ampersand magazine, october issue

[ A M P E R S A N D ]

OCTOBER 2012 A PUBLICATION OF THE RED & BLACK

WORD OF MOUTH ZOMBIE ART PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST

ISSUE

THE

ART

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3AMPERSAND OCTOBER 2012

C O N T E N T S

October

6 Gallery Gab Like You Know

7 Intro to Art

Phone Photo Tips

11 Sparkle and Shine

12 Body Art

15 Food: Eating with your Eyes

14

19

21

28

Word of Mouth

Zombie Art

Fashion: Smart Ads

Portrait of an Artist

COVER SHOT

10

2012 &AMPERSAND MAGAZINE

WHO: Andrew Giannakakis, a local artist who works primarily in paint and ink.

PAGE 28: His views on art, art school and how he sees his own career developing post-graduation.

FACE PAINT: Before sitting patiently as our managing editor painted on a caricature mustache, Giannakakis looked up pictures of Dali on his iPhone to give us some inspiration. A friend of his thought up the idea.

COVER PHOTO BY MAURA FRIEDMAN

ON THE COVER

26 Creative Community Service

STRIKE A POSE:

YOGA AS ARTPAGE 12

PHOTO BY SHANDA CROWE

4 AMPERSAND OCTOBER 2012

&AMPERSAND MAGAZINE

EXECUTIVE EDITORMAURA FRIEDMAN

MANAGING EDITORDARCY LENZ

DESIGN EDITORLOGAN PORTER

PHOTO EDITORLINDSAY BOYLE

FASHION EDITORMARGARET HARNEY

RECRUITMENT EDITOR

LYRIC LEWIN

JESSIE MOONEY

FOOD EDITORSDARCY LENZ

GINA YU

DESIGNERS

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

PHOTOGRAPHERSSHANDA CROWEKAITLYN FRIZZELL EVAN STICHLER

SAMUEL SUTLIVEKENDALL THACKER

KAVI VU

COPY EDITORMOLLY BERG

PUBLISHERHARRY MONTEVIDEO

EDITORIAL ADVISERED MORALES

BUSINESS MANAGERERIN BEASLEY

ADVERTISING

ADVERTISING DIRECTORNATALIE MCCLURE

STUDENT AD MANAGERDANA COX

MARKETING COORDINATORSCLAIRE BARRON

JOSEPHINE BRUCKERHANNAH COUCH

PATRICK KLIBANOFFREBECCA POWELLDEREK REIMHEREMELISSA VOLPE

DISTRIBUTION

AD ASSISTANTLAUREL HOLLAND

PRODUCTION

CREATIVE DIRECTORDAN ROTH

CREATIVE ASSISTANTSSCOTT SOLOMON

CALEB HAYESBENNETT TRAVERS

COPYRIGHT 2012: NO PORTION OF THIS MAGAZINE MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE PUB-LISHER. THE RED & BLACK RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REFUSE ADVERTISING FOR ANY REASON. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED BY WRITERS DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OPINION OF THE RED & BLACK OR THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA.

BEN BOWDOINJOHN MAYFIELD

OPERATIONS ASSISTANTASHLEY OLDHAM

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTLAURA HALLETT

ACCOUNT MANAGERWILL WHITE

ABBEY BOEHMERSARA DELGADO

JAKE GREENSARAH LAWRENCE

LIRIE RAMADANIBRITTANY ROBERTSON

KARLA SCHOTTKC SMITH

NOEMIE TSHINANGA

ANDY BARTONCAITLYN BOHANNONHILARY BUTSCHEK

LORI KEONG BRITTINI RAY

GINA YUHANNA YU

ASSISTANT FASHION EDITORKIMMY KESLIN

ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

FASHION TEAMASHLEY LONGTUKIO MACHINI

EDITORIAL

STAFF

75%–Core, 2011

of UGA undergrads

do not feel alcohol

makes people sexier.

over

Most UGA studentsmake low risk decisions

about alcohol.

uhs.uga.edu/aod/NCAAchoices.html

For Alcohol Awareness and EducationUniversity Health Center • University of GeorgiaA unit of the Division of Student Affairs

make smartchoices. be a

As a kid, I didn’t have season passes to theme parks – I had a membership to the art museum (my mother’s an artist who hates roller coasters). No matter which exhibits came and went at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, I was always drawn to the permanent Howard Finster collection. Little did I know then that my favorite folk artist helped design the album cover for Athens powerhouse R.E.M.’s second album. Art is just a part of the Classic City.

The best part of putting together our art issue was the brainstorming. After all, what constitutes art? Although my aesthetics class taught me that’s a loaded philosophical question, here at Ampersand we decided to stretch our definition of art to include all sorts of passionate people pursuing creative outlets. We wanted a distinctly Athens view of art.

Artists in this town span from a candid, abstract painter (pg. 28) to an inspired jewelry maker (pg. 11) to enthusiastic yogis (pg. 12), and we tried to capture the stories behind their craft. And whether you’re an artist yourself and looking for a way to lend your skills to others (pg. 26) or an art novice who just needs to make conversation at a gallery opening (pg. 6), there’s something for you in this month’s pages.

Where do you see art? Connect with us at facebook.com/ampersand.uga. Whether you create music, writing, visuals or anything else, we want to hear your stories. Because this month we found only one universal opinion about art: that it’s best when shared.

Cheers,

LETTER FROMTHE EDITOR

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Send us feedback! We want your input on our publication. Send an email to [email protected] with thoughts, questions, comments or criticism.

6 AMPERSAND OCTOBER 2012ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH lAWRENCE

LEAD-INS

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Clamoring voices fill the spacious Georgia Museum lobby as students strategize for the scavenger hunt. Both art majors and non-majors pair up in collaborative efforts to win the coveted prize, a variety of museum giveaways. Winners of the Georgia Museum of Art’s (GMOA) student night scavenger hunt walk away with museum paraphernalia and a stronger grasp on student opportunities at the GMOA and beyond.

Hoping to promote fine arts among students,

the University of Georgia offers an assortment of interactive means for students to explore the arts—from galleries, to organizations, to beginner classes.

A Guide for Athens Art Novices to Get Involved

Approaching Art

7AMPERSAND OCTOBER 2012STORY BY BRITTINI RAY, PHOTOS BY kENDAll THACkER

The Georgia Museum of Art is a perfect starting point for students looking to learn more about art.

LEAD-INS

LEAD-INS


ART FOR EVERYONE CURTAIN CALL INTRO TO THE ARTS

A free resource to Athens’ citizens as well as students, the GMOA hosts events throughout the semester that showcase its vast wealth of art. The University and state museum plans

activities to engage patrons including student nights, museum mixers and a quarterly open house titled 90 Carlton. Students can also join the Georgia Museum of Art intern program, which gives trainees an incisive look into the business side of art. The museum holds free weekly tours every Wednesday to showcase its permanent and temporary collections.

“Art is just such an ancient form of communication for humans and the barrier

of entry is low in visual art...we have a diverse array of art,” Michael Lachowski, director of public relations at the GMOA, said. “There is something for everyone here.”

For curious art novices, the University offers classes specifically for non-art majors. Students can register for beginner classes that provide a basic understanding of various art forms such as Introduction to Acting and Appreciation of Dramatic Art. The University also offers numerous organizations for students, including the Printmaking Student Association.

“There is such a sense of community here,” said Katrina Schoewe, a senior printmaking major from Canton, Ga. “There are a lot of people doing really cool things both on and off campus... I think it would be really exciting for more students to get involved.”

Students who are drawn to the stage might consider polishing their acting skills with

the numerous theater organizations on campus. The Department of Theatre and Film Studies produces several plays each semester, allowing students to further develop their talents. An alternative to the intensive theatre department, the Black Theatrical Ensemble produces student-written plays. Both organizations welcome actors of all experience levels.

“Being in a classroom working with young people and having them open up and try things is a great experience…experience in the arts makes you better human because it gives you opportunity to live a fuller life,” said Ray Paolino, Director of Theater at the University. “Art gives you exposure to things that you wouldn’t normally encounter and it makes you collaborate with other humans.”

DISCOVER ART

90 Carlton St. (706) 542-GMOA

Tour at Two:“De Wain Valentine: Human Scale”

Memorial Ballroom101 Sanford Dr.

A Different World Show

270 River Rd.1st & 3rd Floor Galleries

Open through October 18

WANT MORE INFO?Each organization utilizes social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to promote its vast

opportunities. Interested students can visit the information desk at the GMOA to learn about mixers and the intern program, while aspiring actors and actresses can head to the Fine Arts build-

ing to acquire information about upcoming plays and casting.

October 32 – 3 P.M.

October 267 P.M.

Colour as a Medium: Graphic works by RAW COLOR (The Netherlands)

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LEAD-INS

SMARTPHOTOGRAPHY

Perspectives and pro-tips on smart phone photography

Regardless of what type of camera you carry, the core motivation for snapping any photo is to capture a moment and deliver a story. Whether that means sharing a Hefe filtered image of your morning oatmeal with the Instagram community or capturing a breaking news image as a natural disaster unfolds, the advent of the camera phone unleashes a flood of fresh possibility in the realms of visual art, documentary and non verbal communication.

“Photography is unique in terms of its place in society as an art form because it’s also just a visual language that I think everybody has some relation with and some fluency with, as opposed to painting or sculpture or most of the other art media,” said Photography Area Chair and Associate Professor in the Lamar Dodd School of Art Michael Marshall. “People don’t use those as a part of their everyday life in the way they do photography. People just want to talk about life... and a camera you can carry in your pocket all the time and take pictures at every moment with is an incredible tool.”

Likewise, Mark E. Johnson, Photojournalism Senior Lecturer in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, finds the expansion of visual language through mobile phone photography encourages people to view their surroundings with a more critical eye.

“You have 80 plus million people out there that are shooting what James Estrin at the New York Times refers to as vernacular photography...it’s the photography of the everything, “ Johnson said. “It’s the picture of your chopsticks at the Chinese restaurant, it’s the picture of the nail in your tire, it’s the picture of the stoplight that you wait at every single morning, it’s this common, everyday reporting and there’s some documentary value in that.”

Both experts agree that when it comes to taking a great picture, for either aesthetic or documentary value, the camera is not nearly as important as the hands holding it. Thus, they offer the following pointers for smarter smartphone photography.

GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL A major disadvantage you’ll encounter with smart phone cameras is their massive depth-of-fields; in other words, all the details other than your subject show up with resounding clarity. In order to keep your background from becoming overly busy, shoot tight and fill the frame.

BE AWARE OF THE LIGHT Generally, camera phones don’t work well in low light situations. A photo taken in darker conditions might have an interesting overall visual effect, but you won’t make your technically highest quality photos in poorly lit scenarios.

APPLY GREATER CONTROL Utilizing mobile photography apps, such as Mattebox, to gain more advanced exposure and focus options is key to reaching full photographic potential with your smartphone.

HOLD IT STEADY As with any camera, a shaky hand yields a blurry image. Leaning against a stationary surface may help you hold a strong stance. For the serious mobile photographer, there is a relatively extensive line of tripod attachments available for your smartphone.

FIND YOUR CENTER Then, move off of it. Countless studies reveal that the human brain consistently finds visual compositions with offset subjects more appealing than their perfectly centered counterparts. Try composing your pictures with the subject of interest in the left or right third of the frame.

LESS IS MORE Keep your subject matter simple and your background clear.

FORGET THE ZOOM BUTTON EXISTS Using your phone camera’s “zoom” option instantly degrades your image, physically move in closer to get the shot.

KEEP IT CLEAN Carefully wipe away any debris from the lens before shooting. Think about where your phone has been today... do you really want those smudges tainting your photography? WORK YOUR ANGLES If shooting live subjects, take a frame or two right at their eye level for an engaging shot. Then, play with other angles...from above, below, behind and beyond. Make sure you’re still close enough to fill the frame, though.

MILK YOUR MEGAPIXELS Check your phone’s camera settings and make sure you’re utilizing all of the megapixels it has to offer. While you’re there, explore some of the other specialized settings for shooting in certain scenarios.

JUST WAIT If you’re serious about editing, hold off and upload your phone photos to a computer to view and tweak. As satisfying as posting an “Earlybird” tinted pic of your seasonal pumpkin spice latte is, instant filters will rarely do your image photographic justice.

KEEP SHOOTING, A LOT The only way to gain more skills is to take more pictures, so get out there, take aim and shoot.

TIPS

STORY BY DARCY lENZ, PHOTOS BY NOEMIE TSHINANGA


WEARABLE

Ryhs May isn’t afraid to make a bold statement-– in a delicate way. She creates jewelry and although some of her styles could be seen as grandiose, she maintains that the jewelry you like most is never too much. May values the homemade and the one-of-a-kind quality in each piece. A fifth-year jewelry and metalwork major at the Lamar Dodd School of Art. May, who originally planned to pursue painting and drawing, found her calling after one metalwork class. She usually produces art to sell and can’t keep it stocked. As soon as she gets a full stock of jewelry, it’s time to sell at a craft fair; before May knows it, every piece is sold.

Q: WHAT kIND OF ART DO yOU MAkE?

“I call it art jewelry. I make wearable jewelry, and then I make sort of fantastical jewelry, which is not something that you would really wear around every day. [It’s] sculpture based on the body, so using the body as a basis for art.”

DEScRIBE THE PROcESS yOU USE TO MAkE yOUR ART.

I’m working on one of the pieces for my exit show and I needed more silver, so I melted down a bunch of scraps and I made a new piece of silver. I pretty much anneal the metal to soften it and hammer it into forms and solder it together and I try and have fun.”

WHAT INSPIRES yOU? “The natural world for sure. [In] my show

that I’m doing right now, I’m taking sort of coral forms to jump off with. I look at other artists and I look at runway jewelry or runway clothes and other fantastical, impractical things. Right now I’m really into things that have a lot of volume coming off the body.”

Q: IS THE MONEy yOU MAkE FROM SEllINg yOUR ART ENOUgH TO lIvE OFF?

“I do pretty well. I think last bunch of sales I made about $2,000 total, but a lot of that comes back for more materials for next time. It’s enough that I can keep going and it supplements my other job. But, I take care of myself completely financially, so I definitely need my bartending job.”

DO yOU SEll yOUR ART? WHERE AND HOW OFTEN?

“For the past couple years, I’ve just sold my jewelry at craft fairs. I’ll do the UGA jewelry sale, the Athens Indie Craftstravaganza and I’ll do the Heirloom market at Heirloom restaurant. I completely run out of stuff when I’m done with those three shows, which is great, but I don’t have a back stock anywhere. During the semester I’m making things for school, but I’m graduating in December, so one of my goals is to make a back stock so I can sell my stuff more regularly.”

“Yeah, I really love it. I’ve kind of decided that I always want to have a part in that. I really like the craft fair set-up when you can meet the people who actually buy your things. I like getting to talk to people about how silver works because a lot people don’t know how metal works. They’re like, ‘Wow! You soldered this?’ They think you can only do that with a machine.”

DO yOU ENjOy SEllINg yOUR ART? WHy?

DO yOU THINk IT’S gOOD FOR A yOUNg ARTIST TO SEll THEIR ART?

“Yeah, I mean I think that you learn a whole lot about how things work, what people like. You have to think about your personal aesthetic and what people will buy. Pricing [is difficult] because on the one hand you want people to buy something and on the other hand you don’t want to sell yourself short. Figuring out that balance is really good.”

WHy DO yOU cHOOSE TO SEll yOUR ART?

“I don’t go into those craft shows like ‘Oh I need some money.’ I do, but it’s more that I like making things. Athens is a pretty small place and sometimes I’ll run into someone and tell them what I do and they’re like ‘oh, look at this handmade ring,’ and I’m like, ‘I made that ring.’”

“I think it’s far more unique and high quality usually than something people buy at Urban Outfitters. A thousand other people have it, and maybe an artist designed it originally but it’s not unique anymore. I think handmade things are worth more.”

WHy DO yOU THINk PEOPlE SHOUlD BUy ART?

Jewelry making major Rhys May enjoys making more conceptual pieces, such as the one above, for school, as well as more wearable jewelry to sell.

Q:

Q:

Q:

Q:

Q:

Q:

Q:

Q:

STORY BY HIlARY BUTSCHEk, PHOTOS BY lYRIC lEWIN

ART


LEAD-INS

While it provides numerous mental and physical benefits for those who practice, yoga is an art that transcends the mat. Various yoga classes around Athens explore art through myth, performance and the avant-garde.

Aesthetics of the MatYoga’s artful balance of zen and motion

To twist into your personal bliss with the people we talked to, check out their respective studios:

Drop-in: $14New Student: 5 classes, $30 (for 2 weeks)5 classes: $59 (3 month expiration)10 classes: $99 (6 month expiration)Unlimited membership: $99

1687 South Lumpkin Streetwww.athensfivepointsyoga.com(706) 355-3114

Donation Only: $5 suggested donation

675 Pulaski Streetwww.rubbersoulyoga.com(706) 461-0262

(for uga students)1 Class Pass: $610 Class Pass: $50Mind/Body Pass: $80

330 River Roadwww.recsports.uga.edu/class_calendar.php(706) 542-5060

1 2 3athens five points yoga rubber soul yoga ramsey center yoga

Mythic Roots“Yoga is the only physical expression of myths,” Five Points

Yoga Instructor Michele Berente said. One myth revolves around the Hindu monkey god, Hanuman. Berente tells how Hanuman was forced to forget that he is a half-god after losing his divine jumping ability in order to try to eat the sun, which he thought was an orange. Years later, he attempted to save a prin-cess by jumping across the river. His renewed ability to jump is expressed with the split pose.

Flexible Performance

“Music and choreography is an expression of what mood we’re in,” Courtney Vickery, Ramsey Center yoga teacher, said. Yoga classes are often vague in their descriptions, allowing more room for creativity and open-mindedness. Flexibility is a neces-sity in both yoga poses and in teaching styles. When Vickery feels down, she teaches a Yin Yoga class. One yoga student, Jennifer Erwin, prefers the slower paced classes. “I do yoga more for stretching,” she said. “I have bad knees.” By contrast, Vickery teaches a faster-paced Vinyasa Yoga class when energy strikes.

The Avante-Garde of Clowning

“[Clowning] is the willingness to go with whatever is aris-ing in that moment,” Rubber Soul Yoga Owner Cal Clements said. Rubber Soul Yoga offers Clowning Club as a branch of yoga philosophy in which the students open up to discomfort and risk and of course humor as well. Clements quickly dismisses the ste-reotype of birthday party clowns and explains how yogis once served as circus performers.

At Rubber Soul Yoga and other studios around town, people are twisting (and chanting into their own creations.

rates rates rates

STORY BY HANNA YU, PHOTOS BY SHANDA CROWE

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LEAD-INS

As people filed into the crowded, upper room of the Globe on September 12th for Rabbit Box 5, John Pence, the master of ceremonies, hailed the crowd.

A story-telling collective that allows veterans and amateurs alike to share true life stories in memoir-like fashion, Rabbit Box was inspired by the “The Moth,” a long-running, non-profit organization that hosts popular storytelling events in New York City. Created by Marci White in early 2012, the monthly gathering’s name is a tribute to a song by Athenian legend Vic Chestnutt, providing a definitively local flair for this assemblage dedicated to the art of story telling. Each month has a different theme for storytellers to follow.

Encouraging “monstrous feedback” from the crowd, Pence related to the group before him the powerful effect of the “amazing alchemy [that is] transported back to the person performing” through audience support. His comments were greeted with smatterings of enthusiastic applause and intermittent whoops from the crowd.

“You will all transform the people up there tonight,” he said.

In order to guarantee spontaneity, no pages, podium or cue cards are present at Rabbit Box gatherings, only a pure story unraveling to the listeners. The room grows silent but churns with the energy of the performance—sometimes spoken softly in recall of a somber memory and other times half-shouted to the sea of rapt listeners. UGA professor Ari Lieberman, one of the founders of Rabbit Box, said that with storytelling, people want to share their experiences in a relatable, profound way.

“People have the desire to out themselves. It’s very direct,” he said.

With Rabbit Box, there is virtually no divide between speakers and those observing. The cozy setup combined with the nature of storytelling creates a tangible connection between performer and audience. There is also a fantastic call-and-response in storytelling, as the performer’s trajectory is spurred by the raucous laughter and enthusiasm of the crowd. One of the participants in the latest storytelling event was Matthew Epperson, an active member of the Athens community arts scene. Although Epperson helped found Rabbit Box, the September Rabbit Box was his first time sharing a story. To tie into the theme, “Broken Open,” he told a moving story of love lost and the healing that came thereafter.

“I definitely felt a certain catharsis,” said Epperson.

Oriana Valencia, a foreign language education major, has attended two Rabbit Box sessions in the past and said she liked that the storytellers sat among the audience members. “It made you feel like anyone could get up there and be a part of it, too,”she said.

As the last performer of Rabbit Box 5 stepped off the platform and the stage jitters drained from his body, he was enveloped into a deluge of warm, all encompassing applause.

Out of the Box

Celebrating art in its myriad forms, Stray Dog is a literary journal—or chapbook—that includes, photography, original art, poetry and short essays. Since the first issue was released earlier this year, the chapbook is ready to continue its trajectory in the literary scene.

Stray Dog was created by senior studio art major Ashton Bagley, UGA English alumni Laura Leidner and John Stovall in 2012, as an artistic

compilation that would give “people a unique opportunity to share their work in a venue that didn’t previously exist.”

Distinguishing Stray Dog from other literary magazines around campus, Leidner said via e-mail, “We exist in hard copy form! You can pick it up, throw it up, toss it in a blender and make a Stray Dog smoothie if you want!”

Another definitive feature is that the chapbook is virtually non-profit,

with the intent of creating an affordable, accessible product.

Available at Avid Bookstore, the chapbook shies from lending itself too heavily to any specific genre, providing readers with plenty of material to inspire, amuse and challenge.

Bagley said that Stray Dog is “varied enough to attract a wide variety of audiences, and a lack of an overriding theme means that every page takes you somewhere new.”

How words become stories and stories become art

DOG TALES

STORY BY lORI kEONG, ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTINA WARD

RABBIT BOX

WHERE:

Upstairs at The Globe

199 North Lumpkin St.

WHEN:

The second

Wednesday of every

month, 7-9 p.m.

LOCAL LIT

Taking the stage to share a personal tale at Rabbit Box perpetuates the ancient art of storytelling, while providing a certain catharsis for speakers.

PHOTO BY lINDSAY BOYlE

PHOTO BY MAURA FRIEDMAN

Where It’s Always Saturday in Athens

378 e. broad st. • 706.548.2700

For all your game day needs, gifts and clothing

the

From conception to ingestion, a recipe brought to life is a most unique form of art. Each plated dish is a work that you, and you alone, will fully experience. Being that we undeniably eat with our eyes first, presentation counts heftily in that experience.

“It doesn’t take an artist to put a sauce down,” said Nathan Brand, a sous chef at The National in Athens, Ga. “But it does take an artistic sense to create something beautiful.”

Plating food, like most any art form, boils down to communicating a story. An individual plate can reflect the personality of a restaurant, the vision of a chef, the beauty of a season, the regional source of a food or even a new technique within the culinary world.

“As new techniques come around, they require new plating methods... so foams have been really big for a while and if you were going to plate a foam, you would do it a certain way,” Brand said. “That’s just a technical thing, but there are some really basic things about plating, just like there are some really basic things about art.”

Factors such as the size of the edible components in relation to that of the actual plate, as well as “the way chefs play with negative space” are what Brand considers baseline constituents of plating. A chef must further consider balancing textures, colors, shapes and proportions when approaching a new dish. Upon transforming an empty slate into a full plate, the chef will often sketch diagrams for restaurant colleagues to follow for consistency sake.

By Darcy LenzFood styling by Gina YuPhotos by Lyric Lewin

artof the

plate

FOOD


FOOD

Beyond individual artistic visions and general aesthetic parameters, the art of the plate evolves with international trends, and is often indicative of current societal mentality. From the towering pastry towers that mirrored heightened royal hairstyles and were quintessential at pre-revolutionary European estate dinners to the minimalist white plate bearing centric-focused foods that dominated new millennium dining tables, the presentation of our food so often expresses a crucial aspect of who we are as a populace.

“During the recession, there was a move towards authenticity and comfort foods,” said Peter Dale, Head Chef at The National. “You started to see dishes plated on wooden boards and cast iron pans that evoke comfort and Americana.”

Whether or not you aim to remain in-step with current plating trends, there are numerous classic ways to artfully present food from your own kitchen.

Both Brand and Dale encourage simplicity and drawing inspiration from nature. Playing with the colors and aromas of fresh herbs is an easy and aesthetic means of making plates burst with life. Even a minimalist drizzle of oil or crack of fresh pepper can instantly add visual appeal to a dish.

“It’s not important for you try to plate sauce in a perfect circle, or make a gel... you don’t have to be super advanced,” concluded Brand. “Just buy something really good at the farmers market, or from a friend, or grow it yourself and let it shine.”

Nathan Brand, a sous chef at the National, says presentation counts when it comes to food.

For our plating recipe, we kept the focus on celebrating fresh, vibrant fare and utilize elements

found in the dish as well as those that would complement it as edible garnishes. For a tart

highlighting bright and succulent plums, a dollop of cream, bittersweet chocolate curls, a drizzle made

from the fruit’s macerated juices and a toss of pistachios make for an effortless autumnal palette

pleasing to both eye and palate.

The key to eye-popping plates is using fresh ingredients for pleasing color and flavor diversity.

REGULAR DRINKERS NEEDED FOR A RESEARCH STUDY

We are recruiting participants (ages 21-45) for an alcohol research study.

Participation will include one in-person assessment.

No treatment will be provided in this study. You will be compensated $40 for five hours of

participation. For more information, call (706) 542-6881 or

email [email protected].

This study is being conducted by Dr. James MacKillop of the Department of Psychology at the University of Georgia

DO YOU EAT SNACKS ON A REGULAR BASIS?

This study is being conducted by Dr. James MacKillop of the Department of Psychology at the University of Georgia

We are recruiting participants (ages 18-45) for a research study “Snack food liking: The effects of cues and mood”

Participation involves one session lasting 4.5 hours You will be compensated $45 for your participation Additionally, you may earn up to $115 based on your answers to

study questionnaires For more information, call (706) 542-6881 or email

[email protected].

FOOD

Ginger Plum Tart with a Pistachio Crust and Stone Fruit Drizzle

filling7-8 (about 2 lbs) large fresh red or black plums; halved, pitted and cut into ¼ inch slices2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch1/3 cup granulated sugar4 tablespoons local honey½ teaspoon cinnamon½ teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced

crust2 sticks unsalted butter, softened1/4 cup packed brown sugar1/8 teaspoon of salt1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract1 large egg yolk1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour2 1/2 ounces unsalted pistachios, finely ground (roughly ½ cup)

1With a hand

mixer, beat the butter with the sugar and salt at medium speed until creamy. Add the vanilla and egg yolk and beat until smooth. Then add the flour and ground pistachios, beat just until incorporated. Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten the pastry dough into a disk. Wrap in the plastic and refrigerate for 30 to 45 minutes, or until firm.

garnishing4 ounces additional

pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, at room

temperature1 cup freshly made

whipped cream

5 Plate a slice of

the tart, drizzle with warm stone fruit sauce. Dollop a spoonful of whipped cream along side the tart. Sprinkle the plate with pistachios and using a vegetable peeler, shave curls of the chocolate over top. Serve immediately.

what you need:

what to do:

2In the

meantime, toss the plum slices with the lemon juice, cornstarch, sugar, honey, cinnamon and ginger in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Set aside. Press the dough into a 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, trimming any overhang from the top. Prick the dough all over with a fork and place in the freezer for 10 minutes longer.

4Loosely cover

the tart with tin foil and bake for an additional 40 to 50 minutes, or until plums are tender. Cool the tart completely in pan on a cooling rack. Slice and plate.

3Preheat oven

to 425°F. Arrange the plum slices overlapping in a rosette pattern, starting from the outside edge and working in. Bake the tart in the center of the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 375°F.

get artsy



Sights and Sounds of the living DeadHarouki Zombi on the musical duo’s approach to performance

Although their sets are saturated with energy, you won’t find the ladies of Harouki Zombi spinning typical Top 40 hip-hop and dance tunes when they hit the stage. The duo, comprised of Nina Barnes (Of Montreal, the

Apollinaire Rave Art Collective) and Orenda Fink (Azure Ray, O + S), melds original dance music compositions, performance art and visual displays to create a maddeningly euphoric live experience. Ampersand sat down with onehalf of the experimental group to talk about their creation, aesthetic and forthcoming debut EP, Objet Petit A.

&: HOW DID yOU AND FINk FIRST MEET?

Nina Barnes: My husband, Kevin [of Montreal], was recording False Priest in L.A. I went out there with Alabee [Barnes’s daughter] to see him. Someone told me that I should contact Orenda because she used to live here [in Athens] and used to be a friend of Kevin’s and we had never met before. So I just got her number and I said, you know, ‘Hi, I’m Nina, I’m married to Kevin and I’m in L.A. We should hang out and meet or whatever. So we’d just hang out for a couple hours and talk back and forth and she told me that she was thinking about moving back to Athens because she’s been traveling around a lot, moving from place to place. Todd [Fink’s husband and lead singer of The Faint] had never lived in the south before, and she’s from Alabama so she really wanted him to have a southern experience.

They found a place and they moved here and we just started hanging out and we had a really great connection, just so much fun together. But after six months or something they decided to move back to Omaha. Todd is from Omaha. And I was just heartbroken and Orenda was heartbroken, too. We were like, ‘What are we gonna do?’ We had kind of talked about it being fun to do some sort of musical collaboration. But It was on their last night in Athens and Todd was DJ-ing some event for Mad Decent . He was DJ-ing there and we were watching him and Orenda looks at me and says ‘We should DJ. That’s what we should do,’ and I said ‘Yeah, but with per-formance art. And madness.’ That’s kind of how it all started. And she was gone the next day, but I’m the kind of person that’s like, ‘Okay, we decided to do that, I’m going to make sure it’s happening.’ Within like two months or something we had our first show.”

&: WHERE DID THE IDEA AND AESTHETIc FOR HAROUkI ZOMBI cOME FROM?

NB: “I’ve done some of that before with Of Montreal, just coming up with random ideas. David, Kevin’s brother, who’s the main maker of everything that’s happening on stage--we usually have brainstorming, and I have ideas. I basically took some of those ideas that would never evolve the way I was thinking of them, and I sort of took them back and put them into this thing, basically this very strong female energy because we’re all girls. We do ev-erything, all the visuals, we set up everything ourselves, we make our own costumes, we make our own art, our own posters. It’s a way of doing per-formance art in a setting where it’s not considered art, or you have no pre-conception of what it is. It’s just something that happens so you don’t get all that baggage of ‘What does this mean?’ It’s just free expression.”

STORY BY ANDY BARTON, PHOTO BY SAMUEl SUTlIVE, PERFORMANCE PHOTO COURTESY OF HAROUkI ZOMBI

(Right) Nina Barnes co-founded Harouki Zombi, a group that is part music, part performance art. (Left) Harouki Zombi members don elaborate costume and makeup for each show.

MUSIC

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&: WHAT IS THE SONgWRITINg PROcESS lIkE FOR THE TWO OF yOU?

NB: “They [Todd and Orenda] wrote “Swamp Theme.” We just recorded the vocals and did everything ourselves and then after that I sent her a visual I had made. She just flipped out on it. ‘You’re insane, who are you?’ And I said, ‘Just me after dropping off my kid and home alone with a video camera.’ She was like, ‘Yeah, well I wrote a song for it,’ and she sent it to me. That’s actually Objet Petit, the first song that we’re releasing. I heard it and she said, ‘Do you think you have lyrics for it?’ So I wrote them, and she sang it and sent it back. So that’s how we started working. We build it piece by piece, just adding little things back and forth.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF HAROUkI ZOMBI

&: WHAT cAN WE ExPEcT FROM yOUR DEBUT EP?

NB: “I think it turned out very different than I thought it would. We were really trying to tap into the dance scene because I thought the dance scene is very rigid in a way; the way the music is, the way people behave, what you can expect is always the same. It could be so much more, and the music is very formulaic in a way… It [the EP] ended up being something completely different. It has elements of it [dance music], but it’s way more moody and stranger… Now the question is how are we going to pull it off?”

&: WHy IS IT IMPORTANT TO cAPTIvATE ANOTHER OF THE AUDIENcE’S SENSES?

NB: “The more the merrier. I do appreciate minimalism on so many levels in life, but when it comes to this, it seems the more the better, you know? It’s such a classic thing in the history of rock…the use of the visual…bombarding the senses on all levels. I have basically just one screen, but if I could have the whole room…”

Chrissy Reed performs with Harouki Zombi, a group known for both music and spectacle.


Margaret Harney, Fashion EditorKimmy Keslin, Assistant Fashion EditorAshley Long, Creative DirectorTukio Machini, Location & Set DesignerEvan Stichler, Photographer

Art & Fashion go together like red and black; it’s a match made in sartorial heaven. To celebrate our art issue, the Ampersand fashion team collaborated with five student artists to create an exclusive collection to benefit local art programs (not to mention showcase home-grown Classic City talent). The peplum galaxies and rainbow bowties featured here will be available only at Community Boutique on October 15th.

BY DESIGN

FASHION

FASHION


This page (clockwise from left). On Evan: bow tie, $15, Community Boutique. Blue and orange Brooks sneakers, $28, Dynamite Clothing. On Anna: jean shirt, $22, Dynamite Clothing, plum peplum skirt, $45, Community Boutique. On Datron: bow clip, $5, Community Boutique. On Jannika: Theo jean shirt, $24, Dynamite Clothing, white peplum skirt, $45, Community Boutique.


This page (clockwise from left). On Blake: Levi Strauss jeans, $18, Lee jean jacket, $48, Dynamite Clothing. bow tie, $15, Community Boutique. On Jessica: lace bandeau, $10, Dynamite Clothing. Red peplum skirt, $45, Community Boutique. On Michelle: Bozzolo white tank, $16, Dynamite Clothing. Black peplum skirt, $45, Community Boutique. On Pierre: Levi Strauss jean jacket, $28, Dynamite Clothing. bow tie, $15, Community Boutique.

FASHION


Abigail AragonFavorite Medium: CharcoalFavorite Hero: Bilbo BagginsTheme Song: Hyyerr by Kid Cudi

Elizabeth OgletreeFavorite Medium: Painting anything with fabricGuilty Pleasure: Netflix documentariesFavorite Villan: Mystique

Caitlin GalvinFavorite Medium: CeramicsBest Athens Spot: Capital RoomFavorite smell: Clementines

Maria FinocchiaroFavorite Medium: WatercolorsChildhood Idol: Sailor MoonFavorite UGA Class: The History of Rock and Roll

Paige WaytonFavorite Medium: Oil paint or India ink with watercolorDream Job: Art ConservationistFavorite Sound: Thunderstorms

Clockwise from top left:On Caitlin: chartreuse oxford shirtdress, $39, Papaya. On Abigail: coral oxford shirtdress, $39, white cami, $8, Papaya. On liz: coral peplum dress, $32, Papaya. On Maria: fuschia tank dress, $49, Papaya. On Paige: royal blue fringe shift, $28, Papaya.

Picture perfect: our featured artists paired with the models sporting their creations.

A very special thanks to all our participating artists.

Buy online at dawgwear.net

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Celebrating 35 years in Athens!

Nic Walter, president and founder of the service art club Chroma, felt a need for an organization that would utilize art as a mechanism to help the community. Jake Green, a junior that recently transferred from the University of Alabama, said that what attracted him to Chroma was their unique tagline, “art + social change.”

Chroma’s work ranges from thought-provoking art installations to designing ads for other clubs to selling art for donations that go towards a specific cause. One mainstay of the club is a launch of limited-edition items for each month, such as custom bandanas, high heels, hijabs and more. For the month of October, Chroma will be highlighting civil participation due to the upcoming elections. “Beyond simply showing the functionality of art, I want to showcase the creative, inspiring body of art-minded students at the University of Georgia,” Walter said.

cHROMA

Although Athens exudes art in every part of the city, a gap remains for those wanting to be a part of something greater than themselves while staying close to their creative passions. Some organizations are filling in the blanks, looking to pair up artists with worthwhile causes.

vOlUNTEER FOR ART

Founded in 2010 as a graduation project for L.E.A.D. Athens, Edward Nichols began Create Athens as an effort to promote for-profit artists in Athens. He believes the collective can increase the revenue that an artist receives and create more opportunities for success for more artists. Nichols and his team were inspired during a lecture by Bruce Burch where Burch talked of how Nashville became a “music mecca” not by record labels, but with the help of the local business community. “That lecture made us start thinking…what can we do here with a little effort?” Nichols said, “Athens has the talented artists, venues and a proven following of fans – with a little focused promotion, we can make a difference.” Create Athens focuses on food, film, culinary, music, studio/display art and technology. They are currently working with Liverpool Sound City for a technology conference/symposium called “Athens Sound City” that is projected to take place in January.

Nuçi’s Space always looks for volunteers to contribute to the health of the Athens music community and offers a variety of volunteer opportunities.

The Georgia Museum of art needs volunteers in the Museum Shop, the library, as a docent or as a server during special GMOA events.

Chroma is looking for people who are interested in finding out where the community and art come together. Along with assisting with monthly projects, members participate in the Ideas Committee, Social Media Committee and Apparel Line Committee.

cREATE ATHENS

www.nuci.org www.georgiamuseum.org www.Facebook.com/ChromaUGA

NUçI’S SPAcE THE gEORgIA MUSEUM OF ART cHROMA

Students in Chroma seek to use their artistic talents to benefit others.

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Please apply in person at our offices. 540 Baxter Street.

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FEATURES


Photos by Maura Friedman

By Caitlyn Bohannon

The afternoon sun glimmers down through ceiling-high windows and into Andrew Giannakakis’ art studio, lighting the corners of his recent paintings and drawings. Messy tubes of oil paint, their matching caps strewn away, lay on a table next to his workspace. Piles of drawings rest alongside books of French philosophers and American painters.

“Art isn’t my escape; I don’t find it therapeutic. It’s just what I do,” Giannakakis said. “People say I don’t seem like an artist. I’m not extravagant, and I’m not stoned all the time. I’m more of a tame artist.”

Paving the way for his developing art career in Athens post-graduation, Giannakakis, originally from Rome, Ga., is attempting to strike the balance that emerging artists must find when fully breaking into the industry.

“I’m 50/50 about Athens right now,” he said. “The art scene is just really bad here. There’s nowhere to show your work and there’s no money to buy your work, but the rent is cheap and the alcohol is cheap and it’s a good place to be creative.”

Drawn to American painters of the 1950s and ‘60s, Giannakakis enjoys the work of artists Phillip Guston and Willem De Kooning, among many others, and has recently been influenced by more conceptual and contemporary art. He also draws from authors such as Deleuze and Žižek.

“I think I come from a school of painters where it’s not about having concrete thoughts,” Giannakakis said. “Most of my work is automatic; my drawings are usually pretty quick. The longest I’ve spent on a painting is about four months.”

Giannakakis’ color schemes are commonly pastels and earth tones, with occasional blunt strokes of black, which is how he creates space in his paintings, he said.

To explain his very abstract art, Giannakakis discusses his process. He creates a painting, steps away from it and later comes back, which may cause him to start over completely or make heavy changes to the work.


Andrew Giannakakis works on an ink drawing at his studio desk.

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Giannakakis’ calm confidence is plain in conversation and, though he’s comfortable with his craft, he admits that the creation of each piece often strays from initial intentions.

“You never know what will happen,” Giannakakis said. “People say they know a lot about painting, but they really don’t. People can make paintings for years, but things happen in a painting that you don’t understand. It could be two colors or a texture. It’s a weird, random thing.”

Many of the paintings in Giannakakis’ studio are propped backwards, paint against the wall, so he cannot see them.

“I can’t look at it because I’ll keep coming back to it,” he said. Often he paints over these canvases completely.

Giannakakis’ parents always encouraged his artistic ability, giving him sketch books as gifts and taking him to art shows. Until he started teaching geography, Giannakakis’ father was a sculptor.

“We always had art in our house and my dad would always be doing something creative,” he said. “He made stained glass for a while and paper mache. He also had a woodshop in our garage, and I was always around and watched him do things.”

Playing on the lacrosse team in high school at Darlington in Rome, Giannakakis was unsure how to pursue a future with art. However, with encouragement from professors, he found his way to the art program at the UGA.

“When I got to UGA, the only thing I felt like I had a grasp on was figure drawing. I knew I wanted to get into technical drawing in some way,” Giannakakis said. “When I was young, I didn’t know anything. I had my three favorite artists and I thought that was all you needed.”

As a drawing and painting major, he felt the need to get more involved and started going to openings at UGA. Giannakakis connected with faculty and graduate students because they seemed to know more of what they wanted to do as a career with art, he said.

Over the next couple of years, Giannakakis continued to meet more faculty members within the art school and

FEATURES


got involved with departments such as printmaking and art history. Giannakakis has worked as a studio assistant and interned at the Georgia Museum.

“You need that academic side,” he said. “It’s not good to be in the studio all the time. You need to read more and learn about the whole history of art, and that really helped me out.”

With plans to go to graduate school and study critical theory or painting in the next few years, Giannakakis has considered following his parents’ footsteps by teaching in the future, but his true aim is to become a working artist.

Giannakakis is presently following the advice he received from a gallery director at the Lamar Dodd School of Art, his former professor Jeffrey Whittle.

“He said, ‘You should take some time off before grad school so you can figure out if you’re really going to be an artist or not, because if you really are then you’re going to keep making work and you’re going to find a way to do it no matter what,’” Giannakakis said. Right now, he sees himself as on the cusp.

“I’m in that period where I’m trying to figure out if I’m going to be an artist or not, and I think I am,” Giannakakis said. Sitting in Giannakakis’ studio, surrounded by hanging works in progress and finished pieces, it appears the writing is already on the wall.

Giannakakis works in his studio for at least four hours on days he works his restaurant job and upwards of twelve hours on his free days.

Illustrations created from a photographed piece by Andrew Giannakakis.

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With tons of space...

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