blog is closed

final blog is closed.

Final Blog

For my final blog I looked at the work of John Hitchcock, an artist in inkteraction.com. I was very interested in his work because of the color schemes and just the overall theme of his works. A lot of the work that he does has some relation to animals and other living creatures. For example his one pieces called Ink on Paper is an image displaying tanks and a group of grasshoppers. I was especially intrigued by this piece. The way he made the tanks appear as if they were cartoons made the piece look really cool. I was also impressed by the use of shadows below all of the images in the work. The shadows gave it this type of distorted look, until the viewer got up close enough to make out the images as being shadows of the grasshoppers and tanks. In the piece some of the grasshoppers lay upside down making it appear as if they had died in the battle.
I found my self very interested in a lot of the pieces in his collection, the fact that he uses animals in an almost dark way makes his work unique. A lot of the pieces that he creates has some almost deathly or creepy feel to them. In one piece he created the head of a bull type figure that was melting away. He used a red ink that made the image look like evil story told like image from an old wives tale. I think that the use of the darker aspects makes his pieces stand out and catch my eye.
Finally the last piece of his that caught my eye was, They Will Rise (Warbirds) the image of a cartoon bird flying in a menacing way over a city like setting of buildings. The bird appears to be much larger than the buildings giving it a monster type feel to it. I think his color choice also plays a part in the interpretation of the piece. In the piece he uses black, white and medium blue, these colors together make it appear to be an almost dingy or gloomy day. I could see this image being used in a comic book about birds attacking the world. I think the colors play perfectly into the image and the title, if the colors were softer it would not appear to be as dark of an image. Overall I am impressed by all of his works and would be interested to see what else he comes out with n the future.

Final Blog for Anna G.Torfadottir

For my final blog I decided to research an artist on Inkteraction. One particular artist whose work stood out to me was Anna G. Torfadottir. Anna Is from Iceland and I was very interested in how her culture and natural surroundings inspired her artwork. Several pieces in the collection on inkteraction are about the natural scenery of Iceland, these pieces often include photographs that Anna has taken herself of mountains, and birds. They are especially beautiful because of her color choices, which are usually very soft, light colors for the majority of each piece and then she adds bright vivid colors in small areas. I found more of Anna's work on other websites and it seems like she is really inspired by the ravens that live around her home, in these pieces it seems apparent that she is also inspired by native american culture, because of the way she draws some of the animals. The other work that she has featured on Inkteraction is more intense than the work focused on her natural surroundings. In these pieces she uses richer colors and powerful emotions, which really drew me into her artwork. Anna also uses more layers in her later works, which adds to their intensity.

Anna's work is aesthetically pleasing and very intriguing. I would love to learn more about her work because it is so emotional and intense, even though there was no artists' statement I felt a connection to her art.

EricShirk Final Post- Marcy Geyer

Last week I went to Marcy Geyers presentation on her artwork and personally I thought it was quite good. All of her work focused on gay rights and human rights in general and I thought that all of it had a really good concept behind it and there was a lot of thought and effort put into the work as a whole. I also thought a lot of her ideas for how to print and what to print on were really cool too like the pillows.

Now on to her work, I felt like all of her work was very creative and I liked how she printed and what she printed on. I liked the dresses that she made with the blood on them and I feel like they were really in your face and really got the point across. My favorite piece that she did was the pillows though. It was really nice how she made those pillows and then left them around in random places because I think a lot of people saw them that way and then people kept seeing them rather than seeing one and forgetting about it. I also think it was funny how she put them in random places in NY city and I think she should really try and go on a large scale with the pillow idea I think it could make a huge difference in society as we know it.

Dominic Santora: Senior Exhibition Show

This year's senior exhibition show was a very impressive and well put together display of the work created by this year's senior art majors. Every aspect of the show, from the printmaking to the painting, was originial and creative in its own way. some of the more interesting pieces were a series of paintings about 6 ft tall done on a sort of tan fabric. The content was slightly abstract and they were all held up at the top by items such as shovels, brooms, etc. which i thought was a very original way to display work.

What I thought was the most interesting part of the exhibition was the talk given which displayed a senior artist's work which was directly and obviously influenced by her Moroccan heritage. This consisted of mostly digital work dealing with Moroccan women. What i liked about it was the consistensy of the color pallete she chose which represented her heritage as well as the unique designs which appeared on the hands and faces in her pieces.

This show had a big influence on the way I think about art due to the Moroccan influenced pieces as well as Thomas Dugan who created a greenhouse which harvested solar energy. This exhibition made me realize there is many different ways to express art and send the messages I wish to send through my art.

Eric Gustitus Final Blog Assignment

For my final blog assignment i am doing it on ChristopherCannon from Inkteraction. I am very interested in his wood panel green detail. He also has the wood panel done in black and white. Chris has developed a website for himself which can be reached at http://christophercannonart.com/home.html .

The painting is Serigraph, Color Pencil on Panel and is 24" x 32" from 2010. He has adapted this painting from his original which was in black and white. To me this painting represents formidably in recreating a world of your own. Once ive browsed through most of the peoples paintings to decide which i wanted to write about, this immediately caught my eye.

The painting has great depth in it which is amusing to me. Its amazing how something so simple can produce such great regards for one man. The colors are also a great assortment for this piece.

Chris will have a bright future in his path. His work has influenced me. It has shown me that a person who has talent without being known, can get his work out there through such a thing as Inkteraction.

Dominic Santora: Marcy Geyer

When Bloomsburg alumni Marcy Geyer showed her work it was a very inspiring experience. Her work was based on LGBT rights and discrimination dealing with this community. It was especially powerful because you could tell as she was speaking how passionate she was about her work and what i means.

All of the pieces she showed were very well made and the printmaking was excellent. I especially liked the pillows which she placed in random places on campus. I feel this was a very creative way for her to spread the message about LGBT rights. The part i liked most was that she placed one of the pillows in the MoMA. These pieces of art are very good to put in places such as this to both spread the message of her art as well as her name. I think if she continues with as much passion as she currently has she will go far with her art.

Cate Striplin Final Post: Marcy Geyer

Marcy Geyer is a familiar face on the Bloomsburg campus. I have had no personal interaction with the Alumni artist, but seeing her face as I walked into the artist talk given on Dec. 7th I was instantly more excited to hear and see what Marcy had to say.
I was unsure of Marcy's stance as an artist and honestly was not sure of her previous major at Bloomsburg- but recognizing Marcy as a friendly and welcoming person at bloom I was inclined to listen to what she had to say and to learn about her passions.
Turns out Marcy is a passionate activist for the LGBT community and her art speaks volumes about the topic. With such an important issue at hand, Marcy's work is more than necessary.
The time and thought that Marcy has incorporated into her pieces is apparent and the message is clear and deliberate. The artist has such an innovative approach to her work. It is hard to explain in writing and it seems that Marcy's work is best viewed in person; possibly the most obvious statement one could compose regarding art. But, still, Marcy's work is quite powerful.
I was particularly moved by the thought provoking pieces consisting of voters ballots that highlighted the discrimination and hypocrisy of the judicial system regarding marriage rights and same sex unions. Drawing attention to the need for equal rights and the injustice of the current state of affairs, Marcy's pieces make you think. feel. view something so commonly overlooked, so commonly taken for granted in a way that you may never have before. I personally have always been in support of gay marriage in every sense of the word, however I admit to never noticing the true privilege it is that I may marry as a straight woman. To think about a nation voting on my right to enter a union with the person that I love, to marry, stops you in your tracks. Most girls dream of their wedding since childhood, why may I enter that contract so easily and others are denied what seems to me to be a basic right?
Then viewing Marcy's work regarding hospital visitation rights for gay couples becomes almost unbearable. What an atrocity.
Marcy has the ability to convey the issues with conviction as a rebirth of a needed civil rights movement. I hope Marcy continues to grow and expand her work. It is truly important art.

Rachel Harris, Final Blog Assignment

On December 7th, Bloomsburg University Alumni, Marcy Geyer gave a very thought provoking talk of her art work having to do with the LGBT community. Being active in LGBT rights, the presentation was very inspirational. Not only did she talk about the discrimination of people's sexualities but she also mentioned the discrimination against races. Her opinion on discrimination was very bold in all of her work.

Her work was very interesting to look at. While watching the slide show we were able to enjoy her progression as an artist and through the years her works have morphed into pieces that can easily get messages through to the audience. My favorite thing that Geyer walked about was her pillows and how she left them around in places, even in the MoMA. The subtly of this work was creative because discrimination is not always in your face. It was definitely a creative way to spread awareness. Overall, I enjoyed Marcy Geyer's talk and looking at the works of art she had produced over the years.

Lee Patton Final Blog: Marcy Geyer

Bloomsburg University printmaking alumni Marcy Geyer recently gave a talk in the student services center about her recent work as well as pieces created while attending the university. The majority of her work focuses on racism and equal treatment of the LGBT community, as well as instances of violence, disapproval, and mistreatment against them in society. Most of the pieces she showed were very strong, especially the ones concerning Matthew Shepard and Emmett Till. I thought her prints on pillows was an interesting idea and a different but probably effective way to spread the message.

I thought her work was definitely made stronger by the passion she put into it. It was easy to tell this was a topic that she found highly important to address and try to fix. While talking about the pieces about Matthew Shepard and Emmett Till, I think it brought tears to her eyes and I saw how much these issues meant to her. Having that strong passion about an issue like this shows in the work and that passion came through in hers, as well as her talk.

Amber Weaver: Final Blog Assignment

The December 7th presentation given by Bloomsburg University Printmaking Alumni, Marcy Geyer, was very powerful. I really appreciated how passionate she was about her work. For me, this gave the work an little extra punch on top of the already powerful topic of gay and lesbian rights. As a supporter, I was intrigued by her take on the topic. I liked how she connected everything to a vote. i found this interesting because if you do think about it, everything does come down to a yes or a no vote. it pretty much rules the kind of so society that we live in. I liked how she not only examined gay/lesbian marriages but also traditional marriages and the "what if they were to be decided by a vote" factor. It makes the viewer stop and think more about the work as opposed to just glancing at it and saying "well that's a pretty picture" and then walk away.

Again, I really appreciated how passionate she was about her work. I liked how her pieces ranged from installations to singular pieces. I liked her installation with the pillows. I remember looking at them on campus and thinking that that was a cool idea. The pillows were small but they held a powerful message. I also thought her piece with individual stories was really strong. I liked how the image was just of the the person involved but when you looked closer it had a layer of text telling their story. I liked the hidden but obvious quality to the pieces. This goes more with the pillow installation then the others but they also had little things that hidden but in your face. For example: the American flag one. It was an image of the American flag but when you look closer people made up the stripes and crosses made up the stars. Over all, I thought she did a good job with her presentation and i would like to she how she can take her work to the next level.

Candyce Musinski - Final Blog Assignment (Marcy Geyer)

Marcy Geyer's art presentation was an extremely moving one. As an activist for the LGBT, her artwork revolves around gay and lesbian rights. As a fellow activist for gay and lesbian rights, I was very touched by Marcy's artwork and her motivation behind it. I found her pieces to be visually pleasing and detailed with much thought behind them. I was inspired by her art.

Marcy presented a slideshow of her work at Bloomsburg University. Some of her first pieces seemed amateur, but as she showed her more developed pieces, I got the sense that she learned something. She started experimenting with ideas and I appreciated her fierceness. In the beginning, her pieces consisted of printing same gender couples being crossed out or other symbols that intertwined with the american flag. Though these pieces had a beautiful meaning to them, they didn't strike me as much as her later pieces did. One piece that I truly enjoyed was of two political figures' faces being reversed on the other side. The colors were bright and vibrant and text of quotes were printed on top of them. I found her pieces with faces and texts to be a little literal, but very powerful. I was intrigued and the details in them made me want to stare at them for a long time. I loved Marcy's boldness in these pieces.

The greatest piece Marcy presented were her pillows. Marcy used silkscreen on pillows with text or pictures. On the pillows were either pictures of well-known abused gay/lesbian people or text that pronounced gay rights. I thought the pillows were visually striking, but then Marcy took her piece a step further by placing these pillows around campus. I thought her idea was great! Marcy took her art and threw it in people's faces. I loved how publicly powerful she was and I thought she could inspire a lot of other people by continuing this idea. Marcy's pieces questioned our rights and society and her pieces definitely proved her opinion.

Brooke Knepp-Final Blog

On December 7th, I attended the artist talk by Marcy Geyer. She is a printmaking alumni who graduated last spring. Marcy focuses her work in printmaking on gay rights and discrimination, which I believe is a very strong topic that a lot of people tend to ignore. Marcy said that, "You discriminate even when you don't think you are." That statement is true on many levels and it is a little disturbing that what happens around us is so second nature that we don't even realize it.

Another strong topic Marcy talked about had to do with marriage laws and dealing with gay/straight marriages. She brought up a really good point about how you would feel if people were attacking or restricting your straight marriage, since it seems to be such a big deal for gays to get married. People don't want to accept people who are different so their way of reacting is by discriminating. Because of the harsh behavior of straights toward gays, there have been more than enough crimes and even deaths as a result. This is not something that should be taken lightly and I am very glad that Marcy takes this subject into deep consideration with her artwork. I enjoyed hearing her speak and seeing the different kinds of work that she has done with printmaking.

Erica LoPresti - Final Blog Assignment

Marcy Geyer is Bloomsburg University Alumni, and she gave a very interesting presentation on her personal printmaking pieces in the Student Services Center. She was very into her work and had many topics that influenced her printmaking. She had a variety of prints that showed topics such as bullying and gay rights. It was very obvious that Marcy had very strong feelings toward people bullying others and gay rights/marriage. She was even a member of LGBT while she attended Bloomsburg.

Knowing that Marcy had very strong feelings towards her topics, made me appreciate her and enjoy her artwork even more because she was so enthusiastic about it. My favorite piece of hers were the pillows she made and placed all over campus to raise awareness of LGBT rights. I thought this was a very creative idea and an interesting way to spread information to raise awareness about a well-known problem. Overall, I enjoyed listening to her presentation and learning about her works.

Francesca Pizzurro Final Blog Assignment Option #1 Marcy Geyer

Today i went and saw Marcy Geyer's, Bloomsburg Alumni, presentation in the Student Service Center. She graduated Bloomsburg in May 2010, the same as my sister! She was a printmaking focus and really seemed to enjoy it. As she explained her work, i really got a sense of what you felt strongly about. Gay rights and Gay marriage. All the work she showed today was about her progression as an artist for her views on gay rights. She is also a member of LGBT.

I really enjoyed her work as a whole. I think more then anything, i really enjoyed how passionate she was about the subject she was working with. I really felt her progression as an artist and as a person through her work. I really enjoyed her one piece of art work, the one with the American flag. I liked how she didn't incorporate words in this piece because to me, it felt more direct then actually having words explaining it. It was very BAM! in your face America! and I really enjoyed that. I also liked that she was questioning straight marriage as well. To me that was a good twist on going about defending gay rights. Overall, she did a great job explaining her work.

Philadelphia Trip; Rachel Harris

Going to Philadelphia was definitely an experience that I will probably never forget. Along with many beautiful pieces of art; Amber, Frenchie and I did manage to get lost in Chinatown which was an experience all on its own.

The bus dropped us off at the Philadelphia Museum of Art where Amber and I immediately decided to go inside knowing that we could find a few things that we liked before going off to find another gallery to look around at. We were there for about an hour when we came across a room where an artist, Cy Twombly , had a display of his works; Fifty Days at Iliam.

What first caught my eye was the title of his collection. Iliam was mentioned many times in Greek myths and history. Being a big fan, and a bit knowledgeable, of the Greek culture, I immediately wanted to go in and see the works. Walking into the room I was greeted with large, almost wall consuming, works on canvas. When getting a better look at the pieces, I realized that there was barely any paint on the canvas. Instead the works were mostly done in oil crayon, which is one of my preferred mediums.

The way Twombly was able to create works of art that only looks like scribbles from afar amazed me. Many people who looked at the works, I noticed would say things about how they only were scribbles, but to me they were much more than just scribbles. Being educated with Greek Myths and history I could see the battles, the Greek Gods and Goddesses that were watching from their homes in Olympus along with delving into the lives of the mortals. To me the pieces were beautiful works that had a person thinking if they really just were scribbles, or did they tell a story?

After looking around the rest of the museum, casually stopping by the Modern Art wing to insect what people were making art out of now and days, Amber and I met up with Frenchie before loading onto the shuttle bus to visit the Eastern State Penitentiary. But not before running up the Rocky steps and humming Eye of the Tiger.

Though there wasn’t much in ways of art at the Penitentiary, I did admire the age of the buildings and the gargoyles that surrounded the stone buildings. There was such an eeriness about the place that gave me the chills but intrigued me at the same time. The walls seemed to be deteriorating before everyone’s eyes and there is just something about decay that I always thought was a bit beautiful.

Realizing that there wasn’t much time left, we had spent much more time at the Penitentiary than we thought, Amber, Frenchie and I decided that we could make it to one more gallery before meeting up at the bus to go back home. We came across the Moore Gallery but they were closing at five o’clock. The woman manning the desk said we could look around until they closed so the three of us went off inside.

There was much to look at in the Moore Gallery but the works that captured me the most were these beautiful black and white photos of these women from Saudi Arabia. With my limited amount of time to look around I could only study them for a moment.

What really had me hooked was one photograph of a headshot of a woman who was covered from the top of her head down, the only thing that was showing was her eyes. The culture of the Middle East is so foreign to me, never have a really studied it, but these women who wear these berkas and veils for their culture and religion is so different that it’s beautiful. The eyes are the door to people’s souls I believe and staring into this woman’s eyes had me trying to attempt to know what she was feeling, wonder what beauty she was hiding.

The entire instillation was breathtaking and I only wish I could have stayed around long to look at every single detail. But we had to leave and find the bus pick up. All in all, the trip to Philadelphia was amazing and only slightly stressful due to time and managing to get lost. I definitely need to go back and look around, this time without a time limit so that I can sit back and enjoy the art.

Field Trip To New York

Last week I went to visit two museums in New York. My first stop was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This was my first time being there and at first was very overwhelming. Once I was over the initial shock of the amount of art that was actually in the museum I decided to see the drawing, printmaking, and photography section. My true interest is in the drawings with solid color ink, but, unfortunately, this was probably the smallest exhibit in the museum. The prints in this section were probably the best part, especially those done by etching and engraving.

Next I went to the an exhibition title The World of Khubalai Khan: Chinese Art of the Yaun Dynasty. This show was the most interesting to me due to all the different forms of art it contained. They had everything from huge marble statues of soldiers to pottery and masks made of pure gold. The thing i enjoyed most were the long scrolls had been drawn on with ink. The detail on them was incredible and the colors were brilliant. I also went to the Man, Myth, and Sensual Pleasure exhibit by Jan Gossart which I enjoyed but felt was entirely too long and somewhat repetitive in the content and style.

After I left the Met I went to the Neue gallery which was a completely different experience. The first floor was all German art which, for the most part, consisted of one long display case. It contained post cards in sets of 6, each one with art on them, done in chromolithography. I didn't really understand how these came about and no explanation or history was offered. I found the art odd since they were all by different artists, almost like quick sketches done on the back of scrap paper. One thing I noticed is the subject matter normally consisted in one way or another of a woman. The rest of the art on this floor were large unfinished sketches done in crayon.

The second floor was an exhibit by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt who did a whole series of heads cast in different types of metal. He would sit in front of a mirror, pinch himself, and sketch out the different expressions he made. Each head was done in great detail and the exhibit exceeded 30 heads.

These museums were very interesting to see in contrast to each other because of the very different kinds of art in them. I enjoyed them both and am planning on going back someday soon.

Field Trip to Baltimore. Eric Shirk.

Eric Shirk

Last week I went on my field trip to two art museums in baltimore, maryland. As I had been to other art museums before I did not feel like I would enjoy going but man was I wrong. This experience with these art museums has been the best ive ever had I think. The first museum I visited was the Walters Art Museum. As there are four floors to this museum you can imagine the vastnass and amount of peices in this museum. It was truly unreal.

As I walked around looking at all of the other peices I was attracted to one peice in particular. This peice was titled, "Figaros Winkel". As shown above. I think the composition and the black space in the door was very attractive looking. Also, I thought that it was just a very well painted peice overall. I liked the way the people looked and how he portrayed an old time slum most likely in an italian villa. Or atleast the italian villa setting is sort of what I got out of this peice. Another thing I liked about this peice was the Man playing the Banjo or whatever that instrument is. I think that the way he is positioned it looks like he is strumming it and you can almost hear him playing the instrument. It is very well painted.

The other museum I visited would be the American Visionary Art Museum. This museum was crazy looking on the outside and it just gives you the feeling of exactly what it is when you roll up to it, a visionary museum. Everything in this museum was all very pop art type new wave art which I am really into so I enjoyed this visit a lot. Personally I feel that everyone should visit this museum at some point in theyre life but this may be due to the fact that I am partial to New Wave pop art.

As I walked around in this museum I saw so many great peices that I liked so much. I could not decide what piece to write about and then I saw this very interesting pun-type peice in the current exhibition going on. This Piece is called, "Safe Sex" and is by John Root Hopkins. The piece is a pun on the meaning Safe Sex, with condoms but portraying it as safe sex as in a real safe that you keep money in having sex with another safe. I really like the way this piece is layed out and I think it is very asthetically pleasing. I also like the color blue that he used and how it is smudged a little. I think it makes this piece very interesting.

Overall I think that this trip makes was a very successful trip. I had a really great time visiting these two museums and I will definetely go back again. Even though I am partial to the american visionary art museum, I even enjoyed the Walters Museum too. I am glad I went and I think it was a very good exposure to art as a whole.

EXTRA CREDIT #1

THE PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS (PHILADELPHIA)

CANDYCE MUSINSKI

The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia was a delight to visit. This museum was unique from all of the others I had visited in Philadelphia because it displayed student art works. I found this to be quite amazing because the pieces that I saw were remarkable. I thought going in to this establishment that the student work would be from this present year. However, these pieces dated back years and years which I found very interesting. I wondered how this museum was run and if all students were allowed to display their art.

I did not pay to see the entire museum, but I was able to view the entire first floor of student work for free. The work, mostly paintings, was quite impressive. This piece titled Run through the Desert was created by Charles Andersen with acrylic on canvas. This is the second image posted above. Andersen was a student from 1985-1988. It was priced at $4,000. I was curious as to whether or not this painting has been on display since 1988 or if the artist just recently created it to sell. The whole idea of selling the student’s artwork in a museum was pretty interesting. I liked how students could do that.

The guest artist at the museum was Tom LaDuke. This artist used acrylic and airbrush on large scaled photos. The bright, detailed, and scattered acrylic on the dull photos was very pleasing to the eye. It released a ghost-like quality and it took me a while to take my eyes away. The installation is called run generator and they were not for sale. This is displayed in the first photo above. I appreciated the variety in the museum.

Though I did not pay for the full museum exhibit, I was able to view a lot of art for free. The entire first floor was free and this consisted of about ten different rooms/hallways. I thought it was cool that the museum offered this to the public. There was also a building next to this museum that showcased various artists from a specific theme. The theme that was presented during my visit was Narcissus in the Studio: Artist Portrait and Self-Portraits. I wish I had enough time to see this exhibit, but unfortunately I was too late! I could see some pieces from the outside through the windows, however, and it looked very captivating.

The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia was a pretty incredible place. I loved the concentration on student works. I also enjoyed that they sold some pieces. The guest artist, Tom Duke, was also displayed and I got a sample of some great professional fine art. Though I never got to the other levels of the museum or the extension next door, I could tell it was filled with lots of lovely and exciting pieces that I would one day love to see.

FIELD TRIP ASSIGNMENT #2

FABRIC WORKSHOP AND MUSEUM (PHILADELPHIA)

CANDYCE MUSINSKI

The Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia was a strange experience for me. Though I enjoyed the art work and appreciated the guest artist, Joan Jonas, I felt uncomfortable while visiting. The atmosphere and staff made me feel unwanted. When I entered the museum, I was first led to a gift shop and I was not greeted so I felt lost. I finally asked the woman at the gift shop counter if I could see the exhibit and she seemed annoyed as she charged me for the entrance and called for a security guard to lead me into the back room. After leading me into the back, I was left alone in the small, white room that included 4 pieces of art.

Thankfully, the art was intriguing. There was a huge piece against the entire wall entirely made out of fabric. The shading was very detailed and particular and when I stepped back, it appeared to be very smooth and beautiful. In the center of the room was my favorite piece. It was a large red fabric sheet with a section of the Japanese constitution printed on it. A large heap of smoke covered the print as well. The section of the Constitute was a beautiful little law that inspired me. The colors against the words and the lighting around it gave off a hopeful vibe.

I thought this was the only gallery they had to offer, but when exiting the staff told me to follow her into the elevator for the second level. I felt so awkward in that elevator because the woman didn’t say a word to me! I know that technically she wasn’t my “tour guide”, but I felt she could have introduced the artist I was about to see or even ask me how my day was. All she did was hand me a paper about the artist and told me that she would be waiting to bring me back downstairs after I was done looking at the gallery. I then felt obligated to rush my experience.

Though the staff was making me uncomfortable, the artist’s presentation was quite alluring. The room was darkened and the walls were painted a dull blue with huge grey markings and figures drawn on it. There was creepy music filling the room and projections of several images were on sections of the walls. There were also tables with different drawings of eerie trees and creatures on them. The artist, Joan Jonas, had a small television on one table that had her painting and drawing her images while dancing. It was weird but captivating. The installation was called Reading Dante III and was inspired by the epic poem The Divine Comedy. Jonas’ interpretation of this poem was successful and I really liked it. I wanted to stay in that room all day, but the staff was making me feel hurried.

All in all, the Fabric Workshop and Museum of Philadelphia had some lovely pieces. Though I felt rushed and unwanted with my visit, I enjoyed what they had to offer. The pieces of fabric on the first level were impressive and complex. The guest artist, Joan Jonas, also had some great work to show off. Her installation, Reading Dante III, created a cool atmosphere and her drawings were pretty fascinating. Though my entire experience was not entirely pleasing at the Fabric Workshop and Museum, I think I learned a lot and got a good taste of a new artist.

FIELD TRIP ASSIGNMENT #1

PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART (PHILADELPHIA)

CANDYCE MUSINSKI

Visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art was such an exhilarating experience. It was probably one of the largest museums I’ve ever been to and it sucked me in. As soon as I entered the building, I was overwhelmed with excitement. The space was huge with high ceilings and detailed structures. The atmosphere was electrifying, but comfortable at the same time. I was anxious to see what this inviting establishment had to display.

When I first entered, I was drawn to a sectioned room devoted to the guest artist, Michelangelo Pistoletto. This artist was really inspiring to me. He painted large images of people doing various activities on darkened mirrors. The paintings created an eerie mood and the detailed images against the mirrors felt isolated. I really enjoyed these images, but his works continued to become more interesting as I walked farther into the gallery. In one room, there were white ceramic manikins searching through huge piles of clothes. It was like a beautiful mess. The colored articles against the pure white statues were pleasing to the eye. It was pretty lovely.

In the center room, Pistoletto had various different sculptures, paintings, lights, and woodworks that had no definite theme. One piece was a huge rose blooming out of the wall and it was made out of cardboard. Another piece was a wooden bench in a sunken wooden box. Another piece was a large photograph of a man yelling with a large green lamp illuminating it. When observing these pieces, I was drawn to them but was uncertain of how they were supposed to make me feel. I overheard a tour guide of a group explaining that Pistoletto was attempting to create a random atmosphere. He explained that Pistoletto did not want to be confined to one style or theme because to him, the world is so diverse it needed to be unsystematic. I appreciated that concept.

Though Pistoletto was quite enjoyable, the one thing that I truly enjoyed about the Philadelphia Museum of Art was the amount of art they had displayed. Of course, this is one of the largest museums in America, but I could not believe that they displayed so many really famous, original pieces. Artists from Pablo Picasso to Salvador Dali had original pieces displayed throughout the museum. It was so exciting to see pieces that I have studied placed right in front of me. Seeing the original pieces in front of me was such an invigorating experience. I actually couldn’t believe that they were originals sitting in front of me, so I had to ask a staff member to make sure they really were. It was pretty remarkable.

Overall, my experience at the Philadelphia Museum of Art was perfect. Everything from the structure of the building to the pieces of art presented impressed me. The atmosphere was welcoming and the guest artist, Michelangelo Pistoletto was an unplanned pleasure. I loved every minute in this grand museum. I hope to visit this museum again shortly!

Maryam Cristillo Field Trip Assignment

Righteous Dopefiend: Homelessness, Addiction, and Poverty in Urban America
By Jeff Schonberg and Philippe Bourgois
And
Untitled I. 1978: Marisol Escobar

The first exhibit I walked into was housed inside the University of Pennsylvania museum. It is a museum well known for its ancient exhibits of mummies and Mesopotamia. These were all beautiful exhibits that captured the adventurous minds of visitors but on the first floor I came across a more gripping exhibit that captured my ear. I walked into an exhibit that was a mixture of black and white photographic instillation, tape recordings of the subjects, field notes taken by the artists and critical analysis that opened a dialog. Photographer-ethnographer created the exhibit, Jeff Schonberg and Anthropologist Philippe Bourgois. The exhibit is called, Righteous Dopefiend. Schonberg and Bourgois spent more than a decade with heroin addicts and crack users, which led them to present not only images of homelessness, addiction, and poverty in urban America but documentation in the form of sight and sounds.
I was confronted with these issues when first entered the exhibit and was blown away by the powerful photographs. The photographs were powerful because they were in black and white two colors that are devoid of real color that would distract the viewer from the subjects. The photos are in the moment not something set up or organized with specific intent. The emotion of the people in the photos is raw and agonizing to witness. The added tape recordings of the addicts’ discussions of how they feel and where they are in life really touched me. Each piece was untitled but the most captivating piece was of the homeless disheveled man with arms raised above his head and a sign slung over his chest reading, “NEED WORK PLEASE HIRE! MARRY XMASS GOD BLESS!” That simple sign hanging off of his thin figure underlines the issue of homelessness, addiction and signals the desperation that people in urban areas all over America are experiencing. The perspective the photo was taken makes the viewer see this homeless and jobless man from the angle that emphasizes the issue should not be overlooked. The majority of the community usually overlooks the homeless, stigmatizing them because they are a sign of failure and are looked down at because they are huddled in a corner on the floor, etc. I enjoyed this particular piece and the overall exhibit for its powerful content that opens a dialog with the urban community that is rarely discussed and seen in America.
I came across the Arthur Ross Gallery that was exhibiting naked, the University of Pennsylvania’s collection unveiled. Which sounded risqué and the exhibit kept true to its title. The exhibit space itself was not very enticing but rather plain. However, the collection housed various mediums that presented the human form in the action of undressing or completely undressed from figurative, abstract, to representational. The sculptures were beautifully and artfully placed about the entire exhibit. The paintings, photographs and prints where hung up but there was one piece that really made me stop and look. Interestingly it was color lithograph of two figures whose sex cannot be distinguished.
The figures are captured in a moment whereupon they might kiss. The colors used by the artist Marisol Escobar, is a mixture of hot and cold. The dominating white space is balanced by the warm orange bursting between the two figures. Escobar used black, purple, reds and green contour lines to define the figures. I just love the way the hands reach out and how they are placed on the two figures. The hands and colors are what really tie in the piece and create a flow where the eyes can move around to meet with arresting forms that are somewhat abstracted. The artist did a great job with creating two figures that are similar yet different leaving the viewer to wonder who the two lovers could possibly be?
The two exhibits differed greatly especially in the way the particular pieces in this essay were displayed. The Righteous Dopefiend exhibit came with the sounds of the city, tape recordings of the drug users and the homeless as well as an analysis of what was documented. The thoroughness of the Righteous Dopefiend exhibit really impressed me. But that’s what the exhibit needed to be a strong cohesive exhibit. At the Arthur Ross Gallery, though it was exhibited in a plain and simple manner, I was still impressed and captivated by one piece that left me staring for a while. The arresting colors, forms and mysterious subjects really did naked, the Universities unveiled exhibit, justice.

Kyle Shalongo- N.Y.C.Field Trip Blog

     The trip to New York City to view some of the greatest pieces of art was both a tremendous and unusual experience that I will always remember when viewing another art gallery.  First of all, the change in scenery and setting was a big change to what I am used to.  With so many people and great realms of influence around, there is no doubt that such a place would create numerous interesting artists, each with their own view of artistic values in which to demonstrate.  While enjoying the awesome and exciting atmosphere and a very tasty place to eat, another peer and myself focused on three of New York's best museums; The Metropolitan Museum, the Frick Collection, and the Museum of Modern Arts.
     The first museum we visited was the very spacious and prestigious Metropolitan.  This enormous exhibit was broken up into sections of time and location along the course of the world's history.  I really like how the sections were organized to certain time periods we would think of like;Egyptian, Renaissance, Roman, and a precolonial setting of the  17th and 18th century.  Along with a great amount of artwork visually available, there was a pleasant historical factor following you in every room reminding one that these awesome artifacts and relics are only a thing in the past to us, as they were real tools and items used by our ancestors during the rise of their time.  The combination of these two elements really gave myself a great sense of appreciation towards all of the pieces of historical art in the Metropolitan.  This may have been my favorite among the three, and I hope I have the opportunity to visit again in the future.
     The second museum that I had the pleasure of viewing was the Frick Collection.  Although not as large as the Metropolitan, it was not slighted in it's elegance or the quality of artwork captured inside.  A very close second to the Metropolitan, the Frick Collection housed a more classical style of art and was much more refined to a type of selection, reasonably because of the time period in which most of the sketches, paintings, and sculptures were found or purchased.  The layout was very elaborate and evenly spaced, with no such sense of clutter for the audience to feel comfortable  while viewing the artwork.  The paintings were of a time period of possibly 17th through 19th century and a series of sketches downstairs, of that time period or later.  All of the artwork was beautifully done and could be easily noted of being tedious and laborious, especially the larger portrait paintings. This museum was an enjoyable experience as well.
     The final museum on our stop to NYC was The Museum of Modern Art( or MOMA).  This exhibit was quite different from the others, mainly due to the span of time skipped to our modern day.  All or most of the art was created and displayed in the 20th and 21st century.  Because artists of this time period have had many new and different experiences and influences, this adversely changed the style of art used to a more conceptual outlook, expressing feeling and opinion through sculpture, photography, and other sources of media unavailable to those artists of the other two museums.  You definitely had to keep an open mind when exposed to the art produced of younger, more recent artists as it may not have been visually straight-forward.  For that reason, I enjoyed viewing this type of art which either made you think or permeated your mind with strong feelings of one thing or another.  It is not my personal favorite as a type of art, but nevertheless it was most interesting and I don't regret seeing any of it.  The entire experience in NYC gave me much more perspective to art and all of its riches and also taught me a better understanding of what I can appreciate as a masterpiece.
    

Eric Gustitus - N.Y.C. Field Trip Blog Assignment

New York City was a great experience which gave insight to my mind on many wonders of art. The first museum I attended was "The Metropolitan Museum." This museum consisted of ancient times, through to the early parts of our history! Many of the pieces had my attention due to either their architecture or feeling of relaxation.

The museum consisted of many different types of cultures in history. The artwork that had influenced me the most was definitely the painting by the artist "Jasper Francis Cropsey (1823-1900). The main reason i favor this piece is because this is right near the area in which i live, a hundred and so years after!

The description of this piece states that the large studio piece commissioned in 1864 by Milton Courtright. Courtright hired Cropsey to paint this painting where Courtright lived. The medium was oil on canvas. For me to stumble across a painting where i live in such a beautiful place, was truly an amazing sight.

Walking around this giant maze of masterpieces, I found myself sitting on the side of a tomb enjoying the water in front of me, setting off a relaxing tone. These tombs were an amazing thing to see that I had no idea I'd ever be able to see in my life. Everyone else around me seemed to feel the same way, staring in awe at the sight.

"The Metropolitan Museum" or "Met" which i had learned while i was there, gave my eyes an architectural experience of a lifetime. Throughout the walk of the museum, I kept asking myself how such extraordinary pieces were possible. These sights intrigued my mind to be a part of the wonderful world of art in some way. I will definitely visit this museum again in the near future to show my friends what i keep talking about!

The second most interesting museum i had visited was "The Frick Collection." This collection of art was in a mansion that seemed ever so casual outside, until you walked in. This collection started off downstairs with drawings that had very interesting stories. One drawing was of a man and three donkeys in fancy suits. It portrayed the man being a coward, and the donkeys to be men that were jackasses who didn't act as important as they had dressed. Basically they were jackasses. This symbolic meaning represents what the others in the collection downstairs were trying to portray; not in the same meaning of the donkey one, but in a sense of comparing others. For example another one was of a family weeping in sadness with a dog in the picture. The dog wasn't what they were crying about, they were crying about the girl in the chair for not making enough money in prostitution that day.

The Frick Collection consisted of a lot of many elegant things. It had a very rich sense to everything. The one portrait of King James was said to be fifty billion dollars in the early 20th century. That is a very, very, very large amount of money in our time now. Everything had ropes around it so no one would touch it, meaning that if something does it would take away a great value of it.

My favorite part in the Frick Collection was the pond they had inside. I must have sat in there for at least half an hour enjoying the elegance of everything. The plants surrounding it were even real which i thought to be very well kept.

I was telling my friend that had joined me that i will live exactly like this one day, if not, it will be better. Seeing so many opportunities to the extreme was a great thing to put into my mind. I now have assets and goals that one can not imagine.

Going to N.Y.C. to visit these museums has honestly changed my life. Not because it was the first time i was there or exploring the largest city in America, but because of the knowledge i gained by seeing, knowing, and picturing my future in the hands of art. I now believe that art is not just a painting on the wall or a mansion, but it is a truly unique thing that is in everyday life that people don't see or understand. Art is not to be taken for granted, but art is a life of possibilities that must be understood. Thank you for this experience.

NYC assignment- Cate Striplin

Of all the interesting works that can be found in the bustling New York City, I found myself in Chelsea with the up-and-coming artists and those who may be on their way out. In a place so full of raw talent, passion and luck, it truly takes innovation to leave a mark on your viewer. After a day in the gallery district looking over innumerable pieces, the artists work that stuck with me were exactly that; innovative.

At the Jack Shainman Gallery found at 513 West 20th Street an artist by the name of Yoan Capote was the first artist to really leave me speechless. Being Yoan's first solo exhibition; Mental States is simply stunning to fully realize his work. He credits his work to "psychological analysis of our daily experiences and issues related to the broader social and human experience". Yoan's work is a human experience all of its own.

An immense portrait of an ocean scene; dark and emotional, expansive, consuming. The viewer is coaxed in as though the waves are lapping over and we are carried out to see and thusly closer to the image hanging on the stark white wall. The deep grey/blue of the deep water is an illusion. The only color on the canvas is in the clouds; sparsely and seemingly abrasively painted clouds set the background for the consuming ocean. The waves, layered on top the white oil paint, has been created with fish hooks. Neatly lined together, placed tightly together, the fish hooks create the deep and ebbing flow of the water. Stunning- the audience is in awe one by one as they discover the "visual poetry" that is the method in which he works.

And just two streets North at 511 West 22nd Street at the Meulensteen Gallery an artist by the name of Oliver Herring could be found painting a man. That's right the artist himself was there and he was painting a man. Shaving his head, and painting it. As well as his suit, feet, hands- and the man held perfectly still as a good canvas would.

Turns out this was expected. Oliver Herring was participating in his exhibition named so fittingly Areas for Action in which everyday a different project is carried out and caught on film to play through the gallery on TV's as if they were framed prints in any other gallery space.

It was intriguing to say the least watching a man painted in primary colors, but the entire space was intriguing. The entire gallery functioned as a single piece all entangled, intertwined, used over and over. Paint on the wall and ceiling was the aftermath of a days experiment of spitting paint, where a young man held water and paint in his mouth as he laid on the floor and spat it onto any space surrounding himself. That work transitioned/overlapped directly into a scene that looked like a Halloween massacre where a volunteer (or what i assume to be an unlucky intern most likely) held a position against the wall while the artist sprayed him with a paint gun. A glitter pit existed where volunteers were covered with the metallic specs and then asked to shake off... all of which have no explanation or artist statement but nonetheless captivate the audience.

I was in a trance. Everywhere I turned something was happening or had happened. Without and written guidance I certainly found myself at a loss. I didn't prefer Oliver's work, but- his dedication and conviction held me longer than any other exhibits I viewed on that cold Friday in October.

blog closed

sorry, blog is closed for assignment 2.

Megan Lewis Assignment #2

Townsend’s work is original to say the least. It’s whimsical and eye catching sculptures and wall hangings really had me looking all over the place trying to decide what I wanted to look at first. His incorporation of different shapes and colors also intrigued me. I also loved his use of regular items to make a bigger picture. It was almost like looking at an eye spy book, trying to figure out what everyday item I would come across next. One of the small details I loved best about Townsend’s work was the dead birds. The first one I saw when I realized what it was made me smile, and then when I noticed that he also incorporated them into his other works I was extremely pleased. My favorite work though was definitely “Gathering/Blocked Cloud.

It is clearly the simplest of his pieces but it was the one that kept my attention the most. First walking into the gallery I almost overlooked it, so when I did finally notice it, it was like finding a surprise. It was only constructed with wood and charcoal but it was like stumbling upon a miniature world. I loved the 3D chairs and ladder versus the 2D drawing it lead up to. It was a really imaginative idea and I loved the contrast between the real life objects and the imaginative drawing.

Overall the entire show was amazingly creative and well thought out. All the pieces were placed exactly right so that they all flowed together. I greatly enjoyed spending time examining each piece and finding new and amusing things each time I studied them. I also love how the artist’s creative works really made you pay attention to the detail but the big picture as well. All the items involved worked together to be an intriguing and extremely unique experience. I loved the entire show and would definitely be interested in seeing future work.

Eric Gustitus Assignment # 2

Travis Townsends exhibit was quite interesting to say the least. It had many attributes which caught my attention the second i walked in. It had great sensibility, awareness, and a knack for catching peoples attention. Everything seems to flow along with one another. The way everything was presented was different than anything i had seen before. There was a sense of mobility throughout the pieces of art

My favorite piece was the gathering blocked cloud. It was very small compared to the others which was different but it had caught my attention the most. The colors were plain but it represented a strange feeling. The small chairs were an outstanding fixture to it. The brick layers added a sense of structure to the piece also.

This show was a great sight for sore eyes. I believe the overall meaning was to show that in everything theres art. Also that everything in the world has a meaning or has had a meaning to it. His lecture really answered a lot of questions that were put in my mind when i was wandering around looking at each piece of work. He had a neat way of describing what he was inspired by saying that it was of good and evil. This exhibit was one that i will surely never forget.

Rachel Harris Assignment Two

Walking into Travis Townsend's exhibit titled "Ideas Rebuilt in My Garage While Contemplating Good and Evil"; I was immediate wowed by the extent of the work put into the works of art. The sculptures caught my eye with their intricate pieces and obvious tedious construction. The pieces themselves had hidden areas that held smaller pieces of work such as tiny chairs and tiny ladders. There were a few two dimensional pieces that went well with the three dimensional pieces. Together they showed a mathematical ways to the artist’s thinking and work.

The piece I was most interested in was “Another Tankard”, the largest piece in the gallery. It seemed meticulously and almost obsessively composed. The piece consisted of wooden pieces, string, and many other objects such as paint cards from hardware stores. I was drawn to this work because there was no one thing that had just caught my eye with the piece. I was constantly looking and finding new things to observe.

Travis Townsend’s lecture intrigued me in the beginning as he spoke of things that inspired him: creations, satellites and tanks. I enjoyed hears about how his work was never finished. He would constantly work on his pieces, sometimes taking things apart and putting new things together. I was also interested in how he said he had “stolen” his wife’s color palate for her jewelry, and how the colors seemed to fit in very well with the natural feeling of the wood that Travis worked with. As he was talking, however, Travis would mention things like how the titles of his works, and the works themselves were “stupid” or “dumb.” I never really understood why he would say those things about his works that he seemed passionate about making but his words seemed to turn me off to his works. Even though I thought his works were still fun to look at, the wow factor seemed to have disappeared at his words. Overall, I did enjoy the exhibit and would enjoy seeing the evolution of his pieces over time.

Deanna Barnes Blog Assignment 2

The exhibit entitled "ideas rebuilt in my garage while contemplating good and evil" by Travis Townsend was interesting and thought provoking. As a whole this exhibition was very cohesive all of the individual pieces worked very well together. The pieces are arranged in an organized manner with the largest pieces in the beginning and end while the smaller pieces are in the center of the exhibit. Similarities can be seen in all of the works, they all have bright vivid colors against the rich colors of wood. The artist has chosen to display the works in very creative and different ways. Most of the two-dimensional works do not have frames though some do have frames that are hand drawn on the wall. Some of the sculptures are mounted on blue blocks while others are laid on the floor. The artist uses string to link some of the sculptures that are on the floor to pieces that are mounted on the wall, which was a very original idea.

The piece that was most interesting to me was titled “Gathering/Black Cloud”; this piece was so interesting to me because it was so tiny. When I first saw the exhibit I did not even notice this piece was there. It was also interesting to me that the artist chose to put such a small piece into a collection of works that are so much larger. Even though it is so tiny is was so intriguing and I spent more time analyzing it than I did on any of the larger sculptures. This piece is almost void of any color except for the color on the wooden ladder. This piece seems to tell a story of a bird that was at the base of the piece but eventually climbed the ladder and has now found a safe haven in the clouds. The drawing in pencil of this bird on the wall was very creative and different from anything I have seen before. This bird can be seen throughout the entire exhibit though I do not always understand its purpose.

When I first looked though the exhibit I did not understand the concept at all but when I read the artist’s statement I understood his intentions and the exhibit very well. I related to the artists ideas about a commercialized world and I like that his pieces are telling a story though all the layers of each piece. When I analyzed some of the sculptures I noticed that each piece has so many random objects on it, like tools or maps or notes these random objects tell the viewer a story about the people who would have used them. The way that the artist expressed his ideas was very creative and thought provoking.

Amber Weaver: Assignment #2

The current exhibition at the Haas Gallery is interesting. The display is by the artist Travis Townsend. The exhibition consists three dimensional pieces with a few works complimented by two dimensional pieces. All of the pieces seem to interact with the rest. And in some cases, the three dimensional pieces even connect with the walls via string. Each piece seems to be related to the next. For example all of the selections contain similar colors, similar materials used, similar details such as doodles and little chairs, and the construction process.

All of the pieces in the exhibit are interesting to look at. I really enjoyed the two dimensional pieces over most of the three dimensional selections with the exception of the one titled Another Tankard. This piece is a gigantic conglomeration with multiple layers of wood, random splashes of paint, doodles, ladders, little chairs, string, and other little elements mixed in to create this thing that in a way looks like a tank or an odd shaped barge. It’s really obscure looking. It makes you wonder what exactly it is. I like how there were little chairs inside of this construction and miniature ladders on the outside. The addition of these little objects make you want to shrink down and go inside the contraptions. Which is what the artist was going for, I think.

I was fortunate enough to go to the artists presentation about his work. Before I heard the talk about the work I thought the works were quite nifty to examine. But after hearing what Travis Townsend had to say about the work and his opinion of it made me just shrug it off. In his presentation, he mentioned that his work was about warfare, satellites, and creation. He also mentioned that his work was more about the process of creation. For example, Another Tankard was changed multiple times. He cut pieces off and added other pieces to make it better. He liked the fact that he can go back in and change things and that he is never really done with a piece. But the thing that really turned me off to his work was the fact that he thought his work was “stupid” and “dumb”. This statement leads me to believe that he really doesn’t care about what he was creating and that he wasn’t passionate about his work. This changed my whole perspective on the exhibit. I went from “wow these things are kinda cool” to “eh, okay those things are just things” all in a matter of a few minutes.