my interview with Rebekah Daly

September 28, 2009

1. As early as you can remember what first intrigued you about art / photography, and did this have any significant impact on your decision to pursue photography as a career?

--When Rebekah was around age 12 she first viewed a film about Dali. This lead her to form an immediate interest in the concept of surrealism. That early influence has stayed with her and is reflected in her current work as a photographer. Rebekah has always had an interest in photography, but it was not until after a year or two of college she decided to shift gears from majoring in psychology to majoring in visual arts / photography. She continues to study psychology which is a major influence in her work.

2. Explain how you produce work - from idea / inspiration to the finished product. What is your typical process? Do you self motivate or depend on others to set you off on a project?

--After viewing her work and hearing how she speaks about it, it is obvious that Rebekah is a self motivated artist. Her approach to tackling a project is a bit unique. She takes a passive, spontaneous approach and dives right into the work with little or no preconceived thought process on how the work will pan out or how it will get there. Step by step the pieces of her projects come together motivated by emotion and a natural talent for visual conception.

3. Where do you see your career taking you and how do you intend to get there? What would you like it to develop in to?

--Like most artists, Rebekah would like her career as an artist to reach a level of exhibiting work in high scale galleries. This however is not her primary concern, she is very modest and sees her future through a more realistic, "Down to earth," perception. Most likely after graduation, Rebekah plans to continue her work in commercial photography, working for various companies on a freelance status. She would like to continue her own personal fine art photography on the side, and hopefully have that develop into a full time career. But as a freelance commercial photographer, her dream and future motivation is to work for National Geographic.

4. What plans are in the works for your thesis exhibition; any ideas? How do you intend to produce the work; shooting, editing, printmaking?

--Rebekah has a pretty firm idea for her thesis exhibition. She has set her focus on the dynamic nature of her own family. She plans to build her project through intense research on her family history, restoring old family negatives and creating prints from them, using her intense interest in psychology to analyze her family through multiple perspectives, and much more. Through all this work she hopes to better see how her family has progressed and what may lie ahead for them in the future. Rebekah sees this as therapeutic, a means of self discovery, and also an attempt to find her true connection to her own family.

5. How has Mason Gross helped you grow as an artist; if it has at all? Are you finding "Art School" as something that is essential to become an artist / professional artist?

--Rebekah has mixed feelings regarding the academic structure of Mason Gross. She feels that our school lacks an essential teaching of the practical / technical elements required to develop as an artist. Rebekah has developed most of her technique in photography by working outside the school in commercial photography and personal projects. She does however praise Mason Gross for its ability to challenge students mentally and develop critiquing skills. In regards to expressing her opinion on whether it is essential for an artist to complete an art school, she feels that its primary reward is the credentials one obtains, but in todays world, expecially in regards to photography, an "art school" is not necessary; all the needed techniques can be learned on the job.

Chelsea Gallery Visits

September 23, 2009

Robert Miller Gallery: Barthelemy Toguo

This exhibition was titled "The Pregnant Mountain." It featured paintings, photography, video, and installation. The paintings were made in water color. To me they stood out as the strongest pieces in the gallery. Each painting was large scale with wild designs and unique colorful compositions. The installation consisted of a room filled with beds covered in piles of clothes, with photography mounted on the walls. I enjoyed this form of presentation because of how it connected the various forms of media.

Andrea Meislin Gallery: Jed Fielding

This collection of photographs struck me as soon as I entered the gallery. The exhibit was titled "Look at Me," an appropriate title for a collection of documentary style photos of blind people in Mexico City, primarily children. The photos were black and white, in medium size, and scattered throughout the gallery. Each photo was very compelling and a bit hard to look at but also hard to look away. This was my favorite exhibit of the day.

Mitchell, Innes & Nash: Enoc Perez

This exhibition by Perez I found to be very enjoyable. Coming from an engineering background I admired the various pieces consisting of buildings and other oddly designed architectural structures. The drawings / paintings were very geometric and linear. The use of bold colors made each image pop with a bold appearance.

Lehmann Maupin Gallery: Juergen Teller

Upon viewing this exhibit titled, "Paradis," I found nothing striking about it. When I view a piece I suppose I look for the immediate / obvious meaning or significance and I found very little in this work. I think the artist was trying to make some comparison from classic art to modern day art. The photos appeared flat with poor composition. I suppose it may be a reflection of my personality or generation but I am not one for subtlety whether or not this work is about that.

Aperture Gallery: Nature as Artifice: New Dutch Landscape in Photography and Video Art

This was the only exhibit that featured works by multiple artists I viewed this day. The photographs were stunning. Especially the large scale prints of various Dutch landscapes. The Dutch are haled for their civil engineering master craftsmanship and it can be seen in a lot of these works. My favorite was two large scale glossy photos by Frank van der Salm. His cityscapes were surreal and captured my attention and respect immediately.

my visit to the New Museum

My visit to the new museum was inspriing. Being a photographer myself, my favorite exhibit was the collection of photography by David Goldblatt. His style is simplistic and uncluttered. It provides a lot of information without jumping off the wall with attention grabbing imagery. It was interesting to see the contrast between his early work featured in black and white compared to his recent work in large scale color prints. I also enjoyed the exhibit by Emory Douglas for his edgy and radical style. It was interesting to see the original artwork featured in newspapers and various other media with such strong political messages. This raw, in your face style is an inspiration to me, but it must have obviously been the same for the entire nation for political and equality reasons, my reasons revolve around wanting to be more radical myself.

response to 'Bucket of Blood'

I enjoyed watching this film. Toward the end it reminded me of the plot to 'Art School Confidential.' The film was humorous and portrayed a wide variety of artistic stereotypes quite well and in a comical fashion as was the intention of the film. It was clear that the underlying message hinted that art is something for all to enjoy and that no one has authority over what is to be considered good or bad art. Art is simply an expression of oneself.

response to "Untitled '95" by Alex Bag

I found it to be very humorous, but a bit painful to watch. It definitely reflects the pretentious and naive attitudes of art school students, such as myself. The last scene with Morrissy playing was hilarious and disturbing.