THE CHALLENGE

On January 6, 2010 we announced that the IMA was searching for its next blogger and outlined the rules of the contest.

The IMA is searching for its next blogger and we want you! Interested in sharing your thoughts about the IMA from an “outsider’s” perspective? Not afraid to muse publicly about the museum’s programs and exhibitions? Able to attend IMA events and willing to submit 300-600 words once a month? Then you could be the blogger for the job.

THE FINALISTS

After receiving dozens of submissions, the IMA narrowed the field to 5. Over the course of the last 5 weeks, we posted the candidates blog entries. Each had to answer the following questions:

Tell us a little about yourself:
Tell us a story. We want to know how good your yarn-spinning skills are, so give your best anecdote involving an experience you’ve had at the museum.
Why should you be an IMA blogger?

Review the Finalist’s Posts…

• Katie Neville
• Heather McAlister
• Jenni Clarkson
• Crystal Hammon
• Jessica Hancock

THE VOTE

Whose voice do you want to hear on a monthly basis? Blog readers, it’s time for you to decide! From now until March 23 at 11:59 pm you can vote for your favorite finalist.  The winner will be announced on March 24. Don’t forget, what’s at stake – The IMA’s Next Top Blogger gets a free membership to the IMA, invitations to special events throughout the year, and the opportunity to share her thoughts about art, design, the natural environment, and the IMA with the world.

We challenged America to submit to be the IMA’s next top blogger and America answered.  Over the course of the last month, we’ve posted the finalists in the IMA’s “So You Think You Can Blog” contest. Next week and for the entire month of March, we’ll let our blog readers vote for the winner. This week: Meet Katie Neville.

Hi IMA!  I would love to be your guest blogger for 2010.  I’m a twenty something single woman living in Broad Ripple and working in Carmel.  I have a B.A. in Art History from Indiana University.  Enough about me, I already feel like I’m writing a profile on some online dating site, on with my story…

I’ve tasted Art…

A few years back and fresh out of college I was in Chicago training for a new job.  On my first day off I ditched my fellow trainees, hopped a train and headed for the Art Institute of Chicago. I was really excited to explore the museum and see some of the very famous works the Art Institute has.  It did not disappoint!

I was thinking, this is what it is all about, I’m finally out of the classroom and out here experiencing Art.

Even Artists who exclusively work in 2D use texture, scale and subtle tone to express emotion, mood or whatever it may be that they wish to convey. It is impossible to really understand a work of Art merely by seeing a snapshot of it.  Hearing someone lecture about a slide on a screen can only get you so far.  Knowing this I was stoked to be bowled over by Van Goghs, Seurats, Rothkos, and others.  But I was wholly unprepared for what happened when I walked into one gallery in the contemporary wing, and met an artwork that was far from 2D.

I quite literally stumbled right into the middle of a work by Felix Gonzalez-Torres.

He was most famous for installations where he laid wrapped candy pieces out on the floor of a space.  Little, brightly wrapped, butterscotch, mint, and strawberry candies glitter on the floors of galleries all over the world.  So simple, you could walk right past it, with only thoughts of Willy Wonka, or Halloween crossing your mind as you pass on to the next painting or sculpture.

Torres’ installation at the Art Institute of Chicago is laid out in the shape of a rectangle, and it begins at 175 lbs of candy.  I say begins, because some visitors don’t just pass by the piece with a smile, humming “Umpa Loompa Umpadi Do”. Some visitors linger, read the wall plaque, and find that they have been invited to actually take a piece of candy.  Some people do, and the rectangular pile of candy dwindles.

I had learned all about Torres in college and knew that I was to take a piece of candy- in fact in order to fully experience the piece I should take the candy.  Still, after years of being told to stay back from Art, to never get close enough to breathe on a work of Art let alone actually touch one, I felt a little odd about literally taking a sample of one.  I was clearly not the only person who felt this way because even with the explicit prompt many people couldn’t bring themselves to kneel down and take a piece of candy.  One lady even turned to me and asked if we were really allowed to  “steal” a piece.

Felix Gonzalez-Torres, "Untitled (Portrait of Ross in LA)," 1991

Okay, so I must admit, I took two chunks, one I put in my pocket (I still have it), and one I unwrapped and stuck in my mouth.Torres’ piece at the Art Institute is called “Untitled, A Portrait of Ross” and it was created in 1991. Torres’ lover was named Ross, and before he died in 1991 of A.I.D.S. related complications he was a healthy 175lbs.

Suddenly, Torres’ simple pile of candy wasn’t simple any longer.  As a representation of the Man, Ross, the piece would have been beautiful and emotive, but then to add the layer of physically participating in a symbol of Ross’ tragic end it was near magic.  I could have stayed in the gallery all day watching people interact with Torres’ work, because as I watched I came to the realization that the reaction of the viewers- no not viewers- the participants, was part of the artwork too.

I stood there in that gallery sucking on that deliciously sweet lemon candy with tears streaming down my face.  Torres wanted people to take little bits of candy away to represent how A.I.D.S. slowly took little bits of Ross away from him.  By taking a piece (two pieces) myself I had participated in the wasting away of that pile of candy. It made me feel a little guilty.   Then I remembered that I was experiencing the short joy of the candy itself and it made me enjoy it all the more.  I took a deep breath and walked into the next gallery with that sweet taste still lingering.

You ask me,”Are you a blogger?”  My response is, “Not yet.”  My name is Jenni Clarkson, and I would like to be the next IMA blogger.  I’m 37 years old and live on the west side of Indianapolis, not far from IMA.  My Bachelor of Arts degree was initially just supposed to be in English, but I wound up with a double major in English and Art because I couldn’t stop taking art classes.  My current day job is as Assistant Managing Editor of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.  It’s a good gig for someone with an English major, but it’s not the most creative place for me.  That’s why I decided a couple of years ago to start taking some art classes again.  My hobbies include reading and writing (but certainly not arithmetic), as well as creating art, looking at art, and talking art with anyone who is willing. I should be the next IMA blogger because I love art, and I am enthusiastic about sharing that love.

You’ll find a sample ‘story’ below. 

LEFT BEHIND

No, this isn’t about apocalyptic fiction or even about the time my parents went home for Sunday dinner without realizing I was still at the church; it’s about my being so mesmerized by one IMA exhibit that my tour group left me there—and it’s also about the legacy that Edward Hopper left behind as displayed in that mesmerizing exhibit, Edward Hopper: Paper to Paint.

I was taking my first art class in many years, after a lengthy hiatus from both academia and art.  The class was an applied art class in fundamentals of design, and so the students’ interests were varied.  Before making a field trip to IMA, our professor asked us about our favorite artists.  I mentioned Edward Hopper, a favorite of mine for many years.  The professor asked if I was aware that IMA was hosting a special Hopper exhibit, Paper to Paint. I had no idea, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see it.

Edward Hopper, Hotel Lobby, 1943

When we arrived at the museum, I stayed dutifully with the class looking at the decorative arts and listening to the professor tell the group about Art Nouveau.  All the while, I was biding my time, delaying gratification, waiting to see Hopper.  When we finally reached the special exhibit, I could hardly contain myself.  There were his sketches; there, before my eyes, was Hopper’s creative process laid bare.  Sketch after sketch, each were somehow similar yet divergent, and all were from Hopper’s pen.  I’ve read a few graphic novels over the last few years, and I enjoy finding the story in the pictures.  Here was a story in pictures like nothing I had ever seen before.  Here was Hopper’s struggle to tell a story, draft after draft hanging on the walls.  Here was the story of how Hotel Lobby came to be.  And I was surprisingly comforted.  If Hopper, my artistic hero, could go through so many iterations and such struggle to complete a single painting, maybe I should have more hope for my seemingly unending process of sketch after sketch.  I’ve sometimes been guilty of tossing sketches out after I reach the end of a project, but I was so grateful for these sketches Hopper left behind.  As I emerged from my thoughts, I realized I was alone in the room.  My group had gone on without me, but I was happy to be left behind.

The IMA is searching for its next blogger and we want you! Interested in sharing your thoughts about the IMA from an “outsider’s” perspective? Not afraid to muse publicly about the museum’s programs and exhibitions? Able to attend IMA events and willing to submit 300-600 words once a month? Then you could be the blogger for the job.

Here’s how it works:*

Step 1: Email your responses to the question below to web@imamuseum.org.  Be sure to include “Hey IMA – I Wanna Blog” in the subject line.

Name:
Email:
Tell us a little about yourself:
Tell us a story. We want to know how good your yarn-spinning skills are, so give your best anecdote involving an experience you’ve had at the museum.
Why should you be an IMA blogger?

Step 2: We’ll select the top finalists and post their responses to the IMA blog during the month of January.

Step 3: In February, we’ll take it to America for a vote. Yep, that’s right! We’re gonna let the  IMA blog’s readers decide who they want to read.

Step 4: The new IMA blogger is crowned. (and, yes, if you will wear it, we will give you an actual crown.) He or she will receive a dual membership to the IMA (so you can bring a friend whenever you want), two complimentary tickets to select public programs during 2010, and a monthly opportunity to blog.

*Rules and restrictions may apply. We just haven’t written them yet nor sent them to our lawyers.

KINDA BIG ANNOUNCEMENT #2: @IMAMUSEUM

Image Courtesy of Twitter.com

The IMA will launch on Twitter on January 1, 2010. @imamuseum will be a resource for breaking news, IMA factoids, museum musings, and more. In addition to a way for us to communicate with you, we hope you will use it as a direct link to the IMA – Don’t be shy…We want you to feel  free to DM, RT or @ us anytime.

Oh, and even though we’re not starting until January 1, you can go ahead and FOLLOW US NOW!

What is it about the fashion world that pulls us in? What draws us to these clothes that could probably only be worn on the runway or red carpet? Why are we willing to wear terribly tight shoes just because they look good? Fashion is art. Everything about it, from the clothes, to the make up, to the model. Art isn’t always appreciated by everyone. Each piece will have it’s fans and it’s haters. I can share with you some direct experiences I had through my eyes. I may not know how to create the next amazing trend in fashion, but I do know what it takes to show it off!

I was a huge tomboy growing up,. I wore hand me down clothes, and half the time it didn’t match. Yet as soon as I hit my teens I found myself sucked into glamour magazines. I would stare at pictures of pretty emaciated 14 year old models and wish that I could be them. I would stare at the designer clothes that they got to parade around in and I would go green with envy. How wonderful it would be to wear expensive designer clothes! Seemingly overnight I went from a nobody waitress to a model. I won the first season of America’s Next Top Model in 2003. What is it like to walk head on into the industry? What are fittings, fashion shows, and photo shoots like? Lucky for you, I love to dish dirt, so sit back and enjoy the ride.

At 5’10 and 1/2 and 123 lbs, I was told I was overweight. My first goal was to lose the weight. Sadly, I didn’t have much to lose, so it proved difficult. I moved into a models apartment with 5 other girls at the age of 21. They called me Mom since I was 5 years older than the youngest one! It was this apartment that I got acquainted with the ugly world of models. Our refrigerator was filled with bottled water, a few veggies, and one or two containers of yogurt. How could anyone eat so little? Why on earth would a woman torture herself this way? I promised myself I would never allow anyone to tell me to lose weight. It would be absurd! I was already so small. I found out soon enough when I went on my first go and see’s just why these women were willing to waste away.

In I walk into my first casting. I was asked to try on a few articles of clothing. As I tried to pull the softest material in the world up that wouldn’t budge just above my knee, it hit me. These women starve themselves because these clothes are made for pre-pubescent little girls! The next casting I went to, the person told me to my face that I was too big! In the real world, people say I am too skinny. In this world, I was too fat. I soon realized that at 21, I was an old fart. If I was going to compete in this game, I had to play by it’s rules. I immediately got a gym membership, and started dieting. Due to lack of protein and other much needed fuel from food, I started bruising easily. I also started developing dark circles under my eyes. However, I dropped the weight! When I walked into my agency, my agent hugged me and told me how wonderful I looked. Living dead girl was ready to hit the castings again!

I went out completely bitter and angry at myself for having done what I did. Losing weight like this was against my beliefs. At least I didn’t have an eating disorder. I was still eating! When I walked into my first casting for the day I showed them my walk. Within two days they had contacted my agency to have me come down for a fitting! This was to be my first runway show in Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC. Anyone into fashion know that this is what it’s all about! The clothes slipped on effortlessly. I was a size 2 at almost 6 feet tall. When I saw my reflection in the mirror I made myself a promise. I would not deny my body anything for this anymore. However, I was happy I did it to at least be in this big show. The big night was mayhem. Gay men running around having diva fits over lighting and makeup. Eccentric women walking by to tell you how fabulous the show is going to be. Photographers trying to take pictures of your naked body between changes while people who worked for the designer freaked trying to ensure you didn’t rub your makeup on the garments. All the while your wonderful boys telling you just how damn amazing you look.

When my time came to walk all went silent. I didn’t hear the techno music anymore. I couldn’t see the audience stare me down as I walked. I sashayed directly into the brightest light I have ever looked directly into. I was that beautiful high cheek boned emaciated girl in the designer dress I stared at growing up. I was everything I had ever wanted to be. When I stomped my way back to the curtain I realized that this gig isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. How could I be able to remain healthy yet still model? I was naturally skinny enough when I was 12-15, but I was just too far into womanhood at 21. I didn’t want to give up the glitz and glamour of being able to draw gasps from a crowd once they saw you. As a Leo, I loved to be on stage. The next year I slowly gained my weight back and my jobs lessoned. Then, one day I was getting my hair done in Milan for a fashion show and was starring at a table full of American magazines. Almost every single cover had a celebrity on it. It didn’t matter if it was a movie star or TV personality. When my hair was done, I started flipping through the pages of a few. All the major ad campaigns were being swooped up by celebrities. The best part was the celebrities didn’t have to be stick thin. I had one up on most, since I was a TV personality that could model.

Four months after I returned to the United States I landed a gig on VH1′s Surreal Life. Ever since I have been booking TV gigs. Suddenly I am collecting bigger covers and deals than I had in my past. I found the loophole. I could continue modeling works of art for the public, both on runway and in print. The best part? I didn’t have to lose any weight and I can wear the clothes I see on the runway on the red carpet. I love being able to show off a more athletic body instead of a skinny un toned one. However, the second I am asked to drop 10 pounds to be able to model for a major campaign wearing the next big designer? Where, when, and how?!? Most women have an article of clothing that is too tight for them, but it’s cute so they suck in the gut. Some of us have pairs of shoes that are far too tight, yet we still rock them out. We will suffer for fashion….will you?