#The Maslow Gallery

[marywoodartdept]

A Conversation on Nature and Art (Maslow Gallery)

Currently, in the Maslow Gallery is a collection that sparks a conversation about where land and art intersect. The collection entitled “Land Use[d]” features several famous artists including Andy Warhol, Gianfranco Gorgoni, Robert Barry, and more. The piece that caught my eye the most was the photograph by Gorgoni. The subject matter was of Spiral Jetty, which I had seen before in my History of…

[danamuseum]

What does empathy mean to me? How will I use empathy in my museum practice?

Dana Golan Miller, October 8th, 2023

The type of individual who opts to work in a museum setting, particularly when engaging with the community, education, and diverse audiences, and focusing on enhancing the visitor experience, MUST, in my opinion, embrace empathy as a fundamental way of life. I regularly apply empathetic thinking in my daily life, both professionally and in my interactions with my spouse, friends, and, naturally, as a mother, without necessarily labeling it as 'empathy'.

According to Friis Dam and Yu Siang Teo,  "Empathy is the ability designers gain from research to understand users’ problems, needs and desires fully so that they can design the best solutions for users. Designers strive for empathy by deeply probing users’ worlds, to define their precise problems and then to ideate towards solutions that improve users’ lives". Interaction Design Foundation (2020). They suggested an Empathy map that can serve as a useful tool for accomplishing empathy. 

I think that this suggested map is a wonderful tool when thinking about corporations in general, but especially and specifically when co-creating with a museum. Friis Dam and Yu Siang Teo continue - An Empathy Map allows us to sum up our learning from engagements with people in the field of design research. Empathy maps are also great as a background for the construction of the personas that you would often want to create later. An Empathy Map allows us to sum up our learning from engagements with people in the field of design research. The map provides four major areas in which to focus our attention, thus providing an overview of a person’s experience of Empathy. The four quadrants reflect four key traits that the user demonstrated/possessed during the observation/research.

Stage Step 1: Fill out the Empathy Map what did the user (the chosen community in my case) say, think, and feel? And - How did the user FEEL? What emotions might the user be feeling? Subtle cues can be body language, choice of words, and tone of voice

Step 2: Synthesize NEEDS. Here we can use the American psychologist Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to help understand and define which underlying needs the user has. I have to say that this Hierarchy has always been in my mind since I first encountered it in my undergraduate. Personally, I really believe that achieving a higher level - the esteem needs and self-actualized needs but it's not always so easy. Writing down the needs always helps.

Step 3: Synthesise INSIGHTS - An “Insight” is a remarkable realization that can help to solve the current design challenge we're facing. It can be done also by synthesizing insights by asking yourself: “Why?” when you notice strange, tense, or surprising behavior.Of course, also here, writing it down helps a lot. It might seems easy, but from my experience, no, it's not.

Image of the Empathy Mapping, from Rikke Friis Dam and Teo Yu Siang, Interaction Design Foundation (2002)

I firmly believe that if you are a compassionate individual with values extending beyond your personal needs, you can excel as a museum educator, community presenter and also curator. In my previous experiences curating exhibitions, I always endeavored to consider accessibility, although not always with complete success. However, it is only here at Museum Education Studies at GW University,that I truly comprehend the complexity of this process, which is both challenging and rewarding.

The most recent exhibition I co-curated took place in Israel at the Ramat Hasharon Contemporary Gallery. In collaboration with the gallery's curator, I worked with high school seniors in the art department. They engaged with the artworks, and we captured their voices, allowing gallery visitors to hear their perspectives.

According to the art collection's collection website "The exhibition is accompanied by two new sound works commissioned and created especially for it under the guidance of the curators and through community collaboration with 12th-grade visual art students at Alon High School, Ramat Hasharon. In a desire to add a layer of young, current sound to the selection of works on view, most of which were created before they were born, the students were invited to write personal-fictional stories from their point of view as teenagers, about ten figures starring in selected works, and record them in their voices. These stories resonate in the gallery, alongside artistic commentary on ten additional works, offering a path of observation centered on the notion of longing".

I inadvertently engaged in a form of co-creation without even realizing it. Did I use the empathy map? Honestly, no, I wasn't even aware of its existence back then. Today, I am fully conscious of it, and if I were to work with the kids again, I would undoubtedly employ this tool to gain a deeper understanding of the high school community at Alon High School. I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn more about it here.

Resources:

Rikke Friis Dam and Teo Yu Siang, Interaction Design Foundation, online design school globally (2002).  https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/empathy-map-why-and-how-to-use-it

Abraham Maslow, A Theory of Human Motivation, 1943

ORS art collection website.

[archivist-dragonfly]

Book 281

Tiny World Terrariums: A Step-by-Step Guide to Easily Contained Life

Michelle Inciarrano and Katy Maslow

Stewart, Tabori & Chang 2012

While this book is a guide to building and maintaining terrariums, I mostly keep it because of my love of miniature worlds. The photo gallery of finished terrariums with miniature scenes is very cool. The step-by-step part of the book is purely aspirational.

[soniyawilson]

Outline In this article:- we talk about the basic grounds of clothing, and the growing uniqueness between reasons why it began and the reasons that it in the end became.

Going through those Salwar Kameez Collection in Delhi, you should be wondering, "Has the human species advanced past what's required?", at that point a countering thought can emerge which tells how such existential inquiries can turn into a reason for strife and wretchedness for an individual's calmly numb life, so you choose instead to smother the thought.

The inquiry was never off-base in the first place, for it held within itself a decent amount of study about how the cutting edge clothing industry has advanced to make this round of choosing a tuxedo on employ buy in a scope of textures, entirely filthy. The thought being that whether it is an Online Shop For Buy Online Western Dress in Delhi or your nearby ruined suit sticker, choices are quickly enhancing all over.

These alternatives are accessible for even the littlest of the things, for the most niched thing in a world that as of now remains as an untouchable in the Universe is excessively ridiculous for human gathering. You see anthropologist gauge that individuals began wearing garments two or three hundred thousand years prior, and around then they didn't have the alternative to dress themselves up in anything with the exception of hide, grass, bone, leave, shell and obviously a reasonable piece of creature skin. The thought behind clothing was instinctive that was to shield the moderate evolving sapiens from harsh climates to guarantee more prominent probability for the endurance of the specie. The specie survived, the thought didn't. Clothing decisions have now gotten counter instinctive.

Counter instinctive, in what capacity one may think. All things considered, it's just relies upon situation. In the event that you are freezing with cold you need a coat, it doesn't make a difference whether it is Armani or Levi's the length of it conceals your skin. In actuality, in the event that you are well past freezing and are living securely in your ensured homes then your Maslow's progressive system of necessities may very well kick in any irregular second and cause you to join a few builds to this basic exercise of self-assurance.

Develops which were prior a matter of indifference to you, tasteful worth, individual certainty, personality, mating fascination, regard, cultural status, confidence for instance currently trust in you, making you a sidekick for the ceaseless human emergency arising by virtue of our needs being controlled on account of the enormous man. In circumstances like these, the hole between what began something, and why that something is sustained today should be investigated to see whether that something is truly what that something was, or has that something become something that isn't what that something was. It is a significant straightforward thought, that can be thoroughly considered again and again till your brain desires out an answer. Till that time, you can at present appreciate this extravagance pain yet just till it keeps going.

[eliaspointe]

[ JAMES MASLOW ] — Welcome to Elias Pointe, RIDER FITZHERBERT! Did you hear that they’re the 23 year old SON of EUGENE & RAPUNZEL from TANGLED? Some people will say they’re NAIVE & FLIRTATIOUS, but those who know them agree that they’re TRUSTWORTHY & OPTIMISTIC. I also heard that they work as an ARTIST at MAIN STREET ART GALLERY.

Please review the new member checklist to help you get settled in & be sure to send us your blog in the next 24 hours. We’re happy to have you & we hope you enjoy your stay!

✔ ABOUT THE APPLICANT

name: Della preferred pronouns: she/her

✔ OTHER CHARACTER INFORMATION

birthday: June 17 pronouns: he/him magic/special abilities: n/a occupation: Artist residence: Suburbs, Bay Lake Estates social media username: @fryingpansftw

[maidinallen-blog]

City Of Allen Tx

Its focus on education and future job development makes Allen a prime location for innovation and technology. This is what Allen has to showcase for you

Allen’s Best

To feel fulfilled, you need to be surrounded by happiness by the way you live in Allen Texas.

This is the reason the move to a city that is flourishing as well as Allen, Texas is so crucial.

Allen provides a commercially-minded business environment that encourages an innovative way of living that most people would like to offer to give to their families and also to themselves.

Its sprawling suburbs as well as its diversity of businesses, Allen absolutely is a ideal place for businesses to begin and also for its own family circle that is planning to move to the area.

When you are beginning to create your family circle, security, education and protection are the most crucial factors to take into consideration before you begin building your roots.

Allen has a vast assortment of retail stores including the Premium Outlets that has more than 100 stores.

The Water's Creek can be located in cities that permit residents to shop and being close to the toll road seventy-five that connects immediately directly to Dallas which is a different processor's hub along with Allen.

Additionally, Watters creek is positioned without lag time companies in the forefront of technology.

The group also has an apartment that houses an art gallery. They hosts events and cultural events and are greatly appreciated

To give a brief review, Allen is a tremendous city to start an informal family circle or to kick-start the career you want to pursue. Allen's security is the reason why people believe that their networks are more secure and make them happier with the place they reside in.

Familie domestic

Allen's knowledge about the significance of education and improving processes is what makes Allen an ideal location for development and innovation. This is what Allen has to show that it is "Allen's Best"

Maslow The Maslow Hierarchy of Need ranks physiological desires as the first basic desire, with safety or security as the second most destructive need. Clasificada como la segunda ciudad para comenzar a crecer una familia y la novena ciudad mas segura dentro del pais.

If you take into account the facts, it's the situation that Allen is the 38th biggest town in Texas with an estimated population of 100,000 and this is not all. It can also be seen that even a city of this size is safe when you have a strong secure system.

Additionally, Allen's crime rate per year decreases by 55% compared to that of the typical crime rate for the entire Texas state. Texas.

Commercial cleaning

Security is also considered as economic security as a measure of whether cities are able to offer enough jobs to support its financial stability. At the time of 2017, more than 200 opportunities for employment were transferred to California to Allen, Texas.

KONE has resulted in the creation of 150 new positions, with the area of 250,000 square feet of workspace, and biotechnology firms are also profiting from the expansion process, companies like Purus Labs which have opened sixty-five jobs covering the entire area of 45,000 square feet of flexible space.

Allen knows improvements to HTML0 will be as in the future This is what they use large teams of California to develop fresh ideas and ideas for Allen's citizens. Allen

The Arts in Allen Texas

in their Fine Arts department, they received the 1st Area award for UIL theatrical and Design. They were awarded the NAMM prize for their most outstanding Community in Music Education.

When it comes to the graduation process, Allen High faculty has an average of 97% in the commencement fee and the closing touch fee of 99. This is one of the top five percent of Texas faculty with the best scores for faculty who have graduated above. In terms of academics, students at Allen High scored well above the average of national students (71 percentage) in the fields of studying as well as language arts. This jumped to 86 percent. ..

In the world of academics there is a possibility of an admission fee for SAT preparation. This usually results in high school students applying to universities. This could also be associated to the acceptance by a university.

Allen extra faculty is an excellent additional faculty that strives to prepare students with the skills to be successful in studying and to highlight how important language and high-quality arts.

[irguardian]

Cultural Calendar Jan 12-19

Cultural Calendar Jan 12-19

ARTS AND CULTURAL Events ~ CCIRC Performances & Events Gallery 14 presents VISUAL POETRY: Derek Gores, Cliffton Chandler, Joan Earnhart and Maslow This multi-faceted exhibit is sure to please a multitude of tastes. On View through January 28 DEREK GORES, returning to Gallery 14 for his fifth year, will dazzlewith his upcycled beauties who wink at the past from the near future. Gores is an…

[domsideasgarden]

The influence of social media on artists

Music, Brecht Vandenbroucke, 2016 (https://www.instagram.com/p/BDh4SKdg6HC/?utm_source=ig_embed)

Social media’s popularity was rapid because it offers the freedom of expression and self-actualisation, which is considered to be one of the basic humans’ needs in Maslow’s pyramid of needs (Kang, Chen and Kang, 2019). Online social platforms can fulfil this needs very easily due to its easy and quick interactions between users. This gives designers a chance to become more independent while giving them a higher chance of getting noticed and express themselves as they would want because the conditions to be accepted in a gallery might be held high standards and it can be difficult.

Due to the digital development, new participatory cultures started to form, which helped with overcoming entry barriers in the art industry and gives everyone a fairly chance on succession. Members of participatory cultures believe that their contributions matter, they feel shared social connection because of mutual support and feedbacks and advanced artists can offer support through memberships to newer designers (Kang, Chen and Kang, 2019). This provides everyone with the opportunity to be creative and learn new skills if that’s what they are seeking.

Before the popularisation of art on social media, art was mostly considered to be a leisure for the rich and it was only accessible in galleries and museums. Social media was able to demolish this barrier and made art easily accessible to almost everyone, while giving more freedom to artists to explore their creativity and promote their work there (Pramod, 2020).

Social media has a lot of benefits to offer to an artist such as more engagement from their audiences, which artists can enhance by involving their spectators through debates on their posts and asking for opinions from their viewers. As social networks are able to support various types of media (e.g. Images, videos, GIFs), it can be good tool to use for exploring new inspiration and ideas for their projects without losing time being buried in books because the online resources are easier to reach (Elmansy, 2016). Another benefit is the direct interaction between artists and its audience through social media allows them to comment and give likes on their artwork, providing them with direct feedback, which is considered to be one of the essential learning resources. One of the best benefits of social networks for artists is definitely its promoting tool as each artist can promote their individual work on their online platform and they don’t have to rely on galleries to take interest in them.

Even though social media platforms can offer variety of benefits for its users, there is also a lot of negative factors that have influence on the digital experience. By being too focused on the feedbacks from audience, one can get too consumed in reviewing other artists’ artwork which delays them on starting their project, thus forming an endless loop of procrastination by looking for new creative ideas but then not doing anything of their own based on those ideas (Elmansy, 2016).  The copyrights and privacy of work is also considered to be a disadvantage on digital platforms as screenshots of artworks can be shared online without crediting the original artist. Some online platforms have policies in place to help with unauthorised reproduction but very often it is hard to keep track of unauthorised shares which causes a big problem with online credibility. And even though the entry barriers for the art industry is lower now, the competition on these platforms is huge and artists need to keep up with current social trends, so they stay relevant (Pramod, 2020).

The social platforms give opportunities to everyone to be creative and share their creations online, which is great because more people are starting to express their creativity and share their artwork. Social media tends to be non-restricted about the quality and the ownership of artworks, depending quite heavily on its algorithms that are influenced by interactions, so it can be very difficult for artists to get seen and break through without having any base audience.

It is good that artists have a chance to be more independent and don’t have to rely heavily on galleries or museums to break through to the art industry. Social media is giving them a chance to express themselves as they want but it comes with some disadvantages that make the processes difficult to execute. Maybe this is a call for an online reunification of artists and galleries where they can help each other cooperate in the online world and get rid of the barriers that artists face.

With the increased popularity of digital market, a lot of galleries had to update their digital brand and started offering virtual viewing of their exhibitions. Especially now, with covid-19 pandemic it was shown how important it is to keep your online mark as many businesses would crash without moving to the online market during the pandemic. Virtual exhibitions gained its popularity and gives access to anyone to view it while they don’t have to go far from home. The galleries who decided to move simultaneously online made a good strategic decision as through the last 3 years the purchases of art online increased from 35% to 55% and it is believed it might become permanent in the future.

If galleries started to give more online to support to artists it could lead to better privacy protection of their work, help their credibility and open door to more networking opportunities. That would mean that artists would still be able to be independent but would be working in a partnerships with online galleries that might offer to post their work online, which could potentially bring more audience to the artist and to the gallery from the artists side providing them with mutual benefits.

[revelatorylies]

ENTRY #6: The Relational & the Social

9.23.20

Would you believe relational aesthetics, otherwise known as relational art, to be performative in its expression?

In Relational Aesthetics, Nicolas Bourriaud paints a portion of artistic activity under the pretense of a game. Establishing what once was and what now is, the role of art becomes vast, expressionless or meaningful, dependent upon its audience and its interpreter. By considering relational art as a game, as a type of play, implies a performative connotation. Beyond the capacity of vapid consumption and removed from the contemporary gallery setting, art establishes a series of relations. Here, the phrase ‘relational’ connotes a reciprocity or hints towards a relationship between two concepts or objects.

By thinking about art in its capacity to establish, fortify, and fuel relationships between the artist to the spectator, the art to the artist, and the spectator to the art, we might consider how the complex interactions unfold to dismantle the hierarchy of art as a commercialized product. Although art fosters relationships, some of these relationships might be perceived as a performance in the context that interactions can present a portion of the self rather than the totality of the self.

To quote Bourriaud, “art is a state of encounter” (Bourriaud 18). The work challenges, provokes, compels, or seduces those who encounter its presence. Sometimes, this encounter depicts a mediated performance in a gallery setting where the spectator mingles amidst spectators and the artist. From a sociological, dramaturgical perspective, the interaction seals the deal of the performance. Conversation and bodily gestures paint a reactionary form of art – art as a reaction to its production and to its end which welcomes a cyclical interaction.

Is art a basic social need?

I strongly advocate that art meets a basic social need. In the psychological context of Abraham Maslow's “Hierarchy of Needs,” we might infer that art can be categorized as a need devoted to esteem or self-actualization. However, I wish to argue that art meets a basic need somewhere between the physiological and that which Maslow categorizes as safety. Maslow categorizes rest and warmth as physiological basic needs. Therefore, I suggest that we consider the visceral reaction that art possesses. Contingent upon the type of work and the respective audience, the spectator might feel warm, relaxed, and safe. Art possesses the capacity to save, to seduce, to console and to provoke. In doing so, art lovingly begs for communication and that makes it a profoundly human process.

Can generosity function in art without being self-serving?

Sometimes, I believe there to be a lack of social awareness in that which is self-serving. For instance, the best of intentions might serve a selfish purpose without acknowledging the motivational component. Alternatively, there is no ulterior motive, and it comes from the heart in an unapologetic fashion. Perhaps, then, we can infer from the intentionality of generosity. What is done out of compassion’s cause doesn’t make generosity self-serving, but selfless. Can we simply be kind for the sake of being kind?

With this question, I consider the context of fan studies in which fan artists or fan fiction writers gift their works not as commodify, but as a celebration of love over multi-media, canonical material. Although we might perceive this as an exchange of goods and services for the promotion of capital, I believe there to be a passionate love expressed through the interaction and dissemination of this material.

Self-serving insinuates selfishness which leads me to wonder if we are innately selfish creatures or merely intent on making a connection known in any way possible – through art, through interaction, and through ritualistic, cultish celebration.

Further Consideration: How do the readings fuel your creative practice?

         While reviewing Bourriaud’s Relational Aesthetics, I found myself enamored by the component of interaction and a reciprocal exchange that occurs to fuel and establish relations between parties. In this regard, I contemplate how my independent project might be perceived as relational art. At the very least, I can draw from relational form as a source of inspiration for how I reach out to the cosplay community to flesh out my participatory work. I wish to express a love letter not just to the subculture, but to the props, prosthetics, and costumes that cosplayers pour their hearts into.

LIES, LIES, LIES!

*Lie #6] The Lie of Interactivity: Whether the art is a motion picture, a performance staged akin to Allan Kaprow’s “Happenings,” or a stationary, fixed canvas, all modalities welcome an element of interactivity. Passivity is a deceiver that often obscures the functionality of interactivity. In our observations, we interact – we think, feel, see, and perceive – and this cements the grounds for establishing relations beyond the work of art.

References

Bourriaud, Nicolas. “Relational Form.” Relational Aesthetics, Les Presses Du Réel, 2002, pp. 11-24.

Mcleod, Saul. “Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.” Simply Psychology, Simply Psychology, 20 Mar. 2020, www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html.

[marywoodartdept]

My Must Sees (Maslow Edition)

For the second installment of covering each Marywood Art Gallery, I’m covering the Maslow Gallery. It is the more intimate gallery within the same general area as the Mahady but still overflowing with artwork. While the Maslow wasn’t the primary focus on the opening the other week, the art within it is just as important as the Mahady. The correlation between the artists found in the Mahady…

[zakisaphotographer]

Remember that time the Everhart Museum let me hang a few dozen of my photos in The Maslow Galleries? (at Everhart Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGqpf3nng80/?igshid=4hlllgzwlcav

[uncontainedkc]

UNCONTAINED LIVING! AFFORDABLE, SUSTAINABLE, AND STYLISH CONTAINER HOMES

INTRODUCTION

We all desire and work through life to be able to afford, buy, and own our dream homes.  There are numerous financial and psychological benefits to us personally, our families, and the communities at large by having stable homes. This is what the American dream is all about.  Although the real estate industry is packed with opportunities, millions of low and middle-class Americans are deprived of this experience.

Sustainable housing represents a unique opportunity for an equitable homeownership revolution led powerfully by UNCONTAINED LIVING.  We view housing as a human right!  We are introducing a new and dynamic style of affordable and sustainable houses designed with shipping containers. Guided by our mission to provide feasible options accessible to those left out in most housing markets today, these affordable homes are great for starters, growing families, and business owners. 

 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs highlights safety, security, and shelter as key basic human needs.  The basis of the theory argues that humans have a series of hierarchical needs. Meaning, a set of needs must first be met before they can turn their attention and efforts toward achieving higher goals. Over 33% of the homeless population is families.  Solving the problem of home insecurity and unsheltered homelessness suffered by millions of families, children, veterans, millennials, gen z'ers and other low wage earners across the US- is essential to the mission of Uncontained Living.  

WHAT IS THE UNCONTAINED LIVING SOLUTION?

Sustainable home building refers to the fast-growing concept of housing that involves the use of shipping containers as the main components of the building structure. If this sounds new to you, then prepare to be startled the minute you see some of the designs of these homes.

Hundreds and thousands of shipping containers travel across the ocean every day filled with designer bags, shoes, and clothes, children’s toys, potato chips, and all types of products and goods. A huge number of these containers end up being left to sit in shipyards for extended periods laying to waste.  This wastefulness is a detriment to the environment and negatively impacts climate change.  Uncontained Living has an alternative solution- making use of shipping containers as functional residential and commercial spaces.  In the words of LJ Franklin, co-founder of Uncontained Living, “capturing a massive 8,600-pound resources and hijacking the waste cycle is the least we can do to make our planet more suitable for future generations”.

A standard shipping container size stands at 40ft in length, 8ft in width, and 8.5 ft in height.  It is built to last 90 – 100 years under even the most onerous environmental conditions.  A single container is a 320-living space; equivalent to a standard apartment in a large city. Amazingly, shipping containers are also hurricane/ tornado resistant, fire-resistant, and capable of resisting winds of up to 100 – 175mph, making them perfect building blocks for straight-forward home building and design in almost any climate.

The affordability they deliver in addition to the flexibility are just the beginning of the benefits.  In modern home and commercial space design more people can afford their dream homes, entrepreneurs have a lower cost barrier of entry to establishing their business- all while keeping the planet cleaner.

 The long and short: Upcycling is the BOMB!

 ADVANTAGES OF CONTAINER HOUSING

 1. Durable and Adaptable

 The transport industry was revolutionized by the introduction of standardized freight containers.  These containers were manufactured to be airtight, water sealed, and able to withstand transit via train, truck, and freight shipping boats.  The containers are built to last and to protect the goods inside.  They withstand water, wind, air intrusions while transporting goods of all sorts securely.  Containers are built with steel construction and load-bearing walls.  They are also made of slow rusting Cor-Ten steel.  Ideal for building, yes but shipping containers can be given life beyond their transporting of goods.  In fact, I’d argue they are meant to live on beyond the 5-7 year life cycle they are given to transport goods.  They are built to last up to 100 years after all.  

Adding to the ease of use for building are the specific and technical dimensions established for all containers shipped worldwide.  These standards were established and enforced by the International Standards Organization (ISO).  When building with containers you can have confidence that you will receive a container that meets longstanding prerequisites for durability, size standards, and load-bearing capabilities.  Due to these standards and with a thorough inspection you can feel comfortable knowing you have received a container built to last.  Shipping containers are ideal as building materials thanks to their durability, of course.  However, their adaptability is unparalleled.  They can be securely being stacked, welded, and arranged to meet residential or commercial needs. 

2. Affordable

Simply stated, there is a housing crisis in the US.  We see rising house prices, stagnant wages, increasing medical debt, and crippling student debt.  This makes the prospect of homeownership nearly impossible for many tens of millions of Americans.  This is unacceptable.

Shipping container homes offer a unique opportunity for those previously believing homeownership was out of their grasp.   Building with shipping containers, on average, cost around 30% less than traditional building methods. This makes shipping container houses more affordable than a traditional build, and that’s good news for us all.

 3.Easy to build and time-saving

Time is money; building with shipping containers saves you on both fronts. Container homes are extremely easy to move, stack, and build homes with.  The ease of building with shipping containers is aided by the establishment of the standard technical industry details in terms of size, weight, and composition. This means you can arrange and stack the containers with predictability, confidence, and ease.

 The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) dimensions are:

Due to the standard and predictable nature of the dimensions, this means the time used in designing and building shipping containers can be significantly shorter than with traditional building materials.

The containers can be prefabricated off-site and final assembly can take place on-site.  It may take 3-6 weeks to prefabricate a custom home and an additional 2-3 days to assemble and set up on-site.  Very few building options allow for such expeditious start to finish build-out of a structure. 

 Saving time and saving money, all while saving the environment with Uncontained Living is a winning proposition.

 4. Versatility 

 The versatility of shipping containers is “on one mill”!  Translation: the possibilities are endless! 

There are so many container variants like refrigerated, expandable, aluminum,  non-load bearing wood wall fillings made of plywood.  These can be used for a variety of purposes.   

Uncontained Living uses the standard cor-ten steel versions for the purpose of structured building spaces.  They are the strongest, most durable containers and lend themselves to being configured to meet nearly any conjecture. A few examples of the uses for containers can range widely:

 - Personal residences 

 - Tiny homes 

 - Fully customized homes 

 - Off the grid 

 - Social housing

 - Low budget housing 

 - ADU’s accessory dwelling units 

 - Backyard offices

 - Backyard schoolhouse

 - She sheds

 -  Artistic studios 

 - Multi-family living

 - Apartments

 - Hostels

 - Emergency housing

 - Shelters  

 - Businesses

 - Shared office space 

 - Sit down restaurants

 - Food parks

 - Art gallery

 - Event and exhibition spaces  

 - Stand-alone bars

 - Drive-thru restaurants 

 - Coffee bars 

 - Beauty salons 

 - Spas 

 5. Sustainable

Earth Day every day!  It has been stated before but it bears repeating; upcycling is the bomb!  Steel shipping containers are incredibly strong and safe but long outlive their functionality as cargo carriers within 5-7 years. Instead of leaving the containers to rust for decades in shipping yards, we can make better choices for our earth.  Upcycle!   

Containers are great building materials suitable for all North American climates.  Reusing or upcycling them from abandonment on shipyards is fantastic and promotes environmental friendliness and “Go Green" sustainable living.  Building a shipping container structure helps everyday people live nearer a net zero-waste lifestyle.  Reducing one's carbon footprint all while living comfortably, affordably, stylishly, and sustainably is something we should all be able to get behind.

 6. Stylish

Fabulous, functional freight containers! Uncontained Living structures are extraordinarily customizable.  The container configurations can range from simple and functional living spaces, off the grid cabins, “glamping” pods, commercial spaces, or even structural art exhibits. After determining the specific size and needs of your business or family.  Then comes the fun part; customizing your space.  

The awesomeness of shipping containers extends beyond their mere functionality and cost-effectiveness. Expressing your style and creating a unique structure is available with a full range of options.  One can employ various types of cladding, windows, varying stacking patterns to get the desired style façade and unique end look.  The fact that the construction costs are generally lower that saves money in the construction budget for customizing the exterior and amazing interiors.  We see beautiful container home concepts executed throughout Europe, Africa, South America, Asia and the Pacific Islands in spectacular ways.  

 Container homes allow the opportunity to have a home consistent with ecological values and lower maintenance lifestyle all the while not compromising on stylishness and individuality.  In short, these homes are promising for the future of residential housing.  Very promising for the future generation of homeowners.

[theseadagiodays]

June 14, 2020

Stuck Together

Dresses by Gabrielle C - lemons; Evelyn K - tux; Callan R - Black Lives Matter 

For the past three months, I have so appreciated sharpening my lens towards the creative gestures that this time has inspired.  These musings began with a hunch that artists would play a significant leadership role in the resiliency that such crises require.  While confirmed, my thesis has expanded to recognize that ALL humans are fundamentally wired to be resilient.  And because innovation is a key ingredient of resiliency, people from all walks of life (professional artist or otherwise) have been seeking creative expression to tether them through these uncertain times.  

For example, take these insanely fanciful prom dresses that teenagers around the US have designed in just 48 hours, using 40 rolls of duck tape and no other materials.  I can only imagine to what extent feelings of uncertainty have been exacerbated for these high school seniors, already poised for one of the biggest leaps of their life.  With the possibility of on-campus fall enrollment at new institutions threatened, and stripped of important rituals like graduation ceremonies and grad dances, these youth have had to contend with an abundance of shattered dreams.  So, it was unexpectedly surprising to see the hope, compassion and beauty in the creations that resulted from this year’s Stuck at Prom Duck Tape Challenge.  Browsing the 100’s of jaw-dropping entries on the contest’s website (https://www.duckbrand.com/stuck-at-prom/2020-gallery), there was not a single Covid Sucks, self-pitying design in the bunch.  Instead, you can find tributes to essential workers and Black Lives Matter, mottos of solidarity, and an artful nod to “making lemonade.”  Knowing that our future is in the hands of these thoughtful young people is perhaps the most encouraged I’ve felt during this entire pandemic.

Dress by Peyton M - frontline workers 

June 15, 2020

Covid Commissions

Various WPA Virtual Commissions - see link below

Physical distancing and other economic challenges, resulting from the coronavirus, have taken a huge toll on artists’ livelihood.   Currently, many existing arts grants have been either cut or postponed, in order for governments to reallocate funding towards critical services like health care, transportation and housing.  And while I believe that the arts are as critical as breathing, full-well contributing to our physiological, psychological and self-actualizing needs, they still fall pretty far down most people’s interpretation of Maslow’s hierarchy.

Thankfully, there have been numerous emergency relief funds available to pick up the financial slack for artists.  So, these have provided much needed temporary help to cover living expenses.   But they haven’t necessarily supported the creation of new work.  Fortunately though, some institutions have recognized the essentiality of the arts by putting them front and centre of their funding priorities.   One such organization is the Guggenheim, whose board and donors contributed $150,000 to their Works & Process Virtual Commissioning fund which supported performing artists from a variety of mediums to create up to 5-minute video pieces from home.  Like Cooped, a project I referenced on June 4th, all of the resulting works can be viewed here:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ08rQmWB63RFC3avQF-nDsneUXLrUd4X

As I mentioned earlier, we dabbled in a little commissioning ourselves, during quarantine. And here is the promised finished product by Natalie Warkentin (@morningmusings), the very talented artist of Bloom: A beautiful process of becoming.   Her playful, vibrant piece has made a world of difference to our daily joy, with the inordinant amount of time that we usual out-and-abouters have been spending at home!  And we were also thrilled to learn that it has, indirectly, already led to a second commission for her.

June 16, 2020

Piano Play

In surveying my peers, I’ve noticed that this has been a time for reconnecting with long-lost friends.  As some of these old relationships have resurfaced for me, one of my favorite “icebreakers” has been to ask what new pursuits they’ve enjoyed during this period.  For many, it’s been sourdough starters; others gardening; and some, learning French.  But I’ve also found that many adults are taking up instruments, which makes me extremely happy.  I can’t tell you how many times, throughout my career, after mentioning to a stranger, on a plane or elsewhere, that I was a flutist, they replied “Oh, I wish I played an instrument,” ... almost as if they were already dead.   My habitual response is always to encourage adult music-making, and it’s one of the reasons that the majority of our non-profits’ arts programs target adult populations.  While I fully support early childhood musical and artistic development, I don’t think these opportunities are nearly as lacking as those for “big kids”.  One of my friends, in an effort to brush up on her Grade 4 childhood piano skills, recently asked if I could recommend some playable, accessible pieces in a variety of genres (from film scores to pop to classical).  Since keyboard or piano seems to be the most common new instrument for people to learn later in life (with perhaps only ukulele as a close second), I thought it would be fun to post the list that I shared with her.  Each of the scores, below, is available online, for free or purchasable download, and generally requires the player to use only one finger, in either hand, at the same time.    For a final extra tip: Musescore.com has a 30-day free trial, during which you can download to your heart’s delight!

Regina Spektor The Call (from Chronicles of Narnia)

Sufjan Stevens Mystery of Love (from Call Me By Your Name)

Erik Satie Gymnopedie #1-3, & Le Tango Perpetual

Arvo Part Fur Alina

Olafur Arnalds Tomorrow’s Song

Thomas Neumann Theme from American Beauty

Yann Tiersen Valse d’Amelie

Icelandic pianist, singer/songwriter, Olafur Arnalds

June 17, 2020

Cause and Effect

I love the music of language.  Perhaps it’s why my transition from flutist to writer has felt so natural.  I rarely remember the lyrics to songs, instead hearing the syllables as a collection of phonetic melodies.  I also experience sounds somewhat synaesthetically (synaesthesia being the neurological condition where certain senses, which are not normally connected, join or merge together.  Like certain alphabetic letters being associated with certain tastes, or particular smells being connected to sounds).  For me, musical sonorities have always been strongly linked to specific colors or shapes.  And the geometry of certain words have very distinct and often pleasurable textures when they bounce around my mouth.  Perhaps my favorite example of this is the Buddhist word for the “interconnectedness of all things”: Pratītyasamutpāda. More clearly defined, this term refers to dependent origination, or dependent arising, a Buddhist philosophy which states that all phenomena arise in dependence upon other phenomena.  Simply put, it’s the law of cause and effect.  The far-reaching global butterfly effect of Covid has made all of us keenly aware of this law.  Like never before, we are now considering the consequences of our actions in a myriad of ways: like whether or not to touch a pedestrian crossing button with our hands, scratch our nose when it itches, or hug an aging parent.  So, while the threat of this virus has had huge negative repercussions for many people’s physical and mental health, I can not deny that there is also a positive way in which it has reminded us of our interconnectedness.  Of course, it’s a horrific shame that it took a deadly pandemic to wake us up to they symbiotic nature of all things.   And, for my generation and those younger than me, (particularly in North America and other cultures who have not experienced war or famine or a health epidemic, first-hand, for more than half a century), it may only be global warming that has demanded we truly consider how our behavior impacts the people and environment around us.  However, even the impact of that seems too large and slow for most to fully fathom.  It’s why we still drive like fiends, strangle turtles with our plastics, and fly to Hawaii for weekend getaways (and, of this sin, I shamefully confess I’m guilty too!).  

So, we clearly need all of the reminders we can get, which makes this recent contest I learned about all the more fitting.  There is perhaps no one who has more artfully or playfully illustrated the nature of phenomenological cause and effect than Rube Goldberg.  Maybe you have seen his machines that combine cuckoo clocks, toy rockets, ping pong balls and string in elaborate chains of events that result in a single action.  The band OK Go is famous for music videos crafted around such devices.  And here, you can check out an absolutely brilliant one of theirs, with a message that we all need to hear right now, This Too Shall Pass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w

Everyday folks have also been trying their hand at making such contraptions, for the sole honor of being named winner of the recent Rube Goldberg Soap Challenge.  And you’ll be amazed at what this Toronto family devised to earn the crown: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-tuesday-edition-1.5604697/toronto-family-thrilled-and-a-little-bit-surprised-to-win-rube-goldberg-challenge-1.5604698

June 18, 2020

Sensibility

My Uncle Len, a playwright and educator who has engaged in community arts throughout his career, has been a constant muse for me.  But more than professional expertise, it has been his sensibilities that have served as my true inspiration.  Len defines sensibility as “how we see, what we focus on, affirm and move towards in life.” He is so convinced it is the subject most necessary to study, at this time, that he has written a book about it - his life manifesto, if you will.

Len is simply one of my favorite people on earth.  It’s hard not to adore a guy who decorates his exquisite garden with found objects, runs each of his theatre pieces as benefits for various charities, and tries paddleboarding for the first time at 85.  This is right in keeping with the sensibilities he holds to be most critical in life, “beauty, fairness, and playfulness.”  And while he’s worked on this piece for years, its message could not be more well-timed.  Because, to use his words, imagine how effectively we could deal with pandemics, police brutality, and global warming, “if only everyone was rooting for everyone.”

Len’s Einstein likeness is not lost on anyone.  And he has made him (and his physicist pal, Niels Bohr) the subject of many of his theatre pieces, not because of their scientific prowess but because they are prime models of “beauty, fairness, and playfulness” themselves.  

Like Len’s inspirations, Einstein and Niels Bohr, he possesses the rare ability to find unified principles in seemingly disparate things.  In Sensibility, a child’s wonder for a butterfly is illustrated to be as important an ingredient for the welfare of humanity as the thoughtfulness these giants’ exercised, advising on the development of the atomic bomb.  Through Len’s unique lens, the reader understands fairness from the perspective of a fifth grader dealing with bullying to a physicist harboring Jews in World War II.  We see the critical need for playfulness in everything from driving a junk truck to making a theatre piece.  And now, just as the specter of a dangerous virus is re-awakening our sensibilities to affect social change with unprecedented speed, this book is a perfect tale for the times.  It concludes with the prescient and hopeful story of 1,500 activists, linked hand-in-hand at the Encirclement of Rocky Flats, while they protest a nuclear plant in 1983, ultimately resulting in its shut down.  This exquisite, slender volume is packed with instructions on how to live a compassionate and fertile life.  And the beautiful equation it proposes is: Essential life skills = Mastering a Childlike Quality squared (E=mc2).  

Just released on Amazon, it is now available here:

https://www.amazon.com/Sensibility-Children-Albert-Einstein-Niels/dp/B088B59P9Z/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=sensibility&qid=1591823421&s=books&sr=1-6

June 19, 2020

Comfort with Impermanence

Historically, humans have gone to preposterous lengths to deny and defy their impermanence.  From Egyptian mummies, to cryogenic freezing, to time capsules left for future or alien populations to learn of our legacy.  One such preservationist effort was the Voyager Golden Record - a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk curated by Carl Sagan, and sent to space with the 1979 launch, to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth to whomever might find it.  In addition to photos of athletes, mathematical formulas, and mothers with child, are recordings of birdsong, speech in 50+ languages, Bach, Chuck Berry, Indigenous songs and Indian ragas.  To judge, for yourself, the accuracy of this audio/visual snapshot of human worth, you can listen to the full playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4D51474AB7BE5595

Despite these attempts to ameliorate our fears about our own mortality, our anxiety persists.  And now, in these particularly uncertain times, with viral stats, regulations and restrictions changing on a daily basis, more than ever, we need tools to help us become more comfortable with impermanence.  

For me, mindfulness meditation is the most expedient way to come to terms with the fundamental truth that all states of being are fleeting and everything is in constant flux.  As we become the Watcher rather than the Doer, we observe that our thoughts and feelings are as fleeting as the phenomena around us.  And simply recognizing and accepting this can actually bring great comfort.   Poet Mary Oliver understood this well, as she describes evocatively in her poem, In Blackwater Woods.

Look, the trees are turning their own bodies into pillars of light, are giving off the rich fragrance of cinnamon and fulfillment, the long tapers of cattails are bursting and floating away over the blue shoulders of the ponds, and every pond, no matter what its name is, is nameless now. Every year everything I have ever learned in my lifetime leads back to this: the fires and the black river of loss whose other side is salvation, whose meaning none of us will ever know. To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go.

And so, too, I think it is time to let this blog go.  At least for now.  It feels, in its own way, like a time capsule of a very potent moment in our lives.  And, as that, this infintissimal drop in the bucket of human thought feels complete.  So, while it can seem frightening to be reminded of the speck in the universe that human history truly is, I actually take great solace from understanding our smallness.  On this note, I will return to the same text that consoled me early in lock down.  I also shared this with my dear Uncle Len, whose 87th birthday just happens to be today.  As all people his age, his life has been particularly disrupted by this virus.  But as someone who appreciates physics from the persective of the beautiful dance we all do with each other and the cosmos, he received these words with particular gratitude.   It is a passage from Maria Popova’s March 18th Brainspickings newsletter, published just one day after the world shut down:  

“Meanwhile, someplace in the world, somebody is making love and another a poem.  Elsewhere in the universe, a star manyfold the mass of our third-rate sun is living out its final moments in a wild spin before collapsing into a black hole, its exhale bending spacetime itself into a well of nothingness that can swallow every atom that ever touched us and every datum we ever produced, every poem and statue and symphony we’ve ever known - an entropic spectacle insentient to questions of blame and mercy - devoid of why...The atoms that huddled for a cosmic blink around the shadow of self will return to the seas that made us.  What will survive of us are shoreless seeds and stardust.”  

This final entry is my 64th, a number that has been my favorite since I was a small girl, for its symmetric beauty (8 squared, 4 to the 3rd,  2 to the 5th).  Interestingly, this powerful number is also frequently referenced in spiritual texts and throughout pop culture (the number of generations from Adam to Jesus; the number of “tantras” in Hinduism, the number of squares on a chess board, the number of crayons in the popular Crayola pack, and the number of Hexagons in the I-Ching).  The meaning of Hexagon 64 is “unfinished business.”  Therefore, the story, of course, will go on.  Whatever windswept seedling will take root next, however, I do not yet know...

64th Hexagon combination in the I-Ching

[carlafmprosario]

Pre-FMP essay 3/7

As well as the general immigrant experience, I find there is similar disjuncture across generations. I am interested in my grandmother’s perception of art; she paradoxically feels she doesn’t understand it at all, whilst simultaneously having very strong opinions on what should and shouldn’t be called art. For her a painting is the clearest example; the skill, and evident labour is what gives it value to her. From this arises several points of interest for me: to what extent does work have to evidence its process for it to be valid? Does labour and time equate value? Why am I more impressed by conceptually driven work than my grandmother? 

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs appears to offer the simplest solution to this last question. Because my grandmother had to focus on work for basic needs like food and shelter, she did not have the time that I have to ponder self-actualisation and self-fulfilment. As such I am acutely aware of the privilege it is for me to be able to study art, to ‘find myself’ in exploration of whatever existential qualms I choose. So can I make art that instead has functional value: something with a practical use? And does displaying this in a gallery setting invalidate its practical value, or does it become even more critical, in that the functional object is rendered functionally useless if isolated on display. I am interested in these paradoxical situations, as they are product of a stunted translation: stuck in the back and forth. Philosopher Judith Butler describes translation as having ‘its final destination in the movement itself’, and to me the concept of a paradox is an apt example of this.

Another paradox I have encountered in my research is concerned with the authority of the artist versus the authority of experience. Is my voice or my grandmother’s more valid in art context? If I say it’s her’s then it is her’s, because I am the artist and I have that authority: this is the conflict. I am interested in work that is about this exchanging of authority, arising out of conversation, cross-cultural, cross-generational collaborative works. 

[solovelyitaly]

✨ 🇮🇹 ♥️ Given its location on the Mediterranean, seafood is plentiful in the local cuisine. Anchovies of Monterosso are a local specialty designated with a Protected Designation of Origin status from the European Union. The mountainsides of the Cinque Terre are heavily terraced and are used to cultivate grapes and olives. This area, and the region of Liguria, as a whole, is known for pesto, a sauce made from basil leaves, garlic, salt, olive oil, pine nuts and pecorino cheese. ♥️ 🇮🇹 🧡 🇮🇹✨ ❤️🥂🌴🏊🌴 ☀️ 🌱 🇮🇹 🌋🏜🐾💐 . . ✨ To the man who only has a hammer, everything he encounters begins to look like a nail. —Abraham Maslow ✨♡♡ 🌺 . . 📸 Nice photo by @pinkines
 . . Our Gallery 🤗 @solovelyitaly . . 🏟🎡⛱🏖🎠🌋🏜🏕⛺️🗻🏔⛰🚵🏽‍♀️🥂 🌷🥀🌵🐘🦓🐢🦕🐴🦊🍒🗼🗽🎡🛳 .🎄🦚🕊🍑🍒💫❄️🌎🌳🦋🍕🎗🛫🎡🌠🎆😍😘🥰🦄🌴🌱🌹🌷🌺💥🔥🌈⭐️ (at Cinque Terre) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6yVJhHBeW-/?igshid=1mpwi6rit7e2z

[we-loganmercier-uog-blog]

Natures Gift

Who am I to interpret nature through art?

If you were to ask me to answer this question three days ago, the answer you would have received would have been different than the answer I am able to give you today. The answer I would have given you three days ago would be simple: “I am not someone, who is the slight bit qualified (or able) to interpret nature through art”.  

I have never really enjoyed art. This may strongly be influenced by my lack of artistic abilities. I cannot draw, paint, sculpt, or write words in an effortless and poetic way. I am not able to look at a piece of art and tell you what the artist was trying to evoke through their piece. I am also not really able to develop my own thoughts as to what the piece of artwork says to myself. In addition, I consider myself to have more of a “scientific” mind set. I like to think of the processes in which things happens. Therefore, I often find myself struggling to see the meaning behind pieces of art.  

Image from: http://thecodelesscode.com/pages/talk-hacking-the-mind/img13.jpg

However, after reading “The Gift of Beauty” in the textbook and getting a [guided] tour of the Art Gallery of Guelph, my answer to the question above has changed. I still am not fully confident in my ability to interpret the pieces of art that would often be found within an art gallery. But I do believe I have some creditability to interpret the more dynamic pieces art pieces found within nature.

This past summer, I visited Tobermory, Ontario for the first time. Tobermory was a on my travel buck list for about four years. The photographs I would see on the internet had me captivated. While in Tobermory, the aesthetic power of the landscape to me was breathtaking and left me speechless. I found it hard to find words to describe what I was feeling/seeing. As described by Abraham Maslow, this was my moment of “highest happiness”. I felt so connected to the natural scenery and was in awe of the beauty that nature had to offer. These feelings and connections I had with my surroundings was something that I was only able to gain by going out and experiencing nature first hand. That is the gift of being immersed within [beauty] nature, you get to interpret the nature around you in a way that you are unable to gain through photographs.

One of many photos I took while at the Grotto within the Bruce Peninsula National Park.

One quote in the textbook that really resonated with me was “beauty inspires stewardship as it restores harmony and causes us to care”. I could not agree more with this quote. I do not believe anyone is going to want to preserve nature if they are not connect to it or care about it. Therefore, I believe it is my job to interpret nature and share it with others. With this I hope I can inspire people about nature, and help them to connect with the nature around them. If more people had a greater connection to nature, their efforts to conserve it would be much higher.

Photo I took along an outlook point on the side Bruce Trail. 

Did the reading this week and/or the tour at the Art Gallery of Guelph change your perspective of the interpretation of nature through art?

Are there any places that you are strongly connected to, and would do anything to preserve them?

Posted on October 25, 2017