Without Ceres and Bacchus, Venus will freeze.

Kapamilya: My Senior Exhibit

I am not one to draw preliminary sketches and meticulously plan the composition of my pieces.  Instead, I like to let happenstance and my ever-evolving ideas dictate how a final piece will look.  I begin by brainstorming to come up with possible concepts, materials and approaches for the piece and then quickly begin the act of making without any further planning.  This process has allowed me to make art in the creative manner and artistic style I enjoy most.  I decided to use this approach for my senior exhibit and combine it with an entity I hold near and dear to my heart.

The word “kapamilya” means family member or relative in Tagalog, the Philippine dialect.  The family is an integral aspect of Philippine culture, with members depending heavily on each other for support and abundance.  However, as a Filipino-American, I believe it is important to become an individual and shape your own life while staying true to your family’s beliefs.  To me, kapamilya is about the dynamics and congruency of a family that stem from each member’s role.  I kept in mind this concept of togetherness as well as individualism when creating portraits for my family members.

I worked on all the pieces at the same time, allowing them to grow and evolve together, shaping each other and shaping the way I approached them.  I learned from one portrait to the next what worked and what did not.  As experimentation turned into knowledge, my process became a metaphor for the way a family grows based on the successes and failures of one another, along with how each member can maintain a distinct identity despite the family’s commonalities.

My family has always supported and encouraged my love of art.  They appreciate my talents when I doubt myself, and they encourage me to always learn and grow.  I am pursuing my passion because I know there are people out there who are rooting for me to succeed.  In learning about the people that shaped who I am today, I hope you learn a little bit about me in each of the portraits as well.

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My show is up until Saturday!  Go check it out!  :)

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Star Alignment.

Just to remind you—I’M GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD, AND IT’S GOING TO BE THROUGH ART.  THERE IS NO WAY THIS IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.  The stars have already aligned, the world has already conspired this as my future.  All I had to do was see it.  All I had to do was put all the pieces together that I have been slowly gathering over the past few years in order to see the final picture.  And as of late, I have been getting several signs.

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Exhibit One—RISD’s Master of Arts in Arts and Design Education, Community Arts Education Track
I was looking at grad school programs that partner with an Americorps program I applied to, and I found the Rhode Island School of Design.  I originally thought about doing grad school for painting or some kind of fine arts, but after seeing the above degree option, I’m certain that is what I want to do in the future.  It focuses on teaching art for community projects and organizations, after-school programs, etc. and partners with an organization that introduces art to inner-city children as a means of expression and possible ticket to college.  This takes my love of art and combines it with helping children in poverty.  Perfect.

Exhibit Two—John Legend Concert
I’m aware of the education inequality epidemic and care deeply about the cause, but the way John Legend presented it in his speech last week inspired me on a new level.  He talked about how important the arts are in closing the achievement gap because not every student will be inspired by basic subjects to the point where they are compelled to escape poverty, but there are those who would be willing to for art.  Well, we gotta help everyone, not just the math and science heads.  And as an art virtuoso, it is my duty to spread my knowledge to those who share the same passion as me and inspire them to do big things with the arts the same way I plan to.  Duly noted, Mr. Legend. Duly noted.

Exhibit Three—ECAASU
ECAASU this past weekend was one of the most inspiring weekends I’ve had all school year.  ECAASU pretty much reassured me that art is not only needed in today’s society, but that it is the answer to how the world will change for the better.  Art is an incredibly powerful entity that spreads awareness in ways nothing else can—through visuals, music, literature, poetry, spoken word, film, dance, etc.  The arts were the reason movements were created in the past and the reason things were able to change.  So today we artists need to come together and start movements, cause ruckuses, and use our talents to improve the present situation.

Exhibit Four—This cool video.
Speaks for itself.  Watch it.  All of it.

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I know what I have to do in order to reach my goals will be not be easy, and I’m not expecting it to be.  Life’s not easy, but it’s worthwhile.  There’s no reason why you can’t be ecstatic about waking up everyday and working towards doing what you want to do.  So pay attention to the stars in your life and find what drives you.  Then work towards it.

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r-lean:

Yesterday, I went on a DC adventure with friends. And eventually we ended up at the National Gallery of Art. We walked aimlessly around, looking at portraits and paintings. We even checked out the new “Black List” exhibit, which showcases stunningly simplistic photographs of influential African…

Hi, I’m an art major, so it’s only fitting that I defend my people and my craft.

I know how you feel.  Everyone feels that way.  I also used to feel the same.  But like everything else in this world, you can’t appreciate something if you don’t take the time to learn about its history and evolution.  There is a reason why things that five-year-olds can make are worth millions, and if you take the time to learn about it you’ll understand as well.  I’m not saying you will particularly agree—I don’t particularly agree with everything—but you’ll at least give it the respect it deserves.

Visual art is like all other forms of art.  Automatically shutting off contemporary visual art and saying it’s not as good as the “more realistic stuff” is like shutting off rap and saying it’s trash compared to classical music.  Or saying hip-hop dancing is trash compared to the fox trot or the waltz. All forms of art derive from a movement, from people that felt underrepresented and wished to speak out and make a difference.  Contemporary art is the same.

In the 1400s/1500s art was almost purely made for religious purposes, and since majority of people weren’t literate, art was the only way to teach people about religion.  That’s why art from the Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance periods were all very realistic, glorifying, and larger than life—they were trying to inspire people to convert.  But as time went on, people became more literate, independent from religion, and more aware of other issues in the world.

With a more literate world came more ways to express and share ideas.  Art was no longer needed to teach and inspire.  So contemporary artists started to re-conceptualize art’s role in the world.  They started thinking about mediums and materials used, the emotions evoked from looking at a piece of art, the actual process of art-making.  And they pushed these ideas to their limit.  Artists are no longer confined to the rules of the Church; they have the freedom to use any medium, material, figures, shapes, colors, anything they want to express whatever they want.  And trust me, everything has a purpose.

Picasso, an art prodigy, once said, “It took me my whole life to learn to draw like a kindergartner.”

I can keep going forever but I’m going to stop cause this is already too long.  I hope you read through what I write and at least give modern art a chance.  There’s a lot that can be learned from it.  I promise it’s not worthless.  Like you say—to each their own.

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David de Rothschild’s interview with author, poet, filmmaker, and professor MK Asante Jr. on how art inspired him and his opinions on the industrialism of formal education.  Interesting and inspirational.

The next Martin Luther King, Jr.

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WHAT A SEXY BEAST

I’m currently reading a great book called It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop: The Rise of the Post Hip-Hop Generation by 29-year-old author, filmmaker, and college professor M.K. Asante, Jr. [who very much may be the next MLK Jr. in my opinion]. It’s about the horrible state of hip-hop today and what can be done to change and improve the future.  I felt like this quote from the book really spoke to me so I made a poster of it.

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Sneak peek of a piece from my Senior Studio class.  I’m making mixed-media portraits of family and friends using different materials, mediums, styles, colors, and techniques to illustrate who they are and what they mean to me.  So excited to start working on it again!

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We will Prevail.  We are Virginia Tech.

I made this piece in December in response to the shooting threat and Officer Crouse’s death.  I wanted to make a piece that juxtaposes the images of chaos with the peace and strength of our school and community.

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fuckyeahbookarts:

Excerpt from ‘A Man Without a Country’ by Kurt Vonnegut

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Algonkian Park at Sunset.

I wanted to create a story with the pictures I took.  Can you interpret it?

Plus, I am ADDICTED to Lightroom.  supp Mikey JayJay Urgel?!?!!

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