Author: Sara Olds

Halloween is fun

Halloween, you can look like a bum!

Trick or Treaters out about

Heard all around me are screams and shouts!

Goblins, Witches, and Ghouls galore

Everyone is dressed like a freaking whore!

Cowboys, Indians, Batman and Robin

Hey, look there goes the green goblin!

All of these costumes should bring others fright,

But for me this is a glorious sight.

You don’t want to miss out, don’t even blink

Plus, it’s an excuse for four nights to drink!

Haunted houses and crazy hayrides

Be on the lookout for those bloody brides!

Scary pumpkins with lit up faces

Watch out that candy might get stuck in your braces!

Halloween will be gone by tomorrow,

And all we’re left with is November football sorrow.

All in all it’s a wondrous night

Hope you enjoy the Halloween delight!

When I say I hate Winter, I need to add the disclaimer that it’s not the bitter cold temperatures or the layer of clothes that really makes me sad; what it comes down to is that I hate winter’s confinements to the indoors.  As my Women Studies roommates would say, “Winter is oppressive!”  So, what I really dislike about winter is that it holds me captive to the indoors for far too long.

The stem of this hate, I realized only recently.  As winter fast approaches, and jackets begin to emerge from the bowels of homes, I have become increasingly aware of my fate.  No longer can I wear shorts or tang tops, exposing my skin to the warmth and comfort of the sun.  Soon the sun must pass through layer upon layer of clothing in order to warm my body; and that’s only when it decides to show itself.  Being October 20^th, I am extremely content with the way the weather is fairing.  I have seen the sun everyday for the past 10 days and I want nature to progress in this manner, although as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

Before the Earth tilts any further, and we are all restricted to the indoors, I see to it that it is my earthling duty to call upon your attention to one of the most magical places in Ann Arbor; the Arboretum.  I recommend you walk to the Arb after an early morning at the Farmer’s Market in Kerrytown where you fill your morning void with coffee or cider and donuts.  Then I direct you to take your happy full tummies on a lovely stroll to the Arb.  Depending on what Saturday you go, you may find pleasure in passing far too many drunken students before 10 am getting rowdy for one of the most valued events in our country…Football.  Passing these students will make you smile based on the pure absurdity of it all.

As you continue to walk out of the crazy zone, you will find screams and loud music replaced by crunchy leaves and howling winds.  If you catch the morning just right, the sun will gleam on the changing trees, making you think you suddenly stepped into a fairytale.  You will pass a cemetery on your left as you approach the Arb that will put any fear of death out of mind due to the serenity and peacefulness of the crowded leafy ground and sunlight peering through the thinning trees.

By the time you come to the Arb your morning activities have prepped you for the right frame of mind to appreciate nature and the calmness you feel within.  Bring a date, a friend or go alone, and make sure to make a fall memory before time slips away and into winter.

I’m quite surprised the topic of tattoos has not yet been brought up in Arts Ink. Seems ironic, no?  Well, I shall be the first to introduce you to the world of tattoos through what I call the ‘Mom’ Tat.  I think tattoos can be both the greatest and worst forms of artistic expression.  They often carry a story, maybe tribute a loved one or say something sacred to the person who wears the tattoo.  Whatever the reason for getting a tattoo, I enjoy looking at other’s tattoos and trying to understand why they got it.

Most recently one of my friends got a ‘Mom’ tat on her ribs.  It has Mom written in a heart about 3 inches wide and 2 inches long.  This is not her first tattoo, but I remember when she told me what she got I thought she might be joking.  When I realized she was not, I took her seriously and found the beauty in what she had done.  I remember saying, “Wow, your Mom must feel so special that you did that!”  Not saying that getting a Mom tattoo is THE way of telling your Mom you love and appreciate her, but it is one heck of a good one!

To get a tattoo in the first place is a big step.  I have always wanted to get one, but I don’t know what I would get, so I am ink free to date.  To get a tattoo in recognition of a loved one I believe is a selfless act.  Marking your body with their name indicates how they have affected you and how they will indefinitely be with you.

I will remain tat free for a while, but I will continue to be intrigued by others’ tattoos decisions.  Long live the MOM TAT!

Peace,

Sara

Welcome back artsy readers!  In today’s news I would like to discuss the current exhibition happening on North Campus in the Slusser Gallery in the School of Art and Design.  I know many of you students out there have probably never ventured to North Campus, but you should, for there is a world to discover.

The exhibition is titled Creators Collect and it represents the collections of the School of A&D’s staff, from bones to comics to African American Church fans.  The special note about this exhibition is a glimpse into perceptions about value.  What is valued in our society?  Do these works of art tell a new or different story that alters the perceptions of those societal values?  The display of what may seem like random items all tell the individual story of histories and hobbies.  While these are individual collections, the exhibit is so profound because it places the viewer in different contexts with these material objects.  Removing yourself from material culture, as this exhibition does, and placing you before a recognizable object but blurring the normative function and role that that object has played in your existence is a unique experience in itself.

An example of this powerful reversal is seen in Marianetta Porter’s display of African American Church fans.  Here Marianetta has removed an everyday object, the fan, from its intended purposes and connotations to tell a history of African American culture in the United States.  When her interest was sparked in African American fans the results she came across while researching these material objects were limited and few.  This in itself surprised her and pushed her to uncover the truth behind these objects and their whereabouts.  On display are about 15 fans she has collected.  People who had their own collections sent some to her, once they heard about her interest, while others she accumulated along the way.

The fans are made out of a sturdy cardboard like substance attached to what looks like a Popsicle stick.  The fans’ function was to keep people cool during church.  Many people had their own personal fans they would bring with them every Sunday, but fans were also distributed before the service started.  These fans not only carried a functional role, but also displayed advertisements, were used as a surface for taking notes while in church, as well as a place to depict images of African American culture.  The fans on display range from the 1950’s to present day.  Like many objects that stand the test of time, parts of them transform while keeping the whole intact.  The changes seen in these church fans are in the images that take up one side of the fan.  The fans produced during the 1950’s are images of an African American family with a Mom, Dad and two children.  There are also pictures of an African American child next to a dog and an image of an African American Jesus.  These images mirror white portrayals during the time, and point to the fact that the people who were making these fans for African American churches were also disseminating them to white churches.  A more contemporary image shows President Obama.

Porter has taken an everyday object and displayed it to present viewers with a new way of thinking.  She is also telling a history that she values as an African American and wants to share with others.  Her collection is thought provoking, historical, and yet present all at once.  A true work of art, no doubt.

Marrying ideas of statistical analysis and museum studies, I would like to propose an experiment.  I hope to work in museum education in my future, so to get the ball rolling I will start hypothesizing now.

The present museum’s status quo of label design is an easily visible label tattooed next to the artifact.  The label usually contains roughly 300 words and articulates a particular message about the piece.  It will tell you when the artifact was made, the artist, its significance, and an interpretation of the work.  This is a pretty standard label.

What I would like to question is what if that label was removed all together?  What would happen to the exhibit?  What would be lost and/or gained?

Coming from an educational standpoint I am interested in testing the status quo in order to find new possibilities and perspectives.  On average, people spend 30 seconds or less reading a wall label.  This is not a lot of time to retain information.  I see the educational benefits for wall labels and I am not saying we should omit them from museums, but I would like to test the effects of a wall less exhibit.  What could be learned from them?

Not having conducted this test, I will make up a set of hypothesized results.  I think people will gain a sense of independence and agency while walking through the exhibit.  They will interpret, imagine, and wonder instead of being instructed.  The experience will be like entering a fantasy world.  Furthermore, individual interpretations could and very well would lead to varying perspectives, offering different vantage points and new categories for meaning.  The artifacts would enter a new realm of thought.  The possibilities are endless because the amount of traffic is such.

The modern museum has taken on the role of education and entertainment.  An exhibit surrounded by freedom of thought and interpretation would facilitate wonder and self-expressionism.  Isn’t that what art’s all about?

Have a good weekend!

Sara majors in Art History and enjoys long walks.

Life is ever changing.  For a college student this can range from studying for an exam, taking an exam later, drinking wine with friends, and going to an arts event all in the same day.  We are supreme, multitasking beings.  Extremely impressive, if I do say so myself.

Tonight I was accompanied by one of my finest, most admired friends to the one-year celebration of the opening of the new wing in UMMA.

The night was filled with the two food groups of sweets and fruit, through decadent cupcakes and bananas.  While my friend and I shared cupcakes, we spoke with other museum connoisseurs about art and life.  We got away from our technological devices for a few hours and enjoyed the company of each other.

Art has that effect on people.  It removes them from their daily, sometimes ordinary lives and takes them into a new world filled with culture, conversation and yummy treats.

The basis for museums is education, but also entertainment.  Your eyes are opened to not only art, but also society.  Museums are vital to our sociological continuum.  They are the thread that pulls history to the present day and the future.

Their importance is humble.  It fosters relationships between community members, while asking little in return.  They are an ever changing valuable resource that should be appreciated.

Tonight I will leave you with this message.  Immerse yourself in the museum.