On Sept. 4, Butler University’s Kate Boyd will be performing the renowned “Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano” by American composer John Cage in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Cage’s birth.

Boyd, the head of the piano department in the Jordan College of Fine Arts, spent her semester-long sabbatical last spring mastering the piece.

Since then, Boyd has  performed the piece in Ontario, Oklahoma and England.

“Being the 100th anniversary, I wanted to perform the piece as a way to commemorate Cage,” Boyd said.

Cage has been called one of the most influential composers of the 20th century, and “Sonatas and Interludes” is arguably his most complex work for prepared piano.

Cage specially altered a standard concert piano by adding screws and bolts to 45 strings. This distorts the sound of the piano, producing percussive sounds.

Boyd said that one of Cage’s main philosophies is to appreciate all noise as music and understand that people should not privilege music over traffic or any other noise.

Cage composed “Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano” from 1946 to 1949.  The piece contains 16 different sonatas and four interludes, combining for a total of 65 minutes.

“John Cage used to be so far out that it seemed like he was from another planet,”  Daniel Bolin, chair of the music department, said, “but John Cage has become more and more listenable as our ears and experiences have expanded. He’s not a far-out composer by any means anymore.”

The performance will take place in the Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. next Tuesday. The show is free and open to the public.

Butler University community members will see an increase in the number of ticketed art events next semester with the opening of the Howard L. Schrott Center for the Performing and Visual Arts, administrators within the Jordan College of Fine Arts said.

“We think,” JCFA Dean Ronald Caltabiano said, “that we will be able to charge some very reasonable fees to some of our largest events in Schrott to help us stay afloat.”

He stressed “we think,” as the discussions are still in the early stages.

Caltabiano could not provide a specific amount that might be considered a “reasonable fee” but was confident that the specifics would be worked out soon.

He also said there will be a student price—already the case with other Butler art events.

The change in ticketing will most impact the music department, as main-stage theater and dance productions already require paid admission.

Specifically, the change will affect large music ensembles like the Butler Symphony Orchestra, the Butler Wind Ensemble and the Lyric Theater.

Dan Bolin, chair of the music department, said charging for tickets to concerts is not new for JCFA. Both he and Caltabiano said previously it was just impractical.

With box office fees, explained Bolin, the music school was losing money by charging for tickets.

Bolin said it will be practical with the Schrott Center, which will not cost nearly as much to use as renting Clowes did.

Bolin estimated that a Butler Symphony Orchestra or Wind Ensemble concert costs $4,000 to $5,000 to produce in Clowes.

The Butler Ballet spent more than $51,000 on “Coppélia” last spring according to the dance office, and charged $14 to $28.50 per ticket.

Larry Attaway, chair of the dance department, said the ballet completely funds itself through its revenue. Ticket sales were around $16,500 for “Coppélia.”

Caltabiano said he thinks it is important that people put a value on art.

“Musicians don’t work for free in the real world,” he said. “We think that we need to clearly say that arts are valuable and worth paying for.”

Neither Caltabiano nor Bolin knows how the prices will affect attendance.

Caltabiano said that, in his experience, a professional ensemble that charges for admission sees higher attendance rates because people see it as valuable.

“The key is to keep it affordable for students,” he said. “There’s no doubt about that.”

If the result of the change is a larger audience, Bolin noted that the entire audience interested in the performance may not fit in the new Schrott Center, which will only seat around 450.

This may cause scheduling changes for the JCFA ensembles, such as an ensemble playing two-performance weekends. He said that this is commonplace among professional ensembles.

Robert Grechesky, director of the wind ensemble, explained that  because families already pay tens of thousands of dollars in tuition each year, it does not make sense to ask them to pay extra to see the productions.

Grechesky said that there must be ticket packages for families, and Caltabiano seemed open to the idea.

The Collegian will report updates as the discussions begin to take more solid form. For now, it seems that no one quite knows how the fees will ultimately affect art at Butler.

Paper cranes hang from the ceiling in long, colorful strands of yellows, reds and pinks. Two students criss-cross an intricate pattern of yarn on the front windows. Tables set up just when you step in contain half-installed works of art.

The Jordan College of Fine Arts Annex—also known as the JCX or the annex—is almost ready for its art show.

Many students will recognize the recently converted area as the former Jordan Academy of Dance, located next to Facility Services at the corner of Boulevard and 52nd Street.

The building contains four studios. Two will be dance studios and used mostly for physical well being classes. Currently, they’re rented to Dance Kaleidoscope.

The other two are the university’s first art studios for its art + design program.

Opened at the beginning of the semester, the two studios host the program’s more intensive programs. Next year, the annex will hold all of the art classes, including the core art class “Perspectives in the Creative Arts: Introduction to Visual Art.”

“The most important thing is that students can leave out their work while it’s in progress,” said Elizabeth Mix, associate professor of art history. “It has been the most challenging part of not having our own space.”

In addition, Mix said it’s nice to have rooms that are set up for art work, with sinks and storage closets for supplies.

“It’s just so beneficial to come in on my own time,” said Jasmine Gonsalves, a freshman art + design major. “We aren’t as confined in this space, and I think it will make the show more art-like.”

The new space has given them an entirely new art show to look forward to. To accompany ART NOW, Art at the Annex is open to the public Thursday and Friday.

Mix said that the show, as opposed to ART NOW, features installation pieces from the art + design program’s “space” and “function” classes. In addition, the program’s two thesis students, Laura Kramer and Daniel McCullough, present their final projects for the show.

“At the annex, we can do what we need to do because it’s our space,” Mix said. “It’s a flexible space to create the art show we’ve always wanted.”

As the sun set on Thursday, Lilly Hall was bubbling with activity. Musical scales and melodies echoed outside the practice rooms on the second floor, classes were wrapping up in the ensemble rooms on the first floor, and the Butler Theatre was alight with people preparing for a week of tech rehearsals.

“[Lilly] is my place of solace,” said sophomore dance major Elizabeth Simoens, adding that she likes to dim the lights of the dance studios at night and dance improvisatorially alone or with a pianist.

“It’s like playtime,” she said, smiling.

Lilly Hall is full of creative energy during the day. It is the home of the Jordan College of Fine Arts as well as the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, American Pianists Association, Dance Kaleidoscope and other arts organizations.

As the night set in on Thursday, Lilly Hall began to change.

Thursday 9:30 p.m.

The basement is eerily empty. The only sounds echoing off the walls are my footsteps. Two girls chat in the lobby by the Butler Theatre on the first floor, where rehearsal for this week’s opening is ongoing.

Thursday 9:47 p.m.

A group of men in suits, all awaiting initiation into Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, sing together in the “old Lilly lobby” on the southwest corner of the building. They hold the red books given to all initiates, which contain the history and meaning of the organization.

James Caleca, sophomore music education major, was initiated into the men’s music fraternity on Thursday evening. He laughed and said that he and his fellow initiates decided it would be “a good idea to prance around Lilly Hall serenading girls” before the ceremony. Judging by the smiles on the audience, they were right.

Thursday 10:37 p.m.

Photo by Reid Bruner

On the third floor, Simoens works with a group of instrumentalists on a music and dance collaboration piece. Simoens commissioned this work from graduate composer Brian Spicklemire for a performance at a student choreography showcase next year, but it will be premiered on Saturday at Spicklemire’s composition recital. The dance is also on tomorrow’s Composers’ Orchestra concert  but without Simoens.

Using  Laban scales as a foundation, Simoens said she plans to weave her movements through the sounds of the instrumentalists, picking out musical “asides” to emphasize in order to avoid repetitive flowing movements. She has also developed a thematic movement, crossing all spatial axes, that will tie the piece together.

Thursday 11:22 p.m.

The second — floor music practice rooms are largely empty. Viola, piano and trumpet music floats down the corridors from various directions. A music student is asleep in the old lobby.

Friday 12:55 a.m.

After rehearsal, a group of theater students watch an episode of AMC’s television show “The Walking Dead” in the theater design lab.

Friday 2:22 a.m.

The last musician leaves her practice room and heads home for the night. The fluorescent lights in the hallways buzz, awaiting the sunrise and the influx of students for morning classes.

The metal door locked behind me, and the crisp air enveloped me as I left the building in the small hours of Friday morning, surprised and inspired by the mix of diligence and light-heartedness that is Lilly Hall after dark.

Butler University has increased both its number of applications received and the number of admittances extended for the class of 2016.

Tom Weede, vice president for enrollment management, said that Butler has admitted about 6,300 students for next semester.

“That was right around our goal for what we were hoping to admit,” he said.

Weede said that that number could rise even higher because of late applicants, late sports recruits or specialty performers in the Jordan College of Fine Arts.

Weede said that the ideal size of the class of 2016 is about 1,000 students, just a bit above the size of the current freshman class.

Dropping from 6,000 admitted students to 1,000 enrolled students may seem difficult, but Dean of Admission Scott Ham said the office of admission made a concerted effort to admit a high number like this.

“Nationally trending, students are applying to more institutions,” Ham said. “Because students are applying to more schools, we have to make more offers of admission.”

This is a 9 percent increase in the number of offers from last year.

Ham said that ease of applying to college is one reason for this.

“The Common Application makes it so easy to apply to 10 or 15 schools simply by clicking a link,” he said.

In addition, the office saw an increase in the total number of applications it received. More than 9,500 students applied to Butler. This is a 3 percent increase from last year, building on the 41 percent increase in 2010.

Success of the Butler men’s basketball team is still a major reason for the increase.

“I think the basketball tournaments the last couple years have introduced the university to people who didn’t know about it before,” Weede said. “But the nice thing is people don’t enroll at a college because it has a good basketball team. They enroll because it has the right size, fit, location, majors.”

Lade Akande, an admission counselor, said that basketball success is only the first step.

“They (high school students) got on the web and realized that Butler is a small, liberal arts school, the class sizes are small, there are not teaching assistants,” Akande said. “They found out all these great things, and that’s what drew them to Butler even more.”

Akande, who works with high school students from not only the Midwest but also the Southeast and Puerto Rico, said that the championship appearances have also increased the number of out-of-state applications.

Ham said that a final factor in the growth of applications is word-of-mouth, starting with students.

“They go home and talk about what a great experience they had,” Ham said. “The best promotion that Butler University can have is a satisfied student.”

BY THE NUMBERS

9,658 students have applied this year—a 3 percent increase from 2011.

About 6,300 have been admitted so far—an increase of 9 percent.

The goal size for the class of 2016 is about 1,000 students.

Administrators have begun reviewing Butler University’s  background check policy to evaluate its effectiveness and respond to fears that it is causing the university to lose candidates.

Associate Provost Laura Behling said at the Feb. 21 Faculty Senate meeting that administrators have started to review both the cost and the time associated with background checks.

The background checks can take from a few days to two weeks or longer and must be completed before a candidate visits campus.

Stuart Glennan, an associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said that this lag can be detrimental, especially during the peak hiring season.

“We are competing very directly with other institutions, and speed matters,” he said.

Bill Templeton, an associate dean in the College of Business, said other schools are able to immediately invite a candidate to campus, while Butler committees have to wait for the background check to clear.

“I’d rather incur the occasional expense of bringing a candidate to campus [who eventually does not pass a background check] than incur the bureaucratic cost and lose candidates,” Templeton said.

Interim Provost Kathryn Morris said at the Faculty Senate meeting that she is bringing “at least an introductory conversation” before the academic affairs committee and the board of trustees at their next meeting.

She said that while discussions concerning tenure and promotion might overshadow the background check policy, it will be a topic of conversation.

“I’m not sure it will get the attention it deserves, but it will sure be on their minds,” Morris said.

The background checks, which are conducted by an outside firm, were instated in August 2010 to “protect the safety and security” of the Butler community, according to the policy.

Primary background checks of the employment history, references, credentials, criminal background, names and previous addresses of candidates for employment are performed on all final job candidates who are invited to an on-campus interview.

Behling said the checks either come back with what she termed as a green light, yellow light or red light.

A red light includes “egregious convictions” such as violent crimes. A yellow light may flag some more minor offenses, while a green light means that nothing was returned. That information comes back to the provost, dean and director of human resources for review.

Behling said at the meeting that she did not have a list on-hand of what falls into each level of offense.

These checks can become complicated if a candidate has lived in multiple states and countries, Behling said, because it must go through all of them, and some countries are not responsive.

“If you have candidates that are very well-traveled, it’s a much more complicated endeavor, and it can really slow it down,” Behling said.

Templeton said one candidate had provided a photo identification card from a country the person had lived in more than eight years prior and then was asked to provide another when it was considered insufficient. The candidate eventually withdrew from the search, he said.

Templeton said having checks before the person comes to campus is “clumsy,” and it would be more reasonable to do them at the time of an offer instead of before a visit.

He said he has not heard of a candidate being dismissed because of a background check, and they can become cumbersome.

“It’s not that you catch every third person,” Templeton said.

Michelle Jarvis, associate dean of the Jordan College of Fine Arts, said she believes the policy has caused the college to lose candidates.

She said background checks should begin once candidates have been identified, but the search should continue while the results are completed in order to streamline the process.

For now, she said search committee members in JCFA have tried their best to explain the process to prospective faculty hires.

“We can communicate and hope for the best,” she said.

Through movement and placement, Butler’s theater department and its chair William Fisher create a performance rife with deception, class tension and mistrust. 

William Fisher absentmindedly flicks his dark-rimmed glasses behind his desk.

“I don’t think theater is plays,’” he says. “Theater exists, and plays are a part of theater.”

Since becoming the chair of Butler’s theater department last year, Fisher has directed two productions: “Small Lives, Big Dreams” and now “Tartuffe,” which opens on Friday.

He has brought to the Jordan College of Fine Arts a philosophy of directing that emphasizes the natural tendencies of actors, creating productions that present life truths in a real way.

Specifically, Fisher concentrates on movement.

“There’s no better way to lie than through words,” he said.  “The body doesn’t lie.”

Fisher’s approach to theater was developed before coming to Butler.  He lived and studied in France, concentrating on movement theater.

During rehearsals, Fisher concentrates on the spatial relationships of the actors.

At times he moves them closer together or farther apart or demonstrates a particular gesture that convey the emotions of
the characters.

Concerns like, “Is it OK if I cross the stage here? I feel stuck,” are taken very seriously.

In a rehearsal for “Tartuffe” last week, one scene was performed over and over again. The actors each came in with a well-developed character and sense of the scene, and Fisher brought his keen direction.

By the end, the actors were moving more fluidly and believably with the spoken lines flowing naturally in context with the actions and reactions of the actors.

Junior theater major Lauren Batson, who is the stage manager for “Tartuffe,” said that she is learning a lot from Fisher’s directing style.

“The actors have this opportunity to play around with their character and explore new ideas,” Batson said.  “Professor Fisher also does a great job of asking us, as students, lots of questions. It becomes a collaborative process instead of the director simply telling everyone what to do.”

Fisher said that he encourages students to take an equal responsibility in the craft of the production, a process called ensemble creation.

He said he wishes the students would take even more freedom in the development of the characters and the show. The one thing he doesn’t like actors to say is: “What do you want here?”

Shane Tarplee, a junior theater major who is playing the role of Tartuffe in the production, said he has really benefitted from this approach.

“‘Tartuffe” has been a great experience that feels more professional than any school show I have ever done,” he said. “I feel like I am respected and treated as a professional.”

“Tartuffe, ou l’Imposteur” is the story of a wealthy land-owning family that falls for the false guise of Tartuffe, a fraud who claims complete piousness while hiding more sinister motives.

“Tartuffe” is a challenging play. It is challenging for the actors, who must memorize lines and lines of rhyming couplets and present them naturally.

The play is also challenging for the audience since the story deals with deception, class issues and the ease with which trust can be manipulated and extorted.

The Butler theater department has a history of not shirking from challenging material, and Fisher said he would not have it any other way.

For him, a play needs to pose hard questions and be forward-looking.

“Theater is about learning how to be human or to be better at being human,” Fisher said.

For this reason Fisher said he does not feel compelled to present a play exactly as it was written or to follow convention in production. Making a play current is an important part of directing, though he said this does not exclusively involve taking the play out of the period in which it is set.

Fisher’s “Tartuffe” is set in modern times, but he said the play resonates at other time periods in history as well, namely post-Depression America and Huey Long’s Louisiana, the character Tartuffe not-so-subtly resembles a southern evangelical in Butler’s production.

The period chosen, Fisher said, is not an exact parallel. It is meant to highlight the class differences between the poor and wealthy that plague our society and also hints at possible wars that have taken place before the play begins.

Fisher’s unique naturalistic direction and willingness to break theater codes, coupled with the professional and enthusiastic team of actors, student managers and professors, make “Tartuffe” a must-see.

Batson said she would love for more students to come to the Butler Theater’s productions.

“The entire department works so incredibly hard to complete every aspect and detail of the show, and we would love to share our creations with everyone,” she said.

“Tartuffe” opens on Friday in the Butler Theater at Lilly Hall, and will run for two weekends.

Photo courtesy of Butler University

In its varied forms and centuries-old tradition, ballet is an art form with no written text—until now.

Jennifer Homans, dance critic, historian and author of “Apollo’s Angels: A History of Ballet,” will speak on Feb. 22 in the Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall as part of the Jordan College of Fine Arts’ “Leadership Through the Arts Forum.”

JCFA dean Ronald Caltabiano said Indianapolis is on the verge of creating its very own ballet company with the Indianapolis City Ballet’s premiere season taking off in the fall. He said this makes Homans’ visit more relevant.

“From my point of view,” Caltabiano said, “who better to talk to us as a community than someone who has done a definitive history of ballet?”

A former dancer, Homans provides insight into the culture of ballet in her new book.

Examining several facets of ballet, from the intricacy of the costumes to the way the bodies contort, Homans illuminates the past, present and future of this art form.

“The history of ballet informs the present of ballet,” Caltabiano said.

In an interview with Charlie Rose, Homans said, “I kind of became engrossed in it [ballet].”

Homans began dancing in a world dominated by Russian influence and strict movements.

In order to discover how this culture came to be, she left the dancing world and dedicated her life to researching the dancing world
instead.

The forum is intended to bring innovative and transformative voices in the arts to campus to discuss their stories and struggles and to inspire students to follow their passions.

Caltabiano said that the series is a great way to start conversation in the Indianapolis community, perhaps even sparking conversation around campus.

“Campuses can take risks more easily than professional institutions,” Caltabiano said.  “So we must.”

Dance majors are equally excited.

“It is so important to have innovators in different fields visit campus…to share their experiences and knowledge of the world we would someday like to become a part of,” Mary Kate Kronzer, a sophomore dance major said.

Since JCFA is made up of five distinct concentrations, arts administration, visual arts, dance, music and theater, the series will feature guests representative of each of these areas.

Caltabiano said that he loved Homans’ book, and he has it on his nightstand.

“I pick it up from time to time,” Caltabiano said.

Homans kicks off the series, followed by Krzysztof Urbanski, music director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and Benjamin Ball, artist, designer and founder of Ball-Nogues Studio.

Caltabiano said he is most looking forward to having the opportunity to talk to three great people.

“Everyone has taken a significant risk in his or her art,” Caltabiano said.

Homan’s discussion will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall in Robertson Hall.

LEADERSHIP THROUGH THE ARTS FORUM

JENNIFER HOMANS
7:30 p.m.
Feb. 22
Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall

KRZYSZTOF URBANSKI
7:30 p.m.
March 21
Atherton Union Reilly Room

BENJAMIN BALL
7:30 p.m.
April 25
Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall

The article “LAS, JCFA majors have worst job outlook at Butler” in The Collegian of Feb. 8 is highly misleading and inaccurate. The article maintains that “biology, history, philosophy, psychology and dance majors had the worst outlook last year for being employed within one year of graduating from Butler, according to institutional data.”

The data provided in the bar graph of the article shows, for example, that fewer than 40 percent of the graduating biology majors, zero percent of the graduating philosophy/religion majors, and fewer than 40 percent of the graduating psychology majors in 2010 found employment.

This looks grim indeed, say, as compared to marketing and management students who had an employment rate of over 80 percent within one year of graduating until one realizes that 52 percent of the graduating biology majors immediately continued with graduate or professional education, as did 100 percent of the graduating philosophy/religion majors and 67 percent of the graduating psychology majors.

Regrettably, the article fails to mention that the employment rates in these majors are so low because many of their students immediately opt for continued education.

What ultimately counts is the placement rate (the sum of the employment rate and the graduate/professional education rate) within one year of graduation and this rate is above 90 percent for most majors discussed in the article.

The article showcases the Office of Internship and Career Services and discusses how this office can help LAS and JCFA majors find jobs.

No doubt, the intention of the article is to provide encouragement for these majors, but it may end up doing the very opposite by presenting a misleading placement profile.

-Harry van der Linden,
professor of philosophy

Class of 2012 students who aren’t considering advanced degrees will find this May that some advanced studies from Butler University translate into a job faster than others.

Biology, history, philosophy, psychology and dance majors had the worst outlook last year for being employed within one year of graduating from Butler, according to institutional data.

Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Jordan College of Fine Arts may have a harder time than students in other colleges when facing the reality of filling out job applications, said Julie Schrader, manager of employer development in the office of Internship and Career Services.

“In some of the LAS majors, a lot of students have difficulty figuring out how they’re going to translate that back down into a job,” Schrader said.

Matthew Wright is a May 2011 Butler graduate with a degree in English. He is still looking for permanent, full-time employment. He said he thinks LAS majors might have a harder time getting employment because of how broad their disciplines are.

“There’s not one avenue connecting LAS majors to a job after they finish their education,” Wright said. “It’s probably a little more complicated, but we are all capable of finding a job.”

In broad disciplines, there has been some difficulty for career counselors to imagine job or career paths for graduates who solicit their help, but no major is impossible, Schrader said.

“Sometimes we have to get a little creative about classes they’ve taken and experiences they’ve had and how they can translate that into a full-time job,” Schrader said.

The office of Internship and Career Services is considering putting on an event this spring geared toward helping LAS majors identify jobs they’re interested in, Schrader said, but there are no specific plans yet.

Despite the apparent advantage of majors like computer science and accounting, which had a  100 percent job outlook, the skills obtained from a major in the liberal arts are desirable in a new hire, said Wright, who is temporarily working for Butler’s Center for Academic Technology.

“Writing and communication abilities are actually really important in pretty much every job,” Wright said.

To improve the chances of being prepared for a job after college, Schrader said she thinks students in all six academic colleges should use the resources available in the office of Internship and Career Services.

Students with majors in colleges like LAS without their own career offices have an even greater need to take advantages of the services, Schrader said.

“In the College of Business, they’ve got it squared away,” Schrader said. “But there are some departments, such as in LAS or JCFA, that just don’t have those resources.”

Schrader said her office is there to supplement those departments as needed.

“We think we have a pretty good relationship with LAS departments, but we’re always looking to strengthen those,” Schrader said. “Our goal is just to help all those departments and students in whatever they need.”

Students in the COB, whose programs boasted an average 96 percent job placement rate, attract employers because they come out of college with two internship experiences under their belts, said Mary Ellen Wolfsie, director of career development and student services for the COB.

“That gives them some solid real-world experiences,” Wolfsie said. “It’s not unusual for some internships to turn into a full-time job. That’s a big piece of it.”

Wolfsie said that COB’s office has the same services as Internship and Career Services but that COB students don’t have to put in as much effort to take advantage of them because of the office’s relationship with the academic programs.

“The resources are there,” Wolfsie said, “but the difference is that in other colleges, students may have to take the initiative to take advantage of those resources.”

Students who choose to visit the office of Internship and Career Services may solicit the office’s help with trying to find an internship after graduation, going over a résumé or simply talking about career path options.

“We dig into really where their passion lies,” Schrader said, “and what they’re really good at.”