Des Moines Register
03-16-06
Researcher writes unique musical
AMANDA PIERRE
STATE OF THE ARTS
Joe Hynek has written a love letter to Iowa.
Hynek, a research assistant at Iowa State University's mechanical
engineering department, penned "Farmer Song," a bluegrass musical.
"Farmer Song" is being produced at the Maintenance Shop in Ames, at 7:30 p.m.
April 7-8. Jane Cox is directing and the Onion Creek Band of Ames is performing
the music.
Hynek and his mother, Angie, worked on the musical at the Iowa Writers
Conference last summer.
"The story is about a young couple's struggle to farm during the 1980s.
Traditional methods don't pay the bills so they have to find a creative way to use
their land in order to keep it," Hynek writes.
Hynek said he has been writing and performing songs about farming around the
state during the past three years in a family band called Pumptown.
"We're hoping the musical is a more effective way to use these unique songs," he
also writes.
Check out some of his tunes at www.farmersong.com.
SCUTTLEBUTT ABOUT TUTTLE: The long-awaited, multi-faceted exhibit "The
Art of Richard Tuttle" opens with a reception starting at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the
Des Moines Art Center, 4700 Grand Ave. Admission is $5.
This exhibit, originally shown at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, is
composed of more than 300 objects by Tuttle, including "floor drawings,"
assemblages, "constructed paintings," cloth pieces and more. His forms are
created with wire, plywood, paint, metal and rope. Tuttle, a groundbreaking postminimalist, has been in Des Moines for two weeks helping with the installation.
Art center officials want to make sure everyone in town has a chance to "get it."
They'll be offering several free programs relating to "The Art of Richard Tuttle"
during the course of his show.
Art center director Jeff Fleming will lead a class on Tuttle's work from 7 to 9 p.m.
March 30 with Lenore Metrick-Chen, an assistant professor of art history, and
Phillip Chen, associate professor of art, both of Drake University. Registration is
required for the class. Call 271-0306.
Kathan Brown, who has collaborated with Tuttle, will give a lecture called
"Magical Secrets about Thinking Creatively: The Art of Etching and the Truth of
Life" at 7 p.m. April 5.
From 1 to 3 p.m. April 9, Patricia Hickson will lead a second class on Tuttle's art
with Maura Lyons, assistant professor of art history, Drake University.
Registration is also required for the limited space in this class.
Art center curator Patricia Hickson will lead a gallery talk at 7 p.m. April 27.
"Richard Tuttle: Never Not an Artist," a 32-minute film, will be ongoing in the
museum's resource area.