What a week at ART YARD BKLYN! Our artmaking has touched on the concept of Fake News, we are back to depicting our versions of Mona Lisa & learning to work with limited palette in AYB Advanced Studio. AYB is thrilled to have had a super-full week in the schools with a deep dive into the art of Keith Haring and the beginnings of a new mural.
AYB Artist Maraya Lopez had Art Yard BKLYN’s Advance Studio Zoom Session fired up this week! Several Artists made multiple pieces or continued working long after the session.
Maraya recaps: “In this session I taught how to “read between the lines” and think critically about literacy. Inspired by my recent embarkment into Applied Linguistics, this week’s lesson was triggered by an introduction to Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy and his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the education field.
I believe artists naturally relate to this quote since they ceaselessly observe the world around them.
After showing Jenny Holzer and Thomas Schütte artworks, students created a piece of “fake news.” They were asked to question what it means to be critically literate and why developing and nurturing critical literacy as a skill is necessary. Is what we read the truth? How do we know what the truth is? Students were to think critically about current news and events they had encountered and create a piece of fake news to deceive the viewer deliberately. The goal was to understand how easily false information can be created and disseminated into the public realm.
“Power is a tool,” and “Language is a weapon.” - Jenny Holzer
This quote emphasizes how language can be manipulated to exert power and control, often with subtle and insidious effects. This is even more reason to carefully analyze how language is being used in our Contemporary digital landscape.
Sigrid’s list of deceptive words is the perfect start for thinking about fake news and how easily illusion and allusion flow through our daily lives. We were all intrigued by the meaning of “trout nails.”
At first glance, Meridith’s mysterious piece depicts a fire alarm, trouble, and fire. Upon closer inspection, a sort of peephole appears at the center of the fire alarm bell. There appears to be an enigmatic safe place nestled behind the alarming danger of the outside world.
Cheyenne’s piece is evocative of the times and looks very similar to what you might see on an Instagram feed. The image emotionally connects with the viewer, which is a typical strategy used in propaganda and marketing.
Lila’s GenZer’s protest piece (above) reads like a banned book cover, alluding to some esoteric message of what is to come.
Vera Brown, Fake News, in process images
Vera B.’s “Slinkbell” is the next best thing in the fitness world! Be sure to order yours now on Amazon! This playful composition emphasizes color, recalling Picasso’s blue period and themes of melancholy, solitude, and despair.
We were all very impressed with Clementine’s trompe-ľoeil fake news advertisement about the closing of Party City. Her piece is a daunting realization of how online marketplaces are killing the brick-and-mortar retailers in the United States.
Richie astutely comments on the dramatization of the media when movements such as the Me-Too movement occur. This dramatizing of events makes space for decisions of guilt and accusations to be based on bias created by the media rather than facts. Should the accuser be held just as accountable as the accused?
Pat’s fake news speaks to the realization of technology’s ability to infiltrate our lives. However, because AI is not actually meant to replace human intelligence but to enhance it, humans still hold the power to make conscious decisions about the role AI should play in their lives, if at all. The color palette and pixelated font cleverly suggest a newspaper article or obituary.
Adji’s piece is a play between the past and present, science fiction and real. The many overwhelming recent events of fires and wars happening around the world make it feel like our lives here in America are on the brink of financial collapse, like the financial crisis in 2008. Her use of pencil on paper is a refreshing reminder that all ideas start with the act of drawing and is a much-needed respite from the daily bombardment of digital media.
Rashida’s fake news was the class’s favorite because of her humorous approach. Even if you have no idea who Aaron Pierre is, as in my case, something just does not sit well with this image. This is a good example of how humor can have the ability to capture our attention, as does drama and fear.
When first looking at Marilyn’s piece, all seems positive for hunter enthusiasts. Something is clearly wrong if you know that bald eagles are protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, making it illegal to shoot, kill, or capture a bald eagle. While bald eagles are recovering in population numbers due to conservation efforts, it is still illegal to hunt them.
Queen Elizabeth’s sardonic smile pulls us into Ajula’s witty commentary regarding the British Monarchy. Using contoured and filled fonts metaphorically speaks to life and death and is
visually alluring.
Vee’s digitally collaged piece of fake news makes one reevaluate the message. The language is familiar yet unclear and mysterious. The “full” text against the red painterly background creates a feeling of angst. Ironically, the “or empty” at the bottom somehow calms it, visually stabilizing the composition.
My (Maraya) fake news speaks to the alarming situation at Coney Island, where a billionaire developer wants to replace 150 years of Coney Island history with a casino! Building a casino in Coney Island will displace thousands of local people and erase Coney’s long-standing history of the people’s playground. We must act now to stop this from happening. Learn more and sign the petition here, https://www.coneyisland.com/nocasino.
Karla explains her work: “My work is about “Lie Paper” a contemporary version of Fly Paper which is technologically embedded with lie-detection sensors. You simply hang it above your computer, desk, TV or phone charging station!
It will attract and collect all the lies for you, leaving you with a few true things to ponder.
The figure in my work represents a person – a brain filled with an overload of easily accessed and unrequested information!
Strips of lie paper filter out the lies and provide real and true information for verbally sharing with others! The National Technology Institute’s “Lie Paper” is slated to win a Nobel Prize!
It’s a mixed media collage using graphics from a 1959 collegiate shorthand book lesson page to symbolize language that is not easily interpreted by all. The figurative element is cut from a design presentation and the other elements are from a 1970 welding instruction manual.”
"The Mona Lisa had a golden hue that made the whole world seem to shimmer…It was as though the colors themselves whispered secrets." ~ Willa Cather, My Ántonia (1918)
Advanced Studio in person at our studio at BWAC were back at work on drawing the Mona Lisa. After a helpful demonstration by AYB Artist Ed Rath some even started to paint.
Use arrows to peruse photos of class in action.
Ed summarizes: “Newcomers to started their preliminary sketches on paper, using the grid to create contour line studies of the iconic Mona Lisa. They then added shading to create depth, light and atmosphere in their drawings.
Returning participants gridded off a canvas-board and transferred their contour line drawings to canvas. These drawings were more accurate than the preliminary drawings made last week, as participants became more skilled in utilizing the grid in the second attempt.
A review of shading and gray-value matching ensued, followed by a discussion of warm and cool colors. Ed explained the limited palette color choices, which included warm and cool Earth Tones plus Paynes Gray and Zinc White. Ed demonstrated how to quickly apply color glazes to create the underpainting of warm and cool tones on his canvas.
Ajani, upon finishing her canvas sketch, applied underpainting tones to her canvas-board.
At critique several people complimented their painting table partners for sharing strategies in following the grid, such as copying the source material using an upside-down orientation and using light pressure to rough-in the contour lines. Many complements went to the newcomers, whose exceptionally good drawings raised the bar for all.
It was a very full week of measuring and preparing and mural work as well as classes at AYB Art Matters at PS 17 in Jersey City, with AYB in residence with exciting art classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Dennis Buonagura, AYB Managing Director, who oversees all school partnerships recaps: “Students at PS 17, our partnership school in Jersey City, continued working on their Keith Haring projects this week. Assisting me with rolling out Evelyn's well planned (and timed!) lesson were Leo Emabat and Clementine Finn - and (I felt) that each student had great success in either overcoming challenges, learning new techniques, or verbalizing their feelings about their art making. It's usually around the 2nd meeting that our classes begin to feel comfortable with us - that we're no longer strangers - and that we're there to work with them at their own pace.
Dennis, Leo, Clementine and students in action.
Those done with their drawings covered their pencil marks with black Sharpie which gave their works a very Haring/graffiti feel. Under Leo's directions, they then erased any visible pencil marks to let the bold lines stand out even bolder. Leo demonstrated a step-by-step drawing technique on the smartboard which students responded to delightedly (I even noticed some of them sort of jumping or hopping in place in anticipation of the next step!). Leo also demonstrated and discussed how movement, sound, and radiant energy are characterized by bold lines - as seen in most all Haring's works.
During rounds of critiques, the 4th and 6th graders mentioned that drawing text (block or bubble letters) was their greatest challenge - but triumphed and conquered with Clementine's guidance.
Classes are short (45 minutes) at PS 17 but we never want our students to rush through a project - and we also don't want any to feel that they are not keeping up with their classmates. This is where our individual attention helps very much - having a support team (assistant teachers, interns, volunteers) allows us this opportunity to work directly with students (of course, depending on the sizes of the classes) and offer encouragement and the understanding of their perseverance to achieve a goal.
Clementine adds: "It was really fun seeing the kids continue their work on the projects they started last week. I especially loved seeing the 4th grade group get excited about incorporating their favorite books into their "New York is Book Country" tributes. It was a great opportunity to remind them that books can be about anything they're interested in!"
Other Art News
AYB teaching Artist Marie Roberts enthusiastically emailed “I have seen Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300–1350 three times. There is always more to see. The exhibition is an inspiration and is teaching me more about painting!”.
With this glowing recommendation, I (Meridith) went to see it myself and can really see what Marie was going on about. The rather dimly let, almost black walls of the gallery make getting right in close to the work instinctual. I found myself in intriguing conversations with fellow exhibition viewers -- the expression on that devil, the gaze directed by a gesture, the scale of the work and impact, the richness of the color and weird green skin tones all came up.
From the exhibition materials: “Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300–1350 examines an exceptional moment at the dawn of the Italian Renaissance and the pivotal role of Sienese artists—including Duccio, Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti, and Simone Martini—in defining Western painting. In the decades leading up to the catastrophic onset of the plague around 1350, Siena was the site of phenomenal artistic innovation and activity. While Florence is often positioned as the center of the Renaissance, this presentation offers a fresh perspective on the importance of Siena, from Duccio’s profound influence on a new generation of painters to the development of narrative altarpieces and the dissemination of artistic styles beyond Italy.”
The exhibition remains on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC through January 26th, 2025.
AYB Artist Gem Mercado enjoyed Obsession and Evidence at Gallery AP Space in Chelsea. A solo exhibition of Brooklyn artist Matthew Flower, AKA Machine Dazzle, who has worked as an artist, costume designer, set designer, singer, songwriter and art director.
Installation photos by Gem Mercado
The exhibition explores humanity’s relationship with waste and reimagines discarded materials. Aspects of this relationship pertain to how non-biodegradable garbage has become seemingly natural in its abundance. Alongside his sculptures, he also uses AI generated images to depict the process of naturalizing artificial elements, motivating the viewer to consider the transition from lifelessness to life.
AYB Artist Leni Silva writes: "I had the best day ever at the MoMA ps1!!" A wonderful museum located at 22-25 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens, PS 1 is free for locals and well worth the visit.
Installation photos by Lenika Silva
"Sohrab Hura: Mother weaves together bodies of work across photography, film, sound, drawing, painting, and text that have never before been shown together. Renowned for capturing remarkable everyday moments that give form to systemic political forces, Hura brings into focus colonially imposed borders, the trauma of partition, and the changing ecosystem of the Indian subcontinent." (from the promotional materials) The exhibition is on view through February 17, 2025.
Leni adds that the work by Sohrab Hura moved her to tears. Sounds like a field trip is in order!
💚💙💜♥️🩷❤️💛🩵🧡
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