Outing: Monuments Men Film — Sunday at the Kentucky Theatre

Join me for a showing of Monuments Men, a Hollywood film about the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program, organized during World War II and charged with the task of finding and saving pieces of art and other culturally important items before their destruction by Hitler.

If you have a crush on George Clooney, Bill Murray, or Matt Damon; or if you are a history buff or a fan of provenance issues, this may be the film for you.

I'll buy the tickets. Just meet Greg and me at the Kentucky Theatre by 7:30. The film starts at 7:35 on SUNDAY, FEB. 23rd. See you then!

[If you don't know where the theatre is, or if you don't have a ride, contact senior art major Stephanie. She's willing to drive folks and/or give directions. Thanks, Mom Stephanie:)]

Civil War Infographic

In my "War & Remembrance" class, we've moved on to the Civil War. Fancy this:
Brought to you by The Civil War Trust

How does a community choose to commemorate loss? And, how does the artist chosen to create a monument or memorial respond to the loss as well? These are questions that we're grappling with in the course "War & Remembrance." Join us for discussion any MWF from 10:00—10:50.

D.C. Trip Report

Just wanted to say that we had a fantastic time on our Art Department trip to Washington D.C. over Fall Break. Highlights included the National Gallery, Hirshhorn Museum, Air and Space Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Washington Monument, WWII Veterans Memorial, Reflecting Pool, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial.

Other important highlights included H&M, Forever 21, Pentagon City Mall, meeting up with a variety of friends and family, riding the Metro, one very busy and extremely cold Chipotle, driving in downtown (aka getting lost, no thanks to Siri), getting stuck in a Romney induced traffic jam, chair "massages" from Gus the mini-bus, movie nights at the Graham's, brownies, and most importantly "Red," the Graham's golden retriever!

  Outside the National Gallery, East.

 The smallest and most profitable McDonald's on the planet.

 Outside the Hirshhorn and two days too early for Ai Weiwei.

  Riding the Metro downtown.

   Walking on the National Mall.

   The (non)Reflecting Pool.

Visiting the WWII Veterans Memorial.

If you see someone who went on the trip, ask them about their experience. They probably have plenty of stories and photos to share. And we're already looking forward to a trip next Fall Break!

On my bookshelf: "Monument Wars"

If you're looking for an interesting read, pick up a copy of Monument Wars: Washington, D. C., the National Mall, and the Transformation of the Memorial Landscape. Here, Kirk Savage acutely addresses the notion of public space, history, and memory. He makes, in the closing pages, "A Modest Proposal" (I love the Swiftian ring to that....) that begins with a moratorium on new monuments in Washington for 10 years (excusing those spaces and monuments that have been grandfathered into creation). During this time, ephemeral monuments would take stage but the formula would be broadened to include installations and reinterpretations of the space. He states that this shifting of the ground from the permanent to the ephemeral would "alter the system dramatically...to treat the memorial landscape more as an open conversation than a quest for an immutable national essence." (p. 312).

As many of you know, I am involved in a group called "Public Art Dialogue", so the notion of an open space as a place for conversation, rather than formulated population of monuments and plop art, does intrigue me. In case you need convincing, consider the recent controversy at MOCA LA involving Italian muralist Blu.