Title of Event: Annual Student Art Gala
Date & Time: April 11 – May 14 (I went on April 25)
Location of Event: Samek Art Gallery
Type of Event: Art Exhibition
Title of Event: Annual Student Art Gala
Date & Time: April 11 – May 14 (I went on April 25)
Location of Event: Samek Art Gallery
Type of Event: Art Exhibition
Title of Event: Christian Viveros-Fauné Lecture
Date and time of event: March 23 @ 5pm
Location of Event: Hislop Family Auditorium, Holmes Hall
Type of Event: Guest Artist Lecture
1.) Provide a brief detail-oriented technical description or summary of the event you attended. (This section should remain journalistic and should not be reflective of your opinion.)
Viveros-Fauné talked about his book, Social Forms: A Short History of Political Art, and the accompanying show he curated. He talked about how political moments and movements have and have not been represented in art throughout history. He described many other books, artists, and authors. Viveros-Fauné went on to talk about a handful of examples from his book, pictures of the artwork accompanied his in-depth descriptions. Following his talk, there was a brief Q&A.
2.) Use the section below to write a well-structured paragraph focusing on your personal critical insight / response to the event. How did you interpret or react to what was presented to you?
I don’t know if it is just Thursday, my most exhausting day, or if the lecture lacked a certain wow factor that had my attention waning in and out. I found the first 30 minutes to be wordy, lacking in visuals to help engage and work with the information being spoken. I felt that this time focused on the ideas and voices of others rather than Viveros-Fauné’s own. Viveros-Fauné gave a lecture best for those with multiple degrees and years of understanding in art and art history.
3.) What information, ideas, images, etc. most impressed you and why?
I found Viveros-Fauné’s knowledge of the work he discussed to be rather impressive. He displayed a great understanding of the artwork, the artist, and the historical context when providing insight.
4.) Overall, how would you rate this event (10 being the most worthwhile)?
(10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 5 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1 )
Three
5.) Justify your rating in the question above:
I found the artist’s lecture to be lacking in intriguing visuals or any visuals in the beginning. Personally, I need a good visual to help keep my attention and to deepen my understanding, even if the occasional quote he said was also written on the screen. I felt as those the audience was being talked at rather than being engaged with and talked to.
STEP 1:
Statue of Resting Goat
STEP 2:
1) Immediate Response
At first glance, the piece reminded me of these magnetic toys I had as a child, and thought they were the same thing. As I looked at the piece a little longer I thought maybe it was a shelving unit as well. The color was something that also jumped out at me, as I was really drawn to the green. The gray blobs are interesting to me because they almost look like they’re frozen in motion with I find very intriguing. The gray blob on the bottom almost looks as if it could break off or drop to the ground any second.
2) Objective Description
The piece is made of three green sections and nine silver/gray blobs. The three green sections are stacked on top of each other, and each of the individual green pieces are identical to one another. The green pieces are like three connected “U” shapes that create a box-like shape. Some of the silver blobs are in between where the legs of the green parts meet while others are hanging off the side. The blobs in-between are smushed in varying degrees while the ones hanging off look like they’re in motion. One of the blobs has a tail hanging off of it.
3) Technical Decisions
The piece sits in a room, it is difficult to see the entire context of where the piece is but it is near a wall in a blank-looking room. The piece appears to sit off the wall enough to allow viewers to walk around the entire sculpture and take in the sculpture from different perspectives. I’m sure walking around the piece allows viewers to see the blobs in different ways which might inform the viewer of different things while looking at the sculpture. From the view that I have from the picture, the bottom blob looks like its mid-fall while the top one looks like it’s just sticking in the side. A different perspective might show something different.
4) The Work in the World
As I mentioned earlier, this piece reminds me of these magnetic toys I had as a child. The toy was made up of a bunch of multicolored plastic stick parts with magnets on the end and magnetic balls. This sculpture almost looks like something I would build with those toys. Since I have this connotation of a toy I use to have associated with this work it comes off very playfully to me. There is this sense of balance and playfulness in the piece. Compared to some of the other artworks, this piece stands out due to its vibrant color. Many of the other pieces are in more neutral shades.
5) The Story it Tells
I think this piece speaks on growth and balance. The silver blobs are moving upwards and boosting the green parts up, stretching the height. The sculpture is not perfectly straight, with some parts leaning unevenly. Growth isn’t linear and has its up and downs, building unevenly. When balancing, sometimes support is needed, the silver blobs act as supports for the main green structure. Another possible interpretation of the sculpture may be a take on stability. The sculpture appears to be leaning in some parts, some of the parts are getting smushed in between while holding up and supporting the sculpture as a whole.
Title of Event: Anthony Cervino Six Second Delay artist talk and opening exhibition
Date and time of event: Thursday, January 26th, 5:00 pm
Location of Event: Holmes Hall Auditorium
Type of Event: Guest Artist Lecture
1.) Provide a brief detail-oriented technical description or summary of the event you attended. (This section should remain journalistic and should not be reflective of your opinion.)
Anthony Cervino gave an hour-long talk about his exhibition that is currently in the Holmes Hall exhibition space. Cervino talked about his inspirations and fascination with radio and broadcasting. He presented and talked about a handful of his pieces over the years and explained some of the background behind the pieces. He also talked about his time in residency in Switzerland. Cervino concluded the talk with a quick q&a session.
2.) Use the section below to write a well-structured paragraph focusing on your personal critical insight / response to the event. How did you interpret or react to what was presented to you?
During the talk, it was evident that Cervino draws a lot on his childhood in his artwork as well as the stages of life he is in. There were a lot of connections made to his childhood through different books, sculptures, and themes that were carried throughout his presentation. From this talk, I really got that you can take inspiration from anywhere and you can interpret inspiration in a variety of ways. It was really interesting to learn Cervino has had to abandon some of his pieces in Switzerland due to shipping costs, I cannot imagine leaving an artwork that I spent a lot of time and thought on behind.
3.) What information, ideas, images, etc. most impressed you and why?
The sculpture that Cervino did in downtown Baltimore that resembled the plastic toy part pieces was something that really spoke to me. As a Maryland native, I could picture some of the elements that were focused on in the sculpture. When I was a kid I also enjoyed twisting the plastic parts off of the sheet so I found the sculpture to be reminiscent of my childhood as well.
4.) Overall, how would you rate this event (10 being the most worthwhile)?
(10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 5 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1 )
Seven
5.) Justify your rating in the question above:
I gave the event a seven because I found the talk to be very thought-provoking and I really enjoyed the pieces that were shown in the presentation but was underwhelmed by some of the pieces shown in the exhibition space.
1) Immediate Response
I think this piece looks really cool, I’m often drawn to pieces that show a progression. I want to be able to go up to this piece and see the changes and compare one part to the next. The fourth part from the left really stands out to me because of all the creases and sharper edges. I’m immediately curious about the material that is used and what the inspiration was behind the shape. I think the second part from the left is also very interesting because the changes are much more subtle than some of the other progressions. This piece to me feels like slowly being crushed under pressure which I definitely can relate to when my schedule gets very busy or during finals season.
2) Objective Description
In this piece, there are 5 individual figures in a wooden box. The first figure on the left is round with tapering to flat edges on both the top and the bottom. The figure is not completely round and has many small rectangular faces. As the figures move from left to right they are being altered slightly as they get to the last figure which is heavily deformed. Each figure’s deformations build from the previous figure. In the middle, the third figure from the left builds on the previous figure and has many creases with the small rectangular faces no longer uniform. The far-right figure is no longer round in appearance and seems smushed with a more flat appearance.
3) Technical Decisions
The presentation of the piece was initially one of the things that intrigued me. These are three-dimensional objects, yet they are presented in a way in which the viewer can not see all sides of the sculpture. Since not every side is easily viewed, I wonder what might be hiding on the backside of each figure, especially because each figure informs the next. The sculpture is made of 5 figures which are all displayed together, if the figures were presented separately or in a different order then the perceived meaning of the sculpture could change. As the sculpture is currently being presented, the figures are a progression of the one that comes before it and informs the one that comes after it.
4) The Work in the World
The objects that make this sculpture remind me of these disco ball planters that are in my apartment, which is probably why I was so drawn to this particular piece from Del Harrow. The crushing progression of the figures also reminds me of a can that is being or has been crushed. This piece shows that things change, evolve, and can be crushed. Going back to the presentation, this shows how things that are on display, and people that are put on display can be crushed by the pressure that comes with having to put on a show and being criticized.
5) The Story it Tells
Unfortunately, I was unable to find a title for this piece or any insights from the artist, Del Harrow. But as I touched on in the previous section, this sculpture shows the change something goes through as it is being crushed. While all pressures that could be the force behind the change of each progression are not seen, it is left to the viewer to draw their own conclusions about what led from the first figure to the fifth figure. The figures are on display in a box on the wall, leaving some sides of the figures to be hidden. This sculpture says to me that even though there are parts that you cannot see, there are still forces and pressures acting on it, changing and molding the figures over time.
Name: Gracie Mitchell
Major: MiDE with a Studio Art minor
On campus I’m a wrestling manager, work in athletics in the communications department, and I am a TA for MIDE300. I also like to paint and go on walks with my friends.
I’m taking this class because I am a Studio Art minor and needed one last class to fulfil my requirements. I am looking forward to learning about 3D printing.