Mount Hood

Cannon Gallery — a platform for stunning faculty work

Never Retallack  | Entertainment Editor

Cannon Gallery — Western’s very own art exhibit within Campbell Hall, opened its biennial production of faculty art on Nov. 13. The exhibition will be open until Dec. 13 and holds works from the following: Jen Bracy, Clay Dunklin, Jodie Garrison, Mary Harden, Rebecca McCannell, Peter Hoffecker Mejia, Sung Eun Park, Gregory Poulin, Daniel Tankersley, Diane Tarter, Garima Thakur and Jen Vaughn. 

The only art faculty member not showcasing in the exhibition is Paula Booth, who happens to be the gallery conductor; she and her team of interns and students displayed all the faculty’s pieces into a fluid gallery.

There was a very eclectic collection of art that faculty had submitted; these pieces were whatever the professors were working on since the last biennial showcase. Each professor used a different medium; Poulin used oil on canvas, Thakur created a video, Tarter used collage on blackboard and it goes on and on, with each faculty member showing their different specialties.

The flow of the gallery was interesting. Walking in, viewers made two circles around the perimeter before going through the middle.  Booth and her team strategically placed Thakur’s modern video next to Poulin’s classic still-life oil paintings. The stark contrast between pieces was pleasant as a viewer — the way each transitioned to a different faculty’s art was never predictable.

I am no art expert, and some of the pieces left me contemplating what their true meaning was, such as Park’s mixed media work — simple, yet complex. Dunklin’s piece, “Play On,” was a video that reminded me of a more positive episode of “Black Mirror,” featuring trippy visuals and quirky messages on the screen. A couple pieces that did stand out to me in their message were Bracy’s mixed media on wood pieces called, “Packing Heat” and “En Mass(e),” which show horrifying statistics of gun violence within the United States. 

Talking to Professor Rebecca McCannell about her three pieces, “Illumination,” “Chaos” and “Vertigo,” I was surprised to learn about the complexity of her artwork. Her method was that of reductive screen printing, a tedious process that requires precision when attempting to add colors to a piece layer by layer. McCannell went as far as changing the craft of screen printing to better suit her project. 

“I developed this method where I paint a piece of clear plexiglass with red paint, and then any area I want light to shine through I have to scrape away with a palette knife or exacto blade,” explained McCannell. 

McCannell’s pieces were based on photographs that she took underneath the Eiffel Tower which is a unique perspective — less glamour of the overall appearance, but rather the inner workings. 

This gallery was interesting to walk through; whether an art connoisseur or not, this exhibition showcases stunning art by Western’s faculty, and definitely deserves recognition and praise. 

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo by Mikayla Bruley

Opinion: Thanksgiving deserves just as much love as Christmas

Cora McClain | Editor-in-Chief

So it’s November, which means the most family-centric holiday is right around the corner. It’s a wonderfully festive time that brings people together through love and thankfulness. That’s right — it’s Christmas (and other winter holidays).

Almost as soon as the Halloween decorations come down, they are replaced with dreidels, kinaras and stockings. Nov. 1 seems to signify the changing of holiday seasons as Michael Bublé’s velvety pipes belt out “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot  Like Christmas” over the speakers in public places. November has turned into a month-long preparation for the winter holidays, specifically Christmas, and overlooks a special little day on the fourth Thursday of November, where families gather around and gorge on carbs and turkey. 

While the origins of Thanksgiving are not the best — and poorly represented — the meaning of modern Thanksgiving has come to signify the gathering of family. Sure, Christmas is about gathering family too (as it is an aspect of any holiday) but just because Christmas is branded better, with more celebrity cover albums than I can count and a crazy man who climbs down chimneys and eats cookies as a mascot, it shouldn’t overshadow Thanksgiving. If anything, Thanksgiving just hasn’t been given enough branding to make it any more than a fly-over holiday. 

I mean, are there any Thanksgiving-themed songs? Adam Sandler’s “The Thanksgiving Song” doesn’t count. What about Thanksgiving-themed movies? Even if there is just one or two, they can’t possibly outweigh the massive amount of Christmas-themed-and-adjacent movies, TV shows and other entertainment media. Without these forms of media, it becomes easy to skip over Thanksgiving, as if it doesn’t exist. However, Thanksgiving still deserves recognition and celebration.

From good food to appreciation, Thanksgiving has a lot to offer as a holiday. Whether the Thanksgiving table is filled with mashed potatoes and gravy or kimchi and jeon, just being around a table of good food, no matter the food, honors the holiday. More important than the food on the table (I know, nothing is more important than food) are the people around the table. 

Extended family, close family and found family in friends all make the holiday what it truly is. Spending quality time with people, whether in constant contact or only seeing them every-so-often, makes Thanksgiving a holiday worth celebrating.

Finally, the “giving thanks” aspect of Thanksgiving allots the holiday its own spin on the “family gathering” facet of every holiday. Just like how Christmas’ gimmick is giving presents, Thanksgiving is all about taking a moment to reflect on the good things in life. Reflecting on the positivity like this is something special that Thanksgiving is centered on. While it may not seem important, taking a serious look at all there is to be thankful for can be very encouraging in troubling times, and maybe people need a little more positive reflection. 

So, don’t just let Thanksgiving fall to the wayside as Michael Bublé plays from the speakers, remember the fourth Thursday of November as a day to reflect and gather and eat.

 

Contact the author at cmcclain17@wou.edu

Photo by Mikayla Bruley

Check out Grills Gone Wild for a variety of food

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

Grills Gone Wild is located near the Donut Bar, behind the New Life Ministries church. The food cart, owned and operated by Toto Hall, opened last month on Oct. 17. 

The first food truck she had started was an espresso truck about 20 years ago; from there, her business grew and evolved into the food truck that’s currently in Monmouth.

Hall had lived in Monmouth back when Western was still known as the Western Oregon State College. She had decided to open a food truck here in town after hearing about the food annex from an old friend, and thought the location held a lot of potential and great people.

The food truck’s menu consists mainly of grilled sandwiches, many of which contain bacon.

“I love sandwiches and I love bacon so I decided to design bacon related sandwiches,” Hall explained.

Grills Gone Wild also carries a diverse selection of fries, gyros, desserts and various other dishes. The reason for the large variation and occasional changes to the menu is because Hall likes to modify the menu according to what her customers are craving. 

“I (have) specials weekly or so and keep modifying my menu to bring food(s) locals want to eat,” Hall said.

The signature dish for Grills Gone Wild is the deep fried peanut butter, banana, marshmallow and Nutella dessert sandwich, which can’t be found on the menu, but can usually be made if prompted. The dish Hall recommends to first-time customers is either the garlic parmesan fries, or any sandwich that has bacon on it. 

In addition, Hall is in the process of expanding the gluten-free options available on the menu. Currently, Grills Gone Wild has gluten-free burgers, Philly cheesesteaks and cheesy melt sandwiches. Hall is attempting to find gluten free pita bread for chicken gyros as well, and tries to carry gluten free chicken tenders when she can.

Once winter season rolls around, Hall hopes to add soup as well to the ever growing menu.

When asked if she had anything else to add, Hall had a sentiment she wished to share.

“I love this small town and I hope to find more hungry patrons I can serve and hopefully make them happy or happier one bite at a time.”

Grills Gone Wild is open on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 12–6 p.m. The food truck can be found on Facebook by searching “WouHoo Grills GoneWild,” and is in the process of getting other social media accounts set up.

 

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photos by Mikayla Bruley

Apple themed dessert recipes

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

Thanksgiving is a time of giving and spending time with loved ones. It’s also a time for a lot of food, including delicious desserts. Here’s some apple themed sweets to bake for that next holiday gathering.

 

APPLE PIE

Start to finish: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Serving size: 8 slices

1 unbaked pie crust

7-8 Granny Smith Green Apples peeled and sliced thin or chopped into small cubes

¾ cup of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of cornstarch 

1 tablespoon of vanilla

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

 

Preheat the oven to 375 °F.

Peel and slice (or chop) the apples and place them in a large mixing bowl. 

In a smaller separate bowl, mix brown sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon together.

Add the small bowl of ingredients to the apples, mixing and fully coating the apple slices.

Drizzle the vanilla over the apple mixture. 

Add apples to a prepared unbaked pie crust, top with pie dough or crumble. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown.

 

 

APPLE CRISP

Start to finish: 1 hour

Serving size: 4-6 pieces

6 apples — peeled, cored, and sliced

2 tablespoons of white sugar

1½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 cup of brown sugar

¾ cup of old-fashioned oats

¾ cup of all-purpose flour

½ cup of cold butter

 

Preheat the oven to 350 °F.

Toss apples with white sugar and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon in a medium bowl to coat, then pour into a 9-inch square baking dish.

Mix brown sugar, oats, flour and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in a separate bowl. Use a fork to mash the cold butter into the oats mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Spread over the apples to the edges of the baking dish and pat the topping gently until even.

Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and the sides are bubbling.

Recipe from allrecipes.com

 

SWEET APPLESAUCE

Start to finish: 30 minutes

Serves 4 people

4 apples (preferably granny smith)

1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons of white sugar

 

Cut and core the apples. If desired, apples can also be peeled, but it’s not necessary.

Take a medium sized pot and fill with about an inch of water. Turn stove top on between levels 4 and 6. Once it’s set, place apples into the pot as the water begins to heat up. 

Begin stirring after water begins to boil. Continue stirring until apples are soft, then start mashing with stirring utensil. Mash apples until desired texture and thickness.

Turn off the heat on the stove and add in the sugar and cinnamon. More sugar and cinnamon can be added as preferred. Stir until fully mixed in.

Serve once cooled, or store in a container for later. The applesauce can be kept in the fridge for about a week and a half, and can last up to three months in the freezer if packaged in a freezer bag.

 

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photos by Trinity Phan-Low (apples & applesauce)

Photos by Rylie Horrall (apple pie & apple crisp)

Simple DIY Thanksgiving decorations

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

As a child, you may have made Thanksgiving decorations in school, such as the classic hand turkey. Here’s some of those decorations that you can still use now.

 

Hand Turkeys

Hang a blast-from-the-past decoration that can be made into a chain. Start by tracing your hand onto a piece of paper and then cutting it out. Color the fingers to create feathers. Alternatively, trace your fingers on various colored paper, then cut and glue onto the fingers of the hand outline. Draw a face onto the thumb to make the head of the turkey.

To make the hanging chain, repeat the process as many times as desired. Take the finished hand turkeys and glue the head of the turkey onto another turkey just below the tip of the pinky. Hang where desired when finished.

 

Pinecone Turkey Centerpieces

Decorate your dining table with an easy-to-make centerpiece. Take a pinecone — which can be bought in bulk or potentially found outside for free — and glue googly eyes onto the front of it. Alternatively, eyes can be drawn on paper, cut out and glued on. Take some colorful paper and cut out oblong oval shapes to create feathers. Glue the makeshift feathers onto the pinecone near the back. Repeat this step to layer the feathers. Lastly, cut a small triangle out of orange paper and glue it on to make a beak.

 

Turkey Treat Bags

Organize your snacks and create a cute decoration in the process. Take a small plastic bag and fill it with Reese’s Pieces (or a different candy of your choice). Tie off the end with a string or hair tie. The end of the bag can be fluffed up to make a tail, or you can add to it by cutting feathers out of paper. Take an orange pipe cleaner and twist it to make a beak, leaving extra standing up in order to glue googly eyes on. Alternatively, you can use candy corn for beak and paper for the eyes. Take yellow pipe cleaners and twist them to create feet, or use paper glued to the bottom of the bag.

 

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photo by Rylie Horrall (hand turkey)

Photo by Cora McClain (pinecone) 

Photo by Trinity Phan-Low (treat bag)

Get to know the musician Kali Das on his college radio tour

Never Retallack | Entertainment Editor

Interested in hearing music from a unique artist? Check out Kali Das, a musician living in New Mexico, reaching out to universities on his college radio tour so that his music travels far and wide.

 

Q: Tell me a bit about yourself, how long have you been making music? 

K: I have been recording music for over ten years. I mainly play synthesizer and guitar although I am more well-versed in synth.

Q: What inspired you to start creating music? 

K: I initially started playing music as a part of my spiritual practice. I did a lot of chanting music but have transitioned from that to more mainstream music. I still try to put out conscious messages that I feel will help the audience or make them think. I think though I wanted to have some separation from my spiritual practice and my music although I guess they are still interlinked in a more subtle way.

Q: What is your goal when it comes to producing music? 

K: My main goal is to be in the moment and expressive of where I am at for better or for worse. Musicians are either praised or ignored, and of course there is everything in between, but I think a true artist tries to express his own unique voice regardless of whether that voice is popular or not.

Q: How would you describe your music or your style? 

K: It is multi-genre. Like many artists these days, I have so many influences that I do not particularly feel comfortable in a box. So I have done everything from hip-hop to world music.

Q: Are you part of a band? How exactly do you write and create your music? 

K: I bring in musicians as needed. In terms of the writing process, I pretty much always write lyrics first if the song has lyrics. I try to focus on what I am trying to say. Once I have the lyrics and message, it becomes much easier to add instrumentation to drive the point home.

Q: Are you working on anything else besides music? 

K: I am also a healer and have an energy/body work practice. I plan on getting a masters degree at some point but have been procrastinating.

Q: What are your implications with your new EP? 

K: The lead song of the EP “Don’t Vote 4 Trump” is a call to move our country in a more progressive direction. Trump and what he represents are not conducive to moving forward in a healthy way. The other songs are mainly love dirges. “So Beautiful,” for example, is a song about a guy who falls in love with his dentist, yet he doesn’t feel he’s good enough for her. That one is supposed to be funny. “Pale Blue Moon” was with regard to an epic heartbreak, epic for me, not necessarily for anyone else… “Learn to Fly” is about letting go of those we love when the time comes. The title of the album “Don’t Vote 4 Trump and other love songs” implies that even the first song is a love song because love isn’t always about a partner, but it’s also about your commitment to the world.

Q: Why are a couple of your songs on the EP purely instrumental, or rather, why no lyrics?

K: I just thought they were great songs. I feel music sometimes captures what words never can.

Q: What is the reaction you are hoping to receive from your EP? I am hoping it helps encourage people to be more open and expressive about who they are and to question the political process which has been dominated by money for decades now. Our political lobbyist and election systems need a total overhaul to get money out of politics, which I believe is possible, but there (are) a lot of powerful forces against change.

Q: What is the most important element of creating music for you? 

K: Authenticity. There are a lot of talented people. A lot less authentic people. I have met a lot of people who will say something to your face, but something totally different is going on inside. I strive not to be that way. I strive to be authentic.

Q: Where can people find your music? 

K: On my website kalidasworld.com or gottaimpeach.com It will also be on Spotify and Youtube and all major digital platforms on the official release date November 15. 

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photos by Kali Das

Western dancer and first-time choreographer gets involved in the arts community through an award-winning rock musical

Caity Healy | Managing Editor

With Western Oregon’s Creative Arts Division as robust and successful as it is, with several programs and departments, students involved in it often choose to get involved in the arts in their community beyond the ways they are offered on campus. One such student is Noah Nieves Driver. 

Nieves Driver is a senior at Western, currently in his second year of the ASL/English Interpreting Program. On top of this, he has been a dancer for nearly as long as he can remember. 

“I started dance when I was three. And I continued with that all the way until I was 9-ish, then I got back into it when I was 13,” Nieves Driver explained. While he can’t pinpoint the exact reason he stopped at age nine, he can remember exactly what inspired him to start again at 13.

“I saw Alvin Ailey perform in my hometown, Tacoma, Washington, and I was like, ‘I want to get back into this,’” Nieves Driver recalled.

While his history with dance has been long and extensive, an opportunity for him to do something new came up in the summer of 2019: choreograph a show titled “Next to Normal” — this was his musical choreography debut.

“I choreographed a play in high school … and I took the choreography sequence here at WOU, so I learned how to choreograph for myself,” Nieves Driver said. “But show-wise, this is the first actual show I’ve choreographed.” 

Nieves Driver has been involved in local theater in the neighboring communities to Monmouth for awhile, and when he heard that the Majestic Theatre in Corvallis, Oregon was putting on “Next to Normal” —  a show about a suburban household coping with mental illness, delving into the ways a mother navigates her illness and the treatments that go along with it, as well as the impact it has on her family — he contacted the director, Ruth Mandsager, to see if she’d be interested in him doing the choreography.

“I love the show, I love the people who are a part of the production, and I just had this vision for it and I was like, ‘I want to see this come to life,’” he added. Mandsager gladly accepted his offer, and they got to work. Nieves Driver explained that the songs are very grounded in reality, and therefore wanted to make sure there was a purpose to the choreography that he was planning.

“I just listened to the songs a lot … I tried to understand what the characters were feeling,” Nieves Driver said. “I was working with the music,” he added, asking himself things like, “‘okay what is the music doing here? Oh, it’s accenting that. Let me follow that or let me do the opposite to create some contrast with that.’” 

As a choreographer, Nieves Driver felt elated by how this process went, and explained that, ideally, this is just the beginning.

“I’m hopeful that I can get in — at least in this area — as a prominent choreographer, and then hopefully become a director so that I can cast more people of color in traditionally white roles,” he explained. “In this area, there aren’t a lot of opportunities for people like me, like black people, to get cast in stuff … so with traditionally white roles … why is it traditionally white? Is it connected to the story? Is it about race? If not, then why does that matter? So, there wasn’t a lot of work here for me as a dancer, so that’s kind of why I went into choreography. But I think I’m going to focus more on that, and less on the dance aspect.”

“Next to Normal” does have a content warning under the Majestic Theatre’s website, as it includes subject matter and language regarding depression, self-harm, drug abuse and suicide. 

For those interested in seeing the show, there are still a few more opportunities. It runs Nov. 13–16 at 7:30 p.m., and Nov. 17 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $16 for students, $18 for adults, and only $10 for those that go Thursday, Nov. 14. 

“Support local theater, we really need it,” Nieves Driver commented. “Everybody has been putting their full heart into this show and I think you can see that from just watching it.”

 

Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu

Photos courtesy of Mark Hoffman (play)

Photo by Caity Healy (headshot)

WOU logo

Facebook   Instagram   Twitter  YouTube  LinkedIn  wouTV

WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY
345 Monmouth Ave. N.
Monmouth OR 97361

503-838-8000 | 1-877-877-1593

Tools

Campus Maps
Canvas
Find People
Portal
Virtual Tour
WOU Email
Technical Support

Resources

A-Z Index
Accessibility
Academic Calendar
Class Schedule
Jobs at WOU
Partnerships
Student Services

Western Oregon University’s Land Acknowledgement
Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

Accessibility    Public Records    Privacy    Student Consumer Information

WOU prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by WOU.