Nora Ballard
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noraballard.bsky.social
Nora Ballard
@noraballard.bsky.social
ASEM 2488
I am proud of my growth this quarter as a consumer of art, and an art writer. Thank you to all the peers and mentors I met during this course who learned about and experienced some amazing pieces of art with me :)
#ConArtInSitu
June 2, 2024 at 1:28 AM
This installation by Angel Song Benton was a work of contemporary art unlike any other I encountered this quarter.
#ConArtInSitu
June 2, 2024 at 12:55 AM
Another one of my favorite pieces in the Victoria Myhren Art and Davis Art Galleries was the "Flower Study" by Haven Hinds. This work presented an interesting intersection of history and contemporary, displaying extinct flowers through contemporary digital art.
June 2, 2024 at 12:18 AM
Culminating my journey with contemporary art this quarter, I visited DU's Schwader Art building. Currently, the Victoria Myhren Art Gallery and Davis Art Gallery showcase DU's most talented artists.
#ConArtInSitu
June 1, 2024 at 11:41 PM
Some of the pieces within Biophilia were interactive in the sense that they provided good "photo opps." In my opinion, this is a new aspect of art that has gained popularity along with social media and photo-sharing platforms.
#ConArtInSitu
May 25, 2024 at 10:51 PM
"Meadow" by Studio Drift, was my favorite experience in Biophilia. I refer to it as an "experience" rather than a "piece of art" because being with it in person was an entirely different encounter than viewing it as a static picture online.
#ConArtInSitu
May 25, 2024 at 10:23 PM
The Biophilia exhibit dedicated to interior design gave me mixed feelings. Each lamp, chair, plate, utensil, and vase were beautiful, but had a unique sense of inaccessibility.
#ConArtInSitu
May 25, 2024 at 10:07 PM
The beauty of this piece forged a connection between me and another museumgoer. As we viewed the glasswork together, the man beside me commented that he wanted a smaller version of the work over his dinner table. I agreed, adding that I would love to have it as a lamp by my bedside.
#ConArtInSitu
May 25, 2024 at 9:49 PM
Humberto Campana created "Bulbo Chair" in the essence of tropical flora. But when I saw it, I was reminded of red blood cells. In my opinion, this speaks to the way that natural forms mimic and share physical characteristics. It reminds me that we are all connected through nature.
#ConArtInSitu
May 25, 2024 at 9:38 PM
Taking up a room all to itself was "Flowers and People - A Whole Year per Hour." Time existed differently in this room. The screen on the wall showed a year's worth of flower growth, in only an hour. Along the opposite wall, a line of benches offered a place for viewers to rest.
#ConArtInSitu
May 25, 2024 at 8:49 PM
The first piece I encountered in the Denver Art Museum's new "Biophilia" exhibit was Alexandra Kehayoglou's "Bajio." Alexandra created this lush carpet as an ode to the endangered ecosystems of Argentina.
#ConArtInSitu
May 25, 2024 at 8:32 PM
The piece in Union Hall that resonated with me most was “La Ville / Les Arbres” by Nadiya Jackson. Her short film depicted city scenes and a woman (who I assume was Nadiya) in a sprawling tree.
#ConArtInSitu
May 20, 2024 at 1:33 AM
Visiting the art exhibit at Union Hall was a new and interesting experience. Compared to the Denver Art Museum and the Contemporary Art Museum, Union Hall’s smaller size resulted in a unique use of space.
#ConArtInSitu
May 20, 2024 at 1:16 AM
Despite my typical preference for traditional mediums, the piece that resonated with me most from my visit to the Contemporary Art Museum of Denver was "Currents through the fissure from controlling nature."
#ConArtInSitu
May 12, 2024 at 8:03 PM
This week I explored the meaning of "contemporary" during a visit to the Contemporary Art Museum of Denver. The museum presented a variety of works that challenged my understanding of art, forcing me to step outside my comfort zone of traditional mediums like graphite and paint.
#ConArtInSitu
May 12, 2024 at 7:36 PM
A common theme that I found interesting in both Medina's essay and Martha Rosler's "Take the Money and Run? Can Political and Sociocritical Art 'Survive'?" is the concept of the simultaneous cultural globalization and physical condensation of art.
#ConArtInSitu
May 5, 2024 at 7:42 PM
The work I spent time with today was "Dream of Arcadia" by Thomas Cole. True to its title, this painting portrays an idyllic scene of the Greek city Arcadia. It portrays a beautiful synchronicity between nature and the people of Arcadia, evoking a sense of a harmonious utopia.
#ConArtInSitu
May 5, 2024 at 6:38 PM
Art conveyed through a USB stick.
This medium of portraying art interests me. It is very much unlike a classic frame, pedestal, or stage, which carry, uplift, and enhance a work of art. Instead, it is a practical piece of technology that has been repurposed for artistic expression.
#ConArtInSitu
April 29, 2024 at 8:37 PM
The piece I sat with during today's visit was "The Scream" by Kent Monkman. This painting depicts the disruption and generational trauma caused by Canadian authorities (police, priests, and nuns) who forcibly separated indigenous children from their families.
#ConArtInSitu
April 28, 2024 at 9:10 PM
Art has (and should) evoked a wide spectrum of emotions. At each exhibit of the Denver Art Museum, I have experienced a range of feelings, from skepticism, discomfort, and confusion to melancholy, nostalgia, sadness, and joy, among others.
#ConArtInSitu
April 22, 2024 at 10:19 PM
During my visit to the DAM this week, I dedicated my time to Frederick Carl Frieseke's "Autumn." This painting caught my attention during my initial exploration of the museum, so I decided to revisit it.
#ConArtInSitu
April 20, 2024 at 5:20 PM
Another valuable insight from Gilida Williams' writing is that art-writing has three main tasks: describing the "what," interpreting the "meaning," and establishing significance, aka "so what?"
#ConArtInSitu
April 20, 2024 at 5:04 PM
Gilida Williams highlighted the concept that fear is the root of bad writing,' pointing out the tendency of art writers to employ "self-contradicting and hedging adjective... unable to commit to a single descriptor." I feel like common mistake when attempt to appear more educated.
#ConArtInSitu
April 20, 2024 at 4:44 PM
"History is Painted by the Victors" is another example that reflects my understanding of contemporary art. This painting takes the historical colonial representation of Native Americans and makes it contemporary through modern commentary.
#ConArtInSitu
April 13, 2024 at 7:51 PM
This work of art illustrated what "contemporary" means to me. Despite its seemingly disjointed appearance, this colorful and abstract representation of modern-day New York City skillfully captured the human experience of the city's cultural essence.
#ConArtInSitu
April 13, 2024 at 7:48 PM