Art Post by Krystle

"Pilipino American Alliance"

A topic that really resonated with me in regards to this class was the hiphop/graff workshop. I've been doing graff since I was in middle school but I never really did anything with it..it was tags here and there and on napkins at restaurants and what not but not until this class did i really work on something worthwhile.

Pilipino American Alliance is an organization that I am involved with on campus so I chose something that really means something to me because I do identify as Pilipina American.

I chose the colors red, blue and gold because they are the colors of the Pilipino flag and I chose to use broken blocks to symbolize the "broken-ness" of the Pilipino identity due to the many countries that colonized the Philippines and the colorism that has unfortunately divided my community. I also used the Pilipino golden sun as it also appears on the Pilipino flag to symbolize the "golden intentions" that the organization has to addresss the issues that Pilipino American students face on this campus. One of the goals of the organization is to enlighten and educate the community on these issues and I felt that the Pilipino golden sun was only appropriate.

This design is actually a draft of a proposal that I will be introducing to PAA (hopefully soon!) to possibly use as the signboard that the organization displays while tabling out on Sproul Plaza.

So i went to two fieldtrips for the course, one being Lovefest. that was in SF on sept. 29. it was basically a giant outdoor rave that started with a parade down market street and ended at civic center. i stayed from one in the afternoon until 9 at night. i took a ton of pictures, as were seen in our photo essay.
i also went to the maganda open gallery on oct. 25. it was in a classroom in dwinelle and all the walls were covered in different artist's work. my favorite was a "love" painting that i had seen before in the adidas art gallery, but this time i actually got to meet the person who created it. there were also talks from alumni artist, and they shared some of their new work and talked about themselves.

Sunset Blvd. Warehouse Gallery, Los Angeles, CA - November 21, 2007

Thanksgiving weekend, I was lucky enough to get a verbal invitation from a friend of mine who participates heavily within the LA street art scene. There is an elusive gallery that pops up in abandoned warehouses every now and then filled with the works of independent artists and designers. Getting out of the car, the only thing I noticed that even remotely indicated that there was a gathering of people somewhere near was the dull thump of heavy bass from around the corner. Once we rounded a few brick buildings, I saw the broken windows of an old warehouse brightly lit. Upon entrance, the building was pretty much just as spectacular as it was on the outside, rusted pipes, dirty floors, and heavy cement all around, but the ugliness of this industrial building was glittered with the works of hundreds of local artists. The place was filled with all mediums of creative expression; from music to finger puppets, canvas to silk screens. The event lasted all night and I walked away elated and filled with a sense of pride that the local scene was alive and thriving.

University Gospel Choir Concert 11/14

On Wednesday November 14, I had the privilege of watching the 1st University Gospel Choir Concert for free at Hertz Hall. It was a part of the free noon concert series that the Music Department offers, and what a treat it was. The acoustics of the auditorium itself helped resonate the singers voices and the accompanying electric guitar, drums, keyboard, and piano made the show all the more worthwhile. I had heard that the selection of songs was picked in such a manner that did not emphasize a particular religious background because the choir was supposed to appeal to audiences of all religious backgrounds. However, since gospel has its roots in the African American Christian community, it was hard to deny its origin. Nevertheless, I thought that all people who attended most likely enjoyed the lively music and singing, no matter what their spiritual background.

Movement Showcase 11/13

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Movement showcase on lower Sproul. As always, I felt inspired to join a hip hop dance group cause I very much enjoy watching the different pieces perform. There were 3 hip hop routines as well as 2 (or 3) lyrical jazz routines and one swing routine. I found the first hip hop routine to be not as enjoyable for me as the other two. In general I watch these dance showcases for the hip hop dances, and not as much for the lyrical pieces, but I found one of the pieces in particular to be good since it was choreographed to one of my favorite Janet Jackson songs: "All for You". Anyhow, the swing dance was energetic and filled with many tricks and lifts, but I concluded that I probably would not want to try swing since the female partner runs the risk of being dropped on her head many times. Overall, it was an inspiring showcase, and I still have the desire to one day perform or learn hip hop.

Halloween Choral Concert

The Halloween choral concert was an event similar to Jukebox, in which all the choral groups on campus perform one or two songs. Many of the groups came up with original compositions for the concert. This included two original songs by NOTEWORTHY and some funny twists on classics by the Men's Choir. It was quite enjoyable to see all the groups together, as most people only hear them singing as they walk through sproul, and it is hard to distinguish each choir. Decadence performed "In the Arms of the Angels" which was my favorite song of the show. The soloist did a wonderful job and the harmonizing was beautiful. The costumes were also entertaining. One group dressed up as pirates, another as a rainbow, and the Men's Choir again had some interesting deformities which related to their song about a mad doctor.

Ancient Roots/Urban Journeys

I went to the Oakland Museum to see the exhibit Ancient Roots/Urban Journeys: Expressions for Dias de los Muertos. The exhibition had some really beautiful pieces, and it really tied together the themes of this class, which are art, community, and resistance. The pieces tied together the cultural significance and practices of the holiday with issues facing the Latino/a community here in California. Some of the themes of the pieces included youth violence, pollution, blending of cultures, and identity. My favorite piece was a gorgeous two-part mural by Joaquin Alejandro Newman. The mural, which is titled “Soul Journeys,” illustrates the journey of the dead to Mictlan, or the underworld. This journey is an Aztec story. The second part of the mural features contemporary practices of Dia de los Muertos. This part includes skeletons on low rider bicycles traveling on a highway to altars. Newman’s mural unites the “ancient roots” of Dia de los Mueros with modern traditions of the urban community.