I would not post this if I did not think it was worth your time and the effort of clicking >play>
12.03.2013
Curator's Statement | FAQ
Why have you burdened me with this task?
- It's a requirement of the course
- Refining your ability to describe artistic works is a critical skill. As an artist you will be called upon to not only describe pieces of work, but articulate how they go together.
- At Cornish, you will be well served to develop an interdisciplinary arts vocabulary.
How many pages should my proposal be?
Your proposal should be at least five-typed double-spaced pages, with 1” margins.
What should my proposal contain?
- A Title. Put some thought into this, as you would in titling an original composition
- A clear statement of your intended focus and purpose
- A concise discussion of the subject and contents
- A rationale for choosing the topic
What structure should I follow?
The first paragraph is critical. What are the details people should know? You are trying to immediately inform and capture the attention of a visitor. Define the topic, the scope of your exhibition (years, regions, people, movements), and state the purpose. That’s a lot to pack into one paragraph. Be direct and efficient.
The following paragraphs are up to you, but my suggestion would be:
- You might take 3 paragraphs to describe the importance of the topic. Why should this interest someone?
- The body of the paper (5 or so paragraphs) should describe the contents of the show. You might choose to lay out the different components of the program. Alternatively, you might organize this section according to different themes that run throughout your retrospective.
- In 2-3 paragraphs, you could state the goals and intentions of your retrospective. This might also serve to conclude your proposal. Importantly, be conscientious about your organization. What do you need to say and how are you going to devote space to saying it?
Do I have to include everything?
By now, you should have enough material to fill out the requisite spaces at the College. You don’t need to list or describe every element of a gallery show or performance. Choose the ones that best describe, to you, the purpose of your exhibit. The curator’s statement for the Gauguin show (linked below) is instructive as to content, voice, and level of detail.
Who is my audience?
You should address your proposal to an audience that is literate in the arts, but not necessarily fully informed about the individuals and artists you are discussing. Your voice should be formal and confident. Avoid the first person, “I.” The whole document is a reflection of your ideas.
Will you look over an outline, first paragraph, or draft?
Yes, gladly. The writing center is also a great resource for a project like this.
Where can I read more suggestions?
Any flyer or playbill you receive at a professional show might provide a model for this kind of writing. How does the curator, producer, choreographer, etc describe the selections they’ve chosen to put on display? Here are a few examples, taken largely from realm of the visual arts.
Guidelines from the RISD writing center (they have a shorter length in mind, but the idea is there)
And Another Thing (a bit vague, but interesting content)
What are you looking for in a good proposal?
First, polish and completeness. Second, a working knowledge of your topic and the contents (in your own words). Third, I want to see you synthesize these pieces. How do they go together? Do they interact and speak to one another? Perhaps they present a contrasting image of the same topic.
When is it due?
Check the schedule
11.26.2013
I want to talk about these questions today
1. Let’s make a list. Where was the clothing you are currently wearing manufactured?
2. According to Kincaid, what is the island that most tourists see when they visit Antigua? Is that an accurate image? How so?
3. Kincaid seems to imply that “a small place” like Antigua has difficulty competing in a big world. Describe the economic state of the island nation (c.1988). How does she explain that situation?
4. According to the author, why do the locals have such a disdain for Antiguan tourists?
5. Ultimately, what do you think Kincaid wants the (Western) reader to understand or do?
6. If you're interested, this photo series by Michael Wolf is pretty amazing:
6. If you're interested, this photo series by Michael Wolf is pretty amazing:
New York City LEDs the Way to a Brighter Future
 |
| NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg proudly displays LED streetlight replacement |
The city that never sleeps may be able to rest easier knowing that it is making a simple, highly effective and profitable step toward its goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2017. The NYC Department of Transportation has started on its plan to replace all 250,000 of its streetlights with light-emitting diode fixtures. LEDs are brighter, energy efficient, and last 20 years rather than the 6 years of a conventional fixture. The project cost is estimated at 76.5 million dollars and has an anticipated annual savings of 14 million dollars a year, meaning that this effort is likely to pay for itself in less than 6 years.
Because the massive retrofitting is going to save taxpayers money, it's the type of environmentally positive step that begets nearly unanimous public approval. The project began as a wildly successful pilot program in 2009, and 3,625 lights have already been replaced in Manhattan and Brooklyn. It's great to see NYC administration making positive changes with energy efficient technology that is readily available, and I'm excited for other administrations to follow New York's enlightened lead.
Read more about it HERE.
11.21.2013
$50 Billion Games
They're hoping that this would bring more tourists to Sochi especially since they're expecting a Formula One race to happen in the near future, along with the promotion of their farmer's market, local winery, branding tasting, and Scorpions concert.
“When you bring such big events to a country, they leave a legacy that includes infrastructure, optimism, jobs and, sometimes, even new industries like sports marketing,” said Zoran Vucinic, president of Coca-Cola’s Russia, Belarus and Ukraine Unit.
The American "Dream"
Earlier this week House
Speaker John Boehner announced that the House would not be considering
immigration reform this year. President Obama, earlier this year, said that
immigration reform would be something that would come to light before the
year’s up, but the House replies that there simply not enough time to enact
something expansive enough to cover all aspects of citizenship. In fact it
seems like the US is working in opposition to this aspired equality.
This article states
that last year President Obama deported over 400,000 people, tearing families
apart and also creating more means for protest and activism on behalf of
immigrants. On June 25 the Supreme Court shut down the Voting Rights Act, which
allowed states like Texas to reinstate the strict voter ID laws, ultimately
restricting immigrants from voting who are citizens but don’t have the correct
ID to be able to vote. A chain reaction across the United States has occurred
where more voter ID laws and "show me your papers” accusations are becoming
reinforced.
These laws are more
constrictive to our citizens of color and many are comparing this to the
discrimination given when citizenship was first granted and the eligibility to
vote was given. It seems that once a rung is acquired in the latter to equality
the US finds a way to demolish that progress by taking care of another issue.
The article also
touches on the American Dream and I think it's funny that the American Dream is
so tangible to some but nobody really understands what it is. It also seems
that the funnel to get the American Dream is so narrow, you have to fit all of
these qualifications in order to even consider for yourself that you’re living
the American Dream. I feel when something has so many qualifiers and many
people aspiring to obtain it, but the “it” the “dream,” the concept of it is cloudy
and unclear, that it no longer becomes a dream, but more so a myth. Where all
trying to live the American Folklore.
Optimism Only Goes So Far
The President was also quoted saying, "I am actually optimistic that we’re going to get this done. I’m a general optimist.” But, optimism only goes so far. Those 11 million people living in constant terror aren't feeling very optimistic at the moment. Those 50 million people living in poverty in the U.S today, who could be substantially helped by an improved economy, aren't feeling very optimistic right now. I understand that there may be a different way to approach immigration reform, and this could turn out to be the way. However if and when the majority of the house gets away with denying the parts of immigration reform that could actually make a difference, I don't think the President will be feeling so optimistic.
http://www.ibtimes.com/immigration-reform-bill-2013-obama-says-piecemeal-deal-1477808
11.20.2013
11.19.2013
Let’s Play a Game! Let’s Play, ‘Catch an Illegal Immigrant!”
The oh-so-endearing campus of University of Texas at Austin
planned a game for students to participate in this Wednesday. The fabulously
named student group, the Young Conservatives of Texas (a title that really
encompasses everything I’m attracted to in a student group!*) thinks that by
playing a game called “Catch an Illegal Immigrant” they will be the leaders to
“spark a campus-wide discussion about the issue of illegal immigration, and how
it affects our everyday lives.” The game, simply, is to look out for students
walking around campus on Wednesday wearing a shirt or sign that says “illegal
immigrant”, capture them, and take them to the recruiting table for the Young
Conservatives of Texas where they will receive a $25 gift card. For….something.
An unspecified $25 gift card. So not only are these students planning a game
that is, in my opinion, one of the most fucked up and childish things to do when
targeting a very real issue, they are also monetarily rewarding the student
body for their participation in this fucked up and childish “game”. And on top
of that, the game does not address
the issue they stated they wanted to spark discussion about in any sort of intellectual or
creative manner whatsoever. How does capturing human beings and
trading them in for money educate anyone on
your campus as to how illegal immigration “affects our everyday lives?” And who says "gift card" without saying where it's even for, anyway?
Despite the fact that over 150 people said (via Facebook)
that they would be participating in the game, the game has gotten enough of an
overwhelmingly negative response, with outrage from the school and politicians
included, that my second article announces the cancelation of the game.
Just another reason as to why we should use all of Texas as
just one giant solar panel to produce enough energy for the entire world. And
why CASCADIA NOW!
*I do hope the sarcasm is obvious here and my classmates do
not think I’m interested in joining the Young Conservatives of Texas.
Trouble in the Amazon
The Amazon rainforest covers
more than 2 million square miles of the Amazon Basin. Connecting nine countries:
including Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, the Amazon accounts for more than half of
our planet’s rainforests. Preserving
this forest is essential for fighting global warming and protecting many endangered
species.
13% of the rainforest
covers more than half of Peru and laws have been established on preserving this
crucial natural resource. Today, illegal logging is in full swing and will soon
become destructive to the Earth’s environment if nothing is changed. About 80%
of Peru’s logging exports to the United States are illegal. Even with these new
laws for protecting the land, many officials and industries are incredibly
corrupt. Secret lumber farms spring up deep in the jungle and if a government
official stumbles upon it, most of the time they are bribed to look the other
way. The States and Australia have banned illegal lumber but it is not enough
without a stand by the authorities of Peru.
This is the
kind of situation where I’d like to hope humanity would settle in. Though, I can
understand how some of these “corrupted” Peruvian officials become “corrupted”.
If one man turned in a major illegal industry the judge may still even pass
them off as clean and he could lose his job. Instead of that hassle he could
lie and earn upwards to $5,000. It’s just the matter that in the long run it affects
everyone on this planet.
Hey, who turned out the lights??
A tourist attraction in Puerto Rico
known as the glowing lagoon has suddenly gone dark!!!! This lagoon lies on the
northeast side of the island but what many are baffled about is what is causing
this lagoon to go dark. What causes the glow is bioluminescent organisms in the
water. A few of the hypostasis for the lac in shine is of the cutting down of
the mangrove trees to clear out more paths in the forest, but it is more likely
caused by the building of a new sewage and water plant near buy. They believe the
excess water flowing into the “bay”, as it is also known is disrupting the life
cycle by caring excess water and pollution into the water. What I find to be so
interesting is how buy humans modernizing how many other beautiful things in
the world are going to be lost or destroyed in the proses, and what job is it
for us as humans to protect these wonders of our world.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/19/puerto-rico-bioluminescent-lagoon_n_4304522.html?utm_hp_ref=green
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