January 14, 2008

See the SlideShow

Download the Podcast  (or subcribe using iTunes)

Download GYÖNGY LAKY's SLIDES (PDF, 1798KB)

Check for current gigs for these guests.

We opened our 2008 Spring Season with a show that turned out to be all about inspiration. First,  actor/director/producer/writer (!) Jeffrey Hartgraves gave us insight into his most recent  show, Shark Bites (running at Theater Rhino through February 9), even performing a short monolog from it.  Jeffrey's struggle with bone cancer inspired him to write a script asking why fear seems to be our major motivator, and his  exploration of this question is courageous (and not incidentally, very funny).  Next, environmental sculptor Gyöngy Laky fascinated us with a guided tour (complete with slideshow) through her most  recent works.   When one escapes war as a child, it can result in a life of fear -- or in an amazing artistic journey, as we learned from Gyöngy's story.  And what could be more inspiring to our audience than a dotcommer turned bootlegger?  Brian Backus shared not only his entrepreneurial adventure -- but to our great delight -- samples of his product!  The after-party continued into the night as audience members savored the unique taste of Qi Spirits.  Plus, the debut of Cafe Americain as our house band.  A wonderful start to 2008.

 

About Our Featured Guests

GYÖNGY LAKY

Gyöngy Laky's sculptural forms are exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the United States.  Internationally, her work has been exhibited in France, Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Holland, Switzerland, Hungary, Lithuania, Colombia, the Philippines and China (with one-person exhibitions in Spain, Denmark and England). She is also known for her outdoor site-specific installations which have occurred in the US, Canada, England, France, Austria and Bulgaria.  Her work appears in over 20 books.

A past recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, Laky was also one of the first textile artists to be commissioned by the Federal Art-in-Architecture Program.   Her work is in many permanent collections including the San Francisco MOMA, the Smithsonian's Renwick Museum of American Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Oakland Museum, the Contemporary Museum in Honolulu, and others.  Her most recent one-woman show, New Work: Intersections, was at the Braunstein-Quay Gallery in San Francisco in December 2007.

Laky was born in Budapest, Hungary and emigrated to the United States as a small child.  She is a professor emerita and former Chair of the Department of Art at UC Davis.

JEFFREY HARTGRAVES

San Francisco actor Jeffrey Hartgraves's work in the creative arts spans nearly two decades and includes professional writing, direction and performance in local theatre, corporate video and live events, and independent film from time to time.  The award-winning artist has worked on scores of productions in the Bay Area and around the country. Hartgraves's plays have been produced in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. He has directed several mainstage productions for Theatre Rhinoceros, which he feels is his theatre "home."
 
In 2005, Hartgraves was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer.  Once in remission, he responded by creating his auto-biopic  Shark Bites, as a "very nearly solo show" that humorously examines how fear is the most basic human motivation.  Critically acclaimed in its initial runs, the show will be reprised at Theatre Rhino from January 17 - February 9.  

A prolific writer, Hartgraves recently published Bone Matters, a compilation of previously published works.

BRIAN BACKUS

Brian Backus is the president and co-founder of Qi Spirits (left, with co-founder Lance Winters), a unique spirits company that produces hand distilled liqueurs from organic teas at St. George Spirits distillery in Alameda. Backus' interest in fine spirits began on his visits to craft-distilleries of Scotland, as well as his discovery of the Italian tradition of locally made Amaro (herbal bitter liqueurs). After a 10-year career in film and software production, he began experimenting with herb-infused spirits and ultimately partnered with Master Distiller Lance Winters to form Qi Spirits.

Backus was born and raised in La Jolla, California, and lives in San Francisco.