Archive for the ‘Arts’ Category
[Fortino Samano Moments before His Execution], 1916
Augustin Victor Casasola (Mexican, 1874–1938)
[Fortino Samano Moments before His Execution], 1916
Gelatin silver print; (14 x 8 7/8 in. (35.6 x 22.5 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, A. Hyatt Mayor Purchase Fund, Marjorie Phelps Starr Bequest, 1986 (1986.1151)
Information about more than 130,000 works of art is available in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Collection Database.
Photograph Credits
Copyright © 2000–2008 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. All rights reserved.
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Thinking about Thinking in Rome: part four
I have the incredible privilege of spending four weeks at the American Academy in Rome as an Affiliate Fellow, representing the IMA. From time to time I hope to post some of my adventures and discoveries here. What a ride!
For me, life at the Academy settled into a rhythm that included some or all of these each day:
A morning jog in the amazing park of Villa Doria Pamphili;
Catching up on IMA-related business via email;
Audio-recording interviews for my project and conscientiously downloading these to more than one storage device;
Writing a crude attempt to outline ideas about thinking, language and sensory experience triggered by the interviews; and
Visits to the AAR library on deliberate quests, sometimes spiced up by fortuitous discoveries of books related to the ideas mentioned in the previous item.
The daily rhythm is regularly punctuated by the Academy mealtimes – gatherings of people who are deeply engaged in their own individual quests. These include not only the scholarly and artistic endeavors of the Fellows, Visiting Scholars and Visiting Artists, but also the quests of “Fellow Travellers,” the Academy’s term for companions of Fellows and Visitors who are sometimes partners caring for young children. The adventures and discoveries of these residents, very often artists and scholars themselves, are often ingeniously integrated with the rhythm of naps and school hours. So when all gather in the dining room, there seems to me to be a sense of adventure. The meals function not simply as social times, but also as super-colliders where ideas get knocked against one another, tested and potentially changed. I continue to be impressed by the way the quality and artistry, really, of the kitchen staff contributes to these gatherings. Each meal is obviously prepared with care and served with considerable generosity on the parts of both cooks and dining room staff. I sense that we residents all leave the dining room loved and fortified to return to our work and our various solitary explorations. This may sound over-blown, but the meals feel like good-natured and very informal blessings.
AAR dinner
On weekends or when interviews are unlikely and meals are not served, long exploratory walks to historic sights are the things. Walking the streets of Rome on a Sunday is a delight, as my IMA colleague, Daniel Incandela, recently commented. Families, couples young and old, groups of friends: it’s good to just be outdoors, strolling or perhaps stopping for a gelato or an espresso.
a street café outside the Pantheon
This week my Academy routine was interrupted by a nasty cold or flu of some sort. I felt ill for several days, finally surrendering to complete bed rest for two full days. The prospect of walking down several flights of stairs (and back up) and of meeting people was too much in my weakened condition. I had to forego a scheduled Academy walk through some nearby ruins. The Italian language felt overwhelming. I was sick.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that sometimes illness is an opportunity, except in the sense that all experiences are opportunities. But perhaps it’s worth saying that there are moments when the opportunities of experience coincide with an openness or a readiness to take advantage of particular features of experience. What I’m trying to say is that I got sick and, yes, there was some discomfort involved (the fear that can flare up when it’s the middle of the night and you’re having trouble breathing and you’re alone, for example), but that it was not an entirely bad experience. As far as my intention to think about thinking, knowing, language, aesthetic experience, and the realm of the visual while at the Academy, the interlude of being sick, especially during that post-acute-misery time of weakness and recovery, provided some valuable time for reading, writing and sorting through perspectives.
La Jibarita IV, 1991–94
Jan Henle (American, b. 1948)
La Jibarita IV, 1991–94
Silver dye bleach print; 76 1/2 x 80 1/2 in. (194.3 x 204.5 cm), framed
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, The Howard Gilman Foundation Gift, 1994 (1994.269)
© Jan Henle
Information about more than 130,000 works of art is available in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Collection Database.
Photograph Credits
Copyright © 2000–2008 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. All rights reserved.
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Creating Culture
My first Pecha Kucha night, enjoyed from the squishy goodness of a giant red comfy sack in The Toby, was like no other PowerPoint presentation I’ve been to. I left feeling inspired and liberated (since profanities could be shouted or whispered freely at any point). I’m definitely experiencing culture these days, maybe due to a motivating post by Meg. It’s true–as a marketer, and as a resident of Indy–we should all be experiencing the amazing galleries, games, plays, concerts, trails, architecture and exhibits offered by our friends. But why not also ask ourselves how as individuals we can create culture?
Matthew Hale, life-long resident of Indianapolis and graduate of Herron School of Art & Design, pitched his idea to make Indy a cultural landmark at the recent Pecha Kucha Night. “Letteracks: A 3D map for Indianapolis” is a coordinated system of 26 giant letter bikeracks, one for each letter of the alphabet, designed for the regional center of Indianapolis. The options for the use of these letteracks are endless–from field trip and jogging destinations to wayfinding and photo ops. Letteracks would add a unique system of nationally recognized landmarks to our city and increase the cultural language so-to-speak of the people in our city.
"Letteracks: A 3D map for Indianapolis"
While Matt didn’t win the $10k PK prize (in my opinion, he should have), his idea speaks to the idea of creating culture on a large scale. On a much smaller scale, as a child, I was a ballet dancer, I painted Tiger Lillies by the mailbox, I played the piano, I wrote poems and stories, I sang “Billy Boy” on the swing set, I planted mounds of pumpkin seeds and sunflowers in my garden, I took portfolios of pictures after a heavy snowfall, I read. Today, I rarely make time for these renewing acts or share them. What would Indy be like, if we each brought our own light and talents to our family, neighbors and city? What if we didn’t passively absorb culture, but actively created and shared it?
I heard an artist speak on the topic about a year ago in a sun-drenched gym on the Old Northside. “Do you have a picture to paint? A book to write? A dance class to take? Are you needed by someone?”
We should all have our day in the comfy sack, but I’m going try to make more time to create, converse and inspire.
Wilber in his comfy sack
Luce en Español/Luce in Spanish
Recently, American Art staff member Tierney Sneeringer was very excited to conduct her first Spanish tour, welcoming the “Friends of the Canal Museum” to the Luce Foundation Center. To schedule a Spanish tour with Tierney, e-mail AmericanArtLuce@si.edu.
Tierney Sneeringer, una empleada del Smithsonian American Art Museum, estaba muy entusiasmada cuando hizo recientemente su primera gira en español, recibiendo al grupo “Friends of the Canal Museum” (Amigos del Museo Canal) en el Luce Foundation Center. Para pedir cita para una gira en español, mande un e-mail a AmericanArtLuce@si.edu.