–Responses listed in newest to oldest, all taken from: http://blogs.uoregon.edu/artinsociety/2014/10/29/module-3-initial-questions-response-2/#comments —
Module 3 Response:
Emily Payne says:
I had to look up the word “aesthetics” because I have struggled with understanding the use of this word in context of [our] class. “A set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, especially in art, the branch of philosophy that deals with the principles of beauty and artistic taste.” (Google Search)
“What drives current aesthetics of art and arts participation?”
The two websites linked on the readings page for Module 3 spoke to me as someone who values nature and having participated in the world of fan fiction, (https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1210444/starrieidgirl). How I relate to these worlds is that I have participated in some activity related to each, whether by being involved in Free Shakespeare in the Park or posting my own fan fiction writing or fan art, http://www.deviantart.com/browse/all/?qh=§ion=&global=1&q=starrieidgirl.
How would I know about FSitP or about deviantART? Posters and word of mouth, respectfully but to have participated in the fan fiction came through a competition on a dedicated forum site for those how are fans of the Japanese manga/anime series Full Metal Alchemist. The stories and art I have submitted online are based on my interpretation of the work created by the original artist. By developing these works, I feel a deeper connection to the story though it may not actually exist in the artist’s mind. By participating in this manner, I am fulfilling some expectation that was not present in the original work. Similar to the mashup artist, Girl Talk, I am taking an existing work and expanding upon it and giving my own twist. As much as I attempted to draw the characters in the same manner as the original artist, I have my own unique style and very limited skills as a visual artist.
So if I am an aesthetic, I fall into the art world of Japanese manga and anime, cosplay, and theatre. Re-creating or interpenetrating another’s work is something I enjoy and relish my achievements when others appreciate my efforts. Proper credit is given to when I use someone else’s characters as they came up with it first and deserve the recognition. I know I cannot pay the original artist for the use of their characters, there appears to be some form of protection in place for a fan fiction writer like myself. This is where finding the website http://transformativeworks.org/ is wonderful as they are working to preserve fan art as it can be “transformitative.”
“What cultural institutions and structures are involved? What social forces/issues?”
So with the Organization of Transformative Works and Creative Commons (https://creativecommons.org/), we have the opposite effect with new anti-piracy laws to prevent the spread of illegal sales of DVDs, CDs, and Blue-Rays. But with Girl Talk, is the artist doing anything really wrong? He may not be paying the original artist royalty fees for sampling their music, but am I in the wrong as well with my fan art? Social forces in play is the acceptance of using another artists work without retribution but then is the original artist being properly represented and the use of work made by artists posted online now have to have their own set of regulations via Creative Commons and the Organization of Transformative Works. If public or private schools or colleges allow for students to use artists’ works for educational purposes are they exempt from paying royalties? Theatres, even schools, have to pay royalties for the use of scripts for plays and musicals when they are under copyright, but what about pre-show music for a contemporary play?
“In what ways do practices, ideas, narratives, or ideologies associated with this aesthetic depend on transmediations?”
Dedicated forum sites which encourage the sharing of stories and artwork then force the artist to find ways to get it online. The uploading or sharing of music via iTunes, Shazam, Napster, Sound Cloud, Spotify, Pandora, and Grooveshark may ask for you to create a profile and others can then access playlists and download them for their use as well. YouTube has become more stringent of the uploading of copyrighted works but I was able to spend numerous days watching fan sub-titled videos of Japanese anime as I was unable to access English dubbed videos because they were not made. By people using their various skills in another language or understanding rhythms to generate exciting playlists, people can participate in different forms of transmedia via the Internet.
Module 2 Response:
Emily Payne says:
I am confused by the use of the word “politics.” Are we to focus on policy making and what is governed by various entities, if so, I was not able to pick up on this in this week’s readings.
What I can take from the readings is that expectations of how art affects others has relevance and impact on the American society. The article about the four purposes of Arts and Public Purpose gave some insight about how the arts impact America but can it be used internationally? The same goes for the Cultural Bill of Rights. Are these transferable concepts and how can they be applied?
The “Culture is ordinary” article makes a great point of how culture is created or cultivated (see what I did there). Williams points out there is a slow learning of shapes, purposes, and meanings, so that work, observation, and communication is possible” and “the testing of these in experience, the making of new observations, comparisons, and meanings” (17) When I look over this definition, I think of the language immersion schools we have in Eugene because there is a dual purpose of the education system and the child is exposed to new shapes, purposes, and meanings that they may not see at home. The survey made by Sterns & Seifert was focused on cultural centers or arts organizations but what if they did included immersion schools to be considered as cultural center? Would the numbers change for the access per block?
I am struggling with understanding this week’s Module as I have no defined culture because many of ancestors either deliberately let go of their traditions to embrace their new lives in America or they were unable to pass their culture down because they were hard working farmers in the Mid West? After working on the Module 1 study and speaking with friends, one stated that she has no culture because she was either not exposed to it or that she is made up of different backgrounds, no one stands out. My Grandma Payne tried to teach me a Swiss nursery rhyme when I was young but she never spoke Swiss other than the rhyme. (Which always embrassed her to share because it involved a monkey wiping it’s bottom with it’s fist.) My Grandpa Sanne never shared any German stories of his father and grandfather with me. He was a competitive marksman and worked in a planing mill but any traditions or cultures I have have come through my parents taking me to the ballet or theatre. Some times the cost was prohibitive because something else would take precedence.
I feel culture is for all classes and races and exposure should start early on it life. Politics could be censorship of an exhibit or what a community feels comfortable sharing about their history but monetary or education status should prevent anyone from going to a museum, opera, play, or art exhibit.
Module 1 Response:
Emily Payne says:
My first thought about participatory practice is when there is exposure early in life.
I had a discussion this evening with my theatre mentor and I learned that if children are not exposed to the arts by age 7, we may not have future participants or supporters of the arts. With my own experiences as a child, I participated in the arts, or art worlds, by learning to draw simple shapes, learning colors and how to blend them, going to science museums and seeing how cartoons are made, I listened to classical music acted out by dancers. Efforts were made by my educators and parents to expose me to all of the various art forms because there is something to glean from each of them. So I ask myself, “Am I a practitioner of the theatre arts because of my performances in school plays?” I would not doubt it, what I am concerned about though, is the possibility of no audience or supporters in 10 to 20 years. The interview article of Harrell Fletcher made me excited about his theories of social practice and situation-specific art because I can think of when the Springfield Library turned to area school children to help them create a ceramic tile mural for the entryway to the library. Some of the tiles were created by kids I knew and I feel a sense of attachment to the piece because it was about bringing the Springfield community together. Mr. Fletcher appears to be doing this same practice and I would like to see more of it in our community as I am able to retell the history of an art piece and have a relationship with it.
The video about the Arts WA was very inspiring in that when a theatre company (ACT Theater) chose to tackle a Southeast Asian story, they integrated members of various ethnic groups to act as ambassadors for the production. A rule of thumb in acting or writing is come from a place of personal experience. How can predominately European decent peoples relate to those of Southeast Asia? Is there a demographic of people not attending theatre? In the video, the company displayed art work and traditional dances so it could educate and engage a broader audience base who may not encounter the many cultures or religions expressed in the play. I see this as an example of how we can bring concepts of diversity to the performing arts by having other forms of art be complimentary to a main event.
What also inspires me from the video, is how the Seattle Art Museum brought in musicians, actors, and DJs to make the museum and place of socialization and creativity. The paper hats, figure sketching, and guided tours made 2-dimensional artworks come out in a 3rd to 4th dimension. The art works were no longer static, they were electric and more tangible. Something I have experienced going through museums, whether in Wyoming or the British Museum, many things you cannot touch, only look at. When I have been through the Portland Art Museum and there is a guided audio tour, the pieces come alive and have personality and relatability. (My favorite is Jeremy Irons, aka Scar, talking about Ancient Egyptian pieces.) The most recent tour I did through PAM was their Art and Music in Venice exhibit. They had a dedicated website that you could access through a web browser on your phone and with a personal headset, you could listen to interviews, examples of what an instrument would sound like, or hear a complex history of an art piece that the plaque on the wall could not convey. The integration of readily available technology keeps the audience enraptured in what you are presenting.
Immersive art worlds encourages participation. I appreciate and take in more about an art piece when there is someone guiding me along or when a play has a character where I can relate to. If art cannot be relatable, then no one is going to participate in it, especially if they are not even exposed to it.