The Fall 2016 Exhibit At Esker Foundation Features Three

Julie Mehretu’s paintings are loosely termed history paintings by Douglas Fogle and called psychogeographies by the artist herself. A viewer is supposed to find something in themselves much like exploring a city and figuring things out for one’s own self-interest. Mehretu is quoted as saying “my aim is to have a picture that appears one way from a distance-almost like a cosmology, city, or universe from afar- but then when you approach the work, the overall image shatters into numerous other pictures, stories, and events. Historically drawing is seen as inferior to painting which makes it interesting that Julie Mehretu would employ so much drawing into her canvases because drawing is important to architectural drawings. How does the mapping nature of Julie Mehretu’s paintings convey a sense of identity in a very political nature and how is it a representation of the post colonialist world in which we inhabit? Scholars all seem to agree that Mehretu’s canvases are maps, but what do they seek to accomplish? My analysis of Mehretu’s Stadia III will use a biographical and post colonialist methodology to explore the ways in which Mehretu’s own upbringing and how the very nature of her map making, though very artificial, can be seen as a way of both bringing us together and giving those groups that have previously been neglected throughout history a voice.

By year twenty, billions of the population are deceased and all that remains now of the world are wastelands that endure the memory of bustling cities and small dispersed settlements of the few survivors. Although nothing’s the same, Mandel sheds light on the artistry and allure of the simple things. Saying, “What was lost in the collapse: almost everything, almost everyone, but there is still such beauty” (Mandel 57). Talking about the scenery from nature and the production put on by the Traveling Symphony, Mandel subtly shows how it’s in our human nature to express oneself. Although nearly the entire population of the world was wiped out, art survived and remains in everything; unavoidably associated with human life, from the natural happenings of the environment to characteristics exhibited from people.

Here we mainly talk about three buildings. The first building of the Art Center was built in 1943 and actually was the first museum built in the United States and is a distinctly modern building. Its name is Saarinen Building. It’s an S shaped building located on the crest of a small hill. The S shape creates a battery of wings connected to Saarinen’s building from east to west side, include different aspects of the center such as the auditorium and the classrooms. The building has a flat roof which constructed of reinforced concrete and clad in Lannon stone from Wisconsin. There’s an ongoing program called Smart Sunday which is for families. The purpose is to engage in a variety of community’s children and their families and it’s responding to either a permanent collection object or temporary exhibition such as tony feher. The second building is I.M.PEI building built in 1968 which is the Chinese-American architect designed. It slopes down at the south side of the Saarinen’s open courtyard. It’s made of two materials class in concrete primarily. I.M.PEI took the same concrete and bush hammered stone from Saarinen building. But after 25 years later from 1943, there was a need to expand and large-scale works. So actually this building is totally different than the Saarinen building, it’s massive, open, and heavy. And Jackson Pollock painting which painted in 1943 is an example of why this was needed

Even his contribution to Washington DC’s Mall with his design for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture is a remarkable feat. However, some of his projects really capture his architectural style and how he grabs someone’s attention, even if they are just walking down the street. His “Sunken House” Project is definitely one of his products that do just that. It is also a structure that really symbolizes many of the new or modern styles of architecture that we see developing in this twenty first century, many of which Adjaye has contributed

The title of the exhibition is called “Intersection: World Arts, Local Lives.” This exhibition opened on September 30, 2006. Some of the pieces displayed on this exhibition were not new, since Professor Brown had already gone over them. The exhibition contained a divination board, vessels, male and female figures, masks, headdresses, staffs, textiles, among others things. The art pieces were from different parts of the world. The exhibition is divided into four different sections, each with its own theme. The different themes were Art and Action, Art and Knowledge, Art and Power, and Art and Transformation. The art found in the museum seemed like it didn’t have any crack, dents, or breaks on them. Professor Brown showed the class some pictures of art pieces that had some broken

John Volk was the architect that designed The Museum of Fine Arts and explained the structure as such: “a museum should give a feeling of permanence and that is what I have tried to do with this building”. His plan was well executed, when I arrived to the museum I noticed two different designs. The front of the museum reminded me of the Ionic Order, the Volutes and the molded bases became my main focus. The beige paint seemed like a great fit as well, it added to the light and airy flow within the museum and gave me further evidence that the Ionic order outside represented what was displayed inside. However, the actual style of the building was a Palladian Style which originated from Europe in the 1500’s.

Sculptor Nancy Holt defined three forms of collaboration, that artist who work on site specific location must consider. These three form of collaboration between architecture and art which include,”… ‘conceptual’ …working autonomously, to create complementary works… ‘correlative,’…greater interaction … two professionals inform the works of each other… ‘cooperative’…a working team of architects, sculptors, landscape architects, fabricators, engineers, and community workers…” (Marter, 315). Many artists have recently accepted the challenges of blighted urban areas by creating "situations" rather than monolithic abstractions. Such artists as Mary Miss…[and]…Nancy Holt, … and others were determined to raise the social consciousness of architects and to forge a new relationship between public site and viewer (Marter, 315). A perfect example of Holt’s third form of collaboration is her work Dark Star Park. This site specific piece sits on, “two-thirds of an acre, consists of five spheres, two pools, four steel poles, a stairway, a large tunnel (for passage), and a smaller tunnel for viewing only” ( Mater, 316). This work is a stark contrast to Holt’s piece, Sun Tunnels, which was set in the Utah desert. “These consist of for big concrete tubes, each almost six meters long and three meters wide, positioned to form two

I had an opportunity to visit the oriental institute museum . During my visit to the museum I was made aware of its location and the importance of it to chicago. The museum housed many exhibits of historical value dating civilization back to the paleolithic period of 2,500,000-100,000 B.C. Below you'll find examples of mans rise through the use of tools and refined skills from cave living to structured living throughout evolution. This is an experience that has grounded me to a new interest in structures that we have devised to become the homes we use today for the rest of my life.

The de Young museum seen from a distance is a bold architectural statement, with its sleek horizontal building, indeterminate dark brown color and its massive tower emerging from its slightly bent curving roof. The building is an example of boldness, internationalism and cultural neutrality. Its setting in the Golden Gate Park’s landscape with the topography, vegetation; weather and light are taken advantage of. The significance of nature and the art that is housed in the museum from the Americas, Oceania, and Africa can be seen as having resonance in the architecture. Many of the works of art are sacred in their cultures, are made of natural materials and were never intended to be displayed in formal settings. Post modern theme of ‘context’ comes into expression as Jacques Herzog put it: “These objects belong to nature. We wanted to emphasize that”.

Positioned alongside Central Park within the heart of New York City, The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the largest and most influential art museums in the world. The Met houses an extensive collection of curated works that spans throughout various time periods and different cultures. The context of museums, especially one as influential as the Met, inherently predisposes its visitors to a set of understandings that subtly influence how they interpret and ultimately construct meanings about each individual object within a museum. By analyzing two separate works on exhibit at the Met, I will pose the argument that museums offer a unique expression of a world view that is dictated through every element of its construction.

Kayla and I sat in the back together, windows down and the cool air blowing against our sun-kissed faces. We drive for almost a half an hour, but time flew by as we blasted our favorite songs from the car speakers. Soon enough we arrived at our destination. We exit the car, camera dangling from my neck and my iced coffee in hand. Together, we leisurely walk along the muddy pathway, taking in our surroundings. It didn’t seem like much, not at first. Empty spray paint cans and old cigarettes scattered the ground.There were tall cement walls, but we weren’t able to see the color of the cement anymore. There was so much artwork, it covered every inch of the walls. Kayla and I walked in between the pillars and the walls, admiring all of the vivid colors.

Finish reading over 50 Apexart exhibition proposals, in my opinion, the most compelling one is the project about the past and future of the Vancouver’s Chinatown. The program is inspired by the underground bunker which was built by Chinese, who used those bunkers, like a safe heaven, to hid and took refugee from mobs and harassments of non-Chinese Vancouverities encouraged by the government’s discriminatory actions aimed at burning down Chinatown. It is very similar compared to current situation that today’s real estate developers impersonate these mobs, infiltrating with commerce instead of violence, which raises the rent and push out the remaining generations of Chinatown community. However, the bunker is still there, unchanged and untouched, also a potential space. One of the programs is that Artists will be invited to create works, boxes containing art pieces, which descent below the suface in the space of Chinatown, including an unnamed park, where

A tour through Taliesin West would start at his office. But right before you enter, your attention is interrupted by the vibrant, yet complex Asian sculpture that stood in front of the entryway. The idea of him incorporating Asian art within his structure did not surprise me however. Ever since his visit to the Columbian exhibition in Chicago, Wright was closely influenced by Asian architecture and art, and had symbolized his appreciation for the arts by incorporating them throughout his buildings. The sculpture that lies by the front entrance of Taliesin West is one of many sculptures that’s scattered around the building, and it symbolizes a transition into the following area.

“How do you make a building for contemporary art that stays contemporary in the future without stooping to a neutral language? And how do you attract a big public without compromising the selfish, private, exclusive time we all want to have in a museum?” These questions, put forward by Elizabeth Diller of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, represent the urbanistic motivation supporting the construction of Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). In such a manner Boston’s ICA engages, not only with the urban citizen, but also the urban landscape in which the site is located. The ICA conveys the idea of architecture as art in itself. As a presenter of art to the urban citizen and because of its open design, the inside allows the citizens to not only appreciate the art within the building but also see the art of the building’s natural environment and setting.

In 1967, the french theorist Guy Debord, outlined his concept for a future spectacle society, whereby ….. “Quote about capital”. Presented as a treatise on the modern humman condition; Society of the Spectacle is a piece that explores the contemporary effects of power, which it seems in more recent times are becoming increasingly tied with the idea of a media and consumer society; a system based off the production and consumption of images, information and commodities. In the discourse of arhcitecture specifically, it seems Debords predictions have bled into the culture of modern design, as expressed by Anthony Vidler: “Recent proposals and debates over the architectutural devlopment of ground zero have highlighted the way in which, over the last two decades, the public role of architecture has been gradually reduced to the symbolic and the emblematic. Its forms of expresion are no longer closely tied back to urban issues and physical planning questions.” (Toward a theory of the architectural program, antohny vidler, page 1) These discussions and critiques, indeed, seem to bear out Guy Debords 1964 anticipation of an all-pervading spectacle culture where in essense, we have moved into a system of architecture overinvested in symbolic form, “where flash and bravura win out over contemplation”. (- nordic from on aestehtics and function in architecture - page 1. )