Final Paper: A Reflection

Final Assignment: Learning Analysis

Before I entered into the threshold of WMST 250: Art & Culture, I was uncertain of what to expect from the class. I admit that I enrolled myself in this course to fulfill a requirement, but I learned more in WMST 250 than any of my other courses this semester. This course has altered my way of thinking and forced me to analyze my life. I never thought that I would admit to being a feminist or read a science-fiction novel and actually enjoy it. It has been through the readings, lectures, games, and discussions that I realized a change in myself from the beginning of the semester. I was once a person that refused to examine my own privileges in terms of how they are a disadvantage to others. I am so proud of the knowledge that I have gained in just a few short months because it has taught me not to be afraid to question the structures that make up our lives.

The very first day of WMST 250 was a great introduction to the course, because it gave a small glance as to how the rest of the semester would go. On the first day of class I wrote down the three most interesting bits of information that I have ever seen in relation to course requirements. My notes list an online address for the class blog, a cancellation of class for the following week to accommodate a museum assignment, and a reminder to write an introduction of myself for the discussion section. Prior to this class my blog literacy didn’t go beyond reading posts. Then, there was the first assignment appropriately named Art Venues. When I told my friends that I had a week to visit four museums and write a paper on it, they were jealous. During this experience I was shocked when I realized that women artist weren’t showcased as prominently as their male counterparts. Also, the introduction assignment in discussion was interesting for the sole reason that each student had to describe themselves as a subject in history. I used the ice skating incident of 1994 with Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding to illustrate an event that was historical, yet troubling to me. I may have only been four years old, but I remember this incident being all over the media and later feeling as though it was embarrassing for grown women to behave this way in a professional setting. I immediately fell in love with how open minded the class allowed me to be and I only wondered what the lectures would consist of.

The lecture following the flex week of museum research was insightful and helped to draw together all of the raw materials we had been working with. By raw materials I’m referring to the assumptions placed within the first assignment, webbing assignments, and readings. Writing the assumptions about feminist for the first paper took more effort than I had expected. I had to be honest with myself and say all of the negative things I had heard attributed to feminist. I began to feel more comfortable about my ridiculous assumptions and stereotypes, like all feminist are angry, because my classmates had the same assumptions in their papers. Accompanying the first paper was the webbing assignment, which was new to me. The syllabus simply stated that we should visit the museum websites and page about a woman named Joy Harjo. I find that there is a connection between webbing and readings because it allows outside preparation for the lecture. However, the readings for this class were nothing I had ever encountered before. The syllabus said to preview the book But is it Art? by Cynthia Freeland and pick a chapter to read.

I choose to read the first chapter of the appropriately titled book But is it Art? . I decided to read chapter one of Freeland’s novel because I knew of no better place to begin besides the beginning of the book. Chapter one was entitled Blood and Beauty, which bridged together what I saw in the museums and my assumptions of what art should be (Freeland 1). I remember seeing bed frames wired to look like spider webs and hangars in the Hirshorn museum; my first thought was why is this here. I recall reading a sentence from the Scottish philosopher, David Hume, which said “Men of taste must preserve minds free of prejudice” (Freeland 9). This quote made me want to take back my hasty judgment of other’s work, because I prided myself on being open-minded and excepting of others. I wanted to believe that there was beauty in everything, even blood, solemnly for the sake of the artist that created the piece because they sacrificed their time and put forth so much energy to produce such a meaningful object. I may have enjoyed the section on art, but it left me feeling like this subject couldn’t be related back to my life or anyone else’s. Artists are people respected by the wealthy who can afford to be patrons of their work. Where would my peers or I fit into this subject matter?

My answer to where I fit into the subject of art was answered when the next section was introduced, Billboards, murals and shadows reshaping possibilities. In this section we discussed activism and prepared for our second assignment, which was with our discussion class. Within my group we decided to hold a fictional political rally for women held here at the University of Maryland to inform women of important issues affecting them and register voters. Besides the creative events that each of the discussion sections presented, the most exciting aspect of this segment was the announcements that Katie King and the TAs gave. At the time we had readings like Arlene Goldbard’s New Creative Community and learning about how to be involved in the area. Before the start of every class there was time set aside to mention things that were taking place on campus. For instance, during the week of our lecture about women working in sweatshops there was an event being held that Wednesday discussing the involvement of sweatshops in the production of our university shirts. I fully intended on going because I have all of he information written in my notebook, but a course related engagement took up my time. I would have loved to attend the event, because I wanted to know how most of the students felt about the issue. Were University of Maryland students aware of what a sweatshop is, or did they even care? Out of the numerous causes we explored, I was most interested in sweatshops because they held such an underlying place within our lives.

Staying within the terms of subconscious aspects of life, the next class segment led us to seeing everyday life with new eyes. I was introduced to a concept called the matrix of domination which has essentially embedded itself within my brain for the past month. The matrix of domination has caused me to view the world with new eyes because it has left me believing that it’s nearly impossible to find two people exactly the same. If you matched people on their appearance and background alone that would still not address their religion, sexual orientation, or disabilities. Only when all of these factors have been addressed will there even be enough to adequately compare two people. In addition, the matrix of domination has taught me that intrinsic forces are as important as that of your friends and family.

Intrinsic forces were the most apparent in our first and only required reading for the course, Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred. The main character, Dana, was a black woman living in the 1970s that thought she had her life figured out (Butler). On the other hand, when Dana travels back in time to the antebellum period she is striped of the respect she earned in the 1970s as an educated woman working as a journalist. During slavery she is seen as only a person that could be put to work and thinks that she is better than men. Basically Dana is labeled as a problem slave, or piece of property that needs to be taught a lesson so she’ll behave like everyone else. I believe that the way Dana is treated and the environment that she inhabits determines what her actions are. In the 1970s she has plenty of opportunities and no one degrades her so she lives a peaceful life and blends in with everyone else. However, in the 1800s Dana is seen as acting out because she wants to continue exercising the rights she had before. I related this concept back to myself back when I wrote my assignment three paper because I hold different identities almost in my school life and home life. At school I am an independent student, but at home I am seen as immature, which makes me not want to visit home. I know that when I go home I will be treated like a child with plenty of rules and it makes me forget the freedom I have back at school. My intersectionality is apart of what makes me who I am and it helped to shape Dana into a new woman by the end of the novel.

The final section of the syllabus seemed to bring things in the course full circle. We had begun the year with art done by elitists, but now we were exploring art within communities. We looked at Laura E. Perez’s Chicana Art, to explain some of the elements that are used by Latino artist to generate their work. In the chapter Face, Heart , Lopez enlightens the audience of how Latino women feel pressure to emulate the Virgin Mary because of her faithful, tenacious, and strong characteristics (259). As a result, many of the featured artists in this chapter have art resembling La Virgen de Guadalupe, but a more realistic version. My favorite painting was Esther Hernandez’s Libertad/Liberty (Perez 269). This painting is Hernandez’s interpretation of what La Virgen de Guadalupe is to her, which was the statue of liberty and Aztec characters. She wanted to incorporate her Mexican and American culture. At times I also feel pressure to carry myself a certain way even if it’s not truly who I am. Like many of the artist within Chicana Art, my mother and grandmother hold an important place in my life. Although, it is my mother and grandmother that expect the most from me through my education, behavior, and clothing choices. In their minds I should always wear dresses and be a role model to the other young women in my family, but when I try to just be myself it’s not good enough. In the end, I must be like Hernandez and create my own ideal woman.

By the end of this course I had a better understanding of who I am. Assignment three was somewhat of an evaluation of my life thus far. Now I have decided to be completely in control of shaping my future because the opportunities are limitless. The syllabus for this class was like the outline of a great journey. At the beginning of the year I had no idea how important art was in everyday life. Sure art can be pretty but it’s the craftsmanship and message behind the piece that make it truly necessary in life. I would have never made this connection if the course wasn’t structured to introduce us to art and then show how the things we do in life are artistic. For instance, the freewrites can be their own artistic representation of how we felt in class over these four months. The journey that this course took us on was that of self awareness and community participation.