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

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