigations have led to his drawing comparisons between controversial images such as "Mammy" (a depiction of a black woman as rotund and homely) and portrayals of contemporary African-American youths, celebrities and athletes in today's culture.

Find out more about Charles' lecture at design.lsu.edu/art.

The smell of 'Incense' permeates Red Star
What happens when a group of primarily classically trained musicians join forces and decide to forego practice and preparation? The answer: The Incense Merchants. This ensemble of artistic forces has made a home for themselves inside downtown Baton Rouge's Red Star, offering up completely different performances every time they take the stage. That's because the band is "focused on this moment" at all times.

The band consists of violinist Raul Gomez, cellist Marcelo Vieira, Brad Walker on sax, guitarist Chip Osborne, Eric Shuster on percussion and Bill Kelley on the keys.
This is a true musical improvisation experiment - a jam band in its truest form. See what happens when classically trained musicians step out of their comfort zone and begin playing without any idea where they will end up.

The Incense Merchants play at Red Star on November 10 starting at 9 p.m. Check out incensemerchants.com to find out more.

So you think you can Scrabble?
One of the most beloved board games in history, Scrabble, basically makes the crossword puzzle a multi-player sport - one where spelling out "c-o-m-p-e-t-i-t-i-o-n" can get you big points, especially at the Adult Literacy Advocates annual Scrabble Challenge. Held on November 5 from 6 - 9 p.m., this benefit event will feature three rounds of "just-for-fun" Scrabble games in teams of two. In addition, there will be food, drinks provided by Mockler Beverage, a silent auction and 50/50 cash split raffle.

Tickets will run you $25 with your LSU I.D. Best of all, your admission fees will go directly towards the cause of improving adult literacy in our area! Call (225) 383-1090 to find out more.

Originally Published: Issue 822 - November 4, 2009

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