This work is a life size sculpture of ballerina legs and tutu made out of wire, wire mesh, and woven fabric. This particular piece was a big turning point for me this semester. Not only have I never had a chance to work in three dimensions, but I have never made anything quite so large. One way that my work has progresses is that I have begun to build larger pieces-- a year ago I never would have thought of building a life size model of legs, and I still hope to continue to make even larger pieces. I have also progressed in that I have begun to experiment with other materials; this was my first attempt at making something with wire. This piece was inspired by a ballerina painting by Degas. I wanted to bring the painting to 3D and also add some humor by flipping the legs upside down so that the legs are up in the air—a very clumsy position for a graceful ballet dancer to be in. Making this piece was a great learning moment in many ways. I learned how to manipulate new materials and I learned how to manage my time since due dates always seem to come much faster than it takes to create my ideas. I’ve also learned a lot about what I want my work to say and how to talk about them through the critiques that I’ve attended this semester.

I’ve been to a few shows and events this semester which were very interesting and informative. A couple weeks ago I attended the opening for Tara’s show, “down to a science”. The large, glowing blood drops that she hung from the ceiling were visually amazing and she had a great concept behind the installation as well. Earlier this semester I helped hang a student show downtown at the Beard gallery. It was my first time helping to hang one and was interesting to learn about the work that needs to be done to prepare a show; I also enjoyed seeing other students work. I also went on the art club’s NYC trip to see PS1. The art there was modern and unlike anything I’d seen before. There were many video installations and performance art that was very different. I’ve attended a few other events through the art club such as an enameling workshop by Jen Bell which was very interesting as well. Being a part of the art club was a really good way for me to get involved in events around campus and also introduced me to other art students whose advice and encouragement was beneficial to my work.

After seeing the “Fax” and “Girl” exhibits at the Dowd gallery, I discovered an artist named Minna Resnick whose art I really enjoy. She does prints and drawings that are both unbelievable and display strong messages. I like that her drawings are so realistic and she will make prints over the top of her drawings that are very graphic, which gives her works some strong contrast. I would love to find more shows that she is in to see more of her work.

This semester, I’ve had many classmates whose thoughts have influenced my work. I’ve had a couple of classes with students in the BFA program who are very helpful when giving feedback about my work. They are very good sources when looking for advice or a second opinion and are always willing to help. My best critique moment was with a fibers project that turned out to not be very good. It was the constructive criticism in that project that helped me to go above and beyond with my next project which came out much better and received a much more positive critique. It helped that the students in my class were not afraid to put down aspects of my piece so that next time I could have something to improve upon. My perspective of the arts has also changed in that the more time I spend working on projects for hours and days at a time trying to make them flawless, the more inspired I become to create something bigger and better the next time. When I look at a huge sculpture or large painting it amazes me how someone has enough passion to spend so much time perfecting a piece.

Next semester I plan on continuing my concentration in painting and hopefully learn to create large pieces that convey strong messages. Continuing to experiment with different materials and mediums is also important to me. I would like to get better at talking about my pieces and coming up with more concrete concepts. I plan on doing this by participating more in the class critiques and asking questions.