In chapter 7, finally we reach visual arts-based research methods. You were probably wondering how long it would take! Hopefully, previous chapters and texts have shown that visual art is not the only art form we can use in our research. Narrative, poetry and performance (which we haven't discussed yet) can be equally important and integral to the production of creative research. Still, visual art is central to our research mission; it is the art form that brings us together and allows us to understand each other.
Because this chapter is so important, I have given much thought to the blog topic. I know that next week we'll be reading Carrie Mae Weems' Constructed Histories, which addresses critical theoretical issues of identity, representation and subjugated voices/perspectives, and as such constitutes a work of visual "aesthetic intervention," as defined by feminist theorist bell hooks (1995) in her widely read book, Art on My Mind.. (**note my use of APA style**). So what shall this week's topic be?
Here is what I think. I think each one of you quite capable of running with the material presented in this chapter. Therefore I'm going to limit my directives. What I want to know, and what I think you are ready to ask yourselves, is how you will implement one or more of the methodological approaches discussed in the chapter. Leavy divides visual art-based research methodologies into 4 general categories. Here is her description of each (the numbers in parentheses were added by me):
The visual arts-based methods researchers have created offer several options, including (1) using art that exists independent of the research in order to study something that it articulates or questions it poses about social life; (2) having research participants create art in order to express or get at some aspect of their lives that would otherwise remain untapped;(3) creating visual models in order to assist data analysis and interpretation; (4) and creating art as a part of the representation of data. (2009, p. 218).
[Side Bar: the above quote is formatted in APA style. It is a block quote, re: a quote over 40 words long. Block quotes are usually indented 5 spaces from the left margin (which I could not do in this format), do not use quotation marks, and provide date and/or p.# at the end of the quote, after the end punctuation]
The chapter goes on to give examples of the four methodological approaches or strategies. The Weems book (which you might glance at now) is a combination of research strategies #1 and #4. Vicuna's book arguably falls primarily into research strategy #4. The Carolyn Jongewood example on pp. 239-51 might be a combination of #3 and #4. Kim Hershorn's work exploring themes of violence in an artmaking project with kids in an urban school setting (see Leavy, pp. 229-30) is an example of research strategy #2.
As you can see, it is possible and even likely that more than one methodological approach will inform your research. You can set up your project to work in a certain way, but you cannot foresee where it leads. Research usually involves other people whose lives and personalities lead in new directions. It is important to be open, flexible and ready for unexpected opportunities. We can never predict another person's behavior, no matter how well we know them! For this reason, you may start out with the intention of using one methodological approach but end up with two or more overlapping approaches. In the analysis phase of your research you'll find out what happened, when and how it happened. In the writing phase of your research, you'll state what happened, when and how, in narrative form. Visual "data" will inform the research process and final product in different ways. It's up to you and your thesis/dissertation committee to figure out what works best.
Which visual arts-based research methodology/ies best fit/s your research project? If you haven't settled on a particular project, imagine different scenarios based on different methodological approaches.
Be aware that if your research involves people other than yourself, for example if you plan to conduct interviews, photograph people's faces or do a collaborative artwork, you will need to obtain permission from TTU via the Internal Review Board (IRB). The IRB process is more rigorous for research involving minors. I have had students obtain IRB approval to work with school children, so it's not impossible and you shouldn't be intimidated by the process. It does involve paperwork, however. The IRB process is in place to protect research subjects from potential abuse (bad stuff has happened in the past) and (most of all) to protect the university from costly lawsuits.
How will you implement visual arts-based research in your research study? Use chapter 7 to guide your responses. Good luck!
References
hooks, b. (Ed.)(1995). Art on my mind: Visual politics.New York: New Press.
I have a question about APA style.
ReplyDeleteI am reading the Leavy book in an ebook format. I have copied and pasted quotes and Kindle automatically adds the notation to the quote. Since ebooks don't go by page numbers like hard copies of books, what is the proper way to notate an ebook?
Sorry, but APA is kind of eating my lunch (figuratively).
My research is a combination of #1, #3 and #4.
ReplyDelete#1–I am using existing designs to illustrate what is visually more likely to get an audiences' attention versus the types of design that do not get attention/action from an audience.
Also I have interviewed some people in the printing industry and will interview others to get their input of what makes a more successful printing experience for both parties and how potential problems can be avoided. I have interviewed a person at the HSC printing facility; contacted the VP of production at Copy Craft; accessed several books to round out the discussion. I have other potential people from the industry who I will be interviewing in the course of my research.
#3–I am going to put together a "How to" guide. The intended audience is public school art teachers. It will explain how to get items published by other vendors who have very specific criteria in order to get the desired results. Also included will be tricks of the trade concerning how to get a bigger bang for their buck.
Another facet is going to be how to express this information to their students so that they can be involved in the process. I want to note here that I am not going to be in contact with any students in my research. I have had several interviews with an art teacher at Coronado High School and will have several more during the course of the research.
My purpose for this is two-fold. First, to introduce a part of the art world that studio art students might not be aware is available to them. Second, the students can create posters, programs, advertising, t-shirt designs and the list is endless for the school community. Lily Yeh photographed the paintings of the students in the Dandelion School and had greeting cards printed. It made the students feel valued. This is the value the students can feel. In addition, it could possibly address the disconnect that the teacher expressed to me between the administration and the arts program in the schools.
#4–This section is closely related to the previous section. The guide I am going to create is going to be a visually appealing publication that I am going to have printed. I am also going to publish an eBook that I hope will be available on sites such as Amazon. This won’t be art in the sense of studio fine art, but visual just the same. The ideas will be illustrated to further the meaning of the text. Hopefully the guide will be appealing.
Good job describing your project, Jenise. Your ebook is something teachers could really use. It's very helpful to know that you have worked with a public school art teacher to determine the particular needs of someone in her position. The interviews will be a very positive addition to your MAE Project Paper and I commend you for having the foresight to do the interviews.
ReplyDeleteAs for APA, you really only need to know two things: how to format sources in a list of references, and how to format sources in-text. Books, chapters in books, articles and websites are all formatted differently. That's where the websites posted on this blog and the APA handbook come in. Whenever I write a paper, I have the APA guide at my side. Even after many years of using APA, I still can't remember the exact format style of every different kind of source. The profusion of materials available electronically has complicated matters. I have posted the APA Guide to Electronic References in the "Resources for Students" section of this blog site. It shows how to document ebooks and other electronic sources. I hope this helps.
Thank you! I wanted to more clearly express where I am in the process, to redeem myself somewhat.
ReplyDeleteOh Jenise, no need to redeem yourself in my eyes! I understand the process of putting things together piece by piece. It's...a process. You should give yourself a pat on the back for conducting your study in the right way - by visiting a school and talking to an art teacher - in preparing your ebook. I am very pleased with the work you have done. Presenting your research in writing takes multiple drafts. We all go through the same process on our way to the final version.
ReplyDeleteI found that my dissertation topic may involve research strategy #1 and #2. My dissertation topic is about huai hsiang subject matters in two Taiwanese photographers’ works. In English, the closest word that describes the concept of huai hsiang is “nostalgia” or “homesickness.” Huai hsiang is a missing of the past valuable memory in the present, in other words, the memory about the treasure past. Lang Jing-shen (1892-1995) and Chang Shang-Chui (1963-) are two Taiwanese photographers that I am going to study about. Lang’s works presented his ideal spaces through his manipulated landscape photos. These ideal spaces represented his huai hsiang of Mainland China. Other than Lang’s, by using family photos, Chang presents his huai hsiang about his personal and family history.
ReplyDelete#1
The objects of my dissertation are two Taiwanese photographers and their photographic works. They are professional visual artists and art works already. They can express their emotions and thoughts very well. Therefore, through analyze the huai hsiang subject matters of these two artists who respectively represented two different period of time of Taiwan history. I will explain the different ways of construction of history with different ideologies.
#1
I will use their art works to analyze the huai hsiang subject matters in them to see how they looked for their own identities. In other words, how does they perceive world and therefore, construct their memories and history. In this way, I will find out the symbolic forms of their works. This strategy is more about how does these works relate to their time period and environment.
#2
This strategy will reveal the interior world of the two photographers. Through their works I will analyze how do they use the media and manipulate forms to express the interior world themselves? How do they make their art works from their own experiences and memories? How do they project their ideologies in their works?
A Ta; I also have huai hsiang for the calm and lovely moments of past time in rural America! We are always rushing around and striving in this modern age. I must reflect that in "the good old days" they were quite busy making the agricultural surroundings produce enough food for their families...something that probably felt hectic and stressful for them, at the time. Some people starved when drought or flood occurred. Some died from disease...each age has its own perils. But your Taiwanese photographers have amazing connections for all people, everywhere, in all time.
DeleteThere is an artist, Mike Malm, who does evoke the images of rural America in a romantic, suffused light...sort of the huai hsiang feeling your older photographer creates:
http://www.mikemalm.com/index.php?option=com_rsgallery2&Itemid=2&gid=17&subcat=17&limit=15
I first saw his work here in Fredericksburg and thought you might enjoy seeing an American example of your concept. Perhaps when (and if) you come to Junction this summer, we can make a little jaunt to Fredericksburg to see his work. It is only an hour away.
A Ta, your research will explore the relationship between memory, history and identity in the work of two Taiwanese photographers. From what you have said, and what I have seen of their works, its seems Lang is more concerned with national/ancestral identity while Chang concentrates on personal/family identity. It may be that Chang's way of accessing national/ancestral identity is through the personal. For Lang, it would be the other way around: personal identity is constructed from national consciousness, which is partly historical and partly imaginary. ... Have you read Benedict Anderson's (2006) book, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism? I highly recommend it for your work.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dr. Erler, I will check it out.
DeleteArts-based Research Methods for Visual Arts, Chapter 7.
ReplyDeleteMy use of Methods #1, #2, #3 and #4
Topic: Studio Art Jewelry: Making Meaning with Brooches: The Maker and The Wearer
#1. Existing and independent art brooches
What is the articulation of meaning of the existing studio art brooches?
I plan to examine the brooches included in books and magazines in the volumes listed below:
Metalsmith magazine, both Exhibition in Print issues and regular issues (1993-present)
Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box, Madeleine Albright, 2009
Makers: A History of American Studio Craft, Janet Koplos & Bruce Metcalf, 2010
Jewelry Of Our Time: Art, Ornament and Obsession, Helen Drutt English & Peter Dormer, 1995
The New jewelry: Trends and Traditions, revised ed., Ralph Turner, 1985 & 1994
Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry From the Helen Williams Drutt Collection, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2007
Inspired Jewelry: From the Museum of Arts and Design, Ursula Ilse-Neuman, 2009
Jewelry: 7000 Years: An International History and illustrated Survey from the Collections of the British Museum, ed. Hugh Tait, 1986 & 1991
Jewelry in Europe and America: New Times, New Thinking, Ralph Turner, 1996
Messengers of Modernism: Studio Art Jewelry 1940-1960, Toni Greenbaum, 1996
Please note: this is likely a short list, if a formal bibliography is necessary, I can do that)
I have included jewelry history, studio craft history and contemporary studio jewelry volumes in my foundational research as I feel it is important to look at art jewelry with my “new” eyes as a researcher, as well as being a studio artist.
My investigation of these sources will guide me to decipher the content and meaning of the studio art brooches. These being works of studio jewelry by studio artists many may include artist’s statements that disclose their intentions of content and meaning. What type of information are they visually disclosing, is it in sync with their statements? Could the works be described as recognition of the familiar or defamiliarization? I will approach this with the full realization that the pieces included were “selected” by someone with an agenda.
#2. Once I have compiled my research findings, I will then proceed to create informed questions for my interviews of makers and wearers. The interview would include art making of a meaningful piece (drawing or assemblage of images and symbols based on my research), in the form of a narrative, self-portrait, memory or object, along with their text narrative or description with discussion.
#3. Once I have arrived at my data, I would organize it and synthesize it via visual models to assist in my interpretation of it.
#4. Once I have arrived at some conclusions, interpreted and re-interpreted, I intend to create a body of work that visually reconstructs some of my findings, my research.
this publishing format did not like my italics for my book and magazine titles... nor indents for paragraphs... is it me (and my mac)?
ReplyDeleteThat's okay. I understand the limitations of the blog format.
Delete~c
Allison, I like the research strategy. I have one question about #2, in which you write: "The interview would include art making of a meaningful piece...." Would the piece be a collaboration between you and the person you are interviewing? This would make for a very interesting interview!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I keep thinking of what you wrote in your mid-term update about the historic usage of the brooch. Couldn't this idea of "holding different parts and pieces together" also be applied to how brooches signify meaning (to artists and wearers) in contemporary usage? The brooch seems to be a gathering place, a place where meanings and memories come together in compacted, intensified, magnified form. It seems to me that this makes for an elegant symmetry.
Just an idea....
The first interview would be more narrative on their part and the art making would be essentially a second part of the process. Collaboration would be interesting, actually I was only thinking of a sketch-type creation, without my input (or collaboration), but that would be a great third step for the research, with some very interesting end results...
DeleteThe brooch is a site of connection: visual, emotional, meaning and memory.
My son is helping me set up a blog "BroochingMeaning" to begin forming my research activities. I am also planning to attend the Society of North American Goldsmiths conference in Phoenix in May. The attendees will be academic metals and professional metals persons, those who make studio art jewelry in the one-of-a-kind or very limited production. I hope to begin research and or inquiries there-- any suggestions? My head is reeling with ideas!
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DeleteDear Friends;
ReplyDeleteI have been in Austin for both Friday and Saturday taking students and art work to a state art convention. Since my mom is living with me, I decided to drive the two hours back and forth each way and each day so that I would be at home with her in the evening (a difficult time for her.) So, I have worked today (Sunday) upon my assignment for the class. If I seem a bit disjointed, I apologize! My mother is having trouble at night and we have been trying to assuage her anxieties with a new, less addictive medication. She is unhappy about the change. Therefore, I have been encouraging her to allow the new medication more time to work and to give up the other sedative which causes the neurologist concern about her brain health. This situation is a balancing act that, sadly, began to come crashing down during the two days that I was traveling back and forth to Austin. She has finally gone to bed, quite unhappy and agitated, I hope and pray that she will be able to sleep peacefully tonight.
I have enjoyed reading chapter seven about qualitative research and visual arts. I am especially excited about this chapter because it will give me a better way to communicate to my seniors the power of the visual arts to transform and speak truth into issues of social injustice. I had shared some ideas last year with my seniors about the class I took with Carolyn last fall on social injustice, the environment, and world issues. They decided to create a new end-of-year show called “Voices...” in which each senior could create a collage/painting/assemblage that spoke to a world issue that concerned them. I told them that it was their last chance to “tell us how they felt” about any world issue that concerned them.
Sometime I will post some images on the blog site (if I can just figure out how!) of their work. They also wrote a little explanation for the catalogue so that we would understand their message to the school, the community, and the world. Without going into a long description, I can tell you that this project really helped the seniors to delve deeply into their hearts and minds. They took this assignment very seriously and some authentic work came from this experience. If I use this project for my MAE, it would possibly involve #1, #2, and #3 since the students research their topic, gather data, write their ideas, and then paint or sculpt their interpretation/message about the topic.
I am still struggling with how to pin down my MAE capstone. I am an artist, I want to create an art show. I also love to write, so I am presently writing a book for a specific audience: teachers in classical schools, that will bring connections with the universal themes of Greece and Rome for students of today. I also wish to write and paint about the labyrinthian journey that my mother and I are undertaking as she lives in our home after a series of strokes. I can see this journey illustrated through interview with her, writing her thoughts and words, and also as a series of paintings/assemblage/collage. I have already started the first painting in the series called: “Zipper Song for a Young Dancer.” So, as you can readily see: I need to narrow the choices down, a bit!!! I have started the application process for the IRB so that I can use her images and interviews.
Right now, I feel like the “mean” parent who must protect their “child” from a dangerous substance; an addictive, dangerous substance that has been habitually used for 15 years. What she perceives as “bad thoughts” could actually be an awakening from her former drugged existence. The medication that she has been taking for these many years to sleep has robbed her of “dream sleep” and has caused her brain to be unhealthy, according to the new neurologist, a kind and concerned physician.
Keep me in your thoughts or prayers as I try to navigate some unknown waters in our journey!
Take care, my friends, and enjoy the lovely Spring!
Suzanne
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DeleteSuzanne could you tell me how you started the IRB application process? Please and Thank you!!
DeleteSuzanne, You could go either way with your MAE capstone: the wonderful art project you did with your students or your current work with your mother. The former has the advantage of being already completed, of course. But if you're like me, you like to work with the new material, the stuff you're still figuring out. It might also be personally beneficial for you to focus your research/writing on your mom. The zipper song is a truly remarkable concept. Well, you can see which way I'm leaning... For the last few years, my research has focused on my mother and grandmother. It's important for me to do this work now, which is based in Toledo, Ohio, before my mother "pops off" (as she says), because I will never return to Toledo once she's gone. It's time-sensitive material that must be done now.
DeleteYour mother and mine have the same quirky sense of humor...yesterday she decided that she wanted to a black woman, last week she wanted to be a young native american boy riding a pony across the plains (the ultimate sense of freedom for her.) She is still full of hopes and dreams! An inspiring and amazing personality!
DeleteBy the way: good news! This morning the addiction had passed and she slept peacefully and well all night long! She is getting the intonations back into her voice and the monotone has stopped! I am thrilled!
My research consists of:
ReplyDeleteArt and My Body: Biomedical Communications (Medical Illustration) for Secondary Students
Visual Arts-Based Method
(1) I will analyze and research existing medical illustrations gathered from numerous publication/advertising companies, textbook/journal publications, and web based research. I will explore how this profession can be studied and integrated into the secondary level learning environment beginning with middle school students. Students can be introduced to and practice towards a rewarding career as a Medical illustrator. Students can be offered specialized training in both science and art. Anatomy and science will be studied as well as art classes ranging from drawing, painting, sculpting, and animation.
(2) I will plan to conduct interviews/ discussions with school administration, colleagues, and students. This profession accounts for an estimated 1,600 medical illustrators in the nation that practice and contribute to this rare detail-oriented art form. Here are some questions I plan on asking high school medical students: As a medical student, are you a visual imagery learner? Do you understand text better if an illustration is with it? Did you know a career exists that merges both science and art? Would you take your medical studies and integrate art-based classes to have a dual career from a biologist enhanced to a biologist who can create certified visual imagery in journal publications to facilitate learning for others? Here are some questions I plan on asking administrators: What are your perspectives on higher level education? Do you feel that artistic processes can aid/benefit careers? What are your thoughts on integrating science and art? Are you aware of the many careers that could stem from integrating science and art? Would you challenge the curricula and introduce/ integrate career based classes for secondary students? Are you afraid of students not being able to be high academic achievers and what would you do to help motivate students to start thinking about careers during juvenile development? Health awareness can also be an added factor in this research method.
(3) I would work collaboratively with the science teachers and integrate science and art as a cross-curricular connection. Students would study content being taught and apply visual imagery to content learned. Students could branch off into peer groups and create visual flash cards, drawings, paintings, diagrams and models to study and internalize information. Data would come from test scores composed of students who had no visual imagery compared to students who created and studied from visual imagery.
ReplyDelete(4) The Biomedical Communication (Medical Illustration) profession consists of content and accuracy that is vital to research and data. Employment position is good in this highly specialized career, medical research continually reveals new treatments and technologies that require medical illustrations and animations to describe them.
The purpose of my research is to integrate science and art in the classroom. I want to introduce/implement this profession to early age young artist and lay a foundation that can grow into a profession. I want students to know that possibilities are endless when integrating art with science.
All I can say is wow! I really like your chosen subject. I toyed with the idea of going the medical illustration route at one time, but the requirements included much more of a science background than I have. I did some medical photography, surgery and such and it was the most fulfilling work.
DeleteLiz;
DeleteI love your idea! I use Leonardo's medical illustrations for a jumping off point with my 7th graders. Give me your e-mail address and I will send the lesson and photos. To get the IRB started, I went to the ttu website and put IRB in the search bar, then I found it! Here is the link:
http://phrp.nihtraining.com/users/overview.php
Good luck and God bless!
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSorry for the delay...
ReplyDeleteSo since my area of interest and direction is not entirely concrete at this point, I will attempt to speculate how these four options could play into my research:
1. I imagine using pre-existing art work with two intentions in mind, First, I see artwork that is already a part of the discourse the same as an informative essay, it is a resource to reference and use as supporting material in constructing an argument. Secondly, pre-existing work can easily be used in surveys and experiments. Many psychological studies that focus on aesthetics will use both well-known and obscure art as a means to collect subjective data from a pool of participants. I see myself taking advantage of this methodology.
2. I have worked on a few public/participatory projects, and like leavy, believe that having participants create work is an amazing looking glass into the social dynamic of their lives. It’s a curious form of ethnographic research when you can collect visual representations from a group/ community and step back to recognize the overarching and or reoccurring themes found in the body of work.
3. Both 3 and 4 are the most difficult and most intriguing aspects for me. A large part of wanting to pursue the PhD in such a program as ours was because I wanted to produce original work that bridged the gap between the purely aesthetic work of art and the work of public culture that serves a larger social function.
As for producing work as a means to assist data analysis and interpretations, I see this as, in one respect, similar to using pre-existing work. The only difference being the original work allows for a more individualized, project specific foundation. But in a more general sense, creating new work to assist an audience’s interpretation of larger social issues has its pros and cons. It would be great to create work that, as Leavy believes, allows people to alter the way they relate to the social world around them. But at the same time, I am against being too “heavy-handed” in the work’s message; artwork that is didactic is lost on me. I have no interest in making any changes in my belief system just because of being exposed to artist’s political opinions. And I would hate to subject others to that same situation. Art can and, at times, should be political, but not to such a degree where it begins labeling a clear-cut good verses bad. That’s bad.
4. This seems like the most exciting potential for me. In my mind, I imagine conducting research into the popular culture’s capacity for visual literacy and I would love to find a way to convey the results of such research in a visual format. I have worked with information designers previously and have always been fascinated by the way they can reduce statistics down to an easily comprehensible image. On top of this, I would add ambiguity to prevent the imagery from being too direct. Imagine an aesthetical novelty…something colorful and abstract that also conveys statistical information. I had a chance to work closely with Eric and Heather Chanschatz to document their exhibit in Denver and their concept of passing out surveys on personal visual preferences and then complying the data into large canvases based on specific demographic markers is amazing.
One example would be a work they did based entirely on the answers to their standardized survey taken by prisoners. In a way, the canvas is a representation not just of the data, but because it presents the preferences (color, shapes, patterns) of this group of people, it is a visual portrait of that group.. absolutely fascinating, Like Komar and Melamid but more poignant.
Sorry for the delay...
ReplyDeleteSo since my area of interest and direction is not entirely concrete at this point, I will attempt to speculate how these four options could play into my research:
1. I imagine using pre-existing art work with two intentions in mind, First, I see artwork that is already a part of the discourse the same as an informative essay, it is a resource to reference and use as supporting material in constructing an argument. Secondly, pre-existing work can easily be used in surveys and experiments. Many psychological studies that focus on aesthetics will use both well-known and obscure art as a means to collect subjective data from a pool of participants. I see myself taking advantage of this methodology.
2. I have worked on a few public/participatory projects, and like leavy, believe that having participants create work is an amazing looking glass into the social dynamic of their lives. It’s a curious form of ethnographic research when you can collect visual representations from a group/ community and step back to recognize the overarching and or reoccurring themes found in the body of work.
3. Both 3 and 4 are the most difficult and most intriguing aspects for me. A large part of wanting to pursue the PhD in such a program as ours was because I wanted to produce original work that bridged the gap between the purely aesthetic work of art and the work of public culture that serves a larger social function.
As for producing work as a means to assist data analysis and interpretations, I see this as, in one respect, similar to using pre-existing work. The only difference being the original work allows for a more individualized, project specific foundation. But in a more general sense, creating new work to assist an audience’s interpretation of larger social issues has its pros and cons. It would be great to create work that, as Leavy believes, allows people to alter the way they relate to the social world around them. But at the same time, I am against being too “heavy-handed” in the work’s message; artwork that is didactic is lost on me. I have no interest in making any changes in my belief system just because of being exposed to artist’s political opinions. And I would hate to subject others to that same situation. Art can and, at times, should be political, but not to such a degree where it begins labeling a clear-cut good verses bad. That’s bad.
4. This seems like the most exciting potential for me. In my mind, I imagine conducting research into the popular culture’s capacity for visual literacy and I would love to find a way to convey the results of such research in a visual format. I have worked with information designers previously and have always been fascinated by the way they can reduce statistics down to an easily comprehensible image. On top of this, I would add ambiguity to prevent the imagery from being too direct. Imagine an aesthetical novelty…something colorful and abstract that also conveys statistical information. I had a chance to work closely with Eric and Heather Chanschatz to document their exhibit in Denver and their concept of passing out surveys on personal visual preferences and then complying the data into large canvases based on specific demographic markers is amazing.
One example would be a work they did based entirely on the answers to their standardized survey taken by prisoners. In a way, the canvas is a representation not just of the data, but because it presents the preferences (color, shapes, patterns) of this group of people, it is a visual portrait of that group.. absolutely fascinating, Like Komar and Melamid but more poignant.
Francisco;
DeleteI so understand and agree that all of our artwork is a window or "looking glass" into the social dynamic of our lives!
Francesco, I too am fascinated by the work of Komar and Melamid. I would have loved to have seen the show by Eric and Heather Chanschatz, which I agree would be a more intimate take on K&M's concept. Whenever I see a work by Thomas Kincaid, I think it might be a good representation of what most Americans want to see in a work of art. For this reason, I've always found Kincaid an interesting research subject. Another area of interest, which might interest you also, is the representation of Jesus in contemporary commercial Protestant art. The Christian super-store, Mardel's, has quite an array of prints and paintings. Some of the paintings seem to mix Christian, Kincaidian and western themes all together. I imagine there must be artists who, like the Chanschatzes, have closely studied or worked with people who self-identify as members of a particular institution or sub-culture. Artists who sell a lot of work must do market research, don't you think? It would be interesting to see if you or I could create an artwork that appealed to the Mardel's customer base. Contemporary protestantism is a billion or trillian-dollar industry. There must be some way to tap that!
DeleteAll in the name of research, of course....
DeleteFan art is another possible avenue for research. For example, there is quite a large body of art, professional and amateur, dedicated to Dale Earnhardt. Several years ago, I started a project in which I designated myself as the "Dale Earnhardt Court Painter." The idea was to redesign historic paintings around the Earnhardt theme. I only completed one painting, however: a revision of a painting from the european renaissance, in which the main dignitary in a royal entourage is supplanted by Dale Earnhardt. I never tried to market the image, but the concept still interests me.
This might not be what you have in mind for a research project, but I wanted to share a few ideas that seem to fit along the same lines. The basic idea would be to design an artwork (albeit a formulaic one) that speaks to the dreams and desires of a particular group of non-artists. The main research question is: can an outsider to a subculture create images that appeal to people within the subculture? Will the outsider's insincerity be detected? If not, to what extent would the artist become part of the subculture? If insincerity is detected, the only means of assessment would be lack of sales. Does the artist then try again until he/she hits the right combination. Is it impossible to replicate the sincerity of an insider?
Liz, I like where you're taking this. You're thinking through the details, which tells me you're almost ready to put your plan into action. I have one question about high school medical students. I didn't know high schools had medical programs. Does yours? Even if it doesn't, you can still do medical illustration in art class. It would be great training for developing artists. For students who aren't particularly interested in art, it would give art an aura of practical use value. I strongly believe that art teachers should stress the relationship between art and science, especially at the primary and secondary levels, because this is where art is being cut from the curriculum. The more we can show administrators that art helps kids learn "important stuff" like math and science, the better off we'll be and our students will reap the benefits.
ReplyDeleteYou may have noticed that the next chapter in Leavy's book is on art and science. I hope you'll read it and integrate concepts from it into your research.
Yes! I believe that ART is everything: math, science, social studies, language, etc., etc. We just have to show the uninitiated administrators!
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