Women of Expressionism & Feminism

I have always loved history but now I am REALLY loving Art History! I learned tons of amazing things while I took this class but the feminism and female representation through the expressionism movement as well as others has been extremely fascinating.

One of my lessons was to create a very small art gallery of specific works of art on Google Arts & Culture. I want to post some of the work i’ve done for classes almost to keep for myself but also to share. Hope you enjoy browsing some of the favorites I chose from the Expressionism movement!

Link to Gallery —> https://artsandculture.google.com/favorite/group/6QLyPCqQSfA3IA

I also needed to do some light research on a politically driven piece of artwork. The work of art I chose is The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago in 1974-1979. Judy Chicago was a feminist artist who created a collaborative art environment made up of 21 women known as Womanhouse. Womanhouse led to The Dinner Party which is a mixed-media installation that depicts a triangle composed of white tiles. The dimensions are 48′ × 42′ × 3′ (14.6 × 12.8 × 1 m). On top, is a triangular table with painted porcelain, plates, and needlework. The Dinner Party took five years of collaboration with hundreds of women and men of all talents. Judy Chicago wanted to celebrate women and empower them through this work of art. She wanted to change the social customs that were placed on women and shed light on the oppression they faced.

There are many visual imageries and clues in the artwork that convey the message of feminism. There are 2,300 white tiles that compose the base of the installation. The tiles are inscribed with 999 names of notable women. The triangular table is 48 feet long on each side. There are 39 place settings on the table representing famous women such as Georgia O’Keeffe. Judy Chicago emphasized needlework and china painting to honor craft media which was practiced traditionally by women. The china amongst the table featured abstract designs that resembled female genitalia to convey the message that this was the only thing that unified all of these beings and also what kept them oppressed. Chicago identified the equilateral triangle as the earliest symbol of the feminine.

In today’s society, images are everywhere. They serve many purposes in our life considering we have become heavily reliant on technology. We use images for many reasons: to advertise, inform and express ourselves. However, we also use images to learn. The Dual-coding theory was created by Allan Paivio who believes that images aid in learning.

References

Chicago, Judy (1974-1979). The Dinner Party [mixed-media installation]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781269534314/epubcfi/6/60[idloc_029.xhtml-itemref]!/4[eid18667]/42[eid19168]/14[eid19195]/2[eid19200]@0:0

Clark, J. M., & Paivio, A. (1991). Dual coding theory and education. Educational Psychology Review, 3, 149-210.

Who Am I?

This is a question that I am still trying to figure out myself. This is what I do know:

I am a mother.

I have two beautiful and spunky children currently the ages of 3 (Aurora “Rory” Michelle) and 4 (Zeppelin Ray). I had both of them at a young age and within a year apart, so you can imagine how overwhelmed I have been the past 4 years. My oldest is on the spectrum and my youngest was born with torticollis. These come with their own challenges but in many ways have been blessings to grow to understand. I will go into detail on those two and our journeys in later blog posts. Obviously, I am biased and think my own children are the most spectacular kids in the world – but really, they truly are amazing individuals. They have helped me learn and grow just have much as I have helped them do the same. I’m excited to share the trials and tribulations of my parenthood journey. I promise, they are NEVER dull.

I am a student.

I am working towards a B.S. in Graphic Design. I’ve never been great at deciding what I want to do career-wise but so far, i’m enjoying my courses and learning a lot about the industry. I’ve already picked up some great skills and i’m heckin’ ready to graduate and express my creative side digitally.

I *guess* I’m an artist.

I use this term loosely because I don’t consider myself professional at anything but I do enjoy and frequently create art. Lately, due to school i’ve been pushing myself in digital artwork. Normally, I enjoy sketching, painting, crafts and home projects. I’m not sure what really defines an artist but I would imagine it’s someone who… creates art? LOL. I also enjoy viewing art and art history.

I am a food enthusiast.

I’m always hungry. I could eat almost anything. Yes, it’s true. However, I have a random gastrointestinal issue that has been yet to be diagnosed even after several years of doctors visits, scopes and multiple surgeries. At one point in time, I had a legitimate fear of food. Thinking about my ‘trigger’ foods would literally put a bad taste in my mouth and make me feel nauseas. I got past this fear over a period of time without a flare-up. However, my symptoms have came back in full swing recently and i’m back to carefully choosing what I consume through out each day. I enjoy that this forces me to consume healthier foods, check ingredients and learn new recipes. What I don’t enjoy is being in pain for several days to a week because I ate the wrong thing. Sometimes, I can’t even figure out the trigger. All in all, my love for food and cooking has crossed paths with my health creating an interest in healthier foods. I will dive deeper later on the story of my illness and share my most beloved recipes and go-to foods.

I am a reader.

I love books. The way they smell, the way they transfer your brain to a new dimension and alllllllll of their nostalgia. I could spend 2 million years in a book store or the library. In fact, I am obsessed with my cities library. I’m not from a very large or progressive place so i’m sure there are more impressive ones out there but for what i’m used to around here I sure do appreciate it. BONUS: My kids love the place too. I love having a place we can all enjoy at the same time. Reading is very therapeutic to me and helps calm the anxiety that runs ramped through my brain. I’ll be sharing my favorite authors, books and anything that excites me in the literature department. Shoot, if anyone wants to start a virtual book club with me I AM DOWN, CHARLIE BROWN.

I guess that’s good enough for now. Those are pretty much my favorite things and what I can confidently say I know about myself. As for the rest, you’ll get to follow me on that journey sine I have decided to publicly post my thoughts and ideas like a crazy person. Hopefully, in a year or two I can look back on my initial posts and see growth. After all, that’s why i’m doing this: to flourish.

If you made it this far.. THANK YOU for your support!

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