Rachel McCarthy

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These shows were chosen to be displayed together because they were both shown in 1967. The materials used then were new, and was an attempt to connect to the contemporary world- but now has a different stanced in the present world. Both artists lived through the war and portrays that through their work. The art they created during that time is a reflect of the traumas of war.

The exebitions over the past year have been showing artists who’ve worked @ MIT and artists who’ve done a significant amount of work for the MIT community.  Otto worked at MIT for the last 20 years of his career- he was a very powerful source there.

Otto Piene is a German artist, influenced by the post war era. He also was one of the creators of the artist group Zero(56-66- common motivation:to reharmonize man and nature and to restore arts metaphysical dimension). Though the artists had different approaches and practiced different methods, they all followed common themes like monochomatic, geometric, kinetic, and gestural. A lot of the artists chose to work with earthly elements, whether that meant literally like Hans Haacke’s work and his grass mound, or like Otto Piene’s light show inspired by ways to manipulate light.

Piene’s exibit was a fantastic experience. It really swallowed up the viewer, and literally covered them in the art. His goal is to create an immersive space. The sculptures stand on their own as well as act like the vehicle to manipulate the light in a certain way.

Hans Haacke was also a member of the artist group Zero. His art started out very organic, and as his career went on he became more outspoken. He believes all artwork has a political component whether intended or not, his as social contriversy.  Its more about what you cant see, like the snow, melting water designs on a roof, or condensation in a plexiglass box( an approach to observing natural forces).  Plexiglass is a common material used in this show because it was just invented between 1960 and 1967.

Haacke’s work is also very site specific. A lot of his artwork is a natural reaction taking its course and seeing how it adapts to the space in which it was placed in( like “for the population”, a contriversial piece in Germany involving Soil from different provinces placed in a coutyard and seeds dropped by passing birds.).

He also uses a system spaced application, where every piece is placed specifically in the gallery to react off one another. This is about how each peice  reacts off one another, reacts with its surroundings,  and how it adapts.

I really enjoyed Hans Haacke’s photography. He was described as not a rigid person, and you can definitely see that when you walked in the room and saw some pictures crooked on the walls.

I really enjoyed our visit to the ICA. As soon as we walked into the building we were presented with the intallation Swoon: Anthropocene Extinction. The way it started as a 2D piece, and flowed into a 3D installation through the building was a wonderful way to experience a piece of art.  Swoon’s paper installation flowed from the first room all the way along the glass elevator

This sculpture lead us up the elevator and into the computer lab where we met Beth’s husband.  He introduced us to the new media program they offer to teens who live in the surrounding area of the ICA. The events created for teens after school is a great way to help kids use their time positively.  The key is grasping the kids attention. Leaving room for personal creation in the assigned projects helps the kids develope a closer connection, creating an attatchment to theyre work. This contemporary approach allows a lot of freedom making it a more comfortable space to be in.

The technology the ICA provides is amazing.  It really heightens the opportunity these students are given, allowing them to take they’re talent to a different level.  It was great being able to see some of the videos that were created in these programs and events- fantastic to see the enthusiasm in the younger population.

Artists for humanity was a wonderful place. The atmosphere they create is amazing- it makes you want to create` art, right there and then. The oppotunity they have created for teens is phenominal. They are provided an amazing space to work, they have a mentor to guide them and help improve their skills; the students get paid to make art, and also learn how to sell their work. The few students who spoke about their experiences with this institution had nothing but wonderful things to say. They really enjoyed their time there and also were very appreciative for the opportunity.  I was really impressed to hear about some of the students accomplishments, and where there artwork is now being displayed- It was very inspiring to see.

I love how the building is broken up into departments. I really enjoyed the recycled art dept. The chairs and the newspaper peices were very impresseive. Just from walking into the building, seeing the recycled car windshields- you could tell this was a popular theme in creating.  The mentors, and people who work in the building seem very devoted to the kids and the well being of the program. This visit expanded my interests in the teaching world- and I would love to look further into this kind of atmospher, something a little different than the traditional classroom.

Rolled and folded recycled newspaper table tops and wall art.

Recycled Car windshields along the railings

“Art fufills the inate desire of a human being to create something with their hands.” -Anne Lang

My field work hours were very influential and inspiring. The woman, Anne Lang, I observed is a phenominal individual. Her love for art can be noticed just by her style. Anne received her bachelors in Art History and her Masters in Art Therapy. It wasnt until after having children she felt a need to change her career to teaching.

Everytime she would introduce me to her class, she would say, “This is Rachel, shes a student at massart. She came here to see what the best job in the world is like- to see how I run the class and how you artists produce amazing art work.”  She is so enthusiastic about her job, and about the kids. She teaches grades K-6, so one of her favorite parts of her job, is getting to see the kids grow up. She said it really makes a difference establishing a connection when their young, so you know their work ethic(if sometimes not trying their best, you’ll be able to acknowledge that), and they know what kind of expectations she holds for them as an Art mentor.

Starting from Kindergarten, Anne tries to introduce different materials, and different mediums, like scuplture, free draw, painting, fine design etc. She truly believes that each student has their strong area. Like this one student who only works with oil pastels. He is really talented in that area, and really enjoys it- if Anne can make a space where kids like to make art, she is satisfied.

Anne really tries to transform the children into artists as soon as they enter the room. She always adresses the students as artists. She introduces art terms early to establish a formal base, such as contrast, composition, stylized, transform etc. When introducing new projects, and while talking about an individuals work one on one, she really pushes them to speak with these words.  She also feels its important to introduce artists as well. A lot of her projects and lessons are based off of famous artists of the past, or a genre of art, or art from certain cultures. When explaining the project, she first talks about the artist or culture. She shows a picture of the artist themselves and of their work. Feels ints very important to know what the person looks like whom theyre learning about. She does a brief talk about the style of the work, and what the kids think and feel when they look at it. For Ex: The 5th graders are doing a scuplture project based off of Alberto Giacometti.  She asks how his elongated figures made them feel, and when they said lonlely, or sad- she explained that he lived through WWII. And that artists work through their problems, or work through the problems in the world by making art, and a lot of the time, you can see the feeling of the time, or what the artist was feeling just by the aura of his/her work. But then enphasizes that they are happy, and that their scuplture people are going to have more expression.

The morning at Aspect Magazine was an interesting glimpse at a media I’m not familiar with.  Former Massart Grad, Mike Mittleman, sat with us, and explained his vision that created Aspect. Supporting Contemporary Art, the magazine focuses on video media artists create globally.

The Aspect crew establishes a theme, and sends out a call for video. Mike then has to choose 10 Artists to be featured in the magazine. He leaves all his personal likes and bias’ aside, and chooses work that is fresh, that has a new direction or idea, even if he doesnt like it.

One way Mike defined contemporary art was a peice that evokes emotion, whether that be happiness, sadness, disgust, etc.  One video he decided to show as an example was the coy fish in the washer machine. This film created a sense of discomfort among the entire class- as time passed, watching the coy be tossed around in such a constant, chaotic atmosphere became harder and harder. This piece was created to cause the audience to feel for the fish, to question if this is inhumane or not. The pure unenjoyment of watching this film is what makes it strong, and what makes it Contemporary.    Aspect does not only help market video artists to Aspect Magazine subscribers, but also enters into the classroom, keeping students up to date with the contemporary world.

After Aspect, and after lunch, we met at The Boston Center of the Arts. The theme of the gallery show was residue. I think theme shows really work; the artists interpretations of residue are all so diverse, it makes for an interesting turn out. This show also made one question ‘what is line?’ The peices chosen for the gallery provided a great range of mediums in which expressed the theme. Through video, paint, chalk, ink, and photography, visions of residue covered the gallery.

I enjoyed this gallery experience, because it wasn’t just about the artwork, it as also about how the show was put together, and how the pieces were set up to guided the visitor through the space. When placing these artworks, one has to keep in mind the show as a whole. The difference in material and context between pieces questions the meaning of residue.

• what i want to do is focus on the freeness of contemporary art, and how a student can control the aesthetic and ya know the look of it. I also like the idea of mixed media and learning how to do many different things and combining them to achieve their artistic vision
• I liked the idea of having students kind of waver outside of the project and let them come up with different ideas that will challenge them more than what the assignment is.

Mobius was developed as a need for experimental artists to get together and share ideas.  Relationships between different artists is very important.  Mobius creates a space for sound, performance, 2D, 3D, and movement artists to come together to talk and share work with people who are headed in similar directions.

At Mobius our class met with Emily Putman. Putman has been a member of the Mobius group since 2009.  Her theme is creating dialogue through performance art.  She categorizes her work as modernism.  Her movement peices focus on individuality.  She likes to use her body as a tool, taking focus off the materials and props. The idea of letting the people and objects be themselves- using space, time, and your body as the medium.

Her movies seem to capture a single action repeated over an over again. Documenting the process of repetition, and what happens at the beginning, along the way, and at the very end. One peice she showed was of her laying down on a warehouse floor, tracing herself with chalk. Putman creates rules for herself, setting some boundaries in which to work. As soon as she traced her body, she had to roll over, and do it again. This constant action, began to erase her past moves, and create a smudged trail. Most of her performance work includes a pop of red, a few concrete actions, and some props to experiment with by using her body in specific ways.

Documentation is key- the process of making is very important to know in order to appreciate how the artist(s) got to the end result- to the master piece. In performance, you need this documentation to capture this gesture, trace, markmaking- the camera becomes the collaborator. Withstand time.

Putman’s body is a very important part of her work. She believes that yoga&meditation are imperative to grasping a more intuitive mode. It helps let the filters down, so their is no such thing as a good idea or a bad idea- just pure instinct and intuition. The figure is more than just a beautiful subject- it is an artform while still and in motion. Putman brings the form to a new level- it isnt just the focus, it becomes a simple tool along with the other props and materials. The body becomes a simple repetative action that exists at the same importance as the ‘chalk,’ as the ‘paper drop cloth’ and as the ‘chalk smudged clothes’ she wore.

At the Harvard Art Museum, we met with our volunteer tour guide, Alice. She was very knowledgable of the peices she pointed out in the museum. As she brought us throughout to explain, question, and discuss each artwork, her enthusiasm for the collection was very apparent.  Her love for art was very uplifting; listening to her speak about a peice she enjoyed, made it all that more interesting and enjoyable for whomever was listening.

This figurative piece is called Hydrogen Man by Leonard Baskins.

We saw artwork by many artists, using the figure, and trasforming the figure in their own way. With this one in particular, working with the forces of nature, letting gravity place the paint.

Some others: Richard Serra, Sol Luen, David Smith, Henry Moore, and Jasper Johns.

“The hand of the artist is almost as important as the subject of the painting.”- Alice

The Fogg Museum had an extensive collection of figurative peices; a wide range of different styles, and personal interpretations of the human form. From more simple figures, to more detailed, or deranged examples.

In comparison to El Putmans work, the museums collection was certainly more 2D, stationary figurative artforms. Overall, the trips supplied me with a better picture of the figure as it is recreated in the contemporary world.

Pat, Ian, and I decided we’d like to keep this tour very easy going. We will be sure to point out the ten highlighted pieces, throughout the different wings.  We want to try to spark some conversation or discussion with some of these pieces, seeing as these are the ones they are currently learning about.

We’d like the students to guide themselves through the exibits based on their own personal styles and interests.  We thought this would make it easy to connect to the students, because we’ll know the peice they chose was purely out of personal direction.  In each wing we’d like them to sketch the piece that interests and stands out to them.  This way we can walk around and get a chance to have a more one on one experience with talking to each student.

I really enjoy your first blog post. I love the rock peice that represents your past, growth and future in art. I think it is very important to establish where you stand in the art field, or where it stands in your life. I feel with most things in life, there is always a time where you feel more forced than free. This forcefulness can be overwhemling, but at times, most often in the end, enlightening and beneficial.
I loved how you documented your progress with the scuplture piece.  I am a big believer in showing the artists’ path to the finished product, and think one can appreciate, or better understand the piece more with such evidence. You definitely have a talent as a sculptor, and I am excited to see the continuation of your newspaper form. keep up the fabulous work; try new things, push limits, take advice, and explore the world. As an artist at 24, I can safely say my style and interest is constantly evolving. As long as you stay true to yourself, success will always be in reach.
Excited to meet you tomorrow afternoon!
Rachel McCarthy

Shahzia Sikander is a female artist from Lahore, Pakistan.  In her home town,1969, Sikander studied the craft of Indian and Persian miniature painting at the National College of arts, and received her MFA at RISD in 1995.  “While becoming an expert in this technique-driven, often impersonal art form, she imbued it with a personal context and history, blending the Eastern focus on precision and methodology with a Western emphasis on creative, subjective expression.” http://blog.art21.org/category/artists/shahzia-sikander/   Sikanders strive for personal freedom led to bridging her traditional, highly diciplined style she was trained in, with a more contemporary, self-driven approach.

Through animation, performance, murals, installations, and 2D watercolor/drawings, Sikander expresses her views toward history, toward politics, toward her dreams, fantasies, memories, and her interest with combining Muslim and Hindu imagery.

“when you are offered miniature painting at a school, it’s a place of
experimentation. Not too much and not too little – it was controlled, you
weren’t free to just do whatever. You still had to work within a certain set of
rules. So there was no particular break from tradition, and yet my whole purpose
of taking on the subject was to break the tradition, to experiment with it, to
find new ways of making meaning, to question the relevance of it.”  -Shahzia Sikander http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/sikander/clip1.html

I feel like this Quote is a perfect summary for her work. When I read the last line, I could picture her artwork. It made me think of her animations projected on the walls. The constant movement in each layer of shapes that overlapped one another created a sense of chaos, and unorder in the one constant scene she anchored in the background.

Throughout her whole show, though she worked in different medias, I felt a cohesive relationship between all her pieces. She repeated shapes, symbols, and imagery evenly throughout.  I felt the placement of the paintings went in order as shapes were introduced, combined, and left behind. Her colors were soft, and were fluid, over her primed white/beige paper.  I personally loved her watercolor peices that used many thin layers, leaving a trail of her every move. I loved how her paper was as prominent as her brush strokes. Sikander explored caligraphy symbols; repeated, and distorted them into organic shapes, some resembling what looks like a headless deer body.

When we went to the Bakalar & Paine Galleries, and met with India Clarke to talk about Sikanders work. India had us observe the work individually, to ground our own personal feelings and opinions about the work.  Then we gathered in a group and analized a large painting.  We talked about the political imagery in her work. Brought up some of our own interpretations as to what was going on symbolically in her work. We related the one piece to the individual pieces in the gallery, as well as the gallery as a whole. Then we were asked to partner up, and explore the gallery together, showing one another the one particular piece that stuck out to us.

I paired up with Curtis and talked about her paintings in more depth. He was telling me about what he learned in one of his art history classes here, that actually was very helpful. It gave me more of an understanding behind the political side of her work.