Gardening in the City

Jordan Brown Leave a comment

It is becoming more and more popular for people to be growing their own food, or at least part of their food.  Many people have small gardens in their yard that they will grow tomatoes and other vegetables that they can put into their meals.  For people in larger cities this is a challenge because they do not have the outdoor space to plant a garden. People in larger cities are becoming creative in the way that they can plant things, even with their limited resources.

Several new trends has started in some bigger cities that don’t offer much grass and land to garden in, like New York City.  One is rooftop gardening. Most people are familiar with this concept from seeing it on TV shows and movies if nothing else. This idea utilizes the space that is available in bigger cities with lots of buildings and not much grass or open area.  It is also a great spot for a garden because of all the natural light that rooftops get. Some rooftops are also used as a community leisure area, with tables, chairs, and a grill for the residents of the building to go up there and enjoy themselves.  These rooftops are an alternative to a backyard.

Some other cities, like Ann Arbor, utilize community gardens.  Community gardens are spaces with lots of land that anyone can come and plant food or flowers in and they can continue to visit the spot to water them and let them grow.  Some, like the one in Ann Arbor, are sectioned off by the type of plant to keep the area organized. Community gardens are used in areas that don’t have a lot of grass in the city but the roofs aren’t built to have people utilize them.  For example; Ann Arbor utilizes a community garden because the houses on campus and downtown have little to no yard, and even if they did most yards are not suitable for gardening. So the community garden is a great place to go and make the garden that they can not have at home.

Hidden Gems

Maggie Abell Leave a comment

 

As a movie buff, of course I love all of the big classic films.  I’ve seen Forrest Gump, Shawshank Redemption, and Pulp Fiction countless times, and I watch Raiders of the Lost Arc at what seems to be just about every family gathering.  While huge movies like these have been proven great time and time again, there is something wonderful about finding little unheard-of gems that you stumble across and end up being absolutely incredible.  With movies like this, it can usually be really hit or miss, so when you find a great one, it is extremely satisfying.  So without further ado, here are some movies you most likely haven’t heard of, but you simply must watch.

 

Columbus, 2017 

This is one movie I hadn’t heard anything about until it popped up on my Hulu.  Upon watching it I was extremely surprised that I hadn’t heard more about it, since it was one of the most original movies I had seen in a while.  It is about a Korean-American, middle aged man and a 20-something woman who find each other and basically explore architecture throughout Columbus, Ohio.  The girl is an architecture fanatic and the man is an uninterested son of a famous architect.  My favorite part of this movie gave me a really new outlook on architecture due to how the characters find beauty in even the most simple buildings.  This movie is visually stunning and has such unique character relationships.

 

Hunt for the Wilderpeople, 2016

One reason you probably haven’t heard about this movie is that it is quite literally from the other side of the world: New Zealand.  It was directed by Taika Waititi, who I fell in love with from Flight of the Conchords, but is probably best known for directing Thor: Ragnorok.  This movie is about an troubled orphan boy who is adopted by an older couple.  The wife dies and an adventure ensues with the man and the little boy.  It is a quirky and hilarious film, with a lot of heart.  Plus, there is literally no better accent out there than New Zealand in my personal opinion.

 

Brigsby Bear , 2017

In an industry in which we are seeing so many remakes and repeats, a movie as original as Brigsby Bear is a true rarity.  This film is hard to describe without giving a lot away but here is my attempt:  a man who was kidnapped as a baby is ripped out of the only world he knows and brought back to his real family.  We watch as he tries to adjust to the real world and understand how to interact with other people.  With no idea what to do with his life, he decides to try to finish making his favorite canceled TV show by himself, a show called “Brigsby Bear”.  It stars SNL’s Kyle Mooney (my personal favorite cast member at the moment), so of course it is extremely funny, but it is so heartwarming too, especially if you are an aspiring film maker.

 

Wind River, 2017

I saw this movie in theaters, and went in knowing very little about it.  Sufficed to say I was quite surprised that it wasn’t making its circuits during award season, since I found it to be one of my favorite films of the year.  It follows a male wildlife officer and a female FBI agent as they investigate the murder of an 18 year old girl on a Native American reservation.  This film is a beautifully crafted mystery with the backdrop of snowy Wyoming.  The story is extremely heartbreaking, due to how honest it is, and the reality it explores of how the native people are so very overlooked in this country.  Overall it is powerful and tells a message that needs to be heard.

Foundation Year in Review

vle Leave a comment

As my first year at Michigan comes to a close, I am bittersweet about leaving for the summer. Of course I’m excited to go back home, but I’ve made so many great friends and memories over the past eight months here that I’m hesitant to leave.

As a freshman dual degree candidate, I chose to take my foundation year at Stamps. Every freshman, around 180 or so, takes three specific studios and a supplemental art history/theory course each semester. Although I had to work with mediums with which I was very unfamiliar, I believe I learned so much surrounded by diverse peers and great teachers.

For example, my interest in art for social justice has deepened. I have loved graphic design since early high school, and my interest has only grown. Yet now I realize the possibilities for responsible design, and design to effect social change. In Art and Design in Context and Art and Design History, I was exposed to a lot of contemporary art and the social/historical/political contexts relevant to significant artists, which made me more motivated to make my own work.

I have also gained valuable experience with different techniques and styles of art. 3D (sculpture/tactile projects) and 4D (audio/video) in particular were whole new worlds to me. At times, I felt completely inexperienced compared to my peers, but I believe that the challenge made me a better artist, who can express creativity and refine ideas to come up with a better final piece. Now I am looking forward to exploring more, whether that means delving into video and photography, or participating in performance art, or learning about UI/UX design. These explorations can lead to even bigger ideas, that are both visually appealing and progressive in some way.

What’s important is the meaning that art has for you as an artist. You can choose what to address, and what to show within your own art. Whether that is to counter harmful stereotypes, push for social progress, or just capture beauty, art is truly democratic in the sense that it is open to everyone and can consist of nearly everything. I’m beyond excited to continue my creative journey at Michigan and beyond.

Summer!

Jordan Brown Leave a comment

With summer only two weeks away, there are so many things to think about.  Will you go back home? Where will you find a job/internship? And most importantly: What snacks will you eat?!  A new and fun trend is to eat fun, colorful, and healthy popsicles. Here is a list of some to try out this summer.

You can make a popsicle with just about anything.  A yogurt, granola, and honey popsicle is great for a hot morning or just a snack.  You can also add fruit to it, whatever you like in your yogurt. This is a great recipe that has a little crunch to it.  A pineapple pink lemonade popsicle is made with only pineapple

chunks, pink lemonade mix, and water. It’s a refreshing twist on lemonade for the hot summer.  A creative popsicle is a chai tea ice cream pop. This popsicle has an ombre look and the flavor of chai tea. It’s a great tea substitute for the hot summer days.  Rhubarb and elderflower ice popsicles are a different and fun popsicle to try. It is very easy to make with only having to use fruit and natural fruit juices. It is also a very pretty popsicle, if you add food coloring to make a very pretty shade of pink.  A fun, but not so healthy popsicle, is a chocolate popsicle. This can easily be made by freezing chocolate pudding. It’s great for a sweet treat during the hot summer months. Another frozen sweet treat is a chocolate covered peanut butter popsicle. It is exactly what it sounds like, and another great thing to eat when you need something sweet.  A different popsicle to try is a jello popsicle. This is very simple, you make jello and then put in the freezer. It is a fun and different way to eat your jello this summer.

Fruit popsicles are also very popular this summer.  A grapefruit popsicle is a refreshing and healthy popsicle to try this summer.  It is made with just grapefruit juice, lemonade, and a slice of grapefruit. This recipe is pretty to look at and tastes great.  Another fruity popsicle is a hibiscus and minty watermelon popsicle. This sounds very fancy, and very delicious. This is also a healthy popsicle to try.  Raspberry-mango popsicles are pretty to look at and a great combo of fruit. They are made with only raspberries, mangos, coconut milk, and honey. Peaches and cream is another great recipe for the summer.  Peaches and cream are abundant in the summertime so it’s fitting to put them in a popsicle together. A simpler popsicle is a strawberry popsicle. This is great to cool off with, and to make it a little more exciting you can dip the end in chocolate and put it back in the freezer.  Now you have frozen chocolate covered strawberries.

On a Local Painter

Monica Sloan 1 Comment

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This weekend I was able to attend the Great Lakes Art Fair at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan. Artists from all over Michigan set up their art in booths and are able to talk freely with attendees, even sell their artwork. A wide variety of art was featured, including paintings, drawings, wood and metal sculptures, ceramics,glass works, photography, jewelry, printwork, and artisanal treats such as olive oils and dips, jerky, and even handmade soaps.

Although I may be biased by a predisposition toward fine arts, the booths that contained paintings were my favorite. I recognized one of my favorite Michigan artists, Thomas LeGault (whose work you can find here), and discovered a brand new one, Gerald Freeman.

Freeman paints primarily classic cars and other vehicles such as warplanes and bicycles, usually set in a backdrop of nature, but other works he was showcasing included human portraits, architecture, and a yacht on which fishermen wrestled with a huge fish popping out of the waves. His paintings are hyper-realistic–on his website, you can hardly tell that the pictures are of paintings and not of photographs.

In talking to him at the art fair, I learned that he does paint using photographs, but he doesn’t limit himself to just these. He would find a particular car he liked in one photo, then use the backdrop of trees or a dirt path from another, and, in the case that there was a person in the photo, he would often use a model in a studio. He said he wasn’t one for outdoor painting, but just a glance at his gallery told me that he loves nature, and had spent years studying it, trying to capture its beauty.

What struck me about his paintings, though, were the cars themselves. Though hyper-realistic, the natural backgrounds of his paintings gave just a vague hint of being painted, if you looked closely for brush strokes–very closely. But no matter how closely you looked at the cars, you will find only a perfect mirror image of the landscape around it, down to the exact warping in the curved exteriors. I almost expected to see my own reflection peering into the paintings, looking back at me in concave form from the smooth, shiny bodies of the Mercedes and Lincolns.

They were absolutely flawless.

One particular painting showed the dashboard of a convertible. He told me that he had done it with oil paints, which floored me because, in my comparatively little experience, oil paints are quite thick and hard to use for such perfect, minute details. But this one, just as the other ones, was photo-realistic.

Talking with Freeman and seeing his paintings was incredibly inspiring. Sometimes when I see art that seems unachievable for me, it’s discouraging, and it makes me feel like no matter how much time I spend practicing, I’ll never get to that skill level, or I’ll never create something as wonderful as *this.* But somehow, hearing Freeman talk about his passion for painting filled me with tenacity. If he can hone his skill over time to create paintings as gorgeous as these, then one day, anyone can get to that level, with painting or with anything.

You can look at the rest of Mr. Freeman’s gallery here.

Ode to Bojack Horseman

vle Leave a comment

(Netflix)

You’ve probably heard of the universally-acclaimed Netflix original show by now. The adult animated comedy-drama is getting ready for its fifth season this summer, and I couldn’t be more ready. People praise it because it is so real: a satirical take on Hollywood culture, Bojack doesn’t hold back on issues such as depression, self-destruction, and love. Each season has continued to get deeper and darker, reflecting on the human experience and the problematic society in which we live. Still, there are glimmers of hope and happiness which make the show purely wonderful.

Bojack Horseman, the titular character is evidently flawed. He’s narcissistic, humorous, afraid of commitment, yet excruciatingly honest. He is surrounded by other human and anthropomorphic animal characters, like Diane, Princess Carolyn, Mr. Peanutbutter, and Todd, to name a few. Each character is so unique and nuanced, showing that the show’s creators really took time to develop them as individuals.

In addition, social issues are prominently featured. Gun control, asexuality, addiction, abortion, politics, and feminism take a strong spotlight within the third and fourth seasons. Bojack’s writers are witty and brutal, which makes the show that much better.

If you want to laugh, maybe painfully so, cry your emotions out, or just chill to the amazing soundtrack, I strongly recommend watching Bojack Horseman. Perhaps you’ll even end up learning more about yourself as well.