Mary Stewart, Artist in Residence, was chosen to kick off the much anticipated and exciting “Art Week” at St. Mary’s College. She delivered her Creativity Lecture in Cole Cinema on Monday evening October 26, 2009. It was well attended and she did not disappoint.
Full of energy and wit, Stewart managed to provide us with exercises to get past artist’s block and open our imaginations to engineering new projects. Exercises designed to stimulate trains of thought, recombination of thoughts and ways to access previously unassociated elements were not just fun but enlightening.
I was impressed with how quickly she could teach her word association trick she had designed to access subject matter. More than that, she addressed a major roadblock experienced by many artists: the inability to consolidate. Most artists are encouraged to focus on “expanding their minds”, but selection might be a greater challenge. I appreciated Steward’s advice to first open and then “contract”. She gave the analogy of a snake eating. It must first open wide to partake, then contract to force the morsel in the right direction, an ever expanding and contracting process.
Stewart shared not just her intelligent approach but her exuberant joy of the art experience. She provided concrete methods to enhance our ability to create while finding ways to make the process more painless. In essence, she made it simple.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Interrupted Lives: Human Migration in War and Peace
The Boyden Gallery presented the works of Keiko Ishii Eckhart and Amze Emmons during the Fall 2009 session of St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Both artists addressed the migration of common people. Both used similar mediums: graphite, acrylics and cut outs, although Eckhard used silkscreen, and very well at that. Eckhart sought to study migration patterns based on her personal family history. Her historic perspective was shared by many Japanese families during pre-war and WWII political policies. Emmons, however, used a variety of urban situations to demonstrate his belief that all spaces, and the division of these spaces, are political. The Boyden Gallery added another aspect to the human migration experience by including an interactive Google Earth installation, allowing show attendees the opportunity to map their own migration.
Eckhardt's studies were based on the effects of the war between the United States and Japan when working class immigrants were caught in the middle. The story she told incorporated many official documents, records, and personal journals into her pieces in order to confront her family’s migration nightmare. While her great grandfather opted to remain in America, ending up in a Japanese internment camp, the great grand uncle had returned to Japan in time to survive the bombing of Hiroshima. Both individuals were dramatically caught in the tangle of world events they were powerless to predict. Eckhard proficiently illustrated the influences these forces exerted on the futures of themselves and their following generations.
Emmon’s work dealt more current situations; homelessness, urban transportation, and urban plights. He used pencil and acrylics as if they were strong watercolors to present his migration issues. I’m not sure about his point of view concerning migration except that he felt it was about appropriation and re-appropriation of space, and most of my understanding of his point came from his lecture. Barriers were a big element in all of his pieces and he did manage to capture a ghostly emptiness of city dwelling. To me, however, much of his worked seemed sloppy and unrefined. He may have lost me as an audience as I was preoccupied by the unfinished quality his work. I do not think any single piece he offered could have stood alone and I believe it was the sheer number of pieces that carried his theme into the show.
It seems to me that Eckhard’s work would, and should, have been more political than the social issues presented by Emmons. This is simply because she is looking at a war between huge powers, while Emmons is addressing more common urban issues like transportation and homelessness, which in our experience is more economic or even weather driven. Eckhard’s work felt personal. She captured my attention and projected me into the work where I could feel the pain, fear, and frustration of world changes and migration insecurities I may never have addressed without her. I found Eckhard’s work more esthetically pleasing than Emmons. Her sense of color was more appealing to me. Her colors were more earthy yet delicate than the bold, primary colors used by Emmons. His presentation, possibly by design, was more primitive in many ways.
The Google Earth installation which was added to the show “for audience participation” was fun for anyone who had not ever tried it before. I think it could have been improved if the migrations of all the individuals who mapped their personal migration could have been accumulated with all the others. It might have been a good demonstration of how much Americans, or at least college students, move about. It could have been titled “Peace time movements of the St. Mary’s College population” and strengthened the shows intentions to present migration during war and peace.
The Boyden Gallery presented the works of Keiko Ishii Eckhart and Amze Emmons during the Fall 2009 session of St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Both artists addressed the migration of common people. Both used similar mediums: graphite, acrylics and cut outs, although Eckhard used silkscreen, and very well at that. Eckhart sought to study migration patterns based on her personal family history. Her historic perspective was shared by many Japanese families during pre-war and WWII political policies. Emmons, however, used a variety of urban situations to demonstrate his belief that all spaces, and the division of these spaces, are political. The Boyden Gallery added another aspect to the human migration experience by including an interactive Google Earth installation, allowing show attendees the opportunity to map their own migration.
Eckhardt's studies were based on the effects of the war between the United States and Japan when working class immigrants were caught in the middle. The story she told incorporated many official documents, records, and personal journals into her pieces in order to confront her family’s migration nightmare. While her great grandfather opted to remain in America, ending up in a Japanese internment camp, the great grand uncle had returned to Japan in time to survive the bombing of Hiroshima. Both individuals were dramatically caught in the tangle of world events they were powerless to predict. Eckhard proficiently illustrated the influences these forces exerted on the futures of themselves and their following generations.
Emmon’s work dealt more current situations; homelessness, urban transportation, and urban plights. He used pencil and acrylics as if they were strong watercolors to present his migration issues. I’m not sure about his point of view concerning migration except that he felt it was about appropriation and re-appropriation of space, and most of my understanding of his point came from his lecture. Barriers were a big element in all of his pieces and he did manage to capture a ghostly emptiness of city dwelling. To me, however, much of his worked seemed sloppy and unrefined. He may have lost me as an audience as I was preoccupied by the unfinished quality his work. I do not think any single piece he offered could have stood alone and I believe it was the sheer number of pieces that carried his theme into the show.
It seems to me that Eckhard’s work would, and should, have been more political than the social issues presented by Emmons. This is simply because she is looking at a war between huge powers, while Emmons is addressing more common urban issues like transportation and homelessness, which in our experience is more economic or even weather driven. Eckhard’s work felt personal. She captured my attention and projected me into the work where I could feel the pain, fear, and frustration of world changes and migration insecurities I may never have addressed without her. I found Eckhard’s work more esthetically pleasing than Emmons. Her sense of color was more appealing to me. Her colors were more earthy yet delicate than the bold, primary colors used by Emmons. His presentation, possibly by design, was more primitive in many ways.
The Google Earth installation which was added to the show “for audience participation” was fun for anyone who had not ever tried it before. I think it could have been improved if the migrations of all the individuals who mapped their personal migration could have been accumulated with all the others. It might have been a good demonstration of how much Americans, or at least college students, move about. It could have been titled “Peace time movements of the St. Mary’s College population” and strengthened the shows intentions to present migration during war and peace.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
BetaSpace: New Media Art
While looking for a new New Media Artist, I stumbled upon this ‘new’ website BetaSpace: New Media Art (2003). While looking around inside this ‘new’ site it dawned on me that it is a pretty nice piece of new media art itself. Eric Cheng, Liam Aleguire, Jay Kelly and Ethan Smith met at Cal State University Hayward and joined their collective talents together to create a venue for a New Media Art community and platform. Their mission statement:
“The BetaSpace project was originally conceived by four Graduate Students in California, with the goal of creating a platform for more artistic, personal expression on the Internet. Almost one year after its initial launch, the BetaSpace project has evolved into its current form- an organic, online new media art venue that will continue to evolve and grow based upon the response of its audience base.” (BetaSpace:New Media Art)
Although their initial concept has changed somewhat, their website is uncomplicated and enjoyable. Art selection is easy and the offerings are interesting.
I like the ‘evolution’ this site has gone through: the exercise of adaptability. BetaSpace is a great example of having to alter the form, format and even the intention as it discovers new problems or requirements through time and virtual space, activities of real artists, activities of life.
The original logo was very simple and relatively meaningless. It was updated to reflect the website creators' inspiration by the Dadaists in particular Marcel DuChamp. A modernized version of The Fountain (1917) serves to represent their artistic expression and message, that new media art is art. The original concept for the site was to have a community which selected new art together but the originators have altered that approach. Public nominations are still accepted but now the website creators decide which will be posted.
Still an interactive community, they have a really cool approach to New Media discussions. BetaSpace has divided the forum into three forums; the ‘Community’, ‘Right Brain’ and ‘Left
Brain’. The community “focuses on expanding our diverse community” (BetaSpace). It allows networking with other artists, discussions about art and critiquing of posted art. The Right Brain forum is about the exchange of ideas and feeling. They accept verbal and non-verbal commentary and provide an ‘anti-commercial’ section for artist protesting art for money. The Left Brain forum is for the discussion of technical aspects of New Media art. Divided into sections (like Dreamweaver MX) participants can post questions and/or offer assistance to each other.This sorting approach to the complexity of New Media Art discussion really appeals to me. I have found New Media Art twice as challenging as the “old-fashioned” pen and ink approach. To produce any quality product one has to be able to envision, compose and then manipulate complicated, ginormous programs like Google Earth and Dreamweaver.
Although there are four creators, everything seems to be divided into three as exemplified by the three galleries: Rinalifervey, Ace, Etrismoonefiess. While the gallery names and/or the reason for gallery divisions eludes me, it is still quite easy to click around to see the online art and artist statements.
I like this site better than Rhizome (http://www.rhizome.org/ ) or Mark Tribe’s New Media https://wiki.brown.edu/confluence/display/MarkTribe/New+Media+Art) sites because of the streamlined approach and user friendliness. I hope Billy adds this website to his class resources for the next Intro to Digital class for two reasons: support the venue for New Media Art and provide more alternatives for students’ selections.
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