So after nearly three months of working on my project with Holliston High School the work is finally complete and on view. The opening reception will be all day tomorrow, June 7th, 2010.
There is one thing I've learned from this experience more than ever before... know when to call for assistants! :)
I seem to always realize this at the last minute somehow, or at the final stretch of a project. I can recall a similar outcome when finishing my final project for my Senior project in undergrad, I never would have finished my project in time had it not been for the help of a good friend(who randomly volunteered to assist btw, and I'm not sure what I would have done without her!) My husband was my supportive assistant while I was finishing the final work for my Master's as well, and boy did I need his help! He needs to take his installation skills on the road!
So I'm realizing a pattern, that whenever I'm working on projects that have been initiated by my own ideas( meaning no one created the idea nor told me to do it), I need to always prepare and plan for assistants. BECAUSE as my former professor used to say, I always manage to do very ambitious work. Something I never wanted to believe at the time. I thought every artist wanted to create work with the type of vision that I put into my work, and I'm realizing that is not always the case. And I believe that I can learn from other artists who look at their work in more compartmentalized and simplified ways. Though something tells me that the way that I work is very specific to how I love to work, and ultimately I need to learn better ways to get the job done. Perhaps it wouldn't be as bad if I weren't both an artist who works with concept and vision, yet also in process. The process part seems to have a field day with the conceptual part of me because one idea can produce so many extensions of process. Lord help me! But no really, it was a great learning experience in which I believe it was destined to be. I think I can learn from the advise of my former mentor in grad school, Renee Cox, when she suggested I get an assistant to take the pressure off of me to feel that I had to do everything on my own.
The great thing about Studio 370 is that it truly is an experimental space, and honestly I wouldn't have been able to come up with the work that I did, in the freedom that I did, if it wasn't such a supportive space. I really feel so grateful for that, it's not often that you receive that opportunity right out of grad school so I feel very liberated.
I think the biggest challenge for me, which always is, managing a hectic schedule. So the project which initially was scheduled to begin as a process-based project that would end with a final exhibition, ended up being entirely process for a very long time! I'm so thankful to art teachers Doug Lack and Lisa Bynoe for their understanding, as they were really supportive throughout the entire process, and in the end were gracious enough to let me come back a month later to set up the show for view. It's been such a valuable experience that I'll never forget. What would you do without gracious people? Absolutely nothing, and that's why we need more of them!
So about the work, I feel very happy with what I was able to come up with, which is always a give and take. Some of the works were pieces I envisioned from the very beginning while others evolved overtime. Some pieces are a mix of both. The show officially started last friday, and I've already received some positive feedback so far. Many of the students really liked the use of technology, mixed media, and photography as they are used to more mediums like painting and sculpture. It really gave them a new angle on contemporary art, which I'm glad they were able to appreciate. I think their personal attachment was also that many of their images were included in the project, which was very impactful to them. When I was taking the photographs and explaining the project to them, they were all anxious to see how their participation in the project would be shown. Some students who didn't get a chance to get their pictures taken, where like "Wait, how come I didn't get to get my picture taken?" I think when you can make art that prompts that type of response you know that part of your goal was accomplished, because you know that the people that participated feel great that they were apart of it and others wish they could be.
The main piece that I envisioned when I initially proposed the project was
100 students, which is a grid of 5x7 photographs of 100 students from Holliston High School. This piece references so many things for me, but ultimately it's in part a "glimpse" of the student body. As if I had taken a random sampling of students to study as research. But I was particularly interested to see how diverse this sample of students would be. Rather than purposely select an evenly diverse selection of students I photographed students that randomly decided to participate from the art department classes and a few other classes. This image for me doesn't show the experience that I had photographing each student, which was priceless. Though ethnically or culturally it may look as if this group of 100 students are the same, that is wholely inaccurate. In my observation of them, and my discussion with them they all have different interests and points of view. So I found this initial part of the project to be one of the most rewarding in a number of ways, one because I was using photography which is one of my favorite mediums and two because of how comfortable the students where to share their goals and ambitions.
To my amazement, I also experienced first hand how critical young women can be of their own images. Many of them cringed at the sight of themselves, which was mystifying. I was able to see how much the media's impact of beauty affects young women at that age. Also, the notion of images of oneself is so much different with social networkng sites like "Facebook," young people are used to customizing an image that they want their peers to see. While in the case of this project, I edited and selected the images, so it was a interesting comparison. I guess another take would have been to allow the students select their own images, and it would have shown a picture of how they'd "like" to be seen. This is a notion that I learned about "portraiture" in a photo theory course I took in college that was based on the portrait, and the difference between what the subject wants to see in themselves and the virtue the photographer sees.
I think the most provocative experience in the project happened, while working on a piece that I entitled,
See, Hear the Sound of Holliston, I interviewed and recorded 10 students through audio as they detailed their thoughts and beliefs about diversity. I edited and constructed 5 sound pieces from these interviews. In each piece the students tell of their ideologies about diversity within the school. It was so revealing because I met with them individually and they were really able to share their perspectives freely. Their reflections were so pure and a bold, and some even admitted that some of their views may have been a little biased based on their experiences. The most common thread in their discussion was that the diversity within Holliston High School has more to do with the town of Holliston, and it's level or lack of diversity. No student had the same perspective, but they all agreed in different ways that they'd like to see more diversity, yet that there was something very unique about their experience. Some of the students could see that diversity goes beyond racial diversity, and felt that their individual identities were a reflection of diversity. It was both a learning experience for me to hear their experiences, and it was also an opportunity for them to think about a subject that perhaps they have never had the opportunity to speak about constructively.
I then paired the sound works with a series of 16 photographs that I took during my time at Holliston High, which capture the essence of the educational space: the hallways, classrooms, courtyards, gym, and much more. It was a way to examine how the space of the school parallels or intersects with the actual experiences that this group of students report. Together I feel that the contrasting mediums really give a sense of what diversity means for many students at the school.
Then, I constructed a video installation in which I collaborated with a couple of female students, to create a video about diversity. I showed them a brief slideshow of images that are typically used to promote diversity. I'm sure you've seen them. The ones that show a photograph representing in part or fully a group of ethnically, racially diversed peoples to describe the diversity of the school. At first response, many of the students thought, "hmmm.... Why did you come to Holliston? It's not really diverse." Yet, I explained that though they may not represent a wide variety of races that they had the ability to portray how they as a diverse set of individuals come together. They were partially convinced but insisted that they get more "diverse students" so it didn't look like so much of the same. I didn't agrue with them, because I could understand their point. If someone comes in doing a project on diversity, it has become a huge part of our culture to figure out how we can "look" more culturally diverse visually. And since this visual aspect representing diversity was what the video was about, I totally understood their need to be represented through variety. Working with these young ladies was really one of the best, I collaborated with them to come up with gestures that represented diversity. Yet there was a point while working with them, when I was able to see how much young students need time to rest and reflect. One of the gestures required them all to lay with their heads together and eyes closed. It was the cutest thing when they asked me " Can we stay here for a minute?" I kindly said "sure" and thought how nice that this exercise could provide both an educational and peaceful activity for them.
One of the next pieces that I completed was
This is a desk, this room is my classroom of culture, where I made a chalkboard surface on the wall with text, a desk, and an image of desk to reference the need for a space to educate students about culture. It takes from using references from the "classroom" as a place where students learn, to generate ideas about how we learn. I'm always amazed at how much we don't know about culture and different cultures. In this piece, I felt there needed to be a way to create more opportunities for discussion and understanding our differences and what they come from. I feel that the only way that we can be culturally sound is to insure that our students have the best information. Without the proper education students are left to assume and judge based on a lack of information. One of the greatest points made during the interviews was how a diverse educational environement initiates that cultural study, and helps to create this space that is often far more than what is discussed in the classroom. We often underestimate how this helps young students. Yet in addition to creating an diverse educational environment, the curriculm should highlight and further investigate this study so that all students can become more knowledgeable about themselves and others.
When I began this project I felt that it was really thought provoking to accomplish, and much of the work was influenced by the wall piece that I worked on, Words that describe. Words that describe which lists a number of terms that describe diversity and is written in chalk. The use of chalk references the classroom and education(though many schools are using eraser boards now), I felt that it also represented something related to younger people( like crafts and expressions using chalk on the wall or the ground.) I initially set out to use paint over it, but liked the connection of chalk to ideas of school, which as I mentioned earlier inspired the chalkboard piece. I knew that I wanted to do a piece that was somewhat inspired by Marcel Duchamp and his "Chair" piece, but using a school desk instead. So by using the chalkboard it added a new layer to my original idea.
Finally, I wanted to create a process-piece that reflected the students' response to the project and their own thoughts on diversity. So I brought in a bulletin board that I use in my studio to act as a replacement for the usual "journal" that I would place in exhibition space to get feedback. I envisioned using color strips of paper where students could write their thoughts and post to the bulletin board. I was very fortunate that Ms. Bynoe had a wonderful collection of craft papers in amazing colors. So I crafted the color selection to felt reflect the boldness that this piece should represent visually. The differences in color also create a "choice" for students, that they can select the colors(paper and markers) that they indentify with and post them to the board. To me it creates another way for the students to express their individuality, which was very huge to me. I wanted to think past "diversity" in a way that only address racial difference and know that their upbringing, experiences, talents and skills create a diverse environment as well. In the end learning to appreciate that which is unique about them that no one else has. When I think of how many young people have issues with their self-image, I know that it's the ability to look at themselves and celebrate who their are that's most important. I can't count the times that students who came in and hated to see themselves on the wall, yet could appreciate the images of others. I can recall that there was a time when I felt the same way at their age, I'm not sure at what point things changed, but I hope that this work would help them to challenge and identify where the negative thoughts may be coming from, so that a change can be made.
So if your near the Holliston area( or would like to travel there) in the next few weeks please feel free to stop by the space. I'm really happy to have the opportunity to create a space that is both educational and visually stimulating.
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