Author Archives: carmassi@uoregon.edu

Artifact 4: Adornment Discussion

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Original Discussion Post:

The first individual I noticed during this time was a homeless man who sits on the corner of 10th and Hilyard right next to the Carl’s Jr. I normally see this man here everyday and he is mostly in the same attire every time I see him. He always dresses in camouflage jacket and pants with a black cowboy hat.  The man has long hair almost in a ponytail and has a long beard. I couldn’t tell his race beside that he was a white person. I’m guessing that this mans age would be late 50’s to early 60’s. I believe that values and beliefs are demonstrated in his dress through his camouflage clothing. This could mean that at some point in his life he was in the military. Which means he wasn’t always a homeless person begging for money. Another thing I notice was that he looked a little more presentable then most homeless people seen around Eugene. He seems to be a fairly healthy looking man. The thing that I though was the most interesting was that he had high spirits for a homeless man. I believe like this guy is a good man. Even though he was homeless, he kept a smile on his face. I feel like he probably had a rough few years in his life that caused him to become homeless. In my opinion he wasn’t a typical homeless man who would beg for cash.

The second person I noticed during this time was a man who was driving a decked out Jeep wrangler truck. This man definitely looked like a student that was in college. He had long blonde hair and an outrageous mustache on his face. He seemed like he came from a family with a lot of money because of the clothing and car that he was driving. The man was dressing in a collard golf shirt with colorful short shorts and a pair of boat shoes. In my opinion this guy seemed to part of a fraternity at the University of Oregon. I not totally sure about this but I could make a strong argument about why I could believe it. The age of this guy was early 20’s. He looked very Caucasian and seemed to be very wealthy. He also seemed to be in good health. I believe that I noticed these things about this guy because I grew up in a nice neighborhood with a lot of wealthy people. This guy seemed like a normal person and though there is also the typical rich attitude. What I mean by this is he could be a spoiled self-centered person. I feel like most people with a lot of money act that way.

The third person I noticed during this time was a woman who was walking down 13th near the duck store. I would describe this woman as not a typical looking woman. For starters she had her hair die pink. She was wearing a normal looking dress but the rest of her body was covered in tattoos and piercings. She had most of her piercings around her noise and mouth, which I found somewhat disturbing. Her values and beliefs are demonstrated in her clothing because most women who were considered hippies would wear this kind of attire. This means she probably didn’t care what other people though about her. This woman’s age seemed to be late 30’s early 40’s. I could really notice her ethnicity other than Caucasian. She seemed to be a healthy person that just dressed out of the ordinary. I believe that the outfit she was wearing was a little bit too much for me. I would never want to date a girl that was dressed like her. I’m not say how she was dressed was a bad thing though it isn’t part of my values and believes.

Reflection:

The main objective of this assignment was to take an hour to people watch. Pick out three individuals during this time and respond to the following questions for each person. Describe what you see? How are values and beliefs,in your opinion, demonstrated in their dress and body adornment? What assumption are you making about the person based on their dress, such as age, race, cultural background, gender, health, emotional condition? What do these assumptions say about your own values and beliefs?

I chose this artifact to write about because it caused me to really think about the kind of person I am and how I judge other people. After reading my response over again I feel like I judge these people roughly. I got the impression in my writing that I was for some reason better than these people. I definitely don’t think that is the case. People should care what others think they should be able to make their own decisions.

woman_color_hair_piercing_emo

Like the woman that I talked about with pink hair and piercings. In the article that we read Sanders says ” Tattooing, body piercing and, and to a lesser degree body sculpting are employed to proclaim publicly one’s special attachment to deviant groups, certain activities, self concepts, or primary associates”(Sanders pg 2). I feel that instead of being so judgmental I should have looked at the things that I like about these three people. If I could back and re due the assignment I feel like i would have describe different traits about these people.

Future:

For the future, I hope to be able to constant have the mind set of of not judging people just for what they look like. It is important to find the beauty in people instead of the ugly side of someones appearance. If I continue to live my life this way I believe I can appreciate the world we live in more than I do now.

Bibliography:

Sanders, C. R. (1989). Introduction: Body Alteration, Artistic Production, and the Social World of Tattooing. In Customizing the Body (Chap. 1). Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

Food As Art Research

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The article that I chose to compare to article Food as Art is called The Significance of Food in Culture: Is Taste an Art form? by Crystal Neely. This article explores some of the same subjects and points mentioned in by Elizabeth Tefler. The article begins by introducing how people unappreciated food because its so common and people consume it every day. They go on to say “If you stop to think about it, the role that food plays in our lives is notably significant. What we eat is reflects our lifestyle, culture, preferences and beliefs.” (Crystal Neely pg 1). In the article Neely deciphers food as art by taking into considering 3 factors.  These factors include the problem of defining art, the attitude toward food in different cultures, and variety that exists in personal taste.

In both articles the writers define art as being a aesthetic consideration. Telfer describes art as “a thing intended or used wholly or largely for aesthetic consideration” (Elizabeth Telfer pg 14). The same could be said by Neely but she elaborates by addressing aesthetic experiences. Emotional responses trigger an aesthetic reaction by an inexplicable affinity for something, or it could be an emotional response that is tied to memory. The definition that Neely finalizes goes “art is an object created with intent to give rise to an aesthetic experience and which in some case successfully achieves this objective”(Crystal Neely pg 2). Everyone has different feeling to food art because emotional responses.

The second necessary component other than human emotion is intent. Neely didn’t believe that food art had any intent. She believed that food is functional and therefore cannot be considered art. Aesthetic appreciation can be separate by functionality. Meaning be food is consumed and has nutritional value that it cannot be art. Another argument that is raised against food art was that because food is a physical a physical thing it cannot be consider art. “In order to appreciate art there needs to be some level of distance.(Crystal Neely pg 3). Because people appreciate food there cannot be a level of distance from one another. I agree with what she is saying because Food is something that everyone consumes and it will never sit in one area forever. Food art doesn’t have the necessity to last very long. Neely uses a good example by comparing food art to music. Hearing is suppose to be the most important sense followed by seeing. Music is something that can be played over and over again. Telfer believed that music was able to make a ceratin connection that food art could not. Music can express emotions in a way that food cannot.  “it is important to use that music expresses emotion: it is the things that is meant by claim that music is a kind of communication”( Elizabeth Telfer pg 25).

In the end of the article Neely only truly believe that food would be art if it carried a certain criteria. This standard was that “feelings of nostalgia, security, closeness, and comfort brought about by a meal are sufficient to make food art so long as it meets the criteria of intent and human emotion”(Crystal Neely pg 4). Because food art needs to meet all of these it can only be determined that food art is a minor art form. Even though it is an art for it isn’t the same because it doesn’t give the right emotion that music would. Food art should not be seen as art. Not because it isn’t it, but because it has little importance as art.

 

Source

Telfer, E. (2002). Food as art. In Neill, A. & Ridley, A (Eds.), Arguing About Art: Contemporary Philosophical Debates (2 ed., pp. 9-27). New York: Routledge.

Hume, D. 1757. Of the Standard of Taste. Public domain essay. Kass L. R. 1994. The Hungry Soul: Eating and the Perfecting of Our Nature. Macmillan New York. 228-231pp. Korsemeyer, C. 1999. Making Sense of Taste: Food and Philosophy.       Cornell University Press New York. Telfer, E. 1996. Food for Thought: Philosophy and Food.            Routelede New York.

Artifact 2: Food as Art

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Original Discussion Post:

After reading the Food As Art and watching the food presentations about fast food and slow food, I have decided that not all food is art. After watching the fast food presentation about McDonalds and other retail restaurant I find food like that to be disgusting. Food art needs to be something that takes time and effort into its making. Telfer argues that, “I shall claim that some dishes clearly constitute works of art in the classifying sense. But I shall also discuss argument purporting to show that food does not merit aesthetic attention: in other words, that dishes cannot constitute works of art in the evaluative sense”(Elizabeth Telfer pg 13). Food can be seen as works of art if they are natural and fresh. Food like fruit and vegetables I would say are works of art. I’m not saying that all fast food is not beautiful. I am a huge fan of In N Out because there food is amazing. Though I believe this because the food quality at In N Out is way better then McDonalds. A lot of the time seeing food as art depends on the person who is eating it. Everyone has different taste buds and cravings so it really depends on what the person likes. “Art had no purpose but to “be” and to provide opportunities for enjoying an aesthetic experience that was its own reward, and that once could have no higher calling than to open oneself to these heightened moments”(Dissanayake pg 18). The purpose of art is whatever the person that is judging thinks about it. Food is an interesting subject because it comes in a shapes and sizes. Food does have to look good to taste good. I have tried some dishes that look nasty but ended up being delicious. Food can be art both by taste and looks. It has to different forms of art. It really depends on what the person lies to eat.

Reflection:

The purpose of this assignment was to examine methods for evaluating qualities of art, such as product versus process, the difference between craft and fine art, must art be archival, and what is an aesthetic reaction. Our goal was to explore the notion of food as an art form. It also was suppose to challenge us by considering the cultural differences in the production and consumption of food. We looked through a couple of videos and articles that challenge our ability to identify if art is actually an art form. This was probably the hardest descision for me to make on whether food can be considered an art form. Their were a lot of good arguments that supported both side of the debate.

I ended up deciding that food was an art form but that it was consider a low value of art. Food can be used to make some pretty crazy forms of art. I have seen many picture of fruits and vegetables that have been used to make some beautiful forms of art. The only problem with food art was that it isn’t something that can bee seen and remembered for the ages. It is temporary art that can only last a couple of days because it would rote and the food would go bad. I do believe that Food could be more of an art for if there was a picture taken of the food art or it was painted instead of being like a sculpture.

Future:

I do not feel my view of food art will change in the future because i feel that I have hit a wall is trying to understand whether food is art or not. My believe is that it is an art form in the smallest way possible. I believe this only because food art will never be looked upon the same as other kinds of art lie paintings and sculptures that last forever and can be view by people all around thew world. Long story short i still will continue to see food as an art form.

Bibliography:

Telfer, E. (2002). Food as art. In Neill, A. & Ridley, A (Eds.), Arguing About Art: Contemporary Philosophical Debates (2 ed., pp. 9-27). New York: Routledge.

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.

Life Values Assessment

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Part 1

Location, Community, Creativity, Independence, Security, Wisdom, Leadership, Personal Development, Expertness, Prestige, Power, Service, Wealth, Personal Accomplishment, Health, Integrity, Loyalty, Family, Friendship, Enjoyment

Part 2

Integrity, Loyalty, Family, Friendship, Enjoyment

Some of the activities that I did today included got up early to go to the gym, hanging out with my friends talking to my mom on the phone, going to the store to buy food, played in a soccer game. I can easily relate the activities that I did today to my top 5 personal interests.  I can start off by saying that used loyalty early in the day to get up and commit to going to the gym. Both my friend and I believe that waking up early is the best time to go. This can also relate to friendship because we both respect each other.  After we worked out we played some soccer together. Soccer is a sport that I really enjoy playing and have a lot of fun doing it. This can be related to enjoyment my number one most important personal interest.

By the end of the day I called my mom and family to she how they where doing. My family and I are very close and because they live in California I don’t get to see them very often. My personal interest to my family is another very important value of mine. They love me and strive to help get to the places in life that I need to be. My parents have taught me to enjoy life because it doesn’t last forever. I still follow this believe and try to build on my life everyday. Some goal that I would like to pursue in the future would be find a job that can sustain my life and being as happy as possible. There is nothing really standing in the way of my goals. The only thing I could think of would be that I nervous to grow up and have to live on my own. I would need to build a lot on my confidence so that I can concur any obstacle in my way.

What Is Art For? essay

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The term Paleoanthropsychobiological which can be broken down to Paleo-Anthrop-Psycho-Bio-Logi-cal simply meanstunderstanding nature of human and of human society. Dissanayake is the man who coined this term by trying to express his opinion of art. He expresses art through his theories and believes of “making special”. This means find the difference between ordinary extraordinary. Making something special simple makes living better “particularly things that one cares deeply about or activities whose outcome has strong personal significance”(pg 8). Human survival is based on the extraordinary. Without it life would almost have no meaning. It also relates to human survival because it teaches us how to live. Dissanayake points of the survival ones is that the idea of “making special” comes most through the survival instincts It gives us the instinct to fight. Some theories, movements, and periods throughout western European history include Modernism, Post Modernism, and Aesthetics. Modernism was developed and was prominent during the 18th century and it “suggested that art had no purpose but to “be” and to provide opportunities for enjoying an aesthetic experience that was its own reward”(4). Post Modernism cand be described alittle but differently. It took place for two centuries and consisted of elite special nature of art. Dissanayake says “Postmodernism abandons the crumbling edifice of modernist authority for an equally uninhabitable and esoteric anti-structure of relativism, cynicism, and nihilism”(pg 7). The final period would be the Aesthetics period. This period consisted of “elucidating principles such as taste and beauty that govern all the arts and indeed make them not simply painting or statues but examples of fine art”(pg 9). These period have made art what it is today and created diversity in our world.

What is Art?

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Original Discussion Post:

There are many explanations that can describe art. Art can be described as a countless number of things. Though the one thing that all sorts of art have in common is its beauty. Beauty is an adaptive affect that we extent and intensify in the creation and enjoyment of works of art and entertainment. “The experience of beauty is one of the ways evolution has of arousing and sustaining interest or fascination even obsession in order to encourage us toward make the most adaptive decision for survival and reproduction” (Denis Dutton TED). The origin of beauty and art can be seen since the beginning of time. The hand ax that cavemen crafted was one of the first art pieces to ever be created. These hand axes were used all around the world and expressed desirable personal qualities. This is considered the origin of art. The shape of the stone ax has a similar resemblance to a diamond. Today, diamonds are seen as one of the most beautiful and rare forms of art. The history of western concepts and ideas of art started in the medieval times. This kind of art began with religion and later turned to a more personal view. “a gradual secularization of society, whose aim became life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for individuals rather than acquiescence to a humanly unknowable divine plan (Dissanayake). After reading the article and watching the TED talk I agree more with what Denis Dutton had to say about art and beauty. Not everyone has the same view on what beauty looks like. I agree with the statement that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that they can only decide what beauty truly is. Going off of this I think that everything around us is beautiful and in some for a piece of art.

Reflection:

The purpose of this assignment was to be able to consider the origins of art, explore a brief history of Western Art, and examine multiple perspectives for evaluating art. After reading the article by Dissanayake and watching the TED talk by Denis Dutton I feel like I ahd a better understanding on art and what it was all about. I really enjoyed watching the TED talk because learning art throughout history is something i find fascinating. He also did a great job describing what art and beauty was. I like his quote saying, ” The experience of beauty is one of the ways evolution has of arousing and sustaining interest or fascination even obsession in order to encourage us toward make the most adaptive decision for survival and reproduction” (Denis Dutton TED).

I realized that there are a lot of different forms of art. The only thing needed to make something art is the essence of beauty. With beauty anything can become art. No matter what the persons preferences maybe or the cultural aspects they may have everyone enjoys some form of art. It is apart of human nature to enjoy things in life including forms of art.

Future:

In my future I will continue to believe that art is something that is represent through beauty. i find this to be the key factor of art piece that I enjoy to look at. Everyone is different with their believes on what they see and don’t see as art. I am one of millions of people who have my own opinion of art and i’m going to stick with what I believe for the rest of my life. Hopefully in the future I can find someone that shares the same view about art that i have. I don’t think this would be hard because everyone enjoys good art.

Bibliography:

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.

2nd Post

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In response to annaelyse answer to her values. I agree with the thought that gut feelings definitely come into consideration when deciding on personal values. Gut feelings are very important and useful in peoples lives. I have the same instinct though the organ of that instinct comes from the argument that I made earlier about values. This includes the origin of values and where people get the idea to trust their gut. I still believe that values come from parents, religion, and schooling. Gut feeling doesn’t always work out the best. I can think of many circumstances when it hasn’t work out. It is more important to trust the smart decision and go with what is logically right. If this is done I feel like values are more easily found and they make more sense.

 

Artifact 1: Values

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Original Discussion Post:

The author in the articles A Question of Values: Six Ways We Make the Personal Choices That Shape Our Lives describes values as being a word “often used loosely, it should be a synonymous with personal and related beliefs about the “good,” the “just,” and the “beautiful,” personal evaluations and beliefs that propel us to action, to a particular kind of behavior and life”(Lewis. H). I agree with the author’s description about what values should mean. Though I don’t agree with the origins of values and how people discover them. I believe that values are created and shaped by three things. These three factors are parents, religion, and schooling. Parents teach their children the same values they believe. If they tell their child that something is wrong then the child listens. For example a parent always tells a boy to never hit a girl. This is something that is seen as wrong because hitting it wrong. Especially hitting a woman. When growing up the only way to know the difference between right and wrong is through your parents. The way I value myself and everyone around me is the same as my parents. They have shaped me into who I am. My family is Catholics so they believe in the values that the Catholics church teaches. Not only Catholics believe in good values. People of all religious strive to follow their religions values and believes. The believes maybe be different in other religions though we are all taught to be good, just, and beautiful to the people that we care about. The final step that shapes value is schooling. What we learn is school no matter the grade level shapes our values. Schooling teaches us everything we know. Everything we learn and believe is taught by the teacher that we have. Parents, religion, and schooling have shaped the values that I live by. I believe they have made me a good, just, and beautiful person.

Reflection:

The main objective of this assignment was to become familiar with the basic relationships of human values to psychological and philoshopical endeavors, understanding the values are formed from external and internal drives of an individual. It was suppose to challenge us so we could explore one’s own value systems.

In this refection I expressed my believes and personal values that I have learned throughout my life. I have learn all of my personal values through my parents, schooling, and religion. Throughout my life I have attended catholic school that taught me to respect and treat others with respect. This has shape my attitude toward others and I believe it has made me a better person. I used the quote “good,” the “just,” and the “beautiful,” personal evaluations and beliefs that propel us to action, to a particular kind of behavior and life”(Lewis. H). i feel like I follow these traits to the best of my ability and try to make others follow the same path. Parents was another large influence on my values. I said hat they were the people who taught me everything that I know. This has had a huge influence on my life and has shaped who i am today.

Future:

For the future, I hope to continue to have the values that i have about people. I believe that I have a good head on my shoulders and make good decisions in my life based off of my values. I believe I do have room for improvement toward others and becoming a better person. I could also teach others the values that I believe in pursuit to make them better people. Hopefully by doing this i can continue to live a life of happiness.

Bibliography:

Lewis, H. (1990). A Question of Values: Six Ways We Make the Personal Choices That Shape Our Lives. Axios Press.

Pebble Beach Pro-Am 2014

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On Feb 6, 2014, pebble beach announced the Pro-Am tee times and pairs for the golf tournament. Some of the pairs include John Daley and Kid Rock. Amateur players such a celebrities will being playing with the pro’s in a PGA Tour. Only 25 teams are able to advance to the actual round of competition. As of now teams are being cut to find the top 25. The John Daly and Kidd Rock pair is getting a lot of attention because Kidd Rock is apparently a very good golfer. As a team they are favored to win the tour.