Recent Stories
End Times Entrepreneurialism: Hollywood taps into the ‘2012’ prediction for big box-office profits
Hollywood’s latest foray in the apocalyptic genre carries a curious title: “2012.” That’s the year popularly believed to be the end of the ancient Maya calendar. Roland Emmerich’s new movie uses the apocalyptic date as a springboard to show the end of the world on screen with a melee of CGI and special effects. While the movie “2012” has been widely panned as a shallow disaster-porn flick, the cultural phenomenon surrounding 2012 is a fascinating rabbit hole...
Poet and anti-poet: The duality of Lawrence writer Jim McCrary
"Like all art, most poetry is awful," says Jim McCrary, referring as much to his own work as anyone else's. "The Poet's Corner in the newspaper. You know what I mean..."
PB&J in the U.S.A.
Is peanut butter and jelly our national sandwich? The numbers seem to indicate as much.
Help's Angels
Lawrence’s Social Service League is in its element in these tough times
Jean Ann Pike is no stranger to desperation. As manager of the Social Service League, she deals daily—intimately—with all sorts of people in need. These days, there are just more of them...
The Kids Are Alright
Lawrence’s best-known band reunites as greatest Get Up Kids cover band in the world
Rock and roll break-ups are often tumultuous, emotionally charged affairs. And so it was for the Get Up Kids, probably the best-known band to come out of Lawrence in the last decade. After their March 13th show at Liberty Hall, the Kids will head to Alaska, Los Angeles, Belgium, New York, and beyond—all in conjunction with the release of their 10th anniversary edition of “Something To Write Home About.”
Cast and Present
The Appleseed Cast embarks on new sonic expedition
In a one-handed count of Lawrence bands whose last two records have each sold over 25,000 copies, you’d likely have fingers left over. Tom King interviews The Appleseed Cast about its new album "Sagarmatha" and mountains to climb in 2009.
Meet the New Boss
Fix-it specialist David Leamon steps up to guide the Lawrence Arts Center through uncertain times.
New Lawrence Arts Center Director David Leamon is faced with the Obama-like challenge of resurrecting an ailing institution in tough economic times, and of regaining the respect of local artists, many of whom now criticize the LAC's exhibition policies as largely unrepresentative of Lawrence's varied and vibrant arts scene.
"We Ape, We Mimic, We Mock, We Act"
Endurance is insurance for the EMU Theatre
When Nathan Cadman and Andy Stowers staged their first EMU Theatre production in a downtown Lawrence coffee shop, they had more imagination than money. Ten years and over 40 productions later, that may still be true—but their enthusiasm is stronger than ever.
These Boots Are Made For Walking
Painter Molly Murphy and the Less Traveled Truth
When you begin a conversation about Art in Lawrence, it usually doesn't take long before you're talking about Molly Murphy. Whether as curator for art shows at the Bourgeois Pig and Lawrence Arts Center, or as a member and gallery partner of the Fresh Produce Art Collective, Murphy's full-bore involvement in the local art scene frequently earns positive comment — but it's her painting that provokes the most chatter.
Before I Die...
How two artists use death to amplify life
What make some people more aware of their own mortality than others? What motivates people to take action in their lives? What values do we hold as a society? Artists Nicole Kenney and ks rives address these questions in their global survey of human attitudes toward death in a project called "Before I Die I Want To..."
