After looking at Cindy Sherman’s work, it seems to me that many could place her work within postmodernism for a multitude of reasons. Her work can easily be seen as a general mistrust of artistic ideologies and theories. She purposefully doesn’t name her artwork, which to a lot of art critics is nearly blasphemy. I enjoy Sherman’s work and feel as though she is presenting her self and her art in a way that she feels comfortable with, and I am happy for her.

Based off of Shermans work we can connect any multitude of synopsis from our death of critique. Any women’s work will always have a feminist critique, and the effects of the male gaze. However, for Sherman specifically I think she could fall under a heavier critique within art history, considering a decent amount of her work is done in historical places or scenes. It stands to reason that some people could consider her work to have a negative effect on history, while other could relish in the fact that she chose to place herself into those scenes.

In Cindy Sherman’s “Transformation” video, we see the different photos that Sherman created, putting herself in places and scenes that she wanted to place herself in. She’s placed herself in fairy tales, historical portraits, Hollywood scenes and much more with the work of Photoshop. Her work is interesting and slightly comical in my opinion, I fully enjoyed seeing her art and her process. One of my favorite parts is that she leaves her works untitled, leaving you to fill in the blanks. Personally I didn’t see her work as “destabilization” but more inspiring.

After reading Berrett’s chapter on postmodern pluralism I can easily say that my brain hurt from trying to comprehend everything that Berrett laid down for us to see. However, after reading the critique of Berrett’s assessments I would have to say that calling it cultural nihilism is, in my opinion, a tad harsh. I am someone who has their own ideas and opinions but I also understand that I cannot possibly understand everyones viewpoint. In reading this critique, although I don’t necessarily thing it is the “death of”, being a slight amount of exaggeration; I understand and accept peoples opposing or differentiating views.

In Berrett’s book, “Why is That Art?” we learn about postmodern pluralism and its effects in the art world. In Chapter five we go over what postmodernism is and continue on to discuss other topics within that vein including; postmodernism, postcolonialism, poststructuralism, and feminism. As a queer women, and a women in general I have always been a feminist. Since feminism along with some of these other topics is simply a way to help the world be more equal. I feel that art is a perfect way to express ones thoughts and feelings in these topics and Berrett brings up different ideas within those as well.

For my curatorial, I wanted to focus on a gallery made up of any and all artworks made by LGBTQ artists. In our current age, LGBTQ has become something of popularity and a spectacle. So often are LGBTQ people seen as more of a novelty, something fun and exciting for Heterosexual people to be interested in. As a proud queer women, upon discovery of my sexuality I am immediately bombarded with questions and curiosities that make me feel less than or simply a LGBTQ dictionary as I prattle off phrases and corrections. As someone who grew up in a heteronormative environment, I had to struggle to find LGBTQ representation that wasn’t simply about the fact that they are gay. This gallery will change that, and it will be a place for LGBTQ artists to display their work without the heteronormative nature that bombards LGBTQ lives. This gallery will be LGBTQ run and operated to simply show that these are artworks made by artists, not simply gay people.

A few artists I would like to display are;

Ryan Wilson Kelly from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Contemporary/ Theatrical Artist.

Jonathan Lyndon Chase from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Contemporary Artist.

Martine Gutierrez from Berkeley, California. Contemporary Artist.

Andy Goldsworthy is well known for his contemporary nature artworks that he lovingly calls ‘earth works’. The majority of Goldsworthy’s art is created using found materials in nature as well as the surrounding area to create visual pieces that are not meant to last forever, but simply as long as nature allows it. His art can be easily classified as formalism, considering that his works are created using found materials in nature and are typically highly abstract. Since formalists typically focus on the abstract his work falls easily into that category with a more laid back attitude. Goldsworthy does not create his art to last, but they often have heavy expressive connotations.

Andy Goldsworthy is a stunning artist who is known for his intricate works. Most of his known pieces are displayed outside, due to the fact that the majority of them are large and involve nature, making it fitting to be placed outside. That being said Goldsworthy has made many artworks that have been displayed in galleries such as drawing, photos, and smaller sculptures. These works are more ‘traditional’ art than his outdoor sculptures but are just as beautiful. I personally feeling as though his artwork keeps the same intention and meaning whether it is inside or outside. Each one is unique but that just makes it even more beautiful.

In this reading by Sylvan Barnet, we learn how to write a review of an art exhibition. Barnet descries the intricacies of writing an art review for different types of works. How no review will be written the same as another and how certain works must be described and seen by the majority of those who view it. Barnet creates a checklist for writing a review the contains all the necessary details that an author would need to include to create a valuable review. I personally enjoyed Barnet’s explanations and followed their guidelines very easily.

Quite honestly, I believe that every art has ‘significant form’ because every artwork is made with qualities that embody form. Art can relate to everything and everyone, giving it a ‘form’ for whomever views or feels it. Barrett brings up multiple types of forms in this chapter but the one thing they all have in common is art. Everything that wishes to be art is art.