Category: Stories In Focus

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Stories In Focus

Film Review: Manchester By The Sea

One of the best things about the recent film Manchester By The Sea is the way that its plot meanders so patiently. It is in no rush to jump to hasty conclusions or unnatural climaxes – which, unfortunately, is likely what many audience members will hate about it. But to fully appreciate what director Kenneth Lonergan is doing, to experience the portrait of grief he is painting, and to feel its depth and breadth so fully, to do so in any way other than the painstaking, reserved, and measured approach it takes would have done the film a major injustice.

Manchester By The Sea is another creation from the Damonfleck vault (Matt Damon is producer on the project), evidenced by the depiction of Massachusetts blue-collar life, and, of course, the inevitable exploitation of words that have r’s in them. Mentions of “StAH Trek” and “ShAHk attacks” abound, but more than the superficial in-jokes audience members love to hear in movies about New England, Lonergan has created a film designed to move beyond clichés and skin-deep relatability. This one you can feel down in your bones if you let it. It doesn’t follow the conventional story beats for characters going through the grieving process. It doesn’t pull happy endings out of thin air. Coping mechanisms have to be discovered and there are no guarantees that everyone will.

The story is concerned primarily with Lee, Casey Affleck’s character, his performance of which there is far too much to say than could feasibly be discussed in this review. Without giving too much away, Lee is called back to his hometown in Manchester-By-the-Sea after the death of his older brother Joe (played in flashbacks by Kyle Chandler) who had suffered a prolonged bout with congestive heart failure. Lee by extension then becomes the sole guardian of Patrick, Joe’s fifteen-year-old son. Basically, everything is a mess and no one wants any part of the situation. That much is obvious and easy to understand on paper. But the beauty of Manchester’s story is in its revelation of details. Information tumbles out slowly and always at the peak of tension, much the same way as it would in a taut crime thriller. We can only infer the baggage that Lee carries with him. We know that it’s there. We can see it in his eyes, in the way he moves, and speaks. But we’re only told when the director decides to let us in on the horrible secret.

Everyone has seen bad movies (and even good movies) that rely on communicating plots and storylines through clunky exposition and forced dialogue. Lonergan knows that his audience is not too dumb to fill in the gaps. When Lee gets a phone call from a doctor to tell him of his brother’s passing there is no cringey “What?? My brothAH’s dead?!?!?” There is no scene like that. That is not who Lee is. That is not how Lee reacts to things. It is brilliant moments of subdued acting and characterization that add so effortlessly to Manchester’s tortured but grounded aesthetic. No one creates more of these moments than Casey Affleck. He is just as incredible as every critic has claimed. It’s rare to see any character in a film communicate such immense pain with such minute gestures and minimal dialogue. If Casey Affleck is top Oscar priority as far as awards go, the screenplay is a close number two, and maybe shouldn’t even be that low.

To be clear, Manchester By the Sea is not a sadistic two-hour tearfest. Far from it. It has great moments of levity; scenarios where you can relax your shoulders and just inhabit the world that Lee and his nephew live in. Both actors play off one another as only family members do when they are young enough to laugh at the same jokes. Their relationship is more than just the cornerstone of the movie, but of each other’s lives. They need each other so clearly, but, like everything else in Manchester, this too is temporary; a Band-Aid to be torn off after the scar tissue has closed up and hardened again, never truly getting the time or care to heal. These are working-class Boston men, after all.

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Stories In Focus

Joining the P-Staff: Houghton’s New VP of Finance

Vincent Morris, Houghton College’s new Vice President of Finance, started his first day on the job in September. “I suppose I could be considered part of the incoming ‘class of ’20,’” he joked. “Although I don’t know when—or if—I’ll graduate!” Morris moved to Houghton from Chicago, Illinois, over the summer, and has been pleasantly surprised by the weather thus far, prompting what he described as “naïve doubts about the true ferocity of winter in Western New York.”

Morris’s career path prior to Houghton is eclectic and winding, yet unified by a core passion for students. He “served as a youth minister for an enjoyable decade,” worked at Wheaton College as the Director of Risk Management, and most recently worked as higher education consultant for colleges and universities in the United States and around the world. “I missed the influence for Kingdom work as a single higher education institution,” said Morris. “So I was open to listen when President Mullen suggested I consider joining the Houghton team.”

As the Vice President of Finance at Houghton, Morris is responsible for ensuring that the college’s financial resources are managed efficiently and effectively. “Many, many days [are] spent ’rasslin’ with the budget!” said Morris, adding that a major challenge is attempting to keep tuition “at least sort of affordable” despite ever-rising expenses. He added, “[We] do want to meet payroll and keep the heat and power on for those who want to write a late-night paper or have a Fallout binge or shotgun Netflix shows or bake Christmas cookies or have an RDT or whatever. So that takes resource management.”

Morris serves as part of the president’s staff, a group of core advisors to president Shirley Mullen. The “P-staff,” as Morris calls it, is comprised of vice presidents representing a wide range of college departments and offices, from student life to advancement and external relations. According to Jack Connell, Provost and Dean of the Faculty (as well as another member of the president’s staff), members of this team “collaborate closely together . . . in making the numerous administrative, strategic, and budgetary decisions that are required to operate the college.” Connell described Morris as “curious, creative, energetic, insightful, intelligent, and passionate about Christian higher education,” adding that Morris “brings a tremendous amount of experience and expertise” due to his consulting work with colleges and universities.

In addition to his official responsibilities, Morris has been able to engage personally with the Houghton community during his time here. “A local pastor asked me to a delightful lunch-and-conversation early on,” said Morris. He also added that “Several faculty and staff . . . have graciously invited me into their homes,” gestures he has appreciated doubly because he’s been “batch-ing it” while his wife ties up work at her art studio at Wheaton College.

Morris also played a key role in this year’s Christmas-tree-lighting chapel service at the college. After President Mullen oversaw the lighting of the tree, Morris came up to read “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” a book by Barbara Robinson about six unruly, irreligious children, the Herdmans, who secure the lead roles in a church Christmas pageant.

Morris began with a witty self-introduction, confessing to be “that guy at parties, that asks people to punctuate ‘God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,’ and reminds people that we don’t really know that Christ was born on the twenty-fifth of December.” Nevertheless, he asked the audience to suspend their disbelief regarding potential inaccuracies in traditional Christmas pageants, for the purpose of engaging with the story.

And engage they did. The end-of-semester chapel remnant sat spellbound as Morris read for over half an hour. Bursts of laughter bubbled from the audience, as well as the orchestra onstage, as Morris deftly slipped into different voices to suit the characters, from nasally, tough-talking Imogen Herdman to pristinely snotty Alice Wendelken.

When asked what he’d like students to know about him, Morris shared a diverse taste in music, ranging from Beethoven to Mumford and Sons to Pentatonix to the Hamilton soundtrack. He also said that he owns “all the extensions and expansions for ‘Settlers of Catan’ and [has] a very large table in [his] apartment,” as well as “popcorn, cheese, chips, dip, apples, and often some special reserve deep-dish pizza in the freezer too… just sayin’…”

Broke, bored, and hungry college students, take note.

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Stories In Focus

A Bolder Boulder

Houghton Students Revive Yearbook

For the past two years, Houghton has lacked in one of the quintessential college institutions: the yearbook. This year, however, Michael Carpenter ’17 has gathered a team of Houghton students to produce a yearbook for the 2016-2017 year. Noting that “it’s sad that Houghton didn’t have that for a couple of years,” Carpenter has taken the initiative to revive the yearbook. “We have to kick-start it,” said Michael Green ’17, a yearbook team member.

Photo by: Nate Moore
Photo by: Nate Moore

Both Green and Carpenter are prepared to “kick-start” Houghton’s yearbook, having had previous experience with yearbooks in high school. “I loved it,” Carpenter said. “I thought it was a great opportunity to practice graphic design and photography with the end result being something special for a lot of people.” He has gathered a group of students who are also excited and dedicated. Seth Pearson ’20, another member of the yearbook team, expressed, “I feel like I am part of something special by helping to bring it back.” Green noted the visible signs of progress. “We’ve had photographers at a lot of events lately,” he said, and added“I’ve been organizing what pages might go where.” The team is also in contact with Houghton’s clubs and teams, which they hope to clearly represent. “We’re trying to make it as comprehensive and accurate a compilation as can be,” Green said.

While Carpenter noted the progress of the yearbook, he also expressed the difficulty of taking initiative to revive the yearbook. “It has been more complicated than I’ve wanted it to be,” he said. Because of the lapse in years of producing a yearbook, a transition process is lacking. “It’s not as much passing the baton as refashioning the baton,” Green explained. Yet Carpenter looks forward to the finished product. “I enjoy the process,” he said. “ Having something to take home, that physical book, makes all the behind the scenes work worth it to me.” He added that the revived yearbook will include “pieces of Houghton yearbooks past,” such as old photography and design.

With the fall semester nearly at an end, the yearbook team is beginning to look forward to the finished product. “Soon we’ll be working a lot on taking students’ orders, advertising, that sort of thing,” Carpenter said. “We’re hoping that when we’re ready to take orders, students will be excited to do so.” He estimates being ready to take orders at the beginning of the spring semester, and emphasized that they are striving for an affordable price.

The team does recognize the concern for the value of yearbooks in the face of social media. “Considering how saturated our lives are with social media, yearbooks might seem out of date,” Green acknowledged. Yet he and Carpenter both stand by the benefits of a yearbook beyond social media. “A yearbook represents everyone,” said Green. “It better depicts a whole of what goes on at Houghton rather than the little snapshot they might get in day to day life.”

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Stories In Focus

Where the Apple Falls

Cuttings from Isaac Newton’s Tree Planted in Houghton

For centuries, elementary school teachers have told their students the story of the apple that fell from a tree onto Sir Isaac Newton’s head, sparking an idea about a new theory of universal gravitation. Now visitors to Houghton College can find two young saplings, descendants of those famous apple trees, growing beside the Paine Science Center.

Photo by: Nate Moore
Photo by: Nate Moore

The trees were a gift to Houghton from president Taylor Reveley of the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg. The Virginia college received their trees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which in turn obtained cuttings of Newton’s original trees from the Royal Botanical Gardens in London. William & Mary’s Assistant to the Provost, Houghton alumnus Jeremy Martin, helped to facilitate the trees’ journey to Houghton.   

While the truth of the apple tree anecdote has never been confirmed, Newton’s reputation as one of the most brilliant and wide-ranging scientific minds of all time has been assured since the publication of his three-part Principia, a seminal point in the development of physics. Over the years, the story of the Newton Tree has endured as a powerful emblem of scientific curiosity. A small cutting of the tree even made it as far as the International Space Station, when The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut, Piers Sellers, carried it on board the shuttle Atlantis in 2010.

Thus the arrival of the trees is perfectly timed, as this year’s freshman physics class was the largest in several years and the department is poised to soon introduce an engineering degree. “It’s kind of an exciting time for physics,” said Mark Yuly, professor of physics and chair of the mathematics and natural science department. He continued, “And I think the tree is something that represents the past and represents the future.”

According to the Houghton website, the trees were dedicated over Homecoming weekend, with speeches from college president, Shirley Mullen; professor of biology,James Wolfe; and assistant professor of physics, Kurt Aikens commemorating the occasion before an audience of alumni. A plaque beside the trees bears a quote from Newton himself and states, “It is the perfection of God’s works that they are all done with the greatest simplicity. He is the God of order and not confusion.”

Throughout his life, Newton wrote extensively on, not only science, but also theology and Biblical interpretation. For this very reason, Mullen believes the tree’s significance extends far beyond its worldly fame, symbolizing the fundamental and forgotten unity between science and faith. “One of the great tragedies of the modern period is how in our culture science and faith have become separated,” she said. “In many people’s minds, they’re actually viewed as antagonistic. That is so historically wrong, and so counter to what the actual history of faith and science has been. In a sense, this is a way of inspiring the retelling of a larger vision of faith and science.”

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Reviews Stories In Focus

TV Review // Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life

Photo courtesy of popcrush.com

When the television series Gilmore Girls appeared in its entirety on Netflix in October 2014, fans new and old were prompted to binge watch the WB classic. For seven seasons, the show followed former teen mom Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and her teenage daughter and best friend Rory (Alexis Bledel) as they built a relationship with Lorelai’s parents Emily (Kelly Bishop) and Richard (Edward Herrmann), supported Rory’s journey from prep school Chilton to Yale University, managed their extremely flawed romantic relationships, and made their home in the small, quirky town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. In the late 90’s and early 2000’s, the series was known for its Sorkin-esque fast-talking characters, numerous pop culture references, and entitled, yet endearing leading ladies. When the show found a new home on the popular online streaming website, it also found a renewed place in pop culture, turning up in Buzzfeed lists and quizzes, Tumblr posts, and even the podcast “Gilmore Guys” in which two twenty-something men recap every episode.

The cultural revival of the show hit its apex when an actual revival was announced earlier this year by Netflix. Finally, fans could revisit all of their favourite Stars Hollow characters, learn where Rory’s journalism career had taken her, and, most importantly, hear the final four words of the show that creator and executive producer Amy Sherman-Palladino had promised them a decade ago. The full main cast was slated to return, aside from the late Herrmann, and Melissa McCarthy who played Lorelai’s best friend Sookie St. James. Sherman-Palladino and her husband, executive producer Daniel Palladino, who were absent for last season of the show, were both on board. Expectations, unsurprisingly, were high.

Rather than filming a full new season of the show, Netflix announced that the revival would be a mini-series of hour and a half long episodes featuring four seasons in the lives of the Gilmores, appropriately titled Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. All four episodes were released on November 25, coaxing fans away from the mall on Black Friday to sit in front of their computers and finally see what became of their beloved Gilmores.

A Year in the Life opens with iconic quotes from the original show’s seven seasons, immediately identifying itself as a show intended for fans of the original series. Some scenes that long-time fans will find exciting, like Kirk’s second short film, or the Life and Death Brigade’s homage to Across the Universe, will be just plain confusing to new viewers. That’s not to say that there isn’t plenty in this series for non-fans and Gilmore Girls fans (or, as I prefer to call us, “Gillies”) alike to be enjoy. From Paris Geller’s (Liza Weil) freak out in a Chilton bathroom, to Lorelai’s decision to do Wild (the book, not the movie), the series is as clever in its humor as the original. Even McCarthy makes a brief comic appearance in the fourth episode.

The show generally maintains a balance of witty comedy and emotional drama, including the kind of mother-daughter (namely Lorelai versus Emily and Lorelai versus Rory) shouting matches that are never overdone, but hit just the right note. All of the familial arguments are earned, as are their resolutions, after a thoughtful set-up and resolution by Sherman-Palladino. Most impressive is how Sherman-Palladino handles Herrmann’s death. He isn’t forgotten, in fact the Gilmore patriarch has an immense presence in the new show, mostly in the form of wall-sized portrait hanging in Emily’s house. We are shown scenes from his funeral in the first episode, but he isn’t seen until the final episode, in which Rory walks through her grandparents’ house and imagines him still with her. While the scene could have been trite, it fits the show’s ending well, giving viewers closure with Richard’s character.

Providing closure to character arcs is one element that Sherman-Palladino has a difficult time with in this iteration of the series. She has stayed true to the original characters in the revival, and provides rich arcs for both Emily and Lorelai. But Rory does not seem to have grown up between the ages of 22 and 32. While her morals were always somewhat loose (Rory loses her virginity to her married ex-boyfriend and there’s that one time she steals a yacht), it surprised me to find her in an ongoing affair with an engaged ex-boyfriend while she also cheats on her “forgettable” boyfriend.

Instead of the hard-working Rory who once made articles on boring subjects for her high school newspaper shine with creativity, we are introduced to a Rory with only a few published articles under her belt, who spends her free time jetting between London and Connecticut to carry on her affair. The formerly tenacious character thinks it’s beneath her to write for online media and gives up an opportunity writing a piece for Condé Nast after one day. The privilege that has followed her from Chilton to Yale to her first reporting job has obviously come to an end. Even in the last episode when she decides to write a book, she does not appear to have grown at all. And then there’s the final four words.

I won’t spoil them for you, but I will say that they make it clear that Rory has a lot more growing to do. Does this mean more episodes? Opinions differ, after all, these were the intended final four words of the show. Personally, I think a return would not only be the best way to flesh out Rory’s character arc, but it would be great for television in general. Despite Rory’s lack of redemption at the finale, she, Lorelai and Emily remain three of the most complex and nuanced female characters written for television in the 2000s, and I would welcome a return. Where they lead, I will follow.

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Stories In Focus

Houghton Student Wins Amateur Bagpiping Competition in Albany

Both the traditional welcome and send-off for Houghton students is a march around the quad, led by someone dressed in formal Scottish “Highlander” attire and playing the bagpipes. Starting in 2014, the leader has been an actual Houghton student, who has now won an award for his art. On October 8, Andrew Hutton ’18 was named the overall winner of the Nicol-Brown amateur invitational in Albany, New York. According to their official website, this invitational provides top amateur pipers with a prestigious competition, and sets a standard by which to judge their piping. The competition is considered one of the top two amateur competitions in North America, as well as one of the top overall competitions in the world.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Hutton
Photo courtesy of Andrew Hutton

Hutton began playing the bagpipes when he was ten years old. He started with the Paris Port Dover Pipe band near his hometown, and has expanded his experience since. “I began competing in solo and band competitions when I was twelve. A major highlight for me was going to the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland when I was twelve years old,” he said. “I also played in the Basel International Tattoo and Festival in Switzerland, as well as at funerals and memorials for special relatives and friends.”

These opportunities have been the product of Hutton’s discipline and dedication to bagpiping, as well as the intentional support he has behind him. “Without my instructors, Ed Neigh and Bruce Gandy, and my parents, I would not have been able to reach the level that I am at now.”

The Hutton family has not only fully supported him along the way, but has also played a major role in how Hutton began the art of piping. “My great-great grandparents are originally from Scotland,” he said. “My cousin played the bagpipe and encouraged my older brother to take up the pipes. My older brother eventually inspired me to play.” Hutton’s grandmother, Ruth (Fancher) Hutton, graduated from Houghton in 1943, and his grandfather graduated in 1957. Hutton’s great-grandfather was one of the four Fanchers for whom the Houghton building was named.

Hutton’s bagpiping journey has not only brought him success, but also many lessons and friendships along the way. “I’ve learned that hard work and dedication eventually pays off,” he said. “I’ve made a lot of lasting friendships that have developed over the years as a result of piping. I love bagpiping because of the intricacy and meaning of the music.”

Houghton has utilized Hutton’s gift of bagpiping for school events, and will continue to utilize his gift in future events. “Houghton students, faculty, and staff have been very appreciative every time I have played for a school event and I am happy to do more,” he said.

Hutton has served Houghton College and also the families within the community with his gift. Kristin and Souly Sanasith are one of these families. “Andrew has invested in our family and has endearingly earned the nick-name ‘Bagpipes’ from each of our four children,” Mrs. Sanasith said. “We continue to be impressed by Andrew’s strong faith, diligent work ethic, and continued engagement with our family.”

She added that Hutton has even taken on the role of teacher in their household. He meets with their son Carson weekly to teach him bagpiping. Mrs. Sanasith continued, “Souly and I love having students our children can look up to, and Andrew continues to bless each member of our family. We are so proud of his accomplishments and are thrilled to have him in our family’s life.”

Hutton’s gift of bagpiping is not just a hobby. He considers his role as a calling. He anticipates future opportunities where he will not only gain more recognition for his gift, but where he may further his calling by helping others along the way. “I will definitely continue to play for weddings, funerals, and special events. I will continue to compete in solo competitions at the professional level in North America and Scotland. I also will continue to teach and pass not the legacy I have been given.”

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Stories In Focus

It’s All About the Climb: Houghton’s Rock Wall

Campus Club Invites Students to Climb Rock Wall Weekly

Three nights a week, students have the opportunity to boulder and belay down the wall of the auxiliary gym, where of the campus rock wall is located.  The wall is open each Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights for free climb time, facilitated by students who are trained to run the wall. Anyone can show up and join, even if they do not have any prior experience with rock climbing.

Photo by: Michael Sievers
Photo by: Michael Sievers

Jackson Baker ’18 has been working at the wall for two years, and has been running the Climbing Club for one year. “We have people that stay for all two hours and we have people that pop in for twenty minutes after going for a run,” he said. “I really love the atmosphere that the wall has. People are usually hesitant when they first come, but it’s a really laid-back vibe, good music and lots of just hanging out and talking.”

The purpose of the Climbing Club is to teach people to climb and encourage them to be active and challenged on the wall. They work to maintain a non-competitive atmosphere that is easy to join in to from the moment one steps into the auxiliary gym for the first time. Wesley Payette ’17 has been involved with climbing ever since his freshman year. He said, “My favorite part of climbing is the obvious progress people make after only a few days of coming. It’s a great sport if you want a physical workout and a mental workout at the same time, since climbing a route is like solving a problem.”

On a typical night of climbing, there are between 10 and 30 students who show up. Throughout the night, students take turns trying out different routes and hanging out on the mats to socialize with other climbers. Carina Martin ’18, who has been a part of the Climbing Club for about a year and a half, talked about what a typical night of climbing looks like for her. She said, “I get to the wall, warm up a little bit on some routes that I know well, and then move on some more challenging projects.” She has enjoyed being a part of the club and has fun with the people she has climbed with. She added, “That casual, friendly atmosphere was what made me fall in love with the sport.”

Along with open nights of climbing during the week, the club has occasional planned events. They show climbing films, and they are hoping to plan trips to other climbing locations, including the Red Barn climbing gym at RIT. They also want to spend more time at outdoor climbing locations in the area once the weather gets warmer.

The Climbing Club meets 7 to 9 p.m. on Mondays and 8 to10 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays  in the Nielsen Center.

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Stories In Focus

Like Son, Like Father

Three International Students’ Fathers Give Talks on Houghton Campus

Three international students recently had a taste of home as their fathers visited campus to deliver lectures.

Senior Travis Trotman’s father, Livingston Trotman, is scheduled to speak in chapel today. Livingston is a Wesleyan pastor in Barbados. According to Travis, he always knew he wanted his father to speak in chapel. Living so far away from Houghton, however, this was no easy feat. He said, “I didn’t want it to be like, ‘Hey dad, they want you to speak in chapel.’ Then they’d have to pay him to come, and all this. I didn’t want it to be a big process.”

flickr.com
flickr.com

Travis explained that his parents had already made plans to visit Houghton to attend his last Prism performance. Once he knew the dates, he told Dean of the Chapel, Michael Jordan, who put the plans into motion. While he is unsure what topic Livingston will speak about, Travis said, “I think he can bring a different view and a different insight on whatever he speaks about.” When asked what he was most excited, he replied, “For my dad to see campus [for the first time] since they dropped me off four years ago, and so he can see my growth on campus, and what I do”

Travis is also excited at the prospect of snow, not for himself, but for his parents. He laughed and added, “My parents don’t really like snow, so I’m hoping it snows.”

John Khalaf ‘19 is an Egypt native. His father, Atef Khalaf, was also invited to speak in an evening lecture on November 3. John explained Atef, a general superintendent for the Wesleyan Church in Egypt, spoke “about what’s happening, is it really completely dark, what positives [exist], the good things happening, and how can we pray for that.” Much like Travis, after finding out his father would be visiting, John spoke with Jordan, and an opportunity for Atef to speak was presented.

Overall, he thought the lecture was a success and students were able to relate more to his dad because he is a student, himself. “If I know the person whose parent’s coming, I can relate to his life, and his parent’s life too. I can understand where he comes from. I can relate more to someone I might know,” John said.

Sophomore Shehan Rodrigo’s father also gave a chapel talk, sharing his faith journey on November 4. Unlike Travis and John, however, Shehan played no part in his father’s chapel attendance. Shehan shared, “I’m not 100% sure about how that happened. I wanted him to speak in chapel, but I couldn’t give the dates.” He continued, “I think Josh Mason, who’s a theology student here, he heard that my dad was coming, because I told him, he spoke to Dean Jordan to try and fit him in, and then one day I got an email from Dean Jordan asking if my dad would like to speak.”

Shehan echoed John, saying, “It’s not just some speaker from another country, it’s a speaker from another country whose son is in the school. People have known me here for about a year now, and they can relate what my dad is saying through me, I guess. Especially me and my dad, we have any similarities. It was funny. People get to see more of me, but not through me.”

Shehan’s favorite part of his father being on campus, though, was being able to speak his language again. He chuckled, “There’s so much humor that no one will get because no one speaks my language and nobody knows my culture here. There’s so many things I keep to myself because I can’t share with anyone. It was nice to have my dad here to actually share it with someone who understood.”

Shehan described the ability to have his dad on campus as an “great way to show off my dad a bit.” He said, “I’m glad it happened. It was one of those proud son kind of things.”

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Stories In Focus

Ceramics Alumna Invitational in CFA

Photo by: Nate Moore

Former Art Students Return for Ceramics Alumni Invitational

Each year Houghton graduates art students who use a variety of mediums, clay being one of them. On Monday, November 18, the Houghton Art Department will host some of these former students and their artwork in a Ceramics Alumni Invitational in the Ortlip Gallery.. This event will feature various pieces of ceramic art from seventeen Houghton graduates in the Center for Fine Arts from 6-8 p.m.

Alicia Taylor-Austin, director of exhibitions for the Ortlip Gallery and assistant professor of art, said she looks forward to this unique opportunity. “Houghton hosts exhibitions of both established and emerging artists every year,” she said. “This is a unique Alumni Invitational Exhibition specifically focused on artists working in clay who have graduated from Houghton with a degree in art and are actively making ceramic work.”

Gary Baxter, professor of art, serves as the curator of the show. Last year, when he announced his plans for retirement after 35 years of teaching ceramics, sculpture, 3D Design, furniture design, and ancient art history in the department, Baxter and his colleagues planned for a show to exhibit the work of his students who came through Houghton’s program under his teaching and are currently active in the field. He had the privilege of inviting seventeen artists to participate in the gallery. “I was impressed when I saw the work,” he said. “What they’ve done in the gallery in this exhibit will be quite different than what they did while they were students here. They’ve progressed quite a bit over the years.” After receiving work from artists living and working across the United States, Indonesia, and Tanzania, Baxter and Taylor-Austin worked together to design the show.

As a current student, Jill Magara ’17, a studio art major with a concentration in ceramics and photography, is also excited to observe the artistic progress that alumni have made. “It’s exciting for me to see how Professor Baxter’s students’ styles have developed after undergrad. It’s always a really great opportunity to talk with Houghton alumni about how they’ve gotten to the place in the career that they’re at.”

This invitational will provide current Houghton students with the opportunity to not only enjoy the art, but also to learn from alumni. “I think this opening is important because it’s filled with Houghton alumni. These are students that have been in our place years before us and we get to see their successes and talk with them one-on-one about their experiences, successes, and failures,” Magara said. “This doesn’t happen often as an undergrad studying art.”

This invitational is a special opportunity for both professors and students alike to observe professional ceramic art. “There will be a variety of ceramics in the show. Some will be sculptures, some will be low-fire pottery. There is a wide variety of different ways of working as well as the different material they’ve used,” Baxter said. “I was impressed with the students’ work. In fact, it occurred to me that many of them have surpassed me. That was very gratifying to see that.”

Not only that, but this exhibit will be a celebration of Baxter’s loyalty to the art department. “One of the most exciting elements of this show is that you can see the result of Gary’s dedication to teaching,” Taylor-Austin said. “He has instilled very lasting impressions of technique and skill along with a thoughtful approach to working in this medium, conveying ideas, and creating both functional and sculptural work.”

The Ceramics Alumni Invitational Exhibition will feature works by Aaron Harrison, Alic Drew, Arryn Vogan, Barb Arensen, Betsy Addison, Elizabeth Addison, Eric Holbein, Jason Herring, Jennifer Depaolo, Lisa York, Lydia Ferwerda, Marc LeMaire, Nancy Petrillo, Naomi Woolsey, Patricia Ocock, Paul Christensen.

This will be Houghton’s first time hosting a Ceramics Alumni Invitational, making it a rare privilege for the Houghton community to come together and celebrate the ceramic artwork done by Houghton alumni. The work will remain in the Ortlip Gallery from November 14 to January 13.

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Stories In Focus

Philosopher and Author Speaks at Houghton

This year’s Woolsey lecturer is James K.A. Smith, professor of philosophy at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as well as the author of a number of books. Among the most notable of his works are Desiring the Kingdom and Imagining the Kingdom, the first two books in an unfinished trilogy entitled “Cultural Liturgies.” His newest book and title of this year’s lecture series, You Are What You Love, came out this summer, and is in some ways an introduction to Smith’s philosophy and work in the trilogy.

facebook.com/jameskasmith
facebook.com/jameskasmith

Smith’s works are concerned with convincing the reader that the church focuses on the rational side of humanity far too much. One of the ideas expressed in You Are What You Love is that the Reformation boiled the mystery out of religion. Smith writes that religion became something that treated humanity as “brains-on-a-stick.” That is to say people were treated as if they were only rational, and that thinking was the best way to change people’s actions. He writes, “Your love or desire – aimed at a vision of the good life that shapes how you see the world while also moving and motivating you – is operative on a largely non-conscious level. Your love is a kind of automaticity.”

For Smith, the way to the head is through the desires of the heart. This interplay between head and heart is fundamental to him. He is most certainly not making an argument against the importance of the head, but rather attempting to bring the heart into better focus. Much of his work reflects this emphasis and encourages the reader to become aware of the falsehood claiming that reason is everything. According to Smith, desire plays one of, if not the biggest role, in human decision-making.

When asked about his work, Smith stated, “My argument, my passion, is to help evangelical Protestants remember they are catholic.” He continued, “That is, I think the future of the faith looks ancient, and that worship renewal comes from remembering what we have forgotten, constructively retrieving the rhythms and rituals of historic Christian worship as a reservoir of the Spirit’s formative power.” Smith wishes to invite the Protestant church back into an ancient conversation, which will require churches to become intentional. Smith said Christian education “needs to be holistic, not just providing contents for the mind but inscribing habits of the heart, what ancient thought described in terms of virtue.”

According to self-described “fanboy” of Smith, dean of the chapel, Michael Jordan, Smith’s message will be fresh for Houghton students. “I don’t know if people have really heard what he has to say yet,” said Jordan. He added that what Smith has to say, especially how the head and the heart are connected, is vital. “People of my parents’ generation who have worked at Houghton grew up in holiness churches who devalued the head and relied on the heart,” Jordan said.

Houghton, as a place that values the growth and shaping of the mind so heavily, can easily displace the importance of shaping the heart as well. Jordan believes what Smith has to say might flesh out what campus ministry can be for people and how it can be most impactful.

Smith will give two talks open to Houghton students while he is here, as well as several closed sessions for a ministry conference. The first will be Thursday, November 17 at 7 p.m. in the Center for Fine Arts (CFA) recital hall, and the other will be Friday, November 18 in the Wesley Chapel during the regularly scheduled chapel time.