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Please visit the Katherine E. Nash Gallery exhibit, Everybody is an Astronaut -- MFA Thesis Exhibition, and pick one work of art from the show to which you felt a strong connection. Write a 2-3 paragraph response to the work and post it as a comment on the main blog page beneath this entry. In your response, describe the piece you chose and the connection you felt to it. Then answer the following questions:

1. What is the main metaphor of the piece?
2. What elements work effectively to make the piece visually and/or narratively compelling?
3. What elements work against the piece and what suggestion(s) might you have for the artist?

Everyday events are often so ordinary that they fail to register in our memories. How many times have you realized that you can't remember what you had for breakfast/lunch/dinner on Wednesday, or what shoes/pants/shirt you wore on Tuesday? But sometimes when something happens that is extraordinary, whatever ordinary thing we were doing becomes cemented in our memories. I'll bet you remember exactly what you were doing when you heard the news of the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11, no matter how mundane (I was listening to my clock radio, just waking up).

So, think back through your history to a time when an everyday event you were engaged in turned into something quite extraordinary for you personally (please don't use 9/11 as an example here) and in a 1-2 paragraph response, describe what ordinary thing you were doing, what happened to turn the event into something remarkable, and talk about what sights and sounds you especially remember.

One of my fondest memories in the world is the sound of the front door at a house where I lived many years ago. We often relate our memories to images and smells, but sounds can also be powerful experiences for us. In a 1-2 paragraph response, please answer the following questions: What is one of your favorite sounds in the world? What is one of your least favorite sounds? What images, feelings, memories do these sounds conjure up for you?

Please do a quick review of "Man With a Movie Camera" (click on link below) and find an image that you feel is particularly effective, powerful, and/or compelling. Then in a 1-2 paragraph response, state the proximity and angle of the image, and describe at least three elements of composition that have been used by the cinematographer, and the ways in which these elements work to make the image attractive and/or meaningful. Make sure you begin your entry with the exact time of the frame you've chosen from the film.

Proximities: XLS (extreme long shot), LS, MLS, MS, MCU, CU, ECU
Angles: high, low, neutral (eye-level), birds-eye view, dutch (oblique)
Elements of composition: line, shape, texture, pattern, size, perspective, positive/negative space, balance, harmony, rule of thirds, rule of diagonals, convergence, depth of field, high/low contrast

The following video is called art is: Speaking Portraits by George Quasha, and features 44 artists discussing art from their perspective. Please watch at least 10 of the artists (in any order) for inspiration. Then, from your own point of view, write a 1-2 paragraph response (and post it as a comment to this entry) that begins:

Art is ...

Think back through your childhood to a time when you used your imagination to create something that was particularly memorable for you. Describe what you made, and talk about why it was so meaningful for you.