Sonnets to Orpheus opens April 13

Lendon Noe

"Sonnets to Orpheus" is the name of the latest exhibit to be presented April 13 - June 2, at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville, Tenn. The collection of mixed media art is the work of Jackson, Tenn., native Lendon Noe and explores a series of poems written by German poet Rainer Maria Rilke depicting the Greek mythical musician, Orpheus.

"Rilke’s sonnets are filled with beautiful metaphors that to me are breathtakingly visual," says Noe. "While I don’t seek to illustrate his work, I have been immeasurably inspired by it."

Noe is the former Professor of Art at Lambuth University where she taught for 28 years. She has recently opened a studio and gallery at DCA/DCPR in Jackson and is a partner and instructor with Silver Creek Workshops.

"My work hovers between realism and pure abstraction and I am attracted to many different media and techniques."

Noe began as an oil painter but explains that she now does a lot of drawing, incorporating acrylics and inks, collage and image transfers. Inspired by nature, many of the works in the Orpheus collection depicts trees and nature.

" I look for poetic references and metaphors involving all kinds of plant life and birds."

The public is invited to a special exhibit opening and reception Friday evening, April 13, 6-8 p.m., to meet the artist and learn about her inspiration and interpretation of the sonnets.

JACKSON: SPORTS CAPITAL OF THE MID SOUTH AGAIN THIS WEEKEND

More than 137 sports teams and 1,000 runners and walkers will travel to Jackson to compete and participate in sporting events over the upcoming weekend. The Mid America Youth Basketball Tournament, Little General’s 5K Run/Fun Walk, Jumpstart Jackson’s Community Wellness Walk as well as baseball and softball games at the West Tennessee Healthcare Sportsplex are expected to attract about 7,000 people to Jackson.

Mid America Basketball Youth will host the first of a series of three basketball tournaments over the spring and summer in Jackson at Northside High School, Jackson Central Merry, Rose Hill Middle School and Tigrett Middle School where over 60 teams will compete.  West Tennessee Healthcare Sportsplex will host 77 teams with the USSSA “Baseball Blast” and the USGF “Fastpitch Fever” games.

At Union University runners will compete in the Little General’s 5K Run and 1 mile Fun Walk benefitting the Pediatric Unit at Jackson Madison County General Hospital.  Across town at the Carl Perkins Civic Center, Jumpstart Jackson kicks off their Annual Community Wellness Walk through downtown.

“We are fortunate to have sports destinations and venues like West Tennessee Healthcare Sportsplex and the Jackson Madison County School System,” said Lori Nunnery, Executive Director of the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau.  “Sports Tourism plays an integral part in raising the profile of our community and is increasingly seen as part of a broader tourism strategy.  The sporting events, along with the Casey Jones Day and Celebrate Art Festival in the Casey Jones Village, help to make this a great weekend of fun. ”

“Besides the benefits of increased media exposure that will have long-term effects on tourism, these events bring people and a substantial financial impact.  No matter who walks away with the trophy at the end of the tournament, the Jackson-Madison County economy is set to be the big winner.”                            

NASA Traveling Exhibit to Visit Casey Jones Village

 A little bit of Mission Control will have lift-off in Jackson, Tenn., the weekend of May 14 - 15, as the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, brings  NASA’s Driven to Explore mobile exhibit to Casey Jones Home & Railroad Museum and Casey Jones Village  from 9 am to 7 pm each day.  Driven to Explore has no admission charge and is designed for all ages to enjoy. 

Driven to Explore is a mobile, multimedia experience showcasing NASA’s future plans for space exploration, including information on next-generation vehicles and the challenges associated with long term space travel. It immerses visitors in the story of NASA. The walking tour includes breathtaking imagery and audio and visual technology to connect guests with the space program.  

The Museum was chosen as the only site in West Tennessee due to the unique transportation connection of the railroads to space travel and amount of visitors Casey Jones Village enjoys each year.  NASA will be touring the exhibit through Tennessee during the month of May. 

Visitors will have the rare opportunity to touch a moon rock brought back by Apollo 17, the last manned mission to the moon in 1972. The moon rock is the centerpiece of the traveling exhibit and is one of the only seven lunar samples in the world made available for the public to touch and feel.

Casey Jones Home & Railroad Museum is located in Casey Jones Village in Jackson, Tennessee at 30 Casey Jones Lane.  It is dedicated to the life and legend of Casey Jones and Jackson railroading history.  For more information visit www.caseyjones.com. 

The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's center for human space flight  training, research and flight control. The Center consists of a complex of 100 buildings constructed on 1,620 acres in Houston, Texas.  Johnson Space Center is home to the United States astronaut  corps and is responsible for training astronauts from both the U.S. and its international partners. It is often popularly referred to by its central function, "Mission Control".  For more information visit www.nasa.gov.