Art quiz 4
How was Dominique Mazeud influenced by Josef Beuys and how does this influence show in her art project "The Great Cleansing of the Rio Grande River"?
She was influenced by Beuys because of his value of the individual life as a work of art, by living to one's own values rather than those imposed by society. She sees life as a work of art, that individuals take responsibility for the form and content of their lives, and that individual change leads to a reshaping of society.
How does Chris Jordan's "Running the Numbers" help us conceptualize our role in waste?
Because all of us had juice boxes as kids and it's scary to think that he could create an image that clear with only juice boxes. Shows how many of them get used and tossed away adding to our landfills. Suggests that individual change can lead to a reshaping of society. The physical meaning of what is actually discarded
Explain how world-famous violinist Joshua Bell playing his violin in the DC metro is "art without a frame"
Because he knows he's art and his normal frame is on stage, but when he's out of his element and playing on the streets people aren't paying for tickets and knowing who he is prior to hearing him play so he doesn't have a frame. His performance, largely ignored by metro riders, provides indication that people need a frame to realize what is worth paying attention to
How does a vitrine act as a "screen" in the museum?
Because it focuses our attention on the objects inside and allows us to explore the meaning and historical background for ourselves
How does a museum act as a "frame" for our experience?
Because the architecture of the building is the first thing that people will see and will effect what people will think of the objects held on display inside.
Link the statement that, "Museums do not just gather valuable objects but make objects valuable by gathering them" to the appropriations series by The Art Guys
The Art Guys took ordinary objects and showcased them in a way that makes them seem like that have a history and a story to them. Museums make ancient ordinary objects valuable by showcasing them well and giving a background on them so people can create their own notion of their significance.
What does Fred Wilson's Mining the Museum add to the critique of museums?
Wilson's work suggests issues of race, what is displayed & not displayed in museums, that curators choose what we see, and that this leads to an egregious oversight of important cultural and historical perspectives.
Name two issues that make public art controversial
•Government funding •Whether the public likes the work and how important their role should be in determining what is chosen for public art spaces •Whether public taste should guide what is selected as public art •The artist's need for preservation and display of her or his work
What reasons do people give for not removing or destroying public art that isn't liked by the public?
"I don't want art selections to be based on the lowest common denominator. If the public votes, all we'll have is snakes and lizards." "Art should broaden our minds, not narrow our perspective." "All new concepts or ideas are originally rejected. . . People didn't like Picasso and Van Gogh at first either."
What is meant by the museum as "frame"?
- A frame on a work of art helps to visually and mentally define the object inside as special and as something apart from what is around it - The museum building frames the objects inside of it, helping to visually and mentally (especially emotionally) define the objects inside as special and as something apart from things outside of it - Frames are part of the "museum effect" - the museum changes the way we experience and understand objects inside of it
How are Mel Chin's Revival Field and the Art/Science: SLOW Clean-up developed by Frances Whitehead and ARTetal smiliar? How are they different?
- Both look at soil remediation in place Both artists work with a team of scientists - Revival Field became controversial when the director of the National Endowment for the Arts tried to withdraw funding, saying it was too much like science; Art/Science shows the understanding that has developed over the last 20 years for the confluence of art and science projects. Art/Science has involved community members; Revival Field did not
How did the controversy over the building of the Washington Monument change over time? (What were the two main controversies?)
- First controversy: How will the republic be represented? - Second controversy: The focus of debate shifted from the political meaning of the monument to the artistic style as it represented the US. - In 1876 congress voted to fund the monument and the monument was to be to the future, and not the past. A monument "characteristically American," representing "an official American version of reality" - The central question then became defining a "national style"
Who are the major players in public art? What are the interests of each?
- The artists - who desire artistic freedom, recognition, and security for their work - The commissioning public agencies - that are responsible for the aesthetic welfare of society as well as meeting political and procedural expectations regarding their resources - The public - who lives with the work and gives assent or dissent to it
What are four factors (covered in lecture) that influence our museum experience?
- The building - What is displayed and was is NOT displayed - The language used (voice) - Methods of display
What does "percent for art" mean?
A percent of the money funded goes towards art for the public to enjoy
What themes are common in street art?
Adbusting, subverting, cultural jamming, reclaiming the streets, abolishment of private property and capitalism.
Susan Middleton and David Littschwager created high-resolution photos of endangered species. Describe the aim of their projects and the affect they have on you.
Aim: to make us aware and appreciative of endangered species through visual connection Affect: anything thoughtful and relevant
What is institutional critique?
Artists who utilize their work to question and critically analyze how the museum functions, how museums shape knowledge, culture, and our understanding of what art is and what it means
What themes were mentioned in class as characterizing public art in Tucson? Suggest a theme not discussed
Cultural past, cultural present, and the desert environment
Suggest an artist who uses a vitrine in his or her work to challenge our understanding of the use of the vitrine as a screen.
Gavin Turk, Jeff Koons
. In his Revival Field, Mel Chin studied the technical papers written by scientists on the capacity of certain plants to absorb toxic metals. He then worked with an agronomist at the US Department of Agriculture to create the first test site for an experiment previously conducted only in the laboratory. In this instance, the artist was the catalyst in the implementation of ______________, an important new and natural method of cleaning up toxic waste. (This question comes from the Matilsky reading on ecological art.)
Green Remediation
How does Ken Aptekar challenge the museum voice?
He added viewers' reactions to the work so that it opened up the possibility and discussion of the voice of the museum's wall labels. Wall labels can be dull and misleading and can often cause people to miss stuff in the work
How is Andy Warhol's 1970 Raid the Icebox a good example of an early institutional critique?
He exhibited all examples of paintings, shoes, and chairs rather than the "best" ones
Explain Josef Beuys' 7,000 oaks. What was involved in the project? What was its purpose?
He placed 7,000 oak trees around the city because the oak symbolized for Beuys the fragility of life and the necessity of its nurturance. The project was meant to reforest the city and to dramatize the need to revitalize the urban ecology. By donating money to sponsor a tree, any person could participate, their receipt was a signed certificate stating "small oak trees grow and life continues"
What is "restoration ecology"?
It is the scientific study supporting the practice of ecological restoration, which is the practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human intervention and action.
How might political statements in yarn bombing be similar to other street art? To social commentary? What differentiates the statement made by yarn bombers?
It may be similar to street art by conveying a similar message, but it's different because it's thought to be non-permanent and easily taken down if necessary.
What functions does public art serve, according to lecture?
Its functions include - Education - Entertainment - Commemoration - To publicize ideals - To create a public art collection
What physical forms does street art take?
On streets, buildings, sidewalks. Can be graffiti or stenciled images, stickers, poster art, murals, yarn bombing, street installations, LED art, videos, etc.
In Dianna Cohen's artworks made of recycled plastic bags, what key message about ecology does she hope viewers will take away?
Plastic is ubiquitous (i.e., found everywhere) and we need to radically reduce our consumption of it
What is the museum effect?
Practices of the museum that impact our ability to create a personal connection with the art, and feel empowered to do so.
How does Andrea Fraser challenge the museum voice in "Little Frank and His Carp"?
She directly obeyed the instructions when viewing the piece
What is the primary concept on which ecological artists base their artwork?
That we see ourselves not at the center of the universe, but embedded within it; that this is important to our survival and that of the planet', and that this must penetrate our consciousness.
How did the architecture of museums in the 18th and 19th centuries contribute to the museum effect?
The museums acted as Temples and presented themselves as religious shrines to be worshipped. This contributed to the museum effect because these temples were acting as if what was inside them were holy and precious. The belief was that objects should inspire awe and deep inspiration - they would transfer "higher" values to the viewer
What is meant by "museumize" and "museum effect"?
The effect that museums have on our perception of everything inside them
Josef Beuys' 7000 Oaks that involved planting oak trees in the city of Kassel, Germany, made a clear contribution to greening the streets of the city. What did the oak trees symbolize for Beuys?
The fragility of life and the necessity of nurturing life and giving life nutrients to live
How did the final design of the Washington Monument (technically designed by Robert Mills but changed through a series of "engineering solutions" by Lt. Col. Thomas Casey of the US Army Corps of Engineers) satisfy both federalist and republican critics?
The monument combines federalist "awe" with republican "participatory" monument
According to Matilsky, in our reading on eco-art, why is biodiversity important?
The more complex the ecosystem, the more successfully it can resist stress.
In the article "Ecological Art: A Response to Environmental Issues," Matilsky notes that ecological artists redefine the role of artists in society in becoming social activists engaged with the community. She argues this takes place because:
The process of creating an ecological piece of artwork is complex, and many people must be involved in the planning in order to determine if the project is successful
What is the source of publicly funded public art projects?
The public is the source, a percentage goes towards art just like it does for buildings and roads
Why is public art often controversial, according to lecture?
The role of government funding, artist rights to his or her work, role of the public in determining the value of a work of art, and whether public art should be judged by its popularity are all heatedly debated
What is the "white cube" and how did it continue the practices of the "museum as temple"? How did it differ?
The white cube is a museum built in 1939 in NYC. It continued the practices of "museum as temple" because it continued to effect the way people perceived it and the art inside. It differed because it didn't have the same effect that the temple did, it
Susan Middleton and David Littschwager photograph animals and plants. Explain how their work is eco-art.
Their art is eco-art because it shows the organisms close up to show the vitality that they have to their ecosystems and to suggest what would happen to our ecosystem if we lost them to extinction. Eco art often has practical value as well as feeds our imagination with positive images of participation and regeneration
Explain Andy Warhol's "Raid the Icebox" and Mark Dion's "Tate Thames dig" to one of the four factors that influence our museum experience
These both address the methods of display, challenging if the display had any effect on the viewers thoughts and interpretations of their work. The works were left with no historical description or context which leaves interpretation open to viewers.
What are rationales for publicly funded public art?
To enhance public places and to expand public awareness of contemporary art by the installation of artworks by contemporary artists
How is yarn bombing like other street art?
Yarn bombing is like street art because it's often made to provide surprises to the public, or to beautify, or to evoke imagination in our lives
Describe two examples of public art that are controversial (describe them well enough that we know what you are talking about even if you don't know the artist's name) and why they were/are upsetting to some people.
a) Washington Monument: Pre-Civil War, it was whether or not a memorial should be build to a hero; Post-Civil War, it was what the style of it should be and how it would represent the nation b) David Black, Sonora: people didn't like the color or the abstractness of it, that Black wasn't from the University, or the price c) Maya Lin, Vietnam Memorial: It was criticized by the public for the lack of representation (i.e. many monuments have figures in them), for having the names of US Americans killed or missing in action on it (which was perceived as showing defeat), and because it was sunken below ground level (perceived as degrading) d) Statue of Dorotea Arango (i.e. Francisco/Pancho Villa): Arizonans didn't like that it was Pancho Villa because he'd invaded the US in 1917 e) Paul Edwards, Splash & Pipe with Flow: people didn't like the look of it—the water was brown not blue and the shape was blobby
Please give TWO substantial ways covered in class that eco-art differs from ecological science (BEYOND that it's science or art and any procedural/ process differences).
•Metaphor: Information and meaning are layered with metaphors and visual equivalents to express the dynamic balance of life •They make us think differently:The artworks are "philosophical spaces" intended not only as models for ecological rehabilitation but also as places that catalyze an experience that stirs the mind and the spirit •They help us move beyond the rational and functional: Art can help us get in touch with forces beyond the rational and the directly functional: the natural and the spiritual, for example •Imagine change: Art can help us imagine an alternative to the way we live now that helps us imagine participating in its healing and regeneration
