Pop Culture Journalism Class Blog

In Vibrant Color: Vintage Celebrity Portraits from the Harry Warnecke Studio

By Kayla Cohen

Harry Warnecke lived in a world that was black and white. But, he wanted color.

A photographer for the Daily News in the 1930s, he planned, designed, and then constructed his own camera to shoot colors in their unique pigments.

He photographed pop culture icons from athletes to news anchors to movie stars. Twenty four of his works are currently on display in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

The photograph of actress Irene Dunne is simply stunning. Her vivacious red lipstick is just as eye-popping as her canary yellow jacket. Sixty-eight years later, you can still see the sparkle in her diamond ring.

The 1945 snapshot of Dwight D. Eisenhower is just as mesmerizing. Warnecke was able to capture the look of accomplishment and pride in Eisenhower’s face due to the victory of the Second World War. The American flag in the background was a great addition to the photograph as well, without overdoing it.

Ted Williams strikes a serious pose in the 1940 color print. Warnecke captured the determination and poise of the famous ball player. The red from his head and socks are just as bright as any photograph taken in the 21st century.

“In Vibrant Color: Vintage Celebrity Portraits from the Harry Warnecke Studio” is a definite must-see.

By: Jessica Farley

At Soul Food Night celebrating Black History month — there were collard greens, sweet potato pie — and plates full of puposas and quesadillas.

Quesadillas?

“[There is] a rich African cultural history in Latin America, from Afro-Cuban dance to the large African populations in Brazil,” explains Wendi N. Manuel Scott, a professor of African and African American Studies at George Mason University. “In fact, there were more enslaved Africans in Brazil than in any of the Americas.”

So, Black History History Month ended with about 60 people eating both Latin and African American soul food.

“Everyone loved all of the food, and we had a blast,”  said Christine Gonzales, 21-year-old president of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, who is majoring in Integrative Studies. “This event was a really fun way to share our cultures with other people.”

Her sorority as well as Zeta Phi Beta African American Sorority organized the event for the second year — but it was the first year the dinner was officially part of Black History month. Sorority sisters helped prepare the food, along with Sodexo (GMU’s campus food provider) and local restaurants, such as El Buen Gusto  in Fairfax.

With plans to incorporate their bi-cultural exploration of food and dance into next future Black History Month’s events, Gonzales says she hopes for an even larger turn-out in years to come.

“With free food, lots of dancing, and great music, I think ‘Soul Food Night’ will continue to be a success,” predicts Gonzales.

The Patriot Duckie was just one giveaway that was given to those who bought tickets to GBAY

By Rachel Newdorf

There are some things you can’t buy on eBay — like better parking spots, or the chance to create and name your own food on campus. But, you can buy it at GBay.

The third-annual student benefit auction was held Thursday March 1 at the Johnson Center. Tickets were $5 in advance and $7 at the door — and raised more than $5,600 for the Mason Scholarship fund.

The sold items like a signed Sergei Federov hockey stick and an autographed Torrey Smith football — and experiences like lunch with Coach Paul Hewitt.

In three years, the event has raised almost $25,000 in scholarship money.

“Maybe in the future we can set up a GBAY scholarship,” says one of the event organizers, Mark Mansdoerfer, a 20-year-old Business Management and Accounting major from Lunberton, N.J.

By: Samita Mason

By the time he graduates, freshman Ryan McGreedy, hopes to have a record deal.

The 18-year-old civil engineering major started his band, The 6th Degree, three years ago with fellow freshman, 18-year-old graphic design major Jason Peevy.

In high school, the two started writing music that they describe as post-rock instrumental.

“We like to combine different types of music together into something that most people would not recognize,” said bass player, Donnie Cantrell, an 18-year-old freshman majoring in business administration.

The band mates listen to music from Mali and the Middle East and try to incorporate this influence into some of their songs.

“Our music is hardly what you consider to be played on the radio because of its weird sounds and generally long song length,” says drummer Damon Bishop, an 18-year-old, freshman majoring in psychology. “But a number of Mason students find it great to study with since it is all instrumental.”

In their first album titled “In Separation,” the music is instrumental. In future releases, the band plans to release music containing more vocals.

“We crave for the audience to be connected with our music more than the band members. We have played for hundreds of people and find it spiritual when the audience is able to connect with the music,” said McGreedy.

The 6^th Degree is scheduled to play on April 13 at the Empire in Springfield, Va. The band is currently working on their next album titled “Svara,” which they will begin to promote this spring. And while they want to be rock stars, the four bandmates from Springfield aren’t music majors, so they want to have their own careers too.

“We hope we are signed to an agreeable label that allows us to work at our own pace and offers creative freedom, while allowing us to maintain our personal pursuits,” McGreedy said.

By Rachel Newdorf

Millions around the world will be watching the summer Olympics in London this year.

Can’t afford a ticket across the pond? Mason is offering their own Olympics this Spring.

On April 5, the first ever School of Art Olympics will take place in the Art and Design building. With events involving art and art programs here at school, students and faculty will take part in a variety of different competitions including Pictonary and candy sculpting (just so you get the idea).

The Focus Group, the organization hosting the event, was started by a group of students passionate about photography.  Wanting to have a place where students can network, build their portfolio and share a common passion about photography, the Focus Group invites all who are interested to be a part of their organization.

“We are trying to build a sense of community at SoA,” says Stephanie Booth, the 30-year-old president of the Focus Group and master’s student from Alexandria.

Sean Salyards, the Group’s faculty advisor came up with the idea of the Olympics — he did something similar when he was in graduate school and wanted to try it out at Mason.

The goal, he says, is to improve “fellowship and community” among art students.

The Focus Group meets every Friday at 10:30 a.m. in the School of Art room L011 and is currently focused on organizing the event up until the April 5 launch date.

If you are interested in joining the event or helping out, visit the event’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GmuArtOlympics

You can also RSVP to the event at https://www.facebook.com/events/201048066663441/

Just interested in the Focus Group? You can find their page here at https://www.facebook.com/FocusGroupGMU

By Zohra Alnoor

Halfway through his junior year at GMU, Ali Baluch, realized he didn’t want to be a government drone. He wanted to be Spike Lee.

“I realized that I didn’t have a passion for politics and if I didn’t get out at that point, then I never would,” says Baluch, 22.

What he loved was making movies.  For years he directed, produced, shot and edited short films in his free time. So, the government and international politics major transferred to Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy in Chicago. Now, Baluch is studying Film and Broadcast with a focus in directing.

“It was challenging at first, but leaving all of my friends and family was a step I had to take. I had to abandon that comfort zone in order to grow,” says Baluch.

With a year of film school down, and another year to look forward to, Baluch  hopes to follow in the steps of Darren Aronofosky or Spike Lee, and one day create films that are beautiful works of art that make the viewers think.

But until then, Baluch will take the projects coming his way and build his growing portfolio.

“You’ll learn a lot on each film project and probably make many mistakes,” says Baluch. “To say that Spielberg or Scorsese were perfect from the start would be a lie. Those mistakes that you make will help you evolve into a better film maker…and then you can get super rich.”

BY: RYAN WEISSER

Bright neon, natural earth tones, exotic patterns and flowing fabrics graced the  DC Fashion Week runways — and now they’re walking the sidewalks of George Mason University.

Pure Elegance Boutique Design: http://dcfashionweek.org/dcfw/wp-content/gallery/pure-elegance-boutique/dfw_1080.jpg

Mason Sylvester Design: http://dcfashionweek.org/dcfw/wp-content/gallery/5-mason-sylvester/090.jpg

Adorned in bright-blue skinny jeans from American Eagle and a neon-pink blazer from H&M, Allie Hunter, a 21-year-old junior and communication major from Baltimore, simulated Olga DeNogga’s structured designs and Favala’s stunning hues.

“I absolutely LOVED all of the bright colors at the International Couture fashion show,” said Hunter. “It got me in the mood for spring and summer almost instantly, so ever since, I’ve been trying to incorporate bright neon colors into my wardrobe.”

Jarrod Wadsworth, a 20-year-old senior and communication major from Fairfax, Va., was also recreating styles from DC Fashion Week to make them his own.

“I really liked Mason Sylvester; the designs were really retro and classic, but they managed to stay modern,” said Wadsworth, who is also a fashion blogger for CHAOS Magazine, an online fashion magazine.

“I’ve been taking some of the retro accents  he’s known to use, like vests,” said Wadsworth, showcasing his Gap charcoal vest, “and combining them in a way that’s more realistic for me to wear on a day-to-day basis.”

Wearing emerald-green feathered earrings from a DC thrift store and a turquoise crop-top from Forever21, Maite Rubio, a 20-year-old sophomore from Manassass, Va., is taking Pure Elegance Boutique’s Indian-inspired jewel tones and incorporating them into her own style.

“After I saw all of the Eastern-inspired dresses that were in these beautiful, rich colors,” said Rubio, “I wanted to use those colors and enhance my own style with them. That way I can still keep my own unique style while using designs on the runway for inspiration.”

Michael Burgos has spent a LOT of time in the Drugs and Alcohol services office….learning about drug dealers to research his role in the play, “This is Our Youth.” The Mason’s Players performance ran from March 1 to March 4.

Burgos doesn’t drink or smoke. His character, on the other hand, does all of the above and even more. “I’ve never done cocaine and my character does….a LOT of cocaine,” he said.

Burgos is a senior at Mason, majoring in theater. Growing up in Mananas, he loved music. He went to Mason to study music but after acting in a few of his friends short films, he realized how much he enjoyed it and decided to take acting classes at Mason. Through those classes, teachers and directors asked him to try out for shows. Once he did he began getting roles frequently. Burgos simply put it as “Life presented acting to me. I never chased the path, instead it found me.”

The play focuses on three friends and their drug-induced trip to try and fix the problems they had created. Along the way, there is lots of pot smoking, coke snorting, ogling over girls, and plenty of party fouls. His character is named Dennis Viegler. Burgos describes him as naturally brilliant with a nack for winning.

When Burgos was cast, the director asked him to grow out all of his facial hair, later they shaved his beard into a scruffy look.

Prepping for the performance, he  read and read and read his lines. With about six rehearsals a week and three hours of studying independently, the lines became second nature. However, studying the text was not enough to understand this character who is so different from who he is.

At times it was difficult for him to justify the crazy intoxicated lines that his character constantly spoke. Burgos tries to understand why his character says what they say, but this was difficult with Dennis. So he spoke to experts.

He visited a professor in the Mason Criminology department to understand the logic of drug dealing, and even more, why a person from an affluent background would get into selling. Then he spent time at the Drug and Alcohol Services office on campus to learn why people use drugs and where these addictions come from. This helped him understand and channel his character.

And, he says, his cast mates helped a lot.

“I learned how important the other person on stage with you is,” he says. “You are the only person there for them and they are the only person there for you.”

By Rachel Newdorf

Deborah Lash lost everything when she was 8.

Her house burned down leaving her family homeless. With little to no material objects, Lash and her five siblings kept each other company and occupied while their parents dealt with the burden of trying to put their lives back together.

In her new solo-photography exhibit, “When The House Burns Down,” Lash revisited that difficult time and recreated it through photography.

“I’m grateful for this experience. To go back to those places brought back such a powerful memory,” Lash says.

In honor of Black History month, Lash’s exhibit will be displayed in Gallery 123 on the first floor of the Johnson Center. Her photography deals with issues of racism and what it means to be human and create intimate relationships with each other.

Lash, 29, from Fairfax, graduated from Mason in 2006 with a bachelor of arts in Spanish and Latin American Studies and earned her Master of Fine Arts in the fall of last year.

Because that experience was so powerful, she decided in the summer of 2009 to go back with two real-life friends, and recreate the experience.

Featured in her show are seven photographs of two friends, who are about Lash’s age when the fire happened. They are photographed playing in a field with sticks, trying to see if there is change in a Coca-Cola machine, as well as lying down on a sample mattress in a mattress store.

Lash let the models do as they pleased. She gave them very little direction because from her own experience, she had very little to go on while re-building her life after the fire.

“The most beautiful moments come from the unexpected,” Lash said.

Lash is currently working at SoA Print, a print shop located in the Art and Design Building on campus.

“When The House Burns Down” is currently open and runs until March 6.

For more information about the artist and her other works go to deborahlash.com

By Rachel Newdorf

Three years ago, Rachel Levitin went to an American Idol audition just for fun.

But it was so much fun, she hired a voice coach and started singing professionally. Now, the 24-year-old sings and plays her guitar at gigs all over the D.C.-area.

“Music got me excited,” she says. “It was just fun, and still is.”

The 4 foot 9 singer moved from Chicago to the District in 2005 to attend American University where she earned degrees in both music and journalism. Her freshman year, she released her first studio album, “Come As You Are.” She has since released three more discs.

When she’s not singing, she’s writing. She blogs about the Nationals for We Love DC.

She’s hoping to start combing her loves and write more about music and music education. Last year, for example,  she interviewed students at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and famous performers who visit the school, such as Earth Wind and Fire.

“I have fun with both music and journalism,” Levitin says. “I’m learning everyday, it actually feels like I never left school.”

For more information about Rachel, her tour dates, albums and even her personal blog, go to http://rachellevitinmusic.com/

To check out We Love DC, go to their website http://www.welovedc.com/

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