#17= Art 21

#16= Contemporary artist from my culture

Liu Xiaodong

         Liu Xiaodong felt that realism was documentary and direct for him. Even when the modern art movement dominated the world in the late 1980s, Liu Xiaodong still insisted on the realism of his duty and focused his attention on daily life and familiar people. For more than a decade, Liu Xiaodong still adheres to his own concept of painting, focusing on the independence and alienation of ordinary people's survival, away from the trend and embarrassment. Best known for his realistic and humanising paintings of everyday people in politically complex places, Liu Xiaodong is concerned with those left behind by modernisation globalisation.

#14= Lecture by Kerri Soukup

Lecture by Kerri Soukup

          I was honored to listen to a lecture by Kerri Soukup who was graduated in Fine Art and worked in Leo Burnett as an executive creative director. She was a proud and independent woman. There was something she speech that attracted me. First of all, She said modern makers are true characters, They have more creativity, and not just ads. They make things and solve problems. What's more, they create something. Then, Kerri Soukup analyzed the difference between art and copy. After that, she said what she looks for her company included talent, concept and craft, and character. At last, she showed us four artworks that she felt better and gave the presents to the artists.

#13= MCA

Reflection of MCA

       There was an enjoyable experience for me in MCA last week. MCA is a great contemporary art museum and the art exhibition section occupies most of the entire museum. There are many parts in the art exhibition such as Chicago Works, Heaven and Earth, Groundings, West by Midwest, Atrium Project, Enrico David and so on. There are some artworks in each part. However, I was only interested in one of the artworks that made me thought in them.

       The artwork made me think for a long time. When I saw the artwork, I imagined a black-eyed person sticking his head into a rope so that his neck became so long. It made me think a Chinese idiom that is called Tie One's Hair on the House Beam to Keep Oneself from Falling Asleep. It means a person work or study hard day and night. Because of the rope, the person studied hard but he finally got black eyes.

       Although I was interested in it, there were also many interesting artworks in MCA. Anyway, in my opinion, it is worth to recommend to visit it.

#15= Museum TEAM Project

Special Art Museum

        I had a project with my team that visited a museum. We had chosen a museum called Intuit and researched it before we visited. It is center for outsider art. We visited it on a cold day after classes.

        When I first came to the museum, I asked if my team was really a museum because it was too small. In the museum I visited, it was the smallest one. This art museum mainly collects works by Henry Darger. He was a reclusive American writer and artist who worked as a hospital custodian in Chicago. After he died, his artworks were discovered so that he became famous, so he was an outsider artist and his artworks were outsider art.

       In the museum, the main part is the Henry Darger Room Collection. We can see something that was in his house before his death. After visiting the art gallery, although he didn't become an artist during his lifetime, I thought he was still keen on art.

       Before we left the museum, we had interviews for an employee and a visitor. We waited for the employee over 30 minutes because of a meeting. We asked her about some insights about art and the details of Henry Darger. We are fortunate to ask the only one European-American visitor around the age of 30 about outsider art and his favorite artists and artworks. This was an enjoyable and relaxing visit for me. 

#12= Cultural Center

Reflection of the Chicago Cultural Center

     I was an honor to visit the Chicago Cultural Center. Before I visited it, I didn't where the Chicago Cultural Center is. I was curious to walk into it because I heard it was a great platform that shows the African American designers' artworks. The African American designer can make the most of their talents. I spent more time to see many artworks such as magazines, posters, album cover, toys, textiles, and household goods during the exhibition. They showed African American achievements. In addition, there is a painting on the outer wall of the cultural center. It was drawn by Kerry James Marshall.

#11= AIC

Reflection of AIC

       It was my first time to visit AIC. My first expression was the museum was so large. All kinds of famous artists and artworks that were from all over the world displayed in different parts. The main forms of the artworks are paintings and sculpture. They open the door of the art for me.  I was interested that the artist can state their situation or mood at the time by their artworks. I also had to do a mini-presentation about a specific art after I described and thought with my partner. In addition, I think AIC likes a maze or an art. If I might miss more art without the teacher's lead. After I visited AIC, I have a little reluctance to leave because I want to feel the more artistic atmosphere. All in all, AIC is so great because it has collected so many famous artworks.