my plan

The two pieces of artwork that i want on display are the collaboritive finger painting that i did with Jessie Clew and my button painting. My button painting is 24 inches by 30 inches. I have no preference about how or where either piece is hung. In or outside of the gallery is fine. My preference would be to have at least one or the other in the gallery. the materials for my button piece are just canvas board, buttons, and paint.

field trip

The field trip was a great experience and it was a lot of fun. I learned a lot about galleries when we read the articles prior to visiting. Actually seeing the galleries and hearing Joseph Carroll spoke allowed the information to come to life. My favorite exhibit was the one with all the colorful paint clumped on top of each other. Viewing the different galleries got me very excited about our classes gallery.

preparing to visit the galleries.

One question that i have for Joseph Carroll is: How does he use his gallery space to help give the artists work thought provoking or meaningful context?

The two galleries that will be a priority for me to visit are oh&t gallery and steven zevitas gallery. The reason that i'm most interested in seeing these galleries is because i really like the current exhibitions. in the oh&t gallery i like the use or color in the displayed painting of the frogs and in steven zevitas i really like the cityscape. The cityscape is nothing like my own work and the frogs are somewhat similar to what i like to paint. I'm intrigued to see how the display affects the reaction i have towards the art.

Articles about the "boston art scene".

The shift that has been occurring over the past year in the Boston gallery world has been largely affected by the economy. In addition, the rise in international art fairs and the internet are making it more difficult for galleries to stay in business. Galleries arent all about selling work anymore, theyre becoming a place for artists and viewers to think about the art. I dont think these changes will affect the boston art world in only good or only bad ways. I dont think schools will be affected because the economy is not changing peoples interest in art. In fact, technology and cultural diffusion is only enhancing interest. For the galleries and museums, i'm worried that the quality of the shows could go down because of how expensive everything is. 

Week 3

Some feedback that i got in my peer critique and from Mr. Brooks and Ms. Roberts this week was that i should consider drawing something and then incorporating the buttons rather than just playing with the buttons and hoping to come up with a design. Different ideas were thrown around such as sorting my buttons by value or size instead of by color. A suggestion of using small magazine cut outs instead of buttons to come up with a design was a brought up. This would be useful because then i could keep my design arranged the way it is and still work on something else and with buttons i cannot do that. 

Alternative Exhibition Formats Response

My favorite artist's work in terms of format was Blossom by Polly Apfelbaum. Her format was so interesting to me not only because of the way it was laid out on the ground, but because of the way the individual pieces were arranged. The consistency in shape, the way the different colors were displayed, and the pattern in general really grabbed my attention. The size of the work and he fact that its on the ground sparks my interest because it makes me consider how the viewers will engage with the art. 

Surviving the Critique

I think the role of the critique could be used in a class like ours in many ways. A critique could be used to address people's processes, to help people realize what their intentions are, and to help people make their intentions possible. By raising questions and by offering answers to questions, our class can help lead each other in the right direction.

I think i can get the most out of a critique for my work by going into my critique with an open mind. Its important that i listen to the opinions of others and that i dont take negative critism personally. I learned in this reading that i should stand with the people critiqueing my work, not against them. In addition, while listening to others, i shouldnt change my work to math peoples suggestions. Lastly, i should go into the critique with thoughtful questions in mind.

I can be a helpful participant in my classmates' critiques by seriously listening to their concerns and their questions. Offering eye contact and positive body language will let them know that i care and that i want to help them. I can help by brining up new questions for them and by offering my opinions on the answers to their own questions.

Week 2

Over the past two weeks i have not decided what my final project will be. Instead, i have played with different ideas, testing them in sketches. I have made flowers out of construction paper, used paint to create different textures, made a coloborate drawing where i didnt think about what i was drawing at all. By not thinking about what i was drawing, i came up with some interesting ideas. Seeing my peers drawings have also inspired some intriguing ideas. Unsuprisingly, i know that i want to use color and i have discovered that i like working with different textures. Over break i plan to play with some more materials and come up with a plan. Over the last two weeks i have learned that i dont necessarily need to plan the final outcome, but i would like to at least plan my process so that i am able to keep busy.

Art & Fear

"If you think good work is synonymous with perfect work, you're headed for big trouble."
This relates to all the times that you finish a piece of work and it isn't exactly the way you wanted it to be. When its complete, but there is a minor thing that you wished turned out different. This quote is saying that your work doesn't have to be perfect to be good, which is assuring. In fact, it makes me believe that imperfect work can be better than perfect work. No one knows what you intended for your work to look like so if it isn't perfect, chances are that people wont even notice.

"In a general way, fears about yourself prevent you from doing your best work, while fears about your reception by others prevent you from doing your own work."
This quote is significant to me because it reminds me that doubting yourself doesnt get you anywhere and teaches me that it can even make matters worse. In addition, it reminds me that worrying about what other people think could possibly cause you to make work more so for others than for yourself. For me, making art has always been something i do for me. It is imortant that i remember this in my art making process from here on out.

"Asking your work to prove anything only invites doom."
I like this quote because it helps assure me that my art doesnt have to prove anything. Trying to make my work prove somehting can be a bad thing because it can make myself throw away good ideas that i have. It makes it hard to create something with out thinking about the outcome. In reality, creating art with no initial intention can lead to something really successful.

Artists at work: workspaces and procceses

How do artists develop spaces and methods for making their most authentic work as part of a daily artistic practice?

Artists develop spaces and methods for making work in personal ways that work for them. For some people this means everything needs to be very organized and for other people it means they need chaos and disorder. Some people work better in clear open spaces and some people work better in messy crowded areas. Some people work better on the floor and some people work better at a table or on an easel. Based on different artist's preferences, its important that they adjust their studios accordingly.

The Artist's Studio

What types of things do you see in more that one artist's space?Why do you think these things appear in so many different artists' studios?

A few things came up in a bunch of different artists' studios. A lot of them had windows which could be because artists use nature and the outside world as inspiration for their work. Books and music were also common among the studios which is probably because artist's use reading and music as inspiration for ideas. Most studios either had bins or shelves to have at least some type of organization. Also, a couple artists had dogs, probably to keep themselves company.

Scratching, by Twyla Tharp

What is scratching and how does Twyla Tharp suggest that we do it?

Scratching is listening, watching, reading, and observing different things. Then it's using your observations and putting them into actions. It's about being spontaneous and unthoughtful. In the studio, it's not about thinking about the final product and whether or not the outcome will look good or be successful. Scratching means coming up with little ideas, transforming the ideas into art, looking at the art, and adjusting it or adding to it to make a bigger idea. Scratching means playing with materials but not necessarily knowing what you're going to do with them. There are no rules when it comes to scratching, however, Tharp suggests that you never look for ideas in the same place. She suggests that if you don't know where to begin, it sometimes help to freak out, take risks, make art with out thinking about what you're making. I can see myself using Tharp's suggestion of messing around with different materials, colors, and shapes. I also like her suggesting of starting out by just observing what's around you.