New Post 4/1/09

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— "You can quote them in an instant. You know them by name. Something they said or did not only changed your life, but affected American life as a whole. Who are they? They are the folks that have significantly inspired and impacted American society..."-VH1

Keep in mind that icons are not just famous- they represent something larger than themselves and nearly everyone in Amercican culture could name them and explain their significance in society.

Sade: Motown
Ana: Marilyn Monroe
Sam: Spiderman
Ashley: Michael Jackson
David: Britney Spears
Jorry: Disney's Tinkerbell
Mark: Basketball
Carissa: Organized Crime
Silvia: Disney Theme Parks
Greg: Walt Disney
Pete: Frankenstein's Monster
George: Warner Brothers
Mitch:Yosemite
Michael: Jimmy Hendrix
Veronica: Johnny Cash
Steve: 1950s Culture

Class Blog on Chapter 5: "Examining Difference" through the Photographs of Nikki Lee

Students were broken into groups of 4 for this activity. First, they were asked to summarize the main idea of the introduction to chapter 5 from Seeing and Writing, our class textbook. The introduction includes a series of pictures by and artist named Nikki Lee. Her photographs show her in different settings, portraying people of different races and backgrounds. Her Korean background makes her work provocative, as she quite obviously doesn't "fit" in some of the pictures.

See http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/seeingandwriting3/exercises/frameset5.html


Here's what the students wrote to summarize Lee's point:
Group 1 (Carissa, Silvia, Ashley and Steve)

The point is to show that you are who you are no matter how you dress. The pictures are stereotypical, showing punk kids as depressed, yuppies like work, Hispanics have fun at the beach.

Group 2: (Sade, Mark, Sheena and Alex)

Chapter 5's intro examines racial stereotypes as Lee portrays herself as many different people of different ages, races and styles. Though people may say they aren't racist, stereotypes still confront us.

Group 3: (Ana and ???)

Lee is trying to be ridiculously stereotypical to prove that even though she is trying to fit in, the group image will always stick out. Portraying a culture doesn't mean you are part of it; it also doesn't define who someone is.

Group 4: (Jorry, George, Veronica and Sam)

Lee tries to capture the authentic lifestyle of those she studied, though she does so with stereotypical images.




This series of pictures showcases student opinions on "Examining Difference."

The idea for this photo series came from Jorry's socer shirt. They are portraying soccer fans making fun of a Mexican guy who doesn't know anything about soccer. The idea is that it is wrong to make assumptions based on appearances.

(photo taken by Veronica Gonzalez)

(photo taken by Veronica Gonzalez)

(photo taken by Veronica Gonzalez)

The idea for this group's pictures was to show that people look the same from the back. But when turned around, differences show. You can't tell a person's color until they turn around.

(photo taken by Sheena Romero)
(photo taken by Sheena Romero)



This groups idea was to show that you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes. It shows asense of style and a person's habits. If a shoe is well worn, if it is in perfect condition, it communicates information about what that person is like.
(photo taken by Danna Whittman)





This group's picture shows a comparison of hands. The different hands show the skin colors, the habits, and the gender of the group's members.(photo taken by Danna Whittman)






(photo taken by Danna Whittman)

Expectations: What I'm Looking For in Your Blogs

When I'm grading blogs each week I'm looking for the following:

1) That directions are followed. See the syllabus and previous blog entries for tips, examples and directions.

2) That you have 2 entries per week. Each one is worth 20 points = 40 points total per week. Late entries are accepted, but after 2 weeks, the grade goes below a C. IOW: make sure you complet blog entries within 2 weeks of deadline for a passing grade.

3) Each entry should have an image, a reference and main idea summary of an article from the assigned chapter, a quote from that article and then an explanation of how that inspired your image.

4) I have my camera and can help with your images if needed.

5) MAKE SURE your images are YOUR original photographs. Do not upload other images without giveing credit to the artist/photographer and ONLY se other images as examples. They can supplement your entry but don't replace your original images.

Capturing Memorable Moments

The baby boomer generation knew where they were when JFK was shot. It is said that Sep 11 creates that memory for the current generations, as the know where they were when the planes crashed into the World Trade Center.

Where were you on September 11th, 2001?

(photo courtesy of http://www.cbc.ca/news/background)

Notice how other artists capture memorable moments. How does their storytelling and photograhpy capture the moment? How do you determine the most memorable moments of your life? What moments transformed you, changed you, made you realize something new about yourself or about life iteself?



This chapter asks you to look at the work of other artists so you can see how you want to capture and documents memorable moments in your life.



See week one blog entry for example formats.

Yahoo

http://www.yahoo.com/

Blog Requiremnts

For each blog entry:
1) See syllabus for list of requirements
2) See example blog entry "Ode to a Toothbrush"
2) AD the following:
Summary of 2 articles, 1 per blog entry. Summarize the articles you chose from the chapter that you used for inspiration for your piece.

Include one quoted passage from the article that exemplifies meaning or the main idea of the article

Then explain how the article inspired your blog entry and choice of photograph or image.

See example blog for appropriate length and detail.

Coming To Terms with Place

This blog entry should cover places that have meaning.

"Observing the Ordinary": Oranges, My Home and Some Toothbrushes

Mottinelli, S. Arance Art Print. (allposters.com)

(photo taken by Danna Whittman)

This piece, "Ode to a Toothbrush" was inspired by Larry Woiwode's essay "Ode to an Orange." His essay documents the simple bliss of eating an orange, especially as he remembers what a treat it was to have one during the North Dakotan winters of his youth. He and his brother would beg their mother for an orange as if it was a piece of precious candy. They would pretend to be sick in order to get one, as the healing properties of vitamin C were sure to get you an orange if you were ill.

Woiwode's words inspire one to look at something often taken for granted, like this orange, and see it as something wondrous. "Each orange, stripped of its protective wrapping, as vivid in your vision as a pebbled sun, encouraged you to picture a whole pyramid of them in a bowl on your dining room table, glowing with light, as if giving off the warmth that came through the windows from the real winter sun. (Woiwode 45)" Oranges, in his description, give off a vivid warmth, their flavor savored because it was special and rare. In this world where we often don't appreciate the fact that we can have an orange whenever we want, we see what it meant to him.

Woiwode goes on to describe the different ways an orange can be eaten, seemingly thought of because it consumed his mind as a child. There is a certain joy in peeling an orange, though the most humorous is when he says the top of the orange can be bitten off like a "detonator", comparing it to a grenade, where one can then stick a straw into it, suck out the juice and then eat the remains.

This essay inspired me to document the meaning of these toothbrushes, relics of a time when my fiance's family regularly used our cabin home for vacation weekends. The reality of their experience was that their father built this cabin; their memories of him are inextricably tied to it. When we were cleaning out the cabin in preparation for moving in, we found these toothbrushes and were transported to another time. The names "Edward" and "Ralph" are engraved in black ink along the handles, handles meant to fit into the hands of a child. It's so funny to me, as I've only known Eddie and Ralph as adults, Ralph being my future father-in-law! I might be imposing my interpretation of their childhood memories upon these toothbrushes, but I imagine holding them, brushing my teeth with the "Dupont nylon bristles" as the snow falls outside, hearing John build a father to keep the cabin warm. The shiny blue plastic would gleam as I placed the brushes back into the medicine cabinet, safe for another night.