Charrette

Glenwood Mural Charrette

          Becca and I were in a group for the charrette on Friday. She had been there all morning and afternoon working with the other people in our group on some designs. They each spent almost the entire morning creating their own designs which were very colorful, geometric, and some were very strange. We started talking about what we both think should be our proposal for the mural. I brought in my picture of my good public art precedent and we both liked the idea. Once we talked about the trolleys that were a large part of the Glenwood community, we decided to go with something different. We were going to have two pictures in one. It would be a 3D piece of art in which on one side, you would see a picture of the old Glenwood trolley, and how Glenwood is today. Because it was only us two people, it was difficult to quickly make a representation of what our proposal was in an hour and half. We couldn't find any nice photos online of Glenwood's trolley then and now, so we were going to use a picture of the old A&P grocery store on Asheboro Street in the early 1930s on one side and the same location where it was today, the Down & Out Performance. 

Idea Precedent

A&P, Asheboro Street, early 1930s

 

Former A&P site, 901 West Lee Street

http://www.groceteria.com/place/southeast/greensboro/greensboro-in-the-1930s/

Bad Public Art Precedent

          I chose this "restoration" of Jesus to be an example of bad public art because the old woman took a famous symbol and ruined it. I find that choosing something or someone so well- known could be both controversial and difficult because people will be able to recognize if it really looks like the real object or person and can easily be made horrible.

Good Public Art Precedent

I chose this example of pointillism because I believe that it would be a great way to get the community of Glenwood interested and active in the mural. Everyone could be asked to create their own painting of what they love or find the most memorable in Glenwood, and then put them all together to create a larger image of something in or to represent Glenwood.

Reading Response 5

Collaborative, Creative Placemaking

          Designing without thinking about the user is one of the worst offenses that a designer, architect, or artist could do. Creating a piece of art that is specially designed for a certain community can be difficult, but it is one of the most rewarding things and means the most to the clients. The community would feel as if the piece reflects their unique and individual area and could not be placed anywhere else. 

          Creating a piece of art that is evoking is something completely different. As the article states, "It is difficult to design a space that will not attract people...", attracting people is one thing, but making them think and feel something deep is another and should be something that we all strive for. Another important aspect is to maintain the piece of art. If a piece of art is greatly maintained, then more people would be more willing to look it, but it's not, then people won't feel safe and won't want to give it the time of day. Knowing the exact location is a key element in creating and maintaining a piece of art.

Project for Public Spaces | Collaborative, Creative Placemaking: Good Public Art Depends on Good Public Spaces. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2014, from http://www.pps.org/reference/collaborative-creative-placemaking-good-public-art-depends-on-good-public-spaces/

Video Response: Parks and Recreations

The Camel

          I think this episode of Parks and Recreation is a perfect example of almost all group projects. While trying to come up with an idea for a mural in their building, Leslie encourages everyone to come up with their own ideas, which led to a disaster. Almost everyone came up with bad or disturbing ideas, and when Jerry actually came up with a good idea, no one respected him for it or cared about it. They put the murals to a vote, and everyone voted for their own idea because no one could see the potential in anyone else's idea and thought theirs was the best. When they decided to combine the all of the ideas it was an even worse idea that didn't make any sense. Leslie decided that winning the competition was more important than having everyone's idea represented, so they went with a "safe" idea of an old man feeding birds in a park, which Mark came up with. In the end, Leslie found out that having fun with the mural and your friends was more important than winning the competition. 

          In real life, there normally is the same types of people when it comes to groups. Almost everybody will think that their idea is the best and won't be open to other people's idea and most definitely will not consider the idea of someone they don't respect or make fun of. I did like the idea of letting the users try to decide what the mural would be because they would be the ones having to see it everyday, which is what I think we should do with the Glenwood mural.

Reading Response 4

Mural at Mirfield Railway Station

           Graffiti normally has a bad connotation, but that was until a group of graffiti artists got together to design and paint a mural in the United Kingdom. Most everybody is in agreement that this mural was a great way to brighten up a dark place in their city, and allowed young teenagers to express themselves through art. Because Matthew Evans is a local citizen of Mirfield, the design better represents the community. I believe that we could tie this into the Glenwood mural and have some citizens explain to us what they would like in their community that would best represent them. The mural in Mirfield is of a beautiful landscape that is sunny and cheerful that reflects places around them. I think this might be a good approach to the Glenwood mural because they might need something pleasant and sunny to look at in their neighborhood.

Young people unveil mural at Mirfield Railway Station - Huddersfield Examiner. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2014, from http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/local-news/young-people-unveil-mural-mirfield-6316586

Reading Response 3

Exploring Local Greenways

          Greensboro's Greenway is opening up and making way for more bicyclist and pedestrian friendly paths. Greensboro's plan is to have 400 miles of trails and greenways, of which we currently have about 150 miles and counting. One of the new projects is creating a 4 mile long greenway downtown that brings together bicyclists, pedestrians, and artists. The downtown greenway features benches, monuments, and bike racks from local artists, and will soon have more.

          I think it's wonderful that Greensboro is trying to get people to come together as a community to be healthy and active, while enjoying local art, but I think that the art in the downtown greenway should have a common theme. The art below the Spring Garden St. underpass contains very bold and geometric shapes, whereas the "Gateway of the Open Book"is more organic and Roman inspired. Some bike racks are more literal, and some are more abstract. One set of benches are inspired by traditional living room furniture, while the other is more "inspiring" in a literal sense. I appreciate that Greensboro has eclectic art, but the artists should have come together to find out what the community would want and have a common theme or motive.

Exploring Local Greenways: Greensboro’s Artistic Twist | WUNC. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2014, from http://wunc.org/post/exploring-local-greenways-greensboros-artistic-twist

Reading Response 2

The Heidelberg Project

          In Detroit, Tyree Guyton founded the Heidelberg Project, which is a group of people who use everyday, discarded objects to create art on abandoned buildings in the neighborhood to make forgotten buildings beautiful again. Their mission is to "...inspire people to appreciate and use artistic expression to enrich their lives and to improve the social and economic health of their greater community." They engage the whole community to come together from all ages, ethnicity, and backgrounds to import art and education, community development, and tourism.         

          From our class discussion, I now understand that there is a positive and negative aspect to everything, even if it sounds as innocent as possible. While some people are in support of the Heidelberg Project, some people are dead set against it. When doing something as bold as the communities are doing, it is best to seek out the opinions of fellow people in the community. Some people thing that the Heidelberg Project is an eye soar and a collection of trash that they just can't escape from. Other people believe that it is a beautiful thing that will help save the city of Detroit.

The Heidelberg Project | Open-Air Art | Art Education | Detroit. (n.d.). Retrieved January 29, 2014, from http://www.heidelberg.org/

Reading Response 1

Mural Painting

          

          A mural is a great way add some life and character to a space that otherwise couldn't be achieved. But to begin that mural, there are a lot of different steps that must be taken and different variables that have to be taken into consideration. One of the biggest decision making factors is whether the mural will be interior or exterior. That factor helps decide the type of paint, some paint colors, the theme of the mural, the cost, and other major variables.

          Because I work at Sherwin-Williams, I can attest to the importance of using the right product on the correct substrate and using the right methods to prepare said substrate. Without a good working foundation, a mural, as well as most everything else, will not be of high quality or stand the test of time. Eric Alan Grohe demonstrated this perfectly while doing his mural for Miller Brewing Co. He used aluminum panels instead of the original walls because the substrate would need to withstand heat, and the aluminum panel would work better.

          In the case of the Barnstormers, substrate integrity is not something that they are worried about. They know that the walls of the abandoned places they choose to paint could easily fall over before the mural is even completed. On the other hand, Susan Togut find that the substrate of using wooden panels can greatly improve the safety for children, and the overall quality of the mural because the panels allow people to focus on a specific area, instead of the whole mural.

Mural Painting. (n.d.). Golden Artist Colors. Retrieved January 20, 2014, from http://www.goldenpaints.com/justpaint/jp10article1.php