Manitou Springs

I think the best example of simulated environment interacting with the real environment is the picture of the tree and bench. There really weren’t any other benches there, and I think a single solitary bench, not a mass-produced, one-on-every-corner bench, can be art. It makes a statement about how one should enjoy the scenery and enjoy all that Manitou Springs has to offer. It is underneath the tree, so it allows people to sit there and use the shade from the tree as they rest. Whoever placed it there placed it far away enough to allow the tree to grow out, which is the point of art working with nature; one shouldn’t try to make nature fit the art, but the other way around, which I think makes a statement about society and how we should live the rest of our lives. I think the rest of the pictures reflect Manitou Springs. Manitou Springs has a very laid-back, artsy culture, and having art in the parks and by the sidewalks, in every nook and cranny you see, reflects the dynamic nature of this city. It really shows visitors the spirit of Manitou Springs. I feel that when people come to Manitou Springs, it’s probably for an attraction, and Manitou Springs definitely has a lot of art attractions… but what people don’t realize is that the art doesn’t go away after the attraction ends. A lot of the art stays there to decorate the city, because cities are so plain and boring without it. It’s difficult for me to come up with a city that doesn’t have art, because even the gorgeous skylines of Seattle, New York City, Paris, etc. could be considered art. Probably the best examples of cities without art are the small towns of maybe 50 people that one drives through on long road trips, and no one wants to stop and explore those towns. By taking photographs of Manitou Springs, we have contributed towards the city’s construction by simply supporting it. If no one took pictures or held any interest in the art, there would be less satisfaction in having the art there, and there would then be less art in Manitou Springs. Simply by saying “we approve!” in this informal way is an effective way of ensuring that Manitou Springs stays artsy.

Manitou

Visiting Manitou Springs is always a new adventure. Every time I visit, there is something new I notice about the town. This town, rich with history, culture, and art, is an evenly mixed collection of the new and old. As I wandered around the town, I noticed beautiful old buildings that have been preserved either for utility or because of their obvious splendor. Most noticeable, on this particular meandering, was the relationship between the natural world and the human-created world. The forest almost seems to attempt to recapture the territory lost so long ago. Trees and other plants encompass houses, streets, and even a large church. On this particular gorgeously foggy day, the vegetation seems to stretch out to absorb the moisture which really makes the color and form noticeable to the visitor. The life of this small tourist town continued despite the weather and that was also quite unexpected. The design of the town overall contributes to the artsy feel of the town as well. Art covers the small town on every block, sometimes unintentionally. I consider architecture to be a form of art and that was what drew my gaze on this day. With my documentation of the town of Manitou Springs, it continues to grow in its art-presence because the town itself inspires me to take photographs and create art of my own. Manitou Springs, as a cultural hub and as just a nice tourist attraction, is a particularly beautiful place to visit and adds to my appreciation to this area in which I’ve grown accustomed. 

Fine Arts Center

           In Chapter 7 of the Ways of Seeing, Berger discusses the connection between art and advertisements. He also discusses how in our current culture, images are used more often than any other time in history to convey messages (129). Robert Polidori’s Looking East, 42^nd Street, New York displays the thoughts explored by Berger in one image. Looking East shows a collection of advertisements in New York City strewn across various buildings in this crowded metropolis. Berger asserts that this type of advertising is viewed to be symbols of freedom (131). He says that these ads show the “freedom of choice for the purchaser [and] freedom of enterprise for the manufacturer” (131). He describes that it is one of the first images of the free world and of capitalism (131). Polidori’s image forces me as the viewer to image a fictional America; an America that is very different from the country I know and love. It forces me to think of the communist view of America during the Cold War; of a selfish, over-consuming, and wasted state of impurity. Berger describes the reason for advertisements and capitalism as a whole in a very subliminal and, albeit, negative way. He describes the modern American vision by those outside our borders as being obsessed with purchasing and upgrading our status in the capitalist world (131, 132). He describes the influence of ads as being those that “proposes to each of us that we transform ourselves, or our lives, by buying something more”(131) and by doing so we strive to become “enviable”(131). The artist’s image seems to have a tone of a sexual nature as well.

             The second image I included is a zoomed-in shot of one of the advertisements. This ad caught my gaze, in particular, as I stared into the picture. This ad in itself is a work of art. The ad shows a man of peak physical condition playing a drum and dancing wildly. The ad provokes one’s thought to immediately imagine movement. This, in my opinion, is what makes it a successful work of art and advertisement. The man, being half-naked, also supplies the viewer with an almost unconscious thought of sexuality and allurement. This is most likely quite intentional by the artist. Berger describes a viewer’s experience of allurement in this image as feeling “overwhelmed by the marvelous simplicity of the familiar sexual mechanism” (59). The nakedness of the man adds to the effectiveness of the ad and the entire image overall.

Works Cited

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin, 1977. Print.

Fine Arts Center

Blurred Lines

In Chapter 3, Berger discusses and explains the difference between nude and nakedness.  While looking through the Fine Arts Center, I found  a piece that may actually challenge the differences, potentially blurring the lines.  For a nude, the always remaining implication is that the subject (a woman) is aware of being seen by a spectator; she is not naked as she is, she is naked as the spectator sees her. To just  be naked, any great sexual image has the element of banality, which must be undisguised but not chilling. It is this which distinguishes between voyeur and lover.  This untitled work is absolutely meant to invoke sexual feelings, but the work itself doesn't fit into a given mold.  There are bits and pieces that fall into both categories, both nude and naked.  

The main focal point is a woman.  She is not fully frontal, nor does she look directly at the spectator; this is because, she has the head of a cat.  There is nothing throughout the book that would put this into any particular mold.  She is plump, laying on her stomach, hiding most of her body in the couch.  In a nude "her body is arranged the way it is, to display it to the man looking at the picture; made to appeal to his sexuality." "To be naked is simply to be without clothes, whereas the nude is a form of art." Only some of the description fits this piece.  She is not simply without clothes, but she is a form of art, but she is not displayed or arranged in a way made to appeal to sexuality.  

The piece takes advice from bits and pieces.  She is clearly a woman, she is clearly naked, but she is not posed or arranged, she does not have the "expression of a woman responding with calculated charm to the man whom she imagines looking at her," she is not simply just without clothes, she is a form of art, but the question is, what kind. Though the picture is a photograph, not a painting, this woman has turned herself into an object, a sight, but she has also managed to conceal the parts of her body that "acts as a conformation and provokes a very strong sense of relief."  There are parts of her that we can relate to, and parts that invoke a feeling of mystery. Although her head is a cat, she is looking directly at the spectator.  Whatever the meaning behind the feline head, this piece is more than just being naked and less than just being a nude.  A composition between art and naked, a piece with blurred lines. 

Berger, John "Ways of Seeing" pgs 45-64

Trivieri, Daryl Untitled Undated Mixed Media    24x36 in

Manitou Walk

Walking through Manitou Springs, several of the proposed questions were answered.  Manitou seems to be hidden from the bustle of bigger surrounding cities, seemingly untouched by time.  Art lines the streets, not just sculptures, but in the shops that line the main road through town.  A town re-built on its original heritage.  We were told of a tornado that swept through in the late 70's, and sat in a building that was rebuilt using the orginal structure.  Of all of the buildings, almost none, if any, were new, just renovated.  Even at night you can see the difference.  Instead of neon lights lining the roads, it is just street lamps and the soft glow from windows of businesses. The artwork that lines the streets reflects the town, showing its deep roots in the arts.  All of the shops are a testament to the small town feel; many of which have hand crafted goods, instead of mass produced products.  I went back later in the week, I was not able to get all of my pictures due to the rain. At night, it was quiet, a huge difference from the bustle of shoppers and tourists during the daytime. 

Manitou has always been a place for tourists.  There are several hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts that line the street.  To this day, Manitou is a favorite place both for people visiting from out of town, and for those of us that need a break from the bigger city.  By taking pictures of what we see, or document a trip through the town, we all participate in the towns construction. We keep pictures for ourselves, but we also share them.  When a picture is shared it becomes something permanent, something that someone else can talk about and describe. 

Everything in the town seems to be connected, all of the shops, the local people, and the visitors.  There is a flow to the town that you can't find anywhere else.  A place where nature and commerce are really acting as one.  A place where you aren't a stranger for long.  All of the art has a place, and without it the sidewalk would be missing something.  Everything is in it's place, from the parks, to the drinking fountains, to the shops and restaurants.  When walking through the streets, you feel connected, like you belong too.  

Fine Arts Center

 

“The ideal spectator has always assumed to be male. (Berger,1972)”  Women are often portrayed in so many forms, whether it be a nude, a family portrait, a scene, or a more formal setting they have a presence different from men portrayed in art.  The male form is usually acting out some form of presence as Berger put it, where as women appear.  Everything a woman does or does not do tells a story about her, so she is the biggest critic and ever watching in third person view her every action.  She is her own spectator, at all times, careful to allow the world to see anything she does not desire them to see. 

In the painting “A Portrait of Miss Elsie Palmer (A Lady in White)” I could easily see a very complex person.  The first thing that struck me was the steep contrast of the background and the foreground.  Her white dress is beautiful and clean against a dark wooden structure, but her face and gaze as if she didn’t seem to notice.  Looking closer you can see her hair, face, and form is nearly perfect.  Feet spread evenly; hands perfectly formed together, face still and quiet.  The work is very detailed, but the closer you come you can see the broad strokes of the painters brush becomes blurry, favoring the woman’s secret imperfections: come to close and she can’t be seen, stand back and she is delicate and detailed perfectly.  Simple, but elegant.  Plain; but refined. 

Women perceive themselves a certain way, Berger argues, and that self-perception is always overshadowing every action, thought and character.  

GOCA

Looking out at the world, we often see infinite possibility and opportunity.

Wings of steel cannot carry us there.

But even in the darkest places and spaces there is light.

This fearlessness bridges the gap between possible and amazing.

 

Often art represents a thing, this representation is not the actual object but the idea of the object at a time and in a place that is frozen.  A sculpture of a crane is not the crane itself, or even the specific crane it was caste from or sculpted from.  It becomes its own thing and outlasts the actual in many cases .  We can feel a connection to the object or the art without appreciation of the converse as well.

Manitou Springs has a long and rich history.  As one walks down the streets and turns to winding back alleys and small nooks throughout it is tempting to want to become a tourist in your own way.  To be drawn in and become a piece of the actively occurring history and somehow connected to the history that has already come to pass. 

I first came into Manitou Springs as such a tourist, but rather than being a part of a larger faceless body of tourism I stepped outside the role and attempted to become aware.  Looking at the leaves individually and listening to their song overcoming the beat of traffic noise.  I saw people begin to pop up in chairs and benches along shops where they once simply blended with the glass and knick knacks for sale.  I could smell fresh mountain air in summer over the many wafts of pretzels and mountain made fudge. 

Then I noticed something else.  Everywhere there was art.  Pieces intertwined into the sidewalks.  In back alleys.  In small porticos.  I had never realized so much art. The theme was then very easily visible.  There was a striking pride in all the pieces.  Individuality yet community.  There was a presence in each piece crying out to be recognized as an individual achievement, but each piece played into not only art expression as a whole, representing community and harmony.

There is an amazing amount of pieces that pay respect to sacrifices for others, like the animals that represent the loss of habitat or gift of nourishment they have played into existence.  The pieces that commemorate the casualties of war and their sacrifices so we may walk in peace.  The playful pieces that remind us that not everything is so serious and that we must remember to look at the world through the eyes of a child, with wonder. 

If you can swim through the river of conformation, cell phones, private space and materialistic endeavors, you can wash upon the shores things that literally hid right in front of your eyes.

Childs Eyes --- Manitou Springs

 There is an innocence to life as a child, and far to often it is washed way too quickly.  As we grow into adulthood we quit asking questions, and take life for granted.  It is only as a child that we look at each new experience as an adventure, natural beauty is lost in maturity.

Walking through Manitou with this assignment it helped be more intentional in witnessing the natural beauty and taking the time to stop and see my surroundings.

Aspects of adulthood blind us to much of the world around us.  We walk through places with purpose, driven.  Often needed, but it is important in life to take a breath, pause and take time out of our day.



After taking a breath, and opening my eyes I could see a side of Manitou Springs I likely would have missed.  The following mosaic was tucked away in an unlikely place, and really makes me think of where all these pieces had come from.  Although shattered and broken, through someones vision they were re-purposed and now brighten up peoples day.

The culture of Manitou Springs can be seen in the numerous shops, as well as the public art.  This small piece shows how Manitou has a strong Native American heritage.  The absract element of the piece requires individuals to call upon that childhood mind-set and see the wolf howling up and the moon.

With all of the public art, both placed intentionally, or done by the scribbling artist you can see how Manitou Springs is different.  The city almost as a whiteboard for individuals to express themselves.  It is tempting to sit down and watch as the entire city tries to expresses something larger.  In being able to just breathe and see how the city works you can get a glimpse, albeit small, into how this town may have developed.

Manitou

While walking through Manitou Springs, one's mind cannot help but be taken away by the immense culture of art.  Throughout the city there is clear natural beauty that sweeps you off your feet, and with that art that makes you think.  The numerous natural drinking fountains located in Manitou offer a little slice of that natural beauty to all.

            With the Waldo Canyon fire still so pertinent to the community, much of my thinking while looking at certain pieces reflected the city's challenges of dealing with that disaster.  For instance, inside one of the Manitou Springs Art Council's buildings a replication of a fireman's jacket can be found.  This replication piece spoke to me in means of remembrance, impact, and the ever present potential of wildfire.  All the natural beauty that Manitou was built upon can be compromised so quickly.  This piece brought back feelings of how fragile and how brutal nature can truly be. 

            However, during my journey through the city another piece caught my eye: a stature of a woman holding a light soaring above the city for all to see.  This man made piece convinced me that even in the darkest of times, there is always some good.  I think this statue acts as a "protector" of the city, casting a light of hope in the midst of fire season. 

            Along my walk I was lucky enough to snap a picture of the Manitou bell alarm, while a fire truck was driving through the background.  This piece showcases how a simulated environment (being the man made bell alarm) can impact and interact with the real environment.  People driving by every day are reminded of the fire threat and the seriousness of the issue. Again an example of how art can recreate memories, and impact a meaningful truth.

            One of my last pictures along my walk was taken of one of the colorful bird statues.  They seem to be a crowd favorite here in Manitou, maybe due to the bright cheery colors! The two birds bring a sense of joy to the community. 

            Lastly, my journey took me to an interesting formation piece of a metal bicycle.  This piece is a fantastic example of how the community embraces art, as the replication was being used as a bike rack for someone's bicycle. Taking photos of all the art in Manitou, I play a role in the construction of the art community.  Sharing the pictures on Flickr is a way to get the beauty of Manitou's culture out there, and to make known some of the hidden gems hiding in this little mountain town.    

Walking in the 19th century..

 

 

Walking through Manitou, is a remarkably experience. To walk through this magnificent place with out any intention in mind is a hard task to do. Rather than Focus on art made by artist I focused on art made by locals that maybe most people wouldn’t consider art.

When First entering Manitou you are struck by a sense of wonder, of awe, of curiousness. This place has an overwhelming feeling to it. As I was strolling through I learned that there once was a tornado that touched down in the city, ripping apart several trees and buildings, local artist decided to build beauty through the chaos. I snapped a picture of a tree that was turned into a “tree house” of sorts. On the side of the tree the artist carved a face,as if it was the face of mother nature peering out from her masterpiece. Continuing on to walk I noticed the people of the town, they are strange in their own way. Most of them are friendly, some are scary and I am afraid to approach them, as I was wondering through the local park I noticed this hand print on the side of a building. To me it appears to be the work of a small child, who had dipped their hand into mud and plastered it on the side of the wall. To me this shows that the child is marking their spot, as if to say this is my playground.

Walking around Manitou, you see all sorts of different people, people in suits and ties, hippies smoking out of their pipes, peddlers playing guitars and blowing up balloon animals for the small children, as I was enjoying a quick smoke break before continuing my walk I stumbled upon the local teenagers idea of “art.” The local teenagers had plastered stickers on the side of an electrical box, expressing their opinions on their town.

The artist of the town are not the only ones who mark their territory with their beautiful art and sculptures, the local town thugs and hooligans feel the need as well. Upon walking through the beautiful arcade listening to the sounds of children’s laughter, I spotted a trash can. This trash can has been tagged and marked up, one saying stands out, “Cater the World,” maybe this band of hooligans are not hooligans after all.

As my walk through the little town comes to an end, I spot two things that catch my interest. There is a motorized bike, that has a sticker on it that says “Keep Manitou Weird,” not being from the town itself, I wonder what the town people are trying to express, a welcome sign for the strange individuals of the art world, or is it a warning message? Last and certainly not least, I see a beautiful sculpture of moon with a face in it, on a stick in the middle of the town square. The face is smiling, looking up towards the sky. It will have a lasting impression on me.

Assignment 6

There are so many natural wonders in Manitou Springs, the springs, mountains surrounding the town.  The animals that roam the town, if you look closely, you can see them.  The sounds, if you sit still and listen carefully, you can hear the stream that runs through the town and the leaves rustling on the trees.  A lot of the buildings have been restored to the way they used to be.  Some of the buildings were built in 1888, that’s one hundred and twenty five years old.  The vibe I get when I walk around Manitou Springs is natural, almost spiritual.  Listening to our tour guide, I got a little annoyed when she said one of the shop owners; a restaurant was involved in a cult.  She blamed the vandalism that goes on in the town on them because they keep their restaurant open 24 hours a day, and they feed the homeless that come in.  The whole spiritual vibe of Manitou Springs comes from people like the ones who own that restaurant.  They feed the homeless and because they are not like this lady, they are considered being part of a cult.  They are closed on Saturdays and they hung a sign that said they were closed for the Sabbath and it said shalom.  I think that is Jewish actually.  I’ve met these people and they are very nice.  They remind me of Amish people.

I know the guy that spoke for the art center said they sometimes have problems with deciding which art to display to the public.  He told us of a story of a dog being displayed on his back and city council; actually, the mayor wanted it taken down because of the position of the dog.  I don’t get that, but it has to be very frustrated for these people to pick out art to display.  No one will ever be happy.

I actually took a picture of an artist from Manitou Springs and I love his work.  His name is Rocky, and he’s a bit of a recluse.  Every once in a while, you see him sitting in his studio where I think he lives.  If you’re lucky enough, you might even get to speak to him.  He did say hello when I waved to him, and I did get his picture.  When we take pictures of the local art, we are sharing it with others.