Tuesday, Sept. 16th

Continuing discussion of community—of putting ourselves out into the world, of interjecting gracefully and interestingly and weaving a network of people with various skill sets. The important thing I was reminded of today in class was to be careful not to put a certain person in a certain box with a certain number of assumed skills but rather to open a dialogue, to be curious and open to unexpected possibilities and connections. The networks of art people are not so different from the community of creators/artists.

We also heard from a CWS tutor about preparing a successful presentation with a clear, effective thesis. Things I will have to consider when presenting Truisms:

space
timing
interaction
etc.

Thursday, Sept. 4th

Today, Nell talked briefly about how art seduces—about how the placement of objects on a page tells us what those objects are going to do (or not do) next, about how we always look for familiarity, or something that makes sense so we can fill in the blank space. In the case of the works we looked at Thursday, we all noticed triangularity and found its shape in even negative space—in what wasn’t there.

As far as art’s seductive power goes, I think I’m concerned with exploring what would happen to that seductive effect if its process were exposed. How would our experience change if we had to see all of the pieces along the way to the finished whole?

Tuesday, Sept. 2nd

Up to my ears in stuff I don’t understand.

I bounced ideas off a friend today regarding my exhibition project, and she asked me whether I plan to approach the project as an art curator or as a writer who’s been tasked with curating an exhibit. The only answer that works seems obvious to me, and I think my natural interests are a testament to that. I tend to focus on communication, but another idea occurred to me during our conversation. As a writer, I spend more than 99% of my time with drafts. I’m naturally more interested in the process of creating the works than in the finished works themselves. I plan to explore this idea of process further.

First Class (Thursday, Aug. 28th)

Today was a standard syllabus review, however, for the first time in the 3+ years I’ve been at Agnes Scott, reading the course requirements and expectations for Art 260 left me feeling apprehensive. Katherine assured me that it’s good to be “in over my head.” After class, I thought about how to focus my attention and interest on communication—how the artists, works, and viewers communicate with each other (and perhaps even what language they speak) as well as how we as students communicate with each other, with our professors, and with the art professionals we’ll be meeting. Katherine mentioned that networking is largely about showing up and being present at events, and after class, I ended up talking to an acquaintance about my apprehension about the course, only to find out that she has studied with and worked alongside several Atlanta curators. She said she’d be more than happy to put me in touch with them. So perhaps the kind of connection I’m interested in starts with honest communication: I’m in over my head.