A&S in the News – Sept. 30-October 6

Goldie 1971 – The Fallen Robot
Atlas Obscura – Sept. 30

When the Sloss Blast Furnaces closed in 1971 the site had been an anchor of Birmingham’s industrial life for nine decades. As one of the South’s largest manufacturers of pig iron, the obsolete hulk that was left behind was an inspiration for then-graduate student Joe McCreary, who created a rusting giant for the University of Alabama campus. Called “Goldie 1971,” the creature has stopped to rest in the sculpture garden of Woods Quad, just outside the Department of Art and Art History where McCreary earned his MFA in 2011. The University bought the sculpture in 2010, and installed the three-ton titan as part of its permanent outdoor collection. One of five public art installations in the quad, McCreary’s piece honors the workers of Sloss, and their jobs smelting pig iron (an element used to make steel). Early concept art for the piece put Goldie to work alongside the ironmen, under grueling and often dangerous conditions. Goldie may not have been vulnerable to the heat and poisonous gasses like his denim-clad brethren, but even a pig iron robot is susceptible to plant closures.

Students of New College are offered an alternative academic experience
Crimson White – Oct. 4

For freshmen, choosing a major can sometimes be hard. Some have no idea what they would like to do while others have a difficult time choosing between the things they love. For the latter, the idea of a double major may be daunting, both in time and academic commitment, but the idea of sacrificing a passion for convenience is even worse. “My senior year, I just had a lot of different interests, and I felt that, like, when I went to college I’d have to pick one of those interests and stick with it,” said Millicent Krebs, a sophomore majoring in non-profit studies in New College.

THEATER REVIEW: ‘Marvelous Wonderettes’ cast puts own spin on classic pop songs
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 5
Director-choreographer Stacy Alley has had plenty of time to hone and perfect the material, also directing the University of Alabama’s SummerTide run of the show, albeit with different actors, save Catherine Bradwell (Betty Jean), who was swing — like an understudy, but for multiple characters — for the Gulf Shores show. Her sure hand makes this one tick like a metronome, finding not only the musical but comic and, on occasion, somewhat dramatic, beats. It’s sharp, silly, clean, and bright enough to shine through just about any gloom, seasonal, political, personal or not-rooting-for-the-Crimson-Tide-ical. Bradwell and her fellow Wonderettes — Carli Hardon as Missy, Ally Bryant as Cindy Lou and Anna Lee Hawkins as Suzy — are all undergrad musical theater majors at UA, so they’re drawn from that deep talent pool.

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