Olaudah Equiano
The understanding of folk music and its lyrics can provide an unabashed depiction of the life of a people. This music is never about being popular or a hit, rather, it is always an expression of endurance.
Reviewing the songs that can be found in the book Slave Songs of the United States
Detroit Institute of Arts/ DIA hosts the 75th Annual Detroit Students Exhibition beginning on April 28, 2012. The show “features hundreds of imaginative works created by Detroit Public Schools students in grades K-12, ranging from paintings, prints, drawings, photography, ceramics, videos, jewelry and more. The exhibition is free with museum admission.” 
The 75th Detroit Public Schools Student Exhibition
Saturday, April 28, 2012 – Sunday, June 03, 2012
Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan
(I bet the parents are sooooo proud!)
“Collected. Ritual explores the performative and process-oriented aspects of making art and examines ritual as an act of special and sometimes mythical significance. The works in this exhibition were chosen for the innovative ways in which the artists engaged with ritual—including through studio art-making and artistic practices that use symbolic actions. This exhibition, organized by Assistant Curator Naima J. Keith, explores the relationship and nexus between art and ritual through twenty-five works of art from the permanent collection spanning the last thirty years.“
Collected. Ritual – Until Mar 11, 2012
The Studio Museum in Harlem, 144 West 125th Street, NYC
(Image: Betye Saar – “Window of Ancient Sirens”, 1979)
At the beginning of the last century, posters that hung in the lobby of the old neighborhood movie palace were simple black and white drawings. Very quickly, theater owners realized that by changing to big, colorful cardboard advertisements, placed both outside and inside, they got attention and drew in customers. These posters then became more artful and sophisticated – pretty, or dramatic (Valentino), or scary (“King Kong”, 1932), or, just high style (Gloria Swanson rendered in Art Deco), to the lurid “Noir” films of the 50’s.
Some examples of movie poster art have been collected into a nice coffee table book: “Now Playing: Hand Painted Poster Art from the 1910s Through the 1950s”
(Academy of Motion Pictures/Angel City Press – hardcover, 14″ x 11″, 160 pages)
I kept noticing this “Tattoo” book that stayed on the Bay Area paperback best seller list last year forever. I got curiouser and curiouser. Rather than read it, I cheated and watched “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” on DVD first and then bought the books – yes, plural. I was so hooked on the main characters and their adventures that reading the whole trilogy by Swedish writer Stieg Larson was the only option. I had such a great time! 
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
The books are cleverly dense with detail, suspense, intrigue and double dealing. The screen writer was selective in what was included in the 3 subsequent movies, but they are well done (I think “Tattoo” was the best). I love a mystery – who disappeared, who was betrayed, who covered up. The 2 main characters, fearless, antisocial “Lisbeth Salander”, fiercely brought to life by Noomi Rapace and investigative journalist “Michael Blomkvist”, played by Michael Nyqvist, were great, but I must say that everyone was. Directed by Niels Arden Oplev, they did a super job.
The action takes place in Sweden – I marvel at the similarities and the differences to American life. A conspiracy is a conspiracy, politics is politics, muckraking is muckraking regardless of the language. The methods to uncover evil machinations are now global with the blanket use of the internet. Hacking has never seemed so exciting. A warming – some scenes are violent, but, they do give insight as to why our “Girl” behaves as she does.
Of course I’m sorry Mr. Larson passed away in 2004, especially since after reading the final book and watching the DVD (“The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” ), I got the distinct impression that our non-heroine/heroine, Ms Salander, was not finished – there was more to do, more to reveal and dig up, more people to disturb. Sigh… (Hope that didn’t sound too callous?)
I don’t know why, but there is an American remake due out this Fall – David Fincher as Director (He did Social Network), David Craig (the most recent actor to play James Bond) and relative newcomer Rooney Mara as the tattooed girl. It better be good!