MIAD Alumni, 2011
For my contribution to the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Alumni show I wanted to address a question of influence and context. This project of Senior Drawing Thesis Archive 1995- 2002 is based on a memory I had when turning in my graduating thesis back in 2000. As Drawing majors all Seniors are asked to make a book documenting their personal development. Compiling four years of drawings and editing them to create connections and tie a context that supports the students final thesis project. The books were collected and saved by the Drawing Professor. in 2000 when I turned in my thesis book, I saw for the first time the books of the past year's students. I began flipping through them and was astonished. I saw such strong similarities with my peers in the 2000 graduating class, I almost couldn't tell some apart. It was like seeing a ghost. How could students 7 years ago make work that I could mistake for my classmates now? Then I First I saw my closest friend Shawn's work, then saw the "Ben" of 1998 and the "Natalie" of 1995 .... on and on. I wondered why did we not see these books until we graduated?
I got permission from my former Drawing Professor Paul Caster to the present the archive of student books from 1995-2002. I wanted to draw connections between the past students I also wanted to expand this analysis to popular culture of the time span of the thesis 1995-2002. The books themselves were on display for viewers to handle as well as a wall drawing that collects and connects examples of M.I.A.D. drawing students work with popular psychological trends of the time, notably the self aware emotions of Grunge music, decisive pedagogical ideas of teaching classical drawing, and anti-big brother conformist notions represented by scenes from The Matrix.
Senior Drawing Thesis Archive 1995- 2002, paper, india ink, blue tape, paint markers, scotch tape, masking tape, electrical cords, rulers, video monitor, table from M.I.A.D. library, various printed information and images, metal shelving brackets.
Layton Gallery, The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
For my contribution to the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Alumni show I wanted to address a question of influence and context. This project of Senior Drawing Thesis Archive 1995- 2002 is based on a memory I had when turning in my graduating thesis back in 2000. As Drawing majors all Seniors are asked to make a book documenting their personal development. Compiling four years of drawings and editing them to create connections and tie a context that supports the students final thesis project. The books were collected and saved by the Drawing Professor. in 2000 when I turned in my thesis book, I saw for the first time the books of the past year's students. I began flipping through them and was astonished. I saw such strong similarities with my peers in the 2000 graduating class, I almost couldn't tell some apart. It was like seeing a ghost. How could students 7 years ago make work that I could mistake for my classmates now? Then I First I saw my closest friend Shawn's work, then saw the "Ben" of 1998 and the "Natalie" of 1995 .... on and on. I wondered why did we not see these books until we graduated?
I got permission from my former Drawing Professor Paul Caster to the present the archive of student books from 1995-2002. I wanted to draw connections between the past students I also wanted to expand this analysis to popular culture of the time span of the thesis 1995-2002. The books themselves were on display for viewers to handle as well as a wall drawing that collects and connects examples of M.I.A.D. drawing students work with popular psychological trends of the time, notably the self aware emotions of Grunge music, decisive pedagogical ideas of teaching classical drawing, and anti-big brother conformist notions represented by scenes from The Matrix.
Senior Drawing Thesis Archive 1995- 2002, paper, india ink, blue tape, paint markers, scotch tape, masking tape, electrical cords, rulers, video monitor, table from M.I.A.D. library, various printed information and images, metal shelving brackets.
Layton Gallery, The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design