Saturday, November 27, 2010

Happy Birthday, Charles Schulz!

Charles M. Schulz (November 26, 1922 -- February 12, 2000) was an American cartoonist whose comic strip "Peanuts" ran for nearly 50 years and is familiar all over the world. At one time, "Peanuts" was appearing in at least 2,600 newspapers in some 75 countries.

The Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California (where he worked for much of his life), has exhibits and programs to "to preserve, display, and interpret the art of Charles M. Schulz."

Check out all the Schulz works at CDPL, including his biography as well as scores of "Peanuts" comics!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Happy Birthday, Hoagy Carmichael!

Hoagy Carmichael was born in Bloomington, Indiana, on November 22, 1899.  He attended Indiana University and the Indiana University School of Law before becoming the famous composer we know today.  His most famous songs include "Stardust", "Georgia on my mind", "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening", and "Heart and Soul".  He composed "Chimes of Indiana" and presented it to Indiana University in 1937.

In addition to composing music for films, he appeared in several movies.  Carmichael acted in To Have and Have Not, The Best Years of Our Lives, and Young Man with a Horn. He was also the host of many radio and television variety shows throughout the 1940s and 1950s.

Hoagy Carmichael died in 1981 and was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Bloomington, Indiana. His family donated his archives to Indiana University.  You can access the digital Hoagy Carmichael Collection online.

Check out CDPL's materials: Hoagy Carmichael

Friday, November 19, 2010

Happy Birthday, Voltaire!

François-Marie Arouet (21 November 1694 -- 30 May 1778), was better known by his pen name of "Voltaire." Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer whose satiric and caustic style won him much admiration -- and earned him many enemies. He supported civil liberties and spoke up for religious freedom during his long career as an essayist, playwright, novelist, philospher, and much more. Voltaire was an active letter writer, too, and composed more than 20,000 letters during his lifetime.

Check out some Voltaire in your library!

Read aboutVoltaire @ Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire.

Here are some Voltaire quotations to enjoy:
  • All murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.
  • All styles are good except the tiresome kind.
  • All the reasonings of men are not worth one sentiment of women.
  • Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices.
  • Anyone who seeks to destroy the passions instead of controlling them is trying to play the angel.
  • Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung.
  • As long as people believe in absurdities they will continue to commit atrocities.
  • Behind every successful man stands a surprised mother-in-law.
  • Better is the enemy of good.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Happy Birthday, Kurt Vonnegut!

November 11, is the birth date of Indiana author Kurt Vonnegut Jr. The son of successful Indianapolis architect, was born in Indianapolis in 1922. This quirky author often blended "science fiction with humor, and the absurd with pointed social commentary." He was known for his satire and created his own worlds filled with unique and colorful characters. Slaughterhouse Five, listed on Time Magazine's 100 Best Book List, recalls some of Vonnegut's own experiences during World War II.  Like his character Billy Pilgrim, Vonnegut was a prisoner of war  in Dresden, Germany when it was fire-bombed by the allies.  His first hand experience of the carnage and destruction affected him the rest of his life. In 1970, Vonnegut was able to quit his job as a publicist for General Electric and devote his time to writing.  His unique writing style -- "long sentences with little punctuation as well as his humanist point of view" distinguished him from other contemporary writers.

Noted Vonnegut works available at Crawfordsville District Public Library are :  Breakfast of Champions , Slaughterhouse Five , Bluebeard , Galapagos,  Look at the Birdie , and Armageddon in Retrospect.


See works by Vonnegut @ CDPL!

Sources:
Kurt Vonnegut Biography: http://www.biography.com/articles/Kurt-Vonnegut-9520329
Kurt Vonnegut: http://www.notablebiographies.com/Tu-We/Vonnegut-Kurt.html

Saturday, November 06, 2010

Genealogy Club of Montgomery County

The Genealogy Club of Montgomery County, Indiana Corp, will have a club organizational meeting for the 2010-2011 year at 7:00 pm on the 9th of November 2010 (in the Donnelly Room of the library). All are invited! Call the library at 362-2242 ext 118 for more information.

Thursday, November 04, 2010

New Hoosier Biographies

Read about Indiana natives who gained fame in the entertainment industry!  The following biographies by Wes D. Gehring are now available at CDPL.


 Steve McQueen: The Great Escape

Red Skelton: The Mask Behind the Mask
James Dean: Rebel with a Cause

Carole Lombard: The Hoosier Tornado

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

In the Gallery: November

In the gallery this month!

THE COMPANY YOU KEEP: Print Media by Brian Stuparyk

In his artist's statement, Brian Stuparyk tells us that through his explorations, he has found that success and failure are equally important. He has depicted in his work tokens of life's little defeats, everyday failures, impossibilities and things that don't necessarily need to be celebrated. They are life sized mementos of the individual pursuit of elusive personal happiness and success. Although great time and care is taken to faithfully reproduce these items and sentiments, they remain by their nature disappointing. The point is further emphasized by the large amounts of negative space surrounding this metaphorical evidence of human endeavor, aspiration and desire that, too often, results in only brief fulfillment, pleasure or reward. The victories are hollow and the credit undue. Often trying to fix a bad situation only makes it worse.

Bells cannot be un-rung, nor toothpaste returned to its tube, just as some wrinkles simply cannot be ironed out. But then again, for all your trouble, the absolute worst that could happen is that you just might learn something; if only what not to do a second time. So with practice and perseverance, there is always a chance to improve, for it is truly through failure and defeat that success is ultimately achieved It is those instances that Brian tries to highlight in his prints. Those thoroughly inconsequential moments of frustration – if they don't kill us - help us to grow.

Brian Stuparyk was born in Grande Prairie, Canada in 1981. A graduate of Loveland, Ohio High School, he holds a BFA in Photography Studies from Ryerson University in Toronto and an MFA in Print Media from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, USA. He has taught studio art at Missouri State and Drury universities. He lives and works in Loveland, Ohio.

Brian has exhibited his work at galleries and on College Campuses in Georgia, Wisconsin, Missouri, Oregon, Kansas, California, and in Illinois from 2006 until the present.

HOOKED ON BEADS by Caroline Erdahl

In her artist's statement, Carolyn Erdahl tells us that "Jewelry design continuously strikes her innermost creativity. She loves all elements of this medium, whether at her torch flame working with her own glass beads, manipulating silver, stringing components or wrapping gemstones, each design's unique beauty is a pure delight."

Growing up with a mother who was a practicing stained glass artist, Carolyn felt destined to become one herself. She never guessed she would follow in her mother's footsteps, but here she is, working with glass, though in a very different way.

Carolyn was introduced to beaded jewelry eight years ago by a cousin from St. Louis who attended her annual Thanksgiving bash. Carolyn and her husband tended to the dinner while guests sat around the dining room table making beaded jewelry and having fun. After looking at her cousin's bead stash - that was it – she was hooked on beads!

She has always been an arts and crafts enthusiast working in different mediums, but had never before been this intrigued. As a lover of color, she was now exposed to the most vibrant palette she had ever seen. She played with the glass beads first and then jumped into semi-precious gemstones. Se was so amazed at the beauty that God's earth could produce and what artists could do with it that she found herself reading books on geology and gemology at the library. She found that learning about the physical properties and conditions of the stones was as incredible as viewing them.

Her next endeavor was learning to wire wrap with sterling silver wire, then to solder sterling silver wire. Now she had the ability to make her own chain, findings and components.

Five years ago she ventured into lampworking, which is defined as a manipulation of glass rods or tubes in a flame. Many moons ago, Venetian artisans utilized oil lamps as their flame source in the creation of a variety of glass objects.

With a mandrel in hand and a 1700 degree flame fluttering 18" from her face, Caroline slowly introduces her glass into the fire. Eventually, a small blob forms, which gets evenly wound around the mandrel resulting in a bead footprint. This base is comparable to a painter's blank canvas where creativity is at its height. At this point she can choose a distinct pattern or go freeform; does she create something whimsical, use a primary color palette or customize the colors for originality? Who knows where her passion will drive her?

Carolyn, a self-taught glass artist with no formal training, enjoys sharing her passion with others who delight in her creations.

These exhibits will be in the Mary Bishop Memorial Art Gallery from Friday, October 29 until Tuesday, November 30, 2010.

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Election Day and the Right to Vote


November 2 is election day. The time that all Americans may vote for their representatives and some senators. However, just less than one hundred years ago not all Americans could exercise their right to vote. Women suffrage was not the law of the land.

When the Territory of Montana was admitted to the union as a state in 1890, it became the first state with women suffrage. By 1890 Utah, Colorado, and Idaho joined Montana in allowing women the vote. In 1912 Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Party (Bull Moose) became the first national political party to have a plank supporting women suffrage.

However, it took until May, 1919 for the necessary two-thirds vote in favor of the women suffrage amendment to be mustered in Congress. The propose new amendment was sent to the states for ratification. Finally in 1920 the ratification of the 19th Amendment became law when Tennessee cast its final votes.

The 19th Amendment guarantees that the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be abridged by the United States or by and State on account of sex and Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. For more information, see Exploring Constitutional Conflicts.

Check out CDPL's items on the suffrage movement and the Constitution.


Duct Tape Workshop

Duct Tape Workshop! (.pdf): November 6 at 9:30am (ages 8 and up). What do you want to make? Eye glasses? A visor? A wallet? A pair of sandals? A cup and ball game? A basketball game? Bring a partner! Bring a strong pair of scissors! Registration is required.