Monthly Archives: July 2012

Now Showing … International Mezzotint Society 2012 Exhibition

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International Mezzotint Society 2012 Exhibition

August 1 – 30, 2012

Gannon Gallery / BSC Library

Features mezzotints from 24 printmakers from 10 countries

Stop by and take a look!

Reception – August 30, 4-6 p.m. 

Artist Talk with Linda Whitney, Exhibit Curator, 5 p.m.

Nest, a mezzotint by Serbian printmaker Snezana Petrovic, is one of the works included in the exhibition that is traveling throughout the region.

The featured artists are all members of the International Mezzotint Society (I.M.S.) and participated in the 2011 membership print exchange.  Each printmaker created a mezzotint edition of twenty-five prints exchanging their work with the other artists and donating one impression to be exhibited. Several of the printmakers were also invited to exhibit their prints in the International Mezzotint Festival in Ekaterinburg, Russia during the summer of 2011.

The International Mezzotint Society (I.M.S.) was established in 1997 by Dr. A. David Crown. There are more than 100 members internationally. The primary objective is to share enthusiasm and information, and spread knowledge of the technique and its history, to other artists who may presently feel somewhat isolated. The I.M.S. also extends membership to devotees, mezzotint collectors and print-lovers.

The mezzotint printmaking process can be long and labor intensive.  It was invented by German artist Ludwig von Siegen in the 1600s and was extensively used by artists and craftsmen up to the early 20th century when other printmaking techniques became more popular.  In the last twenty years it has experienced a resurgence.

Professor Linda Whitney, I.M.S. board member, curated the exhibition.

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Under the Twisted Cross by North Dakota Author Margaret M. Barnhart

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As part of the North Dakota Library Association annual conference, a book is selected for the Conference Book Club.*

This year’s selection is Under the Twisted Cross by Margaret M. Barnhart, a novelized account of her father’s experiences when he was a POW (prisoner of war) in Germany during World War II. Her father, Nick Schuld, was held at Stalag II B, just outside Hammerstein in Pomerania (now Czarne, Pomorskie, Poland), “where treatment of prisoners was considered worse than at any other camp in Germany established for American POW.” In January 1945, he and other POWs were forced to go on a “death march” to the Western Front. This was ordered by their Nazi captors in an effort to avoid surrender to the Russians on the East. It was one of Germanys’ worst winters ever; hundreds of POWs perished along the way.

The book’s main character, Nick Bremer, is patterned after Barnhart’s father.

“Lying in a shelter on an Italian battlefield, Nick Bremer wakes to the sound of German voices. Without ammunition, his squad has no choice but to surrender. Thus begins months of peril as the men go from prisoners-in-transit to permanent internment in Stalag II B, reported by 1943 Military Intelligence as the worst POW in Germany. Heartened by memories of home, buoyed by a brotherhood of prisoners, Nick combats suspicion and hopelessness, endures near-starvation, physical torture, psychological terror, and mind-numbing monotony. His tenacity and wit help him survive the brutal European ‘death march’ to the Western Front.” — Back cover

Author Margaret M. Barnhart has taught literature and writing courses at Dickinson State University since 1992. Under the Twisted Cross is her first novel; she has also written and published many short stories, poems, and essays. An excerpt from a personal essay, “Ghosts,” was included in the nationally-released anthology, Leaning Into the Wind (1997 Houghton Mifflin).**

Barnhart knew about her father being a POW from stories he shared when she was growing up. Late in his life, she discovered documents from his war experience, including a military intelligence review of conditions at Stalag II-B, and three typed pages of memories of the death march. An historical memoir was not possible without more information and exact detail, so Barnhart wrote a novel based on her father’s memories instead. Her father did not get to read the book; he died in 2003 before the book was completed.

I finished reading Under the Twisted Cross last night and look forward to the author-led discussion at the NDLA Conference in September. The book is well-written, interesting, and thought-provoking. It made me think about the power of the human spirit, war and why we fight, and how conflict and hardship can bring out both the best and the worst in people.

I recommend Under the Twisted Cross. We have a copy at the BSC Library … check it out!

— Marlene Anderson, Director of Library Services

*Note: The 2011 conference book club selection was Dakota, Or What’s a Heaven For by Brenda K. Marshall, which then became a selection for BookTalk at BSC 2012.

**Note: A poem, “Display Grounds” by BSC’s own Janelle Masters, is also included in this anthology. 

Tempe O’Kun Book Signing – Thursday, July 19

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Through the BSC Alumni Association/BSC Alumni in the Classroom program, BSC alum and author Tempe O’Kun will be on campus on Thursday, July 19, and will be signing his books in the BSC Library from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.  He will also present an exclusive screening of a work-in-progress animation based upon his novel by professional animator Keiron White.

O’Kun is a Bismarck native and the author of several published works, including Sixes Wild: Manifest Destiny, Sixes Wild: the Bluff, and Nordguard: the Card Game as well as dozens of short stories.

After graduating from BSC in 2006, O’Kun earned a bachelor’s degree in English-Creative Writing at UND.  While attending UND, he was scouted by Sofawolf Press of Minneapolis — a fantasy, romance, and graphic novel publisher focusing on anthropomorphic animals. O’Kun credits BSC for helping him to gain “a solid foundation for crafting works of fiction in the Internet age.”

O’Kun was recently nominated for the Coyótl Award for Best Adult Novel. O’Kun works as a full-time novelist and game designer. He lives just outside Bismarck on his family’s horse ranch.

Hope to see you on July 19!

 

Spectacular North Dakota Hikes

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Susan Wefald, a former Public Service Commissioner, isn’t spending her golden years in an armchair.  Instead, she’s enjoying the great outdoors and hiking with her dog, Sandy, a 95-pound Goldendoodle.  The realization that the hikes she had taken in North Dakota “were just as spectacular as those I’d taken in places better known for hiking” led to writing a book about “some of the best day hikes in North Dakota.”

Spectacular North Dakota Hikes: Bring the Dog is available at the BSC Library (currently on the New Book display shelves).

“Two of North Dakota’s most avid hikers, Susan Wefald and her dog Sandy, share their notes on 50 of North Dakota’s best day hikes. Armchair and seasoned hikers alike will enjoy exploring North Dakota’s diverse landscape with Susan and Sandy. Learn the locations of spectacular vistas. Try one of Susan’s picnic lunches. Expand neighborhood strolls into the great outdoors. Bring your dog!” –Back cover.

BSC’s own Tom Marple, Assistant Professor of Design and Communications, designed the maps in the book.

Check it out and take a hike!