GLOBAL LEARNING COURSES
Introduction to East Asia
This class introduced me to China and Japan on a deeper level. While these countries are intrinsically interesting for cultures that are so different from what Americans are accustomed to, it is also becoming increasingly difficult to ignore them on a geo-political stage. Understanding East Asia did not only broaden my cultural perspective, but it helped me see how interdependent their relationship is with the West. Our discussion posts consisted of language, art, traditions, stereotypes, and current events. Below I have included my responses for two of my favorite topics:
Chinese Calligraphy
In China, calligraphy was considered not just a form of decorative art; it was valued more than painting and sculpture, and ranked alongside poetry. To understand calligraphy, it is necessary to consider the materials used in calligraphy and the nature of the Chinese written script as well as the esteem in which writing and literacy are held in traditional China. One of the truly unique features of calligraphy that results from these apparently restrictive guidelines is that the viewer is able to mentally retrace, stroke by stroke, the exact steps by which the work was made. The viewer also is able to observe where a stroke was made swiftly or slowly, whether the brush was put to the paper with great delicacy or force, and so on.
The earliest extant examples of Chinese writing are the inscriptions that appear on oracle bones and bronze vessels dating back to the Shang dynasty. The kings used these objects for divination rituals and some scholars believe this gave a special status to those who could read and write. A typical brush consists of a bundle of animal hairs pushed inside a tube of bamboo. Brushes come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes that determine the type of line produced. All brushes had their flexibility in common. It is this feature more than any other that allows the calligraphic line to be so fluid and expressive. The ink used in calligraphy is usually made from lampblack, a sooty residue created by burning pine resin, mixed with glue, and pressed into molds. This can be ground against a stone then mixed with water to control the thickness of the ink and density of the pigment. Paper was made from various fibers, such as mulberry, hemp, and bamboo, and provided an inexpensive alternative to silk as a ground material for calligraphy and painting. The invention of paper is widely appreciated as one of China's major technological contributions to the world.
At the Lowe Art Museum, I was in love with the calligraphy displayed on a cloth. I was unable to interpret the meaning of the characters, however I felt the emotions behind the ink. Furthermore, I was able to appreciate the skills needed to complete such a piece. The reason being that ink happens to be permanent, therefore the artisan only had one shot at getting it right before the cloth must be scraped. If one were to look closely, there were several red colored stamps on display too. These represent the number of owners who have possessed this specific piece since its creation by the artisan. In other words, they basically were showing off their ability to possess a highly valued form of art.
Chinese Zodiacs
I had never really looked into Chinese Zodiacs. I have always just stuck to my astrological sign as a Leo. It was this discussion that has made me appreciate Chinese Zodiacs and want to look into more depth on the subject. According to my peers, there are a total of 12 Chinese Zodiacs, the cycle renews itself every 12 years, and no constellations are involved. Instead, the animals who are thought to have participated in the mythical Great Race are represented. Those who had welcomed the challenge of crossing the river were the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the rooster, the dog, and the pig.
It all started with the Jade Emperor who called for the animals to a meeting. He had told them he was going to honor the first 12 animals to get across the river with their very own year. Since the rat could not swim, he decided to trick the ox into letting him ride on his back. Then, the rabbit began to hop across on the stones that were embedded in the water and at some point slipped onto a floating log. Meanwhile, the goat, the rooster, and the monkey were still on land trying to think of a plan. When a raft appeared in front of them, they all hopped on it and began to work together. Not to mention, the dragon had almost flown over the entire river when he saw the rabbit needed some help in which costed him some time. Once the ox reached the other side, the rat jumped off his back to beat him to the finish line. Hence, the Jade Emperor stayed true to his word and made the rat the 1st Zodiac Symbol. After everyone crossed, the animals were invited to the palace for a party.
I happen to be an Earth Tiger. It says that my strengths are being courageous, loyal, trustworthy, intelligent, and virtuous. However, I am the type that has a bad temper. To me, I feel these characteristics accurately reflect me. Those who best fit me are dragons, horses, and pigs. I found it really cool to see my peers connecting with their own zodiacs too. I was able to meet several ox, rats, and other tigers. Overall, I was surprised by how much the Chinese Zodiacs reveal about you. It can reveal your wealth, luck, personality, and marriage compatibility to other Zodiacs. In fact, the discussion mentioned, these are taken so seriously that the birth rates fluctuate greatly with the sign of that year.
Introduction to Sociology
This class introduced me to sociological perspectives and the study of issues. Sociology can be defined as the study of group interactions and social interactions, from small groups to very large groups. Sociologists working from the micro-level study small groups and individual interactions, while those using macro-level analysis look at trends among and between large groups and societies We had touched upon deviance, education, family, religion, marriage, government, wealth, healthcare, sexuality, gender, racism, and sexism from different points of view.
Honors Seminar
Art Basel 2017
Garbage Wall Exhibition
A & V 2018 Catalogue
A & V 2018
Floor Plan
A & V 2018 Reception
This class made me realize how little I knew about Miami and encouraged us to let our inner tourist out. Not only was it unique, but I made unforgettable memories. The places we visited were the Lowe Art Museum, Rubell Collection, Deering Estate, Vizcaya, PAMM, Margulies Collection, LNS Gallery, Obsolete Media Miami, Locust Projects, and Untitled. The Drawing of Drawing Session with Ofri at Vizcaya had been a participatory performance rooted in the conventional method of sketching sessions in historical museums. In the picturesque setting of Vizcaya the process began with one person sitting in front of a selected masterpiece to draw it. A short distance behind, a second person drew the first person drawing object or view; forming a line of drawers of drawers. After each assignment, the first in the line would move to the end turning the performance itself into a drawn human line that was constantly moving through its surroundings. This causes a shift in local point and challenges the conversation between concepts of skill, art training, subjectivities, and the act of seeing. The Zip Odes 2018 with WLRN and O Miami allowed us to share our zip code inspired poems to guests before the award ceremony for the winners actually began. Each line was limited in the number of words used considering it was already indicated in the numbers within your zip code. My poem, “33185,” was: Dear New Neighbors, noise travels far. Walls. Last time I checked, do not block sound. How about inviting me over? Not only did I read it to Betsy and Richard, but we got to explore the grounds of Vizcaya for the last time.
One of our big projects required us to look for trash at the Deering Estate that way a Garbage Wall could be built for Art Basel 2017. I had to swim across the water to get to the kayaks near the mangroves. We found lots of cool things like a wooden cross, an illegal lobster trap, several colorful buoys, a huge tire, some sandals, and a plastic chair. Not to mention, some girl in my class had cut herself, climbing a mangrove, just so she could get a large bright red rope. The amount of trash we accumulated was absurd and goes to show the things we leave lying around makes the environment suffer as a result. Prior to Art Basel, we transported all the trash to Miami Beach using our cars. The wife of Gordon Matta-Clark turned out to be the brain behind this project. She was the one who invited us all to help her build the Trash Wall in his memory. I was responsible for placing the garbage into the concrete, chipping at the drywall, and washing over certain areas with a sponge. When the trash started running low, a group of us got weird looks for dumpster diving on the beach; making my cheeks turn red with embarrassment. Anyways, our Garbage Wall made the headline of Art News, the oldest and most circulated art magazine in the world.
The pressure started to pile up once we started getting closer to the date of the A & V 2018 Exhibition. We all worked together to submit contracts that were pending, edit mistakes found within the artist biographies, secure entertainment for the guests, convince local vendors into donating food, and finalize the budget for the catalogue. As a curator, I was to envision where each artwork fit best to make the imaginary cohesive space a reality. It was simply icing on the cake to see my hard work paying off after such a whirlwind of events. In total, the class fundraised two thousand dollars from book sales for the A & V 2018 Exhibition in less than a year. A majority of the books were donated to Michelle when an English Professor who owned them passed away. Without a doubt, approximately six hundred used books of all different genres were sold. Our profit went towards the cost of the catalogue which featured each artist and the artworks they were showcasing. I remember bonding with a girl over the bookshelves overflowing with books at home. There were days I would handle counting the cash, another person would swipe credit cards, and someone else would update our budget sheet to keep the pace going.
My artist, David Rohn, opened my eyes to the homeless population in Miami. He told us it all began when a friend had kindly asked him to please donate the sleeping bags she sewed by hand. This experience inspired David Rohn to gather necessities at the end of every week, so he could distribute goodies among those who have made the streets of Downtown their home. He says this act alone has earned him the nickname of “Sock Man.” One of David Rohn's most treasured experiences was befriending a homeless man named Willy. This inspired David Rohn to create life-size cutouts of himself, embodying the homeless people he meets, and to exhibit them on the walls near busy streets so their voices can be heard. He said that it only made Willy smile when he first understood the message behind it. When we first met David Rohn as a group, he insisted that we give out necessities to the homeless of Downtown the following weekend. I was told to hand out clothes along with Richard, Betsy gave out water bottles, David Rohn and Ely passed out socks. This experience made me realize how blessed I am to help others and how grateful I should be to have what I have. The thank you's we got for our deed made me feel good all day.
The A & V 2018 Reception ran smoothly as expected. We were really thankful for the $1,500 donation that Dean Espinosa from the Honors College gave us. It was able to give us a lot of wiggle room to go all out with a total budget of $4000. According to my professor, there were about two thousand people that showed up to our event. I was the only Bahamas Breeze Runner, however I ended up being an all-around Food Runner. When I would take food outside, the food inside was running low. When I would take food inside, the food outside was running low. There was never a time where I was not running back and forth. At some point, someone hit me with the revolving kitchen door, spilling a sauce for the appetizers all over the carpet and knocking the bread off the tray that rested in my hand. I had guests follow me like vultures, thinking I had the chicken tenders, only to be disappointed to see the bread tray. It seemed like the chicken tenders and party platter donations I managed to get were paying off. There was so much food that we did not have enough space to lay out the trays all at once. Meanwhile, the artworks were creating intriguing conversations among the guests. Many people were taking a tour with my classmates to learn more about the pieces. In the end, we had a lot of drinks as well as loaves of bread left to donate. A peer suggested giving it to her local Church, therefore they could send it off to Haiti. Our estimated donation was $2,516.86 in U.S. dollars, yet $163,000 in Haitian currency. I could not have been more pleased to have ended this journey on such a good note.