Blog Entry # 4

Do we define a space, or does a space define us? I think this statement can sway both ways. For example, last year when I was looking for a college to attend I took many things into consideration. The main thing I took note of was the people. It's the people who define that school. When I came here I saw many different people and was much more diverse than my high school. On the other hand, a space can define us. For instance when we go to church on Sunday, the church defines us, who we are, and what we stand for. I think it's the way you look at the situation you are in.

Each featured artist was influenced by space in very different ways. For example, Sally Mann seemed to be influenced by nature and most of the pictures we saw in the video were of nature. And she liked things to be simple but have the ability to be ambiguous. She also loved her family very much and would take pictures of her children. Another artist that was influenced by space was Pepon Osorio. When he was a little boy he got his first hair cut, and was terrified of it. So he recreated his fears into a work of art. He recreated what his mind was going through and thinking of the first time he went to get his hair cut.

The program altered my notion of how art expressed space because I think when art is done right it only fits in one spot. For example the first artist we saw was Richard. He designed a very huge sculpture that seemed to be overwhelming. But once you went inside the sculpture it was very small and condensed. He said he was going for something like "a telephone booth and a football field".

The artist that I felt most connected to was Sally Mann. I think I connected to her because I like the style of art she composed and her style of thinking. I like the fact that when she was little she ran around with no clothes on, and when she was older she let her kids do the same thing. To me that's all a child wants to do, is be free and careless. I loved the fact that she incorporated her children in her photographs because that is something her children will always remember. Even tho I am not a professional photographer, I hope to have lasting memories like that for my children.

The media for each artist was very different. For some "art" is in their backyard, others are in city buildings, and others are on walls they pass. This affects the scale of their art because for sally, her art could only be as big as a picture could be. For Richard, his could be as big as the building his sculpture was in or around. And for Margaret and Barry their art could only be as big or small the wall they painted on, or the side of a train. All of these artists had a challenge, and it was how they were going to put up their piece of art in a certain space and be remembered for it.

When I was a little girl many places interested me and yet other scared me as well. Five places from my child hood that i liked and disliked was my bedroom because it was quiet, my backyard because it was a place to explore, my summer house because it was always warm and by the beach. Two places I was not very fond of as a child was my basement because it was dark, and our dining room because it was empty and formal.

The place that I am going to describe is my basement. Some objects that occupied that space was the laundry room, my dads work room, the furnace, a refrigerator, and the other half was our play room. In the laundry room/work area the floor was cement, and the walls were cement blocks and the ceiling was open and showed pipes and wires. The play room had a carpet a small couch and our toys. I remember the play room being very light but, the work room was always dark and a little creepy to me. I don't know if it was because all of my dads tools or if it was because of all of the clothes hanging. I never liked going down there alone especially at night. During the day it was a little better but I still felt the need to turn all of the lights on.

Part 2

Most stories that are told today are most times of bad things. In the news we always hear about people who have been killed or a murder that took place. In books it is not that different. My favorite author is Mitch Albom, and in most of his books he talks about what it is like to be dead or talking to someone who is about to die. Usually family stories are a little different. When my family gets together we talk about the funny things that happen to us. If people were to pass down a story about me it would probably be about how I used to laugh at everything and how I believed everything that was told to me. I hope this story would come up when this happened to someone else and a member of my family saying "Remember when Jackie believe dad when...". I like to make people laugh and feel good, so by telling them a funny story about me it might take some pressure off themselves.

I think some stories are told because the hold a meaning close to someones heart. For example, I like to tell stories about my Grandpa because we had the best of times together, and I want people to know how good my Grandpa was. I also think some stories are left out either because they have not made an impact on us or we feel that there is something more important to be told. Some stories are told over and over again because it is either tradition or it was a moment in our life that affected us so much that we fell over laughing or we fell over in tears. We want people to know our stories and what we have been through in the past so they too can relate to us.

The artists is Stories use their journals and sketchbooks as a way to remind them of certain images that they saw. Some use sketchbooks to keep their mind moving and thinking at the same time. I think they use sketchbooks as practice. For instance, a runner will run everyday or about 3-5 miles so they will be ready to compete in a race. An artist uses their sketchbook to draw little drawings or ideas, so when they have an idea they are already prepared. Yes I think a sketchbook is a work of art because the drawings in a sketchbook reflect the artists in one way or another. Even tho they are little or incomplete, they are still beginnings to ideas that will someday be amazing.

When I was a child in elementary school I was care free. Some things that were important to me when I was younger was to make sure I was not late for catching the bus. I also made sure that I called my grandparents when I got home from school and tell them everything that I did that. Most of my days were spent going to school, doing my homework and calling my best friend down the street to see if she wanted to play before dinner. And sometimes in the summer we would call eachother again and see if it was ok to play again for a little while before we had to go to bed. Some dreams that I had when I was little was to think about what kind of job I wanted when I was a grown up. I also had many crazy ideas about living in a huge house with my dogs and having little sisters that I would take care of. I was a typical little girl. Some emotions I felt were anger when my parents told me I could not leave the dinner table until my plate was clean, or when I had to put dishes in the dishwasher. I also felt alone when I would get in trouble and get sent to my room for the night. Some happy things that I remember was when my grandparents would pick me up from school and take me to McDonald's. I was also happy when I got to be outside and play with my mom and dad and my brother in the backyard. Now when I think back of being little I had no cares and no worries in the world. I went thought life learning everything for the first time, not knowing what was on t.v besides what was on the Disney channel. I did what I was told to do by my parents. I had no worries because everything would have been taken care of by my parents.