Self I as Image Fall 2023: Introduction

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Introduction

Hi everyone, it was great to see you all in class!

Roses are so Pretty

Six Words That Describe Me:

Cautious

Determined

Joyful

Friendly

Funny

Respectful

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DUE WEDNESDAY 11/29

PLAN FOR YOUR FINAL SELF PORTRAIT PROJECT for group critique and working session in class on 11/29. In the class session on 11/29 I will ask you to share ideas, materials and works in progress for your final self portrait project. Read the description of the final assignment below. Remember to push yourself further for this final self-portrait in concept and in medium and style. Think about the artist(s) that inspires your project. Bring several ideas to class and we will discuss. Bring materials to work on your final project to class.

WEEKLY SELFIE

Create a digital self portrait that connects or illustrates the idea you have for your final project. Use this selfie as a sketch/practice/hint for your final portrait project.

FINAL......DUE 12/6

SELF-PORTRAIT FINAL PROJECT DUE 12/6

Must be posted to the blog by 11:59pm on 12/5

presented in class on Wednesday 12/6 IN PERSON in Room VA157

Choosing any one or combination of processes that you have explored during the semester, create a self-portrait. Connect your final self-portrait project to one (or more) of the artists and the readings we learned in class. You may also choose another artist we have not covered in class. You may also incorporate and be inspired by the the spectacle, media, advertising and technology in the exploration and presentation of self. You may use a medium/material/process you have used before but push yourself deeper and ambitiously on your final portrait! Research the artist(s) that inspires you and take time to develop a more ambitious idea inspired by this research.

In addition to completing your self-portrait project you will photograph and post your project to the blog with a written post which includes the images of your work, and an explanation of your project. In class you will present your project in a short 3-5 minute presentation.

WRITING THE POST

*Give your project a title

*Post images of your project. Please use proper lighting, cropping and formatting. If the project is digital, make sure video is working correctly, images appear correctly formatted etc.

*Project description/written post:

*The writing portion should be 500+ words

*Explain your process, your inspirations and influences

*Describe a connection to at least one artist we learned this semester or you have discovered on your own.

*You must also connect your explanation to the class readings. Incorporate at least 3 of the quotes you have been collecting from the readings each week.

*Be sure to cite the quotations and include any references/sources at the bottom of your post.

Questions to consider in your writing:

• What is the subject and content of your project?

• Why did you choose this medium and make the choices that led to the composition? How you would categorize your work (ex. collage, graphic print, mixed media, etc).

• Explain the process and steps you went through and why you made those decisions.

• What artist(s) inspired or informed your project?

• What do you think this self portrait conveys to the audience/viewers?

• What are the differences between your first self-portraits (3) and this self-portrait (final)?

• What influenced these changes? Have you pushed yourself and learned from the artists we discussed? How?

• How does the spectacle/media influence identity and self presentation?

Have fun! Push yourself and make something you are proud to share!

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DUE WEDNESDAY 11/22

++FINISH your Self Portrait Performance. Be sure to spend some time on the short writing portion as this is also part of the project grade. Be sure to read through the assignment and be sure to connect your project to the class readings.

READINGS:
Mirzoeff, How to See the World, Chapter 5

2 quotes and a short response
John Berger, Ch 7

2 quotes and a short response

WATCH:
Jaune Quick-To-See-Smith
In her studio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BtEJqvhosw
WHAT’S IN A MAP?https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/global-culture/identity-body/identity-body-united-states/v/smith-state-names

Wendy Red Star
At Newark Museum - Scratch on the Earth
https://www.pbs.org/video/wendy-red-star-newark-museum-jamnkd/
State of the Arts NJ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyJiXXXH2WE
Peace Delegation
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-americas/native-north-america/native-american-contemporary-art/v/peace-delegation

WEEKLY SELFIE: Inspired by the readings and the art work of Jaune Quick-To-See-Smith AND/OR Wendy Red Star compose a selfie that uses the language and aesthetics of these artists and address history and place as it relates to cities, neighborhoods and the narratives of place. Post it on the blog with a title and 2 quotes from each of the readings. Think about maps and specific cultural practices of states, cities, neighborhoods. Get creative!

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DUE WEDNESDAY 11/15

SELF PORTRAIT PERFORMANCE (10%)

Design and record a performance art piece: You can expand on your mini performance from last week or create a new one. You must record your performance in a video (at least two minutes long). Look to the artists we have learned about in class for inspiration. Concentrate especially on the performance artists but you can take inspiration from anyone. Design and create a performance art piece that addresses a socio-political issue of your choice. Consider many of the themes and issues we have discussed about identity, gender, race and equality, art history, the government, power structures including patriarchy and many more themes in your planning. You can involve other people in your performance. Record your performance in a video. (Still photos are allowed only if you cannot record a video - please reach out in email if this is the case.) You can use music, text or dialogue to augment your performance. You can speak directly to the audience and you can provide context and instructions, or you can provide no words or instructions. This is all up to you.

You may also choose to connect to video performance on platforms like TikTok as a more accessible interpretation of performance. You can choose to mash these familiar performances on social media with the performance artists we learned. Connect clearly to one or more of the artists performances we have learned. Be sure to describe this connection in your written description.

Written description: In a short piece of writing of ~3-5 paragraphs please explain how this performance addresses the issue(s) you chose and the artist(s) you were inspired by. Use the readings we have done to help this explanation. Reference at least 3 quotes from the readings.

++Push yourself into performance, conceptual art and representation. Get outside your comfort zone and be inspired to create something you would not otherwise. Watch the videos assigned and other resources for inspiration on performance art. Get creative! I am thrilled to see what you all create!
Post your video to the blog (upload your video to YouTube and use the YouTube tool which is next to the image uploader button) with your written description. Be sure to cite your quotes from the readings and connect your performance to an artist.

BONUS (optional): Include one or two of the "instruction pieces" we wrote in class inspired by Yoko Ono. Be silly, serious or strange but get don't hesitate to get outside your comfort zone.

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!! NO CLASS WEDNESDAY 11/1!! see below for assignments due 11/8

DUE WEDNESDAY 11/8

WEEKLY SELFIE
Read the assignments below and watch the videos with attention (jot down notes or reactions!)

Thinking about these specific performances and performance as a method of representation and storytelling, create a small performance piece and document it as a video (approximately 1 minute) OR a series of images of the performance (3+ images). Look to the work of Yoko Ono, Shaun Leonardo and Marina Abramovich (and others) in the readings and videos from the assignment to push into more conceptual ideas and techniques for your performance. Get creative! Step outside your comfort zone. Post your project (video or still images) to the blog with a short description of your performance. Add your quotes from the readings to your post. Enjoy the process! :)

READ:

Berger, Ways of Seeing Chapter 1

2 quotes with a short response for each quote.

Khan Academy Performance Art An Introduction webpages (look through the various sections of this online course) https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/conceptual-and-performance-art/performanceart/a/performance-art-an-introduction
2 quotes or 2 examples of performance art that stand out to you with a short response for each

Widewalls | Yoko Ono - A Groundbreaking Artist, Activist and Fighter
https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/yoko-ono-art-story
2 quotes and a short response to each quote

Hispanic Executive | Interview with Shaun Leonardo - Performance, Pedagogy, and Philosophy

https://hispanicexecutive.com/shaun-leonardo/
2 quotes and a short response to each quote

NYTimes | Being Marina Abromovic

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/08/t-magazine/marina-abramovic.html

WATCH:
The Case For Performance Art PBS Art Assignment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmMTKdUAokM

Yoko Ono

Who is Yoko Ono? | PBS Art Assignment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoU0E_ab36Q
Cut Piece performance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Sa1y-PAAzE

Shaun Leonardo | art21
https://art21.org/watch/new-york-close-up/shaun-leonardo-the-freedom-to-move/

Marina Abramovich
Performance: The Artist is Present

What is Performance Art?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcyYynulogY

First Performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DxZKAQ9WrM&feature=related

Body as Medium
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUrwdqwzqMU&feature=relmfu

Performance: Relation in Time. Marina Abramović and Ulay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sRSoGAc3H0
Performance: LIGHT\DARK Marina Abramović and Ulay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY-cKs77Pfc

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DUE WEDNESDAY 10/25

SELF PORTRAIT PROJECT COLLAGE

(you must bring to class for presentation)
Drawing inspiration from the artists we have learned: Frida Kahlo, Wangechi Mutu, Mickalene Thomas and Hannah Hoch and the ideas of Surrealism and Dada, design and create a self portrait project using COLLAGE and combining drawing and painting as needed. Create a surrealist inspired portrait that looks at physical as well as phycological identity, real and absurd, and that includes a larger message (political, social, historical or psychological). Connect the work to the paintings and collages we have looked at, read about and watched in the assignments (revisit the videos and readings). Push yourself into the aesthetics of fine art and art history.

Photograph and post your project to the blog. Be sure to take clear images of your project. Give your project a title and explain the materials you used and your process for making it. In a short piece of writing share 3 quotes from the readings and 2+images of works that have inspired your project.
In your project description answer these questions: How does your project address the themes we have been discussing? How does contemporary media play a role in identity, cultural and societal norms? How do these influence our view of ourselves and each other? How are these themes addressed in the work of the artists we learned? Please explain your project and its meaning. What artist(s) inspired your project? How did advertising and fashion images influence or get addressed in your piece? How does your project speak to your identity and your relationship to media images?

~300 words 3 quotes and 2+ images of artwork that inspired your project, and 2 clear photographs of your project.

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DUE WEDNESDAY 10/18
We will be visiting the art galleries in VA Building and Hepburn Hall to see the two part exhibition on view. Dr. Midori Yoshimoto will be giving us a gallery talk about the exhibition(s). Please be sure to get to class ONTIME next week!

READ:
Frida Kahlo Was a Painter, a Brand Builder, a Survivor. And So Much More | NY Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/arts/design/frida-kahlo-booklyn-museum.html

Read through the web entry for Hannah Hoch created by Smart History:
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/dada-and-surrealism/dada2/a/hannah-hoch-cut-with-the-kitchen-knife-dada-through-the-last-weimar-beer-belly-cultural-epoch-of-germany

WATCH:
The Case for Surrealism | PBS Art Assignment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtPBOwE0Qn0&ab_channel=TheArtAssignment

Is This Frida Kahlo? | Art Assignment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vigep1nYT6o&ab_channel=TheArtAssignment

Biography of Frida Kahlo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROAH9LQecycCut and Paste | Collage before Cubism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKzA5sZBNJw

Khan Academy Hannah Höch, Cut with the Kitchen Knife Dada

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/dada-and-surrealism/dada2/v/hannah-h-ch-cut-with-the-kitchen-knife-1919-20

Other sources for collage inspiration:
Another Mag | 10 Collage Artists https://www.anothermag.com/art-photography/3318/top-10-collage-artists-hannah-hoch-to-man-ray

WEEKLY SELF PORTRAIT:

Inspired by the work of Frida Kahlo create a digital self portrait OR paper based collage that address your identity and your relationship to place and nature "home" using the portraits of Frida Kahlo to style your image. Create a landscape or world around you that speaks to your ideas about your "home." Post your selfie to the blog along with 3+ quotes from the readings from last week and this week that connect to your selfie. Dive back into the readings and videos from last week and this week to inspire your selfie.

If you want to make paper collage but are stuck on how to approach a collage, here is a video to help you get started with a paper collage with watercolor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfOQotaJ9qM

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DUE WEDNESDAY 10/11

READINGS:

Mirzoeff textbook, How to See the World
Chapter 1 (Introduction recommended but optional)
2 quotes and a short response

Wangechi Mutu Dresses Cultural Critique in Freakishly Beautiful Disguises
2 quotes and a short response

https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/features/wangechi-mutu-dresses-cultural-critique-freak-beautiful-disguises-1234655195/

WATCH:
Wangechi Mutu:Art 21

https://art21.org/watch/extended-play/wangechi-mutu-between-the-earth-and-the-sky-short/

Wangechi Mutu Interview: Cultural Cutouts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWd64sQK_yU

Wangechi Mutu, The New Ones Will Free Us at Met video interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQgCX7HZoW0

Wangechi Mutu on her work and The Art of Eating Everything
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvGcO73MM-I

WEEKLY SELFIE

Create a digital or physical/paper collage selfie as a fantastical animal/creature inspired by the work of Wangechi Mutu. Use the collages and hybrid sculptures of Wangechi Mutu that you have explored in the article and in the videos to inspire the style and form of your collage. You can create a simple digital collage using collage software such as Photoshop OR you can create a small physical collage in paper and mixed materials and include a photo in your post on the blog. You can also bring the collage to class. We will expand on these techniques and ideas in the coming weeks to create a larger collage project.

If you want to make paper collage but are stuck on how to approach a collage, here is a video to help you get started with a paper collage with watercolor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfOQotaJ9qM

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DUE WEDNESDAY 10/4

PHOTO SERIES Self Portraits 10% due on the blog 10/4

Series exploring a single theme

Create 4+ self-portraits that are informed/inspired by the ideas you read in the readings and discussions of the work of the artists Ana Mendieta, Cindy Sherman and Carrie Mae Weems. Try to create a particular SERIES that is inspired by the artist(s) work. Be specific about this connection and explain it. Title your series/images. Print them and bring them to class for discussion. You must also post the digital version of your images with a title and a short description (400+ words) of the series on the blog before class on 10/4. Please include 3 quotes from any of the readings and explain how your project was inspired and connects to the readings and the artist(s) you chose.

A photography series is a collection of images that are linked and showcased together. A series of photos will often have the same theme and have a conceptual bond or are shot at the same location. Photo series are often edited with the same method and in the same style focusing on coherence.

PHOTOS MUST BE PRINTED AND BROUGHT TO IN-PERSON CLASS for a brief critique. You will pin up your photos and present then to the class with a 3minute presentation explaining your description and connection to the artist(s). After our class critique we visit the art gallery for a brief presentation by one of the artists in the exhibition

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DUE WEDNESDAY 9/27

WEEKLY SELFIE

Reclaiming the Gaze Inspired by the artwork of Ana Mendieta create a selfie that addresses the male gaze or challenges it in some way. Although the artists mentioned are often addressing the representation of the female nude in their work, this assignment does not require this investigation. In reclaiming the gaze many artists have changed the way they portray the body including empowering and reclaiming it. How can you interpret this as well? Post your selfie and the work that has inspired it to the blog. Include the quotes for each reading with your selfie.

READINGS:
John Berger, Chapters 2+3 (you should have the book! but also on BB)
2 Quotes and short responses/reactions

On BLACKBOARD under 'Content': bell hooks, Understanding Patriarchy

and The Oppositional Gaze
2 Quotes and short responses/reactions for each essay

++Be prepared to answer the questions: What is the Male Gaze? Female Gaze? Oppositional Gaze? Write down responses to these questions as part of your response.

ONLINE:
Female Gaze: Art that Looks at What Women See | NYTIMES
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/21/arts/women-artists.html
1 Quote

Ana Mendieta: Artist Who Pushed Boundaries | NYTimes
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/obituaries/ana-mendieta-overlooked.html
1 Quote

WATCH:
Ana Mendieta:
Traces/Stopy | Krátký dokument | Galerie Rudolfinum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72Nk0sPfRrU

Raquel Cecilia Mendieta on Ana Mendieta at Galerie Lelong
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHD7_ACrFsg

Ana Mendieta at Gallerie Lelong
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbYFjJomZag

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++ACCESSING NYTIMES: if the students go to Library Database, search Databases by Title, then click on U.S NewStream in that database you are able to search and get a copy of each individual NYT article.

DUE WEDNESDAY 9/20

WEEKLY SELFIE

Create a digital self-portraits inspired by the work of the artist Cindy Sherman. Try to recreate a particular image that stands out to you from one of the artists' videos/galleries. Post your selfie images to the blog. Title your image. Post the Cindy Sherman image that inspired your selfie along with the 4 quotes and responses from the weekly readings.

READ:
The Cindy Sherman Effect by Phoebe Hoban for ArtNews - 2 Quotes + response
http://www.artnews.com/2012/02/14/the-cindy-sherman-effect/

New York Times | The Ugly Beauty of Cindy Sherman - 2 Quotes + response
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/05/magazine/instagram-cindy-sherman-ugly-beauty.html

WATCH (no quotes necessary):
Cindy Sherman, Nobody is Here But Me, 1994 (55min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXKNuWtXZ_U

Cindy Sherman: Characters | Art21
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiszC33puc0

Cindy Sherman: Fashion | Art21
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtATCPCC8b8

SEE:
(galleries of artists' works for reference)
Cindy Sherman at MoMA (some videos and images linked)
http://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/1154?locale=en

Image Gallery and the marketplace:
https://www.artsy.net/artist/cindy-sherman

GET THE BOOKS
Ways of Seeing by John Berger, British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books: New York 1990

How to See the World by Nicholas Mirzoeff, Basic Books: New York 2016.

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DUE WEDNESDAY 9/13 (before class!)

WEEKLY SELFIE 1 DUE ON BLOG

Create a digital self portrait that is informed/inspired by the ideas you read in the readings linked below and the work of the artist Carrie Mae Weems. Try to recreate one particular image that stands out to you from one of the artists' videos/galleries. Post your selfie image to the blog. If you have not been invited to the blog (this was done in the first class meeting) please email me so that you can post this assignment to the blog. If you have trouble posting email the assignment to me through Blackboard.

++Include your quotes and responses in the blog post with your selfie(s). Select two quotes from each of the readings and write a short response/reaction for each (see readings below). Include the two quotes + responses from each of the readings below your selfie in the post you create on the blog. Be sure to identify the reading for the quotes.

READ:
Susan Sontag excerpt from On Photography
http://www.susansontag.com/SusanSontag/books/onPhotographyExerpt.shtml
2 Quotes and short responses/reactions

NY Times: How Carrie Mae Weems Rewrote the Rules of Image-Making

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/t-magazine/carrie-mae-weems-interview.html

Revisiting Carrie Mae Weems’s Landmark “Kitchen Table Series”
by Jacqui Palumbo for Artsy
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-revisiting-carrie-mae-weemss-landmark-kitchen-table-series
2 Quotes and short responses/reactions

WATCH:

Carrie Mae Weems: "The Kitchen Table Series" | Art21
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPDInpNoO50

Carrie Mae Weems, Untitled (Woman Feeding Bird), The Kitchen Table Series, 1989-90 | Smart History
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wBEqPrgUDY

Carrie Mae Weems: "Roaming" | Art21
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI0R2qlRfps

Carrie Mae Weems: National Gallery of Art

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jIwiBgSNtk&ab_channel=NationalGalleryofArt

LOOK THROUGH: Carrie Mae Weems - portfolio
http://carriemaeweems.net/work.html

GET THE BOOKS
Ways of Seeing by John Berger, British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books: New York 1990

How to See the World by Nicholas Mirzoeff, Basic Books: New York 2016.

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LINK TO THE SYLLABUS

Discussion guidelines
The course material and discussions can often be provocative and challenging. We must therefore be respectful of each other and of our viewpoints.

We must come to class prepared and ready to discuss the readings. Please keep discussions focused on the readings and class materials and keep examples relevant and appropriate. If you have not done the readings you are not to participate in the discussion.