Artwork by Vin Grabill, chair and associate professor of visual arts, is on display at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) through March 11 in an exhibition entitled Under Cover. Grabill’s 2010 video Frontier is among the approximately 50 works of sculpture, photography and video featured in the show, which is a project of MICA’s Exhibition Development Seminar.

Professor Grabill was interviewed by WYPR’s Tom Hall for a segment on Maryland Morning that aired on January 31. An audio file of the interview is here.

USDemocrazy is back with the second in our series of Oscar predictions in advance of the big night on February 26.

Today we are looking at the “supporting” category. We like this award because supporting characters can easily be scene stealers and elevate a movie as a whole.

Here’s the finalists for Actor in a Supporting Role:

• Kenneth Branagh in My Week with Marilyn
• Jonah Hill in Moneyball
• Nick Nolte in Warrior
• Christopher Plummer in Beginners
• Max von Sydow in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

The biggest shocker here could be Jonah Hill who is best known for his comedic roles. This, his first dramatic role was very well-received and he provided a surprisingly strong foil to Brad Pitt in the film.

Max von Sydow’s performance in Extremely Loud… was extremely quiet as he had a very small part with no actual dialogue. We think he wasn’t quite as deserving as other actors this year, such as Albert Brooks in Drive or Patton Oswalt in Young Adult.

When Rise of the Planet of the Apes came out there was a huge campaign to recognize Andy Serkis for his motion capture work as the ape, Caesar. Obviously the Academy isn’t quite ready to tread those waters.

The favorite at this point seems to be Christopher Plummer, who already won the Golden Globe for his take on an elderly man who comes out as gay after his wife passes away. We think it will be a big surprise if this award goes a different way.

Actress in a Supporting Role

• Bérénice Bejo in The Artist
• Jessica Chastain in The Help
• Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids
• Janet McTeer in Albert Nobbs
• Octavia Spencer in The Help

Another category with a pretty standard set of nominees with the exception of yet another comic performer.

This time it’s Melissa McCarthy who recently took home the Emmy for best comedic actress.  Though the Emmy celebrates television work some think her high profile performance in Bridesmaids helped boost her case.

This reminds us of Robert Downey Jr’s nomination from 2008’s Tropic Thunder for his incredible commitment in an out-there role as a white man pretending to be a black man. While we doubt McCarthy will win, it’s still pretty cool that comedic performers Like Hill and McCarthy are getting more respect.

We think the biggest snub in this category belongs to Shailene Woodley’s heart-wrenching and honest performance in The Descendants. Her only prior claim to fame was as the lead in Secret Life of the American Teenager. Who knew she was capable of such an affecting acting job? We are disappointed she didn’t make the cut.

If we continue using the Golden Globes as a predictor, then Octavia Spencer is the favorite for this category. She has been highly praised for her role in The Help, which featured a number of strong female performances.

But while we agree Jessica Chastain deserved a nomination, we really think it should have been for The Tree of Life, which required a more demanding performance than her role in The Help. She also had excellent performances in 2011 for Take Shelter and The Debt. We think she has a good chance of winning this category if the Academy lets her successful year influence their voting, and with that in mind we’d like her to win too.

What do you think about this crop of nominees? Who would you rather see nominated? Who do you think will win?

Eric Dyer, associate professor of visual arts, has been awarded a 2012 grant from Creative Capital for his project “Short Ride in a Phat Machine.” Professor Dyer was one of only 56 artists selected out of an applicant pool of 3,247 artists in all 50 states. Creative Capital grants provide up to $50,000 in direct project funds, plus advisory services.

Creative Capital is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to providing integrated financial and advisory support to artists pursuing adventurous projects in five disciplines: Emerging Fields, Film/Video, Literature, Performing Arts and Visual Arts.

1 Kings 7:7-16 (NIV 2011)

⁷ Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. ⁸ Then the word of the LORD came to him: ⁹ “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” ¹⁰ So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” ¹¹ As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”

¹² “As surely as the LORD your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”

¹³ Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. ¹⁴ For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the land.’”

¹⁵ She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. ¹⁶ For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.

Reflection:

1 Kings 17 describes another widow that God saw. Jesus mentions her in Luke 4:24-26.

God directed the widow here to give a portion of her food to Elijah. After her small amount of food was gone, the widow and her son were prepared to starve because they had nothing left.

Even though she had nearly nothing left, she gave out of her poverty to Elijah. And God saw her and provided for her and her son until the rains came.

She was still a widow and her situation was still pretty desperate, but she was seen and cared for by God.

Response:

Although we may not know the crushing material poverty of the widow in our American society, we may feel “poor” at times when we feel we lack in something (money, time, energy, etc.) and God asks us to give even more. In these times of perceived poverty, let’s come to God in prayer and give Him all of who we are in faith. As we pledge our flour and oil to God, may we trust that He will see us and renew us.

…just listen to UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski for a minute or two. We dare you to not be inspired to give back! (Click on image for video.)