I had the wonderful pleasure of being apart of the first beta-tested class to tour the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). The whole museum was a great experience, and I really loved the political stances that some pieces took on and how the museum as a whole caused a whole ordeal of reflection and pondering. We started the tour with a little warmup exercise using watercolor pencils and brushes, describing the area/architecture around us to a partner and seeing how accurately they could draw it. My drawing wasn't all too accurate, but it was a fun activity. Next we had about 15 minutes to independently draw/paint whatever area of the building that we'd like. I decided to stay inside and explore the contours and curves of the ceiling, which I found quite compelling. These activities helped elevate the architecture of the ICA to a more recognized artistic level, rather than just a building. Then, we began our tour around the museum, exploring the exhibition called Declaration. I particularly enjoyed this part of the museum, as it was the area that I got the chance to discover in the most depth. It exhibited very controversial and taboo topics, such as contemporary attitude towards women or the Ku Klux Klan. And although all of these topics are very heavy in content and emotion, the jovial way that they we're presented made it hard for me to make the connection that some of these works had an inherently negative connotation. This is incredibly skillful! I'm astounded that whilst looking at KKK cloaks the first thought in my mind was "happy" or "funny" not "terrible". It's kind of disturbing but it also makes you ponder about what you're seeing and how you choose to see it. We then explored the rest of the museum, featuring works about GWAR, the mending of society, and popular civil riots. I think out of all the pieces, my favorite was a four panel piece of embroidery depicting women's rights and women's independence and strength. It showed things/events like Sailer Moon "Gangster" cosplay or performances by the feminist band Pussy Riot. The lighthearted take that it had made these events seem mundane, or almost cute, which in itself could be demeaning (but I think one could argue that it doesn't, I don't think that's the intention for this piece, it just looked like something you would see at Grandma's house). In conclusion, the things I took away from this experience were the use of political ideas and trends to heavily influence art and perceiving of art. The museum also included multiple works that showcased a multitude of bright, contrasting colors, and that's something that I'd really like to start incorporating into my work. The use of new, or even strange mediums, is also something I would like to experiment in (although with research beforehand so I'm not completely lost).
Unfortunately I did not take any photos of this said excursion, so I leave you with the ICA logo and the link to the official website: icavcu.org
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