Introduction to Interdisciplinary Arts

This course basically shows how art, film, music, dance, performance, and writing and theater, come into play and make interesting works of art.  The class consisted of presentations from students on various artists, discussions on the artist and the readings assigned about that particular artist, writing reflective journal entries about our discussion and other art events that we went to, and then create project proposal that shows collaboration, interdisciplinary work, budget, location, the theory behind the project etc.  This was by far my favorite course. 

Here's a list of the artists. 

 

Black Mountain College(Josef Albers taught there)

John Cage

Merce Cunningham

Bill T. Jones

Robert Rauschenberg

Jasper Johns

Allan Kaprow

Maya Deren

Allen Ginsberg

Jay Defeo

Jack Karouach

Jack Smith

Anna Mendieta

Judy Chicago

Joan Jonas

Barbara Hammer

Grand Fury

David Wojnarowicz

Hide/Seek

Harry Gamboa Jr.

Patssi Valdez

Marina Abromavic

 

My favorites were Maya Deren, Anna Mendieta, Judy Chicago, Joan Jonas, and Marina Abromavic. 

 

What I like about these few is their approach to their art.  I don't approach it from any feminine perspective.  In other words, I just view them as who they are: Artists, regardless of what gender they are.  Maya Deren and Joan Jonas deal with film and performance.  Anna Mendieta covered herself in various things to get in touch spiritually with nature.  Judy Chicago is known well for her Dinner Party, and Various tapestries of feminine Creationism and drawings on masculinity.  Marina Abromavic is known for her performance work, and trust me it is bizarre yet powerfully emotional. We watched a documentary on her, where she would stare at people who would come and sit in front of her.  I watched that documentary way too intensely because I left class feeling very depressed and unhappy.  The amount of people that began to cry while staring at her...unbelievable.  I'm not sure what it means but maybe the reason those people cried is because they are not listened to in real life and so maybe when they are stared at, they are finally being listened to.  It's so overwhelming that they begin to cry.  That's my theory at least. 

So take a look at these artists' work.  Each one is really interesting. 

Starvix Draxon