05/30/02 issue

ART SECTION

Inside and out

Borders define tiny watercolors

BY AARON STEINBERG

For a guy who's lived his life so large, it's a bit of a surprise that his artwork comes so small. Victor Elmaleh graduated from UVA in architecture in 1942, but spent only a few years designing houses before moving into international business. Evidently his career did not soak up so much time that he couldn't also moonlight as a painter, something he has done since the '60s. June's show in the Campbell Hall Public Gallery is an exhibit of his work-- more or less recent offerings from the ' 90s through last year.

Elmaleh's paintings are small, delicate, abstract, and almost precious-- like a pretty object you might find on the sidewalk and want to keep, even though you don't know what it is. Almost without exception, Elmaleh works with a very small canvass. That his paintings often come bordered with large frames and extra white space only emphasizes the scale.

The paintings themselves betray Elmaleh's architecture training in their near-obsessive exploration of layer and boundary. He begins by carefully layering blocks of watercolor, playing games with its unique properties. In one piece, for example, Elmaleh exploits the ability of watercolor to be sharp and bold or soft and cloudy. A strip that runs from the upper middle of the canvas down through the bottom edge appears to be in focus, as everything that falls outside this strip is blurry, faded color.

Elmaleh's little paintings come loaded with color, in schemes ranging from fleshy pinks and reds to bright rainbow hues to moody browns and greens. And his wild, kinetic shapes seem like the perfect place for all this color. Still, it's quite clear that this is an architect's mind at work. As fanciful as each piece is, they are all bounded or self-contained in one way or another, whether Elmaleh places his designs in little boxes, connects them with diagonals, or locates them in the center of the canvas with well-established borders. Even in the deceptively organized designs themselves, Elmaleh seems most interested in what's inside and what is not.

Victor Elmaleh's "Works," an exhibit of watercolors, runs through the end of August in UVA's Campbell Hall Public Gallery, Second Floor. 982-2921 or

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THINK SECTION

School's out

Homeschool fair offers alternative

BY MARA ROCKLIFF

School's out . . . forever? That's the forecast of Daniel Pink, former White House speechwriter and author of the controversial bestseller Free Agent Nation. "In the free agent future," he says, "a host of changes will unschool American society. Mass compulsory schooling will give way to a variety of learning alternatives."

For the 800 or so kids and parents Pink will address Saturday at the Statewide Homeschool Conference and Curriculum Fair, the future is already here. Sponsored by the Virginia Home Education Association, the Fair is a chance for homeschoolers and wannabes to meet, mingle, learn, share ideas, and just have fun. A sampling:

*The Society for Creative Anachronism will recreate medieval and Renaissance history with rapier fighting, "heavy weaponry," tavern games, handicrafts, music, dancing. and more.

*Republican state delegate and second-generation homeschooling activist Rob Bell will discuss How and Why Homeschoolers Should be Involved in Local and State Politics.

*Award-winning storyteller Jim Weiss, star of a PBS show, will "entertain and intrigue" with his versions of classic myths, fables, and fairy tales. Also for kids: a puppet show and puppet-making workshop, a sing-along, an Irish music and dance performance, and a reading of Little House in the Highlands, from a series about the Scottish great-grandmother of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

*Teenagers can play the Stock Market Game, find out how to get their writing published, check out multimedia resources from NASA, put together a high school transcript, learn how to make and manage money, and fling beanbags around with local juggling guru Craig Green.

Veteran homeschooling parents will offer workshops on topics from Homeschooling a Large Family (from a couple with eight children) to Care and Treatment of Parental Panic Attacks.

Mary Griffith, nationally known author of The Homeschooling Handbook and The Unschooling Handbook, will give the keynote talk on Hidden Hazards of Homeschooling.

The Virginia Home Education Association is an all-volunteer group that helps homeschoolers and works for homeschool-friendly legislation. They are "fully inclusive"-- no religious or political agenda. Whether you seek a support network, educational resources, or simply information about this increasingly popular alternative to traditional schooling, you'll find it at the Fair.

The statewide Homeschool Conference and Curriculum Fair, sponsored by the Virginia Home Education Association, happens at Covenant Church of God, 1025 E. Rio Road, on Saturday, June 1, 8am-6pm. Adults $30 ($35 per couple), children $15, plus $10 per-family fee. Download the 12-page registration packet at http://www.vhea.org/ and bring it with you to help speed your walk-in registration.

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BOOKS SECTION

Rare gifts

Squint and be charmed

By ELIZABETH KIEM

Good news for lovers of 19th century lit, scholars of the Era of Discovery, dusty photostat fetishists, and old-school Knickerbocker wannabes: the newest addition to Alderman Library's acclaimed treasury of rare manuscripts is an early draft of Washington Irving's "The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus," published in 1828.

The dainty notebook, complete with errant drops of wax and ink blotches, was donated to the University by UVA Professor Vera Granlund and her husband Dr. John Granlund, who is himself directly descended from the celebrated essayist, biographer, and creator of everyone's favorite goofy schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane.

The gift joins an impressive collection of Irving materials. Hundreds of letters and original manuscripts, including other drafts of "Columbus" are housed in Alderman. But until now the elusive notes on the "wild men of Hispaniola" had been lacking, not to mention the botanically novel characterization of the Caribbean island as one that "enjoyeth perpetual springtime and is fortunate with continual summer harvest."

Truth be told, Irving's scribbles are hard reading, mostly because of the characteristic flat-line style of early 1800s' penmanship, but also because much of them are in French. Another curious feature of the manuscript is the fact that it is written from both covers, so that you can choose the beginning by flipping it upside down and back to front.

Far easier to read is the charming epistle from Irving to his niece Julia, which a curator has thoughtfully transcribed. In it, the great writer confesses to being "fagged out by literary tasking," adding, "it is as difficult for me to exercise my pen in the way of friendly and agreeable correspondence as it is for a postillion to mount his horse and gallop out for an airing after he has been pounding along through mud and mire..." Ahhh, visions of a whole cavalry of headless relatives demanding familial correspondence.

While you're burrowed down in the quiet of special collections, take a peek at another gem-- the manuscript of John Dos Passos' unpublished novel, Seven Times Around the Walls of Jericho. Written in 1917 on a typewriter, it is more legible than Irving's work; and for those who can't get enough of the boy-child hero perplexed by the contradictory tales of grown-ups (is the moon made of green cheese or of almond paste?), it is an even more satisfying find.

The Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, on the second floor of Alderman Library, is open to the public Monday-Friday 9-5 and Saturday 1-5.

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MORE ONGOING EVENTS

FAMILY

Photo op: The Virginia Discovery Museum's photo exhibit "Everyone, Everywhere: Diversity and Kids" is on display now through June 24. This unique collection of over 40 photographs was created as a service learning project by four Monticello high school students and features images of Charlottesville's diversity from two to ten years old. The exhibit, hung at a child's eye-level of course, can be viewed in the classroom space at the museum and is included in the price of admission. East end of the Downtown Mall. 977-1025.

Body works: The Virginia Discovery Museum invites everybody to explore the workings of the human body. Visitors to the new Back Gallery exhibit can find out how muscles grow, see what healthy bones look like, practice healthy shopping, test their skills on the challenge course, and more. Included in the cost of admission. East end of the Downtown Mall. 977-1025.

Move and groove: "Masks, Movement, and Music," a creative dance camp for children, offers kids the chance to explore movement, develop dance skills, strengthen their bodies, and interact with others, all the while having fun. Movement educator Krista Weih teaches the 1 _- and 2-hour sessions for kids ages 3-4, 5-7, and 7-10 at the New Dance Space. Cost is $75. For more information or to sign up, contact Krista at 823-4454 or .

Into the wild: Young adventurers can spend a week exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains and learning valuable outdoor survival skills at the Living Earth School Summer Camps. Two sessions are offered: July 21-26 for ages 8-12 and August 11-16 for ages 13-17. Taught in a unique mentoring style, the program includes primitive fire making, nature awareness skills, wild food gathering, tracking, team building, and much more. This overnight camp is held at Sugar Hollow Girl Scout Camp and costs $375. For more information, call 540-456-7339 or email .

Coaster magic: Visitors to the IMAX theater at the Science Museum of Virginia will want to fasten their seatbelts as they climb aboard "Thrill Ride: The Science of Fun." This latest film takes coaster lovers behind the scenes to see how thrill rides are created. Call for times and reservations. 2500 W. Broad St., Richmond. 800-659-1727. www.smv.org.

Unearthing history: Watch archaeologists dig at Montpelier's Mount Pleasant, site of James Madison's boyhood home, through July 3. Monday-Thursday, 7:30am-3pm. Included in Montpelier admission price. 540-672-2728. www.montpelier.org/ar-pleasant.htm

Getting better all the time: The Community History Workshop of UVA's School of Architecture presents "Designing the Cure: A History of the Blue Ridge Sanatorium." The exhibit explores the history, architecture, and role of the tuberculosis sanatorium from its founding to the present. On view at the Albemarle County Historical Society through July 15. Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm; Saturday, 10am-1pm. 296-1492. www.faculty.virginia.edu/blueridgesanatorium

Submissions are due by 5pm Friday the week before the issue the listing will run, and are accepted via fax at 295-8097, in person at The Hook office, 100 Second St. NW, or at the appropriate email address below. Please include name, venue, admission, time, contact information, and description.

CULTURE EDITORS

Books: Elizabeth Kiem

copy@readthehook.com

Family: Linda Kobert

Nature: Lynn Jo Jameson

Think: Mara Rockliff

Performance (stage and dance): Toby Emert

Tunes: Mark Grabowski

Art: Aaron Steinberg

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