ARTstART Training at RSABG

Art in Claremont? Is that a joke?

In fact, it’s not. Art is here, has been here, and is here to stay.

To those skeptical of an artistic presence in our little city: did you know that Claremont has been known as a breeder of fine arts since World War II? Did you know that Scripps’ Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery is currently displaying an exhibit of the birth of the Los Angeles art scene from the 1950s-60s? Or have you ever heard of the Petterson Museum of Intercultural Art located in town?

“Claremont is actually known for its artistic creativity. There are lots of galleries and things to see just in our own town. It is unfortunate that people come and say there is no art,” said Rich Deely, founder of ARTstART.

This is where the Claremont Museum of Art’s Project ARTstART comes into play. Deely created a program specifically for art appreciation in Claremont.  High school students and college students work together to teach elementary school kids the importance of art culture. The program consists of 6 Claremont College students, 27 Claremont High School students, and over 175 4th, 5th, and 6th graders from Sycamore Elementary School in Claremont.

“The goal is to increase cultural consumerism and to get more people to look at shows, recognize the art around them, and recognize Claremont’s unique arts heritage,” says Deely.

Sophie Gallant, CMC '15 Facilitating Small Group

ARTsTART started in early 2010 under the direction of Deely. Although the Claremont Museum of Art closed doors physically in late 2009, it still hosts several programs and activities to keep the arts & culture alive in Claremont.  The board of directors wanted to create a program to engage college, high school, and elementary school students, in order to connect the community to art.

High school students participating in ARTstART need to be trained to teach the elementary school kids about the different themes of art. They visit art venues such as the Williamson Gallery or Pomona College Museum of Art at the Montgomery Center, get advice from their college mentors on lesson plans for the elementary school kids, and even get to visit art studios to meet working artists in the Claremont Area. This year they were able to meet local artists Aldo Casanova, Anne Seltzer, and Jeanne Steffan.

ARTstARTer Bethany Crim Teaching

The college mentors and high school students meet three times a month at different locations such as: the City of Claremont Youth Activity Center (YAC), Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Scripps College’s Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, and the Claremont University Consortium. During meetings, students write and reflect on past lesson plans, field trips, and give feedback to improve lessons for the elementary school students. Mentor Kimberley Africa PO ’15  notes, “I am very impressed with how high school students know a lot about art. It’s been a really positive experience and I’ve learned so much by meeting artists.”

“I had no idea all this art was here,” said Zoe Jameson PO ’15.

Sophie Galant CMC ’15 specifically has been a big help since the beginning of ARTstART. “This year was great because it was a learning year, since it was the first one. I really liked getting out of the Claremont bubble and seeing what else is going on around Claremont. I never thought what is around here. Through ARTstART I get to learn what it’s like to live here,” Galant said.

Mentors who have worked with ARTstART include Sophie Galant CMC ’15,  Zoe Jameson PO’15, Kimberly Africa PO’15, Maddi Knaub CMC ’15, Sung Mo CMC ’15, Karen Herrera PO ’15, Heather Byrne PO’15, and Sarah Merianos (CGU). Mentors are recruited in the fall and can get applications from Amy Bibbens at CMC’s Center for Civic Engagement for next year.

There were around thirty students total, three of whom went to CMC.

Claremont McKenna isn’t exactly known for art, unless you count some particularly creative beer pong tables. It doesn’t have an art major, any art classes, or any artistic facilities outside of a few auditoriums and the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum. Sometimes, it’s easy to assume that CMC just doesn’t do art.

But that’s not exactly true. Every year, CMC’s Under the Lights presents their one-acts performance and the Athenaeum puts on a Dinner Theatre production. CMC students participate in Acapella groups, the 5C orchestra, and a number of other consortium-wide arts groups. Plus, it’s important not to forget the countless musicians, photographers, and craftsmen that decorate their dorm walls with their work, or play a little ukulele during a homework break.

With those individuals in mind, one student asked CMC President Pamela Gann about the lack of arts facilities on campus when she came to visit ASCMC Senate on March 27th. In response, Gann emphasized the availability of such spaces at other schools, explaining, “The arts are definitely in the Claremont Colleges, so we in the consortium subspecialize.” Seems fair. As long as other campuses meet the students’ need for studios and easels, CMC is free to subspecializes in gigantic, cubical study spaces.

Perhaps that’s not exactly fair to CMC, which, cube aside, has clearly focused its energy on developing world-class programs in economics, finance, and government, among other things. But Gann’s comment isn’t exactly fair either.

Mercedes Teixido, representing the Pomona College Art Department, explained that Pomona College does indeed provide access to its arts facilities, but only to those students currently enrolled in art classes. She added, “We do not have open access even for Pomona students. Because we provide all of the materials for our classes, it would be impossible to just have materials for anyone available.”  She noted this policy was ”a matter of safety and space.”

Teixido went on to point out that Pomona does offer opportunities for students outside of classes, though they are limited.  For example, Pomona has “a Friday afternoon figure drawing session which anyone can come do.”

In short, opportunities do exist, but are significantly restricted. Teixido emphasizes that, “I do have to say that we allow very few allotments from CMC as we have extensive waiting lists for all our intro classes, therefore, CMC students barely benefit from our facilities.”

Christian Neumeister CMC ’15 is well aware of the difficulties of being an artist at CMC. As a member of a band composed of CMC students, he complains that, “there are practice facilities around the 5C’s, but they’ve been extremely difficult to access. Scripps has practice rooms, but they’re tiny. We’ve been told we need to be taking lessons at Pomona to access theirs. At Harvey Mudd, you must be a student to access them.” He explains, “No one is asking for an art department or a music department, just a room or two where we can do what we love without bothering anyone.” Neumeister is working on starting a Jam Society to help give CMC students the opportunity to practice their art, but still needs to secure some facilities to make it happen.

As CMC’s campus continues to grow, limited arts facilities ought to be on the wish list. Gann did point out at the senate session on March 26th that, “We do have a campus center in the Master Plan where we will have gallery space and performance space, but that is not a formal department. I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”

This hardly seems to cover the current gap, especially compared to facilities offered to students of other schools. Compare these meager features to Pitzer college’s Media Studies Production Center which, according to their website, offers Pitzer students “24–hour access” to “professional-quality video and film cameras,” “a full complement of lighting and sound equipment,” “student-run and student requested workshops,” and even a dark room.

It can sometimes be hard to see at first glance, but CMC has a wealth of artistic talent, more than can be fairly represented by a few pictures on the wall of Ryal Lab and a handful of performances in Pickford and McKenna Auditorium. In my wildest dreams, I see a full featured dark room with enough chemicals to repeat the Cuyahoga River fire, but that’s certainly not fair to ask the school to support financially. But, as the campus expands and more buildings are added, a one-room studio with some lights, a few easels and music stands, and a couple sound proofed music studios doesn’t seem like too much to ask.

Hoppe exhibit and artifacts, second floor of Honnold

Anyone who has been to the Honnold-Mudd library has probably seen the collections of student artwork. Big paintings and photos hang on the walls, most commonly along the Honnold wing.  But every so often, the library hosts a special art exhibition curated by professors at the Claremont Graduate University.  This semester, the second floor of the Honnold library is hosting a photo exhibit by E.O. Hoppé featuring images from his 1929 trip to visit Nobel Prize-winning poet, novelist, playwright, musician, and painter, Rabindranath Tagore, at his home in Santiniketan.  The exhibition, which is part of a larger series undertaken by Hoppé as a study of the Indian subcontinent, is hosted by the Foundation for Indic Philosophy and Culture.  The exhibition, notable for its artistic and historical qualities, is also a great opportunity – these photos have just been released for a limited time after 60 years under lock and key in London.

The photos themselves are all in black and white and feature both people and landscapes.  The series takes place in Northeastern India, in the Bengali town of Santiniketan (meaning abode of peace), where Tagore founded the Patha Bhavana school in 1901.  Some photos show families living in the town and portraits of Tagore himself, while others document the activities of the students at Tagore’s growing Visva-Bharati University.  At this revolutionary school, Tagore cast off the notions that strict repetition was the way to learn, opting for a reflective and passionate learning experience close to nature.  It was a radical departure from tradition.  Many of Tagore’s works criticize strict traditionalism, like Hindu orthodoxy in society (the novel Gora) and arranged marriages and the tense domestic situations they bring about (the short story Haimanti).  Tagore was also widely read outside of India and remains a staple in the canon of Indian and South Asian literature.  The portrait by Hoppe stands out among the group of almost exclusively European notables, highlighting Tagore among the great minds of his time.

Music Student, 1929 - E.O. Hoppe

Several photos show students gathered under trees listening intently to their professors lecturing on subjects like mathematics.  One photo depicts a young music student practicing his sitar, while another shows female art students working hard at their crafts.

The most iconic portrait by Hoppé shows Tagore sitting at an angle to the camera, but staring straight through the frame.  His expression carries a frown worn deeply into his face, sharp eyes and a long, white beard.  In another portrait Tagore is reclined while dictating his thoughts to a student.  In other portraits one can see students gathered around Tagore, listening to him speak or discussing their studies with him.

Exhibit plaque, with portrait of Tagore

Hoppé, who is famous for his portraits, photographed distinguished subjects like Albert Einstein, Fritz Lang, Benito Mussolini, Paul Robeson, as well as Tagore and even Queen Elizabeth in 1923.  His portraits are part historical document, part modern art photography and have catapulted him to the top of his field.  Indeed, he was famous in his own right.  “Rarely in the history of the medium has a photographer been so famous in his own lifetime among the general public. He was as famous as his sitters. It is difficult to think of a prominent name in the fields of politics, art, literature, and the theatre who did not pose for his camera,” said biographer Bill Jay in his book Emil Otto Hoppé: A Personal Snapshot.

While it would be easy to rush by the photos on your way to a caffeine-inspired cram-sesh, I would encourage you to spend just a moment to take them in.  They capture a definite moment in time, a world unto itself.  Hoppé wanted to highlight the exotic landscapes of India on his trip, as well as the people that lived there, and his photos, with simple beauty, do the job well.  Until this year, these pieces of artwork were locked in a London photo library for over sixty years.  They will be on display until April 15^th and Claremont will be the only exhibition on the West Coast of the United States this year.

Students and photos on the second floor of Honnold

While many students who came into CMC with strong backgrounds in their high school bands, orchestras or art programs have adjusted to CMC’s lack of an art program, some still ask for CMC to change its ways.

Sophomore Chelsea Durgin says, “Students would really benefit from art as an outlet to the stress of school… I think that a lot of students at CMC are extremely talented in the arts, but they can’t express themselves because of the CMC reputation.”

Devashish Dey performs at the Athenaeum (Photo by Warren Bessant)

For students from neighboring schools and artistically-inclined CMCers, the school’s image as a leadership-driven institution for go-getters has left its commitment to the art world by the wayside. CMC has abandoned some traits of average liberal arts schools and become the economics-oriented school that it is, but as Durgin says, this doesn’t mean that CMC students are devoid of any artistic talent.

The idea of pursuing art on campus has inched into the spotlight with the appearance of Stark’s new piano and with growing involvement with arts organizations at the 5Cs. Yet, some students still argue that CMC is not currently an art-friendly school and believe that there is a stigma associated with pursuing a degree in the arts.

Freshman Becca Rosenthal says, “At the very least we can start putting student artwork in Kravis, but ideally there should be an arts GE.” Those who are proponents of larger changes to CMC’s image like Rosenthal argue that the school could start embracing its liberal arts label by requiring students to study art.

For other students, calling Claremont McKenna a liberal arts school is almost a misnomer. CMC has a unique approach to providing students with a well-rounded education: we receive the benefits of a liberal arts school, yet we’re unlike any other. One of the things that sets us apart is a focus on creating leaders in business and the professions. Advocates of CMC’s leadership-oriented mission point out that our access to the resources at the other 4Cs – including arts programs like theater, music, studio art, and art history – allow us to bypass the implementation of our own arts program.

Indeed, those who actively pursue the arts have many opportunities, even as a CMC student, to be involved in the arts. A CMC-specific theater club Under the Lights allows students an outlet for artistic expression. Other 5C opportunities include taking part in KSPC, Pomona’s student radio station; an acapella choir like Shades; or Without a Box, the Claremont Colleges’ improv group. For those students willing to integrate with the rest of the 5Cs, the abundance of artistic opportunities on our neighboring campuses offer CMCers a chance to pursue their artistic passions with ease. The beauty of the consortium is that each of the schools can specialize in a few fields, instead of attempting to do everything at once, which would be redundant and ineffective.

Local band Songword performs at the Motley on Scripps College campus (Photo by Yuqiao Guo)

The accessibility of the other Claremont Colleges and their strengths in the arts balance out the unique liberal arts appeal of CMC. The administration faces a choice between encouraging the appreciation of art at CMC and offering art programs on CMC’s campus. But one thing is sure: when it comes to whether art should be more encouraged on campus or remain an untouched issue, Freshman Erika Sa says, “I want more!” The best resolution is for CMC to encourage students to appreciate and participate in some form of art, but continue to utilize the other art programs in the Claremont Consortium instead of devoting resources and time to building a new one at CMC. In other words, take advantage of the resources that the consortium offers.

CMC students’ interest in pursuing art academically is less common perhaps than at other 5C institutions. Appeals for drastic changes to CMC’s academic focus seem to be coming from a unique group of students who would like CMC to acknowledge the importance of art by offering art programs on campus. However, this desire does not seem to apply to most students and thus no change will likely be made.

But CMC students as a whole do not disregard the arts entirely. The claim that students don’t care about art because CMC is a school focused on a couple of strong programs is simply not true. It is true, however, tacking on an art department to CMC’s academic offerings would not increase the benefit to CMC students enough to justify the cost. It would be both widely beneficial and much easier for the student body to simply ask CMC for more on-campus practice rooms or to see more student-made art in the hallways of our dorms. Adding small things like pianos or providing an area just to hang out and play music would give CMC some artistic flavor of its own. We don’t have to drop our reputation as a school of industrious students in order to appreciate the arts – we can embrace it without becoming a run-of-the-mill liberal arts school. With the new piano in Stark and the ever-growing involvement of students in artistic programs on and off campus, it seems like we’re on the right track.

Recently, Claremont McKenna College students may have glimpsed Espindola dancing in the Living Room on select evenings. Espindola, whose dances run anywhere from four to eight hours, incorporates ballet, modern dance, and yoga poses into her routines. She chooses to use the Living Room as her dance studio as part of her ongoing interest in “site-specific dance.” As she describes it, “Site-specific dance is created to exist in a certain place where the artist considers a site’s unique environment, social context, and architecture. I see the beauty of moments that cannot be planned or created.” Espindola emphasizes that her performances are part on her ongoing research into the field of dance. She explains, “I am no different from the students that go there to study.”

Hold me closer tiny dancer!

Initial reactions to the dance performance were varied. Some, for example, thought that Espindola might be a Pitzer student protesting in conjunction with the Occupy Wall Street movement. Many speculated about her props, which include ropes and ribbons. One student playfully suggested that the props might be “symbolic of the oppression of the 1% on the working class.”

Espindola emphasizes that her performance had no ulterior motives or messages. When informed of fellow students’ reactions, however, Espindola was unsurprised, stating, “There is a power bigger than me that can communicate on a nonverbal level. Everyone will have their own experiences, ideas, questions and feelings when they see me dancing.”

After learning the reason for Espindola’s dancing, students have had mixed reactions.  CMC sophomore Sam Stone, who live-tweeted a portion of the performance, joked, “if Pomona students are entitled to express themselves in new CMC facilities, then I should be allowed to work on my Goldman Sachs application at Pomona in Sontag Hall!”

More seriously, senior/tech guru Dave Meyer was “impressed with her innovation, and [feels that] it is demonstrative of the lack of creativity on CMC’s campus. Perhaps the focus on economics and government pulls students away from their deeper passion for the arts.”

Espindola echoes Meyer’s sentiments, stating, “While there is plenty of artistic expression on campus, the problem is that we are too busy to see them, to appreciate them, and be thankful for them.” She hopes her dancing inspires students to think and create art in non-traditional ways. As she puts it, “There is always more to see. Open your senses to feel, to hear, and to see the hidden meaning of a space.”

While Espindola does not have any scheduled dances, she will be on the CMC campus performing at various locations for the rest of the year. You can find out more about Pomona’s site-specific dance program at www.sitespecific47.wordpress.com

Pacific Standard Time: It Happened at Pomona

Hungry for a study break in the middle of the night?  Head over to the Pomona Art Museum for a steaming hot platter of thought provoking culture, since it is now open twenty-four hours a day for the first installment of the It Happened at Pomona art series.

The first exhibition celebrates curator Hal Glicksman who, from 1969 – 1970, helped transform Claremont into a major center for new art.  Recruiting and nurturing young artists, Glicksman created an artist-in-residence program for artists to set up shop right inside the museum during gallery exhibitions.

The exhibit itself is diverse, showcasing pieces from Tom Eatherton, Ron Cooper, Judy Chicago, Robert Irwin, Lloyd Hamrol, and Lewis Baltz all at once.

Walking down into the exhibit, you’ll notice immediately a dramatic montage of photos depicting a landscape covered in smoke.  Then two large smashed car windshields, a looped video of a ball smashing into a glass plate, and a wall of minimalist photography taken around the greater Los Angeles area.

As you try to absorb the images before you, an attendant will come down and guide you into a pitch-black room lit by huge curved panels that seem to extend into the darkness forever.

"Rise" by Tom Eatherton, Pomona Art Museum

Current Pomona Art Gallery curator Rebecca McGrew cites their works as prime examples of the Light and Space movement.

“It [Light and Space] captures a really, truly “California” kind of art movement.  Artists who responded to the light and space qualities of living in southern California, in conjunction with a lot of the other art movements at the time, came up with the idea of questioning architecture, questioning art, questioning what an art object actually is,” says McGrew.

The art works at the exhibition really do play with light and with space, like the Robert Irwin display: acrylic lacquer on formed acrylic plastic, essentially a bent plastic disk with a single black line.  At first glance, it’s not extraordinary, but then you might notice that you can’t see what’s holding it up – or even where it begins and ends.

Untitled, by Robert Irwin

Irwin asked himself if he could “paint a painting without a mark, without a line.”  The result was a work of art that transcended its frame, that didn’t “begin and end at the edge.”

The point of these artworks is not just to show something, but to make the audience ask important questions about what they see, how it is seen, and the nature of art itself.  The real beauty of this artwork is that it isn’t easy to absorb – you have to think about it.

These ideas about art were really radical.  So radical, in fact, that curator Hal Glicksman’s successor, Helene Winer, was fired by Pomona College – reportedly after an artist, during his ritualistic performance art piece, urinated in front of fifty people in the gallery.

Situational Construction by Lloyd Hamrol

In just over three years Claremont had become a focal point for some of the most radical art and ideas in the country, but it didn’t last long.

“Because it was this key moment of a few short years where all the trends in art converged right there… in a way it was just coincidence, and then it all ended in ’73.  It’s hard to get a moment like that back”

Need more of an excuse to visit the Museum?  The Pomona Art Museum hosts weekly “after hours events” with movies, concerts, craft events, and even an appearance by featured artist Judy Chicago this Sunday, October 9^th.  “It Happened at Pomona”, the first of three installments in the Pacific Standard Time series at Pomona is open twenty-four hours a day to the public through November 6th, 2011.  The Pacific Standard Time series, a collaborative effort throughout southern California, has more than sixty institutional partners and runs through April 2012.

Looking for more places for art at the 5Cs? Check out Jillian’s article on art around the campuses.

Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, Scripps College

The Ruth Chandler Williamson Art Gallery

Hours: 1-5PM Wednesday-Sunday (during exhibitions).

Located at Scripps College on Eleventh Street, this facility is a hidden gem.  With funding that allows the gallery to bring in a host of historic and fascinating exhibits throughout the year, the Williamson Gallery also boasts permanent collections like the C. Jane Hurley Wilson ’64 and Michael G. Wilson Photograph and Print Study Room.  Current exhibitions include the Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. from 1945-1980 and Asian Textiles displays, beginning in October and running through April.  The Williamson Gallery has plenty of future exhibits already planned, as well as grand opening receptions.  If that’s not your cup of tea, check out the many prestigious speakers that come to the gallery to speak on art history, specific art forms, and a large range of other topics.  Too busy to make it over?  Check out the gallery’s online catalogue or digital art collection.

The Pitzer Art Galleries

Hours: 12-5PM Tuesday-Friday.

Edythe and Eli Broad Center (entrance), Pitzer College

If you’re looking for something thought-provoking and different, Pitzer is the place to be.  Hosting The Lenzner Family Art Gallery and The Nichols Gallery (located in Broad Center), Pitzer College has created great art exposure opportunities for the Colleges.  While the Lenzner Family Art Gallery focuses on “a space for risk and experimentation dedicated to emerging artists working in all media”, the Nichols Gallery is “committed to solo and group exhibitions by national and international artists both emerging and established.”  Together, the galleries display an impressive number of exhibitions throughout the year, varying from video installations, participatory and performance art, to textiles and photography.  Many of the exhibitions and events allow for audience participation, such as a tree planting event that graced the campus with “living art.”  Pitzer College also includes resident artist events and periodic lectures by upcoming artists.  Their current series, Synthetic Ritual, features fifteen artists over three months on display until December 9^th.

The Pomona College Museum of Art

Hours: Part I of the It Happened at Pomona exhibit open 24 hours a day.

The Pomona College Museum of Art located on the northeast corner of Bonita and College houses permanent fine art exhibits and temporary collections, as well as student displays.  The permanent collections house an impressive display of American Indian art and artifacts from the pre-Columbian period to the present, as well as their Kress Collection, featuring 15th- and 16th-century Italian panel paintings.  Currently, Pomona is hosting the exciting and historical exhibit It Happened at Pomona: Art at the Edge of Los Angeles 1969-1973, a three-part series continuing through May 2012 that includes a performance art exposition.  Check out the Museum at its after-hours events: the opening gala with KSPC was on September 15^th. It kicked off the year with live music and video games.  The next event is a talk by Carlos Motta, titled “We Who Feel Differently”, which discusses the politics of sexual difference.  If you can’t make it, many of Pomona’s museum resources are available online for viewing.

Pomona Museum of Art During an Exhibition

Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)

Maybe legendary former CMC professor Adam Bradley inspired you to read this National Book Award winning masterpiece.  Maybe you’ve heard about the novel’s fascinating plot, complex characters, and perspective-shifting breakdown of race, identity, and existentialism in America.  Either way, this is one of those classics you simply must read.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Milan Kundera)

Set in Communist Prague during the spring of 1968, this novel explores the intellectual life of Czech society during a critical period in European history.  Don’t be fooled by the title: the philosophical underpinnings of this book are anything but “light.”  Kundera challenges Nietzsche’s concept of eternal recurrence with a thought-provoking alternative.

The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway)

Modernist icon Ernest Hemingway presents a captivating novel that chronicles the vibrant lives of American and British writers as they “came of age” abroad during World War I.  From the bullfights of Pamplona, Spain to the literary cafes of Paris, Hemingway’s novel is an almost cinematic journey into the expatriate’s Europe.

Just Kids (Patti Smith)

Rock star Patti Smith also happens to be a talented, poetic writer with an incredible story to tell.  Smith’s gorgeous memoir not only captures a snapshot of the artist’s New York City during the bohemian 1960s and 70s, but also paints a portrait of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, her longtime creative partner.  This insider’s ode to an era of music, love, art, and beauty is breathtaking… and tearjerking.

Chronic (D.A. Powell)

California poet D.A. Powell shares a collection of contemporary poetry that is at once accessible and entrancing.  Powell masters the nearly impossible task of simultaneously conveying both the outside world and a person’s innermost thoughts.  The LA Times writes that Powell “can paint the weed-choked cemeteries of the Central Valley and also the cluttered toy chest of his memory.”  We’re intrigued.

The Monkeywrench Gang (Edward Abbey)

Ed Abbey is the original eco-warrior.  His billboard-burning, dam-busting cast of unforgettable characters will transport you to the author’s beloved Southwest for some “monkeywrenching”: general sabotage, law-breaking, or activism to preserve wild spaces.  Abbey’s characters are far from granola-crunching hippies; the author portrays a group of environmentalists with a penchant for red meat, whiskey, and keeping the earth free.

Have you already read these? Want more from the NON-required reading list? Here is my list from year. Got more ideas? Suggestions? Please add to the list with comments below. Enjoy!

Oh CMC, how thrilled I am to return to you in the fall! I can only hope that all of you back on campus have had a stellar spring semester—I certainly have. As my time abroad wraps up I have become prone to random bouts of contemplation, the fruits of which are the following.

I have been in Siena—a medieval town in the heart of Tuscany—for four glorious months, and I know it will be heart wrenching to leave. Upon our arrival, we were debriefed on the emotional stages of a typical ‘study abroad’ period, of which I have experienced one: the romantic stage. Sure, I’ve missed family, friends and In-N-Out Burger, but there is simply too much to love in Siena to spend any time pining for the comforts of home. Home will always be there, but my time abroad is fleeting. And so I have compiled a list of the things that have grown dearest to my heart here, the things I will undoubtedly miss most when I return to the States.

I have found many testaments to the Italian affinity for beauty. The percentage of Italy, of places, things and people that are just beautiful is ridiculous. There is a value of the aesthetic here in almost every facet of life.  In terms of art and architecture, Italy is unrivaled in both beauty and plentitude. From Siena’s magnificent striped Duomo to the incredible Uffizi and Accademia galleries of Firenze, there are stunning churches, paintings, sculptures and buildings in every single Italian city. The amount of splendor to be absorbed in this country is astonishing, from the fading crimson of an ancient fresco to the strikingly lifelike form of a statue, transformed from marble block by the human hand.

Fashion is one of the most celebrated ways in which the Italians express a zeal for all things beautiful. Sleek, sophisticated Armani suits and painstakingly crafted Ferragamo heels are on the more upscale side of Italy’s sartorial offerings, but there is even a kind of beauty in more ‘Eurotrash’ style.  Garish patterns, cheap fabrics, strange color combinations and confused lines that encompass the ‘Eurotrash’ look could only be scorned by a total snob.  An undeniable type of beauty is in these ensembles.  Of course the ultimate beauty of Italian fashion, tasteful or outrageous, lies in the incredible ability of its wearers to pull just about any outfit off. I feel at once perplexed and impressed by the inexplicable capacity of Italians to wear things I would undoubtedly look and feel ludicrous in: a fabulous cream pantsuit, a pair of baggy grey sweats tapered at the ankle, or even a jacket tied around the waist.  I can only aspire to gain that Italian sensibility on some level before I leave.

And the cuisine encapsulates an elemental, irresistibly alluring kind of beauty. That fleeting, hedonistic beauty all foodies find in the fragrance of perfectly aged cheese, a cone of cloudlike gelato, or the brightness of fresh, green basil atop a mound of spaghetti al pomodoro.

But here the most beauty can be found in the simplest of things: the gleam of green shutters in the afternoon sun, the scent wafting into the street from a pizzeria, or basking for hours in Piazza del Campo with a six-pack of Birra Morretti. Of course the unapologetic pleasure so many Italians take in all these things, the immense joy with which they lead their lives and take their world in, makes every day all the more beautiful. And it is the beauty in the every day that I will miss most when I leave here and that I will try most to keep in my heart when I am gone. My friends at home may need to prepare themselves for a slightly more bold, indulgent, spirited version of me- or at least the me they know well, striving to be just a little bit more Italian.

This passage is the first of many entries on my blog, http://lifeinbauteworld.tumblr.com/. Grazie a tutti!

Baci,

Jennifer Baute

Let me tell you, writing about successful music artists who are also younger than you is a trip.

Haven’t heard of him?  Or rather, haven’t heard of the Los-Angeles rap collective ODD FUTURE WOLF GANG KILL THEM ALL?  They’re probably not going to be your cup of tea.  The group, which consists of names that seem to have a harmonic effect on the “blogosphere,” consists of a handful of Los Angeles kids who are probably younger than you.  There’s Tyler the Creator, born Tyler Okonma, the lanky producer and ringleader with a reputation for being notoriously goofy in interviews.  There’s Earl Sweatshirt, who’s not even old enough to vote yet, and for reasons that have been left utterly up for speculation, seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth.  There’s Frank Ocean, taking on the role of crooner, and making perhaps the most accessible music in the group.  The rest of the group requires a Wikipedia check to list out:  Hodgey Beats, Domo Genesis, Mike G, Syd the Kid, Left Brain, Matt Martians, Jasper Dolphin, and Taco.  They’re not all rappers, or even musicians, mind you.  Jasper Dolphin is credited as being the group’s “skateboarder,” Martians does graphic design, Taco makes music videos.  The group records their music in a room at Taco’s house, known as the Wolf Lair.  And it prompts the question: why should anyone care?

Here’s why.  ODD FUTURE WOLF GANG KILL THEM ALL (a name it is only possible to write in bold and all-caps) are going to be huge.  These are 16-21 year old kids, Los Angeles skateboarders, and for the last year and half, they’ve done nothing but give away music for free.  It’s an endeavor that grew a cult-like following, and one that ultimately prompted Sony’s RED music branch to give them their own record label, Odd Future Records.  They’ve got a TV show in the works for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, they’ve performed at Coachella and soon at England’s Reading festival, they’ve been on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, they’ve been interviewed by the New York Times, they’ve been live on the BBC.  And all of this in the span of less than two months.

So what’s the buzz about then?  It’s about this.  If you’re squeamish, do yourself a favor and click the links in the parentheses instead.  They make heavy grinding beats, they rap about rape, violence, psychiatrists, and Jesus.  Their biggest break yet came with the release of the music video for “Yonkers,” the first single off Tyler the Creator’s new album, Goblin. (Non-Music Video)  The video, shot in shaky black and white with a camera experiencing serious ADD, depicts Tyler, in order, eating a cockroach, throwing up, removing his clothes, and hanging himself.  Oh, then there’s the video for Earl Sweatshirt’s song “Earl,” which, again in order, has the whole of ODD FUTURE WOLF GANG KILL THEM ALL mixing pills, weed, malt liquor and other items into a blender, mixing it, drinking it, and then skateboarding while bleeding from their noses, nipples, mouths, and losing teeth.  (Again, just the song)  Okay, so now we need a new question: what on earth is going on here, and who in the right mind would give these guys a record deal?

There will be many more magazine covers in these guys' future. Or should we say "Odd Future?" Har Har Har.

The answer to that question could, very well, be expounded upon in a three-part blog article.  But in its essence, it can be boiled down to this: It’s raw.  It’s angry, jaded, and off-the-wall, and it’s what has been missing from rap music.  It’s like the 1990s all over again: hardcore rap music, with questionable production values, controversial content, the whole nine yards.  All that comes nicely to a head on Tyler’s latest work, Goblin. Kanye West might have explored his own psyche on his most recent musical album, but it happens to be that Tyler’s id, ego, and superego are a bit darker.  Some sample lyrics: “I’ll stab Bruno Mars in his goddamn esophagus,” “I’m not gay, I just want to boogie to some Marvin,” and (perhaps most worrying for me), “I’m stabbing any blogging [bad word] hipster with a Pitchfork.”  And those are all from the same song.  Tyler and company have gotten the genre-tag of “horrorcore,” which means exactly what it sounds like, but the group, fittingly, insists they’re just making rap music.  Maybe it boils down to a matter of taste if you appreciate what ODD FUTURE WOLF GANG KILL THEM ALL are doing here, but there’s one thing that can be said: no artist with a major-label deal could even dream of saying something like this.  And what’s more: these punks are making the most of their creative freedom, and by god they’re getting famous doing it.

So maybe that’s what’s in store for rap: a lack of self-censorship, and the ability to do pretty much whatever.  Their business model (Goblin is the first record that the group will be charging for, and while I have the leaked version now, count me first in line to financially support them) is startlingly indie-rock, and harkens back to the days in the late 1980s when Fugazi never charged more than 5 dollars for a concert ticket when they easily could have charged $20.  If ODD FUTURE WOLF GANG KILL THEM ALL isn’t your scene, there’s other great independent rap artists out there, too, and a lot of them are similarly giving their music away for free.  Childish Gambino (who I am contractually obligated to say is Community actor Donald Glover) raps about sexual escapades that will put anything that happened at Slippery When Wet to shame.  Das Racist (who recently performed at Pitzer College) raps about smoking weed, and then about smoking weed some more.

The bottom line?  Perhaps rap music is about to hit its “indie” phase.  There’s a plethora ($10 word, check) of great independent artists that are basically giving their music away for free.  So get out there on the big scary interweb, read hip blogs, and find good music.  If rap can be saved (if it even needs saving), then it’s going to take a team effort between you and people like Tyler the Creator, and what better friend could you ask for than this man.