2- Kim: Snow Sculpture Ideas

Someone in class mentioned an outdoor classroom, and I love the idea of a sculpture that invites people to come sit or play on it. It might be fun to recreate a scene, such as the Mad Tea Party in Disneyland. We could build up the tea cups with chunks of snow, like an upside-down igloo, and leave a bench inside to sit on.

a better photo from flickr is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/partyhare/2784784357/

Also, here are instructions from an amateur snow sculptor on how he keeps the snow perfect for molding: http://www.snowbizz.com/SnowSculpting%20Page/TenThumbs/pg5HotSnow.htm

Snow Sculpture Idea

Continuing along in the Stonehenge theme, I thought this was pretty funny. However, it might be very hard to compact such large amounts of snow. We could build it into a big pile and then use our shovels to pack it down as much as possible, then shave away the shape. I'm guessing with out time and tools, we could possibly make it about as tall as a person.

-Kati

What is Art?

Art is a visible form of self-expression; it brings abstract emotions, thoughts, and ideas into the realm of physical space. Art may be presented in a variety of forms and mediums even through mixed mediums.  Unique from other forms of self-expression, art seems slightly more humanly universal in that it holds the capability to transcend language differences with the capability of presenting nuances that may have many interpretations to different audiences.  Though indeed art can (and perhaps should) come from an internal and individual place, it can be shared and developed through and artist’s emergence into an artistic community.  One of my favorite examples of such a community is that of the impressionists whose work was shunned by the artistic community at large but reflected a questioning of society and a change in techniques; engaging multiple individuals in their artistic endeavors. The picture is an example of the revolutionary work of Paul Signac, a neo-impressionist.
--Abby McHugh

Kati: What is art?

I think art is less the product than it is the process. In my opinion, two people can produce identical products, but that doesn't make them both art. For example, consider an architect taking photographs of an old house for inspiration. He may believe the house is "art," but not his photographs; they are a tool to help him remember. However, if an art student visits the property, carefully considers angles, and takes a photo, I think his is art, even if it is identical to the architect's photo. Art is the intentional product of the process of doing art, and so has no set categories or bounds about what that product itself has to do or be. Doing art, I think, is a creative act of pursuing something more than just a product. In the instance of using a phrase like "the art of teaching," we are conveying that a good teacher does more than just achieve the product of knowledge transfer-- they create something more in the process.

This is a photograph my little sister took of the sidewalk outside our house.

And this is a photograph I found online that someone took as evidence of how poorly maintained sidewalks in his hometown were. 

I think what matters here is less how beautiful or aesthetically striking the photographs are, because that is a matter of taste and not a question of art, but rather that my little sister was intentionally engaging in the creative process of doing art and I have no reason to believe the man was.

1 - Carmen: What is art?

Art is active. It depends on the interaction between artist/audience, form/content, intent/interpretation, and physical manifestation/emotion. Art can be created, performed, observed, interpreted...regardless of the exchange, it is driven by its relationships with the people with whom it interacts. As a result of its active nature, art does not simply observe the world. Rather, it intentionally recreates our perceptions, critiques them, and inspires discourse. One of my favorite quotes addresses this issue beautifully: "Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it." (Bertolt Brecht)

"Oaxaca" 

collaboration between Swoon & Monica Canilao

Feral exhibit, Luggage Store Gallery (2008)

Jane: What is art?

I don't believe that anyone can claim to hold the definitive answer to this question. I'll contend, though, that some answers might be more correct than others (though I won't claim to possess one of them). I'll start with what is not art: a discarded ratty container carrying remnants of Cracklin O's. A signed ratty container displayed at the RISD museum? Perhaps the light hits the Cracklin O's crumbs just so, artfully, even. Perhaps the piece serves as a commentary towards our own wasteful eating habits. Is pure intention enough to transform refuse into art? Regardless, someone agreed to place it on display, perhaps a Cracklin O's fan.

The word art, too, is used rather liberally. I can shave my legs really well, but can you call that an art? How about the art of war, the art of conversation, the art of seduction? Artist is equated with master, a linguistic error in my view. 

So art is not shaving, and art is not (arguably) a ratty container. Yet it's strange that the definition of art, a noun, is up for debate: not what qualifies good art, but characteristics a piece has to have in order to achieve artistic status. And isn't it the status, really, that has driven our definitions over the centuries? The same argument that differentiated graffiti and other "lower" artistic endeavors from art? What encompasses art today is broader than ever, considering the rise of graphic and electronic media now constantly testing held beliefs. 

I suppose I'll formulate my own opinion now:

Art is a form of creative expression produced and/or conceptualized by an artist, one who endeavors to create that which might move us, inspire us, provoke us into thought. An artist chooses the lens through which he sees the world, and through creation attempts to impart that lens to an audience. 

What is art by Jacqueline Feiler

Art is created when the artist chooses to present something to the viewer to make them ask the questions is this art? Is this beauty? Is this interesting? Is this inventive? Or art is the artist's expression of herself, an emotion, or an idea. A painting allows the viewer to see the world through the eye of the artist. If the mountains are painted way above with dark colors and jagged edges we feel intimidate with the artist, or mountains could also appear meditative and spiritual if painted like below. I don't believe there is any objective criteria for art because even an empty frame or simply a title next to nothing can make someone as "is this art?" These pieces by Caspar David Friedrich and Alberto Giacometti are two of my favorite!