It won't let me post the video here, but here is the link to my Cyberped video: The MAAE

A trip to Downtown Knoxville, Tn and playing with an iphone fisheye app

Art in the Airport

Seeing as I will be at there tomorrow morning I thought I'd share this! It's a pretty cool idea for Knoxville, and really shows the growing arts movement in East Tennessee. The airport is really tiny with only about 10 gates, so the idea of having an art gallery in this space is pretty interesting and awesome. I love that it totally breaks the generalization that the airport portrayed before with rocking chairs and a fountain with bear statues.
Art in the Airport

Museums and Religion

I'm working on a final project for Social Theory that deals with the subject of Museums and Religious objects, which has turned into something really exciting and relevant to my future goals in museum exhibition development. I am working on an exhibition that displays works that held/hold religious power in some way (which is a gigantic amount of art in the AIC) and displaying them in a way that speaks to their original intent and how one experiences images spiritually, religiously, or aesthetically. Basically taking the image out of the white wall context and placing it in something closer to how it was meant to be experienced. This is so that I can better understand how one 'experiences' art or images, and create something that would be potentially educational for visitors to experience what the works were originally meant to be or how they were experienced.

 Kind of a loaded idea there, but as I compile more research I'm sure it will get narrowed down. I'm probably going to design something in photoshop for the final product as I can't move around images in the art institute. I would potentally like to take a few works from several religions, perhaps ones that aren't as popular in terms of the traditional museum visit, and rework them so that others can experience culture, religious history, and learn about images and how they pertain to religion/spirituality/experience. I was also thinking about taking a few non-traditional things to discuss the role of art and experience for example the Rothko chapels or talking about tattoos etc. 

I know this probably all sounds a bit broad and undefined, but I'm still working through it a bit. I would love input though on art experiences whether from religious images or not. What allows you to have an experience with art? Is it more or less possible when placed in a museum? Do you think art museums de-spiritualize objects? etc. I'm compiling a bunch of personal perspectives now so that I can create something that would work for a variety of individuals. 

Thanks!

Art school in a book?

Even though it is only November I am very excited for the upcoming holiday season, and have been trying to figure out the perfect gifts for everyone on my list. My older sister who is a corporate business woman has been trying her hand at art for the last year or two on the side for a fun hobby. I found this book, and I think it's pretty interesting! It teaches art history, art lessons, includes online lessons, etc. I'm pretty excited about it because I think it looks like she could have a lot of fun learning different techniques and lessons with it!

Let's Make Some Great Art

Art and Alcohol

The final project in my Interpretations class is to design an interpretive device, tour, exhibition, etc. So I have decided to devise an interpretive tour that goes throughout the art institute dealing with Art and Alcohol, history, culture, etc. (obviously for adults only) It is super fascinating that the subject stretches throughout the art institute from ancient wine vessels to more contemporary works, so there is a lot to work with. I'm pretty excited about it, and some people in class have expressed interest in actually going on the tour. Even though the object of the final project was to design and layout the work for an imaginary interpretive tour, I may actually use some of the research from the mobile challenge in cyberped and create something for the final project. Should be fun and pretty educational!

Radical Hope

This week in Social Theory we discussed Jonathan Lear's book Radical Hope: Ethics in the Face of Cultural Devastation. It was an extremely compelling theory on devastation and hope. Throughout my time spent reading this book I was reminded of an exhibition I saw at the Knoxville Museum of Art with my senior seminar art history class. These paintings were by David Bates, and they are dealing with Hurricane Katrina and the issues around the disaster. Through all of the devastation and disaster Bates has a way of showing hope for the future. He does this by inserting fleur-de-lis, facial expressions, symbols of christianity, symbols of new orleans, etc.  I think this is such a remarkably hard thing to do when faced with devastation, but it is such an amazingly important step to take after devastation. Hope is hard, and in no way is it making light of situation. Super interesting stuff.