Esme Washburn – Sculpture 1 – ARTD150

Esme’s Artxpose 4

Title of Event: Friends and Stranger

Date & Time of Event: Tuesday, December 10, 1:30 pm
Location of Event: PBS ART21
Type of event: Episode

The four different artists shown in this video, all use different art to elaborate on part of their identity. Through their work they all want to gain intimacy to people. The four different artists had very different mediums, yet they all used their art to connect to a population and broaden others view as well as their own. Another part that I find quite interesting that a couple of the artists touched on is letting people misunderstand. There is a power in leaving your art up to interpretation that makes it that much more powerful instead of explaining ur reasons for creating it, you let ur work have more effect and meaning for more people because it can take so many more meanings without a label. Art is a process instead of a creation, that gives meaning to work. At is the life that you live. What I find amazing is that what all of these artists had in common, was that they had a vision and they followed through on it, it didn’t have to be this elaborate art form or idea they just used energy and excitement to create it for everyone to relate to. Art lets you bypass today and lets you think about what it means in the future, lets you belong to a place and scale visibility to social norms, being able to collaborate with others even if you make the art alone.

Esme’s sketches from beginning of AI project

Esme’s Artxpose 3

Title of Event: The Kress Collection
Date & Time of Event: Monday, December 9th, 2:16 pm
Location of Event: The Samek Museum
Type of event: Exhibition

This exhibition is medieval and renaissance are from the Kress Foundation. This exhibition highlights the realism that was very prominent in this time period. These pieces are in good condition still and highlight the exceptional attention to detail and proficiency of the artists. The frames are greatly adorned, and there is a prominence of gold in the works and on the frames. This exhibition shows a time of great flourishing culture, because they were able to have an artisan class, there had to be economic stability and peace. This room really highlights the accomplishments of this time through the artwork, that hen I walk into the room I immediately got so much admiration and pride of the excellence of the artists work and the glory of this time period.

Esme’s ArtXpose 2

Title of Event: Slow Looking
Date & Time of Event: Wednesday, December 4th, 1:15 pm
Location of Event: The Samek Museum
Type of event: Exhibition

This Exhibition was curated very thoughtfully and well. It was created so that viewers would be forced to take time to observe the art, not just what meets the eye, you have to immerse yourself in the art to reveal new discovery and insights. When you first walk into the exhibit it is quite overwhelming. You are met with tons of work, grouped together in sections with no obvious correlation to each other. There are a handful of loud soundtracks, each one playing a seemingly random array of juxtaposing noises. Once I sat staring at each work individually, and then together, it started to make sense. The sound helped to make the space feel more chaotic, but it made sense. I was able to find peace in the chaos, every thing I saw and heard started to change my perspective. Nothing there was random. Each noise made the others have more clarity. The vibrant colors of one piece, brought out the more subdued colors of the neighboring piece of art. Each detail became more noticeable, and suddenly my brain was able to see a theme. When you take the time to look at something you are able to feel. In a world that has become so caught up in the “fast culture” and “consumerism”, you miss out on meaningful relationships and experiences. This exhibition was a refreshing break to be able to see something exist without assumptions or labels, or without one thing being isolated from the surroundings and yet in a sterile environment as a gallery. Everything exists in the context.

Esme’s Artxpose 1

Title of Event: Driftpoints: The Gleaners by Maggie Cardelùs
Date & Time of Event: Thursday, November 14th, 5:15 pm
Location of Event: The Holmes Gallery
Type of event: Exhibition

I really enjoyed this exhibition, as I love how Maggie Cardelùs combined different traditions to show a new perspective, by using needlepoint to reinvent a famous traditional painting by Jean François de Millet. I feel that she demonstrates evolving historical perspectives and ongoing transformation of women very well by using an art form that is often made with the labor of anonymous women. She also demonstrates different perspectives by adapting this image many different times with different needlepoint techniques. What I found most interesting was that in her installation she included hanging a bag of the yarn used in the needle point, she is able to leave a physical trail of the history of her work. Cardelùs is able to make a technique identified usually with a “craft” and make it into traditional art to prove the flexibility of materials and humans to change.

Esme-self portrait sketch

Esme’s Collages

Esme’s Words from story

Passion

Shared-Interest

Sustainable

Growing

Produce/Vegetables

Shadow

Compassion

Community

Human Relationships

Organic

Labor

Sacrifice

Project 2 Story

As any younger sister tended to do growing up, I liked to shadow my older sister’s every move. I went to the same school, picked up the cello, and would eat two paninis as an afternoon snack, just because that is what she did. So it was only natural that once she started getting into learning about climate change and the environment I did too. She joined the environmental club, and so did I. I did have a fundamental interest in the subject, it wasn’t merely because of my sister’s presence that i started to get involved, but it was a passion suppressed by my sister’s passion and joining in on her community. It wasn’t until 3 years ago when I was really able to shape my own fervor for the topic, when I got a job on a local organic nonprofit farm nearby where I live. No pesticides were used, only organic mechanisms, which meant that a lot more problem solving and human labor went into producing all the crops. We would spend hours picking tomatoes in “tomato jail”, hand weeding beds, and bunching radishes. My appreciation on how food was grown, especially the extra time and energy to use less harmful practices and produce crops in a sustainable and responsible way amazed me. This experience was an epiphany in my life, because it was an experience that made me realize the importance of everyone’s actions and how vital protecting the environment really is. After this experience, I came back the next two summers to learn more and promote the cause. I also really changed my way of life, only buying what is necessary, and purchasing as much produce and products locally, to take advantage that I have access to that. Not only did it give me a specific and personal purpose to change my practices and help change others to care for this planet, but I became a part of a community, where I was surrounded by people who weren’t in it for the money but were there because they cared and wanted to help. Our days from 7am – 5pm doing even the dreariest tasks were made fun by the conversations and group experience we were having, for we really were all in it together, and everyone was growing as people together.