Unfortunately, I could not go into the city today as I was having difficulty getting my prescription for Insulin. Normally, I would have waited and gone away, however I was on my last vial of Insulin and I had to call the insurance company as well as my doctors which is a time consuming process that would not have allowed me to focus on art. The rest of the class went to see two artist’s studios and meet with them to hear about their work. The first, was a woman named Erika Ranee and the second, another woman named Lindsay Packer. Unfortunately, Ranee was sick and we could not meet with her. Instead, they went to a show by a digital artist named Sarah Cwynar (who’s website is actually bookmarked on my computer.) I think her use of color and modern methods (such as photography and video) as well as current themes are really interesting. I was looking forward to meeting with Erika Ranee as she is Bill Cosby’s daughter and I think it would have been extremely interesting to hear how this affected her work. I also would have liked to hear about her experience as a black woman navigating through the art world, especially in NYC. I know this doesn’t matter now, as she cancelled but I do, however, think that the professors of the class should have told us this fact and given the class a warning. Maybe even made the class optional as the situation and circumstances surrounding the themes of sexual assault can be extremely triggering for certain people.
I was able to visit the Cheryl Harper show in the Korn gallery. As an artist Harper was trained as Art Historian-Curator as well as a Printmaker-mixed media artist. Her work is informed by other artists as well as the world around her. Recently, however, she has begun working more sculpturally, featuring clay pieces and installations. The work in the gallery was themed around the ideas of race and politics which could be seen through a mix of woodcut prints and fabric installations hanging from the ceiling. The cuts also featured a recurring pattern, which when stacked created a larger image – reminding me of a tapestry or woven work. I think this theme of fabrics focuses on an interesting aspect of race and slavery; African American identity, cotton and plantations. I also think her use of objects – specifically everyday ones juxtaposes the life of those who were free against those who were not. I think this is especially relevant given the current political climate.
