Location | New York: Meet Field School Blogger James Hospedales

Tell us a little bit about yourself—your background, major program of study, reasons for taking this trip, and anything else interesting you want to share (maybe something people might not know about you).

Durrah, Pauline, and James in Times Square, New York

Well to start, my name is James Hospedales, and I’m entering my fourth year of liberal arts at KPU with an (unofficial) concentration in art history. During my first few years at Kwantlen, I remained unsure of my chosen major (geography), and decided to take a modern art history class after coming to New York City for the first time in the summer of 2013. During that class, I realized I had been majoring in a subject that I thought would lead to a job that made money, and not taking classes in a field that I loved. After my revelation, I completely changed the entire trajectory of my undergraduate degree. I am now planning on continuing on to UBC to attain my diploma in art history, and hopefully, my MA in art history afterwards. I am currently taking courses from different fields to fulfill the requirements for my BA that I feel will inform my future art history studies. One of the main reasons I chose to participate in the NYC/Venice field school was because I wanted to take part in the opportunity to travel with individuals from different fields while engaging and examining the intersection of both art and urban geography within the context of New York City. As well, I chose to participate in the studio portion of the field school as a way to engage with and understand the processes of conception and contextualization in the production of art.

What has met or exceeded your expectations or surprised you about New York so far?

I honestly couldn’t be more thrilled to be back in New York for this trip. I had previously come to New York in the summer of 2013 on a whim after deciding to leave a French immersion program in Quebec. Nothing could have prepared me for the insane journey that I embarked on less than twenty-four hours after booking that trip. During my first trip, I spent most of my time in the art museums and galleries that we’ve been able to visit, such as the Met, MoMA, and the Guggenheim. Going on this trip ended up being very special and I certainly had a “full circle” experience, since I came back fully prepared with the art history knowledge needed in order to give proper context to the art I had previously seen. I’ve enjoyed learning about how artists operate within different contexts in relation to geography, and how they’ve played a role in the development and gentrification of different parts of New York. What has surprised me that I didn’t notice my first time here is the abrupt division of neighbourhoods in terms of both people and vibe, sometimes within only a block. As well, New York is extremely diverse in terms of different styles of architecture. Vancouver is a young city in comparison, so being exposed to New York’s architecture has been a real treat that I’ve enjoyed trying to make sense of through a historical context. I think my favourite “surprise” that I’ve experienced on this trip is how different the art works appear in real life; I’ve been back to the MoMA three times so far in the past two weeks, and still underestimate how vibrant and animated the Futurist works appear. As well, I can’t wait to go to Venice to see all the Renaissance art that I’ve studied in a special topics class this past spring!

James was assigned Sherrie Levine's Untitled (Mr Austridge: 2) (1989)

Give us some insight into your assigned artwork from the Museum of Modern Art. Who is the artist? When was this work made? What is the content of this work? In what context and as part of what art movement was it made?

The artist and art work I have been assigned is Sherrie Levine’s Untitled (Mr Austridge: 2) (1989). Formally, the image is a two-dimensional painting using black casein on wood panel, and is one from a series, all identical except for the grain of the wood panel. The content of the image is Mr. Austridge, a character from Krazy Kat, a comic strip that ran in American newspapers from 1913 to 1944. In terms of context, the character that Levine chose to depict is an ostrich that attempts to avoid the challenges of life by burying his head. The Krazy Kat comic strip is notable as it depicts the protagonist as being able to shift gender and colour. The comic strip was created by George Herriman, a man who was identified as Caucasian on his death certificate, but came from a Creole African-American family. The art work was originally exhibited in New York City, in the Whitney Museum of American Art, with other works of appropriation art as part of their Biennial Exhibition of 1989. By utilizing a highly repetitive comic strip image through repeated appropriation, Levine questions the artist’s concern for originality and authenticity. Although the image of Mr. Austridge is open to the viewer’s interpretation, Levine has spoken about the originality of images, saying that “Every word, every image, is leased and mortgaged. We know that a picture is but a space in which a variety of images, none of them original, blend and clash. A picture is a tissue of quotations drawn from the innumerable centres of culture.” Levine’s questioning of the semiotics of images leads to a re-contextualization of the images depicted in her appropriation art work.

How did you approach the creative task of responding to this assigned work in studio? What were your challenges as an artist to be in dialogue with the artwork and artist? Would you do anything differently now that you have seen the work in person?

James' response piece to Levine on exhibition pre-departure at the "Talking Back" exhibition at KPU 

In my piece, Untitled, (Made In Admerica: 2), I chose to explore the semiotics of images within our contemporary global society in order to reveal the relationships between American culture, popular images, and advertising. About Untitled, (Mr. Austridge: 2), Sherrie Levine said that images within contemporary culture are borrowed from countless sources, and undergo a re-contextualization through appropriation. What I wanted to respond to Levine’s piece through my art work is that images demand a renegotiation of context that is contingent on their presentation; though banal and unexciting in their individual contexts, the combination of these images conjure ideas of advertising, popular culture and the global transaction of American identity through innumerable brands. I found that reducing my series to simple images was my biggest challenge, since I wanted to make sure that the context of my work spoke through its visual representation, as well as bearing a resemblance to Levine’s original work. I don’t think that I would have done anything differently after seeing Levine’s work in person, as I believe I was successful in the exchange of dialogue between my image and Levine’s. However, I did notice that the casein on Levine’s image remained flat, where as I had assumed that it added texture, which originally led me to attempt to replicate the desired effect. I think that by adding layers in order give my image more texture, I was successful in making my images stand out more to the viewer.

After seeing your assigned art work in person (and any other related art from the same artist or art movement associated with the assigned work), what struck you most, and/or how did the artwork’s form, content, and context shift for you when seeing it?

A shot James captured at the 9/11 Memorial in Downtown New York at the site of the World Trade Centre attack.

To be honest, the only thing that surprised me about my art work was its size; I had assumed it would be smaller. I really liked being able to see Levine’s piece, which I enjoyed as I had originally been very resistant to engaging with the work in relation to my practice. I think that one of the reasons that Levine’s piece was assigned to me is because it challenged me to engage critically with the concept of the art work, as opposed to the critical dissection of its visual qualities. As I am beginning to think critically about the art world, this was an important lesson for me in terms of navigating an art work’s contextual framework. I was a little disappointed that the Levine works in the MoMA were all placed together in front of the elevators and away from many of the other works. After contemplating its location, I feel that its distance from the main exhibition spaces cause viewers to be discouraged from engaging critically with it. As well, as the MoMA places their works from the top to the bottom in order of significance and importance, I felt that Levine’s location on the lowest exhibition floor was offensive to both Levine and the appropriation art movement, which is easily dismissed by critics as derivative.

Today’s activity was at the 9/11 Memorial Museum in the downtown Manhattan neighbourhood. What were your impressions of this part of New York after learning about it first in the pre-departure classes? What will you take away of the experiences of this day? What are the most memorable moments for you?

The 9/11 Museum raises many questions about how cultural institutions attempt to memorialize violent and difficult to comprehend historical events.

As I had a general sense of what downtown Manhattan was like from my previous trip to New York, I was excited to learn more about the history of the area. The area is comprised of the southern-most part of Manhattan below 14th street, which includes the Bowery, Greenwich Village, Battery Park, the financial district, and the new World Trade Centre building, to name a few. The area is rich in history related to counter-culture and social activism, including landmarks like the Stonewall Inn and CBGB. As I knew that downtown Manhattan was where most of the stock brokers worked, I expected a little more of a “Wolf of Wall Street” vibe than I actually got (But I saw every other celebrity except Leo). I was glad our group got the opportunity to see the new 9/11 Museum, as it was built between this trip and the last time I came. During my visit to the museum, I paid close attention to how the exhibitions were curated and how the September 11th attacks were being positioned within the canon of American History. After my visit, I reflected on my experience and ultimately felt that the museum was extremely problematic. I liked that the exhibitions followed a structured timeline of events, lending a narrative quality to what I was experiencing. I think one reason for incorporating a timeline into the exhibition is because it gives it the element of truth. I took issue with this, as they completely disregarded all other voices (including those of the nations the US ultimately occupied). I’m not saying that terrorists didn’t orchestrate the attacks on America, but what I am saying is that the Middle East is not collectively responsible for the actions of one terrorist group. After seeing all the images and videos of citizens watching the World Trade Centre attacks, I wondered why we weren’t seeing the reactions of those experiencing the occupation and warfare of America halfway across the world. As well, Jessica and I took issue with the photographs and debris standing in as “art” objects, as well as soundtracks in different parts of the museum that were obviously incorporated to play on our emotions and reactions towards certain images. The exhibition also positions the new World Trade Centre as a symbol of patriotism, and serves as a monument that proves America can “rise from the ashes.” A one-sided story is never the full truth, and I feel that the exhibition was very convoluted and presented an “excuse” for the occupation of the Middle East.

To see more photos and impressions of New York and Venice as the field school continues, check out our Instagram feed #kpunycvenice

Posing with Basquiat at MoMA (James in the middle!).

Location | New York: Meet Field School Blogger Larry Veitch

Tell us a little bit about yourself—your background, major program of study, reasons for taking this trip, and anything else interesting you want to share (maybe something people might not know about you).

I am Larry Veitch, a mature student enrolled in Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Fine Arts program. I was encouraged by my painting prof to participate in this opportunity to be immersed in the art of the world, and though doubtful at first as it conflicted with my summer motorbike riding, I realized my long deceased maternal grandfather, a painter from Sweden, would have been whacking me with his spirited cane for not grabbing this once in a lifetime journey. So here I am. Art has always been a natural part of my life and after losing the opportunity, through economics, to attend art school after graduation in 1962, I am at last returning to my primary intent.

What has met or exceeded your expectations or surprised you about New York so far?

I have flown into New York multiple times but only once did I venture into the city. As a small town individual I found New York to be too big, too busy and terribly messy so I stayed close to the airports after that short foray. This trip is a total immersion into the city and has given me a sense of the layers of humanity New York is built on. The initial disorder I felt is in fact the orderly chaos of a living, thriving machine, operating within its noisy beating heart. Hot and uncomfortable at times for the visitor, but very alive and functioning, its streets a canvas of colour and movement. History is seen through the worn, broken pavements to the cobbles and bricks that made up the early infrastructure of the city. Its own history emerging to support the life of this grand space.

Larry captures one of the many instances of street art the group encounters in their daily adventures around New York City.

Give us some insight into your assigned artwork from the Museum of Modern Art. Who is the artist? When was this work made? What is the content of this work? In what context and as part of what art movement was it made?

Though my selected artist, conceptualist On Kawara, proved to be a painter of repetitive choice, I found a certain comfort in his dedication to repeated images that only moved with time. The counting of the days of his life and the numerical days of time moving with metronomic cadence through the 3000 days he followed his regimen gave me pause to consider the career I gave 35 years of my life. Every departure, cruise, descent and landing was filled with repeated instructions; checklists adhered to with religious dedication. Even though memorized, the adherence to repeated challenge and response was never given short shrift. Kawara’s days began with his familiar routine of black painted canvases, sanded smooth and the date applied with great care. On special occasions he would paint the canvas red. For example, the landing on the moon, some significant national disaster or the sadness of America’s involvement in Vietnam. Less significant dates might be green or blue but the vast majority were black. He packaged them in cardboard containers along with a newspaper page of the appropriate date.

How did you approach the creative task of responding to this assigned work in studio? What were your challenges as an artist to be in dialogue with the artwork and artist? Would you do anything differently now that you have seen the work in person?

Larry was assigned On Kawara's One Million Years (1999)

On arrival at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City I was anxious to find Kawara’s work as I had done a painting in a spirit of humour to unwind Kawara’s impeccably “uptight” style, and was looking forward to seeing his work on display. After many false leads, from floor to floor, information desk to information desk, I asked a tour guide at the exit from the second floor, where Kawara’s work could possibly be hiding. He had never heard of Kawara. As we were speaking a quiet voice emanating from a small circular speaker in a small quint standing unobtrusively beside us, with a plexiglass boxtop containing an even smaller book, read out, “Two thousand three hundred and four A.D.”…I had just mentioned to the guide about Kawara’s date addiction. He looked at the paper note on the wall and I looked as well…On Kawara! I was deflated. He was laughing. Recorded, alternating male and female voices slowly reading ascending years of time.

It took our visit to the Whitney to be pleasantly surprised with the one and only Kawara canvas and it provided the needed scale to fulfill my visual experience of his work. The Whitney itself was a great experience. Well established light, good fluid movement for guests and open, clean spaces for the art. It was easy to imagine horizontal, orderly lines of Kawara’s work multiplying around the open spaces of the Whitney. The venue has the viewer’s perspective in mind and provides a well conceived and carried out floor plan specifically designed for displaying art in its finest environment.

Larry (top right in photograph) enjoying lunch in Brooklyn with Margaret, Jude, and Angela.

After seeing your assigned art work in person (and any other related art from the same artist or art movement associated with the assigned work), what struck you most, and/or how did the artwork’s form, content, and context shift for you when seeing it?

My interest in art has been little affected by Kawara’s work other than a curiousity aroused by the type of mindset required to repeat words and dates with the pedantic march of 24 hours and one day separating your efforts. I can repeat artwork once then begin seeking some fresh idea to replace what has quickly become drudgery. With art, the first time is a joy; the second time is a job.

View from the Empire State Building look south on a beautiful clear NYC day.

Today’s activity was at the Empire State Building and a studio visit in the Brooklyn neighbourhood. What were your impressions of this part of New York after learning about it first in the pre-departure classes? What will you take away of the experiences of this day?  What are the most memorable moments for you?

The intrigue and fame of the Empire State Building in New York City has been a constant of my time. Saturday put the intrigue to rest as we wound our way through the myriad of checkpoints, photo ops and trinket sales prior to the first series of rapid elevator rides. I am sure the horizontal distance we traveled equaled the vertical distance we rose to reach the observation level. The spectacular views from the top on that warm, clear day were well worth the obstacle course at the bottom. New York spread out before our anxious camera lenses with an endless array of buildings, rivers, neighbourhoods and bridges. It was a place to linger and absorb the immensity of this city. For me, wonder…wonder at the efforts of man to have created this massive tract of construction, teeming with life and vibrant movement. This place is non-stop in everything.

Our traverse to the bottom found the last chance memorabilia and "buy me” sales lining the path to the street. We found our way to Washington Square and a quick sketch then off to Brooklyn on the subway to find the gallery and studio of an ex-Emily Carr student and artist, Maya Suess, and acquaintance of Dorothy’s. Her work was a surprise to me. She is an accomplished artist in drawing. Her work is dramatic, colourful, detailed and imaginative. The full-sized figures of colourfully casual rejects from Salvation Army dumpsters, fed into imaginative and wonderful conceptions of a style that begs studying, even closely! A tour of the Gowanus studio, a sort of co-operative endeavour, with metal shop, wood shop, screening/printing room and facilities for painting operates with a well disciplined group that work closely together to keep the facility viable and secure. The neighbourhood has the quiet secure feeling of common interests. Another adventure on the subway brought us safely back to home base.

To see more photos and impressions of New York and Venice as the field school continues, check out our Instagram feed #kpunycvenice

Larry (at far right in top photograph) participated in a painting a street art mural during Bushwick Open Studio weekend-- the students had arranged with the building owner to create the art work, and is located close to their hostel in Brooklyn.

Location | New York: Meet Field School Blogger Jude Campbell

Tell us a little bit about yourself—your background, major program of study, reasons for taking this trip, and anything else interesting you want to share (maybe something people might not know about you).

Greetings from Williamsburg. I am Jude Campbell, today's blog host. I am a Fine Arts student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, beginning my second year of study. A recently retired teacher, I've returned to university as a student for the first time in many years, throwing myself into painting, sculpture and drawing. In the past term I've begun to be interested in the history of art and how artists have engaged with contemporary issues in their cultures. The field school came along as the perfect investigative opportunity, a chance to study and discuss art with others who share my interests, and a chance to experience so much contemporary work firsthand in two venues of world-class importance in the art world. I could hardly say no!

What has met or exceeded your expectations or surprised you about New York so far?

Our New York portion of the field school is rapidly coming to a close; time for a few reflections to date. My reactions to New York have been mixed. Seeing work in the major galleries has been a joy. With even the little I've learned of art history and studio practices in my classes I feel like I see works through a new lens. Many pieces are so large, surfaces so deeply textured, all qualities not possible to capture in photographic representations. Meeting them up close for the first time often packs a powerful punch. Meeting other group members in passing, or later over food and comparing notes on what we loved or what perplexed or intrigued us, is a rare pleasure I've never before experienced.

The whole gang posing in front of an empty SoHo lot-- Jude is the first person in the left of the photo.

I have a love/ hate relationship with the experience of New York City. One moment I'm in love, riffing on the speed and abundance, the largest bookstore, the best known names and googaws, every imaginable product, the enlightened use of public spaces like Central Park, the conspicuous glamour and the twenty-four hour grocery stores on every corner. The next minute I'm sickened by the noise, the dirt, the speed, the concentration of materialism, of over-consumption of every possible product under the sun, the feeling that nothing is ever just enough. Life is nothing if not full of contradictions.

Give us some insight into your assigned artwork from the Museum of Modern Art. Who is the artist? When was this work made? What is the content of this work? In what context and as part of what art movement was it made?

Jude was assigned Carolee Schneemann's performance art work Meat Joy (1964)

Here is Jude standing in front of her video performance piece; a response to the Schneemann work.

I've been looking closely at the work Meat Joy (1964) by American artist Carolee Schneemann. Schneemann is a feminist artist, involved at this period in performance work, often relating to issues of gender identity and sexuality. This work was first presented as a performance at the Festival d'Expression Libre in Paris in 1964. In the piece a group of young women and men, naked but for underwear, come together theatrically in a group, then fall to the ground and writhe together on the floor in gyrations of passionate physical and sexual pleasure. Waiters enter with trays of raw chicken and fish, dropping them amongst the bodies who interact with them, tenderly kissing and caressing the meat. The group moves on to pleasuring in the sensation of paint poured on bodies and rollicking in waves of crumpled paper. The performance is an exuberant, assertive celebration of the pleasures of the flesh.

How did you approach the creative task of responding to this assigned work in studio? What were your challenges as an artist to be in dialogue with the artwork and artist? Would you do anything differently now that you have seen the work in person?

I had several challenges in finding a way into this work. I related closely with the period of time in which it was produced. I am sixty-four years old, only about ten years younger than Schneemann. I was a feminist and social activist in a similar period, deeply invested in women claiming control of their bodies and sexual pleasure free of the repression of familial, state and religious restrictions. Almost a half century has passed since Meat Joy emerged.

I began thinking a lot about my changing relationship to embodiment, to the realities of the degrading physical flesh, to adaptations to counter ageist assumptions in a youth-obsessed culture about the sexuality of aging flesh. I contemplated an adapted reenactment of Meat Joy relating the fleshly pleasures of aged bodies. Yet this did not seem finally to touch on the deepest point of relation for me. Where I finally found entry was in reflecting upon the context in which it was presented, in Paris, in a culture deeply entrenched in the sexually repressive beliefs of the Roman Catholic church.

I considered my own vehement rejection at the time of the patriarchal structures of the church and what has happened over the ensuing years. I think we categorically gave up on all belief in spirituality, and ultimately threw out the baby with the bathwater. In our youthful conviction we did not consider the importance of other roles of spiritual practice. We could not yet reflect upon the role of connection, comfort, community and service to others in dealing with the vicissitudes of long lives. 

View from the top of the Empire State Building looking south towards financial district.

I have, over the ensuing years, never returned to an organized church structure, but I have evolved a deeply rooted practice within a tradition of Buddhist meditation. For nearly ten years I have sat in meditation each week with a small group of women. Afterwards we drink tea and laugh and talk in community. We support each other in myriad ways and my soul misses that place when I am away from it. In my piece I worked to give voice to this embodiment. I filmed myself meditating and merged it with images of my group sitting, working to balance the energy of my personal practice as it is integral to and supported by a group presence. While I have a number of other responses I could make to Meat Joy I do not have one that I think would reflect my thinking more effectively at the moment.

After seeing your assigned art work in person (and any other related art from the same artist or art movement associated with the assigned work), what struck you most, and/or how did the artwork’s form, content, and context shift for you when seeing it?

A shot captured inside Maya Seuss's studio space in the Gowanus neighbourhood of Brooklyn.

The copy of Schneemann's piece I worked with on the computer was different to that at MoMA in two significant ways. The YouTube clip I used was filmed in Paris, whereas the MoMA piece was shot from its first performance in New York, at the Judson Memorial Church. The document contained a few clips of the church and audience, giving it richer context clues. It was interesting for me because I had looked at the history of this church when preparing the Greenwich neighbourhood resource list for our group tour. It's a congregation with a long history of activism on many fronts, including welcoming avant-garde artistic endeavours, fighting for gay rights, and supporting AIDS activism. As well, I had not been able to get a clear understanding of the sound script for the piece at home, but here I listened through several times, even turning my back to the images and listening for the rhythm and content. This careful attention provided a much better insight into how it was married to the performance.

Today’s activity was at the Empire State Building and a studio visit in Brooklyn. What were your impressions of this part of New York after learning about it first in the pre-departure classes? What will you take away of the experiences of this day?  What are the most memorable moments for you?

Saturday we visited the Empire State Building in the morning, a wonderful art deco extravaganza.  In the afternoon we met with artist Maya Suess, visiting her gallery show and studio space in the Gowanus neighbourhood of Brooklyn, where artists have converted industrial spaces into newly purposed work areas. Maya trained at Simon Fraser University and then moved to New York where she has family. Since 2008 she's been part of the Gowanus Studio Space artists' collective of about fifty people who've converted a large industrial space into studios to accommodate practices ranging from pastel drawing to jewelry making, to printmaking, woodwork and digital media. For a base fee of $160 per month artists have 24 hour access to work space. Additional fees are levied depending on the size and kind of space used. The whole operation is managed by a committee from the collective. In addition to constructing studio spaces to different dimensions inside the warehouse they've also set up substantial printmaking and woodwork shops. It was truly inspiring to see the scope of what they have accomplished together. I am always thinking about how we can create ways to support each other outside our university setting, as we move into establishing our practices.

The whole experience illustrated for me an outstanding model of how to create an artist run work and gallery space for some of the artists working in Surrey, particularly in the north end of the city. Truly wonderful.

 To see more photos and impressions of New York and Venice as the field school continues, check out our Instagram feed #kpunycvenice

Another image captured inside the shared artist collective space.

Location | New York: Meet Field School Blogger Michelle Beaulieu

Tell us a little bit about yourself—your background, major program of study, reasons for taking this trip, and anything else interesting you want to share (maybe something people might not know about you).

Hi! My name is Michelle Beaulieu! I am attending the Fashion Technology and Design program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. I am taking this trip because I love art and because fashion is strongly influenced by art works; I strongly believe that it is just as important to learn about the history of art as it is about the history of fashion. After taking these classes, I think my designs will be much stronger because I will have the influence and knowledge of another form of art and of the world. This trip will benefit my life in only positive ways, and I can’t wait to share what has happened so far!

What has met or exceeded your expectations or surprised you about New York so far?

Olivia, Jessica, and Michelle, aka "the Fashion Girls" are all in the Fashion Technology and Design Program at KPU. Here they are on the boat tour of New York City.

Honestly, when I first arrived in New York City, I thought I would feel like how it is portrayed in the movies, like all my dreams will come true, when really it felt like I was still in Vancouver. It took up until I took the boat tour of the city and the Statue of Liberty to actually feel like, “Wow, I’m actually in New York!” When people say New York people drive like ‘crazy people’ I understand why now… they drive so much faster than they should, and there are lines on the road, but I don’t think they can see them. So far, I love the city: it is dirty, loud, busy, and amazing in so many ways. You can be yourself without any judgment, you can find ANYTHING and the history, buildings, clothing, artwork, and music is exciting and so interesting. I find it interesting how you can fit into a certain area of the city, for myself, I fit into Chelsea. I swear I got two compliments on my faded out hair within 10 minutes of each other.

Give us some insight into your assigned artwork from the Museum of Modern Art. Who is the artist? When was this work made? What is the content of this work? In what context and as part of what art movement was it made?

Michelle stands with her response art work to the Rosenquist piece she was assigned from MoMA.

The artwork displayed in the Museum of Modern Art is Marilyn Monroe I  and the artist who created this piece is James Rosenquist. He is an American artist known for his involvement in the pop art movement. This piece was created in 1962, just shortly after Marilyn Monroe’s tragic death. This artwork is made with oil and spray enamel on a canvas the size of 7’9” x 6’1/4” (236.2 x 183.3cm). He used the three primary colours of red, blue and yellow. I think he used the three base colours to represent pain, love and happiness; blue for pain because of the struggles she had endured with drugs and they way she passed, red for love because she was such an iconic symbol in the pop/social culture and she was an extreme sex symbol that everyone adored, and yellow because she did have happiness in her life. He also used black and white to bring the vintage of classical vibe out in the portrait.

This portrait of Marilyn Monroe is scrambled, she is cut up and placed back together, there are words on this portrait as well but it is also scrambled which makes in unreadable. I believe this was done on purpose because by the end of her like she was a mess and if she was a book, you wouldn’t be able to read what she is trying to say. Rosenquist used the Marilyn Monroe Coca-Cola ad because by the end of her life she had been consumed by her status. I think Rosenquist chose Marilyn Monroe as his muse because of her death during that same year. I think this piece was either something to show the issue with consumerism, or as a memorial piece of her life. And although it is difficult to see the full picture of her, you know it is Marilyn Monrow because of her iconic look. Even though this image is scrambled, it is still glamorous, just like her life, and I think it was made to celebrate her. 

How did you approach the creative task of responding to this assigned work in studio? What were your challenges as an artist to be in dialogue with the artwork and artist? Would you do anything differently now that you have seen the work in person?

When I was first assigned this work I was a bit shocked I was given a pop art piece, because fashion is so strongly influenced by pop art. Although I guess it makes sense because Marilyn Monroe was not only a sex icon but also a fashion icon. It took me a good week to even think of something to riff off from this piece. I decided to use the context by using Marilyn Monroe as my influence and the technique of scrambling as my content. I painted a portrait of Marilyn Monroe with white skin and black background and blue shadowing using a pop-art form, and then I cut the board into five panels and scrambled them out of order and upside down. I found it difficult to work with this piece because I have never taken a studio art class and I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be looking at when I was looking for something to influence me. I also found it a struggle because I didn’t know what I was capable of until I actually started, especially because I knew this piece is famous and I wanted to make Rosenquist proud if he were to see what I created.

Olivia, Jessica, and Michelle on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

After seeing the piece in person, it felt very exhilarating because I know about it, I studied it and I understand it and how it was made. I knew it was beautiful before, but in person I was amazed how fascinating and marvelous it is. Because it is absolutely stunning, I thought that if I were to redo my studio piece I would have used the same technique of scrambling the boards, and the same context, but instead of a portrait, I would paint CONSUMED across the board and then mix the words all up so you don’t know that it is a word, but the meaning is there. Instead of using the contrast of black and white, I would use a more glamorous colour like gold to riff off of Andy Warhol’s Marilyn paintings.  I would use the gold to represent the value and perceived glamour of her life and white to represent how “impure” her actual life was (and also to be ironic in a way, because she is known for her white dress).

After seeing your assigned art work in person (and any other related art from the same artist or art movement associated with the assigned work), what struck you most, and/or how did the artwork’s form, content, and context shift for you when seeing it?

Michelle's favourite dress by Guo Pei, on display at the Met Costume exhibition "China Through the Looking Glass"

After seeing Rosenquist’s art work, I noticed how striking the usage of colour was, and how he used simple portraits of people or objects that have a deeper meaning. For example, F-111 has many random images collaged together, like of a little girl, or spaghetti, or a plane, when really the meaning of why they are together can be understood. For example, Rosenquist took the F-111 Fighter plane as his inspiration, the newest, most technologically advanced weapon in development at the time, and positioned it, as he later explained, “flying through the flak of consumer society to question the collusion between the Vietnam death machine, consumerism, the media, and advertising.”

Today’s activity was at the Metropolitan Museum in the Upper East Side neighbourhood. What were your impressions of this part of New York after learning about it first in the pre-departure classes? What will you take away of the experiences of this day?  What are the most memorable moments for you?

Today’s activity was at the Metropolitan Museum and the Upper West Side neighborhood. The Upper West Side is located between Central Park and the Hudson River. Before arriving in NYC, in the pre-departure classes, I thought this neighborhood was an upscale residential area. The upper sides of Manhattan (Upper West Side and Upper East Side) seem to be where most of the pricey real-estate is and where many of the more wealthy-upper class residents of New York live (for instance, Blaire Waldorf, you might recognize her as one of the spoiled and fabulous rich girls who live in NYC from the television show Gossip Girl, who lives in the Upper East Side). During our visit to the MET, I especially loved the special exhibition, “China Through The Looking Glass”. This exhibition perfectly displays how European fashions have been so strongly influenced by Chinese culture. My favourite dress from this exhibition has to be the golden evening gown. It was made for spring/summer 2007 haute couture by Guo Pei. This gown is gold lamé embroidered with gold and silver silk, metal, and sequins. I don’t think I have ever felt so emotional about any fashion before, maybe the occasional butterfly, but every garment in that exhibition was amazing and exhilarating.

Michelle enjoying herself in Central Park!

Taking in the dinosaur exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History.

So far, the MET has been my favourite museum. I love how there is not only art but historical artifacts as well; other than the special exhibition, I loved the Victorian furniture and room displays, especially the room displays of Marie Antoinette. I also enjoyed experiencing more of the Monet water lilies and the Van Gogh flowers. My most memorable experiences of the day have to be taking pictures sitting on the steps of the MET (reenacting the classic Gossip Girl MET lunch group steps) and retaking my pictures of Central Park (because silly me, I accidentally deleted all of my previous ones), and burning my bum on the mushroom of the Alice in Wonderland sculpture while taking pictures. I think I will always remember seeing dinosaur bones in the American Museum of Natural History. As a child, I loved dinosaurs (Jurassic Park must have been my favourite for ages) so that moment I don’t think I could ever forget. 

To see more photos and impressions of New York and Venice as the field school continues, check out our Instagram feed #kpunycvenice

Location | New York: Meet Field School Blogger Zerlinda Chau

Tell us a little bit about yourself—your background, major program of study, reasons for taking this trip, and anything else interesting you want to share (maybe something people might not know about you).

Zerlinda enjoying a Negroni, her favourite cocktail, in a NYC restaurant.

Hello readers, my name is Zerlinda Chau and I am a Bachelor of Arts student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Counselling. In January, when the opportunity to attend this year’s Fine Arts Field School came up, I had to make a split decision to apply. In the end, I chose to register for this 6-week program because I have always had an interest in fine arts. Personally, I do artwork in photography and ceramics, and these two have been my preferred art forms since high school. To integrate my passion in both fine arts and psychology, I am pursuing a career in Art Therapy, which I will study at Adler School of Professional Psychology upon graduation from KPU. The two courses that are included in this field school will fulfill my final two requirements for my Certificate in Fine Arts. I will complete my BA within the next year and move onto my Master’s program! Exploring cities has also been a hobby for me. At home, I love to go out to visit different neighbourhoods of Greater Vancouver and participate in local activities such as farmer’s markets, flea markets, special events, and so on. This makes a trip like this extra fun because I can explore an entirely new city.

What has met or exceeded your expectations or surprised you about New York so far?

This brings me to my first impressions of New York City. It is my first time visiting the Big Apple, and I am sorry to say that it has not met the glitz and glamour that I had imagined before arriving here. The songs about the amazing facets of New York seem to apply to only a small portion of the city. However, that doesn’t mean I dislike the city. As a CBC (Canadian Born Chinese), I have found NYC to be the perfect combination of Vancouver and Hong Kong. The entire city looks like Downtown Vancouver in which the blocks are small, buildings are large, streets are cobblestoned, and stores appear one after the next so there is never a lack of things to see. Conversely, the city’s milieu feels like Hong Kong because there is a lot of people, although not as much as HK, and everyone seems to always be in a rush to get somewhere. New Yorkers walk with a purpose. Do not get in their way. Also, the subway here reminds me of HK’s MTR system. They both have underground tunnels taking people to and from nearby stations, which often have stores on either side of the hallways.

Midnight pizza on the steps of the NYC Post Office next to Madison Square Garden-- Zerlinda at the top of the group pyramid in the left of the photograph.

On the other hand, something that surprised me about the vibe of the city is its artistic activity. Over the past five days, I have noticed street art, sculptures, graffiti, and countless performances around the city. There was a man who drummed rhythms using the bottom of ice cream tubs; he played in the same location all day. We left the station in the morning for our day’s activities, and returned in the evening to go back home, and he was still there! I saw the same string quartet in different locations of the subway station over the past two days. There were also dance performances in the subway stations, in the park, and on the streets. I find that New York is a city that is always moving. There were also other activities, such as fights in train cars, mice running across people’s feet, and cockroaches roaming the sidewalks. These are all a norm in NYC.

Give us some insight into your assigned artwork from the Museum of Modern Art. Who is the artist? When was this work made? What is the content of this work? In what context and as part of what art movement was it made?

Zerlinda was assigned Yta Barrada's Autocar-Tangier (2004)

As you may know from previous blog posts, prior to embarking on our adventure, we were in classes for three weeks on campus at KPU. Each student was assigned an artist to study; for me it was Yto Barrada, a French photographer who lives and works in Tangier, Morocco. Barrada is deeply rooted in the history of Tangier as her hometown, and works within the geopolitical space art movement to create work that reflects on the situation of this city. I studied her piece titled Autocar-Tangier, Figs. 1-4 (2004), which depicts four close-up photographs of colourful corporate logos on the sides of buses that travel from Tangier to cities in Europe. For people wishing to cross the border, albeit illegally, these images signify something more important. Each represents a destination to which these individuals may be able to escape. Illiterate migrants use them to distinguish between buses and the prospective cities of freedom to which they could go. After reading some news articles from the 2000s about the tough journeys people endure in order to illegally immigrate to Europe in hopes of a better life, the symbolism behind these bus logos become even more significant. People travel from far and wide, across the desert, from Saudi Arabia, to Tangier just for a chance to get to Spain and other parts of Europe where they envision a new and better life.

How did you approach the creative task of responding to this assigned work in studio? What were your challenges as an artist to be in dialogue with the artwork and artist? Would you do anything differently now that you have seen the work in person?

Zerlinda in conversation with Barrada's work, using the recent TransLink issues at home as her point of departure.

In dialogue with Barrada’s work, I created a quadriptych of my own, turning the attention to transportation in my own hometown of Surrey, BC. In my piece, I have used logos of the corporate companies related to our transit system: the Compass Card, Coast Mount Bus Company, City of Surrey, and TransLink. Similarly to Barrada, I work in photography, capturing TransLink’s lack of usefulness. Is Surrey’s bus system easy to use? Does Surrey’s bus system do what we need it to do? There are often line ups at bus stops so long that people may even have to wait for the next scheduled bus to get a ride. Another preposterous phenomenon is that people are often waiting outside in a long line when the bus is already at the stop. It is especially ridiculous on a rainy day or in cold weather, and bus drivers would not allow patrons to board the bus and wait where it is warm and dry. The glitches in the final image represent the corruption and untrustworthy nature of these corporations that we, often unwillingly, place the fate of our daily commute.

After seeing your assigned art work in person (and any other related art from the same artist or art movement associated with the assigned work), what struck you most, and/or how did the artwork’s form, content, and context shift for you when seeing it?

It was very exciting to see Yto Barrada’s work at the MoMA! The four photos were approximately 3’x3’ surrounded by an extra foot of white frame. In real life, it is much more evident that the images depict the side of buses because the cracks on the images and the light on the third one have more depth in the real photo than in an image of the photo. Alas, the constraints that we had during our classes did not allow for more extensive artwork. I also like to work in ceramics, but having only one week did not give me enough time to complete my pieces in time. However, I would love to create clay tiles of my pieces which would give it a similar 3D feel that I got from seeing Barrada’s real work in the MoMA. In addition, Barrada’s work in the gallery was situated between two video installations. I could hear the sounds from both sides as I stood sketching the piece: from my right came the sound of breaking glass, and from my left was construction sounds of hammering and drilling. This was striking to me because I found that it accentuates her piece by creating a sense that Tangier is broken and there is a need for rebuilding in that city.

Today’s activity was at the Metropolitan Museum in the Upper East Side neighbourhood. What were your impressions of this part of New York after learning about it first in the pre-departure classes? What will you take away of the experiences of this day?  What are the most memorable moments for you?

Visting Jackson Pollock's Autumn Rhythm (1949) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Today, our adventures took us to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the Uptown East Side. My first impression of the Met before going was of a large museum full of fine art artifacts from around the world. However, my initial idea was an understatement of its true nature. The museum is not simply large, it is colossal. The vastness of the building and the museum’s collection of artwork are astonishing. I could live in New York City for an entire year and visit the Met once every single day and not have enough time to see everything. My most memorable moment of the day was going through one of the temporary exhibitions, China: Through the Looking Glass. I especially enjoyed the Anna Wintour Costume Center where they were showing the costumes worn by Anna May Wong in her films. It was so interesting to see the influence of Chinese culture in Western style high fashion. In the evening, we also visited Times Square where we went to O’Lunneys Pub. That was my favourite part of the trip so far. From here, I am looking forward to other art museums and also our free days, so I can visit more pubs.

To see more photos and impressions of New York and Venice as the field school continues, check out our Instagram feed #kpunycvenice

Zerlinda documented part of the China Looking Through the Looking Glass exhibition at the Anna Wintour Costume Center at the Metropolitan Museum.