I have long since outgrown this platform, which was a beautiful and freeing outlet for my love of crafts. While I figure out where to take my website next, please follow me on Instagram for frequent content in stories and on the grid.
a blog about art, making, and learning. Art, like bread, feeds the soul.
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Art Review: Artweek 2019 - Fall BFA Thesis Exhibition La Concha Happy Hour at FIU
In an effort to be more involved locally and support the work of up and coming artists, I am excited to welcome photographer Byron Gramajo to my team.
He recently attended "La Concha Happy Hour," which was a student thesis exhibition at his school, Florida International University. The exhibit ran from November-December 2019, and featured various student artists, named below.
The exhibit was grouped into two categories: A Pearl is a Parasite, and I am afraid to own a body.
Shirley Chong was part of the "A Pearl is a Parasite" portion. She created ceramic bowls and a meditation space, as seen below. In her piece, she connects with materials as well as the audience. There is a performance element. The audience becomes a co-creator with the artist. As they enter the space, they feel the space, and experience the feelings of calm. This experience is now something the audience holds with them. They leave transformed.
The complex artwork of Karolina Eguino is of particular interest. Her technique is to layer photographs atop one another. In this, she is creating a space where the past, present, and possible future exists simultaneously.
In the next section, artist Iman Hassan offers us a record of the natural world and a glimpse into natural order in this world that can appear chaotic. Each of the prints were selected for what they could offer to the paper. Which were willing to be fossilized, and which were uncooperative, insisting to pass through time on their own terms?
It is an absolute honor and a pleasure to welcome Byron to my team. I am excited about his talent and knowledge of the art world. I am excited about what this collaboration will bring. If his sensitive coverage of this exhibit is any indication, then the sky is the limit.
If you would be interested in learning more about the local art scene in South Florida, please let me know by leaving a comment or contacting me at artlikebread (at) gmail (dot) com. As always, thanks for reading the blog!
Please leave your thoughts, ideas and questions in the comment section below. If you liked this post, please share this post with a friend through social media and get yourself to a local student show!
Like my Facebook page and follow me on Instagram for updates and more crafty sharing!
He recently attended "La Concha Happy Hour," which was a student thesis exhibition at his school, Florida International University. The exhibit ran from November-December 2019, and featured various student artists, named below.
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| A Pearl is a Parasite: Sonia Royal, Shirley Chong, Elizabeth Pino, Karolina Eguino. I am afraid to own a Body: Iman Hassan, Allison Rapport, Yeinely Duran, Victor Barbero, Naomi Peguero. All FIU BFA candidates Fall 2019. |
Shirley Chong was part of the "A Pearl is a Parasite" portion. She created ceramic bowls and a meditation space, as seen below. In her piece, she connects with materials as well as the audience. There is a performance element. The audience becomes a co-creator with the artist. As they enter the space, they feel the space, and experience the feelings of calm. This experience is now something the audience holds with them. They leave transformed.
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| Shirley Chong, A moment, 2019, Terra Cotta Clay, Wood, Chamomile tea, photo @gramabyron.jpg |
| Shirley Chong, A moment, 2019, Terra Cotta Clay, Wood, Chamomile tea, photo @gramabyron.jpg |
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| Karolina Eguino, Untitled 1 (2019), Untitled 2 (2019), Untitled 3 (2019), inkjet prints, photos by @gramabyon.jpg |
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| I am afraid to own a Body by Emily Dickinson, photo by @gramabyon.jpg |
In the next section, artist Iman Hassan offers us a record of the natural world and a glimpse into natural order in this world that can appear chaotic. Each of the prints were selected for what they could offer to the paper. Which were willing to be fossilized, and which were uncooperative, insisting to pass through time on their own terms?
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| Iman Hassan, Study of plants (2019), monoprints: black ink, paper, photo @gramabyron.jpg |
If you would be interested in learning more about the local art scene in South Florida, please let me know by leaving a comment or contacting me at artlikebread (at) gmail (dot) com. As always, thanks for reading the blog!
Please leave your thoughts, ideas and questions in the comment section below. If you liked this post, please share this post with a friend through social media and get yourself to a local student show!
Like my Facebook page and follow me on Instagram for updates and more crafty sharing!
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Art Review: Happy! at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale
If you know me, you know I am always ready to bliss out, but sometimes that is harder to do than other times. Sometimes I just want everything to be cute. I want cute so much sometimes that I don’t know what to do! So when I was looking for current exhibits to review, Happy! at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale caught my eye with its bold, iconic, smiling cloud. Cute! I’m in.
I
I
And yet, before I even entered the exhibit, I starting thinking. In this world that appears to be self-destructing, when and how can we practice happiness? What makes us happy? What makes us escape? Do we need sadness in order to have happiness?
I placed a wish on the Wish Tree by favorite artist Yoko Ono, and walked inside.
Three big, happy clouds greeted me as I ascended the stairs.
Little Cloud
Then I saw a big pile of candy! CANDY!!
Felix Gonzalez-Torres
"Untitled" (Portrait of Dad), 1991
White candies individually wrapped in cellophane, endless supply
And a big stack of paper! PAPER!!
Felix Gonzalez-Torres
"Untitled", 1989/1990
Print on paper, endless copies
The museum guard told me I could take a paper. I took one of each. I’ll be making art with those papers later.
Such divine curation. I’ve seen similar exhibits at MoMA and the Guggenheim.
And I got to walk underneath a rainbow!
And all of these bows remind us that the December holidays are right around the corner!
Kathryn Andrews
Gift, 2011
Serigraphs
And. I saw. This.
Keith Haring
Untitled (Pink Smiling Face), 1981
Baked enamel on metal
It’s Keith Haring. KEITH HARING. In Fort Lauderdale. Yes, seriously. These are seriously impressive gets. I was floored and it was just beginning.
More Haring.
Keith Haring
Untitled (For Salvatore), 1984
Acrylic on glass
Remember when Target ripped this guy off a few years ago? I saw the balloon animals of Jeff Koons in person, baby!
Jeff Koons
Balloon Monkey (Blue), 2017
Balloon Rabbit (Red), 2017
Balloon Swan (Yellow), 2017
And the ultimate picture wall.
What did I think?
Alma Thomas
Night Sky Mysteries, 1973
Acrylic on canvas
This exhibit is so rich and complete. There is absolutely no way I could cover it in just one blog post. And there is so. much. more. to see and experience in this exhibit. If you are anywhere near South Florida before it closes on July 5, 2020 - GO!!
I am incredibly thankful for an enriching visit to the NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale. I loved it so much, I bought a membership! I will definitely want to go back to this exhibit over and over again. It doesn’t close until July 5, 2020. That’s a lot of months to enjoy this amazing exhibit. See you on Instagram!
If you are interested in learning more about the thriving art scene in South Florida and also learning and making stuff, please join my mailing list. As always, thanks for reading the blog! Please leave your thoughts, ideas and questions in the comment section below & find your bliss wheresoever it is!
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Sunday, October 28, 2018
Gratitude Craft: Sweet, Paper Succulent with Inspirational Quote DIY
I recently had a birthday and I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love I got from my coworkers. I didn't expect anything, really, but I knew that some departments really do up the birthdays. Therefore, when I got into work and saw my workspace decorated with streamers and balloons, I almost cried. But it didn't end there. At lunchtime, my coworkers brought me a tres leches cake with cherries on top! My sweet coworker also gave me a card. I just felt so appreciated and I was really very touched.
Since I started my new job it's been a bit of an adjustment. I don't have lots of time to blog or craft. To add to that scarcity, I also moved to a new apartment and that process has cut into my crafting groove. But I am the type of person who gets cranky when she's not creating regularly, so I decided to just craft slowly, step by step. And now I'm blogging about it to boot! Perhaps we're ushering a new era of Art, Like Bread.
Supplies
2 1/4" by 3 1/4" Card printed on one side
Glitter Thickers
Black Pen
Paper Succulent Flowers
Double sided tape
Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups
Optional: Pencil and ruler
Procedure
1. Personalize the front of your card with your recipient's name. I used a glitter thicker for the first letter of each name, and wrote out the rest in black pen.
2. Choose a quote that would be meaningful to your recipient. I used the website "Brainy Quote" and read through a lot of quotes until I found quotes that reminded me of what makes my coworkers special. Write the quote on the back of your card with attribution. (My cards had pre-printed lines, but you can draw lines on the back of your card with a pencil and ruler.)
3. Arrange each mini peanut butter cup so that the larger part is facing up.
4. Using double sided tape, affix each paper succulent flower to each mini peanut butter cup. You have made a sweet, paper succulent.
5. Using double sided tape, affix each sweet, paper succulent to the front of a card.
Your gift is ready to give!
The recipient can either leave the succulent as is, or eat the candy and then affix the succulent to the card as a keepsake!
Since I started my new job it's been a bit of an adjustment. I don't have lots of time to blog or craft. To add to that scarcity, I also moved to a new apartment and that process has cut into my crafting groove. But I am the type of person who gets cranky when she's not creating regularly, so I decided to just craft slowly, step by step. And now I'm blogging about it to boot! Perhaps we're ushering a new era of Art, Like Bread.
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| Two of my sweet, paper succulents made with love for my coworkers. |
Supplies
2 1/4" by 3 1/4" Card printed on one side
Glitter Thickers
Black Pen
Paper Succulent Flowers
Double sided tape
Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups
Optional: Pencil and ruler
Procedure
1. Personalize the front of your card with your recipient's name. I used a glitter thicker for the first letter of each name, and wrote out the rest in black pen.
2. Choose a quote that would be meaningful to your recipient. I used the website "Brainy Quote" and read through a lot of quotes until I found quotes that reminded me of what makes my coworkers special. Write the quote on the back of your card with attribution. (My cards had pre-printed lines, but you can draw lines on the back of your card with a pencil and ruler.)
3. Arrange each mini peanut butter cup so that the larger part is facing up.
4. Using double sided tape, affix each paper succulent flower to each mini peanut butter cup. You have made a sweet, paper succulent.
5. Using double sided tape, affix each sweet, paper succulent to the front of a card.
Your gift is ready to give!
The recipient can either leave the succulent as is, or eat the candy and then affix the succulent to the card as a keepsake!
Monday, June 12, 2017
Art Review: 140 Unlimited at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum
It was a privilege and an absolute pleasure to view 140 Unlimited: Recent Acquistions in Honor of the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum's 140th Anniversary during its final days.
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View of the Caroline R. Hill Gallery, 2016
Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, South Hadley, Massachusetts
Photograph Laura Shea
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The exhibit, which was on view from September 2016 until May 2017, was conceived in celebration of the Museum's long and storied history. The Mount Holyoke College Art Museum (MHCAM) is one of only a handful of collegiate art museums with such longevity. The hallmark of the MHCAM is the fact that its collection is uniquely comprehensive, spanning from antiquity to the present. As a top teaching museum at one of the nation's finest institutions of higher learning, students can interact with art to gain deeper understanding of chemistry, biology, literature, film, physics, and art history. The museum staff is collaborative, open, and education-focused, working to foster visual literacy and other important skills such as close observation, conceptual linking, creative response, formal analysis, and primary research. (source)
While Mount Holyoke students are privileged to have the museum right on campus, the surrounding community is welcome to enjoy and learn from the rich collection housed within the museum. While I was on campus for my college reunion, I was delighted to view the newest acquisitions. The collection was impressive, inspiring a fresh, personal emotional response to each piece. Sadly, I only had a few moments to take it all in, but I was thrilled that these pieces have a home in the permanent collection at my alma mater.
What follows are images of two objects from the 140 Unlimited exhibit. To read a collection of insightful essays about different pieces in the exhibit, please check out the museum's newsletter 140th Anniversary Special Edition, and open the pdf.
Bonus: You can search the MHCAM and the Five College collections here. If you would like more art reviews, please let me know by leaving a comment or contacting me at artlikebread (at) gmail (dot) com. As always, thanks for reading the blog! Please leave your thoughts, ideas and questions in the comment section below. If you liked this post, please share this post with a friend through social media & share the art & education love!
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| Guanyin (Avalokiteshvara), 960-1368 (Song Dynasty or Yuan Dynasty) Chinese Wood with traces of gesso, paint, and gilding Gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, South Hadley, Massachusetts Photograph Laura Shea MH 2012.40.2 |
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Faith Ringgold (American, b. 1930)
Somebody Stole My Broken Heart, 2007
Ink on paper; screen print, edition 27/60
Partial gift of the Experimental Printmaking Institute, Lafayette College and purchase with the Susan and Bernard Schilling (Susan Eisenhart, Class of 1932) Fund
Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, South Hadley, Massachusetts
Photograph Laura Shea
MH 2016.2.9
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Bonus: You can search the MHCAM and the Five College collections here. If you would like more art reviews, please let me know by leaving a comment or contacting me at artlikebread (at) gmail (dot) com. As always, thanks for reading the blog! Please leave your thoughts, ideas and questions in the comment section below. If you liked this post, please share this post with a friend through social media & share the art & education love!
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