Artist Lecture #4: Amy Stein

Amy Stein's work absolutely floored me with the insane environments she produced. Though she took ordinary things, she created extraordinary images. The passion for her work shines through in the fact at how hard she worked to produce the photographs that she wanted. Her series "Domesticated" involves the combination of animals in various state of being; some are alive, some dead, and some preserved through taxonomy. She decided to incorporate these elements into this town that had to deal with wild animals on a daily basis. The clarity, lighting, and mood of her images makes her work inescapable. One glance can suck you into it entirely. She completely immersed herself in the culture of this town and their daily plight.
In another series, "Stranded," Stein drove aimlessly across endless highways to find drivers whose cars had broken down for one reason or another. She wanted to photograph the situations they were in and perhaps get a glance into their lives. She began to carry her own version of a survival pack, including food, water, gas, and a few other odds and ends. Though shy to begin with, she eventually overcame her fears and approached these random people with help in her mind. She realized that they were both gaining something out of the experience: her the picture and them help. The images evoke feelings of boredom, exhaustion, frustration, and a wide spectrum of other feelings one could imagine.

Artist Lecture #3: Paul Shambroom

Paul Shambroom is an American artist who focuses on the cultural power aspects of this country. One of his series focuses on varying nuclear sites and bombs. He has documented abandoned nuclear facilities, nuclear warheads that have been adopted as monuments, and people that work in nuclear warfare. His images are strikingly beautiful and some hilarious. He has found his own style in following something that has caused so much fear in the hearts of American citizens. The work he did with people working in the field is incredible. Though many would be frightened to be near any warhead, these people deal with them on an everyday basis. He did a great job capturing their comfort and ease with such a dangerous task. Another series he produced involved various small town council meetings. In the style of the "decisive moment," found by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Shambroom waited until the exact moment of perfect harmony between the council members. He utilized available lighting, which adds to the overall atmospherical quality. He has taken things that we might find scary or mundane and found a way to show them so that they are more accessible and even intriguing. His work definitely has a part in the cultural history of our nation.

Artist Lecture #2: Mark Dion

Mark Dion has made a career as a collection artist. He finds objects, documents them, and places them in various cases. His work is archaeological and anthropological. In 1992, he ventured to Venzuela, traveling around with native tribes. On his trip, he collected different materials and objects and sent them to the museum he was working for. He told them to place the objects on four different tables, but did not give them any instruction on how they should do it. Then, he would find different kinds of animals and insects. If he could correctly identify them, then he would send a list of the names and have his colleagues place them in empty vitrines. His work focuses on the history of natural history. On another entymological endeavor, he took leaf litter from different places and separated it into all its components. He then took a photo with a microscope and presented his images with no concern for scale. For another project, he shut down the Smart Museum in Chicago and with a team, found every living organism that should not be there. For an archaeological project in Switzerland, he took material from beneath some houses at a high elevation. The history of the objects he found was condensed because the objects could not be described in relation to each other. The most interesting project he performed was in Bankside on the coast of the river. The river bank would only show for four hours each day in which he had people either over 65 or under 17 hunt for every manmade object they could find. Over the summer, they cataloged each item, cleaned them, and prepared them to be interred into a giant wardrobe. The final display was a collection of photos of every person who had a part in the project.

Artist Lecture #1: Alix Pearlstein

Alix Pearlstein is an artist who works in sculpture, installation, and dance/choreography. She has found a way to incorporate her love of the three different mediums by combining them in short films. She focuses on dematerialization to the point of non-existence by breaking things down to their absolute core. Her influences include the history of post-modern dance and wants her work to focus on the importance of the performance. She does not necessarily center on the quality or content, but of the physical actions of the performance. One of her first projects was "Two Women," created in 2000, which included one live performer and a magazine cutout of a woman. The two images are laid over each other to interact with each other in an abstract way. There is also a voiceover that gives the two women commands and periodic moans puncture the sound byte. Another project of hers is "Episode" from 2002 which follows the narrative of a family drama. There are four characters and through slight sounds by each, the audience is given their dynamic as father, mother, and two children. She wants her locations to be an indeterminate void so that fill that blank from our own experiences. One project she created called "Forsaken" was made as a response to the Bush administration. She did it in a very pessimistic time, focusing on a person in a great place of power. The general public wonders why this one person should be in charge of everyone else. It had a feeling of the Emperor's new clothes, creating concern that the one person in control is so gullible and easily manipulated.

Artist Entry #5: Juergen Teller

"I depended heavily on the model’s personality; at least, I wanted to depend on this because I’m interested in personal reactions." -Teller

Juergen Teller was born in 1964 in Erlangen, Germany. He studied photography at a school in Munich and left Germany to avoid national service and to learn English. He began photographing such celebrities as Elton John and Kurt Cobain. His work has been featured in such magazines as The Face, Vogue, W, and Details. His work has been showcased in solo exhibits in such places as Galleria d'Arte Moderna in Bologna and shown in group form at prestigious places as the 52nd Venice Biennale. His style moved away from the perfection and glamor of the 80s to a more raw and more personal place. He photographed many models in intimate settings that showed a comfort with the photographer and a comfort in a natural, normal surrounding. Teller has worked on many fashion ad campaigns and has worked alongside Vivienne Westwood and Mark Jacobs on extended projects. His personal work acts as an autobiographical venture into his life. He tends to photograph actual events in his life and the people that appear in it. One of his works is titled "Kate after her 25th Birthday at the Ritz." The images have a personal flare involving comfort, hedonism, and glamor. It looks as though he has uncovered the underbelly of the fashion world that he partakes in.

Artist Website: http://www.designboom.com/portrait/teller_biography.html

Gallery Website: http://www.lehmannmaupin.com/#/artists/juergen-teller/

Artist Interview: http://www.indexmagazine.com/interviews/juergen_teller.shtml

Topic #4: Medici Family History

"Although politically ruthless, Cosimo was highly cultured and promoted letters and arts as well as the Tuscan economy and navy. "

The Medici family traces back to the end of the 12th century in Florence, Italy where they began as part of the patrician class. They were always seen as friends to the common people. Their wealth was amassed mostly in the 13th century through banking and commerce, which brought about more political power. In the 14th century, the gonfaliere, a high ceremonial officer, Salvestro de Medici led the common people in a revolt and became the de facto dictator of the city. He was banished for his cruel regime. Then, Giovanni di Bicci de Medici restored their name and their wealth to the point where they were possibly the wealthiest family in all of Europe. His line continued through many nobleman that became high officials in the government. Many of the members became leaders through wealth, power, and popularity. However, most of their reigns were characterized by a brutal tyranny with a mix of patronage to culture and the arts. They were often banished and invited back by the provocation of the Spanish. Their history is tumultuous, but they continue to be known as one of the most prolific families to donate to and support the arts.

http://galileo.rice.edu/gal/medici.html

Artist Entry #4: Steven Meisel

Steven Meisel has remarkably maintained a career with Italian Vogue for over ten years. He has created every cover and every lead editorial since he began, which is almost unheard of with the normal fashion world demands of the next newest thing. He stands as one of the most prolific fashion photographers of his time and an innovator. He is one of the first to push the relationship between famous actors and fashion. He has collaborated with Madonna on their book SEX, which came out in 1992. Meisel obsessed over beauty at a young age, constantly drawing women from photos in Harper's Bazaar or Vogue rather than playing with toys. He followed that passion with a degree from Parson's in fashion illustration. He continued by photographing models from local agencies who put his images in their books. These images were discovered and he was asked by Seventeen to photograph for them. Since then, he has found a way to convey his political views and questions through icons of beauty. In July 2008, he photographed solely black models for a Vogue issue to confront the rising issue of racism in fashion magazines, runway shows, and ad campaigns.

Artist Website: http://www.artandcommerce.com/AAC/C.aspx?VP=SlideShow_VPage&IAPA=1&STY=A&L4=2U1XC58OBF39&L5=2U1XC583YX5A&L6=2U1XC583YDU0&XX=Artists

Gallery Website: http://www.icp.org/site/c.dnJGKJNsFqG/b.2079967/k.A4A8/Steven_Meisel.htm

Artist Interview: http://www.interviewmagazine.com/blogs/culture/2009-02-27/steven-meisel-icp-puzzle/