Ai Weiwei in "Change"

-Ai Weiwei was a human rights activist
-He was arrested in China because of this
-He uses his artwork to evoke political and personal statements
-In photography, it's important to build a relationship with your subject
-As an artist, there are many different ways to approach your art
-Ai Weiwei used many unconventional materials in his artwork

Ben Grosser - New Media

"New media has yet to become old."

New media includes:

-video 

-code

-web

-hardware

-interaction

-storytelling

-performance

Being a new media major involves learning to understand and shape new technological forms.

You must be inventive and full of new ideas. 

"Technology can control what you do.. and where you do it and how you do it."

New media can be used to question and communicate concepts and subjects. 

adapt 

manipulate

analyze

understand

Dr. Deana McDonagh - Industrial Design

Dr. McDonagh is an industrial designer who realized there was a need for women in the field.

She uses Kickstarter to help get backing for new inventions and products:

Snooz

-white noise machine

-helps to make sleep easier

-not digital, uses a real fan

Industrial design is related to graphic design, but it also requires the knowledge of engineering, psychology, etc.

It works to help make normally complicated things easily understandable and empathetic with the public.

-graphics & 3-D models

-understand your market, and why your product is better than others out there

-think about user needs

-emotions + economics

"technology itself isn't selling - it's the narrative"

Chicago Trip

Last Friday, we all took a trip to Chicago and were able to visit the Art Institute as well as Expo Chicago. Here are some of the pieces and exhibits I found most interesting.

Art Institute of Chicago

 Cow's Skull with Calico Roses

I immediately liked this piece becauseof how minimalistic it is. I love the different tones of white, and the contrast of the black in the background. I've also always been fascinated with bones and I 

love the mix of the skull with the flowers. It shows both death and life at the same time. 

Pair of Headdresses

I was interested in this artwork because of the African Art History class I'm taking. 

It was really cool to finally be able to see some of the art in person. 

I was amazed by all the detail in this piece. It's made 

of a combination of materials: wood, metal, and brass tacks.

These would have been worn during

performances for agricultural heritage. The different

animals shown in the headdresses symbolize various

things, and it's easy to see the thought behind these

pieces.

Ohhh...Alright...

I've always loved Roy Lichtenstein's work, and this was no exception. I love 

the graphic-like quality. The colours work together and make the piece pop. 

I like the use of lettering, because I feel like that's something most artwork

doesn't have. It makes it unique and you can always tell it was done by

Lichtenstein. 

Arrival of the Normandy Train

Sorry for the bad photo quality of this one! 

This caught my eye because of the combination of colours. I also

really liked the brushwork, and how soft the whole thing is. Impressionism

has always been a favourite of mine. Something about this artwork

is so calming.

An Elegant Woman at the Elysee Montmartre

The colours in this one are amazing. I loved how bold it was.

Everything about it is so rich, and really takes you back in time.

You can almost imagine knowing the woman in the painting.

The Girl by the Window

This one is just beautiful. I love the colours and the brushwork and everything

about it. It reminds me of my childhood and late nights dreaming. 

There is so much emotion behind this piece of art. It's so easy to imagine

yourself being this girl and looking down at the city from behind

hiding curtains.

Expo Chicago

Crown Point Press / San Francisco

My friends and I loved the bright colours in this exhibit. Everything was pretty

geometric, which was cool as well. I liked how everything was simple but bold. 

It was a really cool combination of artwork.

Galerie Isabella Bortolozzi, GalerieMicheline Szwajcer / Berlin Brussels

This exhibit stood out from the rest. It was a little odd, but in an intriguing way. 

The whole room was filled with different figures made from various materials.

It was almost eerie, and that's probably why my friends and I were drawn to it.

Hostler Burrows / New York

This collection of artwork was very abstract. I loved all the different shapes and

mediums used. The colour combinations were all very cool as well. I especially

liked the metal piece. It seemed to be almost organic, even thought it was made from

a more hard material.