Identity

I chose Cindy Sherman as an artist who deals with the concept of identity through her work. She dresses up in different clothes and makeup and takes pictures of herself assuming different roles and creating conceptual portraits. Through a number of different series of works as a photographer, Sherman has sought to raise challenging and important questions about the role and representation of women in society, the media and the nature of the creation of art.

Some of Cindy Sherman's work:

Key Concepts 
-Identities have different facets 
-Identity can be shaped by personal experience, heritage, interests, environment
-identities are flexible and always changing 
-Stereotypes and our perceptions have an impact on identity 
-Identity can be perceived differently, depending on the person or persons


Essential Questions 
-How do our life experiences impact our identity?
-How do images impact our perception of identity?
-How do traditional societal roles impact identity?
-How do we communicate identity through images?
-How can the ways we represent ourselves impact our perception of identity?

Response to This American Life

I thought that the This American Life podcast was really interesting and it was insightful to hear actual students talk about their life experiences in middle school. An issue that came up the most in the different segments was definitely identity and the way kids that age struggle to find where they fit and what they go through to not be ostracized by different groups. I remember there was one girl in the earlier segment who talked about certain clothing items that she personally loved, but would never dare to even wear in middle school for fear of being made fun of. I can totally remember feeling like that at that age, where it's all about wearing the right clothes and acting a certain way. She also talked about being criticized for smoking, but there was peer pressure and name calling from kids if you didn't smoke, so there is this double edged sword and it's no wonder being that age is such a confusing and difficult time. I do remember it being mentioned in the Kerlavage article that there are so many emotional changes going on at this time that the influences of peers and the desire to be accepted brings changes in the rules, students are now attempting to establish their own definitions of right and wrong, so what this girl was going through is completely normal. Also, students start to test their abilities against each other and they may develop low self-esteem if they are not included in the “right” group, there is also less tolerance for individual differences. 
  There was also a segment that was done where they went to a middle school dance an asked some students there what things were like and as far as relationships with the opposite sex. One girl said she had had a lot of boys ask her, but she never really answered any of them, she didn't really want to go with one guy, she said she would rather just hang out with the girls that night. There are so many changes going on with regards to relationships that it's either a situation like this where girls and boys stay in same gender groups or they are "dating." Issues like this are again mentioned in the Kerlavage article, students are aware of changing sexual roles as they move into the teenage years and they will often dissolve opposite-sex friendships and become actively involved with same-sex groups to help define these changing roles. Overall, the podcast was really helpful as a way for us all to remember that incredibly awkward time that I'm sure we've all tried to block out from our memory.

My Portfolio

                               "David," 18x24," Charcoal and white chalk on toned paper, 11/2009

"Perspective Drawing Final," 14x17," White paper, ink on vellum, 10/2009

"Greek Pose," 18x24," Graphite and white chalk on toned paper, 04/2010

"Chanel," 18x24," Charcoal and white chalk on toned paper, 11/2010

"Untitled," 23x20.5," White chalk on black paper, 03/2010

"Untitled," 21x26," White chalk on black paper, 02/2010

"Bas-Relief with Platonic Solids," 12x12," Plywood, oil clay, 09/2009

"Viva Revolucion," 9x11," Red water-based ink on white paper, yellow matte board, 09/2010 

"Wings," 24x18," Acrylic on Canvas, 04/2010

"Wings Series," Four Individual 18x24"Paintings, Acrylic on Canvas, 2010

"Monarch," 24x18," Acrylic on Canvas, 08/2010

1)2)

1)"Untitled," 8x10," Digital Photograph, Taken on 09/2010

2) "On the Farm," 16x20," Oil on canvas, 10/2010

"Cast Painting," 16x20," Oil on canvas, 11/2010

"Balance," 24x30," Oil on canvas, 12/2010

Trimis and Savva Reading

After doing the reading, I definitely made some connections between the term chorotopos (space-place, area, landscape, region, village or town) and our studio explorations project and the Hansen reading we did. I'm wondering if anyone else kind of made these connections as they were reading. In the study, children attending school in three different areas explore their surrounding environment and create art in this learning process in order to further understand their surroundings and make connections to the their socio-cultural background. I thought that this study was interesting because they had a variety of environments to expose the children to, the village, the beach and the forest, etc. However, it seems like it would be a little bit harder to implement the idea in an area where children were limited to learning in a classroom situation.

My Idea for Studio Explorations Project

I think my idea in terms of place for this project will revolve around the fact that I kind of have 3 different homes right now, my actual home where my family is, my apartment and the extended family that i have become a part of while living here. Each home makes me feel a certain way and I want to further explore these feelings, especially the emotions and thoughts I get from being in one place and not the other.

My focus might be on the relationships I have developed through these three different living situations as there are distinct differences between all three. I could also explore the idea of family and how these relationships have changed me because I definitely think I have grown as a person due to these changes.

I have no idea whose artwork to use as inspiration and I don't really know yet what I want to make.

ARE 190 About Me and My Work

Art is something I've always loved, for as long as I can remember I have been drawing. I didn't have the support and direction I needed in high school to pursue it on a college level, so I stopped and focused my time on science. When I realized I was no longer happy with what I was doing, I came back to art and fell in love with it all over again. A lot of my pieces are projects from studio classes, as far as my own personal work, I have a few paintings, but I'm still learning what I can do and developing the skills I have. I like to play with color and nature seems to be a common theme in my paintings in some way or another.

ARE 190 Reflection on Discussion From Last Class

Last class we discussed educational frameworks and then proceeded to get into groups and try to come up with our own framework based on certain readings we had done. My group stuck with the basic concept map that was developed in class, including topics like Teacher Action, Student Action, Ongoing Processes, Contextual Environment and Student Development and used the articles that we had read to kind of build off from there. 


We ended up discussing how the types of technology available to schools can create an impact on how kids are learning, but there was a lot of discussion about what students and teachers should be doing in the classroom. For example, the teacher and the student should be learning from each other, not one being more dominant than the other. Also, how the teacher should be encouraging a creative environment try to enable the students to make connections with what they learn in the classroom to outside experiences.


 This made me think about the article that I had read by Pamela Lawton, which was about community outreach and getting students to use their talent and creative skills to help others and make connections with people who were less fortunate. I had a thought that this is something really important because today, art programs and music programs are some of the first things to go when there are budget cuts. Doing community outreach projects is a good way to show people that the arts are an important form of expression and further justifies that they do need to be taught in schools. Showing kids how to incorporate what they learn in the classroom to everyday experiences benefits not just the students but the whole community.