Good work everyone. To readdress an issue Emily presented....I put the date your post are due as the header. This is to keep us on track and going. I accept that life can throw us all types of curves and I am not marking off points for being late. I honestly want to know what you are doing each week and how it is going. And what you have to say to each other. ASK QUESTIONS. Plus if you are anything like me I need a deadline or I will manage to put off any writing till next year.
Keep going and making connections to your research. It is perfectly fine how ever you do this as long as you know you are exploring your chosen subject/concept. Thank you to all who share sites or others bits of information that is what this "class room" setting is for...a dialog of ideas. I hope most of you will be at TAEA and we can maybe actually come together for a bit. We will be having a TTU Alumni Reception on Friday afternoon/evening so that might be a good time.
As for me it seems as I have done very little this week. I have only taken notes for my stories that will go with my little books. I am still waiting to get them back. At times I think I am crazy for doing this and wonder what was I thinking.....my answer to self is usually "why not"....just trust my artheart. The same advise I give each of you.
So a couple of questions to ponder this week based on last week's posts. Why natural dyes? Why do we go to museum? Why do we brother making art? How long does it take to heal? Can I possibly say anything new?
Just random thoughts.
Great fundamental questions Future. Like I said last week, the thing I like most about this book is how it is making me re-evaluate what I get out of the museum visitor experience and how it differs from others experience.
ReplyDeleteAs a kid I loved going to the museum because it was usually a field trip. A day to look forward to away from school. I think that says a lot about the different learning environments the museum and the public school offer. I would hardly be able to sleep the night before in anticipation. From 2nd to 5th grade I would go to the Houston Museum of Natural Science and I just loved it.
Now as an adult I think the thing I enjoy most is the calm and quite atmosphere and the architecture. Big open interiors that are such a far cry from the cluttered box of a classroom I spend so much of my time in. In many ways the thing I like most about being at the museum is that it represents time to myself away from distractions, deadlines, responsibilities, and basically life. It is an escape from the hustle and bustle. A trip to a Art museum is as therapeutic as making Art is.
Now do others get the same relaxing escape as I do? My research says, quite clearly, NOPE!
Is that a bad thing? Not at all, I think it simply provides other opportunities for different kinds of learning and personal growth.
I began studying art around the age of 3 or 4 by looking at catalogs from the MET. There were these little stickers of art works you had to match to the stories. Art classes began the next year, but I never visited a museum as such till I was a Sr in high school and that was the old Tech museum in what is now Holden Hall. They had hung the one nude inside a closet. Really. Aside from this lack of museum exposure I had gone around the world and seen amazing buildings, environments, events and gardens. Which was so much like how you describe what elements of a museum affect you. My point is that I see amazing "museum" artifacts everywhere,
DeleteEven when I go to museums with someone I almost always wonder off alone because I want to find something new. Or discover a new way to display works of art. I absolutely love seeing old master's works next to new works...forcing me to re-think what the context really is. I love just meandering and seeing what catches my attention.
So I agree with you. We all have different experiences at different times. And that is what makes a museum a museum.
I have always love to look at things -my parents tell the story of a tiny girl me standing too close to Wood's Parson Weems--the guard did not correct me. He came around the corner, picked me up and moved me back a foot. As strange as it seems, words of correction might have embarrassed me and I might have moved on--never to look at Ole George again. The nudge back, was a gentle invitation to continue but at a safer distance.
DeleteMuseums were part of my childhood makeup.
As a more grown up--
I used to say that world wide, museums are safe. I traveled alot-- some of those time I was alone. Cultural institutions are generally some of the safest places in a country.
The Aura of the real thing--I want to walk on the plains of Troy, see the seven hills of Rome, ask the sphinx my questions. (Actually, none of those things are in a museum but its the ghost of things, places and the past--they are ever present specters.
And a story from last week--
DeleteMini school
my freshman boy's latin class--the teacher asked if any parents knew who Hannibal was. No one raises a hand.
I wait a moment--unwilling to let our heroes be unsung.
I raised my hand--said "I love Hannibal" we talked for a few minutes about Hannibal and Sciprio--famous battles--Trebia, Trasimene, and Cannae.
Later that week, the Latin teacher found my older boy and asked, "why does your mother know so much about Hannibal?"
My boy said, "she likes elephants."
For me--art and art making is so grounded in our shared past-- we lose our moorings our richness. We loss Our ability for content below surface without a "collective knowing".
That is one on my reasons, as an adult, I go to museums.
I really struggle with museums... I'm really not fond of going to them.. I'm not sure why... Maybe I find myself bored and not interested in the art work.. Maybe I can't relate to it... But other times I've wanted to go.. I find if I'm walking down the street and there is a small gallery or artwork in a store or something I'm more likely to walk in and take a peek then plan a trip to the museum.. Maybe I need more hands on? I wonder constantly what makes these pieces worthy of being in a museum while others are not or why they are famous? I think sometimes my students artwork is better and wonder why they wouldn't make it into a museum instead? Why more of the reality pieces, things that are emotional and healing are not included in museums? I kinda just see a bunch of portraits of people I don't know and wonder why they were painted, or a bunch of stuff set up in a still life and painted, yes it might be beautiful and well rendered but why it is it more important than something that is about life and struggles? I think I have too many questions and get too frustrated and just avoid them altogether because of it....
DeleteAndrea I think that is a tottaly natural way to feel and a common view about many museums. I think a lot of it has to do with what museums you are visiting, different collections will pique different viewers interest.
DeleteAs a teenager I skipped through whole galleries at the HMFA with baroque and neo-classical portraits, paintings of fruit, hunting dogs in a field, rich dead europeans. I loved the antiquities first and for most, for much the same reason Lynn mentioned, a link to our collective past.
Later it was abstract expressionist and minimalist stuff that I liked, the color and movement.
Now I am drawn to vessels to find new forms to replicate on the wheel among other things.
In many ways it is like a treasure hunt, visiting a new museum or a visiting show at a museum I frequent. Looking for a piece that really speaks to me is half the fun, even still I skip over many works, but I can almost always find at least one piece that stirs the soul.
Here was my fav. piece in the MFAH collection as a kid. I can't tell you how many times I sketched this in the gallery as a kid. No matter what shit was hitting the fan in my personal life, if I was in the gallery sketching this guy out I wasn't think/ worring about anything else. Will I see my Dad again? Will I get into college? Is my sister ever going to stop abusing drugs? Does this girl love me back?
DeleteNone of that mattered at the museum, and not just because it took my mind off the issues. It helped me recontextualize everything, it is hard to stay upset over a highschool relationship or a deadbeat Dad when your looking at something 2k years old that is still stunningly beautiful.
http://www.mfah.org/art/100-highlights/head-poseidon-antigonos-doson/
DeleteDaniel you're so lucky that you got to experience art museums as a child. My museum experience was also based around the natural science/history museums when I was a child - not that I am complaining - it has probably set a base in me where I will always see art and science together. But still I am envious of the idea of visiting museums in my own childhood and what impact it would've had (if any) on me.
DeleteI am a museum lover - for the people - the artifacts - the art - the architecture - the food - the gift shops - ugh...I like it all. I like going by myself and moving at my own pace, but I also like going with my husband and having him quiz me on artists we encounter. I love going with my niece and interacting with the art or making projects in the children's rooms with her. I just love it all.
I feel like museums are getting better at opening themselves to the community - to offering free hours or being completely free - to having late night programs to get more people to come - It seems like they are constantly in a state of positive growth and that makes me so excited to live when I do.
Both my mom and my aunt (her baby sister) took me to museums, concerts, plays and the ballet as a child and young girl. One of my earliest recollections was going to one of the museums in N.Y.C. and when I came home, I took off my clothes and left them in a pile on the floor in my room. When my mom came into my room later that evening, she asked me "what is this pile of clothing doing on the floor?" I said : "It's my messterpiece!"
DeleteBesides encouraging me and allowing me the freedom to create both with many crafts and art materials, I was given ballet lessons and piano lessons. My mom worked a part-time job to pay for these classes. All of these creative outlets and exposures have been replicated in my own experiences as a mom as I also allowed my daughter various opportunities to express herself physically (gymnastics and ice skating) and creatively (ceramics, painting, drawing, museum outings, etc).
I am certain that these early exposures to various forms of the arts was the key to my ongoing love of all these different forms of creative expression. Although my mom died when I was a teen, these early memories are so much a part of who I am and what I love to do. After my mom died and when I was in college I spent a lot of time at the MOMA. Whenever I go back to New York and visit the MOMA I can hardly wait to go sit in "Matisse's room"... and surround myself with my old friends, especially "The red studio". Looking at this painting on a little screen on a computer, well you just cannot possibly understand the magnificence of this painting in person, surrounded by other Matisse paintings. The scale in the room, when you sit there, is overwhelming. They are LARGE and you cannot see that when they are tiny on the computer screen.
When I took my daughter to the MOMA for her first visit, I brought her to see "my Matisse room" first, then I took her to see Van Gogh's "Starry Night". Her immediate reaction was one of great surprise at the actual size of the painting. As we see this image in so many locations, posters, etc. she had the impression that it was much larger. When she was able to look at it "in the flesh" she was amazed at the true colours and tactile quality of the painting. You cannot "see" this in posters or books or online.
When my daughter was in 10th grade I was her art teacher in high school. We started going to the DMA on Thursday nights for what was then called "sketching in the gallery." We went fairly often during the school year, but especially looked forward to this in the summer and during school breaks when we did not have to wake up early for school on Friday!
DeleteShe would dress up in different outrageous outfits, and the guards used to love to see her get-ups each week (they started to get to know us).
After my daughter started college at SMU, I found the Meadows Museum and added that to my sketch nights at Museums. I also would invite my art students to join me through the years. A few have joined me at The Meadows, The DMA and The Kimbell and it is always exciting to watch them explore studying artists in galleries and also sketching something that interests them. Several of these students are now studying art in college and we still get together to go visit galleries.
Daniel, thank you! I love how you look at the museum for inspiration! To be honest I never thought about it that way! I think the only museum I love going to is the Amon Carter! I absolutely love Fredrick Remington and his western pieces! I used to make a lot of western pieces and have moved out of that stage but slowly getting back into it.. It's one of my loves! Thank you for reminding me of that! I may have to take a trip soon and visit! Maybe see if I can take my AP kiddos!
DeleteI think for me, the experience depends on what museum I am actually in. I have felt the same "relaxing escape" that Daniel has described, but I would not be able to pinpoint why. I also have noted that that feeling/experience isn't present in all situations...and again, I don't really understand why. Maybe physical environment? Maybe the type of exhibition??
DeleteDaniel,
DeleteIn my younger years, my ideas of visiting museums was rather sterile. I presumed that all of the art and exhibits were for the privileged few art aficionados rather than appreciation/exposure of art appreciation ideals to the general public. What a distorted view, but I had no other scale of reference.
What I really enjoyed were the 3D models, replication of objects that I could clearly understand and view. The Kimball Art Museum in Fort Worth (before the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth was built) was the premier opportunity for me to see an art museum being that I was from North Dallas. The Dallas Museum of Art was inferior to the Kimball at the time. However, my interests were bent to architectural design and thus I relished Louis Kahn's beautiful barrel vaults and wonderful indirect lighting. I was delighted to see the new Modern Museum of Fort Worth by Tadao Ando. I always wondered what kind of facility could/would be built next to Louis Kahn's Kimball masterpiece.
Yes Daniel, I agree with you that a trip to an art museum is as therapeutic as making art. To me, it's the reverence that is obtained when crafting art that celebrates it's design ideals in a celebrated architectural environment. When do you see art in poorly designed architecture?
I never visited art museums until I was in my high school art class. I did visit the Smokey Mountain area multiple times and one of my first memories on our family trips was visiting a ceramics production studio! I remember treasuring a mug I got there for many years.
DeleteAfter I was introduced to art in my junior year of high school, I was hooked. I remember walking through the Menil in Houston and being baffled yet excited by everything I saw. When I took AP Art History my senior year of high school, I began to dream about the pieces and architecture I studied. When I studied abroad in college, every city I visited was based on architecture or an art museum. There have been many times where I have been moved to tears in a museum by seeing pieces in real life that I have carried with me in my mind over the years.
All this to say, I take my current art students to museums here in Dallas because I am hoping to spark something in those students. Last year I took my 8th grade honors class to the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher to see the David Bates exhibit. Surprisingly, their favorite part of the trip was looking through the ancient African and Asian pieces.
From a curatorial standpoint, I can't imagine how hard it would be to build an experience to reach all ages. I get stressed out trying to teach to 9th graders and 12th graders in one class. As educators, I think we can strive to open up the door of opportunity to our students to connect with the art. It is up to the student to connect with a piece that moves them. I even had my students create work as a reflection on something they had seen. It was their best work of the year!
Daniel, thank you for sharing about your favorite museum piece and how it has aided you through tough times. Looking at the artwork online, the piece reminded me of a time studying Greek theater in high school and learning about the actors using masks during plays. I was wondering if you have done a unit on mask making with your students?
DeleteRick I always try to tell my students that there is no right or wrong way to view the work on display in a museum or gallery, besides keeping their hands off! That (usually) really opens them up to viewing the work for its quality not so much as an artifact of art history or art-snobbery.
DeleteRick I LOVE the Kimbell for the same reasons. The collection is matched by the wonderful building that houses it. The new annex to the Kimbell is quite nice too! My students usually like the Fort Worth Modern more because of the vast-ness of the spaces. I think I enjoy the lighting in the Kimbell more, as well as the collection.
Martha I didn't visit the Menil until a girlfriend took me my senior year in high school. I was blown away, how could I not know it was under my nose the whole time! I remember loving all the African masks being displayed right next to a room with futurist and surrealist works. And as always the antiquities really got me going! I took my NAHS kids to see the David Bates work at the Nasher and the Ft. Worth Modern last year. They LOVED seeing how his painting correlated with his sculpture. That was a really great collab between the two museums. The point you bring up about designing an experience for such a wide range of visitors being such a difficult task for a curator is what my reading is getting into right now, more info to come.
David, my pleasure! I would LOVE to see what everyone else remembers as their favorite piece from the collections they visited as a kid! I have done units on masks but they focus on Sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania.
Daniel, I took my 8th graders to the Nasher for the David Bates exhibit and they were so bored! It made me so sad. They loved the African/Asian/Greek art at the DMA though. They were mesmerized. I had talked up David Bates for so long and they were not interested at all. I'm taking a new group to see the Heatherwick exhibit in a month or so. I know they will at least love the spinning chairs :)
DeleteLately, I have been going to the Texas Tech museum with my son because of the programs offered for children. He usually leads me excitedly through to learn more about the dinosaurs and bugs that are on exhibit.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite exhibit that I went back several times to see was the art by the Mexican American actor and artist Anthony Quinn. I loved going to this exhibit alone, which allowed me to give undivided attention to the work that left me very inspired. I love finding works of art in the museum that captures my attention leaving me wanting more!
As a child the museum in our city was attached to our public library. I recall being attracted to the Inuit art which was mostly soap stone carving or carving from bones. A piece that left a strong impression on me was of a group of musk ox carvings in a defense formation against wolves. In the carving, the musk oxen are in a circle formation with the young calves in the middle and the detail was amazing. This past summer I went back to the museum and was surprised by the impression it left on me, it was like visiting an old friend!
This week I am focusing the idea of repurposed art. I am taking old doors and using them to create works focused on community.
ReplyDeleteAs you know I am interested in working with variety of communities in regards to creating art. The symbolism is based on the idea that to belong to a community we have to enter into a door, which represents spiritual, emotional and physical properties. The first door anyone walks through is their own, which Henri Nouwen calls the “door to the heart” and there, either community begins or ends. I would like to create my own anthropological lineage of all the communities that I belong to and that have impacted my life. Through different artistic mediums I would like to create the communities experience on the door by using the group input through workshops and such.
I love this! So many doors are opened and closed to us daily, monthly, yearly... What a great concept! I want to see pics when you have created them! What will you do with the doors once you are finished? Will they stay in that community? Will you take them with you? Will you put all out on display and then disperse to each community? Might be interesting to see them all together when they are all complete!
DeleteI really love this idea. Even though it's different it makes me think of when I see ceiling tiles that have been repurposed for arts sake. I often see this at schools and I have seen people do it in hospitals for the sake of healing.
DeleteWith the doors it makes me wonder "where will this door take you?"
I love the idea of wonder behind the process that you are creating.
Ohhhhh I love that where will this door take you!!!! I'm stealing that and using it in my classroom!
DeleteI agree with Andrea, so many doors are opened/closed to us and I also am curious to what you will come up with. I can imagine doing this type of project with all of my kids and the various types of doors that they would come up with!!
DeleteDavid,
DeleteI absolutely marvel at your idea of taking old doors and making art that focuses on community interaction! A fantastic idea, relevant to all with various contexts!
An idea that came to me was to celebrate an upright door (and only upright, i.e. entry) with it's frame and torn edged gyp. board surround. Perhaps the door trim, knob, hinges and paint are celebrated. Or, perhaps only the actual door is of relevance and it commands it's own stage of insight and introspection. I think of doors in the New Orleans French district. Varieties of doors present multiple opportunities for life's varieties and functions.
When in Lubbock years ago for my architecture undergrad, I made a miniature house with a small functional door - this was my mailbox. So many people stopped by to view it, I just knew it would be stolen. The weather took it's toll on it over time, but I liked having a mailbox unlike any of my neighbors.
Rick,
DeleteThank you for the ideas, lots to ponder about. mailboxes, I got a door donated by a neighbor with a mail slot in it, I am thinking that when I do the show people can write comments on what they think community is and drop it in the mail slot.
David, I really like that idea of using repurposed doors to creat community based pieces of Art. I think the door is a good metaphor for transition and personal growth too.
ReplyDeleteentrances.
DeleteDoors make me think of "Lets Make a Deal"...What's behind Door #1?!
DeleteThat is exactly the question I ask at times, what is behind that door? With teaching, we have to open the doors everyday with out students and see what is behind it. Then show them that by letting us in, they are safe. Great concept David.
Lynn,
DeleteAnd exits too, leaving something behind. Healing. Growing.
I speak on friday at a conference--wish me luck.
ReplyDeleteGood luck Lynn, What and where is the conference?
DeleteBehind Door #1- will be of my family, who enters the door of my heart first and I know my community begin at home. To answer your question Andrea, I will show all the doors together next spring at Tech and then donate them to the communities that they represent and yes, pictures will be posted. Right now I got a few used doors from habitat for humanity. My son and I are getting one ready, sanding it down and priming.
DeleteLynn Daniel
Entrances and exits, birth and death, what will I leave behind …more will be revealed.
I can't wait to see these! Please let us know when the exhibit will be!
DeleteHope it went well!!
DeleteLynn,
DeleteHow did the conference go? What was your topic?
David,
DeleteLynn Daniel
Entrances and exits, birth and death, what will I leave behind …more will be revealed.
LOVE IT.
I may be the only one in this class who does not take away art from the museum. All of the ones that stick with me the most are at more modern and eclectic, but so many times my memories of museums are the people walking around in them. I think it is so fascinating to watch people's faces and reactions to art. I love observing what they are wearing, whom they are with, or what they might be carrying with them and I try to figure out what they might do for a living or where they come from. A museum is where age, sex, race, and geographical history do not matter. It is like a public sanctuary, carrying a spiritual, soulful feeling, healing people along their way.
ReplyDeleteBecause I like to repeat myself, I moved my whole life; 6 cities before my 18th birthday, all in Texas, but every time was harder then the last. Mom surrounded my brother and I in amazing fine arts involvement: the love and lessons of movies, civic theatre (I was a fairy in Midsummer Nights Dream, one of Fagin's kids in Oliver Twist, a background singer in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and sang the national anthem in Damn Yankees), took ballet, tap, and jazz for 10 years (performed as an angel with the Russian ballet in the Nutcracker), and we would visit museums where we lived, but through all of these great adventures, there is no doubt I remember the people the most.
The voices, stories, and expressions...they are my museums in which I store in my heart and take out to explore time and time again. I remember getting ready for a opening show, mom being the free “makeup artist” and after I was finished, I would walk around behind the set and just listen to people, all ages. Rehearsing for the show, talking about life, discussing who was going to come, I loved listening to people and learning about their lives. Art is now the catalyst in which I get to try and show how much all of these beings have meant to me. It makes me excited and curious if I am in the least bit getting it correct.
Whatever the case may be, I am affected. Every. Single. Time.
I'm with you Bailey, I would rather people watch then be at the museum... I think I take more away from the people there as well then the art..
DeleteI think we can all relate to the idea of slowing down in life, there is an undeniable allure to leaving the high pace / high stress world we all occupy for much of the year. Even "holidays" carry with them a certain amount of work and stress.
DeleteMany of the reasons I love Junction are the same as why I love spending the afternoon walking a museum or gallery if given the chance. I think its interesting that the get away destination in both cases is something a drive. I have to / get to get in my car and drive away from my normal life. Kind of nice!
Part of my routine at Junction, and what I often did to clear or quiet my mind was get in my car and go for a drive to one of the nearby towns. I would watch the skies change colour, see the rainstorms begin or end, look at the fields and subtle shifts of grasses, trees, shrubs, the disintegrating abandoned homes. All these slowly changing views would calm me and fill me with such a sense of joy and wonder as I would drive without a destination or set place in mind.
DeleteOne of my favorite things to do as well while in Junction Pamela!
DeleteBailey,
DeleteThank You for your refreshing perspective about viewing art museums. It's funny to me how people dress, react to others (or don't) and how and why they look at the art in their own mannerisms. Indeed, a museum is perhaps one of the only places where age, sex, race and geographic history doesn't matter.
I laugh at all the scenarios...the fashionable cup of exorbitantly priced coffee being held by a dapper dressed yuppie who knows Everything. The underprivileged individual that puzzles a momentary glance, then speeds on to the next bizarre thing that evokes response that is misunderstood. The elderly couple that is completely perplexed by a disjoint metal sculpture that reveals it's disconnection - or the splattered painting that seems irrelevant to anything.
Most of all though, I enjoy seeing the "light bulbs" go on in the viewer's minds when they get/react to art. That, makes the experiences all worthwhile.
Now the book I am reading. Go figure I changed my mind. The book I was reading “Making Connections”, turned out to be more of the brain functioning of connections and what happens in the brain….wayyy over my brain.
ReplyDeleteI switched to a book I started reading Christmas 2013, forgot about it, found it again, and realized how much it relates to the topic I am interested in.
“In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed” by Carl Honore is so far one of the best books I’ve ever read. It is based on what is called the Slow Movement and how cities around the world are trying to change the culture and philosophy within their homes, offices, and lives to actually stop, slow down, and enjoy their lives instead of rushing through them.
On Honore’s website, he defines the Slow Movement as this:
“It is a cultural revolution against the notion that faster is always better. The Slow philosophy is not about doing everything at a snail’s pace. It’s about seeking to do everything at the right speed. Savoring the hours and minutes rather than just counting them. Doing everything as well as possible, instead of as fast as possible. It’s about quality over quantity in everything from work to food to parenting.”
http://www.carlhonore.com/books/in-praise-of-slowness/
Here are some other websites where you can find information:
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/
http://www.movimientoslow.com/en/filosofia.html
I find this so relatable because our lives continue to get faster and faster through daily jobs, chores, technological advances, and the need to get everything done before a deadline that we do not have time to stop and observe what is happening around us.
As I’ve explained, I love connecting with people, all ages, and the speed at which my school and students operate, it does not allow me to sit and have a conversation or get to know a student who might really need it.
The rate at which these kids are moving is shredding any once of connection and trying to get to know people. What is even scarier, they do not know how to wonder, or sit and ponder, or create something from nothing. How do they think people came up with Apple Computers anyways?
Through reading “In Praise of Slowness” it talks about how reversing this trend might actually be possible and showing places where they are making it happen.
What place comes to mind that fits this description: Junction, Texas.
In the book, Honore says “The movement is about creating an environment where people can resist the pressure to live by the clock and do everything faster”. (p.87)
He then interviews a financial consultant, Sergio Contegiacomo, from a town named Bra practicing “slow” living. Contegiacomo states:
“’The main thing is that you do not become obsessed with time. Instead you enjoy each moment as it comes…In a Slow City you have the license to relax, to think, to reflect on the big existential questions. Rather than get caught up in the storm and speed of the modern world, where all you do is get in the car, go to work, then hurry home, you take time to walk and meet people in the street. It’s a little bit like living in a fairy tale’” (p.87).
That is hitting the nail right smack on the head. This could not illustrate my feelings for Junction more, fairy tale and all. It is what I crave more and more as I get older, soaking in the experiences and hearts of others and being able to ask the tough questions, find the answers, and create a community based on actually people and having “time” to not worry about time at all. It is being allowed to get lost and learning so much more from that trip.
I am about halfway done through the chapter titled “Cities: Blending Old and New”, moving quick to “Mind/Body”. Can’t wait to report on the rest. Have a good rest of the week. Loves.
This sounds really interesting! And so true! How often do we actually slow down to just sit and observe or daydream... Although lately I have found myself in class daydreaming, starring off into space, and then a student is standing next to me or has asked a question several times and I didn't even hear them.... It's been good day dreaming.... Being still, listening, observing, taking it all in and not rushing....
DeleteAs I was reading your comments I remembered the first time Gail came and blew on the glass pad and how calm and slow he seemed. He and Bob would just seem to stop and talk or kid each other. It was a amazing to watch the confidence they shared.
DeleteI also totally love the idea of conversation vs. chit chat.
Bailey, what a fascinating topic! I can see how slowing down can have many health benefits and can definitely limit the stress in our lives.
DeleteI checked out the website you mentioned called “Slow Food Nation” and I really enjoyed it. The video on “Fox Squirrel Farms” was particularly inspiring on how the young couple take care of their farm land by rotating animals like crops. I also liked how they educate students at the local school about where their food comes from. Growing up on the farm taught me that timing and pace are everything or severe injuries to both animals and those who care for them. Lately I have been reminded about the lessons of the farm and slowing down. In my wheel throwing class, I am truly learning to do things at the right speed -because speed kills….!
It's true how this generation is moving wayyy to fast!! Every year I get asked the question, "Ms...why don't you have kids?" and my answer is "Because I'm 28 years old! I've got a life to live first!!" And the answer blows them away because they are raised around the type of culture where it is okay for them to have a baby while they are still in high school. They are all ready to commit to their high school boyfriends and look forward to raising a family. They don't ever think about slowing down...enjoying life...or what I call: being selfish and living YOUR life.
DeleteBailey,
DeleteWow! I'm completely in this camp, and I definitely feel like a loner too. Until this post, I wondered if I might be the only one with this philosophical tact. Thank You for your insightful research. I will certainly research this ideology.
Seems I can't even go see a motion picture at the movie theater without it being "old" in just a week. Really? How many millions were spent on making that film? Is everything disposable in today's society so rapidly? Connecting with people is paramount to me in my small world. It's not about quantity but quality. Always, and when quantity governs, I resist.
What I relish about Junction is that you can focus on learning/refining skill in a natural environment (with immediate responses) without all the stipulations and restrictions of a typical college environment. Yes, Junction sessions go fast, but every moment is absorbed into bigger/better accomplishments with immediate feedback to nurture the soul.
Ana, preach! Kids find out I am 30 with a 1 year old daughter and it blows their mind. I am almost as old as some of my freshman's mothers and fathers, yikes!
DeleteDavid, I love your comment about speed at the wheel. Every pun intended.
Future I love your question of how long does it take to heal? I really wish I knew the answer to that... Time I guess.... The chapters I've been reading have really clued me in to the healing process and being able to move forward. I have done a lot of journaling this week, and creating art on top of my words.
ReplyDeleteSeveral things that stuck out to me in my readings:
"Acceptance is the recognition that things have changed and will never be what they were before."
"The only way to stop the pain is to accept it."
A part that really stood out to me what Donna Hicks author of Dignity, explains how the brain processes both physical wounds and emotional wounds the same way. They do not distinguish one type of hurt from another... The old saying of "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" when in fact words do hurt us. I think almost worse than a physical pain.
One of my favorites: " You may not have had the choice in being harmed, but you can always choose to be healed."
"When we give voice to our hurt, it loses it's stranglehold on our lives and our identities."
"There must be healing."
There are so many things in this book that have really stuck in me. I'm almost done with this book and will be moving on. I have had so many feelings, and feel like weight has been lifted, it's been a roller coaster ride of emotions, but that's part of the process I do believe. I do feel like I am right where I am supposed to be for a reason and going through this for a reason, that I know will be revealed later, but right now I am grateful for the experience and the opportunity to share... Thank you for being so open and supportive.
Great points. Thank you for sharing. I have come to accept that we need pain at times to feel alive and to appreciate the goodness. There was I time that I had medication to get through a very dark time now I feel I needed to feel that pain because it was waiting for me when I stopped the medications.
DeleteAnd I accept healing is life time experience.
I've always found the healing process to be extremely messy as well. It might be interesting to chronicle your journey through journal entries as well as visual entries.
DeleteInteresting point! Never thought of doing that! Thanks!
DeleteFuture: Sept 21, 2014
DeleteAndrea, that quote on acceptance that things will never be the same is so true, and very helpful. Thanks for sharing. Pain, healing and moving on.. the process is different for each situation and people move through their pain differently. For me, some painful events take more time than others to get through. It depends on my current state of mind, and whether or not it is a pain that I have sort of been through before or a new and different hurt. I have been going through a three year grieving cycle that deals with several types of losses combined/overlapping together; death of a parent, death of a relationship with a man that I cared very deeply for, death of old dreams and desires. Mixed into these are old abandonment issues. My interest in Louise Bourgeois stemmed from reading snippets about her, which talked about her personal abandonment issues. When I am in those moments of pain, I try to look at the pain (feel it) with the knowledge that it will pass, and remember that sadness is just another "feeling", although not a pleasant feeling. Over the years I have also drawn closer to God through the pain and sufferings, and this relationship with my Creator also helps me when I feel that there is "no one around" to talk to. When I am in those dark moments, I tend to distance myself from people, as there are not many who I am willing to share these feelings with. This Graduate School program as a whole has been a wonderful lifeline as it is allowing me to move into new directions, to reconnect with old passions that have been put on back burners for years, to delve into new interests that dovetail with these old desires. It is interesting to note that out of the ashes of these past three years of loss and pain, new life is springing up and it is this current class that is giving me a renewed sense of excitement to see what direction my art will take.
Wow! Thank you for feeling safe enough to share.. I feel very privileged. This book I'm reading has helped tremendously. I completely understand where you are coming from and have held onto this pain for going on 6 yrs now well longer if I think of when I was in it.. It's time to let go and truly let myself heal.. I may not forget and I may not let go or forgive completely but it's a start and I know I'm on the right path. I also know that when I am unable to forgive I ask God to forgive for me which sometimes is just as hard to ask for as forgiving. I have learned forgiveness is not for them but for me... It's a burden a very heavy burden I am finally ready to let go of so I can love again and be happy and be able to let God do the work he has wanted for me.. For the first time in many many many years I feel FREE! FREE what a concept! Don't get me wrong there is a lot of work in reading this book and dwelling up the past and the hurts but each time it gets easier and each time it releases it's stranglehold on me and each time a little more weight comes off! Lots of tears overwhelming tears but a release I've never felt before and I can feel a huge change in me. I've had a few people tell me they can see a huge change in me and see a happiness and a glow they have never seen in me before! I know that is God working in me and healing this broken soul... Making it Whole Again! I was baptized on Sunday evening. One of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. This is a rededication baptism, we were outside at Pflugerville lake and the water was cold, but to be in Gods glory outside in his vastness and to have my pastor tell me that in even just a few short months he can see a huge change and to watch me that Sunday morning molding the clay into a vessel he was so moved because he could see God's hand on me making and molding me into a new person and becoming whole again... Tears are brought to my eyes just writing this.. Hang in there Pamela he will do amazing things if you let him!
DeleteAndrea,
DeleteThank you for your response and sharing what is going on right now with you. How wonderfully exciting to begin the release of old dead things which burden and weigh us down. I agree completely about who forgiveness is really for.... and I have realized how sometimes forgiveness is an ongoing process. I forgive, then when there is a trigger of a painful memory, thoughts come up again which force me to once again "forgive" as I relive some of the experience and I find anger welling up alongside the sadness again. Some things have required years of active, ongoing "forgiving" before the release. Other events/experiences do not take that long. I hope we can meet one weekend in Pflugerville or thereabouts. I do need an Austin "fix" every few months!
Future,
ReplyDeleteNow I am confused. I think this is an early post by you? Aren't we still responding to posts for last week on last week's blog? Up until now here is what I thought:
By Sunday of each week we have to post our own writings about out past week of exploration (example: September 8 - 14). Then, from September 14 - 20, we post our responses to other people's posts. Of course, those of you who post early give us more opportunity to post the actual week of your postings.
Please correct me if this is not what you intend Future.
Thanks.
Yes you have till the following saturday to post...I try to answer as you post just to let you know I am keeping up. This is an unique class and I am most interested in your personal research and how you respond to others if they catch you attention. You do not need to "respond" just to respond...I am looking for dialog. If I have missed a post, just post on the current weeks posts and let us know that you added something from last week. We can follow. I know there is not set pattern or absolute due dates...again i trust you to follow your own interests and share with us your findings or your confusions or your changes of directions.
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Deletethank you....beautiful review
DeleteReally interesting points Emily, especially about a possible connection between social taboo and promiscuity. I have talked in depth about relationships, promiscuity, and navigating the gay-male dating scene with a few friends in the past. There are a whole host of issues that I never even considered before having conversations about it. And I thought the straight dating scene was tricky...I think its a very multi-facited topic, and it took me a while to even have conversations like that with friends. In someways I felt it wasn't my place. As I became closer friends with these guys I started to realize not understanding something as fundamental to an individual as love and relationships was keeping me from really knowing my friend as a whole.
DeleteI wonder about the idea of social taboo being the reason for promiscuity. If that were so, why are so many heterosexuals also promiscuous? On a related note, the idea of people being registered for anything without their desire to be registered as such is abhorrent.
DeleteI will be heading out to Houston tomorrow to attend a bookbinding workshop. I am looking forward to this for several reasons. Aside from the interest in wanting to learn how to make a book, I am in desperate need to run away for a few days and just spend time alone. Five and a half weeks ago my daughter's partner lost his father to prostate cancer. They have been in England and were there before his dad passed on. They are still in England helping his mum. Less than two weeks ago, while they were still in the throes of grieving and all that goes on immediately after a death, they found out that one of their close friends committed suicide. She was the mother of a teenage girl, and my daughter and her partner are reeling from this second and most unexpected loss.
ReplyDeleteI just received a letter from my daughter, and I need to get away, slow down, forget all the junk that I am responsible for at my home and my workplace, and write a long letter back to her. I met their friend both here in the States when she was visiting and when I went to visit my daughter in Australia. We spent time together sketching at the zoo (she was a very creative spirit) and hanging out with them at their home. My daughter is struggling, and wrote me a letter about what she is feeling and going through. She is not usually one to write about her feelings, so I know this is a major shock and I need to get away to settle my mind and write to her.
Our main theme in high school this year is "To save a life". We started the school year at a retreat. All the high school students watched a movie which began with a student committing suicide after being bullied and rejected in his high school. Today we met again in our small groups, and I broke down and started crying. I have been keeping it in for almost two weeks, but after receiving my daughter's letter yesterday I was unable to stop the tears. These girls were so wonderful. Not only did they pray for me, they shared with some of my students after our meeting and later in the day when my students came into my room for art, they came over to me, asked if I was doing O.K. and offered me hugs. I am very exhausted, partially from keeping this in for these past two weeks, not knowing all the details until yesterday, having to be "on" with my students and keep teaching when all I want to do is be home and write my daughter.
Pam,
DeleteI'm so sorry to hear about what your family has been going through. I hope you enjoy this time by yourself. Enjoy the drive. Enjoy the silence. Enjoy the music. Enjoy the scenery. Enjoy your class. Enjoy the time working with your hands to make something new.
That theme "to save a life" seems so heavy to talk with kids about. I hope your personal experiences can touch those students you have. I'm glad you can cry and be free with them.
Take care.
if you do not take care of yourself you can not help anyone else. Allow yourself to enjoy and know that suicide is not about the living but about ending the pain.
DeleteThis is what I love about art, it is incredibly healing! Enjoy your "you" weekend and express yourself! Good for you for knowing when you need to get away, so many times we don't know we need some "me " time, we keep pushing through and wear ourselves too thin... Prayers for healing..
DeleteYes, please enjoy your time and my thoughts are with you!!
DeleteI hope your feeling better and have some time to clear your mind. I agree with Future, you have always got to take care of yourself first and foremost and it is great that you have a small retreat to yourself. Keeping you in my prayers Pam, I have been in your shoes and I know its quite difficult to "keep yourself together" day in and day out in front of your students during a time of grief and loss.
DeletePam, I'm so sorry for what you've been going through. My mom stayed with me for a weekend a few weeks ago when I had to deal with something very difficult. Her just being there and listening to me talk was so comforting. It was literally one of the best moments of our relationship. From a daughter's perspective, having your mom be there for you, supporting you in a dark moment is so comforting. You are in my prayers!
DeleteThis week Future's question of "Why Natural Dyes?" has been in the front of my mind.
ReplyDeleteMost of my personal art work has to do with childhood. For me being connected to nature was a big part of my childhood. Wanting to learn more about fiber art and dyeing fiber it only seems natural (no pun intended) to use what is found in nature to produce color.
I love the history behind natural dyes. How people use what is around them to produce colors. How different geographic locations can produce different colors. How changing the mixture and the mordant can produce a variety of colors.
I often think I probably should've been born into an Amish household, because I am often drawn to traditional ways of making. I love the tradition, the history and how even something so old fashioned can produce colors that look so timeless or modern.
This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Blackland Prarie Artisan and Fibre Faire. http://www.bpaff.com/bpaff/
It was such a lovely event full of mostly older women who spin wool, dye fiber, knit, crochet, weave and do a variety of fiber techniques. It was such a great community of (mostly) ladies. I made connections with two farms who offer spinning classes. With wanting to learn natural dye techniques I also want to learn spinning (like I said - should've been morn Amish) - I took a solar dyeing class - and while she didn't use natural dyes - I like the technique of using the sun to help in the heating process. Especially in the Texas summer - how cool would it be use natural dye techniques then use the sun for the heating process!? - Maybe just cool to me - but that's okay. It was a great class. I love the community of fiber ladies. They are so open to sharing their knowledge and their enthusiasm is contagious. I look forward to visiting some farms and taking some spinning classes!
I also watched a demonstration on spinning rabbit fur! I have a rabbit so this was very exciting to me. It was a great event!
I also purchased a book called "Harvesting Color" - which will help me study further the question of "Why Natural Dyes?" - I look forward to reading it and experimenting with some of the processes the book has to offer.
I'm excited to hear about the information you get for natural dyes. I did a lesson a couple of years ago that tied into environmental awareness and we used natural dyes for batiks. It was fun for the kids to prepare the dyes, but I haven't attempted this lesson again because I needed a fridge to keep their dyes in. I think this year I have a great group of students that would have a lot of fun with naturals dyes!!!
DeleteLast spring I read a lot about process as way to keep tradition alive, and pass on heritage and history. We studied basket weaving of Native American tribes and the authors spoke at length about how important community was to their craft. As a potter I can really relate and appreciate the connections YOU made with YOUR fiber community. In fact when I first started working with clay at the undergrad level, the community aspect is what drew me in. It was such a change from the perceived isolation I felt in painting studios up to that point. Not that everyone has the same experience as me, many painters were a tight nit group, but I never quite fit in. I enjoyed how everyone in ceramics worked together to load and fire the kilns, shared glaze results, and give tips on technique.
DeleteSo what ideas for work are evolving from the connections you've made? Are you going to make some rabbit fur yarn with Shackleton? :)
Deletethank you...in many ways it is a part of the "slow movement"
DeleteI am quite in favor of the "slow movement"....
DeleteThis week I was able to find a couple of resources for the impact that textbook design has on the engagement of students. The book keeper at my school gave me all kinds of textbooks that I could borrow for the class and I have been looking through them here and there. I was thinking about doing a survey that I could send to all the faculty in my school that could give me more information on how they implement their own textbook and if the students are self-motivated while doing bookwork.
ReplyDeleteI also found a couple of interesting articles that I was luckily enough to download for myself. Many of these articles refer back to a book: Multimedia Learning by Richard E. Meyer. In this book, Meyer breaks down a handful of principles of instructional design that are based on a theory on how we learn from a combination of visual and text. I should be getting the book in the mail pretty soon!!
I failed to explain that the reason I'd like to do the survey is to be able to see which books have certain outcomes of learning, since all I have right now is the designs of these texts rather than firsthand experience on whether or not they are even effective in the classroom.
DeleteAny suggestions on a good survey making site? I've seen Survey Monkey, but am curious to hear of any more...
DeleteI have used survey monkey with good results.
DeleteI friend who teaches world geo says this is her prefered tool
https://www.kwiksurveys.com/
Google Forms can also be used as a basic information gathering site!
DeleteTalk with your administration also about actually asking the students what they think about the books/about homework and what really motivates them.
DeleteI'm fighting a migraine today, but I wanted to post pictures of my woman sculpture. I still need to finish the hands, feet, and some details. Any suggestions are welcome! I'll post more tomorrow.
ReplyDeletehttps://plus.google.com/photos/114252974668277038408/albums/6059078839083587617?authkey=COPp3azy8ZXi4wE
So, a little bit more about the week. I'm still working on setting realistic expectations on myself. I tend to beat myself up when I don't meet the goals I set for myself.
DeleteNeedless to say, the woman is almost done and the dollhouse is cast in plaster. I will be drying the mold this week and hopefully beginning the glass firing early next week. I'm trying to think about glazing options right now. I will most likely cast the dollhouse in a pale transparent blue and frost the surface with etching cream. I want the woman to have a cold/removed look about her so I will most likely be using mostly white, greys, pale colors, and a little bit of black to glaze her. My grandmother used to tell me all of the time when I was little that I always looked like my mind was somewhere else at family gatherings (which it was!). So I want to replicate that idea here.
Next I plan to start the sculpture of my grandmother and the rabbits. Hopefully that will be next week some time.
Again, I'd love feedback. I loved Junction for the collaboration and constant communication. I'd love to have your thoughts!
Looking at the two together reminded me of a MFA ceramics student / instructor I had in undergrad named Lselie Laws. She made female busts that had whimsical houses for a base that morphed into womans heads. I looked for an example and this is the best I could fine. her work is about halfway down the page.
Deletehttp://www.depts.ttu.edu/art/Archive/07-08/outoflubbock/alumni.php
So is the woman you? White crackel raku might look nice, it turned out great on your bust in Junction. Or I think underglazes would look really nice too, and since your planning on etching the glass the unglazed texture of the underglaze might complement the glass surface.
DeleteSorry this is 3 post, but I kept thinking of stuff as the day went on.
Deletehttp://www.pinterest.com/pin/121315783683308101/
I think something like that with the underglazes would be nice with the frosted glass. With the underglaze you would still see nice texture from the clay body and it would feel illustrated almost? Might lend to the narrative qualities? I am just thinking out loud here, feel free to tell me to stop rambeling at any time :)
Yes, I will use primarily underglazes. I like the idea of illustration feel! That would be great. I'm going for a subtle, slightly cold/detached feel so more cool colors I'm sure. A pop of a little color might be nice.
DeleteI tried to find more pictures of Leslie Laws work, but no luck. I wish I could see more! Magi Calhoun was a MFA student at UNT when I was there and I LOVE her work. She creates hybrid animals/humans.
The woman is loosely based as a self portrait, but I like to have the freedom to make as many changes as I like. So she has evolved and morphed over the time I've worked on her. My motto is - "Don't get boxed in." :)
Beautiful pieces! Wow!
DeleteMartha you should be able to download an image on this page. I suggest this because then we do not have to stop to look up your beautiful work.
DeleteI will be posting about my class and weekend tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteFor my posting this week, it is lengthy and therefore I will need to attach in 2 parts. The following is part 1 followed by part 2.
ReplyDeleteFor my submittal this week, I’d like to take a detour from my previous journey of clay discoveries and ceramic research/readings.
Starting this week and for the next several weeks, I will discuss and explain the ideal of producing art by individuals with special needs and various handicaps as these individuals are categorized by society. At the end of my weekly posts, I will summarize my work and findings of my continued journeys of ceramic design ideals in hand-built and wheel thrown forms.
My writing this week is about the special needs artists at the Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, California. Before I begin my reading summary, I would like to briefly explain my experiences with special needs children.
In January 2012 (January –May 2012), I was an employee of Durham Transportation Services – the school bus transportation company for the McKinney Independent School District in far North Dallas Texas. I was the bus driver for Route 38, the special needs children’s group from McGowan Elementary School in MISD. All of the children that I took To/from School daily had differing abilities with Down’s syndrome. Previous to this 6 month driving opportunity, I had no prior experience with handicapped individuals in any manner. My architectural experiences were only with architects, consultants and clients, none of which were handicapped to my knowledge.
The children that I quickly became attached to were very respectful and, for the most part, very well mannered young boys and girls. I was amazed how bright, routine and well versed they were in their school interests and interactions with their teachers and fellow students. Although my group didn’t process information quite like the majority of students, they were indeed quite talented and resourceful. The manner(s) in which they processed information was the only significant difference between them and all of the other children. I treasure the memories of experiences with and for these children, and the great many opportunities that they could teach me of their world. I was the privileged one.
Now for part 2:
DeleteNow to the reading for this week. My reading is from the book entitled “One is Adam, One is Superman” by photographer and writer Leon Borensztein. This book is the Outsider Artists of the Creative Growth group in Oakland, California. I’ve read about half of this book, and will cover the remaining half next week. What I’ve learned is that although all of the individuals in this book have Down’s syndrome, they have extraordinary abilities to create wonderful, dynamic works of art. In one section, a woman creates delicate, yet beautiful watercolors by using her teeth to hold a brush. In another section, a blind sculptor creates remarkable lifelike renderings of fruits and vegetables. Another reading portion describes a woman with very unstable thoughts is able to produce a lifelike representation of the pop singer/songwriter Usher.
Creative Growth is the oldest and largest visual art center in the U.S. This facility provides art programs to adults with mental, developmental, physical and emotional difficulties. All of these individuals have enormous obstacles to overcome, but are all driven to create. Their work depicts art history precepts that they haven’t yet learned.
This book depicts Leon Borensztein’s photography of artists in an honest and sympathetic, yet positive way. Through sheer determination and will, each artist transcends their disabilities to speak to society depicting the artist’s soul. I am enamored with the ability of these artists to transcend obstacles that would otherwise be difficult for non-handicapped individuals. All of them that I studied about seem to have a clear vision of how to skillfully represent emotional issues in a clear manner. Many of their drawing, painting or sculptor details represent ideologies that we can all appreciate and respect.
Regarding my weekly summary of my ceramics journey, I was able to establish a few clay details that will guide me through the semester. I will visit and confirm with Roger Holmes at the LHUCA clay studio on Tuesday morning about using the architectural and stoneware clay for comprising my sculptural pieces this semester. The architectural clay has the best mixture of versatility for my use, but I intend to use the stoneware clay also to experiment with its similar, yet unique characteristics. I need to visit with Roger to establish when and where I can fire my clay work if additional opportunities exist outside of the LHUCA clay studio. The bulk of my work will be Raku (Aluminum Foil Saggar) with various fuming effects within the firing processes after bisque.
Really cool new direction Rick, sounds like you and David might find some common ground with your research and work.
DeleteLet me know what you fire at the LHUCA, I would love to lend a hand and just hang out around kilns and fire :) If your having to pay to use the facilities and don't fill up a kiln let me know. I will split the cost and throw a piece or two in.
How will your work with students with special needs impact your work or teaching philosophy? Will it?
DeleteMy time working with adults and students with special needs has left incredible marks on my life. I'm excited to hear about how it changes yours!
I was think in the same thing Daniel, they are both doing along the same research. I am interested in the 2 different perspectives and what each find out. I love working with people with special needs they are like a breathe of fresh air!
DeleteRick and David I suggest you two just talk to each other and when possible share with the rest of us. The beauty and honest intensity of art made without the weight of art schools/lessons is amazing.And clay is a great medium to use. And the idea of a gathering for a firing is a great thought.
DeleteSorry I did not get to post about my weekend workshop/retreat. I am still in recovery mode. Hope to have more tomorrow.
ReplyDelete