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ART REVIEW
by LIZZIE ZUCKER SALTZ
BUTT SMEAR!
The many glories of the Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall
Sports Museum, off Lumpkin at Pinecrest Drive &
Rutherford streets. Open Mon.-Fri. 8 a m.-5 p.m.,
Sunday 2-5 p.m. Free.
Riiinnng. “Hello?. . huh... umm... I’ve never seen a foot
ball game in my life. ...mmhm... like, I was the kid picked last
for kickball... OK, I’ll take a look...its really
pronounced...Butt Smear?” Rash forward to my apprehen
sively crossing a flashy glass and chrome Dr. Who bridge to
confront a young staff with the same question. He sighed
an affirmative, followed up by a tactful: “They didn’t think
that one through real hard.” I conjure up a boardroom of
Bob-Hoskins-shaped, crew-cutted ex-athletes all
nodding in unison at the name choice, col
lectively oblivious to the unambiguous
homophony.... 1 probe further. “Yeah, the
college kids make fun, but ‘round here we
refer to it with great respect.”
I pass two jolly ‘50s style bronze busts
who play entranceway hosts, portraits of
those late great UGA Bulldog coaches,
Wally Butts and dumbo-eared Harry
Mehre, and whisper an “I am sooo
sorry." Butts winks a good natured
“We’re used to it” back at me.
They couldn’t at least have
reversed the names to form the
self-mocking, but at least un-scat-
ological, Mehre-Butts? And what
an ironic twist of fate that this
shiny shrine to physical accom
plishment should have any relation
to the most infamous art practices of
that most infamous of performance
artists, Karen Finley (her latest show
about the NEA-4 trials wryly titled “The
Chocolate-Smeared Woman").
The rotunda of tubular steel and glass is
pleasingly intimate, designed in the
early ‘80s by Atlanta architects
Aeck & Associates, before post
modernist architecture had snaken off ‘70s brashness. A
Bucky Dome skylight hovers, like an optimistic yarmulke,
above the bachelor-pad-cool, track-lighting grid illuminating
a sunken conversation-pit display area where 20 sparkling
rectilinear vitrines sit atop spare, Mondrian-inspired, jet
black pedestals.
Curved wall displays with colorful backlit photos in grids
surround the pit, complemented by engaging histories set in
that ever popular sports font, Lubalin. It is positively Studio
54! Each vitrine is jazzed up by red Formica cubes and
wedges set at playful angles, showing the artifacts off to their
best advantage, photos and text floating on the Lucite sur
faces. And, like the best installation art, the concept is fol
lowed through to the smallest detail — elevator buttons bear
the labels Hunker Up and Hunker Down. I kid you not.
Clearly, the work of professionals.
Tim Pennell, museum archivist since 1983, says the dis
plays were created in 1987 by then-fledgling company Stough
& Williams, who continued on to do numerous other sports
museums. They update the exhibit annually, often at the
behest of coaches for whom the museum functions as a valu
able promotional tool.
Although the intended purpose may
be to lure recruits, an equally valuable
unintentional purpose is well served,
making a visit worthwhile’ even for a
sports-phobic like myself. As the
objects were assembled on the basis of
their historic, rather than aesthetic
value, the exhibit can be read as a con
veniently compact essay on the evolu
tion of western design from the turn
of the century to the present. The
kitschy and the tasteful rub shoul
ders, resulting in a more realistic
slice of time than can be had in the
winner-takes-all design galleries of
traditional museums.
Roland Barthes could easily
spend a happy fortnight here
expounding on how it is that the svelte
pair of ochre colored 1894 track shoes
shame their bulbous, plastic 1994 coun
terpart. More than mere material nostalgia
is at work here: mammoih cultural
upheavals are laid bare by stories such as
the one of the sophomore lost to a football
accident in 1897. The rest of sea
son was canceled, the Georgia leg
islature called for the “brutal
game's abolishment" until his mama pleaded that her son
would grieve doubly in heaven if his death was the cause of
an end to the game he loved so dearly. The game was rein
stated with improved protective gear. Today mama would
sue for a cool million, and players would sign waivers before
the game.
>■ see SUIT SMEAR on page 24
Miami Orange Bowl, Citrus Commission Trophy, silver, horn. 1942
Photo by David Stubbs.
ART PATROL
by MELISSA LINK
Opportunities abound ter local artists to
get involved in upcoming show: -
• The Georgia National Fair oilers
nearly $17.0GC in rtn ,t a r 'd purchase
awards to tine and era - ; -'tists ir
media. Entry deadline is Sepiemto 5.
and the shews take ; v. .* Cel t-IP
Caii'BOO 9b/-32'47 :o; de.mes and
entry form.
• The Oconee Cultural Arts
Foundation announces its ‘98
Holiday Market Ic be he J Friday and
Saturday. December 4-5 m !ht historic
1902 CCAF Center. Artists interested in
participating jo the market can call
Catherine Hartley at 769-4776 or visit
their website at www ocai com
Application deadline is Sept 15.
• The Lyndon House Arts Center
announces “Deck the Halls An Exhibit
ot Original Wrealhs Created by Local
Artists.' The show will hang October 27
through December 17 m the Lyndon
House Gallery at the Morton Theatre.
Prizes will be awarded tc the most cre
ative pieces. Artists interested in sub
mitting up to five wreaths should call
613-3623 for more information.
Several Logo Contests are underway
• Plans for next year's AthFest *99.
the Athens Music and Arts
Festival, are already underway.
T md-HQ a new 'ogo :s the first orae r o!
business. The creator of the winning
'uOu v.'ti wir. ilOO cash and dinner for
'v.o at 2 iOca! i‘.s‘2'jrdn! Dead Tie s
October 1 Ccu 54E-1S73 Sc: mere
niormauen.
• "he 1999 Human Rights Festival
wnl lake place in April Anyoneterest-
ed in submitting a Design tor a ogo ig
be used on T-shirts and letternead
should call G13-7882 for more info.
• ’he brand-new Athens Area Arts
Council is seer.ing an official logo The
winning designer w ii receive free ticket;
tc upcoming local arts events. Entries
should be mailed in care ot The lynoon
House Arts Center. Box 1868
Athens, GA 30602 Deac !, ne .s
December 31.
• The exhibit Isadora Duncan:
Muse of Modernism closes Sunday.
September 6. at The Georgia
Museum of Art. The Life of the
Virgin in Textiles and Prints opens
September 5. The GM0A is also cur
rently f ecrui!ing volunteers lor its
docent program For more inlormahon
on any events or activities associated
with the museum, cait 542-GM0A
• The Tate Center Gallery features
photos by James Davidson
September 8-25 An opening reception
takes place on Tuesday, September ?
trom b-7 p.m.
• ‘Journeys and Discoveries" is an
exhibition ot works by Alan Campbell
hanging at The State Botanical
Gardens of Georgia through
September 27. This show natures
images highlighting the artist's impres
sions ol his travels through the rainfor
est and drlani places throughout the
world.
• An opening reception lor “Four," an
exhibit featuring new works by Robin
Fay, Carol Rainey Fox, Dale
Gibson, and G. Donald Smith takes
place Tuesday. September 8. from 6:30-
8 30 p.m. al the Oconee County
Library More info and images of art
work can be found on the web at
vvwwarches.uga.edu/-rmfay/fourht'’.'
• Shows around town include: paint
ings by Mischo McKay at the Athens
Brewing Company; photos by Mike
Landers at The Grit: work by Brian
Cole ai Espresso Royale Caffe
work by Karen Sevenoff. Matthew
Ruddock, and Chris Berry al Blue
Sky Coffee, portraits and liguraltve
drawing by Michael Frey al Jittery
Joe's and landscapes by June Ball at
Dreamcatcher Hair and Art.
• Jittery Joe’s downtown is in search
ol artists interested in hanging monthly
shows in the cofleehouse. Call 548-
3116 and asxior Daniel.
OOPS! Last week's An Special on the
discovery ot murals a! the Lyndon
House staled that the City ol Athens
purchased the Lyndon House property
in 1839. The correct date o' this pur
chase is 1939.
STUFFED MEATLOAF - Stuffed with
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HAPPY LABOR DAY!
The Flagpole Office will be CLOSED
Monday, September 7.
The deadline for Classified ads for
the September 9th issue will be
Friday, September 4 at NOON.
SEPTEMBER 2, 1998 FLAGPOLE IS