Tampa Museum of Art

For my museum visit I went to the Tampa Museum of Art when I went home for the October break. This was my first time going to an art museum in Tampa and was really surprised with what I found. The most interesting piece I saw at the museum was a sculpture named Over the Waves by Paul Jennewein. I liked this piece not only because it was different but also because I am related to Paul. Designed as a fountain, this sculpture of a young boy standing atop a dolphin was created in response to the demand for garden sculpture in the 1920s. Three sizes were made: a 54-inch bronze of which eleven were cast; a 12-inch bronze, cast in an edition of six; and a 48-inch version of an unknown edition. The museum’s piece is from this latter edition.

Another a piece I found different was William Pachner’s “Landscape”. When I saw this piece it looked like a little kid made it. This piece does not look very hard to make and I was surprised knowing how art that looks easy can be put in a museum.  A winter resident of the Gulf Coast since the early 1950s, William Pachner celebrates the natural landscape of Florida in this abstract painting. As with much of Pachner's work, viewers are not always sure what they are looking at. Not only is the subject matter abstracted, but it also acts as a metaphor. The energy of the colors play off one another and buzz with feeling, resulting in what the artist calls an “imagined landscape, a scene from his inner life.” Pachner states, "It is memory, it is imagination, it is spontaneity, it is conscious and unconscious. Finally, then, it has to be art.

- Conner-

Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla

Allora and Guillermo are two artists who have embraced the recent globalization of art. Both artists are from profoundly different backgrounds: Allora is form Pennsylvania, Guillermo from Havana, Cuba. The two artists approach art as a set of experiments, and their works are a hybrid of various mediums. For instance, their work "Clamor" combines war music from a range of cultures. The work has music from the American Civil War to the traditional war music of Chile and Russia. In attempting to reveal how music can be used as a weapon, these two artists have combined the traditions of various regions of the world. Another work, "Under Discussion," creates a powerful political message. The work refers to the civil disobedience movement of Vieques, Puerto Rico. In the work, a table floats amidst a calm ocean. The table represents a discussion table, referring to the discussions that occurred during the disobedience movement. People often discussed the island's political situation, but such discussions never seemed to lead anywhere. Thus, Guillermo and Allora "mobilize" the discussion table by placing it upside down, as a boat, and attaching a motor to the back. Though this work refers specifically to the political movement within Vieques, the work can be a symbol for political discussions throughout the world. These political discussions often go nowhere because not everyone is involved within them.


-Tina

The Imaged Word

I visited the "Imaged Word" exhibit at the airport, where the works bridged the gap between literature and art. Scott McCarney's "Hanging Index #20: Last Lines, 2010" was my favorite piece within the exhibit. An open book has hundreds of pages flowing out from above. The pages are taken from outdated reference books that have been deaccessioned. The work reflects the prevalence of the internet, which has caused books to become obsolete. Yet, though the internet may provide a wealth of information at your fingertips, I don't believe the web can compare to holding an actual book within your hands. Paul Katz's display "The Prelude" was also an interesting piece of art. Various sculptures have been painted with lines of poetry from the poem, "The Prelude." The work is interesting in that the artist hopes to frustrate the audience's desire to read the poem's words by painting them in complex, nearly illegible patterns. The most interesting exhibit was that of Aaron Stephan's "Building Bridges." Stephan literally creates a bridge between literature and art by stacking books together to create an actual bridge. Books bridge various cultures and generations together, and connect us to ideas, facts, and experiences we would never have known otherwise. The work reflects the importance of literature within society, the importance of books that is often forgotten in light of the internet.

"Stacked Fabric" by Susie Brandt

"Hanging Index #20" by Scott McCarney

"The Prelude" by Paul Katz

-Tina

Uneven geography

Globalization has proliferated every aspect of our lives. Art is a human tradition that spans geographical, cultural, and generational boundaries. Though art is common throughout the world, until recently artists rarely collaborated across different cultures. As globalization proliferates, more and more art works have been created as a combination of elements from various cultures and religions. The Uneven Geographies display at the Nottingham is one example of this recent trend. The exhibit brings together work from five continents, and is truly a cross-cultural display. For instance, Steve McQueen's film, Gravesend, juxtaposes the deleterious affects of mining for coltan in the Democratic Republic with the scientific processing of this mineral. The mineral is used widely in computer devices in England. The work reflects the ironic dependence of England's wealth on a mineral which has caused environmental degradation and political instability within the Democratic Republic. McQueen's work reveals how trends such as capitalism have affected various countries in strikingly different ways. I believe that great art has the ability to create a statement, or reveal a truth in an aesthetically appealing form. McQueen's film shows that the free market, and social equality are ideas that have not spread throughout the entire world. While some countries such as America are able to celebrate various freedoms, other countries suffer to fuel the economies of these "free-market" societies. It's alarming to think that the resources we depend on daily are available to us because of the blood and sweat of those in less stable countries. McQueen's work has given me a greater appreciation for the many freedoms I have been given.













-Tina