1. Do we define a place or does a place define us? The place defines us because we become a part of it.
2. How is each of the featured artists influenced by particular places? How is this influence reflected in the artist’s work? Richard Serra lets the natural elements spark interest into his pieces. Nature helps with his designs.
Sally Mann has a deep connection with the South. She looks at everything as art and just takes pictures of everyday life in the South.
Margaret Kilgallon and Barry McGee are all about the street life. He loves to do graffiti art out on the streets where everyone can see them. She is all about billboard art which is the highest form of art that you can see.
Pepon Osario is more interested in Installation Works and Home Visits type of art. He gets his inspiration from different memories of his life. His surroundings will help him create a piece like for instance the barbershop scene was based off his memories of the barbershop and the barbershop environment.
3. How has the program altered your notion of how art expresses place? It has definitely given me the impression that art is all around us and we just have to be able to see it and appreciate it.
4. Which artist do you feel most connected to and why? I would have to say that I feel more connected with Sally Mann. I say this because we have similar views about family and I really enjoy Landscape Pictures. I’m just like her in the aspect that I too am able to have a sense of beauty in what surrounds us.
5. Compare the media used by each artist and discuss how it affects the scale, composition and accessibility of his or her work. Richard Serra’s work is all done with huge pieces of metal and as far as scale wise it doesn’t really get affected because he can make big pieces of artwork. I just feel that his composition will be lacking because he won’t be able to include much detail in them. The accessibility could be greater if more people had the means to go see them.
Sally Mann takes pictures so she can only make them so big without hurting the desired effect. She can do a lot with the composition but it still can be limited because she’s unable to show a lot of fine detail. Anyone can see her work so that works in favor of accessibility.
Margaret Kilgallon and Barry McGee’s accessibility is very good because just about everyone can see the work whether on billboards or on street walls. I feel that there scale is pretty bad because they can only make their pieces of art as big as their canvas.
Pepon Osario’s work is mainly creating works of art in the 3-D Realm so his scale will lack tremendously. His composition however could be limitless because there are so many elements that he can work with to create his designs. The accessibility on the other hand has some flaws. Like for instance that most of his work is done in an art gallery or an art gallery type setting that not everyone would have access to.
When you were young, was there a place that interested you? A place that scared you? List five places from your childhood. Use one word to describe each of them.
The Hospital – Terrifying
Grandma’s House – Warm
The Cemetery – Horrifying
Neighbor’s House – Excitement
School - Passion
Pick one of those places. Try and remember it as well as you can. Answer these questions about it… What objects occupy that place? What are the textures and sizes of those objects? What was the lighting like? Was it a dark dreary place? Or a bright happy one?
Grandma’s House
o Backyard – grass, huge square
o Fence – wood, metal, huge square
o Shed – wood, siding, shingles, medium cube
o Fountain – water, ceramic, small circle
o Trees – grooved wood, smooth leaves, very tall
o Bushes – rough small leaves, small spheres
o Spoon Collectibles – smooth metal surfaces, rigid edges, small
o Tea Kettle Collectibles – smooth ceramics, soft touch, fragile, small to big
o Display Cabinets – silky glass, soft wood, rigid wood, fits half the kitchen
o Multiple Rooms – wooden floors and walls, silky and dimply paint, huge
The lighting inside was created by a misty, fluorescent light fixtures. The lighting outside was natural and created by the sunshine with some shadows.
No matter where you are at in or outside grandma’s house it is always a bright happy place and a wonderful time.
What are the important stories that are told in our society today — in books, movies, pictures, music, the news, or by friends and family? Consider — if you could personally guarantee a single story to be passed down to future generations — what would that story be, what form would it take, and why?
Books: Well the basic stories that we’re told as kids are Fairy Tales. When we get older they turn into Urban Legends.
Movies: There are some common themes in movies such as: True love conquers all, Serendipity or Faith, Poor to Rich and many others.
Everything else pretty much tells the story about life and how events affect our lives.
The one story that would be guaranteed to be told in the future is the whole 9/11 event and the aftermath of it. This story would take the form of books and stories that families tell from generation to generation. It would take those forms because they would be able to carry the true meaning of the event through the years and everyone will add their own experiences to it without sounding redundant.
Why are some stories told, as opposed to others? Why do some stories continue to be told over time while others are lost?
Some stories are meant to be memorable and some are just meant to pass the time. The ones that are told over time are the ones that have true meaning to them and they aren’t just fictional matters that were just made up to explain something.
How do the artists featured in Stories use journals or sketchbooks in their artistic processes? Is a journal or sketchbook a work of art? Why or why not?
They use them to help find the story behind the art that they’re trying to create. It helps them to provoke and inspire them which in turn make good art. Yes they are considered works of art because there are different kinds of art and anything that is created even in a sketchbook or a journal can be considered a work of art.
Each artist in this hour describes an event or element in his or her childhood that resonates in current work. Do you remember a time when you were 5, 10, or 15 years younger. Please record, in a present-tense voice, the experiences that were important at that time. How did you spend your days? What did you dream about? What emotions did you feel? Write a self-description in your childhood voice, followed by a second description of yourself at that age from the point of view you have now.
I was fortunate enough to experience important moments in my life that would affect how I would grow up. For instance, I loved spending my summers at my grandma’s house and just playing around my home with my brother and sister. I can remember smelling my mother’s cooking and that would always manage to put a smile on my face. Disney movies play an important part in my life because they helped me to strengthen my morals and ethics. I spent my days thinking of how tomorrow could top the wonderful day that I was already currently having. I would spend the main part of my days hanging out with my family even though we were never complete family unit. I always dreamt about sugar plums and lollipops and how I would turn out in the future if I didn’t follow the right path. I always felt mixed emotions because I lived a rough child hood without always having a dad around due to the divorce and with my mom always working.
Mommy called me a big boy today because I went to the potty all by myself. All I want to do is eat glue and go poopy all day long. Today I learned my ABC’s and mommy and daddy were really proud of me. I try everyday to make it farther and farther up those huge stairs so that I can get me toys but mommy won’t let me climb yet because she says that I will fall and break my head. Sometimes I feel like the smurfs because I am such a small thing in an even bigger world.
Growing up everything happened in steps and it was a part of my parent’s job to encourage me to do things no matter how ridiculous. They really tried hard to help me build my self-esteem and my self-identity. I was always trying new things whether it was eating something different or experiencing the building blocks of my life. I always wanted to reach new heights no matter the cost even if it meant harming myself because that is how you learn and grow. I always felt so small because everyone looked like a giant to me. I was a very small person living in a very large world but it was fun while it lasted.