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Beneath the
Colors: Vincent Grenier's Current Work
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Grenier grew up in
Quebec City, Canada and has lived in the U.S. since
attending the San Francisco Art Institute in the
early 1970's. After earning an MFA in 1972, Grenier
became program director of Canyon Cinematheque,
a showcase of new and experimental films.
He remained in San
Francisco until 1975 and, inspired by Harpur College's
own Larry Gottheim and Ken Jacobs, moved to New
York City because he felt the artistic life was
there. "I admired their work tremendously
when I was in San Francisco," he recalled.
"I made a point of contacting them when I came
to New York."
Grenier became friends
with them, eventually teaching at Harpur while Gottheim
and Jacobs took sabbaticals in 1986 and 1991.
He
arrived permanently in 1999 and now teaches several
popular courses in the department, including Cinema
Production, Video and Filmmaking, Film Theory, Experience,
History and Analysis of Film, and Expression and
Innovation in Film and Video.
Of the latter, Grenier
explained, "Expression and Innovation in Film
and Video introduces students to an in-depth understanding
of the creative process in which 20th century works
of art are presented along side works of experimental
cinema. The course gives students the opportunity
to access the poetry that's going on in cinema alongside
the works of fiction or blockbusters as they are
being taught in the other history class."
Grenier said the
course is very unique and overlooked by many cinema
schools across the country. One result of that
is that students who've been introduced to poetry
are now able to look at more conventional works
with a more enlightened position than if they hadn't
been exposed to that."
Grenier
believes filmmakers should be able to recognize
a good movie on both sides of the camera. "Cinema
is both making movies and critiquing them,"
he said. "You cannot make meaningful cinema
if you have not developed a critical discourse."
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Vincent Grenier, associate
professor of cinema, spends as much time behind the camera as
the lectern, balancing filmmaking with teaching. Here, he describes
his current work:
I've been exploring both the
limitations as well as the great potential of digital video.
The very ease of use, precision, speed and the availability
of dazzling effects can all conspire against a more personal
and thoughtful use of the medium. An example of a dazzling effect
available supposedly to make it easy for the editor is one which
creates the appearance of rain. There are many other examples
of such canned effects, some more subtle than others, which
quickly become recognizable and overused. These effects can
become interesting when used in ways not meant for these effects
of when used with visual material that parallel the manufactured
effect.
One feature that I have been
interested in using is a filter called Color Replace. It allows
one to select certain colors in an image and replace them with
others. While one is again faced with a digital unlikely effect,
it becomes interesting to use it with images of the fall foliage.
Suggesting at first, with subtle changes, the impression of
a time lapse change in color, the software eventually introduces
an entirely other conception of space and colors. One has to
see the piece of course to understand more at length how it
evolves and engages the viewer. Many of my strategies are involved
in bringing on a certain dose of spontaneity and unpredictability,
qualities not naturally associated with digital film.
My current project has been filmed
in the basement of a high school in the South Bronx in a room
that used hold lockers. What I'm left with are walls, which
have been painted over repeatedly to hide graffiti. The interesting
thing is that different shades of the same color have been used
to cover the graffiti, so approaching this imagery with Color
Replace opens up a great deal of possibilities, not only in
terms of dealing with the reasons that created these different
color layers, but also for entering in a different kind of dialectic
with the way the software itself can be used. For instance,
Color Replace can erase any distinctions between the layers
and its background - in other words, doing a better job than
those who applied the paint. On the other hand, the different
layers are what makes the wall interesting. I am more intrigued
by these contradictions.
I am also interested in exploring
colors. They can be very beautiful, but in a context like the
painted wall, colors have other meanings attached to them, such
as erasure and control, notions that are pertinent to the public
school system.
..........................
Grenier:
Many of Hollywood's so-called "more serious" movies
are shallow
In describing his course,
Expression and Innovation in Film and Video, Grenier had a lot
to say about the generic, mind-numbing movies churned out on
Hollywood's assembly lines. He spoke at length about "American
Beauty," a 1999 drama by Alan Ball (creator of HBO's "Six
Feet Under"), which supposedly broke Hollywood's custom
of a happy ending. Grenier says don't believe the hype; it
is just another cookie-cutter flick.
American Beauty is not a blockbuster,
but pretends to have more lofty goals. The truth is, it's no
less formulaic and driven by commercial concerns than many other
works created in Hollywood. There are a number of things, such
as the character with the video camera who handles the camera
in an abusive way, as a voyeuristic instrument, such as the
aggressive stalking evident in his videotaping Spacey's daughter
through her bedroom window and at school. Apparently for the
audience, and for Hollywood, that doesn't disqualify him when
he pretends to be a sensitive guy. Kevin Spacey's performance
is good, but the audience should question his idea of coming
back to more "meaningful things" - it was nothing
but going back to a consumerist height that he had had when
he was poor. I could go on; the film is full of contradictions
of that sort. An audience can easily glow over them if they're
not more critical. I teach my students to see beneath the surface.
The way women are portrayed is also very problematic because
they tended to be caricatures of stereotypes.
There's something ironic in this
film where a shot of a newspaper has been filmed by the male
voyeur - that is a direct steal from a film made by Nicholas
Dorsky. Alan Ball rented that - it was a short film and they
tried to imitate it. The big difference is that the original
film was silent and it was film, not video and there
was none of the character's pat and predictable commentary.
It's really a shame, because the material - even that video
- is more telling than the words that are being used to describe
what's going on.
The thing that's the most reprehensible
about American Beauty is that it's pretentious - it pretends
to talk about meaningful things, but it's a very cynical approach
to appeal to different segments of the consumer market. If
you look at it carefully, there are many examples that explain
the contradictions that the film is embroiled with.
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Alumni
Return for Employer Fair
Most of the recruiters who came
to BU's annual Employer Fair on September 18 knew exactly what
our students are going through right now, since they were once
here themselves. Of the 58 companies that recruited positions
from all disciplines - from accounting to human resources to
management to health care - one third included recruiters who
are alumni of the University.
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Michelle Robbins
`03 of PricewaterhouseCoopers talks to Paul Phelps
`04, whom the company just hired to work in their
Rochester, NY office.
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The alumni were clearly impressed
by our students. "They have a lot of experience," remarked
Stefany Meier `99 of Friedman, Alpren & Green, LLP, an accounting
firm. "They are very professional and well spoken,"
said her coworker Marc Belard `01.
"We're always excited to
come back to Binghamton. The quality of the students is exceptional,"
said Joe Maturando `96, representing Ernst & Young. "It's
one of our top schools nationwide to recruit from."
"We are thrilled to see
all of the great organizations represented, "said Dariusz
Lozny, the employer fair chairperson from Delta Sigma Pi, the
accounting honor society that cosponsored the event, "We
are especially pleased that so many alumni came back to recruit
at their alma mater. The turnout, both of students and employees
was better than expected."
For some recruiters, the thrill
came from being on the other side of the resume. After spending
last Spring as an intern at Cleaner's Supply in Conklin, NY,
Albert Wang attended at the Fair - this time representing the
company as an employee.
For Michelle Tillapaugh `02,
being at this year's Employer Fair felt like she had come full
circle. An executive team leader at Target in Vestal, she applied
for the job she has now at last year's Employer Fair. She is
now preparing to move to Poughkeepsie to open a new Target there,
which she will help manage.
"It's almost surreal being
here," she said. "It doesn't seem like that long ago
that I was a student. Now I have an idea of what they're looking
for, and I wonder, 'wow, that was me?'"
Click
here for photos of the event.
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Harpur's Greene
and Miller Named Distinguished Professors
by Katie Ellis
Economist Kenneth Greene and
psychologist Ralph Miller have been named distinguished professors
by the SUNY Board of Trustees.
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The SUNY Board of
Trustees has named Greene (left) and Miller (right)
distinguished professors.
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Greene, a fellow of the International
Center for Economic Research, is known for his work in public
choice and public economics. Miller has focused his research
in the areas of animal learning and acquired behavior.
The distinguished professor title,
granted only by SUNY trustees, is the highest academic rank
possible and is conferred on individuals who have achieved national
or international prominence.
Greene joined Harpur College's
faculty in 1968 and has provided new insights into fundamental
issues related to public policy economics, including taxation
and charitable giving. Reviewers of his latest book, Morality
and Self Interest, note his continuing commitment to both
the theoretical and empirical aspects of his discipline.
In nominating Greene, President
Lois B. DeFleur said, "According to Who's Who in Economics,
Dr. Greene is among the most frequently cited of all living
economists." She also noted that he has worked tirelessly
with individual students to help them achieve success both in
the classroom and in their subsequent careers.
Greene, who is on sabbatical
this semester, has been published broadly, authoring two books
and nearly 50 papers for highly respected journals including
the Public Finance Review and American Political Science
Review. He has served as a reviewer for the elite American
Economics Review and numerous other journals, as well as
the National Science Foundation, and has been a consultant and
visiting expert for the US Department of Commerce and the New
York State Supreme Court.
Greene earned a bachelor's degree
from St. John's University, and master's and doctoral degrees
from the University of Virginia. Prior to coming to the University,
he served on the research staff of the Urban Institute and as
a visiting assistant and associate professor at the University
of Colorado.
Miller came to BU in 1979 and,
according to Peter Holland from Duke University, it's probably
the most prolific experimentalist in his field, who has had
"several major theoretical contributions to the field of
associative learning."
In nominating Miller, DeFleur
said, "As a mentor and teacher, Dr. Miller has inspired
undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral associates
alike. His students regularly cite him as the "largest
contributing factor to my success as a professional psychologist."
Miller said the distinguished
rank brings recognition of the years of hard work by everyone
in his laboratory, in which he plans to continue that work.
"I enjoy what I'm doing. I have a very active lab with
excellent people in it and I look forward to coming in each
day," he said. "We're studying the minds of animals.
It's a curious puzzle that evolution has laid before us, and
we're doing what we can to solve it."
Miller is editor of Animal
Learning and Behavior and has been associate editor of several
other journals including the American Journal of Psychology
and the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior
Processes. His invited presentations included an extended
visit to New Zealand as an Erskine fellow and a National Institutes
of Health supported year as a visiting faculty member in experimental
psychology at Cambridge University.
Miller earned bachelor's and
master's degrees in physics from Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, as well as master's degrees in high-energy physics
and social psychology and a doctorate in physiological psychology
from Rutgers University. Before joining the University's faculty,
he served as an assistant, associate and full professor of psychology
at Brooklyn College of CUNY.
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Law Day's Growth
Reflects Student Interest
 Law
school remains a very popular option for Harpur College students
contemplating the future, and law schools have reciprocated
the interest. A record eighty-seven law schools attended Binghamton
University's 20th annual Law Day on October 1 in the Mandela
Room, where recruiters distributed viewbooks, answered questions
and explained the admissions process to hundreds of aspiring
lawyers.
Harpur College Dean
Mileur, in his welcoming address to recruiters, said our students
have a great deal to offer law schools. "We are a perpetual
quality leader year after year," he said, noting that the
average incoming freshman arrives at Harpur with an A average
and SAT's around 1250. "Harpur College has a long tradition
of sending students to law school; it is the most popular professional
choice," he said. "We have a 90% law school acceptance,
which is well above the national average."
Several alumni returned
to represent the law schools from which they graduated. Marsha
Ferziger Nagorsky `92, director of special projects at University
of Chicago Law School, said Harpur College got her ready for
both the rigors of law school and her busy career today. "My
time at here was fantastic preparation for law school and my
legal career," she said.
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Theresa McNerney `97 and
Dominick Barbieri `01 recruited students for St. John's
University.
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Marsha Ferziger Nagorsky
`92 represented the University of Chicago.
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Joanna Nudelman `95 answered
questions about Brooklyn Law.
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Dominick Barbieri `01, a student
at St. John's University Law School, shared Nagorsky's enthusiasm.
"As a result of my strong education from both Harpur College
and St. John's, I've been able to work at Davis Polk & Wardwell
and I will be clerking for Judge Wesley of the Second Circuit
Court of Appeals."
Several campus activities help
prepare students for law school, such as the Thrugood Marshall
Minority Pre-Law Society, which organizes visits to law schools
and brings in guest speakers, the Debate Team, and Phi Alpha
Delta Law Fraternity, coed pre-law fraternity open to anyone
interested in legal-oriented careers.
Thomas Larson `04, president
of Phi Alpha Delta, said one of the fraternity's activities
is called "Goldilocks," where members go to 3rd and
4th grade classes and teach the students about the legal process.
After reading "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," the
young students actually put Goldilocks on trial. "It's
a different outcome every year," said Larson, "but
the kids love it and they learn so much."
Larson says applying to law school
is a stressful process, but activities such as Law Day make
it easier.
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Where Grads Go: Attendance at a
Glance
Binghamton University boasts
an 84.3% acceptance rate for graduating seniors, compared
to 70.5% nationally. During 2001 - 2002, our alumni attended
St. John's University (23), New York Law School (20), Brooklyn
Law School (18), Fordham University (15), Hofstra University
(15), Albany Law School (14), Benjamin N. Cardozo School
of Law (12), Pace University (9), University at Buffalo
(8), Touro (7), American University, (5), New York University
(5) and Syracuse University (5). |
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Homecoming's
almost here!
Don't miss out!
Come
back to campus for a weekend of fun! Click on the logo above
to visit Binghamton University's official Homecoming 2003 webpage.
We've got information on class reunions, activities, entertainment,
and where to stay. Don't miss out on Homecoming 2003!
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Join us for a
special night of Broadway's greatest hits sung by today's
biggest stars.
100 Years of Broadway
Saturday, October 11, 2003
8:00 p.m.
Binghamton University Anderson Center
presented by
The Binghamton University Athletics Department
and
The Office of Alumni and Parent Relations
Director Neil
Berg `86 (and former Binghamton University baseball player)
brings a special performance back to campus. The show is a
high energy retrospective of Broadway's greatest musicals.
Broadway stars perform their songs in a phenomenal concert,
including:
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William Michals
("The Scarlett Pimpernel," "Beauty and the
Beast," and "Les Miserables")
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Danny Zolli
("Jesus Chris Superstar")
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Rita Harvey
("The Phantom of the Opera")
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Jordan Leeds
`83 ("Sunset Boulevard," "Les Miserables,"
and "I love you, You're Perfect, Now Change")
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Rob Evan ("Jekyll
and Hyde")
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Tickets:
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| General public: |
$25.00 |
| Students: |
$10.00 |
Tickets can be
purchased by calling the Anderson Center Box Office at 607-777-2787.
All proceeds
from this performance will support Binghamton University scholarships.
For more information, call 607-777-6389.
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Harpur
Friends & Family
In response
to your much-appreciated feedback, the Harpur Hotline has developed
a regular feature of alumni news. Please send us anything you
want: publications, promotions, marriages, babies, graduations,
retirements, etc. We need more entries to keep this feature
going! Many thanks to everyone who shared their stories. Here's
what some of your fellow Harpur alumni and friends are doing:
Michael N. Scelsi, who
served as assistant to Harpur College's first president, Glen
Bartle, died September 21, 2003 at the age of 86 at his home
in Manchester, VT. A native of Endicott and graduate of Louisiana
State University, Scelsi began working at Harpur College in
1952, two years after it had been transformed from Triple Cities
College. Last June, he was inducted into SUNY's Council for
University Affairs and Development's Hall of Fame. Scelsi is
survived by his wife, Nina, a son, a daughter, and a granddaughter.
Memorials can be made to Vermont Regional Cancer Center, c/o
Brewster Funeral Service, PO Box 585, Manchester Center, VT,
05255.
1974: David Summergrad
(see his essay below for his late friend Kevin McCarthy `75)
earned a Master's in Education from Northeastern University
in 1975, followed by 26 years of teaching English in Whalen,
MA. Since 2000, he has been an elementary school principal in
Brookline, MA. Summergrad says he still plays basketball, which
he started at Harpur College. (A self-labeled benchwarmer, he
jokes, "I played one minute the whole time.") To benefit
Metco, a nonprofit program that busses inner-city children into
suburban school districts, Summergrad has run the New York marathon
10 times, "but not at a pace that would be considered running
by anyone who saw me," he said. He and his wife, Mary Grace,
have two daughters: Lisa, a freshman at Haverford University,
and Anna, a high school sophomore. The Summergrads live in Needham,
MA.
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1975: Kevin P. McCarthy,
age 50, and his wife, Diana Gong McCarthy, age 41, died
on July 16, 2003 when a reckless driver swerved into an
open air market in Santa Monica, CA. His lifelong friend
and classmate, David Summergrad `74, has shared
a loving and memorable eulogy posted here: http://harpur.binghamton.edu/hotline/10203hotline/mccarthy.htm.
Summergrad said McCarthy
(known around Harpur as "Captain Spoon,") and
his friends used to shout, "Life is a parade!"
out the windows of Newing Hall every night at 9:00. McCarthy
competed on the Harpur track team and wrote for the Newing
News. At the time of his death, he was an avid writer
and filmmaker. He and his wife had moved to Los Angeles
from New York City only seven months before their untimely
deaths.
More about McCarthy's life
and family is available in this article published in the
Glen Cove Record Pilot: http://www.antonnews.com/glencoverecordpilot/2003/07/25/news/mccarthy.html
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Diana Gong McCarthy and
Kevin McCarthy `75. Read
more here.
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1978:
Author and literary agent Sheree Bykofsky, has
published two recent books: Sexy City Cocktails: Stylish
Drinks and Cool Classics You Can Sip With Attitude,
coauthored with Megan Buckley and The Complete Idiot's
Guide to Getting Published, Third Edition, coauthored
with Jennifer Sander. (Click each book for more information.)
Bykofsky has written and edited several books, including
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Magazine Articles,
The 52 Most Romantic Dates in and Around New York City,
and The Big Book of Life's Instructions. |
| 1980: G.
Steve Jordan returned to alma mater last week to take
photos for admissions materials. A freelance photographer
and writer, he recently published Strength Beauty Spirit:
Images of the Mohonk Preserve and Shawangunk Ridge.
(Click the book for more information.) He is married to
Ann Ryan `81, mentioned below. |
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1981: Ann Ryan
earned a J.D. from Cornell Law School in 1984 and is an associate
at Windels Marks in New York City. Her specialty is corporate
real estate finance. She is married to G. Steve Jordan `80,
pictured above.
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1989:
No, this isn't the newest
fitness craze at Harpur College... it's Galumpha!
Andy Horowitz `89, Greg O'Brien `86 and Marlon
Torres `02 make up this performance company famous for
their eccentric choreography and stunning visual effects.
Galumpha will perform at Binghamton University's Anderson
Center Chamber Hall on Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct.
25 at 8:00p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 26 at 2:00p.m. Tickets are
on sale at the box office (607-777-ARTS) for $9 for students
and senior citizens and $15 for the general public. |
2000:
Congratulations to newlyweds Carissa Fontanella and
Robert Bracero `01 (Watson), who were married on
August 16 at the Lincklaen House in Cazenovia, NY, followed
by a honeymoon in the Bahamas. The Braceros live in Endicott.
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Shop Harpur Online
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Harpur students Hye Jin
Oh `05, Erica Weinstein `07 and Stephina Dansoh `06 kick
back in Harpur gear.
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Shop the campus bookstore from
the comfort of your PC or Mac. Want to pick up a copy of the
new Harpur history book The Cornerstone? Visit The
Campus Bookstore.
For
more Harpur College merchandise, such as hats, shirts and window
stickers, contact the bookstore at 607-777-2745.
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Harpur
College Development Team Mission Statement:
The
Harpur College of Arts and Sciences Development Team encourages
alumni, students, faculty and friends to identify with Harpur
College's past, present and future by engaging them in events
and programs that connect them to the college. We facilitate
ways for our constituents to enrich Harpur College through their
financial contributions and personal talents and resources.
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