Cemented Memories

Cemented MemoriesIt was a refreshing surprise to delve into a different type of art form today. Up to this point, we have only expressed ourselves through paper but today we got our hands dirty with clay. We were instructed to make vases with designs that had significant meaning or memories. This allowed many opportunities to bond with our PALs as we constructed our individual vases. As a Filipino, I’ve always been surrounded by all sorts of music. In turn, I grew up with great appreciation for it and decorated vase with musical notes. My partner, Marty, had a much more dynamic piece. Prior to this program, Marty was a bus driver for the JCC and a manager for Saxon shoes. These were his 2 favorite jobs so he incorporated them into his vase by cutting out a rather detailed JCC bus and 3 types of shoes. We had a great time with this class especially since this was our first experience with clay. Our backgrounds definitely came out in our projects. When we were asked to decorate the vase with significant memories, it forced us think about it. With both of us having much else to worry about in the present, it’s hard to find time to reminisce about the past. These memories are the factors that made us who we are so it was revitalizing to bring out and discuss with someone else.

Alvin Maraya, graduate student in Pharmacy.

VMFA Outing

VMFA OutingToday, we had a cultural outing at the VMFA. We were split up into two groups, those who have been there before and those who have not been. My PAL, Shirley and I have both been to VMFA, so we went with the group that would get a more in-depth view of artistic style over the centuries. It was fascinating because the concept of art is organic, it continues to change over time; however, the concept of ageism is still present in art. Even the tour guide said that those who are older do not appreciate modern day or 20th century art because it isn’t “real.” It is interesting how ageist stereotypes even exist in art.

The tour guide gave excellent insight on how art has evolved ofrom the 1500’s up until today. Techniques such as bright colors, size of the main object, and darkness remained the same between all of the photos in order to draw your eyes to certain points in the painting. Artistic style changed over the centuries in regards to depth of paintings, the focus, and the type of painting. My PAL and I noticed many of these aspects, but we both agreed that we needed more time than a one hour tour to truly notice and appreciate art. Both of us agreed that there was something about “older art” that is astounding and there is nothing like it. In regards to modern art, we both don’t understand it as much as we do with “older art,” but we agree that it all depends on the person and what their perception of “art” is. We both loved being at the VMFA and hope that there can be more time to appreciate all the pieces, both old and new.

 

Allyson Batoy, graduate student in Pharmacy

How Artworks Have Evolved Over Time

How Artworks Have Evolved Over TimeToday, we went to the VMFA to learn more about different types of artwork ranging from back in the renaissance to modern times.  Douglas, who was our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about the artworks around the museum.  My PAL and I got to learn about how artworks have evolved from being very abstract and vibrant to a light and dark contrast. People were very interested in religious symbols back then and they painted a picture of Mother Mary wearing mostly blue, which back in the day the blue hue used was the most expensive out of all the hues, symbolizing that she was very important and rich.  As we move along to different eras, the type of paintings moved away from being religious to being about nature and having a darker contrast. The frames containing the portraits also changed to being very simple instead of elegant and detailed. The last spot of our tour show paintings that are not even on a canvas anymore but artists have moved to painting on walls with very simple color such as red, yellow, blue, and green.

 

Linh Tu, graduate student in Pharmacy

VMFA with my PAL

VMFA with my PALFor this PALETTE event, the PALs and students were given the opportunity to take a field trip to the VMFA. The Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts is one of the top ten art museums in the country, and a well know Richmond tourist spot. Despite the dreary weather, many showed for this event, and the participants were split into two groups, first timers, and those that had visited the museum before. My PAL, Mickey and I, went with the group that had been to the VMFA before. Our tour guide Douglas, who was an artist himself, took us on a tour of the arts from the Renaissances to modern times. As we began our tour with a Renaissances piece of the Virgin Mary ascending into the heavens, one of the participants posed the question, “Do you think art has improved over the centuries and why?” Douglas did not have an answer, but was clearly intrigued by the question, and told us to keep it in mind as we continued on our tour.

We did a brief run through of some prominent religious pieces, still lifes, impressionism, and ended with some 21st century symbolism. It was very interesting to see the art evolve and change throughout the centuries, yet still show signs of the same techniques of the classic pieces. It made me think of the continuity theory of aging. According to this theory, as we age we adapt to change by preserving a continuity of past social and psychosocial patterns (Atchley, 1989). This continuity can be both internal, (such as memory and temperament), or external, (hobbies, social groups, etc). Like older individuals, adapting to the ever changing world the art still showed signs of past patterns.

In the end, the group concluded that the older styles were much more in-depth and beautiful than modern day art. Personally, I think new-age art is just as beautiful because it blends old techniques, with new ones, creating something intriguing and meaningful. Just like the intergenerational experience of this course.

 

Ashley Holliday, graduate student in Gerontology

Personal Items and Personal Stories

Personal Items and Personal StoriesToday, my PAL and I engaged in painting inspired by touch and memory. We were asked to bring in a personal item to share with our partners and serve as inspiration for our paintings. I brought in a small ceramic frog sculpture that helps remind me to be patient and thoughtful, while my PAL brought in a beautiful wooden elephant bookend, a souvenir from her travels in Africa. It was amazing how we both knew exactly what the other brought in just from touching and just as amazing that each object evoked in the other strong and emotional experiences in our lives.

My PAL’s elephant reminded me of an anecdote my old supervisor told me about communication: even though we all may be touching an elephant, unless we communicate we may think we’re all touching something different. That translated into some visual and evocative expressions of color, lines, and contrast in my painting: light blue reminded me of my supervisor, blocks of bold color the represent books and learning, while chaotic and random lines with contrasted colors represented the communication and interpretation which occurs every day. My PAL, inspired by my frog, was reminded of a time in her twenties when she was invited to go frog hunting with a shotgun! To go along with her elephant, my PAL shared stories of where the bookend came from, her time in Tanzania, and living amongst the villagers.

My abstraction and my PAL’s literal interpretation of our objects so how differently we can come to understand our own emotions and memories and how, even random objects can remind us of events long ago or important lessons we hold close to ourselves everyday. The personal items we brought it held a story and was sort of a bridge to connect to different aspects of our lives that we may perhaps missed an opportunity to share about.

 

Huy Ho, first year MSW student