Artist Post #11

Artist Post #11

November 14, 2010

Natasha Duwin


Relation: The piece I want to feature of this artist is called "Shedding the Shadows." She uses discarded clothing from a homeless shelter to create sculpture. This piece is very relateable to what I would like to do. She uses clothing from a particular homeless shelter to create a woven sculpture of inter-connectivity to show that through hard work and introspection, beauty can be achieved. She takes the clothes, washes and cuts them, and has public "rope making" sessions before weaving the ropes. She also displays in a public space so the public is always involved in the process. All of this relates to my work: using the public, displaying in public, and speaking to a vital issue.


Bio: Duwin was raised in Buenos Aires and has lived in New York, Toyko, and Miami. She uses her work primarily to explore feminine concepts and uses feminine art forms (weaving, sewing, knitting) to reinforce this concept. Her current work focuses on birth, reproduction, portraits, and postcards.


Quotes:
"The materials that I use surround me, and call to me to be used--they are scraps of fabric and thread and vegetable dyes, as well as the words and snippets of conversation that engulf me as I navigate the world."

"Most of my work pulls the viewer in, to observe it as close as possible, with the ultimate aim of spiriting the viewer within it."

Source for both: "Miami Photo." Natasha Duwin. N.p., 23 May 2008. Web. 14 Nov 2010. .


Links:
Artist Website
Gallery Rep
Interview

VMFA

Images submitted to VMFA:
4 pieces from my Location Series
4 pieces from my most recent HDR series


Turned in to the VMFA on Thursday November 11, 2010.

Idea Post #9

Idea Post #9

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Sculpture-in-the-Round


"I really don't have a theme when I start a sculpture. The rock guides me to the final sculpture. I think that is true for many creative sculpture artists."
Jimmy Carl Black
Carl Black, Jimmy. Interview. Sculpture Quote. Web. 10 Nov 2010. .

"Painting and sculpture are very archaic forms. It's the only thing left in our industrial society where an individual alone can make something with not just his own hands, but brains, imagination, heart maybe."
Philip Guston
Guston, Philip. Interview. Sculpture Quote. Web. 10 Nov 2010. .

Marquand, Allan. A Text-Book of the History of Sculpture. Print. This book is pretty much exactly how it sounds. It is useful for anything related to the history of sculpture. It spends a great deal of the book discussing the true "sculpture-in-the-round" from greek and roman art times. This book walks you through all the important elements of sculpture.

I've recently been investigating sculpture-in-the-round because of my interest in rock paintings, rock art, and rock sculptures. I have also been looking into sculpture for some possible ideas for my chalk drawing photos. I am hoping that researching different kinds of sculpture in the round will help me get inspired for the next phase of my project. When suggesting formal product shot images to the class of proposed rock drawings, they encouraged me to rethink things. Now, I am more confused than ever and looking for inspiration in other places, such as sculpture.

Simon Tarr Questions/Response

Simon Tarr Artist Lecture
Questions: November 8, 2010

1) Is it important to you to use alternative types of technology and imagery (like in FUD) to alter the view of the audience?

2) Do you tend to use sarcasm and humor as reoccurring theme, like in Growing up Luke, or are films like this supposed to be taken seriously? Is there a further meaning in your films like this or does this just speak to childhood, fun, and humor?


Response

Quotes:

"I discovered early on that I am more of a hunter-gatherer of a filmmaker." (I think this quote really speaks to the way Simon Tarr makes artwork. He typically uses found footage or what he calls "castoff" footage and pieces it back together in a way that seems fitting for a particular project. So calling himself a hunter-gatherer is fairly accurate.)

"You guys are like my academic grandchildren."

"This may or may not be hardcore pornography- just throwin that out there."

"You don't wanna reuse 3-D glasses; that's how you get pink eye. I, however, have my own flip-ups."


Three words: Experimental, found-footage, and color.


The most interesting thing I discovered about this artist was the unexpected element of performance. I knew Simon Tarr was a video artist, and even after the announcement that he would be making a performance, I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen. I think the fact that he found out how to create a film that could be altered and manipulated on the spot was really fascinating. I really enjoyed the fact that he could shorten, lengthen, and rearrange the film as need be for the specific audience he was performing for.

Simon Tarr didn't discuss the film I had questioned him about (Growing Up Luke) but he did show the film FUD. He talked about how he made the film, with security camera footage on two different channels, and described to us the fact that he could alter the colors based on the different footage.

I found Tarr's remmake and "undit" of the Nanook of the North film. I enjoyed his explanation about his position similar to the directors as staging a film that is supposed to be a documentary. Also, aesthetically I enjoyed this film because of the interesting and unusual imagery. The fact that he was putting it together on the spot and the imagery was so unusual was really interesting.

Artist Post #10

Artist Post #10

November 8, 2010

Lee Walton


Relation: Lee Walton just completed a public art project about a month ago called, "Momentary Performances.” In different locations around Atlanta, Georgia, Vinyl text was installed in public areas everyday for a month. He would use a certain location each day of the week (a market on Mondays, a University building on Tuesdays, etc.) This simple action was used to formalize people’s everyday actions. It was used to amplify an everyday action so that daily occurrences became celebrated events in order to “blur the line between real-life and theater.” I feel like this work relates to my work because of it’s installation in a public area where the viewers reaction makes part of the piece, and also because it uses text in outdoor locations. Also, the public directly influenced the outcome of these installations, because the text was made up on the spot to speak about a person nearby at that moment.

Video documentation of this project is here.


Artist Biography:
Lee Walton calls himself an experimentalist (a term which I've come to love by the way.) His work exists in many mediums such as video games, drawings, videos, web-based performances, etc. Most of his projects are independently funded by specific groups and most of his projects serve a very specific purpose. Walton holds an MFA in visual arts from the California College of the Arts and he is now a professor at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. In addition to teaching, he gives lectures frequently around the country.


Quotes:
"I have found it more useful or meaningful to integrate art into my life rather than separate it."

"Ironically, art is thought to be the most free form of creativity, yet is a constant battle of liberation."

Source for both: Walton, Lee. In the Conversation: Art Talk Outside the Cube. Interview by Joseph Del Pesco. 16 Sep 2006. Print. 7 Nov 2010. .

Links:
Gallery Rep
Website
Interview

Graduate Schools

When I began looking into graduate schools, I decided that I wanted to apply for a masters in advertising instead of photography. I did a lot of research at the schools I was applying to, to make sure this was allowed. Although allowed at UF, you really have to prove yourself and why they should chose you over someone with an advertising bachelors. I am excited for the chance to prove myself to these schools, the chance for a fresh start at a new place. The University of Florida MBA program would be a great fit for me. My sister recently signed with the UF swim team, and that sparked my initial interest in the school. I began researching all of their MBA programs and found out that the Advertising Master’s at UF is actually rated second in the nation for advertising! The more research I did on the program and the school itself, the more excited I got about it. The program looks unique because of the strong school spirit of the gators mixed with the superior academics will make it a very exciting place to attend school.

Highlighting the work of a student and a professor will be a little different for me, considering I am not dealing with photographers anymore, but I will still feature one of each. Mike Weigold was a professor of advertising at the University of Florida since 1989 and during a successful advertising career. In addition, he has written dissertations about science communications and the media messages about science. He completed an interdisciplinary social science journal with a special issue on understanding the public communication of science and technology. Recently, Weigold was honored with the title of Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs and Enrollment Management, in addition to his responsibilities as a professor in the department of advertising.

Highlighting the work of a student, is again, difficult considering they have no artwork to show. The current graduate studies student I am featuring's name is Anabell Iglesias. She is a Fullbright Fellow from El Salvador who entered through a Mass Communications program. Her work while at the University of Florida has dealt with various applications of international communications. Her thesis is titled “A Media Relations Application of Social Media for Public Relations and Corporate Communications in Latin America.” She has also received two awards, “Outstanding International Student Award” by the University of Florida as well as a “Certificate of Outstanding Academic Achievement” by the University of Florida’s International Center.

The next graduate school I looked into was the University of Texas at Austin. What really attracted me to this graduate program, besides it’s high ranking as an advertising graduate school and it’s overwhelming community, was the way they walk you through the program. When researching grad schools, it seemed like a lot of them gave you some guidelines and through you out there to complete the work and come back to them when you were at a finishing point. University of Texas has specific guides to help you through the process (example: GradGuide) as well as ample amounts of campus services that are always on stand by for questions and overall guidance. The feel of this school is a good-natured and friendly atmosphere and that mixed with their exceptional advertising reputation made this a unique choice for me.

Kathleen Mabley is the director of communications for graduate studies at the University of Texas. She is a professor of classes in the graduate program, but also has hands on experience considering she handles the brand and marketing for the school. She focuses on public relations and creating publications and online resources to support the graduate community. She is the primary relationship developer between key internal and external bodies throughout the University and she plays a big role in the fund-raising efforts as well.

Manny Gonzalez is a current graduate student who is running the GSA, Graduate Student Assembly this year. This is a governing boy for the University of Texas’ graduate students where the students running it are elected from the 12,000 graduate students attending. This is one of the organizations that drew me into this school, and Gonzalez is one of the students that reports the findings to the Vice-Provost and the Dean of Graduate Studies. These meetings discuss health insurance for graduate students, housing, current dilemmas they are facing, the goals of the year, etc. For 2010-2011, Gonzalez has been trying to educate state legislators about the importance of supporting higher education with more funds. While collaborating with other state and national organizations, Manny is trying to raise awareness for this problem.

Idea Post #8

Idea Post #8

November 4, 2010

Interview


Quotes:

"I accepted the interviews and encounters that had to be held with the media, but I would have preferred to work in peace."
Naguib Mahfouz
Source: Naguib, Mahfouz. "Interview Quotes." N.p., 2001. Web. 4 Nov 2010. .


"I do interviews because it's a chance to be myself. I sometimes wonder what I could have to say that would be of any interest. I don't have any great wisdom."
Parker Stevenson
Stevenson, Parker. "Interview Quotes." N.p., 2001. Web. 4 Nov 2010. .


Annotated Bibliography:
Mooman, Pamela. "How to Conduct an Effective Interview." Suite101. N.p., 05 May 2009. Web. 4 Nov 2010. .
When I was researching different materials on how to conduct an interview, I was coming up short. I kept finding sources for job interviews, and that's not really the kind of interview process I was talking about. I ended up finding this website that is made for innovation for writers, and this article fits the bill pretty well. It goes through some pretty elaborate tips on how to ask the right questions and how to phrase those questions. It's a pretty good resource, even though it isn't in book form.
Relation: The next part of my project is finding the answer to the question I asked. I have started interviewing influential people in the lives of the next generation, seeking an answer to the question. For my idea post this week, I thought it would be helpful to learn a little bit more about conducting interviews, since I see myself doing this a lot from here on out. I have started to get a database full of answers and am trying to decide how to organize these answers to establish patterns.