Visual Cultural Database
Faith Ringgold, Tar Beach 2 (1990)
Interpretation:
This piece by Ringgold was created by twenty-four silks screens on silk and tied back to one of her earlier works called ‘Tar Beach’. In this piece, she uses text and image in order to tell a story of a young African American girl named Cassie Lightfoot who lays on a mattress with her younger brother as they dream looking up at the sky. Four people play cards as there is a table of food and drink at a table. The title refers to how people in the city would escape to the rooftops to cool down from the heat and stress. This idea of escape is emphasized through the hash separation of the rooftop through line, its open space and plants versus the cluttered cityscape surrounding them. As Cassie and her brother look up to the sky, they see themselves flying, symbolizing determination to rise above and how imagination opens up one’s world. On the rooftop inn the left top corner is Cassie’s father standing as he watches. This work is quilted and sewn together with other fabrics of various patterns which reflects Ringgold’s perspective of elevating ‘non-art’/’women’s craft’ like textiles to fine arts that were predominately made by men. This piece also ties back to race, as African/African American traditions also combine their imagery with an accompanying text. A theme that Ringgold also presented was about domesticity, as Ringgold herself grew up in New York City. Going up to “tar beach” in this scene was a normal, family orientated past time for people in the city, as a way of relaxation to get away from it all. Source: https://www.learner.org/series/art-through-time-a-global-view/domestic-life/tar-beach-2/ https://philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/86892.html Lesson Plan:
A lesson plan that could be created based off of this concept would be having students discuss ways in which they like to relax or find an escape either with or without their family- whether that be their own personal bedroom to vacationing away from what their normal routine is that limits possible outside distractions. Students can then create their own version of a realistic ‘oasis’ per se, and then to take it further, incorporate their daydreams or musings that come out of being in a clear headspace such as Ringgold when she depicted Cassie imagining what it would be to fly. The students project would not necessarily need to be quilt work or textile but can incorporate objects from their personal place that can be collaged together. For materials, students could use fabric or paper as a way to attach different photographs, drawings, magazines, string or other personal items and textures to either create a visual representation of what the location looks and or feels like in their mind. |
Big Idea: Narrative, Determination
Media: Silkscreen on Silk Original Location: The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia Guiding/Discussion Questions
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Banksy, "Girl with Balloon" (2018)
Big Idea: Society, Value of Art
Media: Shredder, Frame, Painting Original Location: Sotheby's Auction Guiding/Discussion Questions:
Lesson Plan:
Using this piece as a lesson plan inspiration, I would focus heavily on the concepts of art that is temporary as well as discussing the value of fine art as a conversation topic. As a project, I would have students create a piece that could also serve as a performance- making it temporary like Banksy. We could make India ink drawings in different colors on very thin delicate paper, have them dry and then submerge the piece in water, leaving it up to the student what sections they would want ‘destroyed’ by having it bleed through, or soaked long enough to where the paper breaks off. We can then have a discussion afterwards on how the materials worked together and if it made their piece ‘more valuable’ to them and why. |
Interpretation:
In today’s modern art world, the anonymous graffiti artist Banksy is one of the most famous contemporary artists that exists within the cultural space. He is mostly known for his political spray painted works that are found on buildings and walls all around the world. One of his most iconic works is called ‘Girl with Balloon’ which was created originally in 2002 in the streets of London, making it a public artwork. The image is a black spray painted girl with a billowy dress trying to catch a red balloon shaped like a heart. An opportunity to buy an original painting by Banksy for someone to own came at a popular event called the Sotheby’s action and after it was sold, someone (presumably Banksy or someone who works for Banksy) used a remote controlled device to shred the painting seconds after it was sold for $1.4 million dollars. The frame it was in was thick which hid the shredding device and did not look out of the ordinary as ornate frames usually are associated with a high value. The shredding itself also malfunctioned, stopping halfway where only the top of the girl’s head barely remains and the red balloon flies above. For my interpretation, I took Banksy’s clever idea as a commentary on what the value of ‘art’ actually means within our society. Banksy makes his work accessible to his audience through the fact that it is ‘street art’, and there are no gateways like money to stop one from viewing it, and it is made out of a readily available, household material such as spray paint. Street art is also something that can be temporary, as other artists or people can easily vandalize it and cover it up- so by having it shredded at an auction it points out that the same thing can happen for work that exists in a museum. It also opens the conversation on the monetary worth of art, as after the shredding the price of this work might have increased due to such controversy. Source: https://www.cnn.com/style/article/banksy-tradition-of-destroying-art/index.html |
Dallas Coulter (worn by Manila Luzon), Curves and Swerves 2018
Interpretation: In the show RuPaul’s Drag Race (RPDR), the main point of the show is to have past queens have a second chance of winning the crown and be immortalized in the hall of fame of drag. Drag is a performance art and is usually when a man impersonates a woman with intense makeup, hair and outfits and is very important culture in the LGBT+ community and history. This drag queen’s name is Manila Luzon, known for her fun, tongue in cheek campy outfits and a fierce competitor for her season. The fashion challenge for this episode was called Curves and Swerves and based upon using padding and your outfit to create a silhouette that would emphasize their womanly curves. However, this outfit worn by Manila was not allowed to air on the show, as RuPaul called it distasteful. But to Manila, the concept of this dress was not about making fun or wear something ‘shocking/gross’. A lot of women watch RPDR, and this dress was intended to instead normalize and celebrate menstruation, a bodily function that many women feel shame in talking about and experiencing, especially at a young age. This dress was made in order to empower young women to celebrate themselves as well as teach them about their bodies. Women’s bodily autonomy is something that is hardly addressed in our society, and in many cases around the world women either do not have access to menstrual products or are shamed during their cycle. This dress counteracts that culture by speaking out about this issue, and the fact that it is worn by a male performer in drag shows solidarity across gendered boundaries. Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/BsUaPvenYcj |
Big Idea: Gender, Womanhood
Media: Gown Original Location: RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 4 Guiding/Discussion Questions:
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Lesson Plan:
During the middle school age, this is one of the most important times for adolescent students to be learning about their bodies and having proper health class education. In a culture where a lot of misinformation or lack of information, being open to talk about one’s body and the changes we go through should be normalized instead of hidden away in shame.
A lesson plan that can be used based upon this dress would be having students designing and creating soft sculptures based upon different bodily functions/actions. It could be gender specific like a period, but also topics such as sneezing, growing body hair, and sweating can be turned into a sculpture in order to normalize its existence. Materials used can be different colored felts stuffed with newspaper or actual stuffing and bound together with a glue gun or holes can get punched through and yarn to ‘stitch’ them together.
During the middle school age, this is one of the most important times for adolescent students to be learning about their bodies and having proper health class education. In a culture where a lot of misinformation or lack of information, being open to talk about one’s body and the changes we go through should be normalized instead of hidden away in shame.
A lesson plan that can be used based upon this dress would be having students designing and creating soft sculptures based upon different bodily functions/actions. It could be gender specific like a period, but also topics such as sneezing, growing body hair, and sweating can be turned into a sculpture in order to normalize its existence. Materials used can be different colored felts stuffed with newspaper or actual stuffing and bound together with a glue gun or holes can get punched through and yarn to ‘stitch’ them together.
Judy Chicago, The Dinner Party (1974-1979)
Interpretation:
This piece conceived by Judy Chicago is comprised of 39 place settings and tables that form into a triangle which sits upon a porcelain tiled floor that is inscribed with 999 names of women in gold. Looking at each table individually, there is a chalice, a ceramic plate, eating utensils and a quilt. Some of the plates are flat and painted but as you walk around the table, each plate has varying reliefs and sculptural forms emerging from the surface. Each table is personalized and dedicated to a different important woman throughout history, from the original Primordial Goddess to Georgia O’ Keeffe. The 999 names refer to different mythological and historical women that relate to the 39 place settings. This art piece serves as a tribute to feminism and honoring women throughout history that have contributed to the women’s empowerment movement, gender equality and fighting against the patriarchal society. The triangle shaped layout refers to the vagina as well as a symbol of equality. Chicago used female artists and craftswomen for this project, since women were not only sidelined in the fine arts world, but because their common artforms like textiles and ceramics were considered crafts rather than fine art. Each plate has butterfly and vulvar imagery and is unique to the individual being honored. The plates go from flat to full on sculptural in order to represent women’s rising power in society. This work serves as a way to celebrate the accomplishments of women as well as educate viewers to understand a more inclusive history. Source: https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/home https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/global-culture/identity-body/identity-body-united-states/a/judy-chicago-the-dinner-party |
Big Idea: Gender, Recognizing women
Media: Sculpture installation/textile, ceramic Original Location: Brooklyn Museum Guiding/Discussion Questions:
Pictured Below: A young me in Brooklyn seeing this wonderful installation
Lesson Plan:
For a lesson plan, I would have students utilize the concept of bringing people in history or mythology together into one space and focusing on the possible connections and entertaining the types of conversations that these figures would have with one another if they were all in a room together. As a project, students would then create a series of invitations for the people they would be inviting to such an occasion- either a dinner party, a lunch, or even a ceremony like a funeral. For materials, students would use programs such as InDesign or Photoshop and mount them on heavier cardstock or make them by hand using a variety of media such as paint, markers, or paper collage. |
Yayoi Kusama, Infinity Mirrored Room-
The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away (2013)
Interpretation:
These infinity rooms created by Kusama are meant to be an immersive experience for the viewer, as the mirrors and lights create what seems an infinite amount of reflections in order to create an illusion. These colorful lights make the room feel like one is standing in a galaxy as they resemble colorful stars. The lights flicker- adding rhythm and making it seem like the space is alive and breathing. As the viewer, you are immersed into the space since you are hyper aware of all of the lights and mirrors surrounding you. However, because of the infinite mirrors, there is a juxtaposition as you simultaneously disappear into ‘space’. The lights also can resemble millions of dots- another reference to Kusama’s paintings and obsession with dots. In Kusama’s main themes, she focuses a lot on life and death within her work and personal reflection. A lot of her infinity rooms are known to create a space for the viewer to contemplate and think about themselves as you can feel lost within the environment. Because this work is inspired by a galaxy through its appearance and its title referring to space, one can think about their presence in our world, time and human existence. In the room it seems like there is only one space where you can stand, making it feel even more intimate, and the mirrored floor has the viewer feel as if they are floating in space, staring at an endless void of stars to contemplate life’s meaning. Source: https://hirshhorn.si.edu/kusama/infinity-rooms/#souls |
Big Idea: Perception, Illusion
Media: Wood, Mirrors, Metal, Plastic, Rubber, Lights Original Location: The Broad Art Foundation, LA Guiding/Discussion Questions:
Lesson Plan:
Because this piece is highly conceptual and serves as a full installation, I think that to have something inspired by this project would be for students (school permitting) to propose and transform a section of a hallway or classroom to create their own unique experience for their peers. The project would involve a large group collaboration, and we would discuss the idea of how to create a unique experience made for contemplation and quietness, similar to Kusama. For materials, this would be a sculptural piece, and students can brainstorm to either use recycled materials or create repetitious forms made out of any chosen material within reason like paper, beads, pipe cleaners, etc. |
Gabriel Dawe, Plexus A1 (Series) (2015)
Interpretation:
This installation created by Gabriel Dawe is large as it reaches from the floor to the ceiling and upon close inspection is actually made by over 15 different colored threads, with a total length of nearly 60 miles. This work is vibrantly colored as shadows pass in between the spaces of the thread. Dawe created this sculpture with a self-made giant needle created from an extension rod. This work is part of Dawe’s many installations in a series called Plexus. The name is a reference to the body’s network of veins and nerves, and this is exemplified by the fact that the threads form together to what seems like endless connections from the ceiling to the floor. Dawe’s series uses thread, which comes with connotations of ‘women’s work’, such as sewing or embroidery. As a child, he was told not to get involved with embroidery because he was a man but grew to explore using these materials as an adult to question this social construct which appears to be rigid, but in this work appears as flexible and light. The bright colors can be interpreted as another way to subvert masculine tropes, as the rainbow is happy and playful, traits that can get discouraged in men since they need to be seen as more emotionless and reserved to be strong. Source: https://mymodernmet.com/gabriel-dawe-plexus-a1/ https://www.yatzer.com/plexus-pain-gabriel-dawe |
Big Idea: Identity, Masculinity
Media: Thread, Hook, Wood, Nails Original Location: Smithsonian Renwick Gallery Guiding/Discussion Questions:
Lesson Plan:
This artwork can be used as a basis for an assignment by having students think about gendered everyday objects in our society, from toys to crafts and other hobbies. As a project, students can be tasked to picking a material that is associated with the opposite gender and that can be used in multiples in order to create one sculpture. Some examples could be nails (men), thread (women), needles (women), screws (men), beads (women), or even bottlecaps (men). By combining multiples of what would be small objects on their own, students can learn the concept of gendered objects and get a sense of the hard work and intense attention to detail similar to Dawe and his installations. |