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.

Exhibition Visit (Student's choice #2)

MOMA, NYC, October 23, 2009

New Photography 2009

September 30, 2009–January 11, 2010

The photos exhibited in this show were of much interest to me, mostly because I take interest in working with composite/manipulated photos such as these. Three artists I found most intriguing were Daniel Gordon, Sterling Ruby, Sara VanDer Beek and their individual chromogenic color print series. The photos by Gordon were by far my favorite and inspired ideas for my own thesis project. His prints looked like the result of a deranged serial killer, bazar yet beautiful with a unique marriage of media such as photo cutouts, crude sculptures and other items arranged together to be flattened and married by the use of photography. The works by the other two artists were very much similar in terms of composite photography but consisted of completely different media and subject matter. Ruby's photos appeared to be very dark graphic design style images. I did not care much for the colorful rainbow-like photos by Walead Beshty or the photo series by Leslie Hewitt.

photos: Daniel Gordon, Sterling Ruby, and Sara VanDer Beek

Exhibition Visit (Student's choice #1)

MOMA, NYC, October 23, 2009

Polish Posters 1945–89

May 6, 2009–November 30, 2009

Upon walking up to this exhibit I was immediately drawn to the brutal imagery that filled these posters. Each poster has an individual identity and message, a message that screams at you. The poster with an illustration of a brick wall wrapped around a man's head reminded me of Pink Floyd's "The Wall." It clearly represents government oppression or containment of some kind. Overall I enjoyed the use of collage work and clever photo and illustration manipulations. Their use is most likely telling political ideals and opinions.

chapter 2: the crit

-People remember what they say much more than what they hear.

-Group critiques offer a unique-some say "utopian"-situation in which everyone focuses on the student's work with a mandate to understand it as deeply as possible.

-"No technique before need." It used to be said that some art colleges instructed their students only "up to the wrist," while CalArts educated its artists only "Down to the wrist."

-The prevailing belief is that any artist whose work fails to display some conceptual rigor is little more than a pretender, illustrator, or designer.

-Politics is central to the conversation that go on in Post-Studio.

-Crits may be opportunities to hash out communal meanings, but that doesn't mean that students finish the semester with uniform values.

-Group crits are such an established part of the curriculum in the United States, and to a lesser extent in Europe and elsewhere, that only a few teachers reject them.

-Many believe that artists shouldn't be obliged to explain their work.

-Artists often don't fully understand what they've made, so other people's readings can help them "see at a conscious level" what they have done.

-Perhaps creativity is not on the agenda at art school because being creative is tacitly considered the unteachable core of being an artist?