Art and Social Justice: Letter-Writing Workshop

Over the MLK weekend I attended the 3rd annual Moishe Kavod House Arts Retreat at the Peace Abbey, in Sherborn, MA. The weekend was full of art making and various artistic expression. My favorite workshop was the Art and Social Justice workshop. We created mail art and wrote all sorts of letters to people who need to hear specific messages, mainly politicians. I am particularly interested in this topic as it relates directly to my thesis topic! (Strengthening and facilitating interpersonal connection via letter-writing and mail art) Letters

Sand Art

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="491" caption="These photos are from the Sand Castle contest on Revere Beach at the end of July. In this tortoise, the entire shell is basically hollowed out with such detail and precision, no wonder it won first place!"][/caption]

Biennale Arte 2011 - Venezia

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="491" caption="The entrance to the cafeteria at the Biennale"]Biennale Cafeteria[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="604" caption="I found this exhibit in the Korean pavillion. There was a square room with giant "mirrors" on all four walls. The frames were mirror frames, but the "mirror" was actually a monitor. As you walked in the room there was the sounds of glass shattering and it looked like there were bullets going through the glass, in a slow time lapse. Apparently the artist worked on this piece for the last 20 years."]shattered mirror[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="491" caption="I found this piece at one of the Bienniale satellite exhibits along the Canal Grande in Venezia. Its like a make up compact but the pressed powder is the floorplan of a church! Love!"]Compact Church[/caption]

Renaissance Tapestry

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="604" caption="Renaissance tapestry in the Vatican Museum. It took one woman four years to weave one square meter of tapestry. The details in these giant wall hangings are incredible!"][/caption]

Going to the chapel...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="604" caption="Some guerilla photography in the Sistine Chapel. That's right, the SISTINE CHAPEL. Holy Cow. Michaelangelo was a pure genious."][/caption]

GAGA for Screen Printing

This past weekend I helped coordinate an evening of down and dirty screen printing with the NESAD Graduate Association of Graphic Artists. We had about ten designers busting out over 50 one of a kind GAGA T's. Go here to see all the photos from the GAGA T-Shirt Screen Printing event, thanks to Nick DiStefano. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Screen printed logo for Graduate Association of Graphic Artists"]GAGA TShirt[/caption]

GAGA TShirts

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Eliana and Jenny screen printing"]screenprinting[/caption]

City In The Trees

In this texture study I layered the Boston skyline into the intertwining branches of a tree. I tried to capture the seamless moment at sunset when the buildings transform from outlined silhouettes against a brilliant sky, in to vibrant, sparkling statues in a city scape. I was inspired by the structural and permanent nature of buildings and trees, and the contrast between the organic and angular forms that you find in a city park.

Only in Montreal…

July 4th weekend trip to Montreal for the Jazz Festival. [caption id="attachment_60" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="...do they dye their horses to match their residents"]

[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_68" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="...do people busk in boats."]

[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="...do the French take their cheese very seriously."]

[/caption]