Powerful Images

Final Project

2009-03-12T14:59:00.001-05:00

View more presentations from Hans Mundahl.

Meeting with Geoff Hargadon

2009-03-11T15:00:00.000-05:00

At the end of our last day in Boston "Powerful Images" met with Geoff Hargadon, a veteran financial advisor and street art collector. We were all exhausted from a long day in Boston looking for hidden street art. We were all somewhat upset and disappointed with our lack of success in finding Shepard Fairey's art work. However, our moods were quickly turned around after meeting with Geoff. He talked with us about some of the art work on the 81 foot long wall. He explained the history of explained different artists and the way street art works. We even found out that he himself, was a street artist and had work on the wall! He told us the meaning of his work and then handed us out special stickers he made. Then Geoff had a little surprise for us. He took us up to the roof of the building to show us other examples of beautiful street art! We all think that this meeting was the cherry on the top of our adventure in Boston.

When we looked for street are we found....

2009-03-11T12:52:00.005-05:00

A lot in Cambridge. Our first sighting of Shepard Fairey's work was 6 posters of the Obama Hope picture. After looking at that we walked more on Mass Ave. and saw this alleyway and on the this wall was more artwork by street artists all around. The wall where we saw all this art work is actually the exterior wall of the Central Kitchen restaurant. We left Cambridge to go find more of Shepard Fairey's work and we couldn't find much. We did see some of his work across the street from south station on an abandoned building. There were multiples of his Giant Obey work. We tried to find more of his work but the only large one we found was his giant mural on city hall, which was a lot different from what we expected. It seemed like a curtain hanging down. We were a little bummed but yet we were happy to find his art. We learned that there is more art in the smaller places than the larger places and all had specific meanings. Such as the artist's work with the monopoly guy making fun of monopolies and how they take money from the people. All the works were fun to look at and fun to find.

The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA)

2009-03-11T12:35:00.002-05:00

On Tuesday we went to see Shepard Fairey’s exhibit “Supply and Demand”. The artist is famous for the Obama campaign posters. These have Barack Obama’s face in blues and grays with “HOPE” and/or “PROGRESS” at the bottom. The work on the wall is usually found on the street on sides of buildings and sky scrapers. The pieces included political messages, other pop artists, and musicians for peace. There were a lot of people in the ICA when we were there.

We surveyed a few of them who were observing the art. One man who worked there said he has known Shepard for a long tome and seen his art around Boston. He didn’t like how his art was in a museum and thought it looked better in the street. Our reaction was similar because we weren’t allowed to take pictures in the museum of the artwork that was free all over the city, and the world.

The “Andre the Giant” work was one of his firsts. We learned that when he was in college, he created it as a little joke and posted it up all over Providence. It quickly spread and became one of his most seen pieces. A lot of us realized that we had actually seen some of his work, without knowing about it. Three of us own clothing with his symbols.

Everyone’s reaction was “I want to do that!” or “How do you do that?”
It truly inspired all of us.

Free Time

2009-03-10T12:36:00.000-05:00

In our little free time, we cruised around Cambridge. During a learning block we had been in a large mall looking at advertisements. These stores were a little pricey so we quickly headed to Goodwill. What a good find!! Monday night, we searched a Thai food restaurant. It was delicious! It was quite spicy, and we went back to the hotel full and happy.

March 9: Pretense of a Summary

2009-03-10T07:58:00.003-05:00

Don't worry! There will be more later.

Yesterday Boston was a dismal rainy/snowy/sleety place. But did that stop the Powerful Images group? NO! We rode the subway, visited Copley Place, the Library, and the Goodwill.

We explored the advertisements at Copley Place and asked inquired of ourselves what the images meant. Are they real? What are they portraying/selling? What audience are the ads targeted at?

There were differing views, but most said that in some way the images were unrealistic. More on that later.

Just some of Jamie's pics of the wall near Central kitchen. We will be visiting again today as well as looking for more street art.

Fairey's OBEY campaign

2009-03-09T21:07:00.001-05:00

MANIFESTO by the artist

The OBEY sticker campaign can be explained as an experiment in Phenomenology. Heidegger describes Phenomenology as "the process of letting things manifest themselves." Phenomenology attempts to enable people to see clearly something that is right before their eyes but obscured; things that are so taken for granted that they are muted by abstract observation.

The FIRST AIM OF PHENOMENOLOGY is to reawaken a sense of wonder about one's environment. The OBEY sticker attempts to stimulate curiosity and bring people to question both the sticker and their relationship with their surroundings. Because people are not used to seeing advertisements or propaganda for which the product or motive is not obvious, frequent and novel encounters with the sticker provoke thought and possible frustration, nevertheless revitalizing the viewer's perception and attention to detail. The sticker has no meaning but exists only to cause people to react, to contemplate and search for meaning in the sticker. Because OBEY has no actual meaning, the various reactions and interpretations of those who view it reflect their personality and the nature of their sensibilities.

Many people who are familiar with the sticker find the image itself amusing, recognizing it as nonsensical, and are able to derive straightforward visual pleasure without burdening themselves with an explanation. The PARANOID OR CONSERVATIVE VIEWER however may be confused by the sticker's persistent presence and condemn it as an underground cult with subversive intentions. Many stickers have been peeled down by people who were annoyed by them, considering them an eye sore and an act of petty vandalism, which is ironic considering the number of commercial graphic images everyone in American society is assaulted with daily.

Another phenomenon the sticker has brought to light is the trendy and CONSPICUOUSLY CONSUMPTIVE nature of many members of society. For those who have been surrounded by the sticker, its familiarity and cultural resonance is comforting and owning a sticker provides a souvenir or keepsake, a memento. People have often demanded the sticker merely because they have seen it everywhere and possessing a sticker provides a sense of belonging. The Giant sticker seems mostly to be embraced by those who are (or at least want to seem to be) rebellious. Even though these people may not know the meaning of the sticker, they enjoy its slightly disruptive underground quality and wish to contribute to the furthering of its humorous and absurd presence which seems to somehow be antiestablishment/societal convention. Giant stickers are both embraced and rejected, the reason behind which, upon examination reflects the psyche of the viewer. Whether the reaction be positive or negative, the stickers existence is worthy as long as it causes people to consider the details and meanings of their surroundings. In the name of fun and observation.

Shepard Fairey, 1990

Censorship

2009-03-09T15:41:00.000-05:00

On Monday, we spent a little over an hour on the Internet. Our main objective was to basically look up some popular newspapers and see if their reports were biased or unbiased. We looked at the common newspapers like NY Times or BBC and we found out that their opinions were definitely different. For example, a FOX News story was conservative, while the NY Times was liberal, or a foreign country's newspaper such as BBC would be considered neutral.

March 9: Copley Place

2009-03-09T15:23:00.002-05:00

Advertisement Search:
From one perspective

We explored Copley Place to inquire of ourselves what images and advertisements mean or represent.

Most of the stores and images in Copley Place were of one category.

Most if not all of the images here can be generalized into the category of “glamour”. The image presented is unrealistic, ideal, and often misconstrued. Whether it be clothes, shoes, or accessories the models used surely don’t represent the normal, everyday person. Reality as a whole is omitted. The body size, structure, and complexion can’t be found unless worked for. Often, the images are doctored as well and perfect mannequins are used.

However, (unfortunately) this selling tactic (the point of an advertisement) works. Because the image presented is aesthetically pleasing (although, as previously stated, unrealistic) people buy these things to try to become the image. A beautiful woman modeling clothing attracts customers because the audience wants to be like that woman. They want to emulate what they see, and because they cannot physically become the woman they buy what she is wearing.

The creators of this message are selling the image and the possibility of beauty. They provide an imitable, recreate-able way to “improve” themselves: the clothing.

*Also apologies for the lack of pics on the last post; the connection is not up-to-par (Have no fear, pictures will be up)*

Get your walking shoes on! Map of Fairey's street art

2009-03-09T15:01:00.001-05:00

View Larger Map

Censorship and Media Bias

2009-03-08T22:07:00.003-05:00

YOUR ASSIGNMENT: Censorship and Media Bias

Go to http://www.stopbigmedia.com/=atstake
Read about the big media conglomerates.

Go to http://www.freepress.net/pentagon_propaganda

How do these conglomerates affect YOU?

Check out
http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/category/y-2009/
See the related story http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/1-over-one-million-iraqi-deaths-caused-by-us-occupation/

Google the global warming protest at the capital on March 2. There are about 500 news reports.

Try to find a conservative, liberal, and "neutral" report. Make sure Fox news is one of them.

What do you think?
Is media bias and censorship acceptable? Unacceptable?
What can you do about it?
Other comments?

2009-03-05T20:01:00.004-05:00

Kalle Lasn: Clearing the Mindscape

L.A.: Kalle Lasn, with Adbusters you have created something called “subvertising.” What exactly is it?

Kalle Lasn: There are two kinds of advertising, two kinds of marketing. There is product marketing, and there is advocacy marketing. You can sell products or you can sell ideas. And when you are selling products, then I think you can call that advertising. And when you are selling ideas that try to subvert advertising, we call it “subvertising.” Because usually, when we are selling an idea we are trying to undermine the system. So, “subvertising” is a good word for the sort of stuff that we do.

L.A.: Malcolm McLaren, the inventor of the Sex Pistols, talks about the three “Ss” of success: sex, subversion, and style.

Kalle Lasn: Well, you know, I agree with him. I think that what really rules the world is, of course, who controls the information and who controls the information flows. But, ultimately, I think a culture is created by the style. For me a better word than style is “the cool.” I think the cool is a word that describes what permeates up from the bottom of culture and ultimately helps us decide what we are going to wear, and what music we are going to be listening to, and what kind of ideas we will have about things like climate change, or about the war in Iraq. So I think that, for me, “subvertising,” or “culture jamming,” as I call it, is the art of creating a new kind of cool.

Censorship?

2009-03-04T21:08:00.003-05:00

Was the ban on photos of coffins returning home from the wars a form of media censorship?
Many believe it was. Obama has reversed the ban on photos within the last week, granting permision for photographers to photograph coffins of the multiple dead as long as the families grant permission.

Read the article here.

What do YOU think?

Abraham Obama Film Screening SF IndieFest 2009 - Roxie Cinema

2009-02-24T22:40:00.000-05:00

Watch the video, listen to the words, who is the audience?

Ron English, street artist "Abraham Obama"

2009-02-24T22:30:00.003-05:00

This street art is almost a block long. Let's go find it in Boston!

Street Art Workers

2009-02-23T20:43:00.004-05:00

These poster images by Street Art Workers, 2004: Whose Media?
http://streetartworkers.org/2004/

from the 2003: Utopia / Dystopia street art project
http://streetartworkers.org/2003/

Street artist Shepard Fairey makes his mark at the ICA - The Boston Globe

2009-02-23T15:34:00.003-05:00

Street artist Shepard Fairey makes his mark at the ICA - The Boston Globe
Is street art, or images in the mass media, better the fine art because people SEE it?
Posted using ShareThis

Obey Boston from hargo on Flickr

2009-02-23T14:31:00.003-05:00

2007-01-10T20:37:00.000-05:00

While I was inside buying tickets for the MFA...

Art and Politics

2007-01-09T10:20:00.000-05:00

By Rachel R.

On my JUA trip I was looking for answers from different people. I wanted to find out if any one, especially artists, looked at their art (or any art) through a political/social/economic eye. From talking to artists in museums to commoners on the street, my answers became very different. Most art, some say, had nothing to do with political meaning but can express the artist in different ways. Some said any piece of artwork has to represent the artist somehow...whether it's the type of media or the style they chose to use. Some of the earliest political artwork came from Picasso, especially shown in a piece called Guernica, which represented a painted abstracts of war and soldiers. Was he trying to put out a message to the people and raise awareness? Or was he simply interested in painting such scenes? Everyone I talked with had different answers and perspectives. On my JUA trip I found a lot of answers... and also raised several more questions.

Do Modern day Artists use political/socio/economic/religious views in their art?
This question was not answered easily by Bostonian’s who were not familiar with many modern day artists or media. Within this answer I received answers such as it is not a major interest in Modern day artists, or it doesn’t sell in museums/art shows so artists try and stay away from this concept. Also if the art contained a narrative content it was said to not be as good art. For example if the primary characteristic of the majority of an artists paintings is politics, they seem to not be as well known/ liked artists. If a piece of artwork contains colors, movements, or shapes, people are more drawn to this and feel more like they can tell there own story within the piece. On the other hand, I got different artists opinions that said that all artwork contains politics because everything around every artist influences your art.
Another question I thought was essential was if art needed to represent anything. Love and Passion are key in artwork and are intertwined with art. Art doesn’t need to be political to represent something. Other people said that if an artist is to create a piece it has to represent them because it came from their mind. It was also said that it can convey certain opinions and concepts. This brought up the question if there had to be a theme in any piece and with this for the majority people agreed that they’re had to be. From an open canvas abstract to a piece with intellectual capacity people said there will always be certain themes even if it didn’t relate to everyone the same.

From the information learned I formed one last question to help me really find out what art was or wasn’t affecting. This was the fact that if people were to put out stronger views of politics or problems of the world, would it help the world to become more globally aware of our surroundings and what is happening in the world? Some answers were pushed towards saying no and that the issues were to controversial to put them into art. Others used graffiti as an example saying that this was a big form of expression especially for teens trying to speak their minds in some way using art. For example in the movie Blood Diamonds it’s not affecting people the way it should. The movie is supposed to put out a moral lesson but people just want to be entertained and they just want to see what looks good and nothing deeper behind this. Strong opinions wouldn’t change or help global problems because people are only interested in being entertained. Others said only to a certain community would it help global problems because art doesn’t relate to everyone the same and people do not have the same intellectual capacity so it could easily blow right over their heads.

Stella Johnson is a documentary photographer and artist. I liked her stories she shared with us and I enjoyed how strongly she cared about her work and how she was trying to make a difference. In this day and age its hard to put all your effort into the justice of photography. She talked about how if you work for New York times they own the copyright of all the pictures. So if they’re are very disturbing pictures taken in various countries, New York Times will not publish any of these because they don’t want negative reviews and for everyone to see the grievance. Also the press doesn't want true violence or photo journalist's real story's because they will get bad reviews. People risk there life in these countries and can't even publish the truth. Stella Johnson was the most persuasive and argumentative speakers and It really helped me learn about these worldly problems.

On this trip I was supposed to find my answers to expression of art and how and why people use this and to what extent it is used to. I will never find “the answer” to how politics is used in artwork these days. Although the answer will never be clear, my perspective has changed from going on this Junior Urban Adventure trip.

Violence in Video Games

2007-01-09T10:18:00.000-05:00

By Collin T.

The topic of video game violence has become more and more present as the years go by, that’s why I decided to find out more about it. My topic question was “How does violence in video games effect the youth?” to find out more about this I suggested, with some help, to interview Dr. Kimberly Thompson who studies the video games and some of the effects on teenagers. Dr. Thompson was very well prepared for our group with a power point answering all the questions that we had sent to her a couple of days before. One of the main points that she kept on pushing was that the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) has no real regulations and video games are a self regulated industry.

That was one of the most surprising things that I learned others were that video games can effect youths attention span but it is not true for all kids. An increasingly important issue is that kids start to become addicted to video games replacing sports and physical activity with video games of some sort. Interesting enough some people that I interviewed at an EB games store didn’t believe that video games effects them negatively at all one man said that video games are more of a stress reliever for if he had a bad day at work and carries a portable game system with him at all times. It just goes to show that some people use video games as an outlet and not just because they are violent.

Other interesting things that Dr. Thompson pointed out was that some E rated games (Everyone) show up as T (Teen) for other consoles. Also that some games are not that well overviewed on one game on the intro to the game it shows a provocative woman then words flash on the screen “control your desire” this is on an E rated game to me that’s a little inappropriate for children as young as seven years old. How ever it is not just the ESRB the video game companies only send a couple of clips of game play for the board members to look at the board never actually gets to play the entire game. But it is also the parents that need to be more interactive with their children.

Some parents tend to buy M (mature) rated games for their teenagers but that’s not really helping out their child its exposing them to intense violence an average of 145 character in first person shooters dies per hour that seems like the video game companies are in a race to get the most violent games on the market. So far the industry is flooded with an over abundance of gore and killing but the children have become more and more understanding to how the game stores screen for underage children trying to buy games. The kids have found out that if you walk in pick a game and pay for it with confidence that the employees will most likely sell the game to them. Over all it’s a pretty poorly regulated industry.

There are a couple of things that you can do to make sure that your children are not being over influenced. First of all become more active ask questions at the stores and maybe even do some research on the game before hand. Don’t just let your children play anything and try to make them understand that it is only a game and cannot be done in real life because the consequences are too great.

BEAUTY

2007-01-08T22:29:00.000-05:00

What is real beauty? What makes one person beautiful and another not? Does media influence peoples perception? Who is to say who is and who is not good looking? These are the questions I set out to answer during the 2007 Junior Urban Adventure, and in a sense I did.

My first task was to ask random people in Boston what they thought real beauty was to them, what first attracts them to a person, and I also asked them to rate five pictures of random people on a scale of one through five. I ended up doing this on the first morning in Boston at Copley Center. Seven people were questioned (three females and four males), ages eighteen to twenty-four. Three people said it was a person’s personality that made them stand out, one said it would be interesting features or clothing style, another was attracted to a nice smile. Only one person based their definition of beauty entirely on looks and one was attracted if it was apparent that the person made an effort.

For my pictures I used people form different ethnic groups and two celebrities:
Asian Punk Rocker Johnny Depp Tara Reid White Punk Girl Black Rasta Man
M 24 2 5 5 3 2
F 22 2 4 1 2 2
M 23 3 4 3 2 5
F 20 3 5 2 2 1
F 19 1 5 5 2 1
M 24 3 5 4 2 3
M 18 2 4 4 2 5

It was interesting to see that even the people who said that appearance has nothing to do with beauty were the ones who chose the celebrities as the best looking of the five people. Also, the Rasta Man, and the white and Asian punk girls got the lowest ratings. This leads me to believe that people judge beauty according to ethnicity.

Most celebrities are of the white and black race, and are also considered good looking, and we are not used to seeing people of other races so we do not consider them to be good looking.
However, I can also understand how even if the people who said personality is what makes a person beautiful chose the celebrities as the best looking people, for you cannot judge someone’s character by a photograph.

On the second day we met with Dr. Thompson. She specialized in video games analysis, which on the surface had nothing to do with my topic, but as the interview went on she began to talk about the way women are portrayed in the games. She said that even in games that are rated “G”, there are half naked women. First of all, the games ratings are not very affective since there are no set standards for them. Second, provocative women in videos, on TV, magazines, and in games could have a profound impact on what American’s see as beautiful. It also led to the question: Do more men play certain video games because the women in them are thin and scantily dressed, or are they dressed this way in order to entice more men to play?
Talking to Stella Johnson also opened my eyes to how censored newspapers and magazines are and how they will not publish many photographs because they assume that the public does not want to know what is going on in the world.

Junior Urban Adventure opened my eyes and I learned more than I thought I would by just answering my essential question. Surprisingly, I even got an eye into what I may want to do with my life; photojournalism.

JUA is definitely something I would want to do for my senior leadership project.

By Nicoya

Reflection

2007-01-08T22:08:00.000-05:00

The JUA trip was a blast. It was great going to different museums and checking out the different art work. Some of the photographs in one of the museums really opened my eyes and made me think. I would have to say that the interview with Stella Johnson was my favorite part of the trip. Not only did it help a lot with answering my essential question but it inspired me.

One comment Ms. Johnson said that stuck in my mind was that many of the most interesting and realistic pictures taken of the war in Iraq and around is not shown to the public because they could offend someone.

by Annie Grace

Firing Squad in Iran

2007-01-08T21:06:00.000-05:00

On August 26, 1979, Bahrami learned that a judge he knew would be trying Kurds the following day at the Sanandaj airport. In a 30-minute trial, 11 prisoners were charged with crimes of firearm trafficking, murder, and inciting riots, and were sentenced to death. The men were blindfolded and led outside to the airfield, where they were lined up several meters from their executioners. Razmi was unhindered by security forces, allowing him to stand behind the rightmost executioner and photograph the killings.

Razmi delivered his two rolls of film to the offices of Ettela'at, and chief editor Mohammed Heydari quickly decided to lead with one of Razmi's photographs—the one taken at an instant where some of the executioners had fired and others had not—and furthermore decided to publish it anonymously to protect the photographer from government reprisal. United Press International quickly ordered a copy of the image and forwarded it to its bureaus around the world, again without a name associated. On August 29, newspapers such as The New York Times and The Daily Telegraph ran the image, crediting UPI.

The image continued to receive international attention, and was nominated by UPI for the Pulitzer Prize. Not knowing the author of the photograph but having received it on the UPI wire, managing editor Larry DeSantis submitted the image to the Pulitzer Prize committee crediting an anonymous UPI photographer. Then, on April 14, 1980, it became the first and only anonymous image to ever win the Pulitzer Prize.

Article and Image from Wikipedia.

Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words?

2007-01-08T20:13:00.000-05:00

By Annie Grace

Purpose of the Research

The purpose of my research was to investigate the effects of visual images as a way to tell stories about global war and terrorism. The main question I asked was: Is a picture worth a thousand words? If so, why?

Data Collection Methods

To gather answers to my research question, I used three sources. First, I interviewed Stella Johnson, a well-known photojournalist who is based in Boston. She was trained in photography at the San Francisco Art Institute and earned a degree in journalism at Boston University. Along with teaching classes at Tufts University, Ms. Johnson works in various parts of the U.S. and travels overseas. In addition, I took a random sample of five Bostonians’ answers to the question, “ Is a picture worth a thousand words to you?” All were adults that I stopped as they walked through the Copley Plaza mall area, which is an upscale shopping and work part of the city. To add to my data, I gathered a sample of what I thought were especially powerful images of war which I found using an internet search.

Results

Interview with Stella Johnson
Ms. Johnson stated that she wants to make a difference with her images. I asked her if she has to sign a contract stating that her work has been unaltered. She replied that she does not have to sign any contract. She also included that she would never crop a picture of hers and that most photographers also do not. When Ms. Johnson was asked if she has ever been to a war zone or has covered any active wars or “hot spots” she said she has never been to any of these, and that she does not do this form of photojournalism because it is not consistent with her temperament. I did learn that photojournalism is a fascinating type of work, and that there are many different routes you can take to tell a story. It seems to me that photographers, in general, feel that a picture is worth a thousand words. Images are a fast way to reach people, and hopefully make a difference by telling them a certain story.

Sample of Bostonians
Of the five people I questioned, four answered that they found images to be more compelling ways to tell the story of war than the written word. One woman said that she if she reads an article that isn’t accompanied by a picture then she has to think of what the image would look like. If she looks at a photo, it stays in her mind more than the words. The one person who did not feel that images were more powerful than words told me that she thought they could be more powerful sometimes, but not always. It depends on the subject, she said.

Personal collection of war images
The images chosen (see attached page) show the horror of war in the world better than any amount of words, in my opinion. The photograph of the firing squad is especially powerful to me. I can’t imagine how someone could write a description of that scene in a way that would show the horror better. You can see the flash of movement as the guns are fired and the prisoners are blown back. There are many written descriptions of war horrors, but they can’t compete with the actual scene itself in black and white. It is not surprising that the photographer won the Pulitzer Prize for this work, even when his identity was not known. His picture sent a strong message around the world. It was a quick but powerful way to tell that story.

Conclusions

All together, the sources of information I used to research my question tell me that pictures are the equal if not worth more than many words in telling the story of global war and terrorism. Here are the reasons for my conclusion. First, written journalism can be faked more easily than actual pictures. It is true that photographs can be “staged”, but it seems to be easier to cheat and get away with it in writing than pictures. For example, it would be difficult to stage the picture of the firing squad, because the people, the place, and the action are so specific. With pictures it is different. Connected to this idea, Stella Johnson said that she would never alter one of her pictures. It seems that photojournalists are very serious about telling the truth through their pictures.
Second, pictures are easier to get meaning from than words for many people. I’m referring to people who do not or cannot read for whatever reason. The Bostonians I interviewed made this clear. Photographs reach everyone, regardless of their reading skills.
Third, war pictures are always gruesome. Most of us don’t want to read paragraphs of gruesome words. We stop when the going gets rough. With photographs, though, one glance is enough to get the message. That message says the same thing as a thousand words.

On Beauty

2007-01-07T22:59:00.000-05:00

For Nicoya..
read this about the illusion of beauty in advertising...
"As an industry insider, Kohanim is aware of the seductive power of commercial images. “In advertising we’re so used to perfection,” he suggests. “But it’s an illusion. None of the models look like that in real life. They get the best lighting, the best makeup, the retouchers. And it’s only that combination of skills that makes those perfect images — which can give the false message that everyone should look perfect in real life."

Corporate Interests

2007-01-07T22:05:00.000-05:00

My JUA experience was very meaningful. I am still, a month later, flabbergasted that while the gaming industry, a 10 billion dollar a year industry that gives instant gratification for successful violence, that real news of global issues is censored by our major newspapers because it might offend the public. I learned that the lack of regulation of content in the gaming industry is contrasted by the role of large corporations controlling or "censoring" what news is published in newspapers and periodicals. We don't learn about anything that might jeopardize their corporate agendas.

I have learned to question what I read, but most importantly to question what I am not reading. I have learned that I need a non-American source of world news.

And this leads to the corporate interest in politics... which effects the world economy as well as the environment...

I have learned that as a consumer I am essentially giving my consent to the corporations I support by buying their products. I pledge to be an educated consumer.

Did I learn anything meaningful on JUA? YES.

Reading An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore has fed my interest and understanding of corporate censorship and goals of "disinformation." (See page 263, AIT.)

Reflection

2007-01-04T14:53:00.000-05:00

On my JUA trip Iwas looking for answers from many different people. I wanted to find out if any one, especially artists, looked at their art (or any art) through a political/social/economic eye. From talking to artists in museums to commoners on the street, my answers became very different. Most art, some say, had nothing to do with political meaning but can express the artist in different ways. Some said any piece of artwork has to represent the artist somehow...whether it's the type of media or the style they chose to use. Some of the earliest political artwork came from Picasso who had painted abstracts of wars and soldiers. Was he trying to put out a message to the people and raise awareness? Or was he simply interested in painting such scenes? Everyone I talked with had different answers and perspectives. On my JUA trip I found a lot of answers... and also raised several more questions.
-Rachel Rollins

Reflection

2006-12-15T10:37:00.000-05:00

The best part of my trip was on tuesday when we met with Stella Johnson. She started the conversation right off with photo journalism and how corrupt certian newspapers are. It opened my eyes, and I realized that what I read about or what I see on the news may not be the real story or even all of it, and that newspapers regulate the pictures published. Often times they would not publish an image because it may offend people, resulting in a national ignorence of world affairs.

I was able to connect my essential question to the disscusion with Dr. Thompson. She got into the way women are portrayed in video games leading to the question: Are women in vidoe games more provocative to entice men to play and buy the games; or are they this way because more men play and buy videogames. Either way it's all about body image.

by Nicoya

Interview with Dr. Thompson

2006-12-12T16:22:00.000-05:00

After taking the train and walking to MIT we found Dr. Thompson in a classroom with a power point and an optimistic point of view. During the power point we asked a lot of questions about morals and the content of video games. One of the main points that Dr. Thompson kept on pointing out is that the video game community has no real parameters for rating the games and that the there is no policing the video game development. They are a self - regulated industry with no system of checks and balances. She made a good point about public outcry and how that is the main way games are changed and regulated. Case in point: the Grand Theft Auto San Andres case with the modding that brought public attention to the Violent video game. She had some interesting things to say and some interesting ways to make her points. Overall we had a great time and we wish it had been a longer experience.

We had a great time... Thanks - Collin and Barlow

Monday Night Free Time

2006-12-12T15:58:00.000-05:00

On Monday night the group chose to see Blood Diamond, a film about the civil unrest in Sierra Leone during 1994. There were many instances in which I was able to connect the events in the movie to our topic, visual art. For example, one of the main characters was a photojurnalist and she talked about her frustration of not being able to publish pictures that told the true story of what was really going on in the area (about how diamonds purchased in the U.S. were a result of slavery, death, and suffering for the people of Sierra Leone)... because the images might offend readers.

Rachel Rollins

Second day with Stella

2006-12-12T15:54:00.000-05:00

After having lunch on Newberry Street, we headed to the Art Institute of Boston to meet with a documentary photographer, Stella Johnson. We learned how major newspapers refuse to publish pictures that might "offend the sensibilities of their readers". She told a story about a friend of hers who isn't able to publish his recent images from Iraq. One in particular is of a surgeon carrying an amputated lower leg.

Stella also gave us an assignment. It was to find out what is going on in Oaxaca Mexico and e-mail her about it. Why? Because information on current political events is essentially unavailable in our news media.

After talking to her about the general aspects of photojournalism we discussed how the profession has changed, and the differences in it since the Vietnam war. It is a very difficult profession because of the necessity of approval from your editor and the higher-ups of the publisher you work for. All photojournalists are "censored" by their superiors which makes their jobs very difficult. Sometimes their work in its edited form could be considered propaganda as it doesn't necessarily report the whole truth, but the truth that corporate America wants to represent. She feels that because of the heavy "editing", books are a much more truthful and accurate form of spreading information.

by Annie Grace and Alex

Monday Afternoon

2006-12-12T15:51:00.000-05:00

This afternoon, the visual arts group went to the MFA after a long morning doing surveys at Copley Place. After lunch at the California Pizza kitchen... we took a long walk/T ride to the museum. We got there at three and saw many different exhibits. Our first exhibit was Cecily Brown. Cecily is an abstract oil painter who chooses to work on large murals. Cecily paints murals to keep you guessing, with abstract ideas combined with representation. She is inspired by history of painting. We also visited an old 19th century Japanese exhibit. There was many paintings also of Picasso and Georgia O'Keefe with many abstract ideas incorporated. There was a fashion exhibit with pictures of models, and regular women, all black and white.

The MFA for our group was a great learning experience because it represented a variety of different types of art, media, and styles from around the world that included culture, politics, and fashion. Everyone got something different from the museum whether it was meeting artists in the exhibits, to finding priceless, century-old instruments made out of human skulls.

After the museum, we had an interesting dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant and then went to see Blood Diamonds (another blog!).
We had a very excited/interesting Monday afternoon in BTOWN!
By Rachel Rollins

My first day in Boston.... by Eric Barlow

2006-12-11T21:37:00.000-05:00

I woke up around 3 in morning and then i drove to school. I got to school and then borede the bus. I dont remember to much of the ride down except for the sleeping on the floor of the bus. when we got to Boston I got off the bus with a surprising amount of energy and put my bags in the room.. After all the fun in the hostel we started walking to Double DD and then we just went straight to the mall to start our Questioning...... we got yelled at by like 4-5 security guards in the mall then we left. After all that we went to the MFA which was pretty cool and Smitty Jonny and I got lost in the MFA. then we got dinner and went to go and see a movie..... Over all First day on the JUA trip was pretty cool.

Later Barlow

Monday Morning

2006-12-11T13:17:00.000-05:00

After waking up at the ridiculous hour of four in the morning, we took a ridiculously long bus ride into Boston, MA. We learned patience while everyone in the group decided what they wanted for breakfast, and because everyone wanted food from different places we brought the food back to the hostel and ate it.

For our first excursion we took the T to Copley Place. On our way there we took a scenic route, ran into some pigeons, and Smitty (Alex) got up close and personal with an escalator. Once in the mall our group split up and we interviewed/surveyed employees and shoppers on topics related to our essential questions.

At the Copley Place, our interviews went well. Rachel and Nicoya were very productive in asking numerous people, especially employees, and getting detailed answers to their questions. Smitty, Eric, and Collin spent most of their time at the EB Games store talking to employees and different customers. They found that older gamers were not just interested in games with mature subject matter, but were rather interested in any game that boasted entertainment value. Annie and Jon asked shoppers about whether they would rather read an article or look at a picture to become informed about a certain subject. We were very productive in our research.

By Rachel and Nicoya

revised essential questions

2006-12-10T14:10:00.000-05:00

Alex: How much of an impact does art and media have on some ones outlook on life?

John: I will create a photographic documentary of global issues pertaining to urban life. By sharing these photographs locally, people will have a better understanding of them. Understanding leads to action.

Rachel: Do most new artists use political/socio-economic/religion/ views in their art? Why or why not? Does art need to represent and express the artist? Why or why not?

Essential Questions!

2006-11-30T12:16:00.000-05:00

Today we developed our "essential questions", and brainstormed ideas for ways to find answers to our questions. Peter and I are very involved in mapping out our Boston adventure.

The following are drafts of our group's questions.

Rachel: "How do Boston artists portray themselves (culture, socio-economic standing, making a living, religion, freedom) through their art?"

Alex: "How does, if at all, media pervert people's image of reality?

Nicoya: "How does media influence society's perception of the human body and what "real" beauty is?"

John: "I will photograph/document the difference in dynamics between urban and rural life"

Eric: "How does violence in the real world affect the content in video games?"

Annie: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Is this true? If so, why?
Sub-questions: "What tells an important news story better, images or words?"
"How has photojournalism made a difference in our understanding of global acts of terrorism/war?"

Grace: "In the world a lot of little negative things add up to make big negative things. I will document through photography how little things can also add up to make a big positive difference. I would like to look at public spaces in Boston, in a variety of economic areas, to discover that there are are a lot of things that make a positive difference."

Collin: "I want to learn how violent games really affect both teens and children."

2006-11-15T21:24:00.000-05:00

PLEASE EMAIL ME OR POST A COMMENT with regards to what you would like to see/do/learn in Boston. Please click on the links to the right, they are a starting point. I have tried to find every major art museum and gallery. There is a huge variety of exhibits. Please scroll down and read the descriptions, as often the "good stuff" is on the bottom of the page."

2006-11-15T21:23:00.000-05:00

What do you want to learn about?
"photojournalism...
everything from how to make good pictures to selling/enhibiting them..."

2006-11-15T21:20:00.000-05:00

What do you want to learn about?
"Studio tours, talk to artists...
photography- with a purpose
different media
possibly combine culture and how life goes...
I want to get creative IDEAS"

2006-11-15T21:18:00.000-05:00

In order to have a succesful experience we need "knowledge, commitment, and organization"...

2006-10-28T12:12:00.000-05:00

Our first group pictures!
We used the only available camera at the moment: photo booth!

2006-10-21T09:28:00.000-05:00

"Street Spirits" was made by Jackson on our JUA trip last December.

2006-10-21T08:29:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Visual Arts JUA group!

This is a place for us to share ideas and resources as well as plan for our trip. I had a great time in Boston on JUA last year, and am really looking forward to planning a new trip around your specific interestes and essential questions.

Amy