S+ART

Be a part of the 2012 Folklife Festival

       

Demonstration of Peace Corps mud cloths, Photo from 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Themes in 2011 Festival included: Colombia, Peace Corps, and Rhythm and Blues.

 

Celebrating 46 years, the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival is bringing traditional performances, live music, authentic cuisine, crafts, story tellers and more from various communities and cultures to the National Mall (beginning on Wednesday, June 27- Sunday, July 1 and Wednesday, July 4 - Monday, July 8).  

What is this festival, you ask?

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is a national and international exhibition of living cultural heritage, treasured and celebrated annually on the National Mall, taking place for two weeks every summer. Nearly every festival has drawn more than one million visitors. One great perk of the festival, is the free admission! The festival is typically organized into three focuses, featuring a nation, region, state, or theme. This year’s programs include three diverse ranges of cultural experiences:

Citified: Arts and Creativity East of the Anacostia River:

Presented in partnership with the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum, the program celebrates the art and creativity of schools, churches, community organizations, business and other residential and local venues of the neighborhoods in Anacostia. Identity is expressed through an eclectic range of arts and cultural activities, such as African dancing and drumming, storytellers, hip-hop dancing, comedians, demonstrations of tattoo art and much more!

 

AIDS Memorial Quilt on the National Mall

 

Creativity and Crisis: Unfolding the AIDS Memorial Quilt:

This year marks the 25^th anniversary of The AIDS Memorial Quilt and 30 years of life with AIDS. This year’s program features the unfolding of the 47,000 hand-sewn panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, craft demonstrations, dance and musical performances, interactive discussions, and other activities that bring together individual and communities to remember loved ones. The quilt will be on display on the National Mall and at more than 40 other locations from July 21-25.

Campus and Community:

This year’s Folklife Festival celebrates the 150^th anniversary of the founding of land-grant universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which partners with communities putting research into action in the areas of agriculture and food, health care, sustainable living, and education. The events featured include hands-on activities, demonstrations, and discussions.

For more general info on the festival and to learn about past festivals go to:

http://www.festival.si.edu/visitor/general.aspx

http://dc.about.com/od/specialevents/a/FolklifeFest.htm

Enjoy!

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 ~Margaret McClung

No Photos Please!

Graphic by Griffin Baker

Something that I have become aware of when it comes to reviewing exhibitions is that it is nearly impossible to take photos. In museums, unless the work is in their permanent collection it cannot be photographed. I find this to be frustrating because often times what I want to see or document are the artworks in traveling exhibitions. I mean, if I can see it anytime at the museum, then why bother with the pictures? The whole lure of a photograph is to catch a moment in time, or in this case an exhibition, before it passes. Most recently I was dealing with this issue with some of the temporary exhibits around the Mall that showcased work by Andy Warhol. I just could not help but notice the irony.

As known by many art enthusiasts out there, Andy Warhol loved the media. In fact, there is an exhibition right now at the National Gallery of Art that is all about it. Warhol also spent a great deal of his time working to break down the boundaries that we have regarding copywriting, commercializing, and originality. The idea that you cannot take pictures of his work flies in the face of Warhol’s spirit. Most of his work is manipulating photos, copying labels, and breaking down clichéd images. I understand the need to protect the rights of an artwork. However, I feel that the way the artwork is treated should speak for the artist’s intentions rather than hypocritically destroying them.

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~Griffin Baker

‘Outside’ to ‘Inside’: Yolngu Aboriginal Art

 

 

In western culture today, what if traditional art or paintings passed down had the ability to be decoded? Then, through this revelation, the decoder interpreted a map to life and a system of orders. Furthermore, this “ancestral design” explained a unified system interpreting the surrounding natural world in relationship with our societal structure and political system. Then on top of that, this decoder provided a “framework for ordering these relations between people, ancestors and land” (Morphy 159)—Life might be making more sense. To the Yolngu people, their traditional aboriginal art does exactly that.

The traditional ancestral creations become a means to define every function that revolves around the Yolngu people.  To the Yolngu, paintings are not representations as in most western art but are integral blueprints to their existence. The Mardayin or sacred law is transmitted and re-enacted by the iconography displayed in vibrant paintings and live ritual performance.

Structural stability is produced by the passing of this sacred knowledge down to decoders or authoritative men as they grow into power. The paintings become valuable resources to the congruity of societal structure and rule. This position of decoder is controlled by elders or powerful individuals in the tribes who interpret the blueprint which in turn, “discriminate[s] between different areas of owned land…mark[s] status… separates the initiated from uninitiated and men from women.”  (Morphy 160) Thus, a unified ‘ordering-structure’ of life is created.

The wisdom of a decoder is gathered over a course of one’s life. The movement is a constant continuum for an individual from the unrestricted outside world to the “sacred and restricted” inside world. This information is gained increasingly as one grows in experiences, learns, and starts to creatively interpret the meaning for others. This cycle of life can be transmitted through the change from figurative (outside) art to geometric (inside) art as one’s knowledge increases.   

To me, the art not only symbolizes structure and a system but represents the point on the journey for an individual.  The figurative art can define chaos and metaphorical meanings to finding one’s way while becoming a man/woman.  As one grows in sacredness and restricted knowledge, the path becomes clear and concise in understanding just as lines in geometry are straight and simple. To the Yolngu and other Aboriginals, Art is literally their “way” of life.

 

Aboriginal Artists

 Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula (right) in the Great Painting Room in 1972 with Charlie Tarawa Tjungurrayi. Smithsonian.com

The Trial by Charlie Tarawa Tjungurrayi is believed to symbolize the sentencing of a territorial intruder by other men (white circles). Smithsonian.com

 

Please join the Smithsonian Associates this Thursday, July 21 (6:45pm-8:30pm) as Howard Morphy explain’s the varied artistic expressions in The Art of the Australian Aboriginal Yolngu: Meaning and Aesthetics. Morphy, the director of the Research School of Humanities and the Arts at the Australian National University in Canberra, will display the art of traditional Aborigine’s in the only way possible—integrated in sequence with performance art. Also, examples of artist Narritjin Maymuru’s work will be displayed to serve as aid in deciphering.

 

~Matt Weiler

Morphy, Howard. "Yolngu Art and The Creativity of the Inside." Aboriginal Religions in Australia: an Anthology of Recent Writings. Aldershot: Ashgate Limited, 2007. Online.

American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music

 

Many people from countries around the globe immigrate to the United States with dreams and aspirations to obtain freedoms, liberties and an overall better standard of living. Groups of individuals can leave behind poverty, political strife and religious conflict but in the process also lose personal treasures like home, history and family. The one item that never leaves them is their culture.

Culture is the face and voice of every nation. At the heart of each culture, one can find traditional crafts, food, art, dance and music. In order to be immersed into another’s culture, one must receive a glimpse and appropriate taste of these elements. What flavors of Latin culture have mingled with the United States music scene and history? Where do they come from and reside? How do they affect American culture? If this interests you, questions will be answered with viewing and listening pleasure at American Sabor. American Sabor is a new exhibition at the Smithsonian Ripley Center displaying Latin music history and its unique influence on U.S. popular music and dance over the years.

After the 1940’s, many Latin people from the Americas immigrated to United States. The Latin influences that originated in Central and South America and the Latin-Caribbean have become an integral part of the American music scene. At this time, Latin Music began making a profound effect on many of the rhythmic genres of U.S. music such as, jazz, R&B, rock 'n' roll, and hip hop.

After learning the history of major traditional dance styles like salsa, mambo, rumba, cha-cha-cha, move your way through the exhibit stopping by five major musical production centers in the United States where Latin music has made the biggest impact: Miami, New York, San Antonio, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Check out famous memorabilia, fantastic images and shake your hips at the different musical stations.

 

Works At the Exhibition

Collage of Record Covers

  Santana

Woodstock in Bethal, NY, August 15, 1969

Wall Size Poster Print

 

~Matt Weiler

Mt. Pleasant Temporium

 An empty storefront at 3068 Mt. Pleasant St. NW will soon become the district's second Temporium, a temporary space for local artisans to showcase and sell their work. The first Temporium was on H Street NE in July 2010, and it was a huge success. The new Temporium should provide exciting opportunities for the culturally rich and truly diverse neighborhood of Mt. Pleasant, the often forgotten hidden gem of DC. The Temporium will not only support creative entrepreneurs, but will activate and highlight the Mt. Pleasant Street commercial corridor, providing residents with unique services and activities. Most importantly, the Temporium will promote this lively neighborhood. 

The theme of the Mt. Pleasant Temporium is storytelling, which will give visitors insight into the handmade goods for sale as well as the 30 local, independent artists who made them. The storytelling theme will also be explored through special programming, such as autobiographical and theatrical storytelling with SpeakeasyDC, trunk shows, educational panels, and live music.

“I lived in Mt. Pleasant for 10 years, so I have a real soft-spot for the neighborhood and a desire to see it prosper,” said Amy Saidman, director of SpeakeasyDC. “The Temporium is a great way to bring people and energy to this great neighborhood.”

Two local DC artists, Sean Hennessey and Rania Hassan, have been selected to curate the front windows.

The Mt. Pleasant Temporium
3068 Mt. Pleasant St. NW
Washington, DC 20010
Tentatively Jan. 28 - Feb. 26
Wed – Fri 2pm – 7pm -- Sat 10am – 6pm -- Sun 11am – 5pm
More information: Mt. Pleasant Temporium

  
images: Sean Hennessey, We Power the Universe, 2008. Glass, Concrete.
Rania Hassan, Drop Stitch, 2009. Oil, Fiber, Canvas, Metal.

Text adapted from http://mtptemporium.com/

Allison Recht

Going On: Art and the Movies

 

If you haven't had a chance to check out the Norman Rockwell exhibit at the American Art Museum yet, tomorrow presents the perfect opportunity. On Friday, September 24 at 3:00 p.m., three distinguished scholars join senior curator Virginia Mecklenburg to discuss the influence between art and film. They will look at movies ranging from silent films to the epics of the 1940s. After listening to the talk, linger in the exhibition, Telling Stories: Norman Rockwell from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, and learn how two of today's greatest filmmakers have been influenced by Rockwell.

The lecture is free, but registration is required. Visit www.eventbrite.com or call (202) 633-8490 for reservations.

For more information about the Rockwell exhibition, visit http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2010/rockwell/.

Can you attain the pheon?

Interact with the Smithsonian American Art Museum in a revolutionary way! Beginning on Saturday, September 18th, SAAM is introducing a "brand-new, mission-based alternate reality game. A variation on the classic game Capture the Flag, Pheon is a competition..., which will occur online and at live events during the course of a year. Pheon, like other mission-based games, revolves around the completion of tasks, the making of objects, discovery and documentation."

Missions will be based on exploring the museum's art collections, exhibitions, and programs. Players from all over the world will interact with scripted characters and make use of online social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, and each player's individual actions will influence the game. Earn enough points to attain the pheon - a virtual talisman.

The game launches tomorrow from noon to 6 p.m. at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Activities for players will include making objects, texting codes and finding clues in a belly-dance performance.

Additional information is available on the museum’s website, americanart.si.edu/pheon.

Going On: Community Day - African Soul

On Saturday, September 18th, the African Art Museum hosts a Community Day from 12 noon to 4:30 p.m. This year's theme is "African Soul." Events include arts-and-crafts activities, dance performances and workshops, face painting, a film screening, and a creation station, where participants will have an opportunity to interact with international artists who work and create in public spaces. The programs are all free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://africa.si.edu/calendar.html#/?i=1.

Tips and Techniques: Sand Animation

A recent trip to the beach has inspired me to think of sand in an entirely new way.  I’m curious to know how many of you have ever tried, or considered trying, sand animation.  No, I’m not talking about the layers of colored sand in decorative bottles, nor gargantuan sand sculpture contests.  I’m talking about the quick and ephemeral finger drawings pressed into flat, sand covered surfaces. 

 Sand animation is a newer medium in the art world, perhaps yet to be taken as seriously as it should.  It combines the immediacy and honesty of line drawings with three-dimensional texture and value.  Plus, it’s fun!  Although sand animation may be a little messy for the kids to experiment with in the living room, it certainly is a forgiving medium and fascinating art project! 

Ukrainian sand animation artist, Kseniya Simonova, proves that her craft is more than a craft in her videos from Ukraine’s Got Talent.  As the show’s winner in 2009, Simonova beautifully depicts themes of war and hardship through a medium that is innately playful.  She illustrates life during the USSR’s Great Patriotic War against the Third Reich in World War II.

Observe the effortless sweeps of her hands and strokes of her fingers in creating such moving works.
 

 Feel inspired?  Next time you are at the beach, try a little sand animation of your own!  Although you may not become the next winner of Ukraine’s Got Talent, you may find a new medium to love!

Have fun in the sand!

Graphic Novel Techniques

Comics: a new take on contemporary art and literature.

Starting with its humble beginnings as comical pop culture imagery, comics have emerged to challenge traditional notions of high art.  Let’s refer to these types of comics as graphic novels, shall we?   Such a credible variation of art deserves a more credible name, don’t you think?

There are several modern graphic novels that stand out as prime examples of individualistic, skilled, and creative works of art.  Three that I choose to highlight are:

1.    Maus, by Art Spiegelman

2.   Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi

(And my personal favorite…)

3.   City of Glass, by Paul Auster

Look to these examples for inspiration on developing your own graphic style!  How would you want your own graphic novel to look?  Dynamic line hatching and depth like Maus? High contrast and simplified shapes like Persepolis?  Or perhaps a varied approach with lights, darks, and textures like City of Glass?

Which style suits you?

Maus, by Art Spiegelman 

Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi 

City of Glass, by Paul Auster