FOR RELEASE: March 8, 2013
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Jennifer Kirk, 615-898-2590 or Jennifer.kirk@mtsu.edu
MURFREESBORO — Wayne White is proud to dance a
jig while wearing a giant puppet head of Lyndon B. Johnson. He’s proud to say
that MTSU is where his art and his life began to bloom.
And
despite the title of the irreverent documentary that's made him a current media
darling and an "overnight sensation" in an already 30-plus-year
career, Wayne White does not find beauty "embarrassing."
The
Emmy-winning artist and performer will return to MTSU on Tuesday, March 19, undoubtedly
with his banjo and harmonica, for a free guest lecture and special screening of
that documentary, "Beauty is Embarrassing," in the Keathley
University Center Theater at 7 p.m.
White, a
native of Hixson, Tenn., earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from MTSU in
1979 and made his way to New York City. He worked as an illustrator for several
publications, including the New York Times and the Village Voice, and in 1986
became a designer and puppeteer for “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” earning three Emmy
Awards in the process.
He and his
wife, artist and author Mimi Pond, then moved to California, where he continued
his TV work with sets and characters for “Shining Time Station,” “Beakman’s
World,” “Riders in the Sky” and “Bill & Willis.” He also worked with music
videos, winning Billboard and MTV Music Video Awards as an art director for his
work on The Smashing Pumpkins' “Tonight, Tonight” and Peter Gabriel's “Big
Time.”
White
embarked on a “second act” in the new century, creating paintings, sculptures
and public works exhibited around the world.
His most
recognized fine arts work now are his paintings, which use
thrift-shop-scavenged “sofa painting” landscapes as backdrops for oversized, 3-D,
deadpan words and phrases reminiscent of the old Burma Shave roadside signs and
ubiquitous “See Rock City” barn roofs and birdhouses that peppered his
childhood.
“He Acts
All Weird for No Good Reason,” “Awopbopalubop,” “Not All There,” “I Took Off
Work and Came All The Way Down Here” and “Beauty is Embarrassin'” are just a
few examples.
One of
those text paintings, “Maybe Now I'll Get The Respect I So Richly Deserve,”
also lent its name to a 2009 400-page monograph of White’s work, edited by
designer Todd Oldham.
The often
profound and sometimes profane “Beauty is Embarrassing,” which premiered at the
2012 SXSW Film Festival, recently aired on PBS’s “Independent Lens."
It's a
trip through White’s life and career, complete with a poignant visit back to
the MTSU campus as well as excursions with his fellow alumnus and good friend,
P. Michael Quinn, who teaches fine arts at The Webb School in Bell Buckle,
Tenn.
White’s visit
is sponsored by Raider Entertainment, the MTSU College of Liberal Arts and the
Distinguished Lecture Committee. You can see White’s variety of work at his
website, www.waynewhiteart.com.
For more
information, please visit the special event website at http://mtsu.edu/events/waynewhite.php, call 615-898-2551 or e-mail concerts@mtsu.edu.
—30—
MTSU is committed to developing a
community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear,
and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:
“I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news
anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.
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