Residency II Summary

Maria Jones

Academic Advisor Laurel Sparks

1 February 2013

Residency Summary

Generalizations made about my work heard across the board.

·      My work is very militaristic, and I should work at making the pieces more precise. I need to find a way to show the tension between the individual I was in the military, and the individual I am now.

·      My work is minimalist in nature, but may be lacking in information. Find a way to deal with providing some of the story without leading the viewer. The white canvas surface is taking too much of the viewer’s attention, and I need to deal with ways of reducing it to make the ribbons more important.

·      The idea surrounding this body of work, if refined properly, could be carried into my thesis project. I should continue experimentation along this idea.  I need to experiment with different formats and material to include size, shape, fabric, embroidery, wood panels, paper, enamel paint, candy, audio, video etc.

·      The flag is overpowering and should be taken out of my work until my work dictates it is absolutely necessary. Alternately, the stories of the women I am referencing are an intriguing part of the work and should be included in some way.

Comments made during critiques in chronological order.

My first critique was with Judith Barry. It was noted that my work does not take the viewer far enough into the objects to grasp what they have to say about memory and identity. I am dealing with a certain kind of memory and identity that is fraught from something else, and this needs to be dealt with. I should, however, contain myself to US and European methods. She provided me a vast list of artists working in memory, identity and feminism.

·      Study artists that work specifically with memory and identity.

·      Find ways to maintain the minimal qualities while still addressing memory and identity.

Second group critique was with Ben Sloat.  My identity pieces need to find a language for the gesture so the viewer does not have to do so much work. He was very drawn to the idea that I am still feeling abandoned by the military I was so recently a part of.

·      I should create objects that deal with the above-mentioned struggle as an individual in a structured way.

·      Be more compulsive in my production process.

On the fourth day, I had a critique with my first semester advisor, Sunanda Sanyal.  He feels I have made significant progress since my first residency.  The work with insignia as motifs is a new way of working with military objects and I should continue pursuing the minimalistic play.

·      Make each object more precise to play up the minimalism.

·      Every object must work with the piece and not distract. Find ways to recreate found objects that would otherwise be used to complete a piece.

·      Possibility of creating an overall souvenir or gift shop.

This critique was followed by critiques with Stuart Steck and Ceseare Pietrouisti. Both faculties feel the work needs to be more precise, and experimentation with the format is necessary. The overall idea is sound and needs to be dealt with on a material level.

·      Explore all aspects of the material and possibly produce larger works.

·      Be more precise in my painting and sculpting methods.

My final faculty critique was with my new advisor Laurel Sparks. She feels my content is solid, but I need to work on refining the end product. We discussed the pleasantness of the mystery within the paintings, but possibly finding a way to share more for those who need it.

·      Refine the end product and think about format and material.

·      Flag, bowl and found cigar boxes are overpowering and need to be rethought.

Student critiques began with Ya La’Ford.  We discussed the struggle of being a woman and receiving the same respect men receive upon separation from service.  She recommended I work with specific military iconography and different positional aspects of military objects. She also suggested I monitor my decisions and steer clear of perpetuating the issue.  I need to work to disucss the solution and keep the frustration I am feeling out of it.

·      Look into women in the military statistics.

·      Talk about the stories of the women I am portraying in my paintings in an installation or a set of stories.

I also met with Casey Arbor, Jenna Powell and Kristin Selesnick.  The general consensus was my work is moving in a good direction with a good idea that can be expanded upon and experimented with. Each critique provided many artists for me to study, and interesting exchange on material processes. It was recommended I experiment with plaster and different forms of gesso surfaces.

My final critiques were with Julie Lindel and Nina Atta. Both graduates are working in a conceptual manner and recommended I continue to consider what is enough information without giving too much or not enough. Julie suggested I look into institutional art, artists and practices. Both suggested I experiment with things that emphasize the abandonment by implying passing of time.

·      Experiment with elements like rain, smoke, drippings, etc., and document the progress through photography or film.

·      Explore social aspects of the work by approaching other women discharged from the military.

·      Decide if the physical object of the work is important to the concept, or if digital representations could work as well.

My second residency helped me see the significant progress I have made. I have learned that my current work, although moving in a viable conceptual direction, has an expansive amount of experimentation and development to undergo before reaching its full potential.  My work continues to tell a story and work in series, which directly relates to the archival nature of society today. Critical Theory II taught me a great deal about why society archives, the death drive and artist’s desire to explore the human instinct to archive our past.  The information I learned from the critical theory lectures directly relates to the work being created today by all artists and it gives me a point in contemporary art to contextualize my ideas.  This semester I intend to experiment with suggestions from my critiques, and hone my concepts through academic research in identity, memory, femininity and institutions.

Artists to research: Allan McCollum, Baj Enrico, Bruce Nauman, Christian Boltanski, Claes Oldenburg, David Waranovich, Doho Suh, Felix Gonzalez Torres, Francis Elise, Gerhardt Richter, Glenn Ligon, Jimmy Durham, Kara Walker, Ken Hruby, Laurna Simpson, Louise Berger, Marilyn Minter, Martha Rosler, Mike Kelley, Nancy Spiro, Paul McCarthy, Renee Green, Santiago Sierra, Sophie Calle, Sue Williams, Susan Hiller, Thelma Golden, Wayne Gyton, Walid Raad, Wolfgang Laiv, Yaka Kusama

Books to read:  Making Memory Matter by Lisa Saltzman, Identity Crisis by Jim Harper, The Craftsman by Robert Sennett, Feminism by Phaidon Books, Art and Thingness Part I-III by Sven Lutticken, Neo-Materialism Part I-III by Joshua Simon, Powers of the Hoard by Jane Bennett, Various Whitechapel books (memory, painting, identity conceptualism), Psychogeography by Merlin Coverley, Constructing Masculinity by Maurice Berger