I chose to portray the theme of extra-ordinary versions of ordinary objects. Teapots are usually made with a very simple structure. This elephant has creatively been transformed into what not everyone has in their kitchens. I really enjoy this piece or art because it shows how something so basic can be made into something so interesting. Now it does not only serve as a functional item but as a piece of beauty.
-Michelle Ketcham

I chose to investigate the theme "Creating extraordinary versions of ordinary objects". My family has had this Mikasa platter for as long as I can remember and I was always apprehensive when someone wanted to use it because it is so pretty.  It is a work of art itself even though it does have a dual purpose as a serving tray. The detail and beauty that the swans are carved with is extraordinary and the ripples of water within the glass are difficult to do but they add to its feeling of serenity within the work.

To Give Tangible Forms to Feelings

         Obviously this picture is a very simple version of the many artistic ways people express the feeling of love through tangible art. People,for centuries, have been obsessed and consumed by the feeling of love, so it is only natural to want to have a visual idea of what love is. Love is associated with art all of the time so there is no better emotion to post about.
          Often times people associate this type heart with love and may draw it, form it( with their hands for example), sculpt it, and find anyway to use it when they are talking about love. In my personal life, I use it on Facebook posts, in text messages(<3), and even when doodling in class. I was having trouble picking the right picture for this blog until I realized that even if the form of art isn't extravagant or breath-taking, it is still art.

Remembrance and Commemoration: WTC Memorial, Ten Years Later

The WTC Memorial holds a special place in my heart for several reasons.  Sadly as a result of these attacks, many of us have lost loved ones, family and friends.  The memorial in particular is a beautiful place to record and commemorate the events of a day that will never be forgotten.  I hope and predict that in the very distant future that this memorial remains untouched and left in its original condition.  On the day of the attacks many people used art to express their emotions and support for those who mourned the losses of loved ones and for their own comforts.  Now, ten years later, I saw many people sketching over the names of their loved ones in order to frame it and hold onto their spirit in some way (see photo, Google searched).  In addition to the commemoration, the WTC Memorial is a beautiful park that houses a museum and two fountains in place of the original towers.  Each of the fountains are surrounded by the names of the 3,000 + lost lives.  The details are amazing at this memorial.  The names of the lost lives are lit up, while the fountains flow water into a large basin in which the tower sat and then a smaller basin that appears dark.  Though the memorial may bring sadness upon us, it truly is a beautiful place to commemorate and record a day in history.  Take a look at this book: Art for Heart: Remembering 9/11.

To Create Extra-Ordinary Versions of Ordinary Objects

This picture shows the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec, Canada. The Chateau is now a hotel, which I have stayed at. As both a past home and now a hotel, the building is far more opulent than a traditional home or hotel. The architecture reveals that whoever designed it wanted it to be a work of beauty and not just functional. As with many castles and great estates, there is an element of art because it is designed to show both beauty and power in addition to serving a necessary function.

~Sara Jane

This image of a Mayan calender can be classified under  the need for art to record and commemorate.  It is a piece that helped the Mayans keep track of and record time.  Aside from being a calender, this piece is also a work of art.  It includes many intricate details which tells the viewer there was a lot of time and effort put into making it.

-Taylor

Hi my name is Pam Cousoulis.  I am a freshman majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting.  My last formal experience with art was junior year of high school, and I really enjoyed it.  I’m hoping to gain a better understanding of the art that is already around me.

 There is art everywhere we turn. One of the most intriguing characteristics of art is the fact that we can create extraordinary versions of everyday ordinary objects. Take this lego sculpture for example, legos are normal everyday objects that can be put together to create a form of art. This sculpture in particular relays the first trip made to the moon. This sculpture in away is  not only an art but also somewhat of a recording of history as well.

Commemorate and Record

All through time we have been creating art to commemorate and record the lives of remarkable people. The picture I have is a sculpture my father made for all firefighters who rise their lives every day for us. They are our everyday hero's and making art to acknowledge our hero's, either real or fictional, is evident all throughout history.

-Molly

About Me, Molly

Hey guys, I'm molly. I'm a freshman and I'm studying English and Education. I ran cross country in the fall for monmouth and I love to run and swim. My dad is a sculptor by profession, which makes it funny that I'm not very artistically inclined. Because of my father I am more understanding of artists and the process of how to make a piece of art that other people want to see.

All About Myself :)

     Hi Everyone! My name is Patti Kessanis, I am from Wayne, New Jersey and I am a sophomore here at Monmouth. I am a communication major, concentrating in television and radio. I am a HUGE, die hard, New York Rangers fan. I used to be a competitive cheerleader until junior year of high school when I tore my ACL, MCL, and meniscus while tumbling. I was forced to undergo surgery and give up my one true love, but I still am obsessed with it. I was also named Best Personality of my senior class which is something I am very proud of and believe I deserved.

     When it comes to art, I have had no art classes other then the general classes through out school. I always find myself doodling though. I see myself as more of a vocal artist. I love singing and I have written many songs. I have a way with words, but not so much with crayons and paints. I am looking forward to this class though and learn more about a side of art that i have not been exposed to all that much.

Hey everyone! I'm Dana-Lynn :) I'm a freshman and a health studies major. I took this course because I feel that I have more of an interest in art classes rather then theatre or music. I have a basic knowledge of art because I took classes in it all throughout school as a required course. I agree that art can be found everyday, basically everywhere you look and has a huge impact on everyone's life. Also, I'm excited to gain a further understanding of art while taking this course.

Hey whats up! My name is Dina Badawy. I'm a sophomore majoring in chemistry, but thinking about changing to psychology. I'm a commuter from Toms River. I love summer and traveling. I haven't taken art since my sophomore year in high school so I'm interested to see what I learn in this class. Hopefully I'll have a better understanding and see art from a different view.

Hey everyone my name is Michelle and I'm a freshman here at Monmouth. I am majoring in Political Science and Global Sustainability. I am very excited for this class because I took an art class my senior year of high school and enjoyed it very much. I look forward to learning about all the different aspects that art has to offer. Though I may not be the best artist or even that creative, it intrigues me to see what others can display through their artistic abilities.

Hi, my name is Tara and I'm from central Jersey.. I'm a freshman at Monmouth majoring in Psychology 

with a minor in Anthropology. I'm a bookworm by nature, I love staying 

in and just spending time with my family and boyfriend, and I love 

playing Call of Duty. I had all the basic art classes throughout 

elementary and middle school. The last art class i had was in my 

senior year for a semester. I've always enjoyed observing art and 

can draw up things in my mind, but putting them on paper never exactly 

works out. So I hope to be able to observe new works of art and be able

to know exactly what I'm viewing, meaning I'd know how the artist performed their work.

Hi guys my name is Taylor Krenzke and I'm a freshman math major here at Monmouth.  I live in Damascus, MD which is a small town in Montgomery County.  I have not taken any art classes since my freshman year in high school but have seen a few art shows here (for other classes) and have developed an interest in it.   I'm looking forward to not only fulfilling a credit requirement with this course but also learning a little about art.  I play football here and am a huge sports fan and also enjoy the beach!
-Taylor Krenzke

Hello there!

Hi! I'm Sarah Mustafa, a freshman at MU. I'm a biology major with a concentration in cell molecular physiology and this is my second semester here. I've taken two art classes while in high school. I'm not very good, but I really love making art. In fact, I love looking, thinking, creating anything art! Taking art appreciation was an opportunity for me to revisit my love for art while also fulfilling a course requirement. I'm excited to see all this class has to offer and all of the new things I will be exposed to over the course of this semester. 

- Sarah Mustafa

Info.

The name is Vincent Grimaldi, born at the age 0, in Long Branch N.J. I am an avid hunter, and enjoy the shooting sports. As you notice the fish tank in the picture, this shows you that I also fish. Having a major in Computer Science, you may think I don't appreciate art. Well surprisingly enough I do. The closest I've been to art is watching Bob Ross on Youtube. He gave me the appreciation for art.

reid

hey whats up class, my name is Reid I'm from Denville New Jersey. I am a freshman in my second semester here at monmouth and i am a health studies major. I took a couple of art classes in high school and my dad is an art teacher/artist so I have been around artsy people my whole life. in this class i would like to learn how to critique my dads paintings.

Hey I'm J.D.!

Hey everyone I'm Julio Luca, but my nickname is J.D. ( cause my middle name is Daniel hence the D). I am a freshman and majoring in Political Science. I grew up in Brooklyn, NY and moved to Marlboro in 2005, where i commute from to school. I love the Mets, Jets, Knicks, and Rangers. I come from a family that loves Disney World and we go twice a year, its pretty awesome. I had some art classes and high school along with some experience in Art History. I want to learn more about the historical aspect of art this semester and connect it to the time period it comes from.

People, people.

Hey people people.  The name is Emily and I’m a senior graduating in May.  My major is psychology and I have absolutely no idea what I want to do with my life.  I needed an extra class for the semester and I’ve always loved art, so why not this class?  I love art and took it all four years in high school; I still mess around with water colors here and there, but not as much as I would like.  Things to do, people to see, places to go, ya know?  I hope to learn about newer artists that I haven’t heard of before and hope to be inspired to create more often.

 Hey guys I'm Lex. I'm a freshman and I grew up in Allendale and Waldwick and attended Northern Highlands Regional High School.  As a freshman and sophomore in high school I took photo classes and really enjoyed learning about different photographers and famous photos. I've visited many museums in the past and really liked the ones I saw in NYC,  Amsterdam, and Paris.  I'm majoring in social work and am considering a minor in photo.  I'm hoping this class with continue to strengthen the interest I do have in art and teach me more than I already know.

Hi everyone My name is Gabriella Sorrentino. I am a Freshmen from Staten Island, NY. My major is Biology with a Concentration in Molecular Cell Physiology. I am taking this class as a requirement for my major. I've had little Art background, but I did take art for 2 years in middle school. I heard good things about this class so that's what sparked my interest to take Art Appreciation. I'm very excited about this semester so I hope all goes well. I look forward to meeting everyone (:

Hi my name is AnnMarie Pollock.  I am a junior and I have had one art history class in high school.  It has been some time since then so I might be a little rusty, but I love to study art and I feel that it is fun for me.  I hope to learn how to look at a piece of art and see through it to a deeper meaning instead of surface details. I hope to learn more about contemporary artists and their influences in making new art dimensions.

Intro

Hi fellow classmates - my name is Eileen Jones. I am a student in Communications, as well as an employee at MU in the Foreign Language Studies Department. I've always had an interest in art and have taken some classes in Feng Shui and Interior Design. I have 3 daughters - two of them are graphic artists and one is a chemical engineer with an interest in photography.

Hi, my name is Michelle Levash and I am a freshman at Monmouth. I am an Education English major and plan to teach students with disabilities as a career. I did not take many art classes in High School but I did take Photography. I am excited to learn about art in this class as I do not know much about it. I am going to Italy this summer so I hope to learn a lot about Italian art and sculpture so I can better appreciate some of the wonderful pieces I will see on my trip.

Hey what's up everybody! My name's Alfonso Robles, but everyone I know calls me Fonz or Fonzie. I just transferred to Monmouth this spring semester as a sophomore majoring in Criminal Justice looking to pursue a career in Federal Law Enforcement. Although I'm taking this class as an elective, I was always pretty interested  in Art since I took art throughout high school, messed around with graffiti art a little and recently took part in photography shoots. I look forward to learning more about what this class has to offer as the semester progresses.

-Fonz


                                                                                   

Hi I'm Angelica Barbosa and I am a freshman here at monmouth. I am an english education major and have very little interest in pursuing art in the future but I find it interesting The last art class I have taken was senior year of high school and it was a 3D design class, but I have taken at least one art class every year throughout middle school and high school. I chose this class because although I don't plan on doing anything art related in the future I do find it interesting and would like to learn more about it as the semester goes on.

Hi, I'm Rose Migliara and I'm a freshman in Mullaney. I'm majoring in Elementary Education with a focus in English and hopefully a minor in Psychology. I took Art Appreciation to learn more about art because it does interest me. I'm definitely not good at creating art but I like to look at it. I took art in elementary school, junior high school, and in my freshman and senior year in high school. I hope this class is interesting and teaches me to appreciate art in different ways other than just staring at it.
-Rosie

 Hi! I'm Leah McGonigle and I'm a freshman.  I'm a History major and don't really know what I'm going to do with that yet. I really like art and have taken classes on and off for a number of years. I chose this class over the other options I had because I thought it would be interesting. Have a good day everyone!

-Leah

Hi I'm Allison Towle, I'm a freshman and I'm majoring in business. The last time I took an art class was freshman year of high school. I've always liked to draw, but my sister and mom are the real artists in my family. My mom majored in art in college, so I inherited some of skills. When I visited the Museum of Modern Art this past winter, I definitely did not appreciate some of the wonderful works I saw so I hope I can gain some more knowledge and appreciation for art from this class.

Hello! I am Kelly Green and I am currently a Freshman at Monmouth majoring in Psychology and Counseling. I took this Art Appreciation class because I am terrible with art. I would love to learn about different styles and phases that the art community has seen and what the art world is currently fascinated with today. I am really looking forward to this class and to this blog because it seems really cool. My experiences with art have been with coloring books in elementary school and my skill level as an artist stops when I am asked to color in the lines. Honestly, I look forward to this semester and gaining a new understanding and view point of art.


P.S. This is my lovely painting of a smiley face! As you can tell, Art Appreciation is the place for me rather than  an art class where I would have to create art!

Hi, my name is John Marchetti and i'm a Freshmen. As of now my major is business marketing. Unfortunately, I don't have much experience with art. I have taken two art classes in high school, so there is a lot for me to learn. I took this class to have a better understanding of art. I'm excited to see what this class has to offer.  (obviously I'm the boy).
-John Marchetti

My name is Jess and I am currently a business major working toward a degree in accounting. My experience with art so far has been pretty much non-existant. I do not care to draw, paint or do much when it comes to art. I am hoping to learn to appreciate and take in art around me as I work through this course. 

My name is Sara Jane Berman. I am a junior majoring in English and Secondary Education. The last art class I took was freshman year in high school. While anything I draw is usually in the form of stick figures, I do enjoy looking at and observing art. In this class, I hope to better understand art.

My name is Alexis Swoyer (on right). I'm a sophomore, and after switching around a lot, I finally decided to be an Accounting Major. I haven't had much experience with art, although I really do like to draw in my free time-- even if its horrendous. I haven't taken an art class since sophomore or junior year of high school, and before that, middle school. Hopefully by taking this class, I get a better understanding and appreciation for art, and more importantly, the artists themselves.