Friday, February 29, 2008
Info for Individual Paper
Poster: Brittany, Candice, Lia
Paper Description: Apoorva, Sindhu
Leaflet: Lolita, Tonica
Presentation: Laura, Ellen and Chris
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Class and the project
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Feminism Definition
I agree with this definition of feminism because along with the push for social equality of women, political stands of what women have believed in and their values have been undermined, in my opinion since the passage of women's suffrage in the United States in the early 20th-century. Therefore, I agree that Feminism has a main stake in political equality and having the concerns of women addressed in mainstream political arena.
Defining Feminism
Monday, February 25, 2008
I like her response because there were some previous responses debating the topic of "man-bashing." I think that the subject of bashing men is considered one of the main stereotypes of feminism, but it shouldn't be that at all. So I strongly agree with Laura.
Definition of Feminism
"Feminism should be something we shouldn't have to fight for. Feminism (for woman) is who we are."
Brittany's definition really caught my attention and I like her definition a lot. I agree with her because feminism should be the celebration of woman's success and achievements in history, we should not have to fight for the rights to celebrate or to get acknowledge that woman needs to be celebrated. This should be common sense, just like how anyone no matter male or female achieved something, they will be celebrated and honored.
Definition of Feminism
What is Feminism?
Defining Feminism
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Event Announcement!
Subject: Beyond the Classroom presents the film "Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony"
Subject : Beyond the Classroom presents the film "Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony"
When : Monday, February 25, 2008 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Where : 1102 South Campus Commons, Building 1
Event Type(s) : Movie/Film/Video
How do you inspire, mobilize and sustain a people power movement for justice over 40 years? This inspiring documentary tells the story of Black South African freedom music and the central role it played against the Apartheid regime. Winner of the 2002 Sundance Film Festival (Documentary Audience Award and Freedom of Expression Award), Amandla! is the first film to specifically consider the music that sustained and galvanized black South Africans for more than 40 years. Under the Apartheid regime, singing, possession, or recording of music was banned by the South African Government. Amandla!'s focus is on the struggle's spiritual dimension as articulated and embodied in song. Named for the Xhosa word for "power," Amandla! lives up to its title, telling an uplifting story of human courage, resolve and triumph in the face of adversity.
Website: www.BeyondTheClassroom.umd.edu
Saturday, February 23, 2008
defining feminism
"Feminism is a movement greatly based on the history of women in societies throughout the world, and it focuses on bettering the future of women's history through change and activism"
The reason why I agree with this definition the most is that it captures the global aspect of feminism. After having explored many museums for assignment one, I have realized that the feminist cause is truly global and surfaces in different ways in each culture. Katie King's refrences to 'knowledge worlds' clearly supports the idea of the cultural diversity of the feminist cause.
The second part of the definition also captures the feminist philosophy of improving global perspectives and histories of women. This is also connected to Katie King's idea of being subjects in history. By participating in the feminist cause, we become the improved history of the female sex.
The only aspect of feminism which I thought was lacking in this definition was the celebration of feminist potential aspect. It shouldn't be a struggle but a memorable, enjoyable and rewarding experience.
Response to Definition of Feminism
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Art, Feminism and Assumptions
The National Museum of Women and the Arts mainly challenged my assumptions about feminism, even though there were assumptions about art that were rattled around a bit, feminist art in particular. One of the first things I noticed about the museum, even though it has been mentioned before, was the use of marble in the walls and railings, especially pink marble. Now, most normal, non-feminist art museums use marble for just about everything: the walls, the floor, the railings. I assumed that, as a feminist art museum, there would be a different material used to construct the building, to show that the museum was different than all the other Smithsonian museums in the surrounding area. I also assumed that feminism tried to break down and demolish stereotypes about women, especially concerning the color pink as the quintessential feminine color. I am not sure if this was just added for emphasis of the marble, as pink was used more as a “highlight color” against the white marble, if it was to actually play off of the pink stereotype, or if the designers believed that pink is a color of strength for women, even though it is in a stereotype.
After that, the paintings and artworks themselves made me think about some general assumptions I had about art and feminism. I have always assumed that while women have had some artistic tendencies, there were not very many female painters and artists before, say, the late 1800’s. In fact, this assumption was basically thrown away when I saw the first painting in the National Museum of Women and the Arts. Mary Beale’s Portrait of a Woman with a Black Hood was actually painted circa 1660. That is about 240 years before my assumption. Also, in that particular museum, there were many portraits, which caught me off guard. I had assumed that portraits were mostly painted by men, just because that had been the representation I had seen in other museums (such as the National Gallery of Art). This museum seemed very feminist because every last piece of art was created by women. Many of the subjects of the paintings and sculptures also happened to be women, which would further the idea of feminist art: art by women and about women (for the most part).
The National Museum of the American Indian also broke some assumptions I had about feminist art, and art in general. Most of the art museums I have seen (which are mainly Smithsonian museums) have had basic architecture. There were a lot of right angles and straight lines with regards to the structure of the building, and because of this, I assumed that all art museums were designed this way. The National Museum of the American Indian, however, was constructed of anything but straight lines. The building itself was very curved, similar to the architecture of GaudÃ, which caught me off guard. In this respect, though, I believe that the building evokes more of an artistic feel than most art buildings. Just looking at the building is thought-provoking, just like the pieces of art found inside. The art inside the museum itself was also thought-provoking. There were many pieces of art based on religious or tribal beliefs, such as the creation story and the story of “How the Raven Stole the Sun.” The creation story, in particular, sparked my interest. Most of the art in the museum was more in the “craft” section, but the art about the creation story was a painting. The crafts in the museum, made primarily of glass beads, were very very precise, so I assumed that the Indian art was always so precise. But in the painting of the creation story, it seemed as though it was finger-painted. The idea seemed to be centered around not being precise, not having straight lines, since nature in itself flows very naturally, and straight lines are not natural. The only time straight lines were incorporated into the museum were in the “Our Universe” exhibit, in which there were photographs of modern-day Indians. The museum, while not overly-feminist, had a feminist feel to some of it, as most of the crafts were probably created by the women. That was probably their job, as the men of the tribes were the ones to go out on the hunts. The women stayed home to gather and forage for food, (which was compatible with child-bearing in a way hunting was not) and when the foraging was done, they could use the available artifacts to create these crafts.
The Hirshorn Museum was the most complicated for me to understand. I am not a huge fan of modern art, and it seemed as though modern art was the focus of the museum. Willem de Kooning’s Woman series actually raised issues about feminism and about art in itself. Chronologically, his series seemed to go backwards: the first few were nice portraits of women, not very stereotypical, but as time went on and his series became larger, the artwork seemed to become more “modern”: the shapes became less defined, and there is more emphasis on color and “feeling” the artwork. Since this is a progressive series, there really isn’t a point in which anyone could definitively say “this is where art stops.” The first few were classified under my conception of art. But I did not think the last few were initially classified under my definition of art. This series shook up my assumptions, as I could not specifically define the “line” where art stopped.
This museum seemed to have some feminist paintings in it: there was one where a woman was driving a car and the man was riding as a passenger, as well as a painting of a woman moaning, with a picture of a woman painted on the bedstand. These paintings seem to give women “power,” which is one of the things that feminism values.
The National Gallery of Art was most disappointing. While about 30 or 40% of the subjects painted were women, there weren’t really any paintings that I could find that could either be defined as “feminist” or were even painted by women. One thing that bothered me was that many of the sculptures found in the museum were of nude women, sculpted by men. I could not find a single sculpture of a clothed woman, even though there were busts and clothed sculptures of men. This does not seem feminist, because it seems to depict women as only objects of art, instead of inspiration for art.
In conclusion, there were many assumptions about art, feminism and feminist art that were contested by looking at these four museums.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Assignment #1: Assumptions About Feminism and Art
Chris Davis
WMST250
Through Wonder, Lies Knowledge
There, in that open-spaced, incandescently lit room with pallid walls laid the words that introduced me to feminism: “The Personal is Political,” coined from the Redstocking feminist group in 1969. Through the reading of this one sentence, it was the summation to an extraordinary day in which I experienced art like never before. Having been to
As I exited the Subway station and crossed
What I have understood as feminism is equality and diversity of women and in my opinion, the American Indian museum did not translate those ideas. In the changing exhibitions, it very much focused on the roles of men, women, and children and how those roles as whole ensure the well being of all the people collectively. It did not show the distinctiveness of women from the rest of the population. Therefore, since the interpretation of this Museum toward the American Indian seems to promote togetherness, collectivity, and unification, not distinctness, individualism, and diversity, the question of whether or not the
After a lengthy hike down
I assumed that women would be caregivers to children and be morally faith based. Overall, I found this assumption to hold true. For example, in one of the pieces, a woman was shown holding her breasts as a sign of a nurturer and a water-bowl on top of her head as a sign of dedication. In addition, I assumed that in terms of feminism, women as wives would be focused in a submissive role, supporting the husbands. For example, in one of the exhibits, there was a sculpture of four heads, one which was a male and the other three which were his wives. Furthermore, by examining the exhibits, it seemed that men were the hunters and women were the nurturers and caregivers. On those grounds, I would have to say that the National Museum of African Art was not feminist because it showed two distinctive roles between men and women and more importantly, it seemed to disprove the fact that women were and are equal to men in every aspect. Since equality and freedom are leading characteristics of feminism, this museum is not feminist.
Having been surprised that many of the museums lacked feminism, I was quite apprehensive about what I would find at the National Gallery of Art. Certainly from the beginning, the massive size and use of pink marble on the exterior and interior of this museum made me assume that for sure that what I would was about to be exposed to would be considered “high art.” Having visited this art museum twice before, I assumed from those experiences that there was no chance that this museum was going to be feminist. It did not house pretty pink rooms where women sat, had tea, and talked about art all day. However, again I was taking a different perspective to these museums. In terms of looking at the museum and it being feminist, I actually saw feminism in different forms. For example, I was fascinated by the work of Georgia O’Keefe’s painting Jack-in-the pulpit. The ironic spectacle about the piece was that it was in a room with other painting by men and women and the piece was of the same proportion to others in the room. Specifically, Georgia O’Keefe had several of her own works in one room alone as did many other female artists in other rooms. Therefore, the National Gallery of Art is feminist because it upholds feminist ideals such women’s equality and diversity. Equality is it promoted between male and female artists and diversity is established with women artists and all different types of art including abstract and sculptures.
Catching my breath as I stumbled into the National Museum of Women and the Arts, what took me over next was pure fascination. Starting off, I prematurely assumed that there would be pink banners hanging from the ceilings with famous quotes reaffirming the ability and unique qualities of the human female. While there were not the pink banners, I was just fascinated by the grandeur and elegance of the entire museum from the white marbled stair-case, to the beautifully mastered portraits on the second floor, and finally, the magnificent pieces residing in the permanent collection. I assumed that this museum would not be multi-cultural. However, there were several pieces representing different cultures and backgrounds and it seems to me now that the museum would not be a women’s museum if it did not express equality, even multi-culturally. Feminism does not only express equality and diversity, but one of feminism’s vehicles toward expressing equality and diversity is through art such as the strength and individualism shown in Frida Kahlo’s self portrait or Lois Mailou Jones’ Ode to Kinshasa. Therefore, the National Museum of Women and the Arts is feminist because it does not only convey classic features of feminism like individualism and strength of women, but it clearly delivers these concepts through the figures and abstract pieces of the museum.
While I admit that I am not totally familiar with feminism, analyzing different forms of art made it conceptually easier to understand the aspects of feminism. Most importantly, I learned that theme a theme of feminism in art was the sole celebration of women, their abilities, and their natural distinctiveness which make them the beautiful and unique people that they truly are. Furthermore, this experience revealed the strength and power which women hold in the ability to say “we count, and our voice will be heard.” In this case, the “voice” was through women’s work in art. In conclusion, in this learning experience, I ultimately acknowledged that through wonder, lies knowledge.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Assignment #1: Assumptions of Art & Feminism
Candace Lee
2/13/08
WMST250
Feminism and Art Assumptions
Feminism, to me, is defined as a movement in which woman stand up for themselves and proves to everyone that they are just as capable as anyone else. I always thought of Art as paintings, draws or sculptures, but this thought was proven wrong. I had some various assumptions of art and feminism before stepping into these museums. After leaving them, I was shocked by some of the images I saw, that they referred as artwork. In addition, I saw many feminist artworks that I did not think would be displayed in public.
Before entering The National Museum of the American Indian, I assumed that the museum contained mostly Indian related artworks and paintings. I also assumed that there would be very unique artworks created by Native Americans. These might include, hand craved weapons that men used in the ancient times or maybe a quilt, Native American style. However, my assumptions of the “American Indian” museum were challenged once I entered the building. I went through the exhibits on each floor; the area was big and contains a lot more history related showcases rather than art. Although the museum may not have contain much artwork, but there were many historical facts that related to the woman. This leads us to discuss if the museum is feminist or not. I think the museum can be considered as feminist to a certain extent because the term feminist can be referred to as woman’s power or woman’s roles in society. In the exhibit of Our Lives, there was a lot of emphasis on the women roles in the tribe of Kahnawake. Some parts of it told of how the woman’s primary job in the community is to take care of house work and raise children at home. This indeed is the standard of most roles of woman in most culture. More importantly, the exhibit does not exclude telling viewers how woman has been a leader in the Kahnawake community. Women have played a major role in education for the Kahnawake children. They were the ones who took action on what was decided and to do things their way, otherwise, Kahnawake schools would not exist today. In addition, I came across a display that showed “weroausau which means, a female chief. Her name was Cockacoeske, the queen of Pamunkey and she received a silver plate award as a token of appreciation from the English Crown for signing a treaty with them. Clearly, we see that the exhibit did have some emphasis on the woman’s empowerment in the American Indian tribes. This again challenged my assumptions as I assumed woman did not have the power to have such high status back in the 18th Century. In the early days, woman were discriminated against and men believe that they were incapable of doing what they could do, but Cockacoeske has proven to everyone that a female is just as capable as the man. Another exhibit I visited was called Identify by Design which included exhibits of the American Indian dress in the past. I assumed that they would focus more on the man’s clothing and roles in the exhibit because again in the past, males were considered as a superior to the female. The exhibit to my surprised included many female related clothing and materials they used. I also assumed that the clothing that women wore were on the conservative side. In fact, my assumption did hold true because most of the dresses that were on display did seem to would cover most of the skin if wore.
The next museum I went to visit was “The National Gallery of Art”. I assumed that the building and place would be grand and beautiful because it is the National Galley for artworks. I also assumed the art that was shown there were all going to be paintings and that the artists would be a mixture of males and females. Because I assumed that the artists were not just dominated by one gender, it led to the assumption that this museum probably won’t be too much of a feminist museum. Walking into the Gallery of Art building, I felt like it was quite glamorous. The structure was designed similar to the European styles. I walked into the first level and to my surprise the area was filled with sculptures. The majority of course focused on the human body and some on the women body. I noticed an artist named Auguste Rodin, it seems like his works involved women such as The Sirens. Although I do not know the actual meaning of The Sirens, but I saw that the sculpture had depicted the woman body. I think that has something to do with feminism and I had an assumption, perhaps this artist may be a feminist? Other arts that surprised me were in the East building of the Gallery. There was a piece of art called Henri Matisse Cutout. His art really startled me as I had to question what exactly is considered art. From my point of view, his work was basically just a few pieces of cut out construction paper pasted onto a white background. I know any type of art should be appreciated, however I did not see why this would be considered as art.
The third museum I visited was the Hirshhorn. Based on the name, I somehow assumed this museum was related to clay art and sculptures made out of clay. Little did I know, the first floor was full of what I refer as “junky” art. That is, most of the artworks displayed were made out of random pieces of junk, such as, screws, springs, car parts and many other random things. These materials appear to be crumpled up in a blob of mess. Again, I have doubts as to why this so –called artwork would be considered as art? I assumed art would have more meaning to and also grander looking, like the art in most other museums. Heading downstairs to the Current Acquisitions section, I was assumed it was going to follow the same kind of theme as what I have seen in the upper level. However, this section focused a lot more on modern art. This section of the museum is very feminist simply because the art are by females. In addition, this group of modern artists seems to be quite dedicated to their works because some sacrifice their bodies for the work itself. For example, in Mary Coble’s “Note to Self” she uses her own body and tattooed the names of lesbians, bisexual and transsexual hate crime victims onto her body. Each and every name was written onto her body without any ink, this means that the content was made possible with her own blood. This is considered feminist because she supports her own gender and is dedicated to create something that is memorable for those who were discriminated for being different from individuals who are heterosexual. I assumed that, although art does include nudity but it should not be depicted as it was pornography. In the exhibit, I came across a series of photos composed by Carolee Schneeman, which really startled me as I did not except to see such disturbing images of a nude woman. I believe there is a relationship here between art and feminism because Schneeman’s work actually shows that women are willing to give themselves up for the purposes of art. They are representing bravery by coming out completely nude to be of her artwork constructions.
The last museum I visited was “The National Museum of Woman and The Arts”. Before actually attending this museum, I assumed that this museum would be dominated by woman both employed at the museum as well as the artwork that is being displayed. When I got there, I was not surprised to see that my assumptions were correct. My explanation to why this is the case that woman dominate the building is because women are interested in their own gender, they are proud of what other women has succeeded in. Just as Carolee Schneeman mentioned earlier, this museum also contained much nudity often depicting the female body. There is a relationship between feminism and art here, as the female body is often included in artwork because the female body is respected. However, paintings of naked women and that has strong indication of it being pornographic is considered to be degrading women, in some people’s point of view. I agree that for a painting or artwork to be meaningful, it should not contain too much nudity to a point where it becomes pornographic. This is not benefiting society nor should it be consider art because simply because pornography is not emotional healthy for some individuals. Another artwork that caught my attention was the “An Adventure at Sea” by Dottie Attie, which spoke of a mother and son. This art depicted a mother and son’s close relationship, so close that they seem to have become a couple. The painting shows the nude son hugging her nude mother, touching his mother’s nipple and kissing his mother’s lips. For the most part, I found this painting to be quite odd, but also feminist because it shows and tries to message that mothers (a female) can have be considered extremely important to their child. In this case, the son seems to regard his mother has the most important figure in his life. It is feminist simply because the author did not choose the child’s father to be the important person, but the mother.
Overall, my experiences at each of the museums did startled and surprised me with some of the work being called art, when I did not think it was. Also, I did not except to see how women were so dedicated into their works of art that they would sacrifice their own bodies to be in the art itself. Some sacrifice their own bodies just to get a message across that woman should be treated equally and same sex love should not be discriminated. In addition, I learned a lot from the American Indian museum of women’s roles in the community. After visiting the four museums, I realized that there are many different types of art and almost any kind of creation or performance can be argued as being art.
Feminism and Art
WMST 250
Sect. 0101
Feminism and Art
The first museum that I decided to visit was the National Museum of Women in the Arts. I picked this one first because it seemed like a good jump off point to start my exploration of learning about feminism and art, in general. When first walking in, a grand staircase and lots of showy marble is easily noticeable. The appearance of this museum surprised me because I would have thought that the creators of the museum would want the colors and materials to be subtle so that the art could just speak for itself, but that is not the case in this museum.
As I walked around the Permanent Collection, I learned a lot about art, and women artists, which I have not ever studied before. I did not think that there were any really prominent artists from the sixteenth, seventeenth, or eighteenth centuries, but there was a fairly large section of art pieces from this time period. I suppose I had assumed that women in this time period were supposed to take care of the household and the children, and did not have time for hobbies like creating art. In actuality, information at the museum taught me that women from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries painted many still life and genre paintings. Still life painting became so well-known, that some artists made a living by specializing in one smaller area, painting lots of the same things. In the eighteenth century, women became highly regarded for a while, and people listened to what they had to say and they were allowed to do things that they hadn’t been able to do before, like participate in political discussion and create art. Soon though, they lost their power and were only allowed to paint portraits because they were in a higher demand.
The nineteenth century was turning point in the lives of women. The printing of books became easier, so more women were reading and learning about art. They predominantly depicted women’s lives as young girls, mothers and older women, which showed that domesticity was a proper subject for art. I had never really known that during these specific time periods, there were acceptable and unacceptable types of art that women could create; I just thought that they painted whatever they wanted to paint. I enjoyed the more modern sections of the Permanent Collection because it had a lot more variety. There were paintings, sculptures, and abstract pieces, all of which had lots of character and were pretty interesting. In seeing some of the abstract art, I learned that I had previously assumed that a lot of abstract art didn’t really count as art, when apparently, it does. This museum could be seen as both feminist and not feminist, depending on how you look at it. If you look at the whole art world, the museum is feminist. This is because the museum was created to produce equality in art displays among men and women. However, looking at the museum by itself, it is not feminist. It does not give equal representation to both men and women, which is the definition of feminism.
The National Museum of the American Indian also had many interesting art pieces, although a lot of the things displayed in this museum are recreations of earlier time period pieces. I had assumed that a good number of the things in this museum would be extremely old artifacts, especially clothes, but in actuality, this was not the case. The clothes section was my favorite part, but I was very surprised to see that the clothes were not very old, even though they seemed like the clothes that would have been worn a long time ago. The overall message of this museum, it seemed, was to tell people that the American Indians are still around and that they are still an active part of American culture today. A lot of the clothing was made by women, so I feel like this is the exhibit where women’s art is most prominent. The women were the people in the culture who made the clothes, and the different embellishments that the clothes had represented things like age, social status, and marital status. The museum is fairly feminist because there is art by both men and women, like clothes, pottery, weapons, and jewelry.
The National Gallery of Art was another museum that I visited. It had a wide variety of art pieces that I found to be interesting, and a lot of others that I did not particularly like. The building itself is its own art piece. It has amazing and unique architecture and beautiful gardens. This museum is definitely feminist because I felt like for every piece of art that I saw by a man, there was one done by a woman. In going into this museum, I had assumed that art was supposed to be aesthetically pleasing, but I found that there is a lot of art that just is not pretty. Some paintings, mainly ones that are abstract, are not particularly fun for me to look at. There are also many sculptures where I just don’t understand what the artist was thinking, so I do not find them aesthetically pleasing.
The last place that I went to was the Textile Museum. Before I entered this museum, I had never really considered textiles to be art, but someone has to come up with the designs for the textiles, and they have to make sure that people are going to like what they’ve made, otherwise they will not be successful. The museum also has many rugs and tapestries from countries all over the world and different time periods, so I learned a lot about what styles were in these places and time periods. I’m not completely sure if this museum is feminine because a lot of the textiles did not have names associated with the pieces, however some pieces seem more masculine and others seemed more feminine, so that makes the museum slightly more equal among men and women contributors.
Through this assignment, and experiencing the different things that so many museums have to offer, I have learned that a lot of my assumptions about women, and art have no reason behind them. It is interesting to go into these places and look at the art and displays with a different viewpoint because you discover things that you hadn’t thought of before. Overall I thought this was an interesting assignment and it allowed me to learn things about art and about myself as well.
Assumptions -
I assumed that feminists are extreme.
I assumed that artists are poor.
I assumed that abstract art doesn’t count as art.
I assumed that art is aesthetically pleasing.
I assumed that there are not very many famous female artists.
I assumed that women are only portrayed in art as beautiful and pure.
I assumed that feminists think men are inferior to women.
I assumed that art is mainly painting, drawing, and sculpture.
Assignment #1- Assumptions about Feminism and Art
2/14/08
Section 0101
For this assignment, we were asked to travel to Washington D.C. and visit four different museums and critically analyze and discuss what we saw and how it does or does not relate to feminism. I went and saw the National Museum of Women and the Arts, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Gallery of Art, as well as the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. All of these museums were unique in their own way and it was interesting to see them all and have this chance to compare and contrast them.
The first museum that I attended was the National Museum of the Women and the Arts and I soon realized that I had many preconceived notions about what it was going to be like. To be frank, I definitely assumed that I was going to dread the visit and that I would be severely disinterested in anything the museum had to offer me. However, upon arrival I recalled what Professor King had said about being surprised about the amount of pink in the building and as I looked around I noticed very beautiful chandeliers and I was kind of surprised that something so elegant was in a museum. I also noticed the floors were made of marble and the architecture of the building was very classic and beautiful. I realized that the underlying assumption was that I did not expect to see elegance and such sophisticated design in a women’s museum. I expected it to be more plain and simple rather than intricate and detailed. When I was arriving they were also setting up tables with eloquent table clothes for some sort of event that was going to occur there. I also assumed that not very many people would be interested enough in a women’s museum to go there let alone have an event there. At first, when I looked at the paintings around me, they seemed kind of uninteresting which led me to believe that the rest of the museum was going to be dull. When I moved on to the temporary exhibit by Paul Rego I began to change my mind. I was actually shocked to see some of her paintings, and how gloomy and perverse the images that she was portraying were. This kind of art was very unexpected because I had assumed that women would make a certain kind of art, one that was more happy and attractive. Since emotion-filled and dark art is the kind of art I enjoy the most, I found myself becoming very interested in the exhibit. There were a lot of strange images with figures sitting in chairs and with other figures around them. One room in particular struck me because it was filled with images of women giving themselves abortions. In the description it said that she drew them as schoolchildren to emphasize their vulnerability and that she was trying to hit on the issue of legalizing abortion because poor women had to go through the awful process at home because they could not afford to travel to other areas to have the procedure done. In one of the paintings, the anguish in the women’s face was so evident it really imprinted itself into my mind and truly made me think about the politics behind the issue. I think this part of the exhibit was very feminist because it hit on an issue that is very central to women no matter what race or ethnicity they happen to be. I feel that what makes something truly feminist is if it touches on political or social issues that are prominent in the everyday lives of women everywhere. I was very fond of the temporary exhibit but I did not find the permanent one quite as interesting. I think this was because none of the art was as shocking as that of the temporary exhibit. As a whole the museum was not feminist because not all of the art work made some sort of statement, but a fair amount of the pieces did.
At the National Museum of the American Indian and when I was approaching the building I was very amazed by the exterior design and the actual size. I assumed that the museum would be much smaller and under funded. When I got inside, I thought it was interesting that there was a performance area and that the building was so open. While walking around I noticed the unique design of the whole building. Everything seemed so authentic, even the drawings on and inside the elevators. While walking through the different exhibits I noticed that they weren’t specifically catered to women, but there was mention of women as prominent members of the tribe. The Identity by Design exhibit, however, was more catered toward women and was a showing of the Native women’s dresses which were very beautiful and filled with color. The Identity by Design exhibit could be considered feminist because it was a showing of women’s attire and how that attire was an expression of their culture. On the other hand, I do not think that it touch upon any specific issues that women deal with all over the world. While both arguments can be made, I feel as though the exhibit was somewhere in the middle because it was partially feminist but not entirely.
The next museum I visited was the National Gallery of Art which was also surprisingly large consisting of two separate buildings. There were many different kinds of exhibits which was very appealing. The more modern art was really interesting because I found myself questioning a lot of the pieces and wondering if it was, in actuality, considered art. A lot of the pieces were very intriguing and I found myself very interested in the paintings more so than anything else. While I had a great appreciation for the modern exhibit, when we moved on to the Renaissance and older pieces that’s when I found a lot of work that I honestly love, such as Rembrandt. What was thought-provoking about the Renaissance paintings was that they portrayed women in a very positive light, and almost every painting was of a woman or a baby as an angel. I consider this part of the exhibition to be feminist because I feel as though it draws people’s attention to a time period in which women were far more appreciated than they are now. This can help draw attention to the social issue of women being unequal in today’s society and show how times have changed.
The final museum I went to was the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. My initial thoughts were that this visit would be depressing and tedious. When we arrived and went to the permanent exhibit I was surprised at how well set up the entire showing was. There was a short clip on the elevator and once you left the elevator it was a bunch of different displays with different categories. Some of the historical objects that they had were extremely striking because it really made you realize just how many people were killed. For instance, there was a blown up picture of a pile of hair and the statistics stated that they had some thousand pounds of hair from the victims. I did not notice anything particularly feminine about this museum or the display but the atrocities occurred to a wide array of people so women were clearly affected by this.
At first I was unhappy with this assignment because it seemed rather time consuming. Even though it was, I was glad that it forced me to take the time out of my busy life to actually go to a museum and appreciate what it has to offer me. I think this was an overall positive experience because it really made me look within myself and realize what stereotypes I had engrained into my brain and how I came about having them. The museums had various feminine aspects to it and some of the exhibits were clearly feminist while some had subtle undertones of feminism incorporated within them. Before these visits, I thought that feminists were just an extremist group who thought that women should have equal rights to men. I soon came to the realization that feminism wasn’t just about equality to men, but it is also about women’s rights on social and political issues such as abortion. It showed me how assumptions and stereotypes usually stem from being uneducated on an issue or a group of people, and the importance of actually becoming educated in order to fully comprehend the topic at hand. Overall, I am very thankful for this assignment because it gave me a new understanding of the meaning of feminism and it opened my eyes to the fact that it can make a remarkable statement about the issues that are important not only my own life, but the lives of women all around the world.
List of Assumptions
I assumed that the Nationals Museum of Women and the Arts would have art that consisted of happy and girly things such as flowers
I assumed that a women’s museum would be dull and stereotypical
I assumed that the decorations of the building would be very plain and conservative
I assumed that not a lot of people would be there, especially males
I assumed that the National Museum of the American Indian would be much smaller and far more under funded
I assumed that there wouldn’t be any emphasis on feminism of women in the American Indian Museum
I assumed that the American Indian exhibits were going to be strictly historical
I assumed that the National Gallery of Art was only going to contain paintings and sculptures that were more mainstream rather than modern art
I assumed that I wouldn’t question whether or not any of the art work in the National Art Gallery was in fact art
I assumed that the Holocaust Museum was going to be very depressing and that it was just going to be historical occurrences written down and on display
Feminine Art
Brittany Taylor
WMST250
Section 0101
February 14, 2008
Assumptions
- I assumed that the National Museum of Women and the Arts would have mainly women in the paintings.
- I assumed that the works of art at the NMWA would all be gentle and delicate looking.
- I assumed that feminine art would be mostly about lesbians
- I assumed that the art would show women fighting for their rights (i.e. women in the work place)
- I assumed that the art wouldn’t be that interesting.
Feminism is defined as the doctrine advocating for social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men. When I think about the feminist movement, I think about women who have the desire to be independent. I think of women in the work place in suits and sitting behind desks. How ever this isn’t quite the ‘real’ definition of what feminism is. Feminism is merely the desire of equality. With this desire comes the decline of chivalry. I think I fall somewhere between feminist and its counterpart. I believe that there needs to be a balance of chivalry as well as equality. Yes men and women should receive the same pay for the same occupation.
These assumptions about feminism caused myself to make inferences about the museums I was about to visit. I went to the National Museum of Women and the Arts, the
I also visited the
Next I visited the
Finally I visited the National Museum of African Art. This museum did not have any feminist qualities about it. A lot of the pieces seemed more like ‘crafts’ or things that anyone could make. But what was interesting about them all was that they all seemed to be made from things from nature. For example, all of their tools were made out of wood, or stone. I just normally wouldn’t consider these things to be ‘art.’
Before I visited these museums, I never really would have considered most of these things to be art. I always figured that art was something that not just anyone could do. Feminism and art are two completely different subjects, but when they are incorporated together, they possess a whole new meaning. Feminine art is a way of expressing feminine views, be they radical or not. It has no boundaries. Feminine art influences our cultural, political, and tendencies that reflect our everyday lives. After seeing feminine art for what it truly is, I have a new found understanding of what feminism means.
Assingment #1
Katie King/WMST250
Sec#0101
2/14/08
Assumption of Women’s Art
What is feminism? When I first hear the word feminism I think of women who wants to be able to do whatever it is that men can do, but feminism is more than that. Feminism is a women’s right to express themselves in all different ways. Women express themselves because of the simple fact that they were not able to do so before. They rebel against what was once denied to them in the past. One of the ways that women express themselves is through art, like the saying a picture says a thousands word, and for women it can tell a story. The museums that I visited had various ways of promoting feminism. Some of the museums were more feminist than others. The museum I went to besides the two required ones were The National Gallery of Art Museum and Hirshhorn Museum.
During my visits to these various, I observed many things in contrast and related to feminism. The National American Indian Museum in my eyes was both feminist and, in a way not feminist. When I first walked into the museum I saw a lot of hand made jewelry. Jewelry to me does not seem very feminist because it’s girlie. You would expect women to like and want jewelry. If the jewelry were less fancy and more symbolic of a hardship that woman went through it would be more feminist. The section to me that was the most feminist out of the entire museum was the Identity by Design portion. This section included handmade designs made by the different Native American women who belong to different tribes. These dresses were theses women art. They told their stories through their design of the dress. While I was there I was able to talk to an American Indian woman who was actually making one of the dresses the women in her country wear. She told me that the women were only allowed to wear clothes that they made themselves and it took about four months to make an entire outfit. Mothers had to teach their daughters how to make an entire outfit by the age of twelve. A Native American woman by the name of Juanita states “My mom taught me that a lot of the dresses were reflection of what the people saw and what they had going on in their lives at the time. (Juanita, Growing Thunder Fogarty; Assihiboine/Sioux/2005)” This was a tradition between mother and daughters. A young girl’s completion of their first dress is what fully made them a woman. During the Ghost Dance Movement, women made Ghost Dance dresses, which was a way for women to speak out against the change that was being brought against them.
The National Women of Art Museum was a feminist museum. There was a series of pictures that showed a woman in pain and a woman with her legs spread open. At first I did not understand the picture, but after reading the caption, I understood that a woman was going through the process of abortion. Abortion was an act that women were not allowed to do according to the law. Most doctors would not perform this action. If a woman wanted an abortion she would have to do it herself or paid someone to do it secretly. The painting showing the process of abortion is very feminist because this is a stand for woman to speak out against what they feel is best for them to do. The morality of abortion is not the issue rather the right for a woman to make her own choice.
When I first heard about the Hirshhorn Museum I thought it would be a non-feminist museum. When I walked in to the museum, I was mistaken, and surprised to see that there was feminist art there. The first piece of art that helped to change my mind was the “Transformation Action” by Carolee Scheecham. This piece of art was a series of pictures, which displayed a naked woman with snakes and different creatures crawling all over her body. There was also a video at the museum titled “Blood and Feathers” This video showed a naked woman standing by a body of water pouring blood all over her body and then covering herself with feathers. These two pieces of art are feminist because they show women using their body as an art canvas, something they were not allowed to do. Although the images may be disturbing, the women displayed in these arts are expresses their strong feelings about an issue.
The National Gallery of Art Museum was not a feminist museum to me as a whole. Majority of the museum was not feminist in my point of view because there was no portion or art pieces that struck me as being feminist. The museum seemed to me to be a neutral. The art work that was there was for pleasure not really for expressing your feeling or giving the viewers a sense of identity about themselves. The only thing at this museum that made me realize feminist ways was the fact the majority of the time that you did see a woman painting or any art figure they were naked. These women being naked are feminist because in the earlier days woman were not allowed to show of their body; they always had to be covered up. These arts allowed women to express themselves through their body. They could finally be free to expose their body for the art that it is. The other thing that I noticed was the fact that when I did see a painting of a woman, it would be a women’s face with a man’s body. This symbolizes the equality that woman think of between a man and a woman. Women were not always considered equal to male; even now society sometimes still put males on a higher stool than females. Those art showed that woman can do what it is a man can do. It is not all about the physical appearance but instead what is on the inside and how much you know.
In conclusion I learned more and also reinforced my understanding of women’s art and feminism. Majority of my assumption were correct, not to say that I know everything about feminism and their art, because there is still a lot to learn. I learned a lot about feminism and its presence at the various museums. Most of the art work expressed the feeling about an issue whether or not the topic is controversial.
My List of Assumption
1) I assumed I would pictures of woman from the “1960s”, like hippies
2) I assumed to see art that would address lesbians.
3) I assumed that the feminist art would show art that represents the hardships of woman.
4) I assumed that the art will not simple pretty paintings, such as a vase of flowers.
5) I assumed that I would see art that would be exposing women’s body. 6) I assumed that I would see pictures of bashing men.
Experience Reflection
As a student of liberal education, I find that it is crucial to study and define concepts such as art and feminism to better understand my immediate world. After having explored the National Museum of Women and the Arts, the National Museum of the American Indians, The National Museum of African Art, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, I have, in many ways, pigeonholed many of my assumptions of art and feminism as well as found many new connections between them. By considering each separately, the relationship between art and feminism become clear.
One of the common assumptions which drive public opinion of any form of art is the idea that it can’t be functional. Before perusing the Women and Art museum, American Indian museum, African Art museum and Hirshhorn Museum, I shared this assumption. The National Museum of Women and the Arts incorporated many pieces which conveyed several strong ideas of Women’s roles and experiences. The artist that I spent the most time analyzing was Paula Rego, who was born in Portugal and inspired by surrealism. The museum booklet explores the idea that Paula Rego’s, “suggestive forms and titles alludes to her distress over political tensions in her native Portugal and her general distaste for bourgeois culture (pg 10)” which captures the idea of the link between the personal and political. In this connection lies the functionality of women’s art or feminist art; it allows for the unrestricted expression of personal reflection and reaction to the political climate.
Similarly, the National Museum of the American Indians provided a window into the art of dress making in the Identity by Design exhibit. The dresses were surprisingly well decorated with many different materials. All were, as expected, conservative to match the passive Native American culture. More importantly, even though the dresses are now cherished as ancient art, they were actually worn. Furthermore the dresses conveyed anything from class to maturity to the relations with the colonists. I found it amazing that no matter how oppressed they were by the colonists, the Native women still incorporated the American flag into dresses further highlighting the passive and accepting nature of the Natives. The dresses therefore allowed women to get involved in many aspect of their society such as taking care of the family, honoring elite warriors, and keeping an ancient and rich culture alive.
The Museum of African Art was one where the idea of functionality was truly obvious. The displays were based on many aspects of society and were presented in an organized manner. There were several pieces such as the door carvings, the ivory armlet, and statues representing the Guan organization which clearly were not intended to be art work. While it is possible that the African people really do cherish each of those pieces as art today, it seems more likely that the curator of the exhibit intended more to open a window into their daily culture of various regions in Africa. The museum guide provided further explanation to many of the sculptures; I thought the ivri statue, which is used in Niger to help people control their temper, was most interesting. In this case, the pieces which I analyzed were functional before they were considered art. However, I do still believe them to be art as they involve some technical skill and convey a message about the various cultures of Africa.
Finally, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden provided a more direct look at art. While the recommended exhibit was closed, I did get to see a few pieces contrasting a few basic colors. The piece, ‘Red, Yellow, Blue V” was a rectangular canvas divided into three sections each covered in an opaque layer of each of the three aforementioned colors. This particular piece initially looked like nothing but on further contemplation, I understood that sometimes beauty is in the most basic form of a medium. For example in music, the most basic song is still artistically significant and so a painting of the most basic color pallet is still art. Modern art is often unclear and therefore underappreciated; however, its function is fifty percent expression of ideology and fifty percent technical skill. As long as the viewer can relate to the art work in some way, it succeeds at being art.
Now, I turn my attention to defining and exploring feminism. The two museums which lent themselves to this subject were the National Museum of Women and the Arts as well as the Museum of the American Indian. My main assumption from which my other assumptions stemmed was that anything related to feminism would follow the general stereotypes of women. I was pleased to find pieces that agreed and surprised to find pieces that disagreed with my assumption.
While I was convinced that the Museum of Women and the Arts would channel the elegance of women and their animosity towards men, I saw many pieces that proved quiet the opposite. As far as elegance, there were pieces that celebrated the elegance and poise of the female sex; these pieces included beautiful settings, attention to detail and a sense of perfection or an ideal. There were also, however, several pieces by Paula Rego which portrayed women exemplifying very masculine features conveying a sense of women empowerment or the false interpretation of feminism. Finally the animosity towards men was very present in animalistic degradation of the male sex. In some exhibits however, the lack of male figures in the artwork conveyed a true sense of feminism where the focus is not on over powering male dominance but to celebrate the female potential. While stereotypes have and will always guide public opinion of feminism, it is absolutely essential to avoid seeing only the stereotypes in every piece.
The Museum of American Indians and the Identity by Design exhibit reflected and challenged many stereotypes of (native) women which dictate their subservience and limited roles/creativity. Immediately after entering the exhibit I found that native women are actually organized into many classes based on wealth and social roles indicated by the style of dress they wore. As mentioned in the art portion of my reflection, dress making gave native women a medium through which they could to get involved and be empowered to act independently and creatively. Examples of this independence are the War Bonnet Society and War Mothers Society, through which native women reclaimed the right to dance. As I walked through the exhibit I realized that the beautifully crafted dresses indicate political, religious, spiritual, familial, and marital involvement of Native women in their communities. By looking beyond the stereotypes of native women, I have found that even in their passivity, Native American women embody a pure and strong sense of feminism where feminism is the celebration of female role.
After having considered art and feminism separately, it is important to consider the link between the two. In many ways feminism is an art form and a style of expressing ideas. In other ways art is a platform for feminist philosophy. It is important to recognize that feminism, like art, transcends all cultural, national, and ideological boundaries. The true link between art and feminism is found in the functionality of feminist art where the political is personal and all stereotypes dissolve to reveal beautifully crafted ideas of women empowerment, the female role, and a celebration of women everywhere.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Feminism and Art Essay ( Assign.1)
Feminism and Art
Webster’s Dictionary formally defines art as “the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.” I believe that art exists in a dichotomy of the artist’s personal significance along with the broader social interpretation of the piece. Although art is easily defined as something beautiful or appealing, it is very subjective. Often times, the artist and the viewer have varying opinions about artwork because, the viewer beings his or her own personality and experiences into the piece. This personal attachment to a piece of artwork may or may not agree with what the artist was trying to convey. On the other hand, feminism is an idea that is not as subjective as art. However, it can be expressed many different ways; from speeches and protests, to feminism in paintings and sculptures. When I went to the museums in Washington D.C., I experienced feminism in art first-hand. Before visiting the museums, my assumptions about feminism were confirmed and rejected.
When our group went to our first museum; The National Museum of American Indians, I saw many exhibits that pertained to women in American Indian culture. We saw the “Identity by Design,” exhibit. I had assumed that American Indian women and feminist women were conservative. This assumption was confirmed when I saw the kinds of dresses that ladies wore. The dresses covered the chest, shoulders, and most of the legs. Although I knew that the style would be conservative, I thought the dresses were also supposed to be simple and not as fashionable. I thought this because; I assumed that women that follow feminism were not into fashion trends. I was proved wrong when American Indian women’s “dress styles evolved within the tribes.” As I saw the decoration increase in dresses as time moved forward, the exhibits showed that women expressed themselves and did not dress as simple as I had thought they would. Also, I assumed that women were also very submissive to men in American Indian culture. Although at times women were submissive to men, women also expressed their inner inhibitions by making “ghost dance dresses.” These dresses were reminders of memories (tragic memories or happy memories) and were a collective effort for Native American women to speak out against the rapid cultural changes that were forced upon them. My assumption of submissive women was nullified when I saw these beautiful ghost dresses. Before I visited this museum, I thought that art only consisted of paintings and sculptures. I had never thought that dresses could be a form of art. Through the obvious art of making dresses, women in American Indian culture expressed themselves and their thoughts in an artistic manner.
Our next museum was the National Museum of Women and the Arts. The first exhibit we saw was the Paula Rego exhibit. I knew that this museum was going to display the kind of art that I was used to: paintings. In this exhibit, I was surprised to see that women were not portrayed as beautiful. Since it was an art museum about women, I assumed and expected that women were going to portray feminism, but they would portray it looking beautiful and fragile. However, in this specific exhibit, women were portrayed as doing feminine things. However, they looked very masculine. Each woman had muscles, and a body frame built like a man’s. Two particular paired paintings made me realize that my assumption that feminism was more about women dominating in everything, rather than equality of the sexes. The two paintings called “The Red Monkey Beats his Wife, 1951,” and the “Wife cuts off Red Monkey’s Tail, 1951,” showed that feminist women think of men as animals and think that they should dominate instead of the men or the “red monkeys.” This main assumption was also proven wrong when I noticed that there were many paintings that showed women with animals. Women were portrayed as having sex with a dog, or just walking on a street with an animal. These paintings further proved that feminist women think that men are animals and that women should dominate rather than be equal with men.
The two other museums we went to, Hirschorn and The National Museum of African Art didn’t show much about feminism to me. However, my assumptions about art were confirmed and rejected. In particular, at the Hirschorn museum, the painting “RedYellowBlue,” looked like art that a small child could do. I assumed that modern art was abstract and difficult to understand at first glance, and I was correct. Although this painting looked like a child painted it, when I looked at it closer I could see why it was called art. Although this painting was just blocks of red, yellow, and blue I thought it showed the basic principles of art. The painter used primary colors and showed in such a simple way, the colors that make the colors of the world. When you mix the three colors that the painter chose, you can get any color of the rainbow. This proved my assumption wrong and showed me that abstract art can also have a deeper meaning, rather than just colors on a canvas. Furthermore, The National Museum of African Art showed me that my assumption that art has to have color and look beautiful to be appeal was incorrect. Every art sculpture that we saw in this museum was made out of wood, iron, or stone. Before I saw these art displays, I would have never thought that it was art. However, I saw the deeper meaning behind each sculpture after close examination. My assumptions about art were mostly nullified from these museums, but I learned a lot about art as well.
Through the experiences and exhibits at the four museums that my group and I visited, many of my assumptions were rejected while some of them were correct. I believe these museums, especially the National Museum of Woman and Art, and The National Museum of Native Americans expressed the true meaning of “the personal is political.” The paintings at the Women and Art museum showed that many feminine activities (such as abortions) and issues becomes a part of politics. This idea was also displayed at the Native American museum when politics were displayed in the dresses that women wore. Also, my assumption that art is only paintings and color was nullified as I learned that there are many different forms of art. I have a new view on feminism of art from this experience.
Assignment 1: Drawing Up Assumptions
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Welcome
Peace Y’all. Welcome to our class blog.
Section Focus:
This section is unique – not only because each one of us brings our own intellectual, technological, and creative strengths, but also because it will be team taught by Maren Cummings and Maria Valazquez. So, there is 
double the fun, and double the creative activities J We are both interested in dance and embodiment- meaning the study of the way particular bodies are understood in and by societies. Thus, a main aspect and focus of the section will be movement activities (so please come to section prepared to move), and activities that ask you to stretch your definitions of knowledge past the page. We encourage everyone to move according to their own ability, but to be open to trying new activities.
We are all coming into this section with knowledge to share and something to learn, and it is up to all of us to make this section a safe space for growing together. While we as TAs have particular roots for our knowledge, so do you. As noted in the Subject in History activity, we have all been formed as subjects in history because of the particular experiences we have had at a particular time, in a particular space, and in a particular body. So, please value your contributions as much as we do.
Here are some basic guidelines for our discussions:
- Knowledge is created by people working together in constructive dialogue, so, when you don’t attend class or come to class not having done the readings, it is not only detrimental to your own knowledge production, but to all of ours.
- Audre Lorde says, “Your silence will not protect you.” In the context of this course, this statement means that we should all feel enabled to vocalize our frustrations, confusion, and dissent, as well as our concrete knowledge.
- “The personal is political”- so living and learning are inseparable. The ideas that we discuss in class have direct bearing on our personal philosophies and our daily lives. And reciprocally, current events inform and update our in –class discussions. So bring in any material you find relevant to the course or the blog, and use the analytical skills you develop in this class wherever you go.
- Don’t be afraid to re-evaluate your values, or express them.
- Notice who is in the course and who is not. What voices are missing from this course, whether in person, text, or performance?
Disembodied Learning: What is the point of the blog?
So, if a main aspect of this section is going to focus on how bodies are read, created, and constructed by society, what does it mean that part of our learning process take place in a space where bodies can’t be seen? Well, it is as important to understand how bodies are understood when they are seen as when they are not seen. The personas you enact on the blog may not necessarily be how you act in the class- a shy person may feel more comfortable contributing on the blog than in section, a person with more internet savy may post videos, pictures, and links. The blog space should complement and add to our discussions. After each class I would like to spend the last few minutes brainstorming “Questions to Go”- meaning concepts that are still unclear to you, a comment that did not get addressed, or a quote from a text/ picture that you would like to explore in the next class. We will choose one and post it on the blog for people to begin answering before the next section. In this sense, we will come into each discussion section with an entry point to build off of.
It is imperative that we all check the blog regularly, because:
- YOU MUST POST YOUR PAPERS AND ASSIGNMENTS ON THE BLOG. This means that you shouldn’t put anything in your paper that you consider too personal to be made public. Your assignment will not be graded until it has been posted.
- Knowing how to incorporate technology into learning and learning into technology is a must.
- It is a space for us to keep our discussions going and post announcements.
CONTACT:
Please feel free to contact Maren at mabcummings@gmail.com or Maria at maria.i.velazquez@gmail.com. We are not holding set office hours, so please contact us to schedule meeting times. One or both of us will be available between the discussion section and the class lecture (between 1:30-1:50pm) as well.
Announcements:
- If you didn’t get enough of the museum madness this past week, keep going! There is an amazing exhibit on Hip Hop at the National Portrait Gallery. Entitled, “Recognize” this exhibit on Hip Hop and contemporary portraiture archives some of the The exhibit runs until October 26, 2008. FREE!
- Our very own David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans (located in the Cole Student Activities Building) is hosting a conference on African American Art history. March 7 & 8, 2008. For more information click here.