Do you feel the need to create your own art while working as a curator? If so, do your own artistic tastes/aesthetics influence the type of art work you chose for exhibits?
How did you land such an amazing position in the arts? What steps did you take to rise up to your level of success? What is it like to work 'behind the scenes' in the art world as opposed to being an artist?
Lecture Response:
It was so great to see someone from the museum industry speak. I have been thinking a lot about working in a museum, I'm taking a great museum studies class now and have enjoyed the ones I have taken in the past. I love hearing about the logistics behind running a museum and the selection of art works. Denise Markonish seemed to love her job and gave her lecture with enthusiasm. I wished she would have gone over a bit of her history and how she got to the position she has now, but I understand that there was only a short amount of time. I also would have like to know more about her interest in Utopias and why that seemed to be a reoccurring theme in her exhibits. It was great to see pictures of such an impressive museum that I might never get a chance to see, but her lecture peaked my interest. The MASS MoCA was unlike other museums I have been to because of its lack of a permanent collection and mostly traveling exhibits. I was also really surprised to see that a lot of the artists commissioned special pieces to be part of the exhibits, I thought museums were usually a home for works created in the past. Denise Markonish really made me think about my own future in an exciting way. Going to museums as a child had a huge impact on my aspiration to become an artist and I've always been so intrigued by them. I have definitely developed a personal goal to become involved with the museum field.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Artist-Saul Melman
Bio:
Saul Melman (b. 1968, Baltimore, Maryland) makes sculptures and installations that function as mnestic events--works that feel like an event that has already occurred. For PS1's "Greater New York" exhibition, Melman gilded the building's giant, decrepit double furnace with gold leaf. (from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marina-cashdan/top-ten-most-promising-em_b_800299.html?ref=fb&src=sp)
I was also very interested to find out that Saul Melman first went to school in 1990 to get his BFA in studio arts, then went to medical school (Albert Einstein College of Medicine) and served a residency in a hospital (Cook County Hospital), then went back to school to get a masters in sculpture (Bard College), finally graduating for the last time in 2009.
Quotes
"... allows a space for the viewer to project their own imagination onto/into the work. This is what it means to me for a work to be 'open' to the viewer, rather than a work that is 'closed.' having a loose or playful process is important in regards to allowing this transformation to occur."
"Using my memory of an event is a frequent starting point for making work. It makes the work personal and work that is personal interests me. Through the process of excavating the memory, playing with it and then projecting it outwards for the viewer to experience, the concreteness/self-referential-ness of the initial memory gets transformed into something else, perhaps something that only has traces of the initial memory."
(both from an interview with the co-directors or Culture Push, Arturo Vidich and Aki Sasamoto)
I am very interested in what Saul Melman has to say about his work. He seems to think about the same personal factors that I think are so important in my work as well. His work has such a strong sense of unspoken communication and that is what attracts me to it and what I hope attracts others to my work. I am also attracted to the forms Malman uses in his instillations/sculptures. They aren't recognizable objects, but I seem to be relating to them as spaces that make me wonder about their creation and function. The materials the artist uses are intriguing in relationship to each title too, which makes me that much more intrigued by each piece and the thoughts behind it.
Saul Melman "Geranium" Burnt wood, steel castors, bone marrow, horse skin, waxed thread, silicone, and human hair. 2008, 3x8 feet.
Saul Melman "How You Hold Something Inside Matters" Skin, dust, and water. 4x3 ft. 2009
Saul Melman "The Best of All Possible Worlds" C-Print, 30x30 in, 2009
"Johnny On The Spot" Tyvek, wood, steel, fluorescent lights, cast polyurethane and water. L-40 ft. H-24 ft. W-32 ft. 2003
Artist
Review
Gallery
MoMA PS1, NY
Whitney Museum of American Art, NY
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Idea-Separation
Taking a look at all of the images I have created up to this point, I see a need to discuss the sense of separation present in my work. The white 'vacuum' space and the physical space I create between my images conveys a sense of distance, whether emotional or physical. I feel like I am representing separation in a negative way because that's how I often feel about it. I started this work as a way to answer some questions about myself. Through my research, I have found answers which help me to communicate these feelings to others. The work is at a stage where I feel the need to emphasis this feeling of separation between people, myself, and others, by representing it more physically and conceptually in the work. I have already come up with several ideas to manipulate the presentation of my prints.
I was interested in this article because I saw similarities between the connections made in the article and connections I made in my work. I photographed my childhood comfort object 'Puppy' and included the images of the object with the images of people. I have been curious about this connection and the relationship between our connections in childhood, and our attachments as adults.
Quotes
"When needs are met either inconsistently or in an angry fashion by parents, children come to expect that they are not worthy of care. When needs are met consistently, children come to expect they are worthy of care and they can count on others in times of need, which is an element of secure attachment."
"Insecurity manifests itself as negative social behavior."
"More needs to be known about how attachment relationships are related to children's thoughts and feelings about themselves and their interactions with social partners within those relationships."
Bibliography
Clark, Sharon, PhD, Symons, Douglas, PhD. Representations of Attachment Relationships, the Self, and Significant Others in Middle Childhood. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry; 2009, Vol. 18 Issue 4, p316-321, 6p, 2 Charts
This study examines the effects of positive and negative attachment and relationships among children and their caregivers. It suggests that these relationships have a direct effect on the individuals self worth and effect his or her relationships with others.
Shannon McGill, Both from "No One Wants to be an Island" series, 2010
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Artist-Maia Flore
When I first saw these photographs they gave me the same feeling that I strive to create in my own images. There is a presence to each series that asks the viewer to stop and wonder. They don't quite make sense, but they are still oddly relatable. I see some of the themes I like to work with, like space, distance, longing, independence, solitude, and helplessness present in Flore's series. I am also very attracted to their strong feminine presence, they touch somewhat on classic feminine role like 'the damsel in distress' which I feel will start to become important to my work.
Maia Flore grew up in the south of France and recently graduated from the Ecole des Gobelins last year. She currently lives in Paris.
Quotes
I was really excited to see this series on the artists website. They are composites, but it reminds me of the work I have done with my twin sister and I. Her aesthetics are very close to my personal taste.
Maia Flore grew up in the south of France and recently graduated from the Ecole des Gobelins last year. She currently lives in Paris.
Quotes
"My inspiration are things that I actually want to experience. I live my world vicariously though my photos"
"I did not want to disconnect from the dream and never realize it."
-The artist on her series Sleep Elevations
(No dimensions found)
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| From the series Sleep Elevations 2010 |
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| From the series Sleep Elevations 2010 |
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| From the series Sleep Elevations 2010 |
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| From the series Sleep Elevations 2010 |
I was really excited to see this series on the artists website. They are composites, but it reminds me of the work I have done with my twin sister and I. Her aesthetics are very close to my personal taste.
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| From the series Mia Och Flore |
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| From the series Mia Och Flore |
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| From the series Mia Och Flore |
Artist
Gallery
Interview
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| "Big Head Poetry" |
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