Objectives:

• Learn about public funding for the Arts
• Examine public art’s role in capturing history and place-making
• Explore the relationship of cultural values to civic, dialogue, beautification and identity

Original Post:

Public Art

Before this assignment I did not know these murals existed in the library. After going to see these pieces in person, it made me think of how intricate people’s idea on the evolution of art and science are. What I noticed was that in majority of the panels for both murals, the figures that had the darker skin were the ones placed not facing the front and bending over performing work. I am not sure if the artist intended on this coincidence but from my perspective I am not fond of this portrayal. This makes me feel that from the beginning, people saw the darker skinned individuals as the ones performing the labor. I think the period in time the murals were created has an influence on the way the mural was created. Ellen Dissanayake wrote a piece addressing the different eras that experienced different waves of art influences during their time period. She mentions the idea that “authors may not have meant the same thing by the word ‘art’ as we do” (pg. 16). With this in mind, perhaps the artist was trying to experiment with different shadings and show different cultures coming together, which developed the growing idea of art. The world’s view on art has definitely grown in various directions all very influential to today’s art.

In one of the videos we watched in class, Dennis Dutton provides an excellent argument on the idea of how and why we develop feelings towards art pieces. He brings up the idea of stemming our innate ability to asses art and develop an opinion on it from our ancestors before us, the homosapien. I have to disagree with his argument as I think I develop my thoughts and ideas from my environment and experiences.

What I also noticed in the murals were the lack of women represented in the evolution of both art and sciences. In the early days, women were not allowed to perform duties that were seen as a man’s job. Perhaps this is why both of these murals depict men performing most of the scholarly and innovative works. The two artists were also both male, which may be the reason for the heavy male influence seen in the murals.

These two murals are great examples of the early idea of public art. The early program to exhibit and increase the public’s knowledge about public art was the WPA, or the Works Progress Administration. Today’s public art has sky rocketed since 1935. We can see works here at the University of Oregon as a public display of eye pleasing art pieces. I am fond of the idea of increasing the public’s knowledge on art as most individuals stray away from appreciating and understanding the meaning of art. In the Development of the Arts mural, this exemplifies the growing tree of art work and knowledge. If there were a mural painted today, the tree would be enormous and almost infinite. In the article by Erika Doss, she talks about how the view and essence of public art have shifted. She talks about how public memorial grounds such as the African Burial Ground has become a national landmark for both knowledge and pleasure (pg. 3-4). It is monuments like this that allow for the growth in knowledge about other cultures and worldly historic events.

I think it is almost imperative to increase the amount of public art and the push the limits on what can be displayed. As time progresses artists are always finding new and innovative ways to portray art in ways that are unimaginable. These two murals represent an interpretation of the beginning of this expanding art culture as well as standing as a basis for the origin of all existing art today.

Below I have attached my idea of the evolution of art. I started with the cave paintings from the early stone age. The next image represents the art from the old Greek era. Following that is the famous Mona Lisa. The next two images represent modern art sculptures that I think show how intricate the art pieces have evolved into.

Reflection:

This past weekend I had gone home to Hawai’i to visit my family and to attend my sister’s graduation. As this Public Art’s assignment was due at the end of the week, I had remembered that at my high school, there is a statue erected in honor of the great Sun Yat-Sen, the former and renown president of China who also attended the same high school as me. As I was reviewing my original assignment for submission, I remembered the final portfolio in which we had to turn in at the end of this class. I am choosing to talk about this monument of Sun as he stands proudly in three different areas on our campus today. He is known as one of the greatest students to graduate from our small high school on the little island of Oahu and lead one of the largest industrial countries in the world.

Sun’s statue stands as a public art figure and also as many different qualities the students at ‘Iolani should retain. The statue stands tall in the middle of a courtyard, near the track and field, and as well as the administration building. I am not sure why the school chose these particular places for his memorial statues to be placed. When I attended high school, these statues did not exist until it was about my 9th or 10th grade of school. When I first saw them, I thought to myself how crazy is that this man roam the same halls and sit in the same chairs as I and end up leading one of the largest countries in the world. From this I definitely have taken to heart what it means to be a true ‘Iolani Raider (our high school mascot). From the reading we had done in class, the idea of values is very important to me as I know it shapes me into the person I am today. “Drawing upon [our] accumulated sense experience” (pg. 16) is what allows us to understand what kind of person we want to be as we experience events in which we like, we dislike, and what we are confused about. I also think it’s interesting and a valid point to make that “human beings are not primarily driven by genetically determined instincts but are rather free to make their own choices: (pg. 7). I fully agree with the author stating this as we do have the choice to make our own choices. I do see an issue with this however if you lived in a place with stricter rules than most, but here in America we do have the freedom to make our own choices. I think we build on our character and personalities as we always learn from our mistakes.

The idea of public funding for public art showcases is a great idea. I think there should be a greater influence on public funding to expand the installation of artist’s works. When there are statues, monuments, or abstract pieces on the street or in the park, I feel it gives the area a bit of life and personality. I feel it allows artist’s to attempt to influence it’s viewers and society as a whole on their ideas or thoughts through art.

Future Goals:

For the future, I intend to take the characteristics instilled in Sun Yat-Sen and the ambition to succeed in anything I do. If he could graduate from our small school and down right rule a country, I believe that anything you put your mind to will be close to an automatic success. Yes there will be trial and error, but how will you learn without making mistakes? I hope there is a greater movement for implementing public art as I definitely appreciate a little abstract or colorful monument or painting to take my mind off all this school work. People should learn to appreciate public art’s movement to influence and educate the society on a different way to express feelings and emotions via art media.

Bibliography:

ArtLex on the Stone Age. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, fromhttp://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/s/stoneage.html

Contemporary art. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, fromhttps://giannadispenza.wordpress.com/tag/contemporary-art/

Devens, A. (2015, May 4). Artifact 2: Life Values | AAD 250. Retrieved June 7, 2015, fromhttps://blogs.uoregon.edu/baconlover1/2015/05/04/artifact-2-life-values/

Dissanayake, E. (1991). What is art for? In K. C. Caroll (Ed.). Keynote adresses 1991 (NAEA Convention), (pp.15-26). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.

Doss, E. (2006, October). Public art controversy: Cultural expression and civic debate. Retrieved fromhttp://www.americansforthearts.org/pdf/networks/pan/doss_controversy.pdf

Dr. Sun Yat-sen and his views about Hawaiian sovereignty. (n.d.). Retrieved June 8, 2015, from http://www.angelfire.com/big09/sunyatsen.html

Dutton, D. (n.d.). Denis Dutton: A Darwinian theory of beauty. Retrieved June 1, 2015, fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PktUzdnBqWI

Modern Art Sculpture. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from http://kuaibozz.com/modern-art-sculpture/

Packet #22. Renaissance Art. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, fromhttp://artdiscovery.info/rotations/rotation-1/packet-22/

A Response to the Runquist Murals. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, fromhttp://blogs.uoregon.edu/runquistmurals/

(n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from http://blog.livepsychicsnetwork.com/history/the-whos-who-in-greek-mythology/

Table of Contents:

Student Portfolio

Artifact 1: First Blog

Artifact 2: Life Values

Artifact 3: What is Art?

Artifact 4: Food as Art?

Artifact 5: Personal Adornment

Artifact 6: Creative Spirituality

Artifact 7: Remixing Culture

Artifact 8: Public Art

Objectives:

• Become acquainted with copyright as a historic, cultural and economic paradigm and its value and pertinence to creative works
• Explore the changing nature of copyright in the context of “Remix Culture”
• Examine your own and others value and paradigms of ownership and authorship of cultural media

Original Post:

Remixing Culture

I do not believe what I created was art. It may look and appear as a piece of art or work but I personally feel it is not. The idea that I took someone else’s work and created a collage does not define my idea behind art. I also feel that there should be a meaning and purpose behind every art piece. Ellen Dissanayake talks about the idea of “there is no appreciation of art without interpretation” (19). What I think she is trying to indicate is that the viewer must see the artwork and interpret what they view with a meaningful eye. What Dennis Dutton discussed in his TED Talk about stemming our views and emotions towards art from our early ancestors, that I do not agree with. I believe we all have innate features and have the upbringing and society that allows us to form our own opinions on judgements on what we feel art is.

Reflection:

This assignment was by far one of my favorites besides the people watching we had done a couple weeks prior. I took a peek at my other classmates work and they had created outstanding collages. Some of my classmates had chosen photos that I almost chose myself. One example was andreaP’s blog. She had chosen some of the same words as I, and some of her pictures I thought about putting in my collage as well.

What I chose to focus on as another outlet for an interpretation of art in a collage like piece is a Hawaiian quilt. The idea of Hawaiian quilt making has been around before Captain Cook came to the Hawaiian islands. Women would weave works of lauhala into beautiful mats, hats, bracelets and more. Nowadays, tutus, or grandmas, usually make beautiful fabricated Hawaiian quilts. These are patchwork quilts that are a combination of different fabrics decorated with intricate designs that may be of any memory, past experience, or simply imaginative ideas. The quilt on the left exemplifies more of a historical aspect as it is exemplifying what the true and old Hawai’i is truly about. To the right, this quilt seems to be more for decoration with the Honu, turtle, as the centerpiece of the quilt with adorning flowers and leaves for a touch of color. I am fortunate enough to have several quilts that my friends grandmothers had made for me. They are all very different in a sense that each person made them with different memories of me from past experiences. I believe these quilts represent a different meaning of the word artist.

I feel some people may not have the same appreciation for a blanket such as this as they might not understand the hard work that has been put into making the quilt or not see it as a work of art. In Dissanayake’s essay, she talks about how some viewers of art might only think it is beautiful but not art or a piece of art work but not beautiful. Dissanayake emphasizes the idea of art work being aesthetically pleasing to the eye. She talks about those having “a disinterested attitude that is separate from one’s own personal interest in the object” (pg.17). I think people in Hawai’i may have a deeper appreciation for this type of work than those who are unfamiliar with the tradition of quilt making.

The idea of copyright seems like a grey area for me as I am not well acquainted with all the copyright rules encompass. From my previous post, I feel the copyright rules should remain the way they are now. If people have been successful thus far with the rules in place, I do not see the issue with keeping what exists today. It will allow for people to develop new and unique forms of media, which I see as a better outlet for music rather than hearing the same old songs over and over again.

Future Goals:

I intend on learning how to create one of these great quilts to make for my friends, family and future family. I still have much to learn about what really makes an artwork all around a great piece, even though it is very difficult to create something universally considered a work of art. I hope to become more educated in the matter of creating art that encompasses for a wide range of emotions and thoughts for the public enjoyment. I still need to become familiar with the copyright rules and their limitations.

Bibliography:

Colors Of Nature. (n.d.). Retrieved June 1, 2015, from http://7-themes.com/7001395-colors-of-nature.html

Dissanayake, E. (1991). What is art for? In K. C. Caroll (Ed.). Keynote adresses 1991 (NAEA Convention), (pp.15-26). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.

Dutton, D. (n.d.). Denis Dutton: A Darwinian theory of beauty. Retrieved June 1, 2015, fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PktUzdnBqWI

Hawaiian Quilting – Quilt Patterns and Designs in the Ancient Hawaii and Today. (2006). Retrieved June 9, 2015, from http://www.to-hawaii.com/hawaiianquilting.php

MyBlogs. (2015, May 31). Retrieved June 8, 2015, from https://blogs.uoregon.edu/monicaandrea/2015/05/31/remixing-google-image-search/

Quilt Appreciation 101. (n.d.). Retrieved June 9, 2015, from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/67694800619021389/

Steve Cummins Talks – Bring Innovation To Your Life. (2014, December 25). Retrieved June 1, 2015, fromhttp://stevecummins.im/coaching-and-mentoring/steve-cummins-talks-bring-innovation-life/

To start the day …. Don’t just study spirituality, live it!! (2014, August 13). Retrieved June 1, 2015, fromhttps://hrexach.wordpress.com/2014/08/13/to-start-the-day-dont-just-study-spirituality-live-it/

What Color Is Your Imagination? (2015, January 17). Retrieved June 1, 2015, fromhttp://www.playbuzz.com/rebeccacampbell10/what-color-is-your-imagination

7 Natural Remedies for Allergy Relief | Wellness Mama. (2013, April 4). Retrieved June 1, 2015, fromhttp://wellnessmama.com/8370/allergy-relief-remedies/

Table of Contents:

Student Portfolio

Artifact 1: First Blog

Artifact 2: Life Values

Artifact 3: What is Art?

Artifact 4: Food as Art?

Artifact 5: Personal Adornment

Artifact 6: Creative Spirituality

Artifact 7: Remixing Culture

Artifact 8: Public Art

Objectives:

• Become familiar with ways in which spirituality influences artists
• Discuss the differences between spirituality and religion
• Examine spirituality as a generative force and a well spring for creativity

Original Post:

Creative Spirituality

What particularly drew me into this excerpt was when the author, A. Grey, started to talk about his experience with DMT and how his trip influenced the outcome of his painting. Through this he saw a better and clearer vision of what he wanted his piece to look like as he “[brought] the inner solution of [his] artistic problem to an outward form” (pg. 78).

The way he found inspiration from “seeing” other artist’s work was interesting. I like how he mentioned the idea of looking at works from Van Gough and Michelangelo and hearing their voices inside of his head. Grey talks about the idea that drawing is an outlet for your spirituality and way of seeing into some deeper meaning of what your art is interpreting. He adds how he has not “completely ‘seen’ a work of art until [he’s] drawn it” (pg. 87). As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. If I was a better at drawing, I think I would thoroughly enjoy the ability to draw what I was thinking rather than just saying words to verbally expressing what I feel or think.

Grey then proceeds to discuss the idea of the chakra’s existing in each and every one of us and how each chakra will influence the way we interpret and perceive the world around us. The idea that there are vibes that either the art, the people we surrounds ourselves with, or our environment have on us as individuals help us grow. Grey brings up the fact that we feel vibes from reading artist’s work allows us to appreciate the piece at a higher level of cognition (pg. 97). This brings me to the piece written by Ellen Dissanayake when she mentions art having a psychological or emotional pull on us that cause us to generate our idea of art (pg. 15). I think our spirituality has an influence over the way we perceive art. We stem our spirituality from personal beliefs and experiences, which then influences our perspectives on art.

Reflection:

I have found my love for crocheting. In my free time, I like to relax and create different pieces of work. I recently discovered this craft as my roommate had told me about her new hobby of knitting. In the picture above, that is my first finished crochet project that I made to intend on wearing when I get back home for Summer break. I feel crocheting has allowed me spirituality by allowing me to find peace with myself while creating new projects.

In the reading we had done in class, your spirituality can evolve, form, and make an impact in your life in various ways. Some people seek spiritual healers or leaders for higher intellect on finding their spiritual paths or something of a higher power. Others take different approaches such as engaging themselves in things they love or nothing at all. In the article by Grey, he talks about shifting in states of being and mindset when creating art. When I crochet, I do experience a time at which I reach a “state of mind where art flows irresistibly” (pg. 80). I agree with his statement about the idea that spirituality along with art must be developed. One of my classmates, Jingyi, mentioned her thoughts on the idea that spirituality must be cultivated and is accessible to all of us. I do think that spirituality is freely accessible, it takes intuition and a person’s decision whether or not they decide to harness theirs.

I have had this ongoing debacle with myself and other people where the fine line between spirituality and religion lay. I feel I have come to a somewhat solidified agreement with what the differences between the two are. I think that spirituality is something that develops within you based on outside influences and experiences. On the other hand, I believe religion is something you worship in a sense of seeking a higher power for guidance and a way to live your life by given certain rules and regulations the religion abides by. I agree with the statement another one of my classmates stated that “spirituality is defined as a connection with the self and the world that is not immediate and mostly not physical”. I agree with Nickolas’s statement as when we attempt to become spiritual, we are trying to reach that higher state of mind to feed and nurture our souls.

Future Goals:

This assignment really helped me understand and take a step back to see whether or not my own personal spiritual path has been altered or grown since I could understand what spirituality meant. I realized that I have definitely changed some of my core values although majority of them are still instilled within me today. I still have yet to learn about other types of spiritual paths that are out there. I look forward to expanding my horizons and learning about different people’s perspectives on their spiritual outlook on life and for themselves.

Bibliography:

Creative Spirituality Reflection. (2015, May 17). Retrieved June 9, 2015, from https://blogs.uoregon.edu/gemperle/2015/05/17/creative-spirituality-reflection/

Dissanayake, E. (1991). What is art for? In K. C. Caroll (Ed.). Keynote adresses 1991 (NAEA Convention), (pp.15-26). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.

Grey, A. (2001). Art as Spiritual Practice. The Mission of Art (1st ed., pp. 205-233). Boston & London: Shambhala.

Long, J. (2015, May 18). Jingyi Long’s site. Retrieved June 9, 2015, from https://blogs.uoregon.edu/aad250jingyi/2015/05/18/week-7/

Table of Contents:

Student Portfolio

Artifact 1: First Blog

Artifact 2: Life Values

Artifact 3: What is Art?

Artifact 4: Food as Art?

Artifact 5: Personal Adornment

Artifact 6: Creative Spirituality

Artifact 7: Remixing Culture

Artifact 8: Public Art