thesis update

This is an update on where we are on the Thesis class, please keep reading till the end as there is information on our next class. On Friday 13 November we collected everyone's draft thesis proposals. Those people who did not have the ten annotated images and the annotated bibliography of books, articles, poems, novels etc. need to put the revised printed proposal in my mail box for tomorrow Wednesday 18. The same goes for those of you who missed class. The specifications, as discussed in class are here on the second page of the pdf. http://bfathesis.blogspot.com/2009/09/download-revised-thesis-syllabus.html

We also asked people to do a blog review of the first year MFA show in the gallery, paying particular attention to the way in which the space was used and the pieces worked, or didn't work, in the space. This show is not curated, students are simply assigned a space and have to hang a show. Think about how you would have arranged the show. That should be posted asap, we asked the students who were in class on Friday to post it by that evening. Some of these are up and I have read some really thoughtful responses. We will discuss what we can learn from this series of Mason Gross shows in class.

Students also collected the resumes and artist statements that they had handed in previously. Those I have not yet looked through I will put in your mail boxes by the end of the week.

We stressed that you have until the Wednesday after Thanksgiving, December 2, to bring all of your blog posts up to date. Next class on Friday November 20 is a writing week, we have decided that the class will not meet but that we will give you the opportunity to work on your blog, revise your resumes etc. We will return the thesis proposal drafts, with our comments and suggestions during the following class Friday December 4. I want to stress that these are drafts, we don't expect your written thesis to be finished this semester, rather we want to get it underway to make sure you are thinking about your thesis in a critically informed fashion. Next semester you will be producing the actual Written Thesis and developing your Thesis Show. The final Written Thesis won't be due until near the end of the semester, and it will go through revisions up to that point.

I am happy to hear any suggestions you may have for the structuring of next semester. This iteration of the Thesis class is based on the feedback from last year's students. So please email if you want to give feedback.

bauhaus exhibition at MoMA

This has just opened and will be up until January 2o1o. The Bauhaus linked art and design education and inspired much of modernist design. Those of you who are drawn to clean simple solutions can find the origins here. There are a series of workshops inspired by the Bauhaus that you can take part in and and a Bauhaus lounge.

Design Show in New York

This show's theme could be interesting for you designers and artists, some big design names are involved.

Control Print

A Collaboration with the Royal College of Art, London
Considering the Fate of Ink on Paper Through Explorations in Design, Craft, and Technology
Saturday, November 7 - Sunday, December 20, 2009
Opening Reception: November 6, 7:30-9 p.m.

What is the fate of print in a digital age? Parsons The New School for Design takes on this challenge with Control Print, a collaborative exhibition with the Royal College of Art (RCA), London, which explores the intersection of craft and technology. The exhibition will be on view from November 7 through December 14 at the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center. An opening reception will be held on November 6 from 7:30-9 p.m.

Control Print features works by a number of notable international artists and designers who play with the notion of digital technology. In this first American presentation, prominent members of the Parsons community create work in traditional, digital, and mixed media that extend the idea of ink on paper and showcase how machinery and technology can enter the representational process. First conceived by RCA as a research project investigating the possibilities of a customized future for digital art and design, Control Print also features the results of these experiments in a series of limited edition book spreads, large-scale artwork, and digital projections and renderings.

“The Control Print research project was an effort to elevate the digital press, and consider its place in the future of the printed page,” said Russell Warren-Fisher, co-organizer, designer, and lecturer in Communication Art and Design at RCA. “Partnering with Parsons has allowed us to keep this investigation alive through a reflective, cross-cultural dialogue.”

Among the featured artists are co-organizers Lucille Tenazas, Henry Wolf Professor of Communication Design at Parsons, Warren-Fisher, and Dan Fern, Head of the School of Communications at the RCA; Parsons-commissioned artists Andrea Dezso; Danny Durtsch, Jesse Hlebo and Arthur Ou; Zachary Lieberman with James Powderly, Evan Roth, Chris Sugrue and Tony Quan (TEMPT); Spylab (Benjamin Bacon, Glendon Jones, Kyle Li, and Sven Travis); and Allan Wexler; and RCA-commissioned artists Chris Bigg of V23; Sara Carneholm and Leah Harrison Bailey; Malcom Clarke, and Mark Wilson. Also participating remotely are designers Reza Abedini (Iran), Bruno Monguzzi (Italy/Switzerland), Leonardo Sonnoli (Italy), and Catherine Zask (France).

“We often think of digital technology as alienating, as removing us from the production process in some way,” said Tenazas. “Using the RCA project as a starting point, Parsons is exploring the notion that technology can also be a tool to re-engage, to adjust the tactile tradition of craft for the digital age, which is a particular focus of my work at Parsons.

In timing with Control Print, Parsons will present a series of related programs, including three intensive 24-hour workshops, where the public can view teams of Parsons students and faculty creating work that actively explores the boundaries between traditional and digital technologies. A symposium on November 7 will bring together a number of the participants, including Clarke, Tenazas, Warren-Fisher, and Wilson, as well as leading voices from the worlds of art and design, including Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art, and Susan Yelavich, Assistant Professor in the School of Art and Design History and Theory at Parsons, who will discuss the future relationship of design, craft, and technology.

“This show is just the beginning of a long-term partnership between two world-class universities to explore urgent issues relating to all aspects of contemporary culture,” said Fern, who also chairs the RCA's International Development Group.

For more information on the symposium and other related programming, please visit the Public Programs page.


General Information:
Sheila C. Johnson Design Center


Parsons The New School for Design, 66 Fifth Avenue at 13th Street, New York


Gallery hours: Open daily 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. and late Thursday evenings until 8:00 p.m..; closed all major holidays and holiday eves.
Admission: Free


Info: Please contact 212.229.8919 or visit www.parsons.newschool.edu/events.

list of posts

Here are the examples of posts I promised. They all engage with their exhibition in different ways, they are models of what we are looking for on the course. They also give a broad sense of what is going on in contemporary art, so take a look. 

Andrea Ryan

David Shaughnessy

Ed Freeling

Fran Eber

Hannah O'Brien

Jamie An-Wong

Jeffrey Masino

Jennifer Manning

Julie Wongbandue

Kyle Farell

Marteha Stewart

Matt Mancini

Mike Benevenia

Mike Costa

Neil Tropel

Rohan Mitra

Nakeya Brown

Careers in the Visual Arts Panel

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

6-7:30 pm, Civic Square Building, Rm. 110/117

Join us for a panel discussion with professionals from fields such as graphic design, painting, video art, college art teaching, digital media arts, sculpture, and web design. The panelists will talk about what they do, offer advice for entry into their professions (including internship and job searching), and answer your questions.

Panelists:
Tim Beitz, Production Artist, 160OVER90
Danielle Bursk, Digital Stone Project (sculpture)
Melodie Dhondt, Senior Editor / Graphic Designer
Lucas Kelly, Painter / Video Artist / Art Professor
Sarah Sweeney, Digital Media Artist / Web Designer / Art Professor

Space is limited, sign up required. To register, please call 732-932-7997 or 732-445-6127.
Visit careerservices.rutgers.edu for more information.

Intern at Murakami's NY studio

Hey all,

Ironically, I just saw this listing on NYFA looking for interns at Kaikai Kiki New York, LLC
(Long Island City NY)... Murakami's studio. It could be an interesting experience!

MoMA's Bauhaus exhibition

Early next month MoMA launches Bauhaus 1919-1933: Workshops for Modernity which will be open from November 8 to January 25. This important exhibition explores work from the school that first joined art to design, and vice a versa. In addition to seeing the work you can also take part in recreations of bauhaus classes. Remember Fridays are free from 4:00 to 8:00, but get there early.

Nancy Spero

Nancy Spero, an important artist with a strong Mason Gross connection died at the weekend. She exhibited at Rutgers and her husband Leon Golub, also a significant figure in the art world, taught here for many years. Check out her obituary in the New York Times, an appreciation of her work in the Guardian.

Design Criticism MFA Open House

The Design Criticism MFA at SVA is having an open house on November 7. They have a really interesting program so this might be worth checking out for future reference. I think they want to recruit students with some design industry experience. One of the formats they are looking at as a venue for design writing is blogging. http://dcrit.sva.edu/

BFA/ BA Art Open

BFA-BA Art Open
Mason Gross Galleries
Thursday, October 15-Saturday, October 31
Tuesday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Extended hours on Wednesday until 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, noon to 4:00 p.m.
Reception: Thursday, October 22, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Please take the time to see this show before we meet again on Friday the 30th.  Many members of our class have work up and congratulations to you all!

MICA Open House

Maryland Institute College of Art
Open House at MICA for Prospective Graduate Students

MICA Graduate Open House Offers a Rare Opportunity for a First-Hand View of Graduate Study at One of the Nation's Top Colleges of Art and Design

Sunday, November 15, 2009
9-4 pm

http://www.mica.edu

Robert Frank, "The Americans" at the MET

Also as discussed in class here is a link for that show.

Murakami at the Gagosian

http://www.gagosian.com/exhibitions/2009-09-17_takashi-murakami/

For those of you who are interested, the Takashi Murakami show is still up until October 24th. Its at their downtown gallery at 555 W 24th St.

Assignments due by 10/28/09

Hi everyone, 

We will not be meeting next Friday.  Instead you are to visit another exhibition of your choosing and write a review of it.  You should pick an exhibition that you have an invested interest in- that you feel strongly about, either loving it or hating it.  Explain in your review why you chose to see that exhibition- what about it resonates with you? How does it relate to your own work? If you have already reviewed an exhibition at the Zimmerli or on a Rutgers campus, you must choose another non- Rutgers venue. 

You should also read chapter 3 of Seven Days in the Art World, "The Fair" and write a list of 5-10 points of interest.  Again these can be quotes, questions, comments, whatever.  Please refrain from just listing quotes.  We want to see you are considering the topics in the chapter.  

As per our discussion of MFA programs, post-baccalaureate, and other programs in class on Friday- please research a few grad or other programs you may be interested in applying for.  Remember, it is not our intention to assume everyone is interested in a grad program BUT you must make this list anyway- it is a good practice to know what opportunities are available to you even if you are not interested in them.  Remember, a few things to look into- the faculty, current student and alumni artwork, tuition, fellowship, scholarship, and teaching assistantship opportunities, application requirements, facilities, length and program requirements, etc. Make a list of 5 programs you find interesting.  You might want to order the schools' catalogs and look into portfolio review and tour dates. These usually take place in October/November, as most applications are due in January/February for the fall term. 

Please post these assignments to your blogs by Wednesday night the 28th so that Gerry and I have a chance to look them over before Friday's class meeting.  

We will be collecting the final drafts of your resumes and artist statements in class on 10/30.  We will be giving each of you feedback on them.  You resumes should be the "all-inclusive" versions or your art resume.  Your resumes should be designed and printed on good paper as if you were handing it in to a potential employer, school, gallery, etc.

If you are missing posts from previous assignments (like the readings), please complete them as soon as possible to still receive credit. 

Feel free to contact Gerry or I with any questions.

Best,

Megan

                              

best MFA listing

Take a look at the schools on this list to get a sense of what is available, and how they fit with you http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-fine-arts-schools/rankings

Photo event in Princeton from Charlotte Whalen

dear friends,

I'm going to be in the following show that opens soon: October 24th in

Princeton. It will be a beautiful and very special show - apart from

work by many extraordinary photographers who studied with Emmet, it

will have work of his that has never been seen/published. Not to be

missed! Up until February, so there's plenty of time to visit - but it

would be lovely to see any of you who can make it to the lecture and

opening.

Charlotte Whalen

------------------------------------------------

Emmet Gowin: A Collective Portrait

October 24, 2009-February 21, 2010

Princeton University Art Museum

Opening: Saturday, October 24, 2009

Lecture by Emmet Gowin, 6:00 pm, McCosh 10, Princeton University

Reception at the museum, 7:00-8:30

-------------------------------------------------

Emmet Gowin: A Collective Portrait celebrates Princeton’s legendary

teacher of photography, who retires in 2009. The exhibition features

work by Gowin, his mentors, and twenty students from the past

thirty-five years. While pursuing careers as diverse as anthropology,

graphic design, activism, and fine art, Gowin’s students trace their

inspiration to his depthless faith in photography as a medium, a

discipline, and a way of life. Join Emmet Gowin as he discusses his

extraordinary career in photography and teaching at Princeton

University. A reception will follow at 7:00 p.m. in the Art Museum.

http://artmuseum.princeton.edu/events/Extended_Pages/Gowin09/

http://artmuseum.princeton.edu/events/viewevent.xml?id=222

Upcoming design related exhibition

Sister Corita

October 23 - December 5, 2009 Sister Corita Talk: Saturday, November 7, 3 PM Zach Feuer Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of work by the Pop artist, teacher and nun, Sister Mary Corita (1918-1986). Drawn to the power of the word, Sister Corita incorporated fragments of text, slogans and signs taken from billboards, street signs, advertising jingles, pop songs, poems, newspapers and magazines into her work. She sampled quotes by Martin Luther King Jr., Rainer Maria Rilke, Phillip Roth and the Psalms. Sister Corita also appropriated images from magazine and newspaper covers of the Viet Cong, the Pope and the Berrigan Brothers burning draft cards as well as the Wonder Bread logo. Corita's innovative use of loaded text, used alone or combined with images, created powerful graphics. She cropped, skewed, and collaged phrases from disparate sources to enhance the power of the quote and to create unique revolutionary, spiritual and social statements. Sister Corita was not only an activist and Pop artist but also a teacher. At the Immaculate Heart College where Corita taught art, her classrooms were known for their dynamic interdisciplinary environments, in which films were screened, pop music played and large-scale collaborative projects were conceived and executed. She created happenings such as the reinvigorated annual Mary's Day parade and invited her peers, including Buckminster Fuller, Ben Shann and Charles Eames, to lecture. In 1969, Sister Corita left the Immaculate Heart Community and moved to Boston where she continued to make serigraphs and watercolors as well as undertook several important corporate and public commissions. This exhibition will feature Sister Corita's serigraphs from the early 1950's until her death in 1986 and will include memorabilia, such as the books with which she collaborated with Daniel Berrigan and films by Baylis Glascock documenting Corita's happenings and teaching. On November 7 at 3 PM, the gallery will host a talk given by Alexandra Carrera, Director of the Corita Art Center, on the work of Sister Corita. ZACH FEUER GALLERY 530 West 24th Street New York, NY 10011 t. 212 989 7700 f. 212 989 7720 www.zachfeuer.com Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10-6

Assignment Deadlines- Reminder

Due by next Wednesday night, the 14th:
Post a review of an exhibition of your choice
Post 5-10 points of interest: quotes, questions, comments, topics, etc from Chapter 6- The Studio Visit
If you have not already, add some of your interviewee's artwork to illustrate your interview post from last week.

Bring to next class: A draft copy of your resume- the big, all inclusive version, and a draft of an artist statement. Your statement can either be a draft for your statement for your thesis work or a general statement about your artwork.

If you are missing any of the previous assigned posts from your blog, please complete them as soon as possible to still recieve partial credit.

If you have questions about any of the assignments, feel free to contact Gerry or I.

Possible venues for your next exhibition review

Hey all, A few of you requested some recommendations as to galleries to visit for your next exhibition review. Here are a few local shows:

The Zimmerli Museum has two new show that opened last week: Trail Blazers in the 21st Century: Contemporary Prints and Photographs published by Exit Art and Four Perspectives Through the Lens: Soviet Art Photography in the 1970s-80s If you haven't seen it yet, they are also showing:Blocks of Color: American Woodcuts from the 1890s to the present

Visiting artist Cecilia Vicuna is exhibiting in the Douglas Library.

Another venue in New Brunswick is the Alfa Art Gallery. From Oct 9-29, they are showing John Hawaka: A Retrospective.

At the Newark Museum: New Work: Newark in 3D

For shows in New York or elsewhere you can browse Artinfo's Gallery Guide

Remember, you should select an exhibition that you have an invested interest in. Try reading some reviews to learn about artist you have not heard about before. We have a list of links here on the blog under "Art News and Views". You can also look in the NY Times.

Society For Photographic Education National Conference

This year's conference is in Philadelphia.
Deadlines for scholarship opportunities are Nov 1st.  Scholarships pay your admission to the conference as well as a $500 travel stipend.  There are also volunteer opportunities.  See this form: Student Scholarship Opportunities for the 2010 Conference (PDF Form)
Also: www.spenational.org