MGSA MFA Show

There is something about it that just doesn't seem to match. For most of the show, it is painting and sculpture, but its arrangement in the gallery just doesn't give a vibe that would make it interesting to see. Though there are some interesting exhibitions. First in is Megan Flaherty, showing mountains of dirt. At first glance it didn't seem like dirt, it seemed more like coal. I think it got also affected because of the black and white photography of it. The way in which they are portrayed give off a sense of solitude, a vast area.

Another artist that caught my attention was Anna Bushman. In her ground sculpture, she has a "room" set, with a back wall painted in doll designs. There is also a seat with graffitis drawn on it. It made me feel uncomfortable being there. I tried to imagine that being a girl's room and thoughts of depression and hatred came to me. There was a dark vibe.

Against the first wall to the right, as one enters the gallery, photographs of an unlabeled artist hang in there. Shockingly enough are the images of a woman covered in cigarette butts. Disgust and repulsion. Unfortunately, that is the way people our age are living these days. It is an on-going disease that will never be stopped; a vice that lives within us. The world around us is what influences its own population into believing and allowing harm to the body, yet again it is the decision of the person to take that risk.

Not to forget, Guerra's mixed media sculpture. Its vibrant colors attract the eye, the different shapes guiding where to look. It feels like a baby cradle with the hanging sculptures. While with the relief paintings, it is more towards wanting to go inside the painting, figure out why the shapes are coming out, if running away from something.

The Fair- Ch. 3

- "A collection in more than a sum of its parts. It creates something unique."

- "In the art world, gossip is never idle. It is a vital form of market intelligence."

- "Artists tend to view art fairs with a mixture of horror, alienation, and amusement."

- "Occasionally meeting an artist destroys the art. You almost don't trust it. You think what you're seeing in the work is an accident."

- "First if an artist is going to make one good work, then there is no sense in fighting over it. Second, a collection is a personal vision. No one can steal your vision."

Blocks of Color

I don't think I have been more impressed by woodcut than seeing "Blocks of Color" at the Zimmerli Art Museum. The way in which our contemporary landscapes are portrayed make them seem more real than they are. They have the aura that Japanese woodcut would give out, a special view of nature in a block of wood. The color brightness made them seen real, like taken out of a photograph. What impressed me the most was that the colors looked like watercolors. It gave the woodcut like a color outline that rounded up each block.

The Studio Visit

Murakami prodution of "Oval Buddha"


- "While Sega Corporation has Sonic the Hedgehog and Nintendo has Super MArio, Kaikai Kiki wa named after the mascot that appear on its letterhead and cultural goods. Kaikai is an anodyne white bunny, while Kiki is a whild three-eyed pink mouse with fangs. Both characters have four ears each, a 'human' pair and an 'animal' pair, suggesting that the company is all ears."

- "Playing with pigment not just as an aesthetic category but as a racial one. Some sculptores and paintings come in albino, Caucasian peach, olive brown, and jet-black versions. Later Murakami would tell me that he thinks of Japanese skin color as 'plum'."

- He believes in the influence of media coverage and acknowledges that the studio visit is an important art world ritual for promoting art.

- A studio is supposed to be a site of intense contemplation.

- A studio isn't just a place where artists make art but a platform for negotiation and a stage for performances.

- An artist's confidence in a curator is essential to making a great solo show.

- "The best solo show come when an artist and curator are connected and highly invested... when their reputation depend on it... when they're both putting their career at stake."

Alfa Art Gallery

From my 3 years living in New Brunswick, I had never gone into Alfa Art Gallery on Church St. I really liked the exhibition. John Hawaka has an interesting way in designing blob splatters. I liked how I could lose myself in his painting, figuring out what the meaning of each was (of course, not to forget his designs that have a recognizable form). He uses very vibrant colors, adding to the effects that he wants to pursue. Because the colors are so vibrants, it shines against the lights, making them sparkle and seem somewhat unnatural His compositions also change, varying how the blobs are set on the canvas. It seems common than nature has partaken to a lot of artists in their art. Nature has a way to interpret itself, and as artists, we are able to manupulate that interpretation into our own perspective.

Interview with Ed Freeling

1. What got you into graphic design?
> I as well like and used to take pictures so i guess that led me to graphic design. Photography along with not liking to study from a book propelled me to design. Design is more practical and you can use your hands and that was way more appealing that reading from a book and it gave me the ability to use photography and explore the possibilities with photography.

2. What do you like to show? Do you have specific themes?
> I don't do much work on my own outside of class, i haven't had time to do much of that. Therefore i don't show much of my work besides the projects during crits in class. Same applies to themes i haven't been doing much on my own to have any set themes I work with.

3. Are you working on anything right now beside school work? How are you managing your time when having to visit the galleries?
> I guess if I had to choose something I work on besides work, it would be designing tee shirts. I love the company volcom and one of the shirts I bought had a volcom stencil of their symbol. With that I briefly made tee shirts in my apartment and a few hoodies. As far as managing time for gallery visits I have been using the allotted class time to get into the city and see the required things. When we don't have class that is biggest amount of free time, so I make sure to try and use it to get to the required visits.

4. Have you shown your work? If so, when?
> I have shown my own work once in a gallery show for the county college I transfered from, it was back in 2004. Oddly enough it was photography rather than design. The process was no where near as elaborate as what we have to go through now. It was nice seeing my work up on a wall, but having my work hang from a wall for a show is not my goal with design.

5. What do you plan on doing after graduation? Have you worked as an intern?
> I haven't set much of a goal for after graduation. More I guess I have a goal in say they work schedule I want more than a career goal. I guess to start my goal would be getting a job, in a design firm on the smaller side. I want to find a firm that works in collaboration with others to create design work. I want a job in a place where i can use my strengths and work with others to over come my weakness. The hope being collaboration will produce stronger more appealing design. Hopefully i can find this in a firm where i work Monday through Fridays and be off on weekends. So far I briefly worked as an intern at the recreation center for what they considered their design department, over on Busch in 2006. It was only for a semester and I wasn't there long enough to learn much or work on much.

Women in Art

Transition of women through the ages. It is inspiring, as a woman, how we have evolved and in our present day, we women are standing out in a world lead by men.

http://www.artgallery.lu/digitalart/women_in_art.html