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has been Laura Crow's second visit to Prague. She still feels equally humbled
by the talent displayed in the PQ exhibits. Her experiences this year moved
her in yet another direction. During her road to Prague, she meet with delegates
from Yugoslavia. Here is her description of that meeting. ŅIt was astounding
to hear them talk of their past year as artists trying to keep their passion
alive amidst the bombs.'' Laura has been negotiating the assistantship for
a young graduate student designer coming to her university from Yugoslavia.
''The delegates made me aware that I was saving the life of one young artist
from the aftermath of war which will be largely about survival and not about
artists. Art is a luxury that the Serbian people will not be able to appreciate
for some time yet.'' Laura's dedication to teaching as well as her inspired
visit to PQ, has kindled a desire to help assist theatre artists wherever
she can. ''My mission is to help at least one graduate student to stay alive
as an artist, so that her special expression will find it's place in the
world." No matter how many times you return to Prague for the PQ, new
appreciations for our art form and our lives will be found. Participating
in PQ, was an incredible experience for everyone who had the opportunity.
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Ursula Belden, pictured here next to her panel
in the US exhibit at the Prague Quadrennial 99. Her scenic design for
Conversations with my Father, by Herb Gardner, was a jury winner
in the the USITT 1996 Design Exhibition and was selected to be included
in this years PQ.
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| "The opportunity to witness first-hand
the overwhelming passion and power inherent in so much of the world's theater
work was an awe-inspiring and exhilarating experience! This exposure will
bring new perspective, new vitality and fresh vision to my personal design
work and of course to my teaching. Exposure to the design work of our International
colleagues is possibly the most important learning opportunity available
to today's theater practitioners. PQ offers an unparalleled opportunity
to study International scenographic approaches. Neither Broadway nor London's
West End employ a comparable visual vocabulary. Current practices in many
other parts of the world are based on visual metaphor, and powerful ideas,
rather than costly technology and elaborate realism. I was astounded and
humbled by the breadth and scope, the power and the passion, the energy
and the commitment displayed in much of the work created by poor, politically
unstable or even war-torn countries. We could do well to bring some of this
emotional power and metaphorical simplicity to the American stage."
Ursula Belden |
| "Perhaps my most poignant personal experience
during my time in Prague centered around an extended conversation I had
with a young Yugoslavian costume designer. Her (to me) incredible descriptions
of daily life in Belgrade amidst the bombs (our bombs), the nightly terror,
and the passionate need to continue her art, to carry on the important mission
of mirroring her world and giving artistic life to her visions and beliefs.
. .all this was, what? Excruciating. Staggering. Terrifying. Illuminating.
And an inspiration. An inspiration to return home with a deeper sense of
commitment to my work, to my fellow human beings, to our planet. A renewed
hope to engage in meaningful work and meaningful theater. And with a renewed
faith in the power of the Theater and the Arts to be our best ambassadors.
Throughout PQ99 I felt a lurking suspicion that we, the wealthiest country
in the world with the highest degree of personal security and the most personal
freedom, are somehow artistically poverty stricken and perhaps even suffering
from a kind of economic censorship. Not that there aren't individual theater
artists out there doing meaningful work, but that the system provides little
support and little recognition for the arts in general and for the dangerous,
bold and experimental in particular. Ours is a system designed to support
economic success, the status quo, the safe. The general impression I had
was that once again the Arts in America were not important enough to merit
much governmental consideration, attention, or time. There seems to have
been enough money to build an expensive national installation, but not enough
to support the inclusion of 3-dimensional student work. I would venture
a guess that every other nation allocated a greater percentage of their
national resources to the support of PQ99 than did the US. Clearly, for
parts of the rest of the world the Arts are significant and the PQ Forum
is worthy of national attention and support." Ursula Belden |
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member of the executive committee, board member of USITT and Design
Expo winner '96, Bruce Brockman, sums up his reaction to PQ. "It
is gratifying to see the exhibit represent the design work of the
membership... The relationship between Design Expo and PQ should
continue and will not only strengthen the quality of Design Expo
submissions, but will provide the members with an opportunity to
have their work shown internationally."
Bruce is associate professor of stage design, department chair at
Oklahoma State University, a freelance designer and a scenic artist.
He has designed for Montana Repertory Theatre, Idaho Theatre for
Youth, American Festival Ballet, and Idaho Repertory. He also was
co-designer of the USA PQ '99 exhibition.
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Last modified on Friday, Sept. 24, 1999
15:03:39 CDT
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