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‘Boys of ’36’ Premieres August 2 on PBS
A new PBS film honors UW's 1936 gold-medal rowers
This article originally appeared in the August 2016 issue of Seattle magazine.
Just in time to help us warm up for some Team USA fist pumping during this summer’s Olympic Games, PBS’s American Experience series of historical documentaries presents an episode celebrating a group of athletes who hold a special place in local hearts.
The program, “The Boys of ’36,” tells the story of the scrappy crew of University of Washington rowers that took the gold medal in the men’s eights competition at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Nazi-controlled Berlin. The documentary is based on the nonfiction best-seller The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown, which describes the odds stacked against the team, composed of the sons of local fishermen, farmers and loggers from what was then considered a backwoods corner of the country, and how the rowers’ performance helped quash Adolf Hitler’s highly choreographed show of Teutonic superiority.
Fascinating viewing, right up to the photo finish. “The Boys of ’36” premieres 8/2. Check pbs.org for local listings.
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SENSORIUM Takes on Our Screen Addiction
Dance, drag, and immersive art collide in an eight-week exploration of our phone-obsessed lives, with a few surprises along the way.
What do drag queens, smartphone addiction, art installations, and an old luggage shop have in common? According to longtime Seattle choreographer Alana O’Farrell Rogers, a lot. “There’s no dead time anymore,” says Rogers, explaining how the proliferation of smartphones fills the empty spaces that once served as time for rest or connection. Where we snuggled…
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Ahead of their performance at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture gala, the hip-hop pioneers talk about creative ownership, connecting with new generations, and the songs that still resonate.
The Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP) will host its annual ICONS of Pop Culture Gala in Seattle on October 22, honoring five artists and institutions whose work has helped shape entertainment and culture. This year’s honorees are martial arts and film legend Bruce Lee, fashion designer Jeremy Scott, the video game franchise Halo, hip-hop pioneers…
Studio Sessions: Christopher Paul Jordan
Drawing on childhood memories, neighborhood history, and salvaged materials, Christopher Paul Jordan’s latest show at Cornish’s Behnke Family Gallery explores how the past stays with us.
Start in the middle. It’s good advice for telling a story, and a way into Christopher Paul Jordan’s paintings. By the time you encounter them, their materials have already been something else, and who knows what they might move on to become. The Tacoma interdisciplinary artist works with salvaged objects, including screens, picture frames, canvas,…
Rearview Mirror: Wedding Bells, A Furniture Launch, and the Symphony’s New Look
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
WEDDING BELLS I’ve been a bit absent from this column lately, but I think I have a pretty good excuse: I got married! It’s already been three weeks since my September 19 wedding, but I’m still reflecting on the magic of the day. My fiancé, well husband now (I can’t get used to saying it!),…