In class, we discussed the instructions for the collection/curation project. We approached this similarly to the way we discussed the syllabus and the process log assignment, asking questions about areas in which we needed further clarification.
After class, I talked with Katherine and Donna about my ideas for the collection/curation project. We decided that the cathedrals idea would be most fruitful. I think it will be an interesting and enjoyable project. Currently, my goal in conducting research is to narrow down my topic within this field. Meeting with my professors was very helpful in narrowing down my topic ideas and figuring out what to do as I move forward. This reminds me of Stuart Horodner’s idea that a creative life is one that is engaged in a creative community. He reveals this idea by stating “artists have always relied on their predecessors and peers for inspiration and confirmation.”[1] This idea is also manifest in the organization of The Art Life, in which voices of artists, writers, musicians, and others contribute to one conversation.
The process log is also a way of engaging in such a community because it creates another sphere for class members, as well as others, to interact with each other. Reading about others’ processes allows one to discover new approaches and promotes reflection about one’s own process. The process log also provides a means of documentation. One of Donna’s questions to consider about The Art Life was about useful advice from the first chapter of the book. As I develop my process log, I find Kiki Smith’s advice particularly meaningful. She explains, “I think the thing about making things is that you have proof. You have some proof every day that something has been accomplished, that something’s different. If you can make something as that proof it has a lot of power.”[2] As a person who appreciates organization and clarity, this appeals to me because my process log can serve as a record from which I can look back and clearly see what I have done.
While I am not very familiar with Smith’s work, I find it interesting that she makes sculptural pieces, such as Women with Sheep (Three Women, Three Sheep), out of bronze. The horizontality and close proximity to the ground of the figures in this work gives a sense of heaviness and, thus, permanence. This permanence reflects her statement about proof and power because a record should be sturdy in order to be long-lasting.
Kiki Smith, Women with Sheep (Three Women, Three Sheep), 2009. Bronze.
image source: http://www.pacegallery.com/artists/442/kiki-smith
As the course continues, I am excited to engage in a creative community and develop this record of that process.
[1] Stuart Horodner, ed., The Art Life: On Creativity and Career (Atlanta, GA : New York,NY: Atlanta Contemporary Art Center ; Distributed by D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers, 2012), 9.
[2] Kiki Smith quoted in Ibid., 19.
Methods in Art and Art History 