Pirates of the Smithsonian

A debate has been going on for years about whether or not it is immoral for one country to remove artifacts from another country and place them on display in their own museum without proper consent (from the country that owns the artifacts). Some people do not believe organizations are really committing wrongful acts by doing this, believing the items should be displayed for every one's enjoyment instead of being confined within the borders of one country. There have been many arguments related to whether or not the widely popular Smithsonian museum should include a new exhibition featuring artifacts from ancient China that were retrieved from a ninth century Arab shipwreck. It is believed that the items were obtained by illegal means, and the Smithsonian's ethics statement says that they will not knowingly exhibit artifacts that have been stolen or removed from commercially exploited sites. I personally think the Smithsonian should not exhibit the items. It is true that Americans can gain a lot of useful knowledge from visiting the exhibit, and the museum would earn a significant profit by showing the artifacts. People are able to acquire a lot of information about the world they live in and are often more likely to develop open-minded attitudes when artifacts from other countries are readily available for them to see in their own countries. However, I don't believe the Smithsonian should go against their statement by exhibiting artifacts that were probably obtained illegally. I feel that if they do disregard their ethics statement, they will be sending a message to people all across the world that it's okay for museums to exhibit stolen items, and this could cause a rise in the interest in looting sites containing artifacts. If a well-known museum fails to show respect for artifacts by putting them on display even if they were obtained improperly, they could easily encourage disrespect for these items by the public, who could end up developing the mindset that their country has the right to take whatever it wants. I also don't think the Smithsonian should display the artifacts from the Arab shipwreck site because exhibiting them would strip the area they came from of the human right to self-determination. Many countries are able to gain a sense of power when they take items from other countries, but others experience a loss of this sense when artifacts are taken from them. They lose power when it comes to their decision-making abilities since they aren't given the right to choose for themselves what should be done when artifacts are recovered within their borders, and this sometimes generates anger and protests by people living in the victimized countries. Ownership battles have been raging for more than a century over the Elgin Marbles, half an original 500-foot sculptural frieze that was removed from the Parthenon in Greece in the early 1800s by the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. The ambassador took the piece to England to be exhibited, and the British government offered to pay for the Elgin Marbles after the act was condemned as vandalism in 1816. The artifact is still on display in the British Museum today, and Greece is still demanding its return.

Milton Glaser Documentary

There are uncountable definitions for the word art, some of which are more broad than others. Milton Glaser explains that the core value of art is the act of making things. It isn't limited to activities such as painting or drawing but rather any action that involves creation of some sort. In the documentary, Glaser also says that the purpose of art is to inform and delight. It is created to send out important messages to the viewing public that are capable of helping people become more knowledgeable and gain better insights into the societies in which they live. The messages sent through art are expected to impact us in one way or another, potentially opening our minds up to new beliefs and values. He believes it should help people recognize that everyone and everything in the world shares a connection and is defined by their opposite. At the same time, art must be enjoyable to look at, and it also should be a pleasurable experience to explore the meanings behind it. Another important statement made by Glaser is that we should always operate by interruption. I think this means that we should always work alongside other people when creating our art. He mentions his love of working on projects with other people in the documentary, and we even found out that he never uses a computer himself but instead sits next to others while they are using one and discusses ideas with them. He finds working alone to be quite boring and takes great pleasure in speaking with others, listening to what they have to say about the projects they are creating. Working with a multitude of people can be very disruptive, but this can actually be beneficial. Group projects allow people to share their thoughts and ideas so that there isn't only one mind making decisions during the development of the art. People are able to learn from discussions when they work on projects together. They have the opportunity to see things through the eyes of others, and the final product they create expresses the ideas of numerous different individuals combined, which often attracts a lot of attention from the public. The interruption caused by working in groups forces people to come out of their comfort zones as well, helping them become open to new themes for their projects.

Ambient Advertising

Ambient advertising consists of advertisements that appear in unexpected places, usually causing more people to notice and be affected by them than the normal ads that can be found in magazines and on television. Guerrilla marketing is the most extreme form of ambient advertising, with its elaborate, aggressive, and invasive tactics that are executed with or without permission.  I think ambient advertising is the best way to reach Otterbein students because it seems to encourage curiosity in people better than more traditional types of marketing strategies. Most college students lead very busy lives, and they often don't care to explore the messages they see in magazine ads. Other students don't watch much television due to their busy schedules, so they don't see the commercials that are trying to reach out to them. Of course, ads  can be found in numerous other mediums, but these traditional types are so common and have been around for so long that many people aren't curious about them. However, ambient advertising entices people to come and explore them since they appear in unexpected places and catch us off guard. Ambient ads often are interactive, too, which attracts more people to them and allows for active involvement, unlike traditional ads that are only meant to be read or heard. I think ambient ads will attract a lot more interest from Otterbein students, and ones that are interactive will probably be the most influential because they help us better establish connections with them and experience a sense of empowerment that allows us to see that we do have a say in decisions that are being made. Below are two good examples of ambient advertising:

The first ambient ad is located on a city sidewalk and is in the form of a vending machine. This vending machine contains live chickens that are all trapped in small cubicles with numbers  labeled underneath them. The words "Egg Machine" are printed on the top front area of the ad, and a message located below the chickens explains that "60% of all chickens are treated like egg-laying machines." This ad targets all those who carelessly purchase eggs from large corporations that mistreat their livestock. I chose this ad because I love animals and I hate to see any kind of animal treated as if they are nothing more than an object to be used and abused. I like that the ad encourages people to respect all living creatures instead of believing that humans are the only ones who should be entitled to just treatment. This ambient ad is effective because it is placed on a sidewalk in the middle of a city for everyone to see. It's location doesn't allow it to easily go unnoticed because so many people use this sidewalk and will have to walk past the vending machine to get to where they are headed. It's also effective because it involves the use of real chickens, which are much more likely to attract people's attention than a simple picture posted on the wall. 

The second ambient ad consists of a garage that is filled with a mountain of different items, including boxes, containers, and sporting equipment. The shape of a Volkswagen can be seen in the mass of objects sitting in the garage. This is advertising the new Tiguan model that has a park assist feature. The ad targets all those who are thinking about purchasing another vehicle and who may also prefer one that is capable of helping them park well in tight spaces. I chose this ad because I thought it was a very creative way to show its viewers how precise the Tiguan is able to park itself. I also chose it because quite a few people have garages that are overflowing with items, and they struggle to park their vehicles in these tight spaces without running over an object or scratching their cars. Many end up having to park on the driveway or in the street because they are afraid to park in the garage. This ambient ad is effective because it provides an interesting and attention-grabbing way to encourage people to buy the latest Tiguan model. It gives everyone an idea of just how precisely this vehicle is capable of parking when they are afraid they won't be able to successfully park the car on their own.

The Commodity Self

I believe that we are the products of products, and the identities of everyone are controlled by the products we consume. Many of us constantly seek the latest items, from fashionable clothing to high-tech electronics. We want to reach that level of conformity that shows us to be trendy and well-off. In the process of seeking and obtaining these items, our personalities begin to change. Our thoughts and feelings about various topics begin to reshape themselves depending on the products we are exposing ourselves to. For example, a lot of people who are more economically healthy take things for granted and don't enjoy simple pleasures in life as much as those who aren't very economically stable. Companies constantly flash advertisements for products in our faces, using slogans that give us the impression we will receive more enjoyment in our lives if we buy their items. Many are easily sucked into this vacuum of consumerism, and they allow products to dictate the way they live. We are constantly forming groups that are centered on consumer products. Skater punks normally spend their money on skateboards and brands of shoes and clothing such as Vans or Birdhouse. Athletes prefer to spend their money on things such as exercise equipment and vitamin supplements. Many music enthusiasts buy instruments or music books, and so on. There is a small number of people who must develop consumer items in the first place, though. Those who work for companies that create the consumer products we associate ourselves with are the ones who control how our society is shaped over the decades. They create the products that influence our values and beliefs. It is true that people often distance themselves from some products that become exceptionally influential, and they strive not to allow themselves to be manipulated by them. However, our society is made up of so many types of products, and no one can avoid the influence of every single item.    

Henri Matisse

Biography:

Henri Matisse was born on December 31st, 1869 in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France. He initially studied and practiced law from 1887 to 1891. However, in 1891, he chose to travel to Paris, France to become a painter after a slow recovery from appendicitis led to his interest in the practice of painting. As an artist, Matisse worked under William-Adolphe Bouguereau at the Académie Julian. In 1896, he sent his artwork to a number of exhibitions in Paris, and he had his first solo show in 1904. His early work reflected a conventional form of naturalism, but he also studied art that was more contemporary, especially pieces created by the impressionists. Matisse then began to experiment with different shapes and colors, later being deemed a leader of the group les fauves ("the wild beasts") who were known for their use of vivid colors, distortion of shapes, and the extreme emotionalism their paintings tended to show. From 1906 to 1917, he lived in Paris, establishing his home, studio, and school at Hotel Biron. Matisse met Pablo Picasso in 1906, and they quickly became friends and exchanged paintings. Matisse shared an exhibition with Picasso in 1918. The two artists often served as inspirational figures for each other and performed similar artistic experiments (with their use of vibrant colors,etc.). From the 1920s up until his death, he spent a lot of his time in southern France, particularly Nice, painting local scenes. In his old age, Matisse was commissioned  to design the decoration for the Chapel of Saint-Marie du Rosaire at Vence, which he completed between 1947 and 1951. During the last few years of his life when he was often confined to his bed, he kept himself busy with decoupage, where he would create artwork with brightly-colored paper cut-outs arranged on a canvas surface. He died in Nice, France on November 3, 1954. Unlike most artists, Matisse actually enjoyed great popularity during his lifetime, and his work was favored by countless art enthusiasts all over the world. 

Why Henri Matisse?

I chose to do my research on Henri Matisse simply because I wanted to learn more about him and his work. I knew only that he was an artist famous for his abstract paintings until I decided to collect this biographical information on him. I don't remember learning anything about Matisse in my art classes, although I was taught a lot about artists such as Picasso and van Gogh. I also don't remember having ever seen any of his work before, so I was curious to find out what pieces of his typically looked like. I wanted to find out the types of things in life he preferred to capture in his artwork.

Samples of Matisse's Work:


The Horse, Rider and Clown (1943)



The Nightmare of the White Elephant (1943)



Odalisque with a Moorish Chair (1928)



The Moroccans (1916)

Vase and Fruit (1901)

Sources:

1.) Berggruen, Olivier. Hollein, Max. Henri Matisse: Drawing with Scissors, Masterpieces from the Late Years. New York: Prestel Publishing, 2006.

2.) Sternau, Susan A. Henri Matisse. New York: New Line Books Ltd, 2006.





Harrell Fletcher Response

I found the convocation on April 14th to be very interesting, not just because of the types of projects Fletcher chose to do, but also because of the fact that they were created with the help of people from numerous communities. I was intrigued that he strove for the unification of community members through art. One of his projects where he aimed to unify members was the "Garage Sale Series." During the development of this project, Fletcher went to various garage sales and collected items from families to display in an art gallery. His collection contained many different items, including old toys, hats, books, and tableware. He also asked the owners of the items about their significance and sentimental value while he was collecting them, and he typed up the stories behind each of the items on tags that were later tied to them for people to read. Many items that were similar were placed in the same area of the gallery. Some items that came from the same garage sale were grouped together, too. Those who visited Fletcher's gallery could enjoy learning about every item's background, and they could also find out who they had belonged to in the past, which was a real treat for visitors who were especially nostalgic. In a way, each item was insight into the previous owner's life. After the items were shown at the gallery, Fletcher had his own garage sale and sold these items back to community members. The project was successful in attracting the attention of many people, and Fletcher established some new relationships with families who participated in the creation of his gallery as well. One of the main points of his project was to get people interested in art. Many are very sentimental and love learning the stories behind other people's possessions. The value in nostalgia  that is shared by a lot of people was the key Fletcher used to encourage members of the community to come together and assist him with his project. I think he wanted everyone who initially had looked at art with indifference to recognize the importance of it in our society and learn to appreciate it. He wanted everyone to become active participants in the creation of art and realize that they are all artists in one way or another. Fletcher also wanted to bring people in the community together. The "Garage Sale Series" was a great example of community art because a lot of different families in the community were involved in the project. They all came together with the items from their garage sales to create a unified collection of art for the gallery. 

Has Peep Culture Finally Crossed the Line?

Initially, I thought right away "Okay, we're definitely starting to go way too far with this" when I read about people being filmed jumping off a bridge in "The Peep Diaries." I also couldn't figure out why the Hell anybody would want to pay to see someone on their deathbed at a museum. Who agreed to have this dying person exhibited at their museum to begin with? None of it made sense to me, and I was sick to my stomach realizing how obsessed people were getting with exploitation. However, the more I made myself think about the matter, the more my strong opinion began to change. I still can't say that I'm for T.V. shows and exhibits about death, but I'm also not against them anymore. The reason I can't say I have a specific opinion is because I really think it depends on the person viewing the deaths when trying to figure out if such things are damaging to society. Some people who watch "The Bridge" or visit the dying person at the museum could be horrified to the point where they might feel the need to see a psychiatrist after such an experience. Others might also be bothered by them, but instead of suffering psychological damage and possibly being mentally scarred for life, they would actually get something good out of it. Sometimes, it takes visuals or an in-person experience to evoke sympathy in people and make them understand how precious life truly is so they can work towards getting the most out of it while they still can. In his essay, Hal talked about visuals (reality T.V. shows) and other things representative of peep culture (social networking sites, etc.) as being the reasons why people are starting to become detached and show indifference for other people's pain, though. It's safe to say this isn't the case with everyone, but peep culture likely is hardening the hearts of some, with its constant flow of information on countless personal lives. Although, quite a few (if not the majority) of the reality shows that come out every year aren't even based on actual, true-life events. Just as manipulation  and recontextualization were used in the creation of Robinson's Fading Away photograph over a century ago, directors and crew members today often rely on their abilities in manipulation to make these shows come out the way they want them to.