What Dreams May Come
For Chris Nielson, art is comfort. When he say Heaven for the first time, he viewed it as he saw paradise in his wife's paintings. Only when he became comfortable with his death and his new-found abilities in the afterlife, did he see Heaven as a real place. For Annie Collins-Nielson, art was a way to cope with her depression. Her husband encouraged her to paint to help herself see past the death of their children. She continued to use it as a form of expressing her emotions when Chris died, as seen through her painting of the dark tree on her last canvas. For both characters, art is whatever they believe it to be. The artist's role in society was to create a paradise, like how Chris was able to live through his wife's works when he arrived to Heaven. It can also be effectively utilized in our lives as a form of connection. Chris and Annie were able to speak to each other through Annie's paintings before she committed suicide.
Curiosita
As a child, I always liked to play dress up and use my stuffed animals in fashion shows. My Christmas lists would be filled with dress up clothes and accessories. One year, I even asked for colored wigs for my birthday so I could pretend to be a pop star. I remember when my sister got a trunk of Disney princess heels for her birthday, and I was jealous. They didn't even fit me. A couple of years ago, my family and I went to New York for vacation, and I loved it! The people there are so diverse and I saw a lot of interesting styles. I hope to visit again, maybe during fashion week, just to watch people and their unique styles. In my future, I think my artistic vision will be to travel. I loved, and still love, to go to new places and learn about their culture. I think that clothing is a large part of culture, and I hope to learn more about this while I visit other places.
TED Talk
For Thelma Golden, art is a form of connection, expression, power, and curiosity. It retells a story and has the ability to change people's perceptions. The artist's role in society is to nurture imagination and the spirit of creativity that come from art. Artists should be catalysts for change through their work, because all art is powerful. According to Golden, we can effectively use art in our lives to change how we view the world and use it as a platform for innovation. For example Harlem is a city embodied by art, but Golden mentions that the people living there are always thinking about the past and the future, but never the present. They look towards what the city could become.
Art Topic Selection
I have chosen dress for my surface culture topic. Some shallow concepts of culture to which it relates are: concepts of beauty and notions of modesty. The way people define modesty determines the way that they dress. For example, modesty is an important value for Amish families, so the females usually dress in long skirts or dress that cover their skin. Similarly, the way people dress often influences how others see them as beautiful. Some deeper concepts of culture to which it relates are: concepts of cleanliness, concept of "self", and roles in relation to sex. They type of clothes that people dress in usually make a statement about their lifestyle. Dirty, torn, or frayed clothing can be an indicator of how that person values their cleanliness and their individual identity. Certain clothing items are labeled by society as "masculine" or "feminine", which also makes a statement about a person's identity when they are seen in clothes that do not match their biological gender.
