Hope all your girls had a great holiday!

I'm beginning the intro and conclusion, and Jessica and I will be meeting this weekend to begin the powerpoint presentation.  A quick blurb or thesis sentence from you all would be appreciated before sunday, otherwise I'll just fudge it...  you can post it or send it to my email jessie.hornbrook@yahoo.com

thanks all!

Images for Presentation?

May and I were each going to pick 2 images for our presentation on the male gaze in contemporary painting.

These are the ones I'm considering/submitting. What do you think?

"The Dane," 2006 by John Currin



and "Couch", Oil on Linen, 60 x 62, 1997-1998, by Lisa Yuskavage




I chose these particular images because I feel they hearken back to historical representations of the male gaze (nudes in an ornate interior, lounging on a couch) in a modern context.

I chose this particular Currin image because it seems a bridge between his older hyperstylized, hypersexualized figures and the work he has been doing more recently which draws more directly from pornographic sources (Here's a blog post showing the direct porn sources alongside the imagery: NYC Art: John Currin Revisited).

I feel Yuskavage's "Couch" also contains elements of both her older and more recent work, as the images on the wall resemble the doll-like figures she is now incorporating into her compositions.

Meeting??

When are we meeting to discuss the final draft of the presentation?

Cyberfeminism

Hey Melissa and Noemi--

Are you two doing something other than cyborg and new media art?
I would be happy to incorporate cyberfeminism into my presentation with Shannon---(I think it is a topic someone really should deal with).
Please let me know!

Jill

"The Gaze" in Contemporary Painting

May Babcock and I (Hannah Campbell) are working on issues of the "gaze" in contemporary painting.

"What does it mean for female painters to be creating work that potentially encourages their own subjugation? May and I will be focusing on issues of the "gaze" in contemporary painting, particularly in the work of Jenny Saville and Lisa Yuskavage."

Depending on the ultimate structure and time available with our material, we may also cover Ghada Amer and John Currin (in relation to Lisa Yuskavage, because he is a male doing the same sorts of paintings but his gender leads to potentially vastly different readings.)

History

Hey everyone!

I was working on the Powerpoint and I was wondering if you might want to include in your info to me anything in particular you might want me to touch on while speaking about the history behind what we are discussing, that way you don't have to waste your presentation time on doing it. Just an idea. Let me know what you think! :)

~Jessica Clinton

Jill and Shannon

Feminist artists use performance as a means to express their political beliefs and issues impacting women - abortion, sexuality, body image, abuse, etc. We are each going to talk about a couple of artists that use performance as a means of political expression. Each of our artists will have different political agendas.

ps jennifer and i ='s jennifer and lindsey

Jennifer and I will examine the long standing connection between women artist and domestic space/domestic tasks.  In her manifesto/proposal for the exhibition "Maintenance Art", Merle Ukeles, a first generation feminist artist, investigates the art of domestic chores.  What comments are being made of today's domestic sphere?  Tracy Emin, Sarah Lucas, and Rachel Whiteread (these names are subject to change) are all contemporary female artists who have worked with elements of domestic space, but how have their ideas of domesticity different from ones conceived 40 years ago and are their goals feminist in nature?

Minutes from Tues. Oct 22 Mtg

Recap from Tuesday's Mtg:

Due Friday, Oct. 24: Please post a clear, concise idea of your topic. I list below the basic topic ideas we discussed on Tuesday, but it would be great for everyone to clarify one more time.

Due Halloween: After meeting with your partner, post 2-3 sentences confirming your topic area in stronger detail so that Jessie and Jessica can gather info for intro and conclusion and begin to structure the presentation.

Due Before Thanksgiving: all images should be sent to Jessica for inclusion into master powerpoint. Jclinton2@lsu.edu

We have divided into pairs as follows (not in any particular order, as of yet):
1) Jessie/Jessica: Intro/Conclusion/Powerpoint
2) Hannah/May: Contemporary Male Gaze
3)Adrienne/Brooke: Wearable Art/Non-Wearable Use of Stitch
4) Lindsey/Jennifer: Domestic Space
5) Melissa/Noemi: Biotech/Cyborg
6) Jill/Shannon: Performance Art/Political Expression

Please research and meet with your partner as needed. We will get together as a larger group one final time on Thurs. Nov. 20 or Fri. Nov. 21. As that date approaches, please post your availability so we can set a time to run through the entire thing together.

I hope this helps those who weren't able to make it on Tuesday. Those of you who were there please add to or correct anything I have listed here. Let's continue to use the blog as our main way of communicating over the next few weeks to keep everyone in the loop!

Thanks!
Brooke

I'm not getting the emails

I'm not getting the emails that are being sent out in reference to our symposium. I think the original email that was sent had my address wrong. Please send correspondence to jmaye14@lsu.edu.
Thanks!
Jennifer

Previous E-mail

I sent this schedule out in an e-mail earlier this
week.  We definitely need some structure so we can
utilize the 6 weeks that are left before the
presentation is due.  Also, some of us thought we
should get together during the canceled class since
everyone already has that time available already. 

___________________________________________________

Week 1 (10/20) - Research & finalize your ideas

Week 2 (10/27) - MEETING: (1) discuss final ideas
                         (2) pair off
                         (3) decide who will make
                             master Power Point,
                             transition speakers,etc.

Week 3 (11/3) - Work with partner

Week 4 (11/10) - MEETING: (1) bring basic info &
                             jpegs on a jump drive
                             that you want included
                             in PowerPoint
                         (2) decide the order

Week 5 (11/17) - MEETING: (1) show master PowerPoint
                             and make any adjustments

Week 6 (11/24) - Thanksgiving

Week 7 (12/1) - Symposium DUE

PAIRS & Etc.

Jennifer and I stayed after class for a bit today and talked about how it might work out best for everyone to work in pairs so that our time for presentation might be more efficiently used. Also, this way we can make sure that everyone contributes to the cause with the time-honored "buddy system."

I will read through the blog this weekend and post a list of people together that seem to be working towards similar concepts. Perhaps it will be easier for us to meet with our partners than all try to meet together until the end.

The closer the time comes for our presentation, I believe we will need to have at least one group meeting to decide on a superstructure to fit our ideas together into, as well as to designate time slots for each of us to speak on our topic and decide on a format. Powerpoint? Website? Other?

In the meantime, try to think of one concise point you want to express because even in pairs, we won't have much time to talk. Dr. Ryan encouraged us to avoid biographical information unless it is explicitly important to the point you want to make--get to the meat of the issue!

I will be sending Dr. Ryan an email of the proposed topic areas, potential pairs, as well as a list of everyone who has been active on this blog so that she can be assured of who has been participating so far. She expressed her concern today about people slipping through the cracks, so please make a post about a potential topic ASAP if you haven't already!


>>Jessica Clinton, in response to your previous post, I think someone else was interested in Kruger, as well, so I will try to pair you with her when I look back through the blog this weekend.<<

Confused...

Hey gals :)

I am still seriously confused as to what I need to be doing. As I said before I am not very knowledgeable about feminism, so I am still relatively unaware as to what technically qualifies as a feminist artist! Please help me identify a couple artists that no one else seems to be doing and I could begin doing some research and building enough information for a presentation... I did see some works by Barbara Kruger that were pretty interesting. Is she a good topic? HELP! :)

Thanks!
Jessica Clinton

Structure Summary...as of last week.

A few of us did stick around after class on Thursday and spoke to Dr. Ryan briefly to see if she had seen the blog and if she thought we were heading in the right direction. As I understand and please correct me if I'm wrong - but our focus area is contemporary feminism. Everyone is to post artists they are interested in and how the may or may not relate to the current feminist movement. As for a structure, we think that will evolve as everyone solidifies their ideas.

I'm still trying to decide who I want to research and talk about. I'm looking at possibly choosing one of the original feminist artists and comparing to a current artist to touch on the differences of how Feminism today may compare to the 60's/70's. I am also toying with the idea of focusing on a current Feminist Exhibit that touches on a variety of contemporary artists and the role it played in the art world as well as for the artist. Does anyone have input on these two ideas?

Dr. Ryan also noted that it would probably be a good idea to email her individually so she could give more direct input and possible suggestions for your research.

To the others that were in the informal meeting - did I miss anything?
Jennifer

New Orleans Craft Mafia

If you went to Garth Johnson's lecture you learned about the wonderful craft movement gaining recognition around the world--- this is a group of women out of New Orleans that will be in town on Saturday. Potentially useful for a few topics that have been suggested.

Jill

Direction? Structure?

I have been reading back over everyone's posts and trying to make comments. If anyone has advice for me please comment on my post!

I think one of the most helpful posts is Jennifer's:
http://contemporarybodyart.blogspot.com/2008/09/why-is-feminism-out-of-fashion-in.html


I also think Brooke brought up some very useful terminology in her post: http://contemporarybodyart.blogspot.com/2008/09/wearable-art-and-contemporary-feminist.html
Specifically, the fundamental ideas in the current feminist movement that she defines from S. Lacey's writings. I think these categories might also be a good way to structure our symposium.

I think in general we need to decide (or has it been decided?) Once and for all if we are discussing contemporary art and the body OR if we're discussing contemporary art and the body as it relates to current/recent feminist movements in art. Some of the earlier posts on this blog seem only about the former topic, I think because we hadn't fully decided on things, but then some of you guys talked to Dr. Ryan and decided on including the Feminism notion for sure? I personally think it a good idea to narrow the topic as much as possible without closing ourselves out due to time restraints, so if it hasn't already been decided for sure, I vote for the specificity of discussing issues of the body within a modern feminist context.

What does everyone else think about what's the best way to structure our discussion?

Also, I sent out an email about this, too, but did people meet on October 2nd, and I missed it? Or did the meeting never happen? If the latter, than can people meet after class this Thursday for a discussion of these topics?

How to Have Your Posts in Your Own Name

I posted this as a comment to May's post, but if other people need to know, this is how you add this blog to your personal account so that you can post using your name:

If you are logged in to this blog with the username(art4466@gmail.com) and password sent to us by email, go to "settings" then go to "permissions." Next, select "Add Author" and invite yourself using your gmail account. If you don't have a gmail account, I think you might have to make one since blogger and gmail are one and the same now.

Next, check your email and click on the link, following instructions of what pops up on the screen, and then you should be able to log in using your gmail account name and personal password and still post to this blog.

I think it's fine if not everyone wants to and/or is able to do this as long as you put your name clearly on every post you make at the top or the bottom so that we can keep straight who's who.

Contemporary Printmaking; Contemporary Feminism

I have condescending ideas regarding feminism.
In all actuality, when feminism and body art become the designated topic as our grad symposium blog concept, I had both an adverse reaction as well as a warm, full body, wash of relief. What could be easier for a bunch of female graduate students in art to write about? And in blog form. Even better. Conversely, I tire so quickly of feminist art. It has a wealth of history, mythology, modern iconic imagery, and authorship issues from which to draw upon. It’s relevant (is it?). I identify. So why don't I love it? Hell, I help to create this wealth of subject matter.


The truth is that in my own work, it isn't universal enough. There are plenty of
male-feminists out there, and I've discussed said issues with them. After all, feminism is just an idea. Wikipedia identifies feminism as, "...a discourse that involves various movements, theories, and philosophies which are concerned with the issue of gender difference, advocate equality for women, and campaign for women's rights and interests." My work is due in part to sociological theories (gender, body, and sexuality), of anatomical and physical make-up, and of psychological and emotional connections. I will not centralize what I create based upon a victim mentality. But I am a feminist, (differences withstanding between feminists and 'feminazis'). I use the figure in my work. I am not a feminist artist. I am a printmaker.


Is my phobia of being identified as a feminist artist part of a larger trend? Is this why professor Ryan feels as if feminists have dropped off the face of the contemporary art world? Yeah, could be, probably because in many ways they have. I have a more than a healthy appreciation for feminist art. In my own thesis I cited heavy influences from Diane Arbus, Cindy Sherman, Jenny Holzer, and Paula Rego, among many male artists and printmakers. I love art that makes a bold statement, which stands up to antiquated ideas, and questions the norm. I love art that makes trouble. I desire those elements in my prints. However audience is a massive principle in making visual art. I make work with the intention of drawing an audience of a wider scope than that of a narrower, maybe even gender specific, conceptual base. I want my work to be accessible and universal through the use of visual metaphor.


Recently the Mid-American Print Conference has been compiling a comprehensive list of contemporary feminist artists and printmakers with help from sources such as Rutgers U, the MoMA, and an extensive panel of international professors in the studio arts and art history fields, as well as editors from Art Journal and Art Forum Magazine, (http://feministartproject.rutgers.edu). Feminism is alive and well in controversial groups such as Riot grrrl, the renegade Guerrilla Girls, and underground female graffiti artists.


As far as my 7-12 minute presentation goes, I am hoping to document either
A. Ellen Gallagher and her ethno-centric (and occasionally feminist) subjects or B. Jenny Holzer/the Guerrilla Girls in conjunction with arguments of why feminism ISN'T happening now and, "What are the themes contemporary artists are addressing in their work and how are they approaching the subject...is it direct or subversive?" As far as the direction of my own work and possibly even the sociological trends in our own generation, "Contemporary Feminism" is a non-sequitor.

Two Ideas: Pornography, Ethnocentrism

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

proposed research topic

I am interested in the needle point, knitting, textiles and the recent resurgence in the use of these materials.  Historically speaking, the land of fiber art and craft is one of women's work, but are today's stitches being used to subvert the content of their history and if so how.  I plan to start this research through and investigation of contemporary seamstresses such as Lara Schnitger and Christine and Irene Hohenbuchler.

Another possible topic I have thought of examining is the long standing connection between woman artist and domestic spaces and tasks.  In her manifesto of a proposal for the exhibition "Maintenance Art", Merle Ukeles, a true first generation feminist artist, investigates the art of domestic chores.  What comments are being made of today's domestic sphere?  Tracy Emin, Sarah Lucas and Rachel Whiteread are all contemporary female artist who have worked with elements of domestic space, but how are their ideas of this different from ones conceived 40 years ago? 

The Male Gaze in Contemporary Art/Reclamation of Craft By Modern Feminists

Post by: Hannah Campbell

I kept having an error posting this (I think because I was logged into my gmail account at the same time?) Anyway, here it is.

I'm interested in exploring the idea of the male gaze and the female body in contemporary art. One artist I'm particularly interested in for a discussion of this topic is the painter Lisa Yuskavage since many critics consider her work to be an anti feminist in that they continue to encourage the male gaze. The female forms in her paintings are treated much like stilllifes, and Yuskavage herself admits that she makes work about what embarrasses her, about what makes her uncomfortable and causes her herself to fall into the "male gaze." (as gleaned from an article by Ann Landi in ARTnews called "Disturbing Beauty." Jan 2004)

What does it mean for a female artist to be creating work that potentially encourages her own subjugation? One can search for the argument that in creating this appearance, she is underhandedly trying to undo it, but I find this conclusion difficult to draw from her work. Perhaps a conclusion can be drawn that she forces the viewer into realizing how much they naturally fall into the male gaze. Yuskavage has been quoted as saying that she only "loads the gun." (I read this in a NY Times article about her.)

Additionally, often discussed along with Yuskavage is the notorious painter John Currin . They're about the same age and both attended Yale at the same time. Their paintings are really similar, but it is interesting to consider whether Currin, a male, can make the same sort of work as the female Yuskavage. And if not, what is his work saying about the modern male gaze?

A potential other topic if the former one does not seem fitting:

Another artist whom I find to deal with issues of the body is Ghada Amer, whom I first became interested in when reading an article about her called "Behind the Veil" in a September 2006 issue of ARTnews entitled "What Makes Art Erotic." I was recently re-confronted with her work in this week's visiting artist lecture with Garth Johnson of extremecraft.com.

Amer works with thread on canvas to simultaneously form and hide or confuse pornographic images of women. The work is interesting in and of itself, but what I find even more interesting is the first uninvited, then uncredited, and finally recognized contributions to her work by male friend and roommate, Reza Farkhondeh (a painter and digital video artist.)

I think potential topics of interest brought up by her work are the male/female collaboration on these feminist creations, issues of religious background and feminist art about the body, and the reclamation of craft by modern feminist art.

Perhaps these too topics could even be combined in a way if I talk about the modern male gaze.

Posted by Hannah Campbell

Joanna Frueh, "Anthropologist of Ecstasy"

I am interested in exploring the work and theory of contemporary performance artist and author Joanna Frueh, as a way of examining how "third-wave" feminism allows for greater complexity in the handling of subjects such as eroticism, pleasure, beauty/ugliness, and compassionate embodiment in the female experience.  It is my sense (from within my very basic understanding of the history of feminism) that, at its inception, feminism characterized the female body in more blatant, hyperbolic terms: the victimized body, the aggressively sexual(ized) body, etc.  Joanna Frueh, however, proposes - to an almost comically 'new-age-y' degree - a gentler, less militant, more complicated model for female embodiment and empowerment.  She conveys these ideas through books and articles, as well as through her text-based performance works.  

While Frueh is clearly over 45 years of age, and thus came of age artistically in a pre-third-wave climate, she continues to perform, publish, and teach actively today, and her work continues to attract the consideration of contemporary critics and theorists.  As I do more research on Frueh, the criticism surrounding her work, and "third-wave" feminism as a whole (*is* it a 'whole'? - that is a complicated question - also something I intend to develop a better understanding of...), I will post more specifics about how Frueh's work embodies significant questions/issues in third-wave feminism, or in whatever you want to call today's climate of feminist issues and concerns.  

Link to Frueh's site:     www.joannafrueh.com

Posted by Adrienne Lynch

Biotechnology in Art

I want to do my presentation on something involving biotech. I have been doing a lot of reading but I am still not sure which direction I want to go with it, there is so much information out there right now. However, I have found one artist of interest. Artist, Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, in his piece, Banks in Pink and Blue, he displays two cryogenic sperm banks containing sex-selected sperm samples. He one of the many artist interested in the ever-growing technology that allows people to pre-select a baby’s gender or determine the possible health of the not yet conceived child by determining if they are at risk of genetically influenced disease. Here is the link to the article
http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2000/05/36288

Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holzer, and the Fashion Paradox

Hey Grads,
The topics are looking great so far. I can tell already that one class period will not be enough time!

After being a designer and photo editor, Barbara Kruger became a successful feminist artist. Her works from the 80's are easily recognizable; they are graphic (catchy combinations of image and text), accusatory, and declarative, usually employing the pronouns "we" vs. "you" as satirical commentary on the objectification and oppression of women in a male-powered society. They often use magazine or newspaper ad clippings and evoke questions about (among others) consumerism and fashion.

Some examples of her work:

http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/Literary_Criticism/feminism/kruger/kruger.htm

Seeing that this symposium is based on contemporary feminist art, however, I want to make the link between Kruger's iconographic style with some artists fabricating work today. One such artist I found is Jenny Holzer. She has a style similar to Kruger-- street advertising in public spaces, large text, clear messages.

http://mfx.dasburo.com/art/truisms.html
and

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://academic.hws.edu/art/exhibitions/laughter/images/holzer.gif&imgrefurl=http://academic.hws.edu/art/exhibitions/laughter/l2j.html&h=400&w=291&sz=70&tbnid=nwB2tlitCVYJ::&tbnh=124&tbnw=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djenny%2Bholzer&usg=__Xfbxfs-ehZjSupnsBLoNxFmKVVk=&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=2&ct=image&cd=1

No doubt I'll find more as the research continues.

But what are the contemporary body issues that relate to these artists? Well, fashion needs the body. It expresses creativity yet disciplines and harnesses the body. The paradoxes about fashion abound: Consumer pleasure/anxiety, Fashion as a collective identity/individual voice, craft and DIY in a post-modern digital age....

Jill

Ana Mendieta: Femenist Body Art Pioneer

Hi everyone!

Ana Mendieta definitely fits the theme for our symposium being that she's all about feminism and using the body as a medium. She's connected to Carl Andre (the minimalist we studied in class). Researching her interests me because like her, my family was exiled from Cuba and much of her "Silueta" body art is based on her feelings of displacement. I think I'd like use her as a platform and find similar artists who are more contemporary; see what avenue it takes me. I've gotten the OK from Professor Ryan and she thinks I should also tie in Mendieta's association to Carl Andre (specifically the trial about her death). Let me know what you guys think!!

Here's a short bio:

Cuban-born Ana Mendieta produced performance art, "earth-body" sculptures, and photographic and video work in the seventies in which she used her own body as a medium. A common theme in her performance art was violence against the female body. She often went for the shock factor in representing sexual abuse and many of her performances involved significant quantities of animal blood. In opposition to the predominant modernist theories of the time, this concept was being used by several other women artist as a feminist assertion of female body as a vehicle for personal and social expression. These women's emphasis on the female body as a realistic tool for the woman artist, challenged the male tradition of the idealized female nude; and was a precursor to the direction toward the refiguration of the body in the rest of the art community during the eighties.

Mendieta sought to establish a "dialog between the landscape and the female body return to the maternal source." She envisioned the female body as a primal source of life and sexuality, as a symbol of the ancient paleolithic goddesses. Between 1973 and 1980, Mendieta created her signature series, entitled "Silueta" or silhouette. Here, Mendieta used her body or images of her body in combination with natural materials. The pieces were transient, created and then photographed just before or during their destruction. The materials used were highly symbolic. In one work from the "Silueta" series, she outlined her figure with gunpowder, creating a shape reminiceint of prehistoric cave paintings. By setting it alight, she incorporates the ritualistic use of fire as a source of exorcism and purification. Mendieta also used flowers as mediums in her series, quoting the folk traditions of Mexico. Her primary material was the earth itself. In her "Tree of Life" series, she covered her naked body with mud and posed against and enormous tree. Ridding herself of her color and form, she is visually united with the tree, arms raised in supplication.

Mendieta had married minimalist sculptor Carl Andre eight months before her tragic death at age thirty-six, the result of a fall from an apartment window in New York in 1985. Andre was tried and acquitted of her murder; during the trial he described her death as suicide.

Self-induced miscarriages and race/location of feminist artists

1) Aliza Shvarts has been performing self-induced miscarriages for the past year. She inseminates herself with anonymous sperm on the 9th-15th day of her menstrual cycle. On the 28th day she then takes an abortifacient and displays the blood that appears. She calls into question the relationship between the form and function of the body. She also brings up the point that on that 28th day how can one know what the blood present represents - miscarriage or period. She states that is in her and the viewer's reading of the act that one can say whether or not a pregnancy insued - it is ambiguous.
http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/24559

Although I find this quite distubring, it still kept me wondering about Aliza and her motives. Questions I have about this article are: Is this ART or merely political expression? Or is there no difference between art and political expression? Is this an act of feminism and the right of a woman? What is her goal here? What does she wish to accomplish by doing this act? What about the "naming of the blood" issue? Is it a miscarriage or period? Why does she not call it what it is - an abortion?

2) Although I didn't find anything about this - I was wondering if there were any African American feminist artists? Or Chinese American or whatever-American feminist artists? Are the majority of feminist artists Caucasian? American? British? And from what part of the world are the majority of feminist artists located? Just something I wanted to know more about!

Wearable Art and the Contemporary Feminist Movement

I agree with Jennifer that it was concerning that we had a difficult time identifying contemporary feminist artists in class at the onset of this symposium. When we had that discussion two names came to mind: Lisa Klakulak and Susie Ganch. As a functional artist, I am particularly interested in the role of wearable art in contemporary culture, especially in regard to the idea of protection, security, and comfort and these two women are extraordinary in their respective media. Lisa Klakulak is a fiber artist I met this summer at a workshop in Tennesee called Shakerag. (www.shakerag.org) You can read her artist statement and see her work at: http://strongfelt.com/statement.html. Susie Ganch is a metals artist, once a resident at Penland School of Crafts, and instructor at The Academy of Art Univeristy, San Francisco, CA. (www.susieganch.com). I think it would be interesting to draw parallels between the work they are making and the "refuge wear" of Lucy Orta and try to figure out where each of them stand with reference to feminism.

I have also found some research regarding Suzanne Lacey's discussion of the relatively current wave of feminism as a divided, rather than united, effort. In The Nature of the Game (Art Journal 50, No. 2, Summer 1991: 64-68) she addresses the idea that there are 3 fundamental ideas concerning the feminist movement: 1) research, 2) personal introspection, and 3) activism. She believes that contemporary feminist artists divide along the lines of theory and activism. This relates to the article Jennifer posted, in that the terminology associated with feminism is so vague, and often women avoid the word "feminist" due to the negative and militant associations it picked up over the last 40 years.

I would like to look into these two areas to indentify correlations. Why is it that there are contemporary women artists who seem to be dealing with issues that I would relate to feminism not identified as feminist artists? It is lack of recognition in the field and media coverage, or is a personal choice to not be identified with the hard edge wave of feminism the art world has seen in the past? I plan on researching reviews/criticisms and possibly interviewing these artists to uncover their motives, whether direct or indirect.

My Topic Ideas!

Just in case my name doesn't appear at the bottom of this topic, because I don't really know what I am doing, this post was created by Jessica Clinton :)

I hate to say, I don't really know a lot, or really anything about feminism but here are a couple topics that go more along the lines of "the body in art" and both of my artists are female photographers.

The first one might be a surprise to many of you as a choice, but I believe there is a lot to be said about Anne Geddes' photographs and artistic use of the human body. If you don't recognize the name you will certainly recognize the images: http://www.annegeddes.com/shop/category.asp/page/2/pageid/010200000000 I believe I could find enough information to do a presentation on her and her unique artworks, which are not only ADORABLE but sometimes very artistic and interesting in the way they are constructed.

Another idea I had, which will probably be more along the lines of things that others of us will be going toward is photographer Ruth Bernhard whose images of the female body are exquisite. There is a wealth of information about her online and in the library, so I know that she will be an easy feminist/body in art kind of subject. A few of her images are featured on this website: http://www.womeninphotography.org/ruthbernhardAA.html

I know these are just "subjects" at this point. I really need to know the direction everyone is trying to go before I really know how I could incorporate one of these ladies in as a subject in our symposium. I guess just give me some feedback on these two potential topic ideas and help me expand on them in the direction we are supposed to be going!! Thanks!! And GOOD LUCK on the exam Tuesday!!

~Jessica Clinton

"Why is Feminism out of Fashion in Contemporary Art?"

This was an article I found, that immediately caught my interest. Not because I think it's true but it made me start really thinking about what the word "feminism" means in art today. In trying to think of who I would consider as a feminist artist today, I think we all struggled trying to come up with a few names when we were discussing the topic. In my search online, I also came across the terms post-feminist, second and third wave feminist which basically seemed to be softer definitions of the term feminist. I haven't completely settled on an exact topic because I believe the possibilities are endless on this subject alone.

Does anyone agree with this and could this be an overall topic we could discuss? We could break it down into categories of historical areas such as the start of feminism, guerilla girls and their influence, where are they today (they have a website and travel all over the country which seems a little commercialized to me), Feminist artist of yesterday and today and the differences. I could go on and on but I guess my question is does this sound like something everyone would be interested in? If so - what would be our specific topics? Since everyone is supposed to post their ideas by tomorrow - we'll see if everyone is already heading in that direction.

Exploitation of Reality

This article provides a nice overview of ethical questions considering "the body" in contemporary art. There are examples of recent exhibitions that push the limit.


http://artnew.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=2522¤t=True


How far is too far?
Do artists exploit the same message they are trying to convey?
Is the audience a victim of sensationalism?

It seems to me "shock" is the new medium. (Well, hardly a new idea, but maybe we are trespassing the taboo to a point of extremity.) I do not like the idea that anything goes as long as it qualifies under the rubric of "art," but I also cannot see an end to this anytime soon, and it certainly is reflective of the society in which we live. Agree or disagree?

Jill

Bodies: The Exhibition

I don't know how well this goes with the them, but check it out anyhow. There is a traveling show called "Bodies: the exhibition" and it displays real human cadavers in different ways. Some are shown as skeletons, others with muscles doing an exercise, and there are even some young fetuses that portray the different stages of a growing womb. It's a big controversy because the show is supposed to be a science exhibit and scientist are pretty much shunning the whole thing because of how the bodies are obtained. They aren't donated and the reigning theory is that the exhibit is using Asian criminals and unclaimed bodies. This is from the article: "In 2006, reporting from Dalian, China for the New York Times, David Barboza described "a ghastly new underground mini-industry" with "little government oversight, an abundance of cheap medical school labor and easy access to cadavers and organs."^[10] Premier representatives say "the bodies were not formally donated by people who agreed to be displayed."^[11] The director of the Anatomical Committee of the New York Associated Medical Schools (NYAMS) worries that "you have no documentation of who this is."

I know widipedia isn't the most reliable source, but it gives the gist of this situation if you want to read it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BODIES..._The_Exhibition

Death Row Inmate Gives His Body to Art

I have never blogged before so hopefully this works! I posted this same blog a few days ago, but I think I figured out how it will show that it's from me now....

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/article.asp?id=16027
This is a link to an article that I received in my The Art Newspaper weekly email. It is quite disturbing what this artist (Danish-based artist Marco Evaristti) wants to do with a body. While this may be a more literal meaning of "The BODY in contemporary art," I got this email the same week Brooke sent us the email about the blog. Coincidence?! This artist is concerned with ethical issues of capital punishment and issues about the environment, and in this particular example he plans to use a human body as a means of expression.

Thoughts, comments, concerns!

Death Row Inmate Gives His Body to Art

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/article.asp?id=16027

I have never blogged before so hopefully this works!

This is a link to an article that I received in my The Art Newspaper weekly email. It is quite disturbing what this artist (Danish-based artist Marco Evaristti) wants to do with a body. While this may be a more literal meaning of "The BODY in contemporary art," I got this email the same week Brooke sent us the email about the blog. Coincidence?! This artist is concerned with ethical issues of capital punishment and issues about the environment, and in this particular example he plans to use a human body as a means of expression.

Thoughts, comments, concerns!

Newbie

I'm testing this thing out because I'm a blog virgin. It doesn't look like many people have signed up but I guess it's understandable considering our natural circumstances. Hope everyone is safe and well!!!
Jennifer