ART & Fear

“If you think good work is somehow synonymous with perfect work, you are headed for big trouble. Art is human; error is human; ergo, art is error. Inevitably, your work will be flawed. Why? Because you're a human being, and only human beings, warts and all, make art. Without warts, it is not clear what you would be,  but clearly you wouldn't be one of us” (page 29).

This quote stuck out to me because sometimes I have a vision in my head for what I want to create and what I want it to look like. However, sometimes the idea that I envisioned is not fully captured or displayed in the final result of the art I create. This not only upsets me, but it makes me feel like a failure because I didn't fully depict what I had envisioned in my brain. Well, I usually am quick to try and redo it or criticize myself I try to find a way to change my vision and make the best of the outcome. The reason why I like this quote is because it says how art is okay to have errors, it is natural, especially since art is made by humans. While making my 20 art prints, I played with some different mediums that I had not used in a while, specifically printmaking. The last time that I used the printmaking technique was in middle school and I had forgotten how to do it a little bit. When I had envisioned my prints and what they would look like I expected something that was done with five different colors and super detailed. However, through the course of creating the prints it did not look like what I had envisioned, and it was very hard to continue to add on different colors since more colors made it less obvious what I had carved. This quote just reminded me that it doesn't always have to be perfect and there are going to be some errors and that's just the way that life is with art.

Letter to a young artist

#1 - ALWAYS BE AROUND OPENING RECEPTION

For my first outside art event, I attended the “Always Be Around Opening Reception” in the Cantor Art Gallery. I enjoyed seeing all of the work, and as a Senior studio art major, it gave me some ideas for artwork styles I want to explore more in the concentration seminar. All of the artwork was fun and presented different feelings. I enjoyed the ones that used printmaking, collage, and the interactive sticky note art piece. The piece that specifically caught my eye was Cortia Kent’s “questions and answers, 1966”, the use of bright colors like pink, blue, and green along with the direction change/warping of the words across the piece. I like how the dark and bold font is posed in a question, and then the colors play off of it to answer the question that Cortia Kent is asking. I also liked the large wall piece as soon as you walked into the gallery that had the Immaculate Heart College art department rules because I feel that sometimes when you're creating, you forget that you're supposed to have fun with it, and there are no rules. The fact that viewers were able to see these rules before coming in to view the artwork was a great reminder of how you're supposed to assess art and that just because one person doesn’t like it doesn’t mean that other people don’t, as well. I feel that this is something I tend to forget when I am creating art. On numerous occasions in the Senior Seminar, I have gotten bad critiques on my artwork, and the people viewing my work don’t like what I have created or don’t feel it has meaning. While it does sting, I love the art I am creating, and it has meaning to me, and there is a reason why I’ve made it. The one thing that confused me was the constant flash mobs I felt that it created a sense of distraction, and it really was hard to focus on the artwork. Aside from being confusing, it also caused a lot of Chaos in trying to view the art. Not only was it very distracting, but I had a hard time going around because people would just be dancing in front of artwork I wanted to see. The chaos around the small space of the gallery, I don't think, was a great decision because everyone was smushed together, and I don't feel that it was well received. Regarding the other viewers, who were not Holy Cross students, I heard numerous people who were confused about what was going on and kind of getting frustrated because students would start doing random dance moves around the artwork they were trying to see and pushing them out of the way. I think that this opening gallery view would have gone a lot better if it was just focused on the artwork instead of having students showcase their dance talents I felt that it took away from the art that was supposed to be viewed, and people were distracted watching flash mobs.

#2 - FILM SCREENING: BECOMING A MICROSCOPE

I attended the “Become a Microscope” film screening and discussion about Corita Kent, where I learned so much about Corita. Before the film screening, I didn’t know much about Kent besides her artwork on display in the Prior. Her work was often colorful and used optimistic messages that captured the spirit of the 1960s and 1970s counterculture. Corita's art was bright and abstract but carried strong messages of love, peace, and social justice. Kent's path as an artist was not a typical one. She joined the Order of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Los Angeles in 1936, leading her to teach art at Immaculate Heart College. One of her peers recalled, “Corita wouldn’t have been Corita without Immaculate Heart Community” in the film. Many individuals spoke about how she emanated light to those who crossed paths with her, but she was a tough teacher. She constantly challenged her students to find inspiration in everything that surrounded them. The film notes one of her various field trips. In this particular instance, Corita took her students to a car wash where they had to find inspiration in what they could draw. Another one of Corita's main teaching perspectives was to think like a child many times, adults overthink everything, and instead of finding inspiration and using their imaginations. Her art was a reflection of the turbulent times, addressing issues such as civil rights, poverty, and the Vietnam War. One of Corita Kent's most recognized bodies of work emerged from her experimentation with silkscreen printing. She embraced the medium for its ability to produce multiples quickly, making her art able to reach more people. As mentioned before, her prints often featured vibrant colors and layered text, incorporating snippets of advertising slogans or song lyrics. In 1968, Corita Kent left the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) religious order and Immaculate Heart College (IHC) changes in the Catholic Church and their views on certain issues during the 1960s. The 60s brought numerous changes in the Catholic Church, especially with Vatican II, which aimed to modernize and reform various aspects of Catholicism. The council encouraged a more open and inclusive approach to liturgy, theology, and education. While these changes were generally welcomed by many, they also created divisions within religious orders as some members resisted the reforms. While Cortia’s artwork was well received by many, it led to tensions with more conservative elements within the Church. Her idea of creativity and her decision to create art about social orders misaligned with what the church believed. Corita’s decision to leave the IHM order resulted in the end of her religious life altogether. Her departure from the IHM order was part of a broader trend during the 1960s and 1970s, when many individuals chose to leave as they experienced the change of the church due to Vatican II. Following her departure from the IHM, Corita continued to create art and relocated to Boston, exploring silkscreen printing further. Her desire to teach didn’t leave, though, as she remained committed to sharing her love for art with others. She taught art at Boston College and Harvard University, where she emphasized creativity and the use of art as a powerful method for activism to her students.

I enjoyed my trip to Mass MOCA; the variety of art styles was so exciting and inspired me on what kind of art I want to try in my Senior Seminar. The James Turrell “Into the Light” exhibit was one of my favorite installations. The depth perception before stepping into the room and the effects I experienced while in the exhibit were wild. Another art exhibit I liked was “Forever in Your Debt, 2018-ongoing” by kelli rae adams. The visual aspect of this exhibit shows the varying monetary amounts in the bowls, with some having dollars and coins, some having just coins, and some being completely empty. I think that the wall label does a good job of explaining the artist’s inspiration and the backstory behind the art. It is wild to see how high student loan debt in the U.S. is today, and this art did a great job representing that.