Isla Vista: An Architectural Walkthrough

February 27, 2018 by adamuseum

Isla Vista is a town that echoes the patterns of its students—sleepy in the morning, stirring in the afternoon, and finally coming to full speed in the later hours of the night only to drift off once more into a dream state again. This tiny, yet booming college town, is undoubtedly the center of many UCSB students’ and community members’ lives. For some it’s home, a place to study, a place to enjoy oneself, or maybe even all three. It […]

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What is Art?

February 27, 2018 by adamuseum

What is art really? You can look up the definition online, but that would be absolutely useless because art has hundreds of definitions– it can’t conform to just one. Baffled? Yeah, a lot of people are. The very term “art” itself has become so ambiguous, especially because the spectrum of works considered as art has massively expanded. A Rembrandt painting can lie on the far left, while a “candid” selfie of you can lie on the right. Hey, you never […]

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Socially Engaged Art

February 27, 2018 by adamuseum

Socially engaged art, also referred to as social practice, involves artwork which seeks to encourage social discussion and collaboration. For the socially engaged artist, social interaction is their material. In 1991, Suzanne Lacy, a UCSB graduate and artist, whose work is currently on view at the Art, Design, and Architecture Museum, coined the term “new genre public art” to describe American public art which went beyond sculpture, involving the artist and a more distinctly emotional relationship. New genre public art […]

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Tempestad with the Schoolhouse and the Bus

February 27, 2018 by adamuseum

In an age where politics play a key role in social and economic turmoil, activists strive to increase a sense of awareness of the consequences of government decisions. This awareness spreads in several ways, such as culture, writing, research, and in this case, forms of art. Through the comparative analysis of the film, Tempestad, and the exhibition of the Schoolhouse and the Bus, I hope to convey the urgency of ramifications that stem from the social dichotomy in society. Tempestad, […]

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Comparison of Chris Burden’s Urban Lights and Valeska Soares’ Vaga Lume

February 27, 2018 by adamuseum

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA) recently purchased Vaga Lume (2007), by Valeska Soares. Made up of numerous fine chains attached to light bulbs, the artwork evokes a similar feeling and experience to Urban Light installation (2008), by Chris Burden, at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Urban Light, a sculpture by Chris Burden, features 202 restored antique street lamps, ranging from 20 to 30 feet in height. It has become an iconic Los Angeles attraction. Set on […]

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Art and Politics

February 27, 2018 by adamuseum

In the exhibition, The Schoolhouse and The Bus we see how Pablo Helguera and Suzanne Lacy address issues that are very prevalent today. Given our current political situation, our country is very divided, giving the appearance of deep cultural difference, when in reality, there are great similarities to our everyday experiences. Helguera’s view on Panamericanism is vital in our current political and social climate. We must exemplify how The School of Panamerican Unrest relates to our daily lives. In The […]

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Santa Barbara Fall Exhibitions: Sentiment and Resilience

February 27, 2018 by adamuseum

In front of the long, thin chains hang from the ceiling, each connected to a lightbulb above. There’s hesitation as the museum visitors wonder if they’re really allowed to touch them. Once one person does, the rest follow, clicking on and clicking off the bulbs, forming patterns of light on the ceiling above. Within moments, giggles ensue. People stand within the long chains, causing them to ripple, crash into others, bending, twirling, spinning as lights flicker and photographs ensue. The […]

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Re-examining the Scope of the Canon: The Different Portrayals of the Age of Contact

February 27, 2018 by adamuseum

The “Age of Contact” was a period in the 18th century when the Spanish first began to interact with the Native people of California; this time period can also be identified as the Mission period. From September 27 to December 8, 2017, two different museums in Santa Barbara displayed artifacts from this time period, when the Spanish initially interacted with the Chumash, but tell two very different narratives. The Santa Barbara Mission’s permanent exhibition highlights the historical narrative of the […]

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Reflecting on the Connection Between Art and Economics

February 26, 2018 by adamuseum

Pursuing a double major in Art History and Economics, I am often asked why I am interested in such two different areas. The intuitive answer is “Because I love both of them.” However, I began to wonder, is there a connection between art and economics? Art often seems abstruse, vague, and intangible — it is a form of creativity, a value of beauty, a consummation of dreams. In contrast, economics appears pragmatic, based on monetary values, as well as calculation […]

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