Pedagogy Conference

This weekend was a weekend intensive called "Concentric Conversations," which was part of the Pedagogy Practicum course at Otis. With only 2 more months left, which includes a thesis paper and gallery exhibition to produce, I really wish this course would have came sooner, like last semester maybe so I could absorb a little more. Alas, there is never enough time, so I am at least glad to have had the experience.

In any case, it was a lovely series of conversations with people who care deeply about various forms (institutional, art-based, community-based, individual, informal) of education. After reading a few texts my authors like Chris Robinson, Paulo Freire and Mercado, the connection between pedagogy and public practice was very clean: its about creating change by starting with personal agency. The conference also offered 2 sessions of case studies where artists and collectives (Public School, Ava Bromberg, Ultra-Red, Ashley Hunt, Slaguage) discussed their practice in relationship to pedagogy.

The personal connections that I made with my practice and pedagogy was through Freire's concepts of the "unfinished being" and "self-realization through education." These concepts reminded me why I had studied art therapy, why I had worked as an educator and what I was trying to achieve through participatory projects: individual experiences that can lead to a sense of agency and perhaps even lead to collective change.

Update - Thesis & Work

It's been a long time since I have updated here, but it needed to be done. I am now in my last semester at Otis and working on my thesis project entitled, "Pulse & Parcel."


This is Side Street Projects, the place that I have been working as the Community Programs Manager and Alternative Routes Teacher. I am also been allowed to execute my community component and sculptural land component at the sight.


Here is a detail of the flagging tape that I am using to demarcate an individual plot.


This is a photo of a test plot. I am trying out the materials to see how they hold up to weather.

More updates to come!

Cart Update

Above are some pictures of the cart in process. I made some calculations errors and forgot to account for the 6" of the wheels and base, thus the cart is a little tall - kind of more like a desk. I've asked a few people what they think and everyone seems to say that it is fine, but I'm still considering cutting 5" down to mimic cart proportions more accurately. This would involve a lot of extra labor, and I'm trying to decide how quickly I want this piece out there. It would be great to take it out to the gallery walk on Thursday downtown, but there's always next month.

Work in Progress - Cut-Out

I'm working on creating a painting / sculpture in the format of an amusement park cut-out, which will incorporate the patterns I investigated turning the initial part of the project. This project is dealing with the diverse and abundant amount of visual information that our eyes take in through the process of accumulation of objects and consumption. Using silhouetted shapes of common domestic household objects, patterns will be represented in each shape, and will also allow the viewer to enter into the piece and observe their own contribution to this organized visual chaos. The theme of amusement park of the format of the cut-out also references Los Angeles culture.

If you saw a previous post about patterns, then you can reference those images, and imagine them within the shapes drawn out.

the usual questioning

It's that time of year when I begin to question what the hell I'm doing, and in addition, what art is doing for me or anyone else. Watching Art21 tonight the artist Baldessari was saying that he started art later in life because he didn't see the purpose in it, "you can't mend bone, make shelter." This is kind of the problem I mentally always come back to.

I struggle with the conventional and bohemian sides of myself. The desire to be an accountant, and the longing to be an artist to actualize my ideas. I don't think I feel so opposite about anything else in my life, but I think this is because the issue resides around economy, class and our culture; that I struggle with my decision to be an artist. This is the struggle with security versus flux. There is a negotiation within the ambiguous definition of art that if creativity and creation exists in all acts within life then there could be another way about living this life in a way that would be respected by others, financially speaking. But would I die of boredom, or be willing to settle with one subject matter? I stand at the point of definition within my life. If I am to make this path work I have to use these fears and desires as honestly as I can in my artwork.

My interests in consumption and commodification I think comes from this place of conflict within me - wanting to be defined and be the definer. This was further reinforced by early observations of my parents' small business, and my many entrepreneurial businesses I've started - lemonade stands, bake sale and car washing. Within this area of interest I can play out some of these conventional roles of clerk, treasurer, secretary, greeter, vendor and list goes on.

The idea of "just being an artist" comes from my humble background and my desire to give back. I've always felt a little indulgent when it came to art making. To be able to toy over an idea and your own interests seems like mental masturbation. Not that I don't love it, or seeing others' ideas manifest into objects, but it is a conflicted area of interest depending on my particular perspective at any given moment. And within these notions I find myself in a MFA program called Public Practice. Its all starting to sense to me, slowly and not without trepidation, but perhaps that is who I am right now.

And this is all part of creating a public and/or personal art practice. Oh the pleasure and the pain.

Production Studio - Class #8

Today in class class we decided that the fundaraising was not financially beneficial for the amount of time we were putting in. The fundraising event we held on Saturday at 18th Street Gallery was a success in terms of networking, but we didn't make much money. This lead to the outcome we voting on today: fundraising within our projects in more specific ways, and including this in the gallery exhibit.

During Bob's lecture in class, he discussed how unique his LACMAlab project was, specifically because it was at a non-contemporary museum. He also curated the show to include all ages, which came out of the idea that kids learn best when engaged with their parents. He discussed several shows he curated like this, showing examples.

One main point out of his lecture, was the following question:
Can our projects motivate people, which is different from just informing?

Community Art Entanglement

Today I had my first run in with maintaining autonomy as artist. While I am aware of what that means, I found myself in a conversation with the director of my CBO saying "...and as a volunteer.... I'll have check with my lawyer about our political position on that." And that's when I knew I must have miss communicated something. I now need to figure out how to better explain the partnership I am creating between organization and artist. I am grateful to be working for a cause I truly care about, and with a person I can easily talk to, as this should make the delicate process of collaboration more fluid, I hope.

While I feel pressured to begin the projects and get things rolling (only 9 weeks left), I think it will take at least another week or two of conversations to get to a common goal secured. I am hoping to arrange a meeting with the whole staff, as they will be my community, and as to have feed back from more people. I look forward to hearing the needs of the doctors and staff, and sharing my ideas with them.