Mat Bevel Company (MBC) Sponsor Jack Zittere is a field ecologist, whose vocation and passion is nature and how it interfaces with science and art. For him, the Surrealistic Pop Science Theater and The Universe Within world-building course represent the confluence of art, nature and science, and even more. Jack is inspired by MBC President Ned Schaper’s work which he describes as “the most original and broadly integrative bodies of work of an individual artist I’ve ever seen. The way his theater blends kinetic sculpture, poetry, science and music is wondrous and spell-binding.”
Jack and Ned met nearly 30 years ago at high teas which took place with a small group of writers and thinkers. Jack remembers these get-togethers as “a multi-disciplinary gym where we would talk about ideas and do conceptual art and science. The juggling of art and science was incredibly fun and imaginative.”
Jack was first introduced to the theater when Ned’s sister Paula Schaper moved to Tucson in 1993 to help her brother co-produce a performance series at a small venue in ‘Lost Barrio.’ Jack says, “I had never seen this type of integration before in the performance art world.”
Jack recalls when Ned moved into the former Downtown Performance Center, a 5,000-square-foot performance venue that became well-known as the Mat Bevel Institute. Jack explains, “I loved the creative community that surrounded the theater and world of Beveldom at the Mat Bevel Institute. The museum and theater became a performance center for Zeitgeist Jazz at the Institute and other public events. The Day of the Dead procession would conclude at the Institute with a huge community celebration. When the building was demolished, we lost a huge community asset.”
Jack believes that in our modern consumerist society, there is a greater need than ever to have a creative community where people can dream their dreams and spur their imaginations. He supports MBC’s theater and educational curriculum because he believes it adds a visionary component to people’s lives and the Tucson community.
What excites Jack most about MBC’s new home at Launchpad Artspace is that it provides the resources to fully implement Bevelvision Productions. “In the translation of Ned’s theater and Available Resource Technology practices into film, the world will get a glimpse of the Bevel Universe. It’s so important that people experience Beveldom because this magical world not only feeds the soul with art, it educates the mind with surrealistic physics and mechanics in an artful way.”
A dumpster diver and collector of cultural relics, Ned’s work intersects with Jack’s through the shared value of resourcefulness. Jack says, “It’s cool to see someone upcycling. To turn throw-aways into art is a grand gesture. Since my parents lived through the depression, I’ve always been impressed with people who are resourceful.”
According to Jack, “MBC’s importance is already established. Ned is so far ahead of our cultural curve, his work’s relevance will only increase with time.”