Pat Hazell is coming to Fisher Theater to help us do just that.
At 7:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 21, and 3 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 22, he will present his one-man show "The Wonder Bread Years."
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The talented Hazell, an Omaha native, began performing as a street magician and juggler at age 9. After graduating from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a degree in dramatic arts, he moved to Los Angeles. There he honed and performed his magic act. Soon the magician became a stand-up comedian.
This was a successful transition for the young comic. Hazell began touring as Jerry Seinfeld's opening act and later went on to write for the very popular television series "Seinfeld."
In addition, Hazell has written for films, is a playwright and has made several appearances on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno.
"The Wonder Bread Years" is his latest work. The performances in Ames are part of a national tour that has been acclaimed by critics.
Jerry Seinfeld says, "Three Thumbs Up!"
Tickets are available at the Iowa State Center ticket office, all TicketMaster centers, or by calling 233-1888.
Tickets also are on sale for the pre-show social to be held at 6 p.m., Friday, Sept. 21, in the courtyard near Fisher Theater. The outdoor event will feature nostalgia-inspired food.
For more information about the show and the social, call 294-3347.
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It was with pride and humility that Dennis Dake, professor of Art and Design at Iowa State University, accepted the invitation to have his art be the inaugural exhibit at the new Lois Bing-Davis Gallery at Upper Iowa University in Fayette.
Dennis is an UIU graduate.
"The school is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a renewed commitment for fine arts," Dennis said. "There are three floors and state of the art classrooms in the renovated building."
Dennis' show, "Visual Thoughts ... from here and back again: Paintings and Sculpture by Dennis M. Dake," is a retrospective of the artist's work of the 1980s, '90s and 2000s. It will be on display through Friday, Oct. 5.
Born and raised in Lamont, a town of a few hundred, "where we never had an art teacher," Dennis confided.
He attributes his enthusiasm and love of art to his experiences as an undergraduate.
"I had no art background," Dennis explained. "With personal attention, they (UIU art teachers) got me ready. They launched my career."
This show allows Dennis to give something back to his alma mater.
Exhibited are acrylic paintings on canvas as well as sculpture. The artist's abstract paintings allude to forms in nature - flowers, plants, trees and rocks.
UIU Art Professor John Siblik described Dennis' work "as a culmination of idea which comes out of his research on the brain as it relates to creativity."
In the exhibitions' artist's statement Dennis writes, "This exhibit presents some results of artistic research I have completed throughout the past four decades ... It is my hope that viewers will approach my shaped canvases with imaginative openness, exploring the reciprocal nature with which their individual brains will project meaning into these forms."
Dennis has taught at ISU for 36 years. He has enjoyed academic life and takes pleasure working with young people and following up on his students' professional achievements. He is talking of retirement. He told me, if he leaves ISU, "I will not retire from art."
For more information about the exhibit, call John Siblik at (563) 425-5241.
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FYI - I just received word that the art of retired ISU Art Professor Nancy Polster will be part of the Artists' Connection Tucson "Desert Dance" exhibition at the Ranch House Art Gallery in Tucson, Ariz. Nancy, who now resides in Tucson, proves what so many of us know, including Dennis - retirement doesn't mean you're done.
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The Gallery In The Round, in the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames (1015 Hyland Ave.), is hosting the exhibition "The Missing Story of Ourselves: Poverty and the Promise of Higher Education."
On display are museum-quality framed photographs accompanied by compelling narratives written by students who are or were poor, single welfare-eligible parents, who changed their lives through higher education.
The project has been coordinated by Penny Rice as part of her plan of study as a doctoral student in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.
Penny has served as the director of ISU's Margaret Sloss Women's Center since 2000. Her interest in the project may be more than academic. Penny was from 1991 until 1997 a single mother on welfare. She was fortunate to be able to go to school while on welfare. The law has been changed and welfare is not extended to those attending school.
The exhibit, curated and distributed through the ACCESS Project at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., has been touring the country since 2005.
Vivyan C. Adair, the director of the ACCESS Project, will speak at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., Sunday, Sept. 23, at the Unitarian Fellowship. She will also lecture at 2:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 24, in Morrill Hall on the ISU campus.
For more information about the exhibit, lectures or the project, call Penny Rice at 294-4154.
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And don't miss ...
* ACTORS Inc. opening production of the season "High School Musical." Performances will be held Sept. 28-30, Oct. 12-14 and Oct. 19-21 at the ACTORS Studio Building, 120 Abraham Drive. Tickets and information about show times are available at Gallery 319, in downtown Ames or by calling 232-2354.
* The Borealis Wind Quintet presented by Des Moines' Civic Music Association. The Grammy Award-nominated chamber group will perform at 3 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 23, in the Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University. For tickets or more information, call (515) 280-4020.
