The world didn’t come to an end in the year 1000, as some had predicted it might; and in the years after the millennium, a grand and beautiful style of architecture, decorated with astonishing sculpture, burst forth, to meet the needs of the faithful and particularly of the pilgrims who marched across France on their way to the shrine of St James in northwestern Spain. Sculpture, disused since the fourth century, when apparently it was tainted with the suspicion of idolatry was seized upon with enthusiasm in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Romanesque sculpture was meant to inspire, frighten, and entertain its viewers. It was, and is, an irresistible source of pleasure, in which talented artists were not only employed in the service of religion but were also given freedom of expression that seems surprising to us today. In this lecture we will survey the great sculptures on churches in Burgundy and western France through the mountains to the south, ending in the great cathedra) of Santiago.
Archives
Introduction to Abstracting using an object for reference
(can range from 4-6 hours; 10-15 students)
This course is an introduction to creating an abstract painting from loose sketches in paint on watercolor paper and then mounting the paper on panel. Students will create a variety of sketches in paint derived or influenced by at least one object from nature. The sketches will be in acrylic on watercolor paper adding different techniques from pouring paint to making prints to including their own personal style. There will be an informal critique where the student will consider which sketch to finish and then mount with gel medium on a 12” x 12” wood panel creating a finished painting.
Techniques in Abstraction
(can range from 4 – 6 hours; 10-15 students)
This workshop is an introduction to the various ways that artists have approached abstraction, historically and in a contemporary context. The course will include contemporary art lectures. Assignments will begin with lectures of formal art elements including line, shape, color, but also materials, grids, and figurative abstraction. Experimentation in the studio will be encouraged as each student begins to develop an independent approach to the topic. Students will create at least one finished painting on canvas using a combination of the elements covered in class. OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES: My goal as instructor is to serve as both a technical and conceptual guide in the classroom, establishing and maintaining an interactive and dynamic studio environment. The principal objective of this course is to provide an environment in which students can effectively incorporate the new methods introduced during lectures and demonstrations to develop individualized works and to expand skillsets and knowledge of contemporary abstract painting.
Interdisciplinary STEAM Hands-on Activities Through Landscape Architecture
This workshop presents a repertoire of interdisciplinary lessons in which landscape architecture is placed at the center of the curricula. From working independently to working in groups, participants will have the opportunity to learn by discovery and present/share their work to self-assess their learning experiences. Mr. Cardona’s publications will be used as references.
Teacher Workshops (In-person)
Interdisciplinary STEAM Hands-on Activities Through Architecture
This workshop presents a repertoire of interdisciplinary lessons in which architecture is placed at the center of the curricula. From working independently to working in groups, participants will have the opportunity to learn by discovery and present/share their work to self-assess their learning experiences. Mr. Cardona’s publications will be used as references.
Teacher Talk (Virtual)
Interdisciplinary Curriculum Design for Art Educators: Using Architecture as a Central Theme
This talk presents concepts in interdisciplinary curriculum design and how, by using architecture and landscape architecture, learners can receive a more holistic and connected learning experience. Hands-on activities will be presented using Mr. Cardona’s publications as references. Other concepts presented will be the use of rubrics and portfolios to assess student work and the integration of critical thinking skills for lesson planning.
Diferencias
Traces the evolution of theme and variation technique from the vihuelists the 16th century Spanish Court (where they referred to variations as “diferencias”) through the monumental Bach Chaconne to La Cartegenera by Francisco Tárrega, contemporary American Composer Peter Madlem’s Greensleeves Variations, Variations on a Turkish Folksong by Carlo Domeniconi to Argentine Tango Master Marcello Ferraris’ setting of McCoy Tyner’s Passion Dance. Accompanying materials include a CD, poster, and program notes.
Museums and Social Responsibility
Museums are places for ideas and dialogue that use collections, exhibitions, and programs to inspire people. The power of museums lies in acting as agents of social change. Museums are uniquely positioned to acknowledge and accept the needs, concerns, and issues of the diverse, often disenfranchised, and shifting audience landscape. As a place of dialogue and civic engagement in today’s complex world, the museum is uniquely positioned to acknowledge the issues and concerns of diverse cultural identities (race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, religion, physical disability, psychological concerns, intolerance, oppression, and more). Museums that are socially responsible all have one thing in common: they have a passion to create social value.
Propaganda vs. Social Commentary in Art During World War I
The Twentieth Century presented society with a long list of incomprehensible situations and events, beginning with World War I. Acting as a buffer between the horrors of reality and individual’s perceptions of the world, art helps to inform, explain and educate society, but it can also be used to change people’s perceptions. In August 1914, a targeted and systematic manipulation of opinion by the media, intellectuals and authorities started through the use of propaganda – systematically deployed, both qualitatively and quantitatively, as a political instrument for the first time, “through which authority was legitimated by usage, precedent, and custom.”
The Nativity Cycle in Western Art
Narrative scenes of the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary were, by the Middle Ages, the most common images in Western art, and were found throughout the architecture of the church – pulpit, doors, altarpieces, and so on. These scenes were remarkable for their consistency of composition. The reason is that these scenes were meant to be “read” – to inform the Christian viewer of the life and teachings of Christ, to deliver a message of the authority of Christ and hence the church, and to provide spiritual sustenance. Images of the Nativity cycle are specifically illustrative, and include many narrative details. Significant among the narrative, symbolic images of the life of Christ are scenes concerning the birth of Jesus, and hence the birth of the Church. This Nativity cycle includes the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, the Annunciation to and Adoration of the Shepherds, and the Adoration of the Magi.