Museum visit - The Wolfsonian FIU

     The Wolfsonian's collection is very focused on time mainly the height of the Industrial Revolution through the aftermath of the Second World War. The museum has a large collection of different media to demonstrate its timeless collection, such as furniture; industrial-design objects; works in glass, ceramics, and metal; rare books; periodicals; ephemera; works on paper; paintings; textiles; and medals. In the propaganda area they had a lot  of old posters with strong WWII connections. The posters were displayed on plain wooden frames that allowed you to only focus o the frame, also the frame balanced out that negative vibe that the poster gave off. Throughout the Art and design in the modern age exhibit, there were a lo of pieces of furniture that you don't really see to this day.      
For the museum I went with my friend Adriana, and I enjoyed the museum, its fun when you go with people you know. We both worked on our assignment and commented on many of the pieces of artwork. The museum was kind of empty and I found that more enjoyable than when there are many of people around.

Small Work #1: Peer Replication

For the 2D to 3D assignment, we had to get one of our symbols and turn them into a 3D figure with the measurements 4"x4". The Object had to entirely made of sheet material. During the process of actually making the the figure we also had to write step by step instructions of how to make the object. The reason for the instructions is so that some one can recreate it only using the instructions.

In class we had to switch projects and begin recreating the other persons object. I partnered with my friend Adriana Verzura. Adriana's figure was simple yet somewhat complex. The instructions she provided was very open minded, it sort of let me what I wanted to do but yet gave me some guide lines. When I finished my project it kind of looked like Adriana's but mine was more disorganized and chaotic.This project was very enjoyable and it helped me understand that everyone has their own process of doing things.

Exercise: Tetrahedron

As an exercise for class we learned how to make a tetrahedron using circles. I normal do not use math in any of my artworks, I kind of just wing it but this was a unique way to incorporate math into art. This was a fun activity that got us thinking.

Small Work #2. Using Pattern as reference.

For the small works assignment #2 we had to look through this old furniture pattern book and select a chair. The chair that we selected had to demonstrate our personality or a personality we wanted to show. The furniture boo didn't have anything that I liked, I really wanted something weird with animal parts but they were not cool enough. The chair though that did catch my eye was this modern type sofa, I'm not sure how it captures my personality. Possibly
that its a different look than usual sofas, and I'd like to say that I'm pretty different from others.

Small Work #1. Language: 2-D to 3-D translation.

Steps for 2D to 3D

Materials:

1. Construction paper (red, green, yellow)
2. Hot glue gun and sticks.
3. Cutting tool (X-acto knife or scissors)
4. Mat board

Steps:

1. Draw 4 squares on red construction paper. Each side of the square being 4 inches. Cut out the 4 squares.
2. Get 1 square and glue one edge to the parallel edge. Do this with the other three squares.
3. You should now have 4 tube looking pieces.
4. Get one of the tubes, on one of the flaps sticking out you will push into the tube until it stays like that. Repeat for the other tubes.
5. Get 2 of the tubes and glue the conjoined points together, it should look like a bow tie.
6. Get the other 2 tubes and glue the flap to the tube so that it is rounded.
7. Glue the 2 rounded tubes to the glued intersection of the other tubes.
8. Now get green construction paper and draw 4 leaf shapes with a flat bottom edge.
9. Cut out the 4 leaves.
10. Grab the square edge points of the leaf and glue it together, do that to the other leaves.
11. Glue one leaf to each area where two flower petals meet.
12. Get yellow construction paper and draw 4 rhombuses and each side of the rhombus is 1 inch. Cut them out.
13. Now cut a thin strip of yellow paper that is 4 inches long and then cut it in half to get 2 strips that are 2 inches.
14. Glue 1 rhombus on one tip of the yellow strip and glue another rhombus on the other side of the first one. Repeat to make a second.
15. Glue the yellow stem on one area where the 2 flower petals meet and then repeat.
16. Get the mat board and cut a 4” by 4” square.
17. Glue the paper glower onto the square

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Blog research (observational): Pattern and ornament in your daily world

As an observational assignment I must look for at least 5 ornament or pattern examples in my daily life. I found several that were ornament and/or pattern. The first one is a low relief pattern on a vase, the second is a wooden ornament carving on a mirror, the third is floral pattern on tile and a medal ornament detail on top, the fourth is a floral type pattern on a shower curtain, and the last is what appears to be engraving inside a grandfather clock.

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Sketchbook Work: Form-Based Language

50 Symbols

   For this assignment we had to create abstract forms that represents concepts, like a form-based language. We must create 50 of these abstract symbols that are influenced by our lives and/or experiences. Each symbol represents something different and I used organic and geometric shapes to come up with these forms. A big inspiration for a lot of these forms were based off of animal behavior and markings.

Response to: "Ornament and the Sources of Design in the Decorative Arts." By. Ivins, William M.

Design is what comes up with the idea while craftsmanship is what creates it. Design and Craftsmanship can relate to an analogy of musicians and composers because the composers are who create the music struggle to play the tunes while the musicians play the tunes but struggle to design their own music. As time went by the craftsmen would have time to study the designed object before it was claimed or sent out but soon began mass reproduction. Because of mass reproduction, the designed objects were sent out and immediately absorbed by residences and were not available to study by the craftsman. This is a problem, because now the craftsman have no information of how to craft the design. This causes an issue for the craftsmen who now have nothing to study off of, But thanks to people like Hepplewhite, Chippendale, and Sheraton there are now published pattern books. By collecting and studying art we gain a proper understanding  of the functional growth and development of ornament but also as a source of inspiration for new design.

The museum have a wide collection of art and this allows anyone to come and visit and study it up close.The museum is home to resources that artists are not normally exposed to. When artists visit art museums they can draw inspiration from pieces they've never seen before. At a museum the artist also has the opportunity to take down other artists names and then return home to study them more in-depth later. The internet is much different than the museum, unlike the museum the internet is not limited to resources it can offer. The internet allows you to search a wide variety of resources such as other artworks, biographies, and written articles about the artist or piece. The museum and internet can both offer similar information/resources but the museum offered an 'up close' experience that you can not achieve with the internet. The idea that Ivins is trying to get across is that we share ideas of creation. Ivins also expresses how  it is important to collect and study artwork  to gain a knowledge and understanding of how they were designed and created. With this understanding the artist will be able to gain inspiration and apply this onto a new work of art.

Topic #1: Creative Impulse

First 3 pieces  

     For the first week of WARP I received my first assignments. Our assignment was to get inspiration from household objects that we considered art. Below you will see what I used as my inspiration, a wooden decorative skull mask and a deer skull. Those were the elements I wanted to incorporate into my pieces. 

 

  I made four pieces instead of three for the first assignment, mainly because I disliked the first one I made. One of them is a small acrylic piece that shows two decorative skeletons, the other three are done in water color. The larger water color piece has a blue skull to match the household object which the other two pieces were colorful deer skulls. The feedback that I received for my pieces is that they had an illustrative/storybook style and that they were kind of small. 

Two small works

   The next assignment were the two small works. Everyone was

 supposed to bring a material, doesn't matter what it was. Then all the materials were placed on the table and everyone had to grab three materials; a material to draw on and the medium to use. I grabbed acrylic paint, oil pastels and wood to paint on. For my pieces I kept with the theme of the colorful deer skulls (especially blue). For my round piece it had a plain wood background and the creature had black fur, for my feedback I notice that non of those aspects were liked so I changed them, I gave the creatures body more texture and color and I painted the background yellow. For the second piece the only feedback was to rust the nails so that it matches the piece.

In-Depth Project.

    The In-depth project was supposed to be our ambitious piece. I wanted to keep the theme of the blue deer skull and flowers so I did. My piece is made using watercolor, acrylic, string, ink, and glitter. When it came to critique my piece was not very much liked, there were flaws such as the color and the placement and that it was hard to understand the emotion, but I very much liked my piece and I will still accept their feedback. 

Response to: “The White Bird” by John Berger & "‘Jerry Saltz on the Outsider Art Fair - and Why There’s No Such Thing As ‘Outsider’ Art ." by Jerry Saltz.

"The White Bird":

John Berger brings up the point of aesthetic and how that affects us in its own way. Humans do focus a lot on what is beautiful instead of what is unappealing. Similar to the difference of life and death. When John Berger writes about the wooden white bird it opens the idea to philosophies. The white bird is a tradition that was passed down creating some sort of waterfall affecting of creating an image of nature.

Humans see the beauty of life and nature of what comes before and after death. John Berger states “art imitates a creation, sometimes to propose an alternative world, sometimes simply to amplify, to confirm, to make social the brief hope offered by nature.” Many artists do take inspiration from the living, from nature and many times alter it in their own way. We incorporate our emotions to the art. Aesthetics go along with our emotions.

"‘Jerry Saltz on the Outsider Art Fair - and Why There’s No Such Thing As ‘Outsider’ Art ."

     Categorizing outsider art apart from mainstream art is not okay, just because they are self taught or they didn't go into an art institution. I believe that all art is considered art they may have their differences but you still can’t look down on it just because its self taught or because that artist did not attend an art school. 

I agree with Jerry that outsider art should also be placed in museums. Art is a way to express yourself so all art will be different and never the same but they all also have their own different emotions to them. The art community should be accepting of the different artist and art that is out there before it is too late.

Spots, Dots, Pips, Tiles: An exhibition about Dominoes at the Pérez Art Museum Miami

       Spots, Dots, Pips, Tiles: An exhibition about Dominoes at the Pérez Art Museum Miami

               The  Spots, Dots, Pips, Tiles exhibit at the PAMM Pérez Art Museum drew its inspiration of dominoes as an important activity done by many in Miami. The game Dominoes is a community-oriented game, it is better played with people than alone. In the exhibit, the curators placed a domino table where the guests could interact with it. I really enjoyed the idea of this table it demonstrates how this is a community oriented game.
                The Spots, Dots, Pips, Tiles exhibit is tying cultures together through the idea of this game.
The game's origin goes back to China, going through Europe and gaining most of its popularity in tropical locations. The curators did a good job combining the game and culture.