Bracket Challenge

My final four favorite animated poems are Tornado Child, Nights on Planet Earth, Weighing In, and Lake Echo, Dear.

My final two were Tornado Child and Nights on Planet Earth.  I liked the repetition of the line "I am a tornado child" and the darkness and intensity of that poem.  In "Nights on Planet Earth" I like the descriptive words for the aspects of nature because they are thought provoking and interesting.

The final poem that won the bracket challenge was Tornado Child because I like the story it tells and the deep feelings it shows.

Tornado Child by Kwame Dawes

3 Minute Fiction: Friendly Skies

http://www.npr.org/2011/03/25/134795550/friendly-skies

I like this story about a flight attendant who meets a pilot on a loud and uncomfortable airplane ride.  The two share some meaningless conversation and misunderstand each other and go their separate ways at the end.  I liked the way I could picture the characters even though there was hardly any description of each of them.  I pictured the flight attendant with her bloodshot eyes and a wrinkly uniform because she is going through a hard time in her life.  I pictured the pilot to be an attractive man in his blue and silver uniform that didn't match the pilots of that plane ride.  In this 3-minute short story, a lot was said about each of the characters and I found myself wanting them to be able to talk to one another and I was frustrated with the chaos of the complaining people on the plane because it prohibited the two passengers from carrying on a simple conversation that could have been something more.

Kehinde Wiley

The unexpectedness of this art is cool because the artist places black males dressed in street clothing in places where one would expect to see people of power.  The backgrounds are colorful and give a historical European feel but the people in the foregrounds of the paintings are dressed in baggy jeans and sporty tops as if they are average people from urban settings that don't fit in with the powerful settings that they are placed into.  I researched images of "French Rococo" which is where Kehinde Wiley found some of his inspiration for the backgrounds and settings of his own art.  But as I researched Kehinde Wiley's renditions of these settings, there are mostly African American males in the foreground that sharply contrast the calm backgrounds that they are put into.

Banksy

1)  I think it is really cool that Banksy puts his art up in public places and without permission simply because he wants people to see what he has to say through his graffiti art.  His use of modern objects with a harsh twist to them show people that the world is not always a happy place and not all art is beautiful.  For example, the dove with a vine in its beak is a beautiful drawing but Banksy adds a unique twist by putting a bulls-eye on the bird to show a harsh reality.

2)  Graffiti is art because it is a person expressing something that they found interesting and if other people find joy in looking at this "graffiti" and analyzing its meaning, then I think it is a really cool art form.  Writers probably use different names so that they can make meaningful art that doesn't have to be personally attached to them.  And for Banksy for example, he wanted his art to show up in public places so the world could see which may have gotten him in trouble often for vandalizing without permission.

3)  It is only important to put art in the eye of the public if the art is meant to send a message.  It depends on what the reason is that the artist has for doing the art.  Some artists only engage in art for their own personal enjoyment while others want their art to mean something to others.

Summer!

I chose this picture because it makes me excited for summer!  I like the scene with the sunset on the lake and the silhouette people standing on a wet dock.  This reminds me of my cabin on Lake Vermilion and I am looking forward to spending time there soon with family and friends.  This photo looks like an "up north" lake with pine trees and a clear sky in the back.  The people jumping into the lake remind me of the simplicity of summer and the fun loving spirit that comes with the sun and the freedom.  I enjoy this evening setting because the young looking people of this photograph are just having fun in the last few precious moments of light before the night falls and the day is over.  I hope to have moments like this in northern Minnesota while I am still lucky enough to have a cabin to enjoy and relax at.  Only 8 weeks until summer time! :)