Artifacts

Thursday, May 1, 2003

WORKERS OF THE WORLD...Before Labor Day was invented by the US government to take the commie sting out of May Day, the First of May was a time for labor marches and red flag waving. In that tradition, CSUMB student Matt Fiori presents his senior Capstone project, May Day, closing Thursday, May 1 at the Black Box Cabaret. Not so much a theatrical piece as a political manifesto with legs, May Day stars a He and a She who, while bantering their way to a first date, discuss Marx, Chomsky, US imperialism, UFW history, hippies, nationalism vs. world citizenship, and the intricacies of father-son relationships. "It''s a think piece," Fiori says. "It''s my way of paying homage to the people who have worked and suffered and fought to make the world a better place. It''s about love, culture, and values; it''s a father and son working on a motorcycle together; my own Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintenance vibe. It''s the things I think are important." Fiori''s thesis topic was "What does it mean to be well-educated in the 21st century?" Although not a theater major, he chose to explore the question in a play because, he says, "Theater is a powerful medium for expressing ideas." Right on, Matt.

MORE RIGHT ONS...Poet Frances Payne Adler, director of CSUMB''s Creative Writing and Social Action Program, is coming out with The Making of Matriot, a collection of her politically charged poetry. The volume is being published by Red Hen Press, a small nonprofit publishing company in LA that focuses on progressive authors-they launched the Poetry in the Schools project last spring; and they run programs for institutionalized youth in Los Angeles County. Email editors@redhen.org for more information. Congrats are also in order for Pacific Grove painter Barry John Raybould, part of the "Informalists" plein air group, who has just released European Landscapes and Cityscapes, a new book telling artists planning a trip to Europe where they can find the best plein air painting spots. Visit www.bjrgallery.com or call 648-1866 for details.

PEACE ART...Under the auspices of CSUMB''s Reciprocal University for the Arts Project, a group of at-risk Salinas teens (truants, former gang members) involved with the Second Chance Youth Program teamed up with university students in a digital art class to create visual messages aimed at steering other kids away from crime. The result is a collection of catchy billboards, posters and bus signs now on display throughout Salinas. Check ''em out at Northridge Mall, and on MST buses.

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