Trulia posted an article in 2013 by Jed Kolko, “In A Barbie World: The Rise of Single Women Homeowners in America,” that investigated the rise in percentage of single women owning single family detached home like Barbie (Jed Kolko, 2013). Kolko touched upon the changing social and cultural factors, and I wanted to know more, I assumed and wanted to explore the changes single women homeowners made on the gender and race structure and if it impacted the home in any way. To uncover these possible changes the center of my research is on the house, an object that I argue is symbolic in expressing the obtainment of the American Dream, where homeowners held a stake in the prosperity of American democracy. In this essay I explore the field of material …show more content…
The material culture field of study allows for the examination of objects to reveal the culture which used them (Glassie, 1999; Woodward, 2007). Material culture is not a method but a collection of methods appropriate to its interdisciplinary nature of the field and its scholars, and I must indicate what approaches or methods guide my research and explain my findings (Woodward, 2007). The benefits of material culture are that it can reveal the daily lives, behaviors, and actions of average people that have otherwise been deemed …show more content…
“Learning to read architecture-an ability that centers on a kind of visual and spatially oriented analysis-is not easy” (Carter & Cromley, 2005, p. xvi).The short history of the field makes this guide a valuable tool for emerging scholars as it introduces the field, guides them to conducting research on vernacular buildings, and invites them in participating in shaping the field by adding their own scholarship. What is significant about this guide for young researchers is that is explains how fieldwork lacks categorical clarity and can be messy, and it is in this confusion that researchers can reveal the priorities, values, and lifestyle of the users. Renovations and additions are part of the built form and it results in making it difficult to categorize material, roof type, and windows resulting in the struggle to categorize as the field work becomes more descriptive than prescriptive. It can and does indicate social hierarchies and power dynamics within the culture, by reading this guide young scholars can begin to understand how to read buildings and understand what they tell us. Material culture and vernacular architect explores the relationship between objects and/or buildings with people, and both
As a woman, Mama’s aspirations to get a house was uncommon in those days, but Mama always dreamed of moving out of there small apartment and into a nice house in a safer neighborhood with a small garden.(92). She describes her dream house like it is the most spectacular thing in the world. She is extremely happy for herself, but happier for her family. However, Mama’s goals are more complicated then just wanting a house. With this house she feels that the family now has hope and can accomplish their dreams. On the other hand, without this house Mama predicts that the family will continue with
While our parents offer themselves to help us grow as civilized human beings, one of the most important things they do is present to us our culture. As a small child, my parents introduced me to the world, and what a wonderful place it can or can’t be. Different traditions were taught to me throughout my years and these developed into the fundamental ideas for my lifestyle and culture. The idea of culture that we all share is extremely complex, so it is hard to define any parts of it without the use of symbolism. In order to define my culture, I selected three objects to represent me and my culture in a broad spectrum. However odd these objects may seem, I chose an aluminum ring, a computer and a Christmas stocking. These particular items
Taking a look into the ways of her household solidified the fact that housewives were set apart from their counterparts because of their responsibilities. Their knack for multi-tasking and running a home efficiently was never held to very high standards. Now, with a look into these three women’s homes, it seems that everyone should take with them the notion that no matter the woman’s wealth or social status, her work in the home is pivotal to the success of her family.
Rd 145 soon became an integral part of everyday life in Birdseye, Indiana. Home to multiple general stores, a variety of hometown restaurants,and a hall for the Modern Woodmen of America (Huff 1), this edifice served as a gathering place for all residents, past and present, throughout its 123 year lifetime. Now nearing the end of its lifecycle once again, this unique building awaits the chance to undergo an extensive restoration to reveal its former grandeur, because as Helmut Jahn once said, “Every building is a prototype. No two are alike,” (Demakis 12). Preserving this crumbling Italianate gem will not only provide a cultural hotspot for the town of Birdseye; it will give residents the opportunity to learn about the structure’s illustrious past and the history of the town itself while also telling the stories of many past residents and the challenges they
From the beginning of my architectural education I have been inspired and influenced by political realities and issues throughout Canada and the wider world. Discussions relating to how architecture participates in political change, conflict, movements, and other events have refined, shaped and sustained my interest in the field. Growing up in suburban Winnipeg I have been continuously struck by the lack of architectural authenticity, consideration and intention found on the fringes of the city. These monotonous architectural landscapes promote and enable political inactivity. Among and in-between the many strip malls, condominiums and stucco-clad houses, there is no space for political activism or protest. In a reality where consumerism
This paper is an analysis of the single cultural artifact that best represents the culture in which I live in today. The paper will provide a detailed analysis of the artifact and how it relates to the values and beliefs of the culture. Additionally, it will address the deep cultural roots of the artifact, the historical roots of the artifact, what allowed it to come into being and who was affected by its development. This information will come as someone trained from the humanities.
The American way of life through homeownership has its roots in the 1950s, the war had just ended and houses were being mass produced. “Domestic Engineering (Oct. 1981) estimates that ‘Three out of five families became homeowners and suburban living became a national phenomenon.’” (Brohl 1). Owning a home quickly became the American way of life. Where did this leave African American families like Lena’s, they were excluded from towns and from being able to take out home loans that were exclusively for veterans and the rest of
Throughout American history, people have been categorized based on what gender they are, and what their race is. In order to explore these ideas and come to terms with their importances many musicians, film makers, and authors have described the inner-workings of this societal construct. Indeed, both racial and female identities have been at the epicenter of many works of art throughout American culture as can be seen in: Maggie: A Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane, film “Modern Times,” Bessie Smith’s “T’ain’t Nobody’s Bizness If I Do,” and James Weldon Johnson’s Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.
A sophisticated house or dumpy gas station catches the eye for a moment then becomes lost amongst other thoughts. However, like the art in our homes, a building's purpose is not to be stared at like a museum painting. They influence the mood of those who occupy the space. Even for people who live far away, it creates a happy thoughtfulness that these places still exist in our throwaway
that all buildings can be classified as one or the other-the duck or the decorated shed
“Human houses should not be like boxes, blazing in the sun, nor should we outrage the Machine by trying to make dwelling places too complementary to Machinery. Any building for humane purposes should be an elemental, sympathetic feature of the ground, complementary to its nature-environment, belonging by kinship to the terrain.”
Vernacular building is a typology which results from a direct response to regional context (Murphy 2011). While contemporary Australian architecture
Different architects have different styles because they are trying to get at different things. Architecture is not just about making something beautiful anymore, it is about trying to get across a set of ideas about how we inhabit space. Two of the most famous architects of the twentieth century, one from each side, the early part and the later part up until today each designed a museum with money donated by the Guggenheim foundation. One of these is in New York City, it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The other is in bilbao, Spain, and it was designed by Frank Geary. My purpose of this paper is to interrogate each of these buildings, glorious for different reasons, to show how each architect was expressing their own style.
The Mexican tile roofs jump out at your eyes, until the gorgeous iron gates of other estates snatch your attention. I can at times be overwhelmed with the feast before my eyes. My favorite structure by far is the towering ruins of the old sugar plantation. The words ruins, sugar, and plantation alone are enough to conjure up the most fascinating stories within ones imagination. I can see the bones of an age past; still standing before me to mourn, and dream about. I live in a grouping of villas where a restaurant and pool facilities are being constructed. I smell fresh sawn mahogany as the carpenters make bars, counters, and doors. I hear stone masons chipping at tiles, and the scraping sounds as they pull out the mortar to lay them.
Architecture can be viewed with two different types of properties. Properties that can be seen like shapes, their composition, the spaces they create and, the colours and textures that make up their appearance. These properties are considered to be visual while other properties are considered to be abstract. These properties can only be described using words; the meanings behind the architecture and the stories that can be told about it. The context, its cultural background and its function also affects how we view architecture. The question is, what