Chapter 3: The Fair - Review

This chapter was an interesting read. A bit hard to hear and digest this bitter truth. As I'm sure many other student artists would agree. Reading about the dealings of the art fair did stir up feelings of hope. I always feared choosing between the starving artist lifestyle or the monotonous commercial lifestyle, but this read demonstrates that those with true talent and connections can become financially successful as an artist. I was surprised to learn that collectors are overly eager to purchase as much art as they can. I envisioned the fair looking something like a closeout sale at Macy's with hordes of people pushing impolitely to snatch up the best works.

A quote that I found amusing stated that collectors are viewed as the least professional in the art world, because all they have to do is sign a check. The woman stating this seemed like a typical affluent yet over sophisticated snob with an ego larger than her bank account. But I found what she said to be profound; an artist doesn't become an artist in a day and neither does a collector, it's a lifetime process.

Interesting MFA Program List

I have researched numerous universities that offer graduate programs in the visual arts. As a photographer, I have selected these 5 that I feel are the best choices if I were to apply.

1. Pratt Institute - Brooklyn, NY

2. School of Visual Arts - New York, NY

3. New School - Parsons School of Design - New York, NY

4. New York University - New York , NY

5. Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey - New Brunswick, NJ

Chapter 6: The Studio Visit

In this chapter the author travels to the studios of very prosperous artists, mainly in Japan. She explores how the artists operate within their studio and how they produce art. The one artist the author visits, Murakami, has his staff arrive at 8:50am then begin the day with warm up exercises. To me this just sounds like the action of the typical eccentric artist. This artist in particular is said to be very angry and hard to please, he explains that this is a method he uses to make the assistants work harder, for if they easily receive praise they will not try as hard. As strange or cruel as this method sounds I think it's genius. The studio is kept very clean and so are the assistants. Typically there are as many as 40 projects going on. The artist will jump from one to another depending if he gets bored with one and wants to work on another. As an artist I do the same thing, except it's not 40 projects, more like two, three or four at most.

Mason Gross MFA Gallery Review

As I walked around this exhibit I had mixed feelings. First off I was very impressed by the large photographs on the front wall, when I arrived the artist's info was not yet listed. In front of these photos were wall pieces used to mount various pantings and some wood statues. I didn't like how these were fit into the gallery space. It felt a bit awkward and it robbed attention from work hung on the surrounding walls. The two small rooms to the left were utilized well in terms of space. I enjoyed the four huge artworks that filled the first room on the left by James Hyde. As a whole I was not very impressed, although I felt there were some strong pieces by certain individuals. The layout of the show could have been organized a bit better, it felt cluttered with poor flow.