Is This The End?

Now that we've traveled through the Whitney Museum of American Art's online collection for a few weeks, researched artists and their art, thought about where to hang your Adopted-Work-of-Art up in your home and so on, what are your impressions?
How and why do artists express themselves by creating visual art objects? Why do you think they have a need to communicate to the world what their thoughts and feelings are? Do you? What's up with that? And...

What have you learned along the way? Tell the world. Right here.

A Whitney collection fave, John Schabel's Untitled (Passenger #3), was shot and printed during 1994-1995.

HOME is Where the Heart Is

If I had the good fortune of having an original Warhol [Ethel Scull, 36 Times] in my home, I'd have to catch my breath from the great news (then, I'd hang it up over my living room couch).
But even before I do that, I'd first have to seek out, appoint and hire a trustworthy 24-hour security team. You know, the painting's value is probably in the tens of millions so, who can I really trust?

Question (as suggested by Dina Helal): If you could take your Adopted-Work-of-Art home, where would you put it AND why?

This oil on canvas work (painting) is by Robert Bechtle, entitled 61 Pontiac, which was actually painted between 1968 and 1969. It is a work that also can be found in Whitney's online gallery of images.

The Birth of Art

How and
why was your Adopted Work of Art created? What is the story behind it (and/or the artist who made it)?

Visit Whitney's LISTEN gallery and click on your artwork. To the right side of your image, beneath the name of the art work, you’ll find links entitled EXPLORE, ART, ARTIST, CONTEXT, and MORE STUFF. Click on art, artist, and context and read about your work of art and the artist that created it. Summarize (using your own words), in a paragraph or two, some answers to the above questions about the work and the person behind its creation. Post your response here.

The above photograph was shot in Coney Island, in 1940. It was photographed by photographer Arthur Fellig, better known as Weegee. Entitled Sardines, it can found in Whitney's Gallery collection.

A Poem is Worth a Thousand Pictures

In this section, post your ACROSTIC or FREE VERSE Poem-- based on your Adopted-Work-of-Art.

Compose an accompanying poem inspired by your adopted art work on a separate sheet of paper. Afterwards, read it to a friend so they (and you) can hear how it sounds, edit it (check for spelling & grammar errors), and post it here in this section.

Here's my acrostic poem (based on my Adopted Work of Art):

ETHEL SCULL
Thirty-six times
Head shot, head shot, head shot... 100 to be exact
Every one, every single one, Andy
Loved

Scary at times, playful at others
Constant flash of the bulb in her eyes
Used sunglasses to put an end to those lingering spots. Ethel
Liked thirty-six of her pics, he put'em in a painting, but Andy, he
Loved them all, loved them all.

This work of art is a part of Whitney's Gallery and entitled: Desire, Despair by Jack Pierson, 1996.

Compare & Contrast

your Adopted Work of Art with another work from the Learning@Whitney Gallery... Consider each piece's effect on you, the mood or meaning of each work, the media used, and the palette, patterns, possible influences, and the personal style of these two artists.

This photo, by Robert Mapplethorpe, is in Whitney's Collection. It's called Ken Moody and Robert Sherman, from 1984.

You gotta LISTEN

Go to the Learning @ Whitney website's Teen homepage.
Click on the LISTEN icon.
Find your work of art, and click on it.
Listen to your audio clip.

Afterwards, Respond to it’s suggestions and instructions in complete sentences using the comment button below.
Remember: In order for this to work properly, everyone must participate; you are part of a Whitney Museum study.

The above work is part of the Whitney's collection; it's a work by Barbara Kruger, entitled: I Will No Longer be Seen and Not Heard, from 1985.

Here is your place to be heard. And the Whitney online staff will listen. They (and I) would like you to keep track of any technical problems that you may encounter at the Learning @ Whitney website.
So, for example, if you clicked on a 'button' and the place (or area) of the website that it took you to, wasn't what you expected, or just didn't work at all, here's the place to SOUND OFF and be heard.

Additionally, if you read someone else's comments and you have advice for them, or have experienced something similar, let them know HERE.

This is an ongoing conversation between all of us, and we might learn something from YOU.

Thank you in advance for all you do!

Adopt-a-Work-of-Art

Hey, that was easy. Your art-adoption process at the Learning @ Whitney website went very well. Congratulations!

You'll recall my 'adopt-a-work-of-art' piece that was created by our old friend, Andy Warhol, pictured above. Hopefully you will also remember that I showed you Ethel Scull 36 Times and played an audio clip about it, from Whitney's online collection the other day.

You know, I had never seen this Warhol painting before. I've been thinking about it alot.

I remembered being at Disneyland in California, when I was just a kid. My mother made my sister and I get into one of those booths with Disney hats and sunglasses on, and take all these silly pictures. I was so embarrassed.

I tried to imagine how Ethel must have felt, sitting there in that photo booth, way back in 1963. She was taking all these pictures in different poses, while Andy Warhol was directing her as to what to do. That must have been so weird for her. I just know it would have been that way for me.

By now, you should have taken a couple of peeks at your adopted Whitney selection. If you haven't, go and do that now. Click on it. Enlarge it. Spend a few minutes with it.

Take a close, lingering look at it. Get to know it better. I'll wait.

Okay. Now, do the following:

1) Describe what you saw in your image.

2) Tell us what types of feelings or thoughts you were getting from your work of art.

Add your responses here onto this blog. Start by stating the name of your piece and the artist who created it. Everyone must respond-- in full sentences, please.