yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (09/20/88)
Mary Sandy
Headquarters, Washington, D.C. September 19, l988
RELEASE: 88-128
COMPOSER/MUSICIAN TO COVER SHUTTLE MISSION UNDER NASA ART PROGRAM
For more than 25 years, American artists have chronicled the
nation's space and aeronautics programs with works of art under
the NASA Art Program. The program will be taking on a new
dimension when the Space Shuttle returns to flight. For the
first time, a musician will be using the musical medium to convey
artistic impressions of the space program.
Jane Ira Bloom, a soprano saxophonist and a jazz improviser
and composer, will experience the activities involved in the
launch and landing of the 26th Shuttle mission. Based on her
impressions, she will provide a suite of musical compositions.
Other artists covering the STS-26 launch are Angela Manno,
West Palm Beach, Fla.; Wendell Minor, New York City; Michael
Knigin, Long Island, N.Y.; Alan Chinchar, Houston, Texas; and
John Solie, Santa Monica, Calif. In addition, Solie and Dan
Namingha of Santa Fe, N.M., will cover the landing at Edwards Air
Force Base, Calif.
An avid follower of the space program, Bloom wrote to NASA
in 1985 suggesting that the agency commission a musical
composition as a part of its fine arts documentary. She stated
that "composers can't document historical events quite as
literally as painters, but we can capture emotional history in a
way that other art forms cannot." Robert Schulman, director of
the NASA Art Program, found her viewpoint convincing and her
talent worthy.
Space, in both the physical and astrophysical senses, is not
new as a theme in Bloom's compositions. Her suite, "Music for
Amazing Space," was inspired by her deep interest in the space
program. The inspiration for another composition, "Doppler's
Revenge," came from NASA experiments on spatial reorientation in
weightlessness -- a concept that Bloom finds intriguing.
Bloom is noted for her music's unusual use of movement and
technology. While playing, she swings her saxophone around in an
arc to get certain doppler-type sounds. She likes to accentuate
how sound can change with movement. Bloom has five record albums
to her credit, with a sixth to be released this fall.
The musician describes herself as being "as passionate in
the detail of my work writing music as technicians and engineers
must be in their work."
Angela Manno is a multimedia artist whose works reflect a
strong interest in Earth and space. An environmentalist and
naturalist, Manno has been inspired by photographs of Earth taken
from space. Her most recent exhibition featured images produced
through color xerography and batik methods.
A member of the Society of Illustrators, Wendell Minor's
works have appeared in the Society's exhibitions and annual
publications. Currently a member of the faculty of the School of
Visual Arts in New York, he is the recipient of numerous awards
for his art work.
Michael Knigin is a contemporary artist whose work has been
exhibited at such museums as the Whitney Museum of American Art,
the Smithsonian Institution and The Brooklyn Museum. A full
professor at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y., Knigin is
listed in "Who's Who in American Art."
Alan Chinchar is a painter and illustrator whose realistic
work has appeared on book covers and in national advertisements
and major publications. He is a well known figure painter.
Known for his movie and promotional posters and portraits of
television stars, John Solie's work has been featured on the
cover of TV Guide and the Saturday Evening Post. He is
recognized for his ability to capture the essence of individual
personalities.
Noted for bold use of color, Dan Namingha is a contemporary
native American painter whose abstract landscapes capture the
spirit of the southwestern United States. He covered a previous
launch for the program but this will be his first coverage of a
landing.
The artists arrive at Kennedy Space Center three days before
launch and stay until the day after the launch. Activities
include sketch sessions near the pad and at astronaut suit up,
along with other pre-launch and launch activities.
Artists invited to participate in the program are paid an
honorarium. Each is asked to donate at least one piece of art to
NASA.
NASA's art collection currently contains about 900 works
with subjects as diverse as renderings of astronauts and workers
going about their business, the Shuttle in various phases of
launch and flight, and test flights of experimental aircraft and
spacecraft. Artists participating in the program also have
created the first conceptual works of future aerospace efforts
such as the National Aero-Space Plane and Space Station
Freedom. Schulman has overseen the development of this aerospace
art collection which includes works by such well known artists as
Jamie Wyeth, Norman Rockwell and Robert McCall.
Works from the collection have appeared in books, magazines,
newspapers, motion pictures and on television and postage
stamps. Nearly 200 pieces of NASA's art collection are on
permanent display at Kennedy Space Center's Spaceport U.S.A. The
display includes "The Artist and the Space Shuttle," a 70-piece
collection of Shuttle art, which has been exhibited at many of
the world's finer art galleries and museums.
"Visions of Flight: A Retrospective from the NASA Art
Collection" is now making a world tour as a part of the
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The
itinerary includes fall and winter showings at the Mesa Southwest
Museum in Mesa, Arizona, followed by exhibitions at the
Huntsville, Alabama Museum of Art, the Society of Illustrators in
New York and bookings in Europe, Canada and other U.S. cities.adolph@ssc-vax.UUCP (Mark C. Adolph) (09/22/88)
In article <15142@ames.arc.nasa.gov>, yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) writes: > For more than 25 years, American artists have chronicled the > nation's space and aeronautics programs with works of art under > the NASA Art Program. The program will be taking on a new > dimension when the Space Shuttle returns to flight. For the > first time, a musician will be using the musical medium to convey > artistic impressions of the space program. > > Jane Ira Bloom, a soprano saxophonist and a jazz improviser > and composer, will experience the activities involved in the > launch and landing of the 26th Shuttle mission. Based on her > impressions, she will provide a suite of musical compositions. Although not officially commisioned, I thought this was the thrust of Jean-Michel Jarre's work with Ron McNair. I believe that McNair was actually supposed to record the first saxophone solo in space to later be used on Jarre's album. The title of the album excapes me, but one of them is dedicated to the Challenger crew and one track became a video which conceptually traced the entire space program, culminating with images of robed figures guiding Challeneger upwards in cupped hands. Excellent music (in my opinion) and a moving video. -- -- Mark A. ...uw-beaver!ssc-vax!adolph
warsaw@cme-durer.ARPA (Barry A. Warsaw) (09/24/88)
In article <2242@ssc-vax.UUCP> adolph@ssc-vax.UUCP (Mark C. Adolph) writes: > Although not officially commisioned, I thought this was the thrust of >Jean-Michel Jarre's work with Ron McNair. I believe that McNair was >actually supposed to record the first saxophone solo in space to later >be used on Jarre's album. The title of the album excapes me, but one >of them is dedicated to the Challenger crew and one track became a >video which conceptually traced the entire space program, culminating >with images of robed figures guiding Challeneger upwards in cupped >hands. Excellent music (in my opinion) and a moving video. The name of the album is "Rendezvous" and the song is "Rendezvous VII (Ron's Piece)". I've got the CD at home and the liner notes mention that the album is dedicated to the Challanger astronauts. Also explains about how NcNair was supposed to record the solo in space and how hard he'd worked on it. I agree that its very moving... > -- Mark A. -Barry
phil@titan.rice.edu (William LeFebvre) (09/26/88)
In article <648@rtg.cme-durer.ARPA> warsaw@cme-durer.ARPA (Barry A. Warsaw) writes: >In article <2242@ssc-vax.UUCP> adolph@ssc-vax.UUCP (Mark C. Adolph) writes: > >>I believe that McNair was >>actually supposed to record the first saxophone solo in space to later >>be used on Jarre's album. Correct. >The name of the album is "Rendezvous" and the song is "Rendezvous VII >(Ron's Piece)"....liner notes mention >that the album is dedicated to the Challanger astronauts. He also played "Rendezvous" at the "Rendezvous--Houston" concert awhile back (summer of '86, I think, but definitely after 51-L). When he started "Ron's Piece", Jarre said something like "I'd like to dedicate this next song to my good friend Ron McNair." >Also >explains about how NcNair was supposed to record the solo in space and >how hard he'd worked on it. Even if the Challenger had been a successful flight, the recording would not have been made (as I understand it). McNair's first time up, NASA let him take his soprano saxophone (there's a great film clip from that flight of McNair playing his sax in orbit (zero-G? micro-gravity? whatever...)) but there wasn't enough room on 51-L for him take his sax a second time. So we still wait for the first music solo from orbit....or have the Russians already done that? William LeFebvre Department of Computer Science Rice University <phil@Rice.edu> P.S.: countdown starts at midnight!
scb@juniper.uucp (Steve at whip it Inc.) (09/27/88)
Don't forget that about 6 years ago when this program was first getting going, Brian Eno did a WONDERFUL ALBUM simply titled "Apollo". All ambient, but to wit the interesting mixtures of different locations can be easily discerened. If you ever to get to see the movie, it's really good and worthwhile to watch steve