The Arboretum at Penn State

When the class was asked to meet at the H.O. Botanical Gardens at the Arboretum, the destination did not sound familiar. Given the name “Botanical Gardens,” I could only imagine what the place looked like.  I pictured a vast amount of land, acres upon acres, specifically allotted for plants and flowers. When arriving, my expectations had not matched up. The H.O Botantical Gardens was relatively small; however it was also under construction. When visiting, there were construction workers expanding the gardens. Trails were placed throughout, leading to the different displays of flowers and plants. Each section had a different theme to it. For example, some areas just consisted of bushes, whereas other areas had a few types of water lilies and large water pads surrounding.

Growing up I was not exposed to many naturally activities. I played a lot of sports, so hiking, fishing, and exploring the outdoors was not something I became familiar with. With that said, I am not a big nature person; I do enjoy small amounts of it here and there, but at times it can be overwhelming. The H.O Botanical Gardens was not at all overwhelming. In fact, it contained the perfect amount of nature that enabled me to enjoy the walk through. I was also able to see what each section consisted of rather than just the main attractions. After my visit, I explained the layout and showed each of them pictures of each section of the Botanical Gardens. Each of my friends reacted positively to the photos and insisted on taking a trip there in the near future. As for me, I would definitely return to the Arboretum. I have an obsession with sunsets so watching one there would be like sitting front row at a concert. Not to mention, Sunset Park is just a few minutes away.

After walking around for about a half hour, there were two areas in the Arboretum that captured my attention. The very first section that caught me eye was the archery made by leaves. The complexity of the leaves, and the size altogether made it impossible to miss. The bench that was placed under made it very approachable, and has potential to be an excellent place to read. The array of sunflowers that were set in the back added a nice touch to the entire serene scene. I could not connect this setting back to anything in my life. However, it did look very similar to pictures I have seen in magazines of gardens and would be perfect for a movie scene. Another spot of interest was the small pond that was constructed of stone. In the pond, there were a number of large water pads that enclosed the pink water lilies. Something I found to be interesting was the spirally plant that grew in the water. Small parts of the branches jutted out towards the sky, making it appear to be a stick floating in water. Looking at this pond made me think of a similar one that is back at home and left me feeling a bit nostalgic.

Palmer Museum Visit

Upon visiting the Art Museum at Penn State, there was one piece of art that caught my eye. This specific art piece, made by Willie Cole in 2005-2006, was given the name Harlem Rose. The sculpture was comprised of “worn, scuffed female shoes”. The Harlem Rose has a circular shape and within that shape there are black shoes jutting out, making it a three dimensional work of art. The back shoes are pointing outward so that the toes are facing the viewer. Each shoe is carefully placed in a different direction so that it looks like a shrub. No matter what angle the viewer is standing, the individual will always see about half the souls of the shoes.

Willie Cole did not make this specific piece of art while physically experiencing a notable time in history. Instead, he made this sculpture with the Civil Rights Movement in mind. Willie wanted to portray the struggles that African Americans had to experience during the Montgomery bus boycott. The shoes connect with the Civil Rights movement because it “suggests the fragile beauty of a once vibrant urban center for African Americans”. The Harlem Rose is in conversation with that movement because the shoes are a representation of the black women who participated in the boycott, and it symbolizes the dedication each female had when walking across town to go to work. This piece is a social comment to the society in which those women lived in during the 1960’s.

This piece applies to the pathos appeal in many ways. It makes me have empathy towards the women whom did not have equal rights. This piece displays the pain in which these woman faced. At the same time, I have respect for the African American women during that time period. The Harlem Rose shows their resistance and the battle they faced against an unaccepting society. I feel respect towards them because a majority of these women handled it with such grace.

This work of art has a sense of credibility because Willie Cole was an African American himself. Therefore, he felt a strong connection with the African Americans and was aware of their past history through relatives. In the early 1990’s, Willie specialized in shoes. He then was fascinated with taking these shoes and creating “artifacts from other cultures”. Willie Cole’s other pieces of art are either sculptures or printmakers that are assembled from “irons, blow dryers, bicycle parts, etc”.

This piece makes a claim that during the Civil Rights Movement there were many women experiencing a life of hardship. They were all fighting for the same thing and came together as one in doing so. The shoes are all the same color, which represents the African American’s skin color.

My first time at the museum was an interesting experience. I normally do not usually go to museums in my free time, however I enjoyed looking at the sculptures. It was fascinating to see how each piece of art represented a given time period. Although it was a valuable experience I would not revisit the museum. I enjoy art that is more interactive rather than visual.

Template: 

When deciding what template I wanted to choose for my blog, I had a difficult time because each template was appealing to me. Also, it was my first time ever making a blog, so I did not know what an appropriate template for this class should look like. In most situations, I am an easy, traditional person. I like to keep my work simple and to the point. I find that a blog with pictured background distracts from the writing. Therefore, I was able to find a template that was simple, organized, and it happened to be my favorite color. With that said, I decided to have a simple layout that allowed my posts to be the main focus of the page.

Title:

When it was time to make a title for my blog, I had difficulty because typically I am not very creative. After I put some thought into it, I concluded that it should be "Sam's Piece of Mind". The blogs that are going to be posted all come from my point of view, and the reader will get a taste of my personality.

Color:

Finding a color for my blog was the easiest part. I am in love with the light color blue. I find that it brings a soothing mood and also makes it easier to write. I did not want my page to be boring black and white, and I wanted some incentive while writing. Having my blog background be my favorite color will give me ease while completing the assignments.

Font:

I have always been trained to type in either Arial or Times New Roman font when completing an assignment. Because I was given the choice to choose my own font, I found that Trebuchet was simple, yet different and of course easy to read. I like typing in a bigger font not because it takes up space and looks long, but because I felt like being generous to those who have bad eyes.

Pages: 

I decided to make all the pages easily accessible to the reader by having it all laid out on one page. I continued to go along with my simple theme. I thought that the blog's were the main focus, and so I made that be the center.

Sharing/Findings:

Everything that the reader needs to see will be accessible on the one page of my blog with exception to the links I post that go along with addition information. This was done to avoid chaos and confusion.

Links: 

I have not found any links to add yet. However I plan on adding them as I continue to blog. I will post links that are relevant to what I am discussing on my blog. I will also post the links that go along with any of the research I have done.

After looking at my blog I feel like it represents who I am. I am not very creative when it comes to formatting and designing. I enjoy when websites are easy to navigate through, and there is no excess information that misleads you from the purpose of the page. The experience of creating a blog was fairly easy. Some of the minor details were difficult to navigate at first, however I was able to find it in the end. Through blogging, I expect to be able to write freely and say what is on my mind while being appropriate and keeping the audience in mind. I also hope to be able to read what other people have to say about certain topics and get a different perspective on the arts at Penn State.