Art Experience

I went and visited the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, there was one piece there that specifically caught my eye, it was called the "Water Piece: For Michael" by Lee Kelley. It was a pretty interesting piece, it was basically a kind of statue that was completely made of stainless steel and had different pieces all wrapped up to make a certain shape. To me, it looked like a a horse facing high up in the air like one of those classic western movies after the hero does something great and pulls his horse high into the air before riding off into the sunset. It looked like a pretty complex piece of work considering the materials that were used, it must have not been easy to shape pieces of steel like that.
After researching Lee Kelly, I found out that he is one of the Northwest's most famous sculptors, also that he mainly uses either stainless steel or Cor-ten steel for his work, so it should be of no surprise that the work of his that I saw was made of stainless steel as well. He is known for creating great obelisks, Japanese torrii gates and big tables. He also takes pride in having his work try and express some type of great warmth and sense of humor with his great steel structures. It was very intersting to learn about him and see this type of artwork rather than see more traditional pieces of works such as paintings or drawings.

Remixing using Google

My keywords to describe what I think it means to be an artist are: emotions (top left), Freedom (top right), beauty (bottom left), creativity (bottom right), and unique (background)

spirituality and creativity

To me, spirituality is something that is strongly tied into religion. I believe spirituality is getting in touch with this like other side of yourself that is based on faith and your belief in things that seem outside of this world. I think spirituality can mean so many things it is hard for anyone one person to explain, it could be how you may strongly believe in something or it could simply be the way you feel when your outside going for a walk deep in the woods and just enjoying nature. I am sure there are many ways that spirituality may differ from religion but to me, the two go hand in hand, maybe its because I grew up in a very catholic society and environment since I went to a private school too.
Creativity is the ability to do or think of something that is unique and special to you that no one else has done in your way. I think it is something that can not be shared unless that person chooses to do so since it is her or his creativity and it only belongs to them until they do otherwise with it. I believe that creativity stems from your knowledge and experience. I think we draw from our past and through the lessons and things we have learned we come up with our own thoughts and ideas which are our creations based on the things we know and understand. I definitely do not think that creativity can be taught, I feel that it is definitely something that only can be learned through time by the person because someone just teaches you something, then there is nothing really creative about that because it did not come from you, it came from the person that taught you it.

Fear as fun

Another article I came across was one by Terrence Rafferty of the New York Times which was entitled, “The Thinking Reader’s Guide to Fear.” Rafferty decided to take a pretty simplistic approach to it. Other than trying to dive deep into why “the way in which the artistic presentation of normally aversive events and objects can give rise to pleasure or can compel our interests,” as stated by Carrol, Rafferty just says to enjoy horror if its something you like and to go away from it if it is not. Rafferty goes on just to say that horror to him is like an extended amusement park ride, he says he can tell you many reasons why its enjoyable, but again, that does not necessarily mean its for everyone. Basically, Rafferty is expressing that if horror is your thing, then come along and enjoy the ride, if not, then that is okay too.

I think this type of approach is compelling because I think for the most part that horror films are made for people to enjoy, I really doubt that film makers truly want to mess with people’s minds to the points where they can never go to sleep again or never be able to take a walk down a long dark road near the forest. I feel at times that yes, horror films are indeed an art and those who create it should be well respected for their work, but at the same time I find it amazing how people can go so deep into a subject which I never thought of to be so complex. I always thought of movies as just movies, I never thought about all the details and theories/themes that go into it, I just like being entertained but looking at some of the things people have written about different genres of movies, it almost feels like there is a whole other world out there that I have missing out on.

Bibliography:

Rafferty, T. (n.d.). The Thinking Reader's Guide to Fear. Retrieved May 2, 2007, from

     http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/04/books/review/

     04rafferty.html?ex=1307073600&en=0ec84e8fc96e6257&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&e  

     mc=rss 

Why we like scary movies

I came across a very interesting article which was written by a professor Leon Rappoport from Kansas State University. The goal of his article was to express his opinion as to why humans enjoy watching horror films. He claims that humans as humans develop and get older we get use to things becoming safe and secure. He goes on to talk about how horror movies are one way for which we dare ourselves to escape this security. Its kind of like the same reasons why we would kids use to stay up late after bedtime to tell ghost stories, we have this rebellious side inside of us which needs to be released at one time or another so that we can feel truly alive. Rappoport also claims that this type of attitude is especially apparent amongst teenagers since they have not yet reached the age of 18 or 21 when they have more freedom to do what they want.

I think this analysis of horror movies is pretty interesting, I never thought of watching horror movies as some philosophical idea about the growth of humans. I always just thought of it as people who loved to get a thrill out of being scared. I am not sure if I really agree with Rappoport’s claim but it is definitely an intriguing idea. I personally like to think of horror films as Noel Carrol when he stated, “It engages its audience by being involved in processes of disclosure, discovery, proof, explanation, hypothesis, and confirmation. The idea that horror movies present this story which triggers our curiosity I think is very legit, these movies make us time and time again ask questions like, how can someone possible get away with this? Or, how are they going to get caught and is it possible? Every step of the way pulling us into the storyline. All in all, I think there are very many ways to interpret horror films, whether it be from a philosophical point of you or just from a simple one, horror films are made for entertaining thrill ride and I think that is why people like them.

Bibliography:

Rappoport, L. (n.d.). Why we like to watch scary movies. Retrieved May 2, 2007, from

     http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/WEB/News/NewsReleases/listscarymovies.html 

Personal Adornment Reflection

To me, my everyday clothing that I wear is really not an expression of anything other than that I do not really put any thought into it at all. On a normal school day, I usually will wear one of three things, a grey, white or black pair of sweats, my warm-ups for tennis, or occasionally a pair of jeans, all of these with just some random t-shirt and hoodie. I guess if there was any type of expression to what I wear it is just that I am pretty laid back about everything, I honestly do not put a lot of thought into many material things. I think that the reason for these choices stem from being raised on the beliefs that you should always be happy with who you are and should not have to go out of your way just to please other people, whether it be the clothing that you wear or how you act, just be yourself and do what you want. That mentality really has not changed for me much over the years, I believe that everyone does go through a phase most likely sometime around middle school where they feel that they have to attend to the latest trends and accessories so that they feel that they can fit in with the rest of the crowd. But other than that I feel like everyone figures out their own identity and will stay true to that.
When thinking about the core values shared in my family about the way one should dress, I remember just always being told that it does not really matter what you wear as long as you look presentable and clean. The reason being for this is that you should always take pride in yourself and one of the ways to show that is to dress in a presentable manner, now this does not mean wearing a suit and tie everywhere, but just being sure you do not look too trashy. Looking around campus at the what the core values of my peers may be, it seems like everyone just wears and does what they feel like. The community for the most part looks and has a very relaxed feel. I think that is basically the main message that can be seen in the community is that everyone has their own identity and will reflect that in any way they please.

Food as Art

Food has obviously been around as far back as we can remember as it is a vital part of life. So it should come as no surprise that it has had some type of impact on all different facets and interests in life, including art. In the article “Appetizing art: from chocolate syrup to corn chips, food is being used as an artistic material by a growing number of contemporary artists,” by Vanessa Silberman, this very idea of food of art is taken a deeper look into. Silberman begins the article explaining that the use of food as an art form has been around since the early 20^th century when she states that Daidaists, Surrealists and Futurists all began using food as a medium for their creative minds. It has even reached a point where the artistic work surrounding food can be found in various museums and art galleries, food as art is apparent everywhere. An example she used was an exhibition recently at Harvard University where one could find more than 50 different kinds of sculptures and other artistic creations made through food. Silberman then tops off the article by speaking how artists are using food to express many different kinds of ideas and feelings, whether it be about gender roles or eating disorders, food can speak so many different languages.
Food as art is not merely a question, but rather an assumption, as proven by its historical uses, food has been used to express ones feelings and beliefs. People encounter food every day of their life, it would be nearly impossible not to make some type of connection with food. Food is also a way through which people can connect, whether it be family dinners or large gatherings, the way a host prepares food can be an expression of how much they care for the people for which they have invited. It is also important to remember that people can share their cultural backgrounds with one another through food as different parts of the world may prepare dishes in unique ways. Indeed, food as art is something which is very true and can be found everywhere in the world.

Bibliography:

Silberman, Vanessa. "Appetizing art: from chocolate syrup to corn chips, food is being    
     used as anartistic material by a growing number of contemporary artists." Look Smart:   
     Find Articles: Where to look for what you need. May 2002. 18 Apr. 2002 
     . 

Slow Food

It is interesting to think about the thought people put into what they eat, especially if someone goes to fast food often. Obviously, the thought put in must not be very much considering the health hazards that are presented by fast food in every bite. This very idea is stressed greatly in the article “Slow food: take time to savor the flavor-international Slow Food movement,” by Alexandra Greeley. In the article, Greeley presents the argument favoring slow food by telling a story about a man from Italy who has been very opposed to the opening of a McDonalds in 1986 in his favorite piazza in Rome. He decided that something had to be done to counter the fast food influence on a great historical site in Rome, so he started the original branch of Slow Food movement in Cuneo, Italy. Greeley states that statistics show that as of 4 years ago, in 2003, the movement’s population had reached over 80,000 people, one can only imagine what that statistic would read today. Greeley then goes on to defend the importance of the Slow Food movement, such important points including the preservation of food traditions and the informing of what is healthy and important to eat so that people can live longer and healthier lives.
This article was a great analysis of what has become of the fast food craze all over the world. People have taken such a great liking to fast food that they do not even realize what they are doing to their bodies. The Slow Food movement seems to be something that more people should consider. Not only does it help bring back the importance of the nutritional benefits of food, but it also touches on creativity and pride one can take in the food they prepare. In a way, it really can bring back what makes food so special and how it can be eaten and enjoyed the right way, rather than just looking at it as a necessity for which we should consume as fast as we can.

Bibliography:

Greeley, Alexandra. "Slow food: take time to savor the flavor-international Slow Food 
     movement." Look Smart: Find Articles, Where to look for what you need. Sept. 2003. 
     18 Apr. 2007 . 

Life Values Assignment

As I think about my activities that I went through today and my ordered list of 20 values, I would have to say that the main values that I used today were health, community, loyalty and personal development. Interestingly enough, my top 5 values were all included in my activities today. Before I go into why these values are apparent I will talk about my activities today. It was a pretty normal day, got up this morning and went straight to school for a few classes, followed shortly thereafter by afternoon practice with my teammates. My top 5 life values are Family, Loyalty, Friendship, Health and Enjoyment.
By going to school I felt like I was challenging myself to grow which would satisfy the value of personal development. Most of the values I experienced today came during practice with my teammates. By being out there with them, I feel like we are all striving to reach a common goal. In a way, they are my family and I think everyone would agree that we all feel a sense of loyalty for one another and of course we all do it to help benefit our personal health through exercise and we all enjoy it greatly, thus fulfilling another two values. So basically aI feel pretty successful in pursuing my top 5 values today.

cycling

So I came across this article concerning steriods and cycling which can be seen here http://le-grimpeur.net/blog/archives/14. I find it interesting how apparent steroids are becoming in all sports especially baseball as of late. Now that I think about it being used in cycling it makes me wonder how many of the great cyclists of the past used it as well including Lance Armstrong.