Alex Meade

I just came across the G-40 Artist Summit website which had a link to Alex Meade's website. I don't know if anyone has heard of her before, and if you had feel free to comment, but her stuff is so interesting. She is an installation artist who paints on people and objects and places them in settings either painted, staged, or in public. Unique. Check it out:

http://www.crystalcity.org/artful/g40artists

or her website:

http://alexameade.com/portfolio.html

2nd part of Blog 2

I realize I have forgotten the most important aspect of my second post. How do I think my practices as an artist will help in the classroom? Like any talent or intelligence, a creative mind maintains and grows with constant practice. I feel a strong practice in what I love to do will introduce an artistic lifestyle and become a viable activity for students to undertake. Artists are able to pull from the tribulations of society a set of emotions that engage an audience. They are able to see the larger picture and introduce a dialogue that connects thoughts with humanity. By introducing my art into the classroom, I hope to give assistance to students through example. If they are able to see how an artist gathers ideas and the processes in which they work, the students will have a greater foundation of creative insight to begin their own works of art. I plan to show my mishaps and troubles in order for them to realize artists struggle with ideas as well. Who knows, their thoughts may be of benefit. Like many of us, I have had dreams of a large studio space in an old carriage house that sits fifteen yards from my back porch swing. Realistically, that won't happen for quite a while, so for me to continue my art, I need to transform a room in my house for doing the art and use my classroom as the birthplace for ideas.

I feel that in order to teach art well, you must have practice with the medium. If a teacher does not have substantial knowledge of the medium or the artmaking process, students will learn incorrectly. That is one of my greatest fears, and because I don't want my students to be given flimsy advice, I intend to continue making art from different mediums. A teacher is a vessel of knowledge that increase in volume. In order to teach effectively, our knowledge of artmaking and our own practices must grow and be seen by every student.

Scoping an Audience Response

Marcel Duchamp's urinal is an example of a radical innovation that began the fascination of Concept Art. In 1917, Duchamp bought a porcelain urinal, painted "Richard Mutt" on the sides, sat it on a pedestal and entered it in as a sculpture to the New York Society of Independent Artists. The toilet wasn't accepted in the exhibition, but the idea behind the toilet as art grew passionately from his display. It may not be as enlightening or effervescent as Thomas Kinkade's impressionistic works, but it holds value as a radical innovation because it had bewildered and upset Duchamp's contemporaries, and continues to be of much debate in constituting what makes art. Duchamp's actions have created an entirely new era in art. Photographed porcelain toilets are becoming cliches. In some respect, the concept of Concept Art is becoming a cliche. If art is of the object itself, than why should we have to constitute it as art? Wouldn't everything already be art? The audacity of Duchamp has created a culture of pop art that continues to press the standards when deciding what should be called art.

The kind of person who would rather be excluded from Kinkade's admiring audience is someone with a darker view on humanity. He or she would not view the world in an effervescent glow. They would be far more realistic in knowing and believing that life is hard and full of struggle, dismal and gray. The types of art they admire may provoke a sense of realism, dread, fear, fall of humanity, death (Ruben, Carravaggio, Sally Mann, Kara Walker). They might prefer contemporary artists who work with portraits or stories, allegories, themes and fiction to provoke feelings of uneasiness and discourse (Kehinde Wiley, Richard Avedon, Tina Mion, Alex Melamid).

Searching for Brilliance in Wooden Soles

No one warns you about the high school hallways as a freshman with a trapper keeper. Seniors brush past with little forgiveness. Lockers are decorated with cheerleading posters and magnetic mirrors. The more popular the student, the more decorated the locker. I approached high school with dreams of being noticed by senior boys. I wanted high school to be a time where all of my awkward moments could be forgotten-- where I would become cool. I was never cool, and if I ever was, I never knew it. As far as I was concerned, I was never noticed by the handsome senior boy I had crushed and swooned about. I was the gangly freshman who once baked too long in a tanning booth and came out looking like a red raccoon. Time was never on my side. The hallway was empty when I arrived. Classrooms were full and books were opened. I was perpetually late and could be heard from the other end of the hallway, running in clonky wooden soled shoes.

Our school was small with one main hallway that was impossible to maneuver through between classes. My class had 125 graduates, and it was difficult to become lost when everyone knew one another by name. I never dated in high school. I was never asked out by the dreamy senior I hoped for. I found it difficult when I barely had enough time for myself. I was always involved in multiple extracurricular activities and sang the National Anthem at sporting events. I was fairly quiet, but had little stage fright and was able to sing in front of audiences up to 900 people. I played plenty of sports and found my evenings wasted in plyometrics and bycep curls. I was competitive, but never competitive enough to be a first string athlete. I was used mainly for defense in practice. For a gag gift from my basketball coach, I was given a pompom for being such a wonderful cheerleader on the bench.

I was a junior when the drama department threw a musical. I auditioned without aim. All I was hoping was a small part that would fit into my busy basketball schedule. The cast was called and my name was listed next to the lead. I was shocked. That was the busiest season of my life. I was playing both JV and Varsity basketball with both practices (morning and evening), evening games, and play practices afterwards. There were plenty of seniors with beautiful voices and stage presence, but I was given a chance to be the star. I was given such an important role when I least expected it.

I grew immensely from that experience. I realized I could do anything when a teacher or coach gave interest in my success. I remember art being an area I was unable to fit into my schedule until I realized I needed to make it a part of my life again. Although I was fairly happy in high school, I was never happy enough. I have always fought with depression, and my busy schedule was merely an escape from feeling down. I began missing art desperately. My senior year came quickly and art class was something I had to do. I found myself spending as much free time as I had in the art classroom. I looked to my art teacher for support. It was her classes that helped me realize I needed to continue and live surrounded by art.

High school is different for everyone, and a notion I hope to apply as a teacher is that although everyone is different, most students want to be noticed. High school students are awkward, emotional, and confused. They look for support, and I hope to be of guidance when I begin teaching. Self-recognition can only be achieved with the help of others. I want to help students realize their brilliance, their talents and their future.