Part 4: Narrative Description & Reflection (Final)

How did you incorporate contemporary art as public pedagogy as you implemented your plan?
I was able to incorporate many contemporary art concepts into my art-making lesson plan by reinterpreting historical images of power. The pedagogy was made public through the publishing and tagging of a hybrid image. It provided an area to challenge established ideas regarding gender positionality.

I began to start working through my lesson plan shortly after I posted my blog two weeks ago (as evidenced by last week’s post). I wanted to focus on the art-making aspect of the lesson plan and pay particular attention to which tools I used. Most of my digital imaging knowledge comes from independent study studio courses—I was usually given a textbook for guidance and rarely had a teacher that could offer personal instruction.

What happened? What worked? What, if anything, didn’t work?

Jan Van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait

Since I wanted to create a final image that contradicted messages inherent in an original historical piece, I started researching portraiture through Google Image and Flickr. My search terms included “portrait,” “historical portrait,” and “male portrait.” I was particularly interested in finding a piece that showed traditional images of male power. When I saw Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait, I knew I hit the proverbial jackpot.

A quick visual scan of the work reveals a wealthy male in a position of power over a wealthy female. Her position closer to the bed (as well as potentially pregnant) contrasts his assertive pose and direct eye contact with the viewer. There are many interesting resources discussing the Arnolfini Portrait and potential symbolism, however I hesitate to delve into this area at the cost of further explaining my own experiences with this lesson plan. If you are interested in learning more, here are some interesting resources:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnolfini_Portrait#Interpretation_and_symbolism
• http://www.loschermo.it/articoli/view/25082
• http://www.themasterpiececards.com/famous-paintings-reviewed/bid/27677/Famous-Paintings-The-Arnolfini-Portrait 

I began my piece by photographing my face in the same position as the male figure’s face. Using Photoshop tools such as color enhancers, masking, clone tools, healing spots, blurring, and burning/dodging I integrated my face into the image.

Hybrid image with my face added

The power dynamic of having a female face pasted onto a male’s had unintended consequences. I realized that I had not made an artistic decision regarding the female portrait. Options for her “edit” included pasting my face onto her body as well (which could be a reflection on the duality of personal gender characteristics). I also thought about leaving her the same as the original, but it found that option lacking. Finally I asked my boyfriend to pose in her stead and grafted his image onto her body. While he enjoyed the resulting creation (and the message it sent) he was fully against having this hybrid (with his image) posted in public. I will share it below, but ask that it not be reproduced outside of our class.

Hybrid image with both faces added

Because of his concern, I did not to post this image on Facebook or Flickr, and instead uploaded the hybrid that only included my face on the male’s body. In the three days since its posting (under a request to comment on reactions) I have only received two feedback messages. One from a friend that thought it was interesting to see the power shift inherent with switching genders and commented on same-sex attraction, and another that said this type of work would be a great gift for a wedding. I asked the first commenter to further explain her reaction to my piece, but have yet to receive a response.

I believed that posting this image on Facebook and Flickr (and tagging it so it will become a search result for the original image) would challenge public notions of patriarchy and gender stereotyping. However, privacy concerns and lack of feedback has stifled my ability to see its effects. I do find it extremely interesting that my boyfriend would not allow this image to be seen in public, as it could potentially be a target for anti-masculine attacks. When asked what in particular made him uncomfortable, he replied that he “didn’t want that picture to be the first impression someone would make of him.” After more prodding, he revealed further insight into his distress:

Because it makes me appear to be less masculine.  It puts you, as the man, in the dominant role.  The woman doesn't even get to look up, instead having to slyly look at the man hoping for his approval to look. And while yes, I am very happy with allowing these roles in our relationship and I’m fine with my current friends seeing something like this, I don't want to start new friendships with those assumptions.

His response to my questioning if it would be OK to post the hybrid image if my face was on the woman’s and his on the man’s:


I seem so arrogant. You’ve backed me into a wall and I see that I’m a hypocrite. Yes, it would be OK to post that image because I’m male and you’re female. 

What challenges did you face? How did you handle challenges?
Beyond posting difficulties, I had a major software challenge. Photoshop began crashing on me every time I opened the image, and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Fortunately I was able to find a free online program ( http://pixlr.com/ ) that allowed me to finish the piece.

What changes (curriculum or pedagogy) are you interested in making if you were to teach it again? Why make these changes?
I would make a few changes to this plan if I could start from the beginning. First, I would make sure that my software worked well, and that other people I used felt comfortable publicly posting the resulting image online. I would also find a better studio space for taking the picture of the new faces to be added. It was extremely difficult to manipulate the shadows and color levels to match the original image.

Reflecting on the entire process, what stands out or is significant to you now?
The most significant learning experience of this project was realizing the sheer amount of time necessary to create a successful art lesson. It was extremely valuable to learn the ins-and-outs of course preparation and all of the variables that go into creating lessons that value contemporary art concepts and public pedagogy. On a personal level, I appreciated the dialogue this lesson facilitated with my boyfriend and its ability to challenge his views of gender positioning in imagery.

Blog 9 process entry: Implementation

Right now I'm working on part of my lesson--making a digitally manipulated photo. I have one half done, but I'm not satisfied with leaving the other face the same as the original. I'm trying a couple of options (putting my face on the female, transferring the male's face onto the female, etc.) and thinking things over.

Original Image:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Van_Eyck_-_Arnolfini_Portrait.jpg
Arnolfini Portrait, Jan van Eyke, 1434

Working Draft Image:

Blog 9: Planning Individual Lesson (Part 2)

General overview (part 1)

Unit Title: Uniquely You

Enduring Idea/Theme: Each of us can find unique and special ways in which we interact with and experience the world. Even though some of us are underrepresented in art history or our current visual culture does not mean that we cannot all find unique and special ways in which we interact with and experience the world.

Lesson Number: 2

Lesson Title: Me In A Masterpiece

Grade/Class: Middle School (7th and 8th graders)

Time Allotment: 4 ninety minute class periods.

1: Introduction, examples, start art historical research and discussion on image sizing/copyright issues

2. Go over art historical selections, create rough sketch, begin lesson demonstration

3. Continue demonstrations, begin student work time, essay due

4. Student work time

5. Student work time, printing

6. Critique, reflection

Lesson Summary:

1. Research art historical pieces (portraits) and find digital images of people you respect and hope to be like in the future, create a list of at least 5 potential options that include all relevant art historical information (Artist, Title, Date, Media, Size, etc.). (Sketchbook assignment 1.)

2. After a quick discussion with me, do a rough sketch of yourself in the place of person illustrated. A short accompanying essay should be written about who this person is, why they were chosen, and what qualities/accomplishments they have that you would like to emulate, and what is similar/different between the person pictured and you. (Sketchbook assignment 2.)

3. Take your self-portrait in the position of the artwork previously discussed using computer camera (can use iSight on Macs)

4. Graft your face onto the digital image of the masterpiece using Photoshop techniques (copy/paste, masking, texturizing, opacity changes).

5. Make a 5” x 7” print of your hybrid digital image (to be used in Lesson 3)

6. Write a reflection on your work, making sure to include how your new image looks different than the original, your favorite part of this lesson, and what you would change if you could do the whole thing over again. (Sketchbook assignment 3.)

Artworks, Artists and/or Artifacts (i.e., motivation, inspiration): http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-532280/Hollywood-canvas-Worlds-famous-paintings-given-celebrity-faces.html

Regender Translator: http://regender.com/index.html

Key Concepts Addressed in this lesson: Students will learn historical research along with digital manipulation techniques through applying concepts of culture, subjectivity, context, allegory, forming self, appropriation, recontectualization and layering.

Essential Questions Addressed in this lesson: Is there something about yourself that you are particularly proud of?  How does your background influence the choices you make and the future you plan for yourself? Who are your role models? What makes them different from you? What will you have to do in your immediate- and far- future to achieve your goals? Are there images of people you wish to be?  Do they look different than you?

Standards: http://www.paea.org/images/stories/resources/standards/pa_arts_standards.pdf

9.1.8  Production, Performance and Exhibition of Dance, Music, Theatre and Visual Art
A, C, E, F, G, H, J, K

9.2.8 Historical and Cultural Context
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, I, J, L

9.3.8 Critical  Response
A, C, D, E, F

9.4.8 Aesthetic Response
A, B, C, D

Interdisciplinary Connections: Interdisciplinary connections can be made between this lesson and art history, general history, and social science, which can aid in our understandings of the current visual environment.

Lesson Objectives:

Knowledge: Students will learn historical facts about the artists and figures they are manipulating for sketchbook/essay responses. They will also learn digital vocabulary terms and procedures such as masking, cloning, and layering.

Skills: Students will be able to demonstrate the digital manipulation process. They will understand the amount of time it takes to make a composite image seamless.

Dispositions: Students will recognize that the images they see in visual culture are not necessarily representations of the truth. On the other hand, they will potentially recognize that they can break through culturally-established roles.

Assessment:

Students will be assessed according to conceptual development, the work produced (does it meet the objectives stated above), and class participation/attendance and critique. Students and I will know if they have learned the intended lessons if they successfully create a digitally manipulated piece and provide meaningful reflection essays. They will be expected to turn in a digital print as well as sketchbook assignments/essays on time (using vocabulary and context discussed in class) as evidence of their learning. These will be measured against a rubric. If possible, the rubric should be created by both students and myself before the projects begin. Instruction will consist of demonstration of basic techniques as well as cooperative and inquiry-based learning.  Students will be frequently monitored through sketchbook assignments and during worktime.

Preparation

1. Teacher Research and Preparation:

a. Find/provide list of art historical resources
b. Go over copyright infringement information
c. Create basic visual showing digital manipulation process that students can refer to after demonstration (PowerPoint)

2. Teaching Resources:

a. A computer hooked up to a display (projector) visible to all students

3. Student Supplies:

a. Sketchbook

b. Personal art historical resources

c. Computers installed with Photoshop

d. Printers and printer paper

e. Digital drawing pen/tablet (if available)

9: Contemporary Art as Public Pedagogy Curricula (Part 1)

Part 1: Unit Overview
Unit Title: Uniquely You (Middle School)
Enduring Idea: Each of us can find unique and special ways in which we interact with and experience the world. Even though some of us are underrepresented in art history or our current visual culture does not mean that we cannot all find unique and special ways in which we interact with and experience the world.

Key Concepts about the Enduring Idea: If we share our differences we can learn to respect ourselves, learn from each other, and experience a richer learning environment.

The images of people we see (and respect) in the media, fine arts, and other visual culture forms do not necessarily look like us--but that doesn’t mean that we are condemned to fulfill different  roles already established for us based on our personal attributes. (Interdisciplinary connections can be made between this lesson and art history, general history, and social science, which can aid in our understandings of the current visual environment.)

Key Concepts about Contemporary Art as Public Pedagogy:
From A Ed 813 Glossary: Culture, Intertextuality, Subjectivity, Autobiography, Contextual, Allegory, Forming Self
From Principles of Possibility, Gude: Encountering Differences, Empowered Experiencing/Making, Deconstructing Culture
From Postmodern Principles, Gude: Appropriation, Juxtaposition, Recontextualization, Layering, Representin’

Essential Questions: Is there something about yourself that you are particularly proud of?  How does your background influence the choices you make and the future you plan for yourself? Who are your role models? What makes them different from you? What will you have to do in your immediate- and far- future to achieve your goals? Are there images of people you wish to be?  Do they look different than you?

Rationale: The art classroom is one of the few spaces in public school where students are allowed (and even encouraged) to create unique and differentiated work. We should take advantage of this situation by guiding learners to find out what makes their creative voice different and worthy of respect.

Schools are now recognizing the harm inherent in bullying. Celebrating our differences and learning from each other will undoubtedly help relieve the tension of our current educational process and hopefully pave the way for future respect among adult members of our society.

Unit Objectives: I hope that students will understand that our current visual culture as well as the attitudes amongst their peers and wider community do not control their future. They can become agents of change.

Standards: Could anyone point me in the right direction to find standards? Google search brings up a 1994 NAEA document and PAEA documents, but I’m unsure as to how to proceed with creating a lesson plan that follows these standards. http://www.arteducators.org/store/NAEA_Natl_Visual_Standards1.pdf
http://www.paea.org/images/stories/resources/standards/pa_arts_standards.pdf

End of Unit Assessment:
A. Students will have at least 3 sketchbook drafts of each assignment which they will share with me before starting their final work
B. 3 final projects will be submitted by their due dates
C. Self-evaluation sheets will be filled out and provide more details on conceptual development

RUBRIC/LEVELS and CRITERIA: I like this rubric found online: http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/rubric.htm. I’d love to get my classmate’s feedback on how to create rubrics--especially something that has student input in assessment.

Overview of Lessons (Part 2 Preview, will be more developed by next week's blog): 
Lesson 1: Silhouette collages
(Lesson plan adopted from http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/elem/selfport.htm#collage)
Inspiration: Alison Shriver, http://www.alisonshriver.com/
1. Create lists of your background and personal attributes (heritage, likes/dislikes, things you are proud of, Sketchbook assignment 1) and goals for the future (careers, family, living place, vacations, pets, kids, etc, Sketchbook assignment 2) in your sketchbook and write down types of imagery that could communicate these concepts.

2. Find imagery via magazines, newspapers, or computer printouts and collage onto paper, followed by pasting a coversheet on top to enhance the silhouette shape. *Please note that the original lesson plan class for visual imagery that describes the current thoughts of students, but I am looking to push students into finding images that represent their future goals as well as their background.

3. Write reflection on finding imagery that fit their desires in sketchbook. (Sketchbook assignment 3.)

Students will learn to consider how they incorporate images of the world into their own self-identity. They will also see how people with their future goals are portrayed and potentially find similarities and differences between themselves currently and those images. This art project facilitates this exploration though culture, forming self, juxtaposition, recontextualization, layering, representin’, deconstructing culture

Lesson 2: Me In A Masterpiece
Inspiration: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-532280/Hollywood-canvas-Worlds-famous-paintings-given-celebrity-faces.html
Regender Translator: http://regender.com/index.html
1. Research art historical pieces (portraits) and find digital images of people you respect and hope to be like in the future, create a list of at least 5 potential options that include all relevant art historical information (Artist, Title, Date, Media, Size, etc.). (Sketchbook assignment 1.)

2. After a quick discussion with me, do a rough sketch of yourself in the place of person illustrated. A short accompanying essay should be written about who this person is, why they were chosen, and what qualities/accomplishments they have that you would like to emulate, and what is similar/different between the person pictured and you. (Sketchbook assignment 2.)

3. Take your self-portrait in the position of the artwork previously discussed using computer camera (can use iSight on Macs)

4. Graft your face onto the digital image of the masterpiece using Photoshop techniques (copy/paste, masking, texturizing, opacity changes).

5. Make a 5” x 7” print of your hybrid digital image (to be used in Lesson 3).

6. Write a reflection on your work, making sure to include how your new image looks different than the original, your favorite part of this lesson, and what you would change if you could do the whole thing over again. (Sketchbook assignment 3.)

Students will learn historical research along with digital manipulation techniques through applying concepts of culture, subjectivity, context, allegory, forming self, appropriation, recontectualization and layering.

Lesson 3: Nicho/Shadowbox Shrine
Inspiration: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrine
http://lanic.utexas.edu/project/etext/llilas/outreach/fulbright06/williams.pdf
Discuss shrines, their purposes in different cultures, ask what people in students’ families do to remember important people and events (monuments, certain festivals, imagery that goes with it).


1. Consider what will have to happen in your life to reach the goals discussed in Lessons 1 and 2. Write out steps in sketchbook. Think of a form that best represents the goals you are trying to reach or, alternatively, a form that best compliments your image from Lesson 2. Sketch out ideas on how to create this 3D form and create small models using newsprint. (Sketchbook assignment 1.)

2. Create basic shrine/nicho shape using thick cardstock or other sturdy materials.

3. Sketch out an environment for your Lesson 2 image to live in that is represented within the shrine. One idea (using symbolism) is to make the front frame represent where you are now, and the sides/back represent your background and heritage. The inside could also represent what needs to happen for you to reach your goals (i.e. graduation, finding a job, living in a particular city, etc.) (Sketchbook assignment 2.)

4. Using paints, drawing materials, paper tiles, baubles, etc., create your nicho, and place your image from Lesson 2 in the place of honor--an homage to your future self!

5. Write a reflection on your final piece including remarks on the choices you made (why and where you created specific things), your favorite parts of your work, and what you would do differently if you could start again. (Sketchbook assignment 3.)

Students will learn about how cultures (including their own) memorialize significant achievements and use this imagery to convey their own significant goals. This project is the culmination of the entire unit and utilizes concepts developed in previous lessons: culture, intertextuality, subjectivity, autobiography, context, allegory, forming self, encountering differences, empowered experiencing/making, deconstructing culture, appropriation, juxtaposition, recontextualization, layering, and representin’.

More details will come with the rest of Part II but I wanted to show what I was thinking of creating as lessons in this first post.

8: Performance Art & Performed Networks of Relations

RD: http://rdraughn.blogspot.com/2011/03/7-making-visible.html
I really like how RD's narrative story creates map-like visuals that are disrupted by a seemingly ordinary event. Perhaps a mapping assignment could capture this structure. Students could create maps of their everyday lives. These could be literal (using technology like Google Maps) or more figural (maps from the Middle Ages could be used as references). What's important is that students identify all of the important environments they move in and out of every day. After this is established, certain sections of their maps could be examined for further study. Sites like Geologic City could provide inspiration for viewing routine environments in a new way.

Stephanie: http://defineartabroad.blogspot.com/2011/03/7-making-visible.html
The prank played on Stephanie certainly got her to re-imagine her living space! Like the mapping activity described above, I think students would find it interesting to become their own interior decorators. Bedrooms provide such an important space for childhood expression. One activity could start with mapping out bedroom spaces on graphing paper (using measurements from home). Afterwords, the student could design an entirely new bedroom based on the same birds-eye/interior decorating view, or move to another method of virtual decorating. The limitations of currently available bedroom furniture should be thrown out the window and learners should use their imaginations to come up with creative sleeping, studying, and playing areas. Andrea Zittel's work could be considered, along with other artists and industrial designers that work with pushing boundaries of functional spaces.

Steve: http://www.personal.psu.edu/swi100/blogs/s_izzos_aed_813_blog/2011/03/blog-entry-7-making-visible.html
Steve's story provides multiple interpretations of the same site. I think this would translate nicely into a digital-photo based assignment focused on different experiences of the same environment. First, students would have to consider the physical properties of shooting a site many times (the differences and emotional values inherent in worms-eye-view vs. birds-eye-view, shadows, etc). Then Photoshop manipulation could filter different colors and/or change focus. Learners would have to "step into someone else's shoes" in order to feel how different people (or other beings) experience a place and try to visually represent those emotions.

Blog 7: Making Visible (Story, Part 2)

Years ago, before efficiency, deadlines, and economic booms and busts were discussed as frequently as the weather, the afternoon heat shut construction down for a few hours. Just enough time to have lunch and rest—the only physical activity viable in these humid and scorching hours.

But it is different now. My supervisor says that this pier must be completed before next year’s tourist season starts. Yachts and over-priced sandwich shops will soon replace the rocky beaches and local cantina. Will I still be allowed to sit at the counter and order a drink in my work clothes and boots?

I turn and stare at a gringa sitting in public ferry terminal putting her digital camera back into a large black bag. What is she doing here, and why does she want a picture of me? Shouldn’t she be back in her luxury hotel, ordering coconuts and lying on the beach? This is my territory. Even if it doesn’t last for much longer, she doesn’t belong here yet.

Yet.

See Blog 7: Making Visible (Background, Part 1)

Blog 7: Making Visible (Background, Part 1)

My skin is the color of “cosmic latte.” I found this out after browsing Wikipedia’s list of colors. On one hand, it’s sad to think that my outside reflects a universal nothingness. But perhaps I can take comfort knowing that I’m a visible connection to the cosmos. After all, every human has a teaspoon of the particles from the Big Bang inside our bodies. (I found this out when I went to the Natural History Museum in NYC last week.)

If I try to stay still long enough while sitting in the sun, my skin turns into an alarming shade of pink reminiscent of creamy tomato bisque. It’s for this reason that I constantly slather on sunscreen if I begin to think there’s a chance of sun exposure. That, and I am terribly afraid of following in the footsteps of so many fair-skinned comrades and developing skin cancer.

But all of this is beside the point. Last week during spring break I visited Puerto Rico. As a very fair skinned (and redheaded) continental American, I could almost physically feel that I was expected to act in specific ways, think of specific things and desire specific wants. I was a gringa on vacation.

I noticed the look of surprise on the faces of fellow bus travelers when I chose to take the 75-cent public transportation into the town center instead of a private taxi. When waiters asked for my orders in English, I would continue to respond in my own version of broken Spanish.

I ordered local dishes like Mofongo and Mallorca rolls, not cheeseburgers and cereal. Why would I travel to a (somewhat) foreign destination and be satisfied with the same experiences and food that I could find at home?

As the week went by, I wondered how the prompt in our class (see below) connected with my current experiences. The picture above was taken from a public ferry dock looking out towards a construction area near San Juan. I would never have accessed this public area if I had stuck to taxis and private tours. Yet it represents an authentic Puerto Rico to me: a run-of-the-mill scene set in a beautiful paradise. As I saw this image unfold, I realized that it visually portrayed the emotions I was trying to reflect upon. On one side of a man-made fence, local construction workers go about their quotidian activity. I, however, am left watching from the other side. I'll create a story about this in my next post. (See Blog 7: Making Visible (Story, Part 2))

Why is it intrusive for a visitor to ignore prescribed tourist routes? I was not loud or bothersome, but I felt as if I was expected to become so. It is a sad state of affairs when the mere existence of a polite, self-contained, cosmic-latte-skinned woman becomes visible by challenging the status quo.

Assignment: Find something that invites the public into a different route or routine, i.e., a pause in their typical everyday way of seeing and moving through space and time. Take a photo, sketch it, or make it visible in your blog post. Create a story that contextualizes the everyday routine way of knowing and how the something that you found (or placed/did) in that everyday environment disrupts, challenges, or changes public action and knowledge. 

6. Critical Public Art Pedagogy

Ka-Ping Lee's regender translator offers a great springboard to begin discussing issues of gender identity in a contemporary context. The program literally re-writes "history" (i.e. Web pages) by changing gender pronouns.  Many, many contemporary art concepts can be introduced, including semiotics, intertextuality, remix, different modes of interface, and appropriation. I'll brainstorm some ways these ideas an be discussed in class below.

Semiotics: "the study of the signifying process of making meaning, of forming relationships, through the use of signs and symbols."

What does it mean that we use the male pronoun to describe human groups as a whole in English? 

Intertextuality: "situates meaning within worldviews espoused by discourses from an image’s changing contexts of reception."

What's different in a religious text's use of male pronouns to describe a creator than other languages and cultures?

Remix: "opportunity to "talk back" to a dominant message that is being encoded in visual culture."

Why does it feel so strange to change gendered pronouns? How can we change this in the future?

Modes of interface: "a site at which visual and textual modes are interwoven but also confront and mutually interrogate each other” (Smith & Watson, 2002, p. 21).

How has the Web's instantaneous content creation (and meaning-making) affect our art-making process, and how can we use this to our advantage?

Appropriation: "art works being taken and used by another artist in a manner that causes the original image to take on a new or different idea than what the original image was intended to."

How can we express these new thoughts so others may understand them?

I was immediately drawn to the potentials that Lee's method of transforming dominant perceptions could be applied to the creation of visual art in the classroom. I realized that one way this could occur is through digital manipulation. Perhaps students studying digital arts could "re-gender" well-known works. For example, the profile on an image of a US dime could be altered from that of FDR to his wife, Eleanor. American Gothic could be manipulated to showcase a different power dynamic between father and daughter (notice how the female portrait stares off into space, while the male character stares straight into the viewers space, causing subject interpellation). George Washington's facial features in his official Presidential portrait could be edited to reflect those of Harriet Tubman's. 

Here's a quick "digital sketch" of the dime idea. 

Dime design of FDR

Dime design using Eleanor Roosevelt and "Goddess"

Images used from:

http://services.tomfolio.com/gibsonsbooks/images/lifeeleanor.jpg

http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/40200/40207/dime_front_40207.htm

Blog 5: Public Pedagogy: Politicizing the Personal Postcards

Blog 4: Contemporary Art Concepts

Meshes of the Afternoon

The following are a few concepts I saw in Maya Deren's experimental film, Meshes of the Afternoon. Keep in mind that these are my connections, and they might not represent the artist's original intent.

Code-switching from body to object (0:39) The fragility of the flower, shaken and roughly carried, is similar to our main character. She is beautiful, but her life seems to be ruled by abusive powers out of her control. 

Double-coding such as the key/knife (10:00) Destruction (as signified by a knife) can potentially offer the same outcome (freedom) as a key. *This can also be seen as a juxtaposition, a Postmodern Principle recognized by Gude.*

Reversals in the relation of subject to object (6:29) Deren's character watches herself try, and fail, to catch a cloaked figure with a mirrored face multiple times. She becomes an object in her own narrative. This repetition of Deren's character watching herself perfect representation of a visual palimpsest. *The Postmodern Principle of "Gazing" can be applied here.*

Subversion of normalcy (9:06) Three physical  manifestations of the same character are not as surprising as the reappearance of a key. 

Hypersignification of domestic objects, e.g., with extreme close-ups, slow zooms, camera angles, & space constriction (2:00) A purposeful pause before the protagonist ascends the stairs acts as an acknowledgement of a nearby unhooked telephone. The telephone reappears many times throughout the piece, culminating in the male figure's replacement of the handset back on the receiver. 

Harlem Rose

Willie Cole, Harlem Rose, 2005

This piece (now on display at the Palmer Museum) was created by Willie Cole, a contemporary artist currently working out of Newark, NJ. I'd like to discuss its relationship with many of the issues stated in our readings. 

In Museum Culture and the Inequities of Display and Representation (2007), author Alice Wexler provides a damning description of museums and their exhibition selections. After working as a graduate assistant at the Palmer for 6 months, I must say that some of these claims are not universal truisms. In fact, I was disappointed to see that the role of museum educators (and their work) was not discussed. Museum education seems to be the perfect place to start changing the attitudes Wexler describes. 

For example, many docents have told me that Harlem Rose is a favorite of children visitors,  a prominently placed sculpture by a black artist. Dana, the Curator of Education at the Palmer, uses it to bring up many contemporary concepts. In one tour, she described titular "Rose" as referring to both the shape of the piece (a flower) and the verb "to rise." This takes on many different meanings when juxtaposed against the female working-class shoes that make up the sculpture. Could the artist be honoring the females in his community that worked to raise their families? What implications does this have for the type of beauty "grown" in Harlem? 

Attentive Learning (a Principle of Possibility) can be achieved through questions that museum educators (or other art educators facilitating a museum trip) ask in order to foster connections between visitors and contemporary themes. Here are a few prompts that I would ask in response to viewing Harlem Rose. 

Detail: Willie Cole, Harlem Rose, 2005

Investigating Community Themes (Principles of Possibility): Why do you think the artist mentions Harlem in the title? What type of community values are being portrayed through the use of female shoes?

Appropriation (Postmodern Principles): Why do you think shoes were chosen to create this piece? What do shoes symbolize?

Representin' (Postmodern Principles): What connections can you make between the artist's background (growing up in New York City) and the themes discussed?

I hope that by respecting each museum visitor's agency and abilities to make connections, museum educators can help right some of the historical wrongs mentioned by Wexler. To my classmates: what experiences have you had in museums? Where there any times you felt particularly welcome (or unwelcome) and do you have any suggestions for inclusive future tour planning?

3: Installation Art Encounters: Extending the Invitation

To: מִרְיָם (Miriam)
Because: I would like to invite Miriam, the Jewish “prophetess,” to Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party table because I feel like there is so much more to her story than what has survived in the bible and Qur’an.

Miriam was first mentioned in the Old Testament as the sister of Moses. It was her cleverness that kept him alive and suggested that the Pharaoh’s wife should use her mother as his nursemaid. More importantly, I believe, it was Miriam along with her brothers that led an enslaved people out of oppression. Her part of this narrative is often overlooked. For example, only a couplet of her (probably much longer) victory song is recorded.

“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
Horse and rider he has thrown into the sea” (Exodus 15:20-21).

Jewish women sang victory songs to men returning from triumph, but reading her story made me recognize their importance in creating and maintaining oral histories. The meanings and words of these lyrical poems were lost, removed or mutated by generations of biblical transcribers.

The challenge Miriam and her brother Aaron posed to Moses, “They said, 'Was it only to Moses that God spoke? Did he not speak to us as well?” (Numbers 12:2) shows her attempt to ascertain female equality. However, tradition states that she (but not Aaron) was punished for insubordination, becoming ill and exiled from her tribe’s camp. Perhaps the most telling part of this account is the response of her followers. Miriam’s popularity and importance are illustrated by their refusal to continue walking toward the Promise Land without her leadership, which forced her brothers to plead for her recovery.

While some or all of this narrative may be fictionalized, Miriam’s influence on history is well established. She is one of a select few heroines mentioned in the bible, and her importance to the people she led continues to be recognized. It makes me question that if these impressive acts survived the interpretations of scribes for millennia, how many other things did she accomplish that are now forgotten? After all, it would be in the transcriber’s best interest to manipulate historical narratives into cautionary parables that maintained priestly authority.

I would like to visually represent Miriam’s acts through a sculptural fountain place setting, as water plays an integral part in her mythology. A small waterfall-style tap could be installed above a receiving area, constantly issuing clean and sweet water ready to be used to wash or drink. Like strong women, water is a valuable resource. Unused water will be collected and filtered before returning to the fountainhead to flow once more like the retelling of an epic story.

Invitation and Place Setting

Closeup of Invitation

Nominated by: March

Images used:
http://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/13716-lady-of-the-water-illustration-vector
http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-illustration-1630327-formal-place-setting-on-white.php
http://www.amazon.com/Kraus-Golden-Rectangular-Waterfall-Faucet/dp/B00467HGBY

More research on Miriam:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miriam
http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/miriam-bible
http://www.womeninthebible.net/1.7.Miriam.htm


Assignment:
Explore all 14 encounters in The Dinner Party Curriculum and read through the entire Encounter 2: Extending the Invitation that explains how this activity might be used in the classroom, and do "Extending the Invitation worksheet" and "Extending the Invitation Guest Placard." Share these on your blog by 2/2. This involves selecting a women who you would like to "invite" to be among the women honored in The Dinner Party. Judy Chicago and the many people who assisted her used a set criteria to determine what women would be included in The Dinner Party. Research prior to artmaking is a content-based approach to artmaking. 

Continuation of Blog Post 2: Public Pedagogy of Everyday Objects & Spaces Encounter

Because of technical troubles, our class is unable to access CyberHouse and respond to it. Instead, I'd like to write about my reaction to Andrea Zittel's textile art.

If one's body is a temple, than I certainly redecorate every morning when I dress. Through clothing, I house my body in different environments. After viewing Zittel's Art 21 profile, I am struck by how unnecessary this act is. Zittel chooses to wear one outfit per season. While the artist does claim that her clothes look worn towards the end of each season, I appreciate her creative response to fashion consumerism. I am especially interested in her use of crochet to weave an entire garment out of a single thread. Zittel's dress crocheting reminds me of a bird building its nest.

Did anyone else enjoy/not enjoy Zittel's work?

Blog entry 2: Public Pedagogy of Everyday Objects & Spaces Encounter: Table Talk

Karen's Table 2

I am drawn to Karen's Table 2. I would name it my Florida Sunshine Breakfast Table--my grandmother used to call orange juice we drank every morning at her house "Florida Sunshine." Its round structure and funky graphics make it a fun table suitable for casual breakfasts.

My family eats most of its meals together around our round kitchen table. Unlike many of my peers, I grew up with the expectation that we would all eat together around 6pm and could not leave unless we were excused. We still even abide by the same seating arrangements claimed decades ago. One major (and traumatic shift) notwithstanding, my mother sits closest to the cooking area, my father next to her looking out the window, my brother next to dad, and me with my back against the window. My father used to sit in front of the window, but he moved to my original seat after having chemotherapy in the mid 1990s. It's much easier to get in-and-out of, and farthest away from the cold window.

The first time I brought a boyfriend home for dinner, he sat in my brother's traditional seat. A stern "That is MY seat" from my older (and much taller) brother scared the pants off of him and has been fodder for jokes for years.

Every family moment, big and small, was discussed around our dinner table. For me, it was a sounding area for advice regarding school dances, report cards, college applications and more. I believe the circular format of my kitchen table made it easier to discuss topics and listen to everyone's opinion.

To me, having a place at the table means one's position within a group is valued. I prefer the dynamics of a round table, as it doesn't have the hierarchy inherent in a table with a "head" seat. Tables are created in many different shapes and styles and provide diverse functions. As seen in our readings, a Japanese tea ceremony table may be seen as a bench by Westerners. A banquet table in a fancy dining room provides a much different dinner setting than a kitchen island with stools.

My old Cetaphil face wash

Metaphorically, tables could be thought of as a theatrical stage. It provides a setting for events to occur: group meals, party food presentations, market transactions. The stage, along with the presentation of objects on it, is crafted through creative choices. Different stages yield to different experiences.

Thinking about a different kind of table--a dressing table-- I looked up 2 face wash products: Cetaphil and Mychelle. A few months ago I flipped out over my skin, thinking that I was allergic to something in Cetaphil that made my skin extra dry (sulfates). I went to a local natural grocery store and was told that the Mychelle Honeydew Cleanser would be much better for me.

The face wash I'm currently using

I looked up these two products through Good Guide and Skin Deep and saw that while Mychelle has a lower hazard score (1 vs. 3), Cetaphil's Health/Society/Environment rating is much better (7.4 vs. 6.3). It's interesting that Mychelle is marketed as a natural, organic product but does not have highly rated working conditions. I hope that companies do not forget ethical treatment of human beings while striving for ecological beneficence.






Assignment: Make a personal connection to one of the tables, name the table (and designate its page number). At your blog entry 2 introduce yourself to the others in your group with a story that relates to your chosen table by responding to one or more prompts. Use Good Guide & Skin Deep to learn about the social, environmental, and health performance of household objects in your home. Share one discovery. 

1: Public Pedagogy Meet & Greet

Hello, classmates! Since we have two Laura Ms (hello, Laura McGowan!) in this class, I would be happy to be known as March to keep confusion levels to a minimum. If you can think of a different system (or a better name for me) just let me know! 


I had a tough time coming up with a public sphere of influence that would compare to the examples already posted (a mall, sports stadiums, DVDs, suburbia). One idea that kept returning to my thoughts was Times Square. I believe the myriad meanings associated with the area can provide a rich discourse on the subject of human-built environments. 

Times Square image from Wikipedia

Like many young adults from suburbia, I dreamed of “getting out of Dodge” and making it big in New York City after school. Two months after graduation in 2007, I moved to the Upper-Upper East Side of Manhattan and got a job working as a web designer near the Flatiron building. Before I lived in New York, I saw Times Square as a glamorous beacon of the metropolis, pulsing with the electric heartbeat of the city. 


My opinion changed for the worse after living in Manhattan for a few months.
I began to see the dazzling ads displayed on billboards as gaudy representations of a city fueled by consumerism to the detriment of compassionate human relationships. It is well known that no self-respecting native New Yorker would choose to spend time in Times Square. The irony of this can be seen in the massive Target advertisements perched on multiple building in the area for more than 7 years before a branch opened in Manhattan. 


The media has had a defining hand in shaping the area and its experience. It’s named after the New York Times building (the founder of which asked the city to rename the vicinity after moving in). Theater and other (seedier) entertainments flourish(ed) in Times Square; it’s home to Broadway, after all. Even the neon lights and advertisements that sprout like weeks from surrounding buildings are popular tourist photo backdrops. The crushing crowds stream in from all sides, eager to take pictures and experience the area. 


But what does the area have to actually experience? Avant-garde theater no longer exists, after being pushed out by revivals of popular performances guaranteed to make money instead of sparking controversy. Nor do any commercial establishments exist that cannot be found in a suburban mall—FAO Schwartz is now a Toys R Us, and the only Red Lobster and Applebees in the city are located on 42nd Street. 


bell hooks stressed the importance of space as defining the activities and people that inhabit it in Black Vernacular: Architecture as Cultural Practice. Perhaps Times Square is meant to be a shrine to consumerism with oversized ads serving as icons of capitalism.

Me (left) in Time Square with a friend in 2007

To me, Times Square represents a simulacrum of city life. It is an area that defines New York, yet it is meant to shape visitor perceptions to enjoy a cleaned-up, Disney-fied city where everything is for sale. It is a marketer’s dream, where tourists pay to take pictures next to advertisements. But who am I to look down upon this? After all, I too have the requisite Times Square photo—this was taken with a friend my first week in the city. I’m on the left, wearing glasses.


For more information its history and on what others think of Times Square, check out the following links:
http://www.timessquarenyc.org/then_now/then_now.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Square
http://gothamist.com/2010/12/04/times_says_times_squares_disneyfica.php
http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2010/08/12/tasteful-in-times-square-theres-a-law-against-that/

Works cited

hooks, b. (1995). Black Vernacular: Architecture as cultural practice. In Art on my mind: Visual politics (145-151). New York: The New Press.

Assignment

Introduce self by locating and describing a public sphere of influence in the human-built environment (e.g., mall, Internet site, television show, listserv, news broadcast, advertisement, artwork, built-environment).