P2_Draft

Darren Goodman’s Trial by Fire Exhibition Review

While visiting the Cincinnati Art Museum, it was hard to pass by Darren Goodman’s new glass exhibit, Trial by Fire.  When viewing his glass blown creations it is hard not to appreciate the forms throughout his work.  As a Bowling Green State graduate, known for his glasswork, Darren does not disappoint.  He enjoys using teamwork to create his pieces, and thinks that is something pivotal even outside of the art world.  This shows in his piece “Tears of Joy” from which he used a group of people to create it, and it is a beautiful work of art.  This was the work that stood out to me the most because it was dynamic, relatable, and enjoyable to look at. 

            Darren Goodman entered Bowling Green State University as a musician.  However he got hooked on glass blowing after taking it for the first time.  The class inspired him to work harder and learn as much as he could to create a successful work of art through glass blowing.  When talking about his work he likes to compare it to things people do, or should do, in the world everyday.  He states, “What we accomplish in glass, we can take into our day-to-day lives.”[1]  In 2005 Goodman created a studio of his own in Waynesville, Ohio.  He put together this studio only one year before completing his BFA.  Goodman is a great inspiration to aspiring artists who are passionate about the medium they work with and/or the artwork they create.  He also conducts classes for elementary and high school grades.  Goodman commented on this saying he likes to work with children because they “… constantly remind me of the main reason why I continue to blow glass –‘because it’s fun.’”[2]  It is nice to see a successful artist working with younger students to show his ideas and techniques.  This allows them to express themselves, and helps them learn how to portray their ideas with help from an expert.  Another way he has become inspiring, is the fact that he has become successful so early on in his career. 

            After Graduating, Darren was commissioned for many public and private works of art.  In 2009 he was asked to create trophies for the Ferrari Challenge by Ferrari North America.  This organization asked him to create “…more than 100 pieces for Ferrari within a span of roughly six months…”[3]  They were very impressed with his work and happy that he used a traditional style from Venice, Italy in respect of the cars being works of art.  In September of 2009 he was commissioned to create a work of art for an attorney at the “Light into the Future” event in honor of securing Holocaust survivors.[4]  Along with other commissioned pieces he has said that he sends 500 to 750 pieces to buyers around the world.[5]  This just shows how he has proven himself to the art world right out of the gate.  He has accomplished a lot, and works really hard to get where he is today.  His work to this point has been to represent something important to others to show their accomplishments, with his artistic spin on it.   He also likes to create pieces relating to what he believes in.

            Trial by Fire is a combination of works from Darren Goodman.   He uses a team of glass blowers at his studio to work on his pieces.  His artwork is actually large and he has also created an installation piece.  Goodman’s work portrays expressionism.  On one wall he had numerous red vases.  These pieces are a trademark of his; the form is similar to a lot of pieces he makes for awards or trophies.  They are mainly red; some have stripes of various colors going through them.  They are enjoyable to look at because they have different indentions in them and the colors create nice different rhythms.   They make you feel different emotions looking at them due to the colors and postured.  Another work shown is an installation piece called “Tears of Joy”.  This piece he worked on with a group of students.  There are various sized vases that droop down; they are blue, white, clear, or a combination of the three.  This piece is interesting because of how delicate it looks due to how thin the top of the vase is.  The “tears” do give you a feeling of joy rather than sadness.  Goodman enjoyed this piece because it used teamwork to create it and he feels like that needs to be used in the world everyday. 

            I found that I really enjoyed Darren Goodman’s exhibit.  I tend to enjoy work that deals with expressionism, and I feel that his work definitely portrays this.  The way he manipulates the glass into certain postures and the way the colors work together is just great.  I can see why he has become so popular right out of the gate.  My interpretation of the exhibit was the idea of strength in numbers.  All of his works included more than one glasswork.  Which I felt strengthened the works of art.  I can definitely see his hard work, dedication, and enjoyment of working with glass.  The strength of the exhibit was the different postures in all of the pieces.  “Tears of Joy” was strong because the way the tears drooped and the how they were all different lengths.  This made the piece dynamic because of how thin the top of the vases were with a bulbous bottom.  In a way I wanted to interact with them, because they were kind of playful and inviting.  On the other hand, I did not want to because they looked delicate and like they could break at any second.   The exhibit was overall intriguing and enjoyable to look through, and inspiring.  It made me want to find a medium I love to work with to create enjoyable works of art. 

            Darren Goodman is a very inspirational artist.   He shows that in art you need to work hard, find a medium that inspires you, and stay true to your beliefs.  His artwork shows his ideas, even if it does not, you can relate the work to something you believe.  After learning about Goodman and his work, I would love to keep tabs on his future creations.  His work is fun to see and be around.  In a way I think that is what art should be.  During a time when the world is so based on personal opinion, one-upping and conflict, his work is a refreshment showing what beauty teamwork can accomplish.  I also enjoy that he takes time to work with students to share his ideas and techniques.  I feel more artists should do this to show why people should respect the art world.  His exhibit is beautiful, an enjoyable place to be, and deserving of the 4^th Floor Award from the Cincinnati Art Museum.  Be sure to check it out before January first, two thousand twelve, or you will definitely be missing out. 

           

           

           

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[1] Cincinnati Art Museum, "4th Floor Award: Trial by Fire: New Glass Work by Darren Goodman, Sept. 24, 2011 – Jan. 1, 2012." Last modified September 24, 2011. Accessed September 26, 2011. http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/absolutenm/templates/ArtTempNews.aspx?articleid=1098&zoneid=90.

[2] Goodman, Darren. "Hand Blown Glass by: Darren Goodman." Last modified 2011. Accessed September 25, 2011. http://www.darrengoodman.net/news.htm.

[3] Prevish, Val. Enquirer, "Artist Finds Success A Piece At A Time." Last modified June 13, 2009. Accessed September 26, 2011. http://www.darrengoodman.net/enquirer061409.htm.

[4] Goodman, Darren. "Hand Blown Glass by: Darren Goodman." Last modified 2011. Accessed September 25, 2011. http://www.darrengoodman.net/news.htm.

[5] Prevish, Val. Enquirer, "Artist Finds Success A Piece At A Time." Last modified June 13, 2009. Accessed September 26, 2011. http://www.darrengoodman.net/enquirer061409.htm.

Review of a Review

            I read the review: Presages: Gordon Smith’s Kentucky Coal Country Photographs, by: Karen S. Chambers.   Overall I found this review very informative and interesting.  She did a great job writing the description of the exhibit.  This made you knowledgeable of what the artist was going through, what they were capturing with photography, and the reason why he was taking photographs of this.  I feel like she skipped the analysis and just focused on the interpretations.  I also did not catch much judgment.  So, I feel like she just really wanted people to know what the purpose of the art was and why people should care, which I enjoyed.   The only real problem I had was that some of the photographs she explained weren’t shown.  However she did do a great job describing them.  So this was a good review for me to read to learn how to put the background information and description of the exhibit in my paper.

http://aeqai.com/main/2011/09/presages-gordon-smith%E2%80%99s-kentucky-coal-country-photographs/

Project #2 Ouline

I.                   Introduction

a.       Cincinnati Art Museum

                                                              i.      Darren Goodman

1.      New glass exhibit

b.      Darren Goodman

                                                              i.      Artist – glass

                                                            ii.      School/Past Experience

                                                          iii.      Main idea

c.       Brief thought about exhibit

                                                              i.      Highlight on pieces I enjoyed

II.                Body

a.       History of the artist

                                                              i.      Where he went to school

                                                            ii.      Got interested in glass

                                                          iii.      Got studio together

                                                          iv.      Ideas behind past work

b.      Exhibit

                                                              i.      Idea behind it

                                                            ii.      What ism does it represent

                                                          iii.      How long did it take to put together

1.      How many people worked on it

                                                          iv.      Does the work fit the idea

c.       Critique of the exhibit

                                                              i.      Analysis

                                                            ii.      Interpretation

                                                          iii.      What was strong about the exhibit

                                                          iv.      What was weak about the exhibit

                                                            v.      My overall opinion

d.      Critique on certain pieces

                                                              i.      #1

1.      interpretation

a.       does it go along with idea of the exhibit

2.      Judgment

                                                            ii.      #2

1.      interpretation

a.       does it go along with the idea

2.      Judgment

III.             Conclusion

a.       My thoughts on Darren Goodman

                                                              i.      Does he work well with the medium

                                                            ii.      Would I like to see more of his exhibits

                                                          iii.      Does he express his idea through his work well

b.      Judgment of Exhibition

                                                              i.      Recap on some of the critique

c.       Encourage/Discourage people to view

                                                              i.      Based on my opinion, is this exhibit worth seeing

                                                            ii.      What does it make you feel/think about

Assignment #1 Final Draft

Hilary Alvey

September 13, 2011

Art 291 w

What is Art?

            When looking at a work of art, or working on becoming an artist, you begin to ask yourself, “What is art?”  To me art is a form of expression, and through my experience I have been able to come up with three ideas that make something a piece of art. First, art is a creation made to provoke emotion, or also known as expressionism.  Second, art can be something made to represent an idea or belief.  Third, a work of art needs to be created by an artist that puts time and effort into the piece.  These three principles are the building blocks to what makes something art.  To be clear, a work of art does not need to use all three of these principles to prove itself.  In order for something to be considered art it needs to include one of these three ideas. 

            My first point, that art is a creation to provoke emotion, falls into a category of art called expressionism.  An artist that would fit into this category would be Vincent Van Gogh.  A lot of artists during this time “…assumed that the chief function of art was to express their intense feelings to the world.”[1] When I think of Van Gogh, I think of his piece “Starry Night”. 

While looking at this artwork I feel calm, cool, and mesmerized.  The artist does this through his color usage, brushstrokes, and composition.  This is important because it allows the audience to connect with the piece.  They can relate to the feelings it portrays, and the piece can make them think about what mind frame the artist was in while making it.  When an artwork creates an emotion, and makes people think, and it makes them want to look at the piece more and learn about it.   So then it becomes a successful work of art because the artist expresses themselves through a work of art, and allows the audience to relate to the emotions and thoughts that the artist was feeling.  Van Gogh produced highly expressionist paintings the last few years of his life which represented his reflected his increasing depression.  Expressionism is important because the audience connects to the piece in another way than just liking the work of art.  They can relate to the piece from having felt the shown emotion or through sympathy for the artist.

            Next, art can be something that represents an idea or belief.   An artwork can portray a popular or unpopular belief at the time to get reactions from an audience.   For example, The Sistine Chapel paintings by Michelangelo were created to glorify the church and scripture from the Bible.  These beautiful works of art made people think about where they believed, about the way they lived, and if they were doing what was right to help them in the afterlife.  This type of art moves people on a completely different level than just emotion.  The art connects with their lifestyles, and everyday ideas.  Even though the Sistine Chapel may not have portrayed Michelangelo’s beliefs, it was a successful piece for the church.  The works of art in the church probably made more people attend.  With Michelangelo’s beautiful imagery, it probably drew people in because that is the way they want Heaven to be.  So this would make people want to go to the church more often, and donate money, so they could get into this beautiful atmosphere the artist has created.  In a way the work is like a advertisement for Heaven.   The Sistine Chapel is a wonderful example of work showing a popular belief at the time.  This is when the church was rising and kind of controlling the way people worshipped.  Michelangelo was a great sculpture, and actually did not want to paint the chapel.[2]  However, while looking at the beauty of his realistic images, you could not tell that this was something that he did not want to do.  This shows that artists can be moved and take in information to create a masterpiece to represent something that is a popular belief. 

            Finally, for something to be called a work of art it needs to be created by an artist that puts time and effort into the piece.  In other words, there needs to be some craft.  For an artist to create a great work of art they need to be a master of their craft.  When art is created this way, it is more likely to become respected and appreciated.  Art is something that expresses ones thoughts, feelings, ideas, representations, etc.  Therefore they should really work and put time into it.  Andy Goldsworthy is someone who does just this.  Even though his pieces are temporary, he puts a lot of preparation into his pieces.  He uses all natural substances for his sculptures.  Goldsworthy takes the time to study nature, collect materials he desires, and then create a work of art.  He states “I want my art to be sensitive and alert to changes in material, season and weather. Each work grows, stays, decays. Process and decay are implicit. Transience in my work reflects what I find in nature." [3]This shows the thought that he puts into each piece.  When you look at the work he creates you can tell how much craft and hard work he puts into his pieces.  With this his artwork is interesting, inspiring, and incredible.   To me, his work shows how important it is for art to be created with craft.

             In conclusion, art is a form of expression that needs one of three principles to be considered art.  Art must provoke emotion and thought.  This makes it relatable to the audience, because they have experienced the thoughts and emotions shown in the piece.  They think back to times that they have felt a certain emotion, and can feel sympathetic for the artist.  I feel like expressionism is the most important part of art, because it is the most relatable.  Art can be something made to represent an idea or belief.  This can stir up emotions and get people to agree or disagree with the piece.  It is a good way for an audience to relate to a great work of art.  Art should make you think.  This makes the artwork something people can discuss and try to see where the artist is coming from, and find out where they themselves stand on certain issues.  Art is also something that is created by an artist who puts time and effort into a piece.  This makes the artwork stronger and more affective.  The detail would move the audience and make them appreciate the artist’s creativity.  I believe art is a form of expression, and there are certain building blocks behind it. 

           

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[1] Museum Quality, "Expressionistic Movements." Last modified 2007. Accessed September 7, 2011. http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/C20th/expressionism.htm.

[2] Fay, Theresa. "The Sistine Chapel." Accessed September 7, 2011. http://www.svcc.edu/academics/classes/murray/Ezine/sistine.html

[3] Morning Earth, "Artist/Naturalist Andy Goldsworthy." Accessed September 7, 2011.

Project #1 Draft

What is Art?

            When looking at a work of art, or working on becoming an artist, you begin to ask yourself, “What is art?”  To me art is a form of expression, and through my experience I have been able to come up with three ideas that make something a piece of art. First, art is a creation made to provoke emotion, or also known as expressionism.  Second, art can be something made to represent an idea or belief.  Third, a work of art needs to be created by an artist that puts time and effort into the piece.  These three principles are the building blocks to what makes something art.  To be clear, a work of art does not need to use all three of these principles to prove itself.  In order for something to be considered art it needs to include one of these three ideas. 

            My first point, that art is a creation to provoke emotion, falls into a category of art called expressionism.  An artist that would fit into this category would be Vincent Van Gogh.  A lot of artists during this time “…assumed that the chief function of art was to express their intense feelings to the world.”[1] When I think of Van Gogh, I think of his piece “Starry Night”.  While looking at this artwork I feel calm, cool, and mesmerized.  The artist does this through his color usage, brushstrokes, and composition.  This is important because it allows the audience to connect with the piece.  They can relate to the feelings it portrays, and the piece can make them think about what mind frame the artist was in while making it.  When an artwork creates an emotion, and makes people think, and it makes them want to look at the piece more and learn about it.   So then it becomes a successful work of art because the artist expresses themselves through a work of art, and allows the audience to relate to the emotions and thoughts that the artist was feeling.  Van Gogh produced highly expressionist paintings the last few years of his life which represented his reflected his increasing depression.  Expressionism is important because the audience connects to the piece in another way than just liking the work of art.  They can relate to the piece from having felt the shown emotion or through sympathy for the artist.

            Next, art can be something that represents an idea or belief.   An artwork can portray a popular or unpopular belief at the time to get reactions from an audience.   For example, The Sistine Chapel paintings by Michelangelo were created to glorify the church and scripture from the Bible.  These beautiful works of art made people think about where they believed, about the way they lived, and if they were doing what was right to help them in the afterlife.  This type of art moves people on a completely different level than just emotion.  The art connects with their lifestyles, and everyday ideas.  Even though the Sistine Chapel may not have portrayed Michelangelo’s beliefs, it was a successful piece for the church.  Michelangelo was a great sculpture, and actually did not want to paint the chapel.[2]  However, while looking at the beauty of his realistic images, you could not tell that this was something that he did not want to do.  This shows that artists can be moved and take in information to create a masterpiece to represent something that is a popular belief. 

            Finally, for something to be called a work of art it needs to be created by an artist that puts time and effort into the piece.  In other words there needs to be some craft.  For an artist to create a great work of art they need to be a master of their craft.  When art is created this way, it is more likely to become respected and appreciated.  Art is something that expresses ones thoughts, feelings, ideas, representations, etc.  Therefore they should really work and put time into it.  Andy Goldsworthy is someone who does just this.  Even though his pieces are temporary, he puts a lot of preparation into his pieces.  He uses all natural substances for his sculptures.  Goldsworthy takes the time to study nature, collect materials he desires, and then create a work of art.  He states “I want my art to be sensitive and alert to changes in material, season and weather. Each work grows, stays, decays. Process and decay are implicit. Transience in my work reflects what I find in nature." [3]This shows the thought that he puts into each piece.  When you look at the work he creates you can tell how much craft and hard work he puts into his pieces.  With this his artwork is interesting, inspiring, and incredible.   To me, his work shows how important it is for art to be created with craft.

             In conclusion, art is a form of expression that needs one of three principles to be considered art.  Art must provoke emotion and thought.  This makes it relatable to the audience, because they have experienced the thoughts and emotions shown in the piece.  They think back to times that they have felt a certain emotion, and can feel sympathetic for the artist.  I feel like expressionism is the most important part of art, because it is the most relatable.  Art can be something made to represent an idea or belief.  This can stir up emotions and get people to agree or disagree with the piece.  It is a good way for an audience to relate to a great work of art.  Art should make you think.  This makes the artwork something people can discuss and try to see where the artist is coming from, and find out where they themselves stand on certain issues.  Art is also something that is created by an artist who puts time and effort into a piece.  This makes the artwork stronger and more affective.  The detail would move the audience and make them appreciate the artist’s creativity.  I believe art is a form of expression, and there are certain building blocks behind it. 

           

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[1] Museum Quality, "Expressionistic Movements." Last modified 2007. Accessed September 7, 2011. http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/C20th/expressionism.htm.

[2] Fay, Theresa. "The Sistine Chapel." Accessed September 7, 2011. http://www.svcc.edu/academics/classes/murray/Ezine/sistine.html

[3] Morning Earth, "Artist/Naturalist Andy Goldsworthy." Accessed September 7, 2011.