Different Shades of Beauty

(Three Graces: Les Trois Femmes Noires by: Mickalene Thomas)

“Graces” or “Charities” are known in greek mythology as minor goddesses who represent characteristics such as charm, beauty, human creativity, nature and fertility. The “three graces” were said to be the daughters of Zeus as well as the entourage of Aphrodite (the goddess of love). To depict these women in high art has been popular for centuries and the trend stretches so far back that the artist and date of the very first portrait is unknown. More recently, in 2011 Mickalene Thomas created her own interpretation of the “Three Graces” formally naming it “Three Graces: Les Trois Femmes Noires” meaning the three black women. Through blending her pop art style of vibrant acrylic and eye catching rhinestone with a classical image of the “Three Graces” Mickalene Thomas simultaneously embraces the post-black art form by creating her unique rendition and showing how beauty, charm and creativity transcends skin tone.

Mickalene Thomas is a face very much associated with the post-black movement. Post-black is an African American art form that pushes to dispel the past ideas associated with black art. More specifically this category of art wishes to erase race from specific areas of art so it will not hinder the growth of black art nor put boundaries on it. What is often the case, post-black artists will take a piece of art labeled as “white” and create a brand new version where that notion is removed. The term  "post-black" was first coined in the early 90’s and later elaborated on in 2001 by Thelma Golden when she describes these type of artists as “adamant about not being labeled ‘black’ artists, though their work was steeped, in fact deeply interested, in redefining complex notions of blackness.” This style has gone beyond art and into music where young black people are impacted daily. Whereas in the past, music has been used for black individuals to be noticed, the roles have now started to shift for them to use music to impact others. In the same way Mickalene Thomas has used her influences such as her mother and her particular styles to encourage others that race is irrelevant. Her version of the “Three Graces” is a perfect example.

(Mickalene Thomas's mother)

Different aspects of Thomas’s portrait “Three Graces: Les Trois Femmes Noires” are individually significant to better understand her work as a whole. The women depicted exhibit the 1970’s in their wardrobe. To answer why Mickalene Thomas chose this time period, background information is key. Mickalene was born in 1971 meaning a major portion of her childhood was submerged in the seventies culture. Her mother embodied what it meant to be a black woman in the seventies. Growing up Mickalene looked at her mother as a role model, she describes her as a person that people gravitate towards because of the energy she radiated. She was strong, stylish, and comfortable with who she was; a trend that permeated black women in that time period. Transitioning into a new era, much different from the sixties riddled with inequality, black women found a new voice in the seventies that was unashamed. I can imagine the new found freedom these women had to leave their fingerprints on the culture. Confidence illuminated through their vibrant style, as well as dialogue filled with fervor. What is extremely admirable about them and relevant to why Mickalene chose them, is their redefining of beauty. Beauty no longer had to be straight hair instead it could be poofy with volume. Beauty no longer had to be restricted to fair skin, it could include darker complexions also. I hope you see now why she chose the seventies. What better way to change the ancient greek portrayal of the “Three Graces” than with the time period labeled as the “pivot of change”. 

(examples of pop art)

Her mother continued to impact her childhood by enrolling her and her brother in an after school art program in New York. Being exposed to new styles is fundamental in molding an artist’s personal art style. For Mickalene she took a liking to pop art. Emerging in the late fifties in the US, pop art became a popular new art form. The foundation of pop art was celebrating everyday life through popular culture. Prior to pop art, the culture of art was centered around high art, which was geared toward the aristocrats of the day. Reserved for people with a background on morality, mythology, and classic history, high art hindered many people from relating and enjoying art. Now if we focus on the pop art styling of Thomas’s “Three Graces” we can see why she used this style. Mickalene is trying to convey the same message with taking a high style form of art, such as the Graces, and give it a context that is more understandable. With her vision to see the connection between ancient art and modern day pop art is perfect for reintroducing this classic image in a way many can relate. By using pop art she further cements her role in the world of post-black art. She clearly demonstrates that no art form is off limits due to the past roles of blacks in art.

It is very hard to notice online, but after examining this piece in person intricacies are noticed such as the rhinestones and acrylic paint. Both of these are critical with selling the idea of pop art. She uses materials that have not been associated with such a work and they really make the portrait pop off the wall. Vibrant colors catch the eye, which was not the case of the earth tones in previous renditions. The rhinestones mean much more than an added layer of shine. The glistening stones represent the abstract beauty that these black female figures possess. They could also be a portrayal of special energy these women radiated. Yes the rhinestones are on the jewelry, which is where most onlookers would expect to see them, however they cover the dresses also demonstrating that beauty is not always in the place we expect it to be. By placing rhinestones on the exterior of the ladies, Mickalene Thomas highlights the smooth texture of the women’s skin using acrylic and this technique was important to show that the exterior of women should not hide beauty but rather illuminate it.

Other features that should be pointed out is the collage added to the portrait. A collage is the assembling of various pieces to make up a whole. The use of a collage in this particular case is symbolic. American Art author Derek Conrad Murray states: "In Thomas’s photographs and paintings, the charade of beauty is in violent struggle with the complexities of identity". Beauty is found in a variety of different ways and when combined they depict the beauty of a woman. In the same way her collage is exhibiting how a variety of different pieces come together and form a picture of beauty, charm and creativity. Mickalene also has the women embracing each other through touch. The “Three Graces” in the past have had the graces huddled with arms around one another. Something unique in this latest version is the three black women are simply touching with fingers. In my opinion I believe this slight variation represents how black women have evolved to become more independent and unique in today’s age.

Black women and black art have come a long way in the past decades. As seen through this art by Thomas, women have changed and made their voices heard just recently as the seventies. The concept of post-black art was made around the time I was born and I am only eighteen. It is fabulous to see how Mickalene brings these two recent phenomenons into the light with a piece of art that has been around forever; the “Three Graces”. Pulling from inspirations such as pop art and her mother, Mickalene Thomas combines these with her use of acrylic and rhinestones to create beauty that is not chained by complexion.

Works Cited

Murray, Derek Conrad. "Mickalene Thomas." American Art 28, no. 1 (2014): 9-15. Accessed November 11, 2015. doi:10.1086/676624.

Taylor, Paul C. "Post-Black, Old Black." African American Review 41, no. 4 (2007): 625-40. Accessed November 11, 2015. http://www.jstor.org.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/stable/25426981?pq-origsite=summon&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents.

Sargent, Antwan. "Post-Black Art in the Age of Hip-Hop | VICE | United States." VICE. December 12, 2014. Accessed November 11, 2015. http://www.vice.com/read/post-black-art-in-the-age-of-hip-hop-123.

Jackson, Millie. A Little Taste Of Outside Love. Ace Records, 2007. MP3.

Lauren Fannin, "Theorizing Black Femininity" (master's thesis, Georgia State University), 1-19.

The True Heroes of the American Revolution

Photo by: JR P

When I first discovered that our next blog post subject was an art analysis, my heart instantly dropped. I did not know anything about art whatsoever. I had visited a couple of museums while in New York City, but I would normally just look at ancient armor or huge sculptures, completely ignoring the actual information or cultural relevance of the pieces. After accepting that I had to give art a serious try, I took a trip to the NC Museum of Art to try to find a piece of art with which I could really connect. After exploring the museum for about forty minutes, I found an American historical section. I have always had a passion for history, so I figured that I could easily find a piece that I would enjoy studying. I immediately saw First News of the Battle of Lexington by William Tylee Ranney. I found this painting particularly intriguing because of my love for the Revolutionary War. As I studied the painting I quickly knew from the title what was taking place in the painting: a messenger on horseback was relaying to a small town about the battle of Lexington and that the Revolutionary War had begun. I then thought about a famous Revolutionary War messenger that I could maybe connect this piece to, and Paul Revere instantly popped into my head. I then noticed the townspeople’s reactions, which made me realize that Ranney painted this scene to spotlight the common people’s huge contribution to the Revolutionary War effort. Although famous figures like messenger Paul Revere had impacts on contributing to what would become the United States, this particular painting targets the every-day civilian’s huge and typically overlooked contribution to the American Revolution. The people left their ordinary lives at a moments notice and were thrust into the war effort.

It is no shock that Ranney chose a critical American scene for this painting. A native of Hoboken, NJ, he was very well known for iconic American landscapes. He was not well known until the 1960's, when his western scenes brought him into the art conversation ("William"). Southgate says, “His genre paintings took the rapidly evolving American Frontier as their subject.” There is also thought that Ranney painted it to bring support and morale to the Mexican War movement which was occurring at the time. Ranney was very well known for painting the common folk. Southgate said that Ranney paints “the ordinary people who have been interrupted at their daily tasks when battle arrived” (Southgate).

There are numerous features of the painting that show ordinary civilians taking action at a moments notice to assist with the war effort. One example is the blacksmith, who it is implied that he ran out of his shop in the middle of working to hear the news from the messenger. You can also imply from the blacksmith’s clenched fists and grim expression that he is more than ready to take action and was not afraid to take action for the cause. Another man waits in the doorway of the blacksmith’s shop holding a weapon and listening to the messenger. This civilian also just came out of his work to provide support. Behind the blacksmith shop, there are is a man wielding a weapon as he walk out of a general store or saloon of some sort. There are also men on horses ready to provide their assistance. There is even a man ringing the church bell to sound an alarm to the town that their is an issue and a lady hanging out of a window to see what is going on. Needless to say, this small town went into action/chaos mode very quickly to stand up for what they believed in. On the right side of the painting, in the distance, you can faintly see another village. This means that there were countless villages that this messenger had to share news with. This reinforces the point that it was more than just famous messenger Paul Revere and his companion that prepared the country’s civilian militias for war.

Growing up, I heard Longfellow’s 1861 poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” numerous times. We all know the story. British troops were approaching a “rebel” weapon stockpile with an attempt to destroy it, and there were messengers that alerted the colonists of the approaching British forces (Currie). It was only until earlier this week that I discovered that the poem is completely inaccurate. The poem fails to document that Revere was actually supposed to be riding to alert John Hancock and Samuel Adams of approaching British troops. It also does not mention that Revere was actually captured, then escaped (Arnensen). Justin Ewers states that the poem “is inaccurate in almost every way.” Not many people know of the other rider who rode at the same time as Revere, Charles Dawes. Dawes was actually the rider who took the main road, while Revere and another messenger were attempting to sneak across a river to deliver the news (Ewers).

In no way am I attempting to discount the accomplishments of Paul Revere, I am just attempting to inform people of what “Paul Revere’s Ride” actually was and how many ordinary citizens have gone unnoticed with their efforts in the American Revolution. Obviously, messengers were extremely important to the American Revolution. Ewers writes, “ Thanks to the riders efforts, militias from all over the countryside were mobilized to take their revenge, driving the British all the way back to Boston. (Ewers).

The way in which the sky is painted also poses some interesting questions about the battle and the future of the war and what would become the United States of America. While the sky is dark and gray right over the village, there is light on the horizon on the right side of the painting. The darkness in the sky represents the current time, which was the colonists just losing the Battle of Lexington and being very overmatched by the British. The horizon, however, shows hope. While probably unnoticed by the casual viewer, I believe that the light on the horizon shows that if the colonists fight hard and stand up for the unjust treatment that they were receiving, then it would pay off in the end with a victory in the American Revolution and eventually the establishment of a new nation, the United States of America.

On the top of the middle building on the left, the year “1770” is inscribed. Since the painting was created in 1847, Ranney obviously wanted to let the viewer know the relative time period of the painting. However, it is curious that he did not inscribe the exact year of the battle in the building. It is possible that Ranney just wanted the viewer to know the relative time period so that the viewer would somehow connect the relative time period (which was full of unlawful taxation and control) to the situation that was then currently taking place in Mexico in order to increase national morale and support for the then current situation with Mexico.

After extensive analysis of this painting, I have concurred that William Tylee Ranney obviously has a huge interest in both American history and American identity. He likes to show the common people’s roles in situations. While there are several Revolutionary War concepts that can be connected to this painting, (most of which I have pointed out in this post) it is obvious that the main reason that Ranney created this painting was to show the common man’s contribution to the Revolutionary War effort. This was extremely clear to me because of the way he portrays the civilians jumping to action at a moments notice. I then put some thought into the subject and realized that these common people were essentially the backbone of the American Revolutionary War effort, and that they were typically overlooked by a few prominent figures, who did not always actually meet up to the standards that legends made them up to be.

Works Cited

Arnesen, Eric. "The Myth of Paul Revere's Ride." Calliope. July 1, 2011. Accessed November 9, 2015.

Currie, Stephen. "The Battle Of Lexington." Cobblestone. October 1, 2002. Accessed November 15, 2015.

Ewers, Justin. "Rewriting the Legend of Paul Revere." U.S. News and World Report. July 7, 2008. Accessed November 9, 2015.

Southgate, M. Therese. "First News of the Battle of Lexington." The Cover. July 3, 2002. Accessed November 9, 2015.

"William Tylee Ranney East of the Mississippi." American History Illustrated. 1992. Accessed November 11, 2015.

Don't be a Show Off: Criticizing Materialism through Art

"Bride" by Beth Lipman
Courtesy of cadetompkins.com

In 2012, The North Carolina Museum of Art acquired “Bride”, the ten foot tall sculpture envisioned and created by Wisconsin based sculptor and photographer, Beth Lipman. After many days of deconstructing and transporting the many hundreds of pieces from its former home, the sculpture now bookends a hallway in the museum’s modern and contemporary art section. An artist well versed in sculpture and glass art, Lipman always uses the artistic style of glass sculpturing to represent some criticism of human social behaviors and tendencies. “Bride” is a very intriguing piece both in its construction as well as in its significance. This piece presents a larger debate on the topic of materialism whilst making immense use of symbolism to exhibit social critiques. In “Bride”, Beth Lipman blends the contemporary style of glass sculpturing with elements of the realism and still life movements by creating a still life in an oversized, three dimensional form by using an elaborate display of glass objects and a theme of a bride and marriage to symbolize and specifically protest the idea of excess and materiality in individuals.

Firstly, Lipman's medium of choice is integral to understanding the significance of her work. Lipman's “Bride” is a fascinating piece in and of itself just within its physical attributes, structurally and compositionally, and is a very striking piece mostly because it intentionally comes off as grand and deliberately excessive. The hundreds of glass pieces, all original and handcrafted by Lipman, stand on a shining high gloss wood stand just shy of ten feet in height. This "wood tower" is comprised of five layers, large at the bottom and becoming progressively smaller as the sculpture climbs, much like a wedding cake, hence the name of the piece “Bride”. The glass bowls, goblets, glasses, candlestick holders, and many other forms of glassware that sit upon these platforms are placed in a way that is paramount to understanding the meaning of this piece. The objects are arranged in such a way that, on the top platform, the pieces are all perfectly organized, intact, small, and incredibly detailed and, as your gaze descends, you’ll notice how the glass pieces become more and more disorganized and their condition goes from flawless, to partially chipped and shattered, towards the bottom.

This still life by Claude Monet would be a
perfect example of a traditional still life.
Courtesy of Petrus Agricola (Flickr)

Additionally, Beth Lipman’s artistic niche is, for her enormous and complex glass sculptures, alongside utilizing her handmade glass in her sculpture, derives from still life paintings from as early as the 16th century. The history of this art form is quite expansive and complex to say the least, but notable artists who posthumously are revered for their still life work include Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, and Georgia O’Keeffe. Traditional still life usually features meticulously chosen everyday, inanimate items as modes of symbolism, usually representing wealth or power. For example, many artists of this school of thought depicted silverware, flowers, glassware, or fruit. In this way, the items they chose were inherently material and somewhat flamboyant at their core. They are symbols of elegance and these items are not necessarily owned for their utilitarian attributes. Similarly, throughout the history of still life paintings, you’ll find that the art form has religious roots, especially in the context of materialism. Many religious still life artists stress the importance of material and tangible goods arguing that one should be focused on being connected with their spirituality and less so with physical assets. Conversely, modern still life has since evolved from this and most still life artists, if they are protesting excessiveness, as Lipman does, they highlight the facade and shallowness that is inherent with those who only make actions for show or only possess certain items for the social status symbol associated with owning them.

In “Bride”, Beth Lipman combines her work with sculpture with the classic still life style to present the same idea, but in a three-dimensional form. In many ways, she can express her criticism of excessiveness more clearly with sculpture than she could with a more typical oil painting. For example, because a sculpture is inherently a tangible, physical, three-dimensional entity, the piece stands out to you, demanding your attention, more so than a painting would. In other words, Lipman’s whole artistic mindset is to create symbolic still lives in a three dimensional context. Her work, as a non-traditional form of still life, supports the idea that the traditional meaning behind still life and realism transcends any artistic medium.

This social critique of excessiveness and materialism in “Bride” is consistent with the Dutch and French still life paintings of the 1500s and onward. These still life masterpieces were in the context of the artistic style of Realism, a conduit for various forms of expression whereby everyday and “realistic” items or people are portrayed in a realistic way - an art where nothing is dramatized or over-glorified. An essay by Peter Demetz titled “Defense of Dutch Painting and the Theory of Realism” corroborates this assessment as it describes in great detail the effects of still life, specifically in the context of realism, its importance in society, and how it relates to still life paintings. The essay focuses mostly on the glorifying of realism, however its art section is quite relevant since it shows how still lives and realism are essentially codependent on each other. A part of realism includes the criticism of materialism that goes much deeper than simply collecting elegant material items. Most versions of materialism, and definitely Lipman’s perspective, would argue that materialism extends to non-tangible objects like success and wealth, which fit the bridal and marriage theme of “Bride”. An example of this in Lipman's work would be “Bride’s” shape. Constructed like a wedding cake, “Bride” uses that likeness as a parallel to wealth and power since wedding cakes were originally a socio-economic status symbol and were exclusively a luxury item.

Along with the wedding cake reference, specifically what makes “Bride” radiate themes of excessiveness, wealth, and materiality is the glassware. The ten feet that the sculpture stands at allows for hundreds of glass pieces to be featured, thereby allowing Lipman to use this as a way to express the concept of excessiveness, obviously, a heavily criticized human attribute in this piece. She emphasizes this by utilizing the tiered effect in “Bride”, where the pieces are more broken the lower they are on the sculpture, which can be interpreted as the veil that materialism and excess inherently creates. At a glance, on the top and surface everything, looks perfect, but as you look closer, you notice how everything is less than such. Look closer than that and you’ll notice certain objects are completely shattered, all a symbolic anecdote for the lack of depth in the life of someone who would choose to live a life of material. Artfully crafted glass pieces are made for the sole purpose of being for show and for their elegance. “Bride” doesn’t simply protest the possession of elegant items as some sort of a status symbol, rather the glassware and other fashionable and sophisticated items are used to symbolize a greater critique and conversation about materialism and the lack of emphasis on interpersonal experiences.

Many of Lipman’s previous works, such as “Laid (Time-)Table with Cycads”, to name just one, have been explicitly said to be social critiques of materiality of society and the excesses that plague us. “Bride” differs from her typical social critique in the way that “Bride” is is meant to be about a specific individual and a society at the same time. As referenced in an interview, she briefly mentioned how “Bride” was created specifically with the intention of being reminiscent of “the individual”. This would make sense considering the context of which “Bride” is set in. A wedding is symbolic of the joining of two people, whereas just the image of a bride is symbolic of a singular person. Again, selfishness doesn’t immediately come to mind, but if you think about the definition of the word “bride”, it is a singular term. A bride is a symbol of power, jealousy, wealth, and fortune, and weddings themselves are synonymous with excessiveness and doing things for show. In this way, “Bride” is a physical embodiment of the materialistic and excessive tendencies that everyone has within them.

Another point of interest, and something I think is a specific choice by Lipman, was the decision to leave “Bride” particularly ambiguous. The connection between her glass sculpture masterpiece and materialism is apparent, however the piece lacks a sort of historical or era specific context. This is done on purpose to make “Bride” applicable in a variety of contexts by not citing a particular context. This piece differs in this way from her other creations since they don’t really have an individual and personal connection and are completely wholly societal critiques. It is this ambiguity that is what is so significant about “Bride”. The sculpture demands your attention, forcing you to be almost overwhelmed by its intricacies, which can only be experienced seeing it in person. The piece radiates excessiveness and it becomes abundantly apparent that it is being protested. Although, it becomes difficult to put your finger on who or whom “Bride” protests, something I believe, after much consideration, was an intentional choice made by Beth Lipman, and probably the overarching factor as to why this piece is so unbelievably intriguing.

It is the combination of the artistic style still life, the philosophical ideas of still life, the philosophical ideas of realism, and modern sculpture that brings “Bride” to life. Lipman found a way to intertwine the aesthetic and cultural significance in a way that they are interdependent on one another in order to present her protest of materialism and excessiveness. Had she chosen a different medium, her message would not have been nearly as clear and the piece, had it been an oil painting, wouldn’t have particularly stood out. “Bride” grabs your attention, hence why I was interested in it. But after some thought, I now realize that the medium carries the significance of “Bride”, and it is for that reason “Bride” presents such a meaningful and interesting social critique of materialism within society and ourselves.

Works Cited

Peter Demetz, “Defense of Dutch Painting and the Theory of Realism,” Comparative Literature 15. No. 2. (1968) pp. 97-115. (accessed November 14th, 2015)

Museum of Modern Art. "What is Modern Art." MoMa.org. https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/what-is-modern-art (accessed November 10th, 2015)

Glass Art Society. "About the Glass Art Society." GlassArt.org. http://www.glassart.org/about.html
(accessed November 14th, 2015)

Essential Humanities. "Modern Sculpture." Essential-Humanities.net. http://www.essential-humanities.net/western-art/sculpture/modern/ (accessed November 14th, 2015)

Beth Lipman. "News." BethLipman.com. http://www.bethlipman.com/news/ (accessed November 10th, 2015)

North Carolina Museum of Art. Entire Site. ncartmuseum.org. http://ncartmuseum.org (accessed November 10th, 2015)

Time Trips. "Still Life: A History" TimeTrips.co.uk http://www.timetrips.co.uk/still_life_history.htm (accessed November 14th, 2015)

Drishti Magazine. "Wedding Cakes" DrishtiMagazine.com http://drishtimagazine.com/wedding-cakes/ (accessed November 14th, 2015)

Hunter's Unit 4 Mid Unit

Beyonce

Beyonce demonstrates the role many black women are assumed to have in our society. The painting I chose addresses how black women in the 1970's best represent the three qualities of the three graces.

Abstract Art

This an example of abstract collage artwork. Abstract art uses lines, shapes, and colors that deviated from the worlds references. Mickalene Thomas utilizes this technique with her version of the three graces. She paints the picture to where it appears as a collage and the background it very abstract and almost unnoticeable, and both techniques assist with the focus on the women.

The Three Graces

This is a classical high art type of painting. The Three Graces represents three minor goddesses that are the daughters of Zeus as well as the entourage of Aphrodite. The three women represent the characteristics of Charm, Beauty, and Creativity.

1970's

Mickalen Thomas was born in the seventies and experienced part of her childhood in the seventies. Her mother was also a huge influence on her pursuit of art and embodied many central themes of the seventies. It is key to remember that the seventies followed the racial issues of the sixties, and black women had so much to share with their new sense of equality and freedom.

Pop Art

Andy Warhol was huge, and he is known as the father of pop art. Pop art is the concept that everyday things can be portrayed as art with meaning. The theme for centuries has been that of high art, pop art celebrates the normal in which more people can relate and find meaning in.

Griffin's Mid Unit Post

The art piece that the rest of these images will be related to is an art piece on display at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh called "Bride", a sculpture by Beth Lipman.

A still life image is a painting, photograph, or any manner of expression which depicts inanimate non-human objects as art. As The Art Factory puts it, still life “captures the natural beauty of transient objects like flowers or fruit or table elements… to express the abstract qualities of the visual elements”. Still life traditionally depicts typical objects you’d find in your house, usually set up on a coffee table or breakfast table. Still life is one of the most famous painting forms since it was incredibly popular around the turn of the 20th century. Beth Lipman’s art is reminiscent of still life, except in sculpture form. Much of her work, and especially “Bride” is modeled after still life in the way that she creates still life images out of glass. She doesn’t imitate others work at all, but she definitely is unique in her interpretation of sculpture as still life. 

A traditional object synonymous with wedding ceremonies for centuries, the wedding cake itself is essentially a universal  symbol for togetherness. As you can see by comparing the 2 photos, Lipman’s sculpture, “Bride”, is shaped similarly to a wedding cake with the multiple layers gradually getting smaller as the sculpture gets taller, just as a wedding cake does. This leads you to believe the sculpture has a theme of a wedding, a theme of a ceremony, or a theme of love. Also contributing to this is the fact that the sculpture is called “Bride”. I have a hard time believing the 2 aren’t related. 

Further going into the topic of weddings, I was immediately drawn to the use of glass in this piece. The pieces on the upper layer are unbroken while the pieces on the lower layers are completely shattered. I started to think that this was for the purpose of symbolizing a broken marriage since the 10 foot piece was in the shape of a giant cake. Then, in researching more, Beth Lipman, the artist behind this piece, has a jewish name. Without dragging religion into this, and its kind of unavoidable when talking about marriage as its inherently what marriage is, the jewish religion has a history with breaking glass as a sign of marriage. Traditionally, a glass is shattered at a jewish wedding to symbolize the marriage of 2 individuals. So, depending on her message, the shattered glass could either be a symbol of broken marriage or, maybe less obviously, a positive symbol of new beginnings.

William Hargett Unit 4 Mid Unit Post

http://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/paul-revere-ride.htm This photo is of the  famous Paul Revere spreading the word that British troops were approaching. Although Revere did help to spread the word, it was not nearly as dramatic as the legend suggests. This is relevant to my piece of art because it shows the most famous minute man of all time at work.  It also provides a talking point as there are differences between common beliefs and fact concerning Paul Revere.    

http://www.lexingtonhistory.org/books.html

This picture (obviously) is of the battle of Lexington. This photo is relevant to my piece of art because the piece of art is about the riders warning the civilians and instructing the minutemen to get ready for battle. The photo shows the battle fro the colonists side firing into the redcoat organized lines. The British won the battle. 

http://www.earlyamerica.com/bookmarks/minutemen/

This picture is critically important to my piece of art. It shows a minuteman getting ready for war, which is also seen in my photo. In my photo, the minutemen are scrambling for their weapons and ready to get to the battle, as the messenger in the photo is describing to them. Minutemen were a critical part of the American Revolution.

http://cdn.history.com/sites/2/2013/11/Boston-Tea-Party-Hero-AB.jpeg

This picture is of the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Tea Party was a major event that contributed heavily into the start of the Revolutionary War (at Lexington). This was one of the final boiling points that made tensions to high without there being bloodshed.

http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/townshend-acts

This photo is also crucial to my piece of art. It is another piece of the puzzle that led to the boiling over of the tension between the colonists and the British. It also led to the Boston Tea Party as well. The tea tax was a huge contributor to the start of the Revolutionary War.

American Influences on Christian Culture

Works Cited

Kretschmann, R., & Benz, C. (2012). Morality of Christian Athletes in Competitive Sports - A Review. Sport Science Review, XXI(1-2), 15-15. doi:10.2478/v10237-012-0001-y

Carpenter, J. (2009). Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don't Give Away More Money. By Christian Smith and Michael O. Emerson, with Patricia Snell. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. xiv 274 pp. $24.95 cloth. Church History, 79(03), 709-709. doi:10.1017/S000964070999031X

Hull, J. (2000). Money, Modernity, And Morality: Some Issues In The Christian Education Of Adults.     Taylor & Francis Ltd. Religious Education, 95(1), 3-22. Retrieved October 30, 2015, from http://search.proquest.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/docview/199373601/citation?accountid=12725


Werpehowski, W. (1991). Christian Love and Covenant Faithfulness. The Journal of Religious Ethics,  Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 19(2), 30-30. Retrieved October 30, 2015, from http://www.jstor.org.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/stable/40015133?pq-origsite=summon&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Walks, S. (2008). Money or Business? A Case Study of Christian Virtue Ethics in Corporate Work. Christian Scholar's Review, 38(1), 15-40. Retrieved October 30, 2015, from http://search.proquest.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/docview/201364302?pq-origsite=summon

The Real Benefits of Gaming

Works cited

Graves, William. J. Reality Check: Perception of Cognitive Ability of Video Game Players. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting.  

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Is Sampling Real Music?

Is Sampling Real Music?

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       Garfield, D., Shockley, H., & McLeod, K. (Writers). (2011, January 28). NPR. Digital Music Sampling: Creativity or Criminality? [Radio broadcast]. In Talk of the Nation. Washington, D.C.: National Public Radio.

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