What do Bob Dylan and Michael Moore have in common? They both came to Oregon, they both visited campus and they both came courtesy of the UO Cultural Forum.
The Cultural Forum is a multifunctional organization, regularly programming films, lectures and a variety of performance and visual arts. And now that the school year is in full swing, there are a myriad of activities for community members to immerse themselves in.
Liz Lessner, the visual arts coordinator for the organization, chooses the artwork that is displayed at the Adell McMillan, Aperture and Buzz Coffeehouse galleries. All three are located within the Erb Memorial Union.
Paintings and drawings by Whitney, an artist who goes by one name, are currently on display at the Adell McMillan Art Gallery. The pieces were created on a variety of materials — mottled wood, cardboard, paper and canvas; her art could be likened to stills taken from the film “Waking Life.”
“I pick what I think other galleries around town don’t show,” Lessner said. “Our goal at the Cultural Forum is to provide cutting-edge art.”
Lessner, who is an artist herself and was part of last year’s “Spontaneous Combustion” show at the Adell McMillan Art Gallery, has booked the work of Dr. Audrius V. Plioplys for the gallery in November. The exhibit is called “Neurotheology,” and put succinctly, the prolific doctor’s prints consist of scans of his own brain waves. Plioplys will make an appearance at the Adell McMillan Gallery 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 2.
Nathan Hazard is the regional music coordinator for the Cultural Forum, and recently worked on creating The Oregon Grind indie music festival. Hazard, who also plays violin and is a disc jockey for KWVA, the campus radio station, has worked at the Cultural Forum for two years.
“Every year is a completely different experience,” he said. “You can really make your own decisions and do what you feel is right.”
The Cultural Forum also runs a quarterly film series. French directors Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro’s film “Delicatessen” will show tonight in 100 Willamette. Tickets are $2 for students and $3 for general admission. In early November, there will be an “Erotic Tales” film series. The location for these films is currently unknown.
The organization first brought performers Paul Butterfield and Earl Scruggs to the school for the 1972-73 school year. There’s a chronological record of all Cultural Forum events outside the doors of their office, located on the ground floor of the EMU.
The organization is largely funded by student incidental fees and also provides funding to other student organizations; this allows for an even more diverse selection of events.
The Cultural Forum employs 12 coordinators and has a host of volunteers and various interns. Coordinators are paid a $150 per-month stipend.
“You’re pretty much paid in experience,” Hazard said.
Justina Parsons-Bernstein is the recently hired Programs Coordinator for the Cultural Forum. She said she is content to oversee student coordinators and let them make most of the programming decisions. However, Parsons-Bernstein has had direct involvement in planning a “Tango Bingo” night in the EMU’s Fish Bowl, scheduled for Nov. 15 at 9 p.m. There will be dancing and dance instruction, a live tango band, and — as the name implies — tango bingo. It’s free if you dress in tango costume.
“Clench some roses in your teeth,” Parsons-Bernstein said.
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