Class #5 Followup: MOMA and Translation, Bridging the Gap

Due by next week, 3 blog posts
:1. Field Trip response 2. Online Lecture Questions 3. Homework blog post

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1. Class #5 Fieldtrip Response: Post an image of the second work that you studied at MOMA and also your answers  to the 13 categories of content for this art object in a blog post.




2. Class #5 Lecture: Watch the lecture below and the linked video interview with Janine Antoni, then answer the following questions in a blog post.

a. Describe the process of Antoni's rope-making piece, Moor (2001), that is discussed at length in the video. What is this piece about?


b. The process of rope-tying that she learned is very different from the process of action painting.How is this method particularly appropriate to the meaning that she wants to get across?


c. Do you think a person completely ignorant of Antoni's work, someone with no verbal information to assist them, would understand the meaning of Moor ? What would they get? What would they miss?


3. HW:

 Think about skills that you know, that are important to your family, your traditions, or that you pride yourself in knowing.

Describe in a paragraph-long blog post how you would adapt one of those skills to make an artwork that communicates something important about you, your family, your culture, or some important knowledge about yourself. Think about what materials you would use, the location where you would display the artwork, the group of people you would ask to help in the process, if any. Let yourself think about this problem throughout the week. When your write,be detailed about the how you learned the skill, why it's meaningful to you, the steps in the process, and how you would incorporate other meaning into this process, and what it ultimately is produced as a result of this process.

Class#4: Translation Follow-up

Included Below:

1. Lecture and blog assignment

2. HW Assignment

3. NEXT WEEK MEET AT MOMA! 11 West 53rd Street Manhattan---> 1:45pm!!!



1. Lecture!!!

Watch lecture and listen to all accompanying videos.







Blog Assignment: Answer the questions in a blog post.

In the lecture I highlighted 4 artists whos' processes were about translating some kind of information about the world into a visual form; Jackson Pollock, Lynda Benglis, Maria Elena Conzalez, and Rashaad Newsome.

Pick one of these artists and answer these questions in a substantial paragraph in your own words.

1. Describe the artist's process.
2. What information is the artist trying to translate through this process.
3. What other information is (intentionally or unintentionally) captured in the finished visual/audio work.
4. Is the final outcome of the process interesting to you? Why?


2. HW Assignment: Process Drawing

Now YOU are going to make a drawing that is determined by some kind of process of translation.

Think of it as creating simple ( or complicated) rules for yourself that will produce a visual record.

What kinds of information can you convey through your rule system (gravity, certain physical aspects of the body, the speed of a glassful of grape juice as it crashes into your living room wall, etc. Embrace a system that explores things you are interested in.

Examples (Don't used these. You have to think of your own):

1. Clutch a pencil between your toes and attempt to draw perfect circles on a sheet of paper.

2. Roll a six-sided dye and depending on your roll, draw a pencil line that number of inches long on a sheet of paper, turning the sheet of paper 45 degrees after each roll.

3. Find an ant on the ground and draw a line behind him as he walks, wherever he goes.

4. Cover the floor of your kitchen with slices of bread. Dip your feet in jelly and walk around.
    Dip feet in peanut butter. Repeat.

Decide on the rules. Obviously I'm encouraging you to go a little crazy with this. Dont do anything dangerous. Also, see your system through. Dont try it once and feel like youre finished. PERFECT YOUR SYSTEM.

Then make a second blog post and write up you rule system. Include one or more images of the "drawing" that was produced through the process, enough to fully illustrate your system.




3. MOMA FIELD TRIP next week Monday 3/31 1:45 PM !!!

Show your laguardia student ID for FREE TICKET, meet on 4th floor in front of the below Jackson Pollock Painting

Museum of Modern Art, 11 W 53rd Street, Manhattan



TRAINS:
E,M train to 5 av / 53rd
B,D,F,M to 47-50 Rockefeller
4,5,6 to 59th
7 train to Grand Central and Walk 11 blocks, no sweat!





Meet at this painting at 1:45 (FLOOR 4)

ON VIEW  |  PAINTING AND SCULPTURE II, GALLERY 16, FLOOR 4

Jackson Pollock (American, 1912–1956)

One: Number 31, 1950

Date:

1950

Medium:

Oil and enamel paint on canvas

Dimensions:

8' 10" x 17' 5 5/8" (269.5 x 530.8 cm)

Credit Line:

Sidney and Harriet Janis Collection Fund (by exchange)

MoMA Number:

7.1968

Copyright:

© 2014 Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Extra Credit #2 : William Powhida Lecture at Laguardia, Tuesday, MArch 25th at 6pm

Extra Credit or makeup assignment. Attend the lecture and write at least two paragraphs summarizing the artist's work, the ideas driving his process, your thoughts on the problems in the art work or society at large that he is addressing: 








Please join us on Tuesday, March 25th at 6pm in E-242 for a presentation by artist William Powhida, part of the LAGCC Visiting Artist Lecture Series, sponsored by the Humanities Department and supported by the College Association and Division of Student Affairs.

Artist William Powhida's work displays a detailed fascination with the politics of access and the powers that control the assignment of value in the art world. These often humorous commentaries and criticisms are presented in beautiful trompe l’oeil compositions that use various combinations of graphite, gouache, and colored pencil on either panel or paper. He is represented in NYC by Postmasters Gallery, where he currently has a solo exhibition. He earned his BFA from Syracuse University, and an MFA from Hunter College.

LaGuardia Community College Visiting Artist Lecture Series presents:
WILLIAM POWHIDA
Tuesday, March 25, 6pm, in E-242

Flyer attached (please share with your students) and you can see his work here: http://williampowhida.com/wordpress/
Hope to see you then!

Sincerely, 
Visiting Artist Committee 

Class #3 Followup:

Homework: For HW, please spend at least one additional Hour and complete on your Mutu-style self-portrait collage for class next week. Bring the collage to class and be prepared to discuss your decisions about how you made the portrait, both in formal terms and you how it responds to the culture of beauty and the ideal.  If you weren't in class #3, please watch the lecture above and go here for a more complete description of the assignment.Class #3 Lecture  



ONLINE Class#3 Followup 
Please complete the assignment below and post on your blog by the end of day next Sunday.

 PART A: Watch this 9-minute interview with Wangechi Mutu, the excerpt from her video collaboration with musician Santigold, then answer the below questions in a blog post.


1. How do Mutu's Human/insect/machine-like distortions of the body relate to conventional notions of female beauty?

 2. Describe how one of her works functions formally. How is the work beautiful and how is it ugly?


PART B




Culturally-defined Beauty, or "Taste". : Part of this conversation on society's standards of beauty, perfection, taste, must cover the separation between "high" and "low" culture. Questioning why some cultural productions deserve the classification "art", and others do not, is at the heart of Jacob Ciocci's project (and his former collaborative group Paperrad)

Read his essay on "The Value of Being Trolled", here:

http://jacobciocci.org/2013/12/the-value-of-being-trolled/


 Did you watched the embedded video of Rebecca Black's cringe reaction to her former video? Whether you believe in Ciocci's viewpoint, clearly the power of the cringe, public failure broadcast widely on the internet, is part of all of our experiences. Like  "Ugliness", this sort of Cringe-culture is freeing for artists, because they don't have to play by the rules of conventional aesthetic conversations. For the final part of your class followup:

 Cringe-Factor 

a.Find an image of yourself several years ago, or,even better, a drawing or painting or artwork that you made a few years ago and are embarassed by:

 b. Post it on your blog. 1. Write a paragraph detailing everything that embarrasses you about the image, about the out-of-step fashion, haircut, attitude, drawing style, everything that your eye goes to and makes you want to cringe. Give yourself some time to think about it and write at least a few sentences.

 2. What about you, or culture at large, has changed since you made this/this was how you presented yourself to the world?

Class #3: Cultural Beauty and Ugliness as Social Critique

Class #3 Lecture

After watching the above lecture, you task is to create a Wagenchi Mutu-style self-portrait out of magazine, newspaper, and scrap paper clippings, at least 11x14" in size. 

You must spend  2 hours on the collage (an additional hour if you started it in class).

This is not a literal self-portrait, it doesnt have to look like you or even a person. 

But it should be made up of objects or parts of objects that have some significance to you, whether they represent what you aspire to, what you dislike about the world, your fears, what you value. Also think about how your self-portrait relates to conventional notions of Beauty, Ugliness. 

Consider how the image is composed formally. Think about color relationships, placement of the parts of the image, how large the po5trait is on the page, etc etc. How do your formal choices aid in communicating the story about yourself and society you want to tell. 

Bring the collage to class next week and be prepared to talk about it both formally and culturally. 

Your are also responsible to a Class #3 Followup Blog Entry: Class #3 Followup

Extra Credit #1: Degenerate Art exhibition at the Neue Gallery

Degenerate Art: The Attack on Modern Art in Nazi Germany, 1937

March 13-June 30, 2014

Neue Galerie New York is located at 1048 Fifth Avenue (at 86th Street).

There is an extra credit assignment that can make up for a missed HW if you visit the exhibition and do a follow-up blog entry. BUT, with a student ID the admission is still $10, (except on the first Friday of each month).

www.neuegalerie.org

Take notes on the questions below during your visit, and answer thoughtfully in a blog post, with a few sentences for each question.

1. After viewing the show, choose one of the works intended to embody the German government version of Beauty. Describe the the work in detail on a formal level. (how colors are used, the relationship of the parts to one another, how the colors and forms establish overall mood).

2. How would you describe the cultural ideal of Beauty being represented here?

3. Think of some examples in contemporary visual culture (ads, movies, etc.) that endorse a similar ideal of beauty.

4. Choose one of the works from the Degenerate side of the exhibition. Describe how the work functions formally in detail.

5. Do you think the artist is pursuing a form of beauty or protesting cultural norms, some combination of the two? What do you think is the artist's intent? Do you like the work?

6. Considering the negative influence of the state-sponsored version of the Ideal in 1930's Germany, what would you say is the responsibility of the artist as social commentator?

Class #2: Met Museum Response and Homework Assignment

Read the linked presentation on Beauty and complete the Homework assignment blog post detailed at the end of the presentation.


If you haven't created your blog yet, follow the instructions detailed here:

http://zegeer-introtoart.blogspot.com/2014/03/homework-1.html

For those who missed the fieldtrip, you can still visit the met and do the exercise. Theyre open 7 days a week. Go here for info:

http://zegeer-introtoart.blogspot.com/2014/03/class-2-3102014-metropolitan-museum-of.html

Class #2, 3/10/2014, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Meet at 1:45pm Inside main Lobby:




From Laguardia, take the R train and transfer to 4train at 59th/Lex, the get of at 86th. The museum is at 82nd and 5th ave. A link to directions below:

https://goo.gl/maps/odM0U

If you're late, text/email zegeer@gmail.com 919-280-6617 I'll tell you where we are :

Questions from the Fieldtrip exercise: 

Intro To Art

Bearing Witness , Part 2

As we talked about in the first class, most art can be said to be an act of bearing witness to one or more of the following:

- the life of the artist or an important person

- the artist’s society or culture

- an important historical event

- something unique about the artist’s personal experience/vision

1.Wander around the museum… explore.

2. Locate three artworks (painting, sculpture, drawing,photography, etc.). Try to pick a range of object types, from different time periods, not just three paintings by the same artist, for instance.

3. Spend a few minutes just looking at each object, walking around it. Record any thoughts you have about the work in your journal.

4. Answer the questions below about each piece, also in your journal. Be as specific as possible,giving each answer a few sentences.

QUESTIONS

1. Info about work; artist, title, medium, dimensions, date.

2. What person, idea, culture, story, or unique vision is the maker of this work attempting to bear witness to?

3. How does the artist communicate this story visually?

4. How was the work made?  What are the materials,the process used? What came first,second, third…?  

5.How do the  materials or manner in which they are applied help the artist tell his/her visual story especially well?

6. What other thoughts do you have about the work?

Meet back at the information desk in the museum lobby at 3:30, where i will take attendance before you leave. There will be a followup lecture and assignment based on this worksheet posted to the class blog sometime tonight, http://zegeer-introtoart.blogspot.com/

Homework #1

Assignment #1 : Make your own art blog DUE by the end of day

How to Make a Blogger Account

1. Create an account (blogger.com). You'll have to create a google account if you dont have one, b/c google owns everything!

2. Create a Blog with you first name in it, Sammy's Crystal Cavern, Mahtab's Golden Insights, etc.

3. Choose your theme. 

 4. Edit your Header with a statement about you, your style, what you care about.

5. Search the Web or use one of your own photos for a blog background

6. To finish your assignment, create your first post. 

7. Answer these questions in two full paragraphs: 

1. What do I want people to know about me; what makes me interesting? 

2. If there was one thing I would want to "bear witness" to, that would be remembered, whether it be something about myself, something about my family or culture, or a problem with the world that needs to be fixed, what would that be? 

After answering these questions, take a photograph and attach it to this post. The photo should illustrate the person, idea, or social issue that you wanted to bear witness to, but the photo cannot be a portrait of the person or a actual image of the thing that you want to honor. This of the handprint in the cave paintings, it is a kind of portrait of the artist but isn't a picture of them. Perhaps photograph meaningful objects that you associate the personal you wish to commemorate, or some mark that they've left on the world around them.

8. When you have completed your blog and post, comment to the bottom of this post with your blog address. Submitting your first blog post this way  by the end of the day, Sunday, March 9th, is how i will take attendance.