Yes, No, Maybe: January 31, 2013
INSTRUCTIONS: Post an image, video, music file, or other phenomenon and compose an argument (1-2 paragraphs) that considers its aesthetic qualities and its applicability (or non-applicability) as an object of study in art education. In your argument, please consider one or two of the following issues as they relate to this item (in other words, how might the issues below influence the meaning, validity, or feasibility of this item/phenomenon as an object of study in the discipline of Art Education?):
INSTRUCTIONS: Post an image, video, music file, or other phenomenon and compose an argument (1-2 paragraphs) that considers its aesthetic qualities and its applicability (or non-applicability) as an object of study in art education. In your argument, please consider one or two of the following issues as they relate to this item (in other words, how might the issues below influence the meaning, validity, or feasibility of this item/phenomenon as an object of study in the discipline of Art Education?):
- Form and qualities of the phenomenon
- The ideal audience for this item/phenomenon? (age/experience of the student who will learn about it)
- The role played by the subjectivity/desires of the viewer/participant (could be student and/or teacher, or both) in relation to teaching and learning about this phenomenon
- Social-political-cultural context(s) within which this phenomenon is experienced (i.e. popular culture, gallery, museum, home, etc)
- How this phenomenon relates to current issues, ideas, and goals in the discipline of art education
Molly Hatch is an artist from Massachusetts working in ceramics, textiles, drawing, and probably lots of other media I am leaving out. I discovered her work a couple of years ago in my very first ceramics class and I have kept an eye on her ever since. She was hired by the store Anthropologie to do a number of products ranging from glassware to tea towels to ceramic dishes, including the vase shown above.
I put this piece in the “Maybe” category. For me it’s right in the middle because I can think of valid discussion points in regard to the piece. For example, we could discuss her visual choices in the form of line treatment, color choice, shape, and the French Revolution phrase so blatantly scrolled across the front. The color and decoration style clearly reference traditional Delftware ceramics, so questions regarding history could be discussed (could also tie in a discussion about Let Them Eat Cake – given that the context of the phrase is the French Revolution, what does that do/add to/say for the work?). Is she commenting on traditional Delftware/what is she saying? The same goes for the unique shape – the vase is reminiscent of a traditional vessel, yet it is not in-the-round. Rather, it appears more to be an extruded 2D drawing. What choices lead to that aesthetic decision and for what purpose?
However, on the other hand, questions could be raised that would lead one to think that this piece should not be considered art. Because she was hired by Anthropologie to produce these, how do we know/can we find out how much of her hand is actually in the design? What aspects did she have control over? Was she directed to make certain choices? How much freedom did she have? It also raises the age-old question regarding the relationship between mass-production and value. Where it seems the artworld places heavy value on one-of-a-kind works, this certainly would not be highly valued because it is mass-produced and for a major corporation nonetheless.
This piece of Molly Hatch’s, whom I still love dearly, is getting (respectively) placed in the “Maybe” pile.
I put this piece in the “Maybe” category. For me it’s right in the middle because I can think of valid discussion points in regard to the piece. For example, we could discuss her visual choices in the form of line treatment, color choice, shape, and the French Revolution phrase so blatantly scrolled across the front. The color and decoration style clearly reference traditional Delftware ceramics, so questions regarding history could be discussed (could also tie in a discussion about Let Them Eat Cake – given that the context of the phrase is the French Revolution, what does that do/add to/say for the work?). Is she commenting on traditional Delftware/what is she saying? The same goes for the unique shape – the vase is reminiscent of a traditional vessel, yet it is not in-the-round. Rather, it appears more to be an extruded 2D drawing. What choices lead to that aesthetic decision and for what purpose?
However, on the other hand, questions could be raised that would lead one to think that this piece should not be considered art. Because she was hired by Anthropologie to produce these, how do we know/can we find out how much of her hand is actually in the design? What aspects did she have control over? Was she directed to make certain choices? How much freedom did she have? It also raises the age-old question regarding the relationship between mass-production and value. Where it seems the artworld places heavy value on one-of-a-kind works, this certainly would not be highly valued because it is mass-produced and for a major corporation nonetheless.
This piece of Molly Hatch’s, whom I still love dearly, is getting (respectively) placed in the “Maybe” pile.