Response to the PBS Show on Janine Antoni

The fact that PBS did a show on Ms. Antoni's work shows in itself that there is something out of the ordinary about this artist and her work.  Her expressions of art are quite out-of-the-box so to speak.   I enjoyed her work but found it difficult to relate to.  Her works with molds in leather, and lard and then used as sculpture were a bit vague and difficult to interpret.  However, her rope weaving was extraordinary.  Incorporating different momentos, representing times in her life, was a progression, just as life actually unfolds and changes into something quite different than the original intent, so did her weaving.  The fact that she then went to the extent to create her own fibers by hand spinning showed the dedication she puts into her never ending approach to her creativity and work.  It was an interesting clip that can offer a challenge to those whose work may need a creative boost to try and take a step out of their comfort zone and try something extraordinary.

Why I chose a porch swing as my Momento.

Some of my fondest memories of my childhood were times a spent sitting with my Mother on our front porch swing.  Every night around 5:30 p.m. we would sit and wait for my Dad to return from work.  While we sat there, I would play with my doll and my Mom would read the daily newspaper.  This is where I got my first lessons on mothering.  My Mother showed me how to change my baby's diaper, change her clothes, swaddle her, and rock and pat her to sleep.  When I saw my Father approaching, I would run to greet him and walk him home.  There are two constants that remained with me all my life from this time: one, how to nurture and care for my children; and two, the habit to read the newspaper everyday. 

Momentos Project Photos

 

 

Thoughts on class readings.

There will always be a need for momentos.  Such pieces of trivia are reminders of personal experiences we find necessary not to let go of.  Years may pass, but the memory evoked by that momento will be ever present in our minds and hearts.  Momentos are reinforcements of memories we choose not to forget because they are that important to us.  They represent something that has touched our soul and are too valuable to let fade away.  They are so precious that they live in us and are sustained as personal experiences and lessons we have learned as well as earned.  They make us who we are and we wear them like another grey hair that become simply part of are being.  We are our experiences and our experiences are who we are as a whole.  The older we become, the more people talk about character.  What they really mean is what has life taught someone and how, or why that person managed to survive.  The answer to that simply is the choices they made in their journey and that answer is the profound.

Notes on Tokens Article

There are several areas in this article I find disturbing.  First, the desperation of the women that found no other alternative for their child than to put them in an institution.  The times made jobs hard to find and therefore, existence impossible to support themselves or their children.  Another problem is the general lack of education of the common man that left even so much as a real method of identification a problem which was addressed by leaving the so called " momento".  A shocking area of concern also, is that so few of these babies were ever reunited with their mothers.  The requirement of having to pay for all the care the infant received, no doubt, had to have been the major impediment.   Domestic service was one common avenue open for female employment but the wages usually were low and included lodging and meals rather than much monetary compensation.  The predicament remains how could someone repay such a sizeable bill?  Life for women in general, tended to exist on the edges of desperation and when there was no work, what little they had they used to escape their misery, such as alcohol, drugs or prostitution.  People without a support system have problems that others don't even recognize.  I wonder how far society has advanced when you look at people today and see unemployment, hunger, the high cost of housing and still throngs of people who are alone in life and in a similar predicament.  There will always be situations where there is simply no solution. 

Gregor's Room Photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Music List

When it comes to music, I'm pretty eclectic.  I don't have any special equipment, so I just turn to my cable link which provides an extensive list to choose from.  I like most all music, but I admit I'm not fond of rap.  I tend to associate it with gang culture and violence which may be incorrect but I just don't care much for it.  I enjoy pop music, and have many favorite artists which I enjoy.  Adele, Anita Baker, Barbara Streisand, Michael Buble, Rod Stewart and lots of 60's Motown are some of my favorites which of course, dates me but then I'm no longer young and that was my era.  I love to sing along and entertain myself while I work with music.  It brings me joy. 

Elements and principles photos, sculptures.

Inspiring people

When I think of inspiring people, my mind goes in a different direction from what I think others consider to be inspiring.  Today so many people think a sports figure, a movie star, or someone with a several million dollar contract are the end all of everything life has to offer.  Some, of course, fall back on those who are in the military, some who fight fires, and some who actually enforce the law, which are true to the images of real heroes and inspiring people and certainly deserve our respect.    There is, however, one more group of inspiring heroes which are unsung, and will never be recognized and those are some very ordinary people.  When I look at a family with a less than perfect child, perhaps one who is ill, or disabled, or has Down's syndrome, I know I'm looking at the face of a real hero.  Do they think of themselves that way, as heroes?  No, of course not, they are simply loving parents who are doing the best they can for their child.  Could anyone do this?  I don't think so.  I thank God everyday that he did not deliver this challenge to my life.  Having raised two children, I know what a difficult job it is if you can keep your children in school, away from hard drugs, out of gangs, and not really mess them up too badly all by yourself.  I cannot imagine the challenges involved on a day-to-day basis to confront the problems of this last group.  Life brings with it daily tragedies that you are forced to deal with and these are bad enough.  There are things like auto accidents, burst spleens, calls from the principle, and the late night call from the hospital emergency room which are lastingly traumatic.  We deal with these incidents and when they have passed we thank God that whoever this was, was lucky to be still alive.  We are truly grateful for these moments to pass.  Does any of the members of this last group get to say, "This has passed?"  They have no passing of circumstances or end to a tragic episode.  They get up everyday and face what they must. They in fact learn to smile, and try to put their circumstances into some understandable frame of reference that makes sense to them so they can survive and thrive when someone like me hasn't got a clue how they do it.  These are my heroes.

Books I would like to read.

I am very much drawn to books of suspense, detective stories, or mysteries.  So there is always plenty to choose from.  I enjoy how people think and how they put together the links of circumstances that allow them to find the answers to their problems.  Currently, I am intrigued by the novels of J.A. Jance.  I'm also interested in reading Shakespeare, simply because so much of literature is based on an understanding of his writings.  I am almost finished with The Tempest but it is very slow reading and difficult to understand.  I find it necessary to take a broad view of the actions, so they make some sense to me. 

Vocabulary List for Gregor's Room

The only vocabulary word not used familiarly was servette.  However, servette refers to a napkin or a napkin with cutlery rolled inside.  There were no other words that I found not in normal language.