Last week, I had a fascinating conversation with Madalyn Gregory discussing Gustav Klimt’s Death and Life. I left that conversation so excited, only to discover that we weren’t done yet. Even after going off the air, we kept talking about it and realized we missed a lot of important things. So we decided to do a follow-up conversation to share even more of our insights with you! 4:55 - Awareness of a gender issue from last week and what it says about our conditioning 13:40 - Impact of gender and gender limitations as human-made constructs 16:37 - Diverse racial representation (or lack thereof) in art 24:14 - Importance of authenticity of different perspectives shown in artwork 28:23 - How the patterns in Death and Life resemble quilt work 31:57 - Ruminating over what the circles in Death’s robes symbolize 36:23 - The negative space between Death and Life more effective as black to represent the unknown Transcript at https://artclasscurator.com/61-gustav-klimt/
Today, I’m excited to try a brand new type of episode where I have art conversations with other people and talk about favorite pieces of art, personal connections to art, and what drew us to the world of art. For my first guest, I’ve brought on one of my best friends for the last 10+ years, organizer for all things at Art Class Curator and brilliant writer Madalyn Gregory. In this episode, she’s chosen to discuss Death and Life by Gustav Klimt, an artwork that stopped her in her tracks when she saw it in person in Vienna during one of our curator trips. 3:09 – What it felt like for Madalyn seeing the artwork for the first time 6:13 – Describing what Gustav Klimt’s Death and Life looks like 9:34 – The many observations we had while interpreting Death and Life 15:04 – Possible meanings and symbolism behind the skin tone used 24:20 – The loneliness and personality of Death 30:44 – An important lesson for art teachers to realize about their students 32:45 – Why we connected with Death and Life and the messages imparted to us Transcript at https://artclasscurator.com/60-death-and-life/
Today’s a different kind of episode. I had an idea recently and wanted to experiment with something new... I went back to the Dallas Museum of Art to revisit Nauline Pierre’s exhibit. Why? I want to look at the same artwork again and again to see what new lessons I get out of it and how the artwork grows and changes as I grow and change. And I want you along for the ride to see what that looks like in practice. I’m not just recalling my experience but also giving you a true taste of it in the immediate aftermath. So in this episode, I’ve captured my fresh thoughts and perspectives on Pierre’s exhibit, from the comfort of my car outside the museum. 5:59 - Describing the next painting in the story of the falling woman, Power Within 9:14 - Why one particular angel in this artwork resonated with me so much 12:28 - Describing Pierre’s Hereafter, Ye Shall Be Changed and the storyline I see within it 14:49 - How this painting reflects my own life right now 19:01 - New insights gained, a couple of days later 23:52 - Why I wanted to do an episode like this and create the Art Connection Circle 27:01 - The three things necessary to treat something like art as a sacred act Transcript at https://artclasscurator.com/94-how-art-reflects-my-life/
Don’t be alarmed, Art Class Curator followers! The art lessons, blog posts, and other goodies are still here for your enjoyment. But the podcast has undergone a re-branding and slight shift in focus. My own personal journey over the last few years has led me to this moment. So in this episode, I explain why I’ve changed things and what you can expect from now on. Welcome to the You Need Art podcast! 1:13 - How the pandemic inspired a call for deeper connection for me 5:23 - What I’ve recently realized about one of my main superpowers 7:08 - Why I’ve decided to re-brand the podcast a bit and re-think a question I’ve always asked 13:13 - The goal of this newly rebranded podcast for you, the listener 15:57 - When I saw my life reflected in a work of art discussed on the show live 19:34 - The sculpture that showed me how personal connections don’t have to be huge moments 23:16 - People seeing themselves reflected in art in very different ways 26:40 - What you need to do to truly see what’s possible with personal connection through art Transcript at https://artclasscurator.com/93-you-need-art/
Last week, Madalyn and I geeked out over Naudline Pierre’s art exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art. It blew us away so much that we ended up talking for an hour and a half about our experience there. In part two of our discussion, we wrap up our thoughts on Lest You Fall and move on to Pierre’s Hold On, Hold Tight featuring more angels, nude figures, and clashing colors. 1:20 - The different energy vibes given off by the angels in Lest You Fall 5:10 - Why the Bible quote similar to the artwork’s title triggers me 10:43 - Describing Pierre’s Hold On, Hold Tight oil on canvas painting 14:03 - What the fetal position of the main character could symbolize 18:42 - The personal reason behind why Madalyn feels drawn to this work of art 21:27 - Possible interpretations for the depiction of two angels who seem a bit removed from the action 26:22 - Why this exhibit made me want to go home and paint afterward 31:14 - Being expansive, multiple, contradictory, and living in the fullness of possibility Mentioned in the Show: Art Connection Circle Transcript at https://artclasscurator.com/91-falling-for-naudline-pierres-art/
Madalyn’s back on the podcast to discuss a favorite subject of ours: art! This time we talk about a Naudline Pierre artwork exhibit we just happened upon in Dallas recently. Our conversation ran well past the hour mark, so I’ve broken it up into two parts. In this part one episode, we discuss Pierre’s Lest You Fall oil on canvas painting and all the feelings and imagery it evoked within us. 5:46 - Madalyn tries to describe what she saw when walking into the exhibit 8:53 - How Pierre’s work reminds me of a Baroque painting 13:29 - Discussing Pierre’s Lest You Fall, featuring a falling nude person 18:41 - My back-and-forth feelings on the winged creatures in the artwork 22:21 - The ability to see your identity reflected in art mediums 26:06 - Possible duality in the bird’s actions in the painting 31:31 - Life, faith, and the universal experience that draws us to these images 41:32 - Reflecting on what the figure could be falling towards and how that translates to life Mentioned in the Show: More Wonder, Please podcast Art Connection Circle Transcript at https://artclasscurator.com/91-Falling-for-Naudline-Pierres-Evocative-Art
Today’s episode features a great interview that really illustrates the power of art connection. I talk with Olivia Ollis, an art teacher of over 30 years living in rural North Carolina. Her experience over the last year has deepened her personal connection to works of art and helped her discover new things about herself in the process. She discusses her health obstacles recently and the museum program that’s helping her through it. 6:52 - Why Olivia wanted to teach art and how she got into the field 8:06 - A program at her local museum that’s helping Olivia through endometrial cancer 13:34 - Surprising things Olivia has learned about herself since starting the program 19:56 - How Olivia’s relationship with art will change going forward 21:30 - The wonderful ways in which art has helped Olivia through her healing process 23:11 - The most powerful artwork in Olivia’s life right now Transcript at https://artclasscurator.com/90-enhance-your-health-with-art/
I live for being in the same space with the artwork, visiting art museums and spending time in them with fellow enthusiasts. The Art Class Curator summer workshop where I get to do just that is probably my favorite thing every year. It lights up my soul and gives me the most energy and excitement for the work I do. This past summer’s workshop felt like the best ever, and I want to make it even better next year. So today, I’ve got Madalyn Gregory with me again to discuss our experiences there and tell you how you can join us on this fabulous ride in 2022. 1:37 - The origins of the workshop 5:28 - Where the workshop will be held in the summer of 2022 8:31 - The new activity on the first day of the workshop this year that had everyone buzzing 14:27 - Art activities that stood out the most to us 20:04 - A magical art discovery we made on the second day of the workshop 26:05 - How we dialed in on personal art connection for the rest of the day 30:34 - Revealing some personal connections made from the experience 37:36 - How everyone took on a teacher role for the last activity 44:38 - The structure of the 2022 workshop and registration details Transcript at https://artclasscurator.com/89-art-class-curator-summer-workshop/
Are you really engaged with the artwork when you walk into an art museum? Or are you too busy thinking about what you know about the art and artist? Perhaps you’ve even noticed other people reciting facts and background on a piece of art to whomever they’ve brought along. When I was younger, I was that person. I’d be all about the artist’s life, the colors and brush strokes used, the behind-the-scenes story I knew, and on and on. We art teachers know a lot of stuff. We’ve taken art history classes and engage students in all sorts of ways. So when we go into a museum, we can fall into this way of engaging quite easily and automatically. In this episode, I talk about one of the most meaningful things for me when it comes to works of art, the emotional connection, and how knowing too much history can get in the way of it. 3:15 -Why I decided to study art education instead of art history 8:39 - An excerpt from my essay about a Picasso painting that knocked me off my feet 11:03 - The magic that happened when I looked at that Picasso art again 10 years later 15:25 - The lesson I learned from a squirrel that held my curiosity for an hour 19:22 - Choosing which way you want to engage with artwork Transcript at https://artclasscurator.com/88-art-history-knowledge/
I’ve noticed that the excitement and energy that comes with teaching wasn’t really there at the beginning of this school year. And if you’re one who struggles with anxiety or high-sensitivity, teaching these days is harder than ever. Today’s episode is a re-release for both new listeners and old ones who’ve forgotten or missed out on this one the first time around. It involves one of my favorite conversations and is highly relevant to the trauma and stress educators are facing in the world right now. In it, I interview two highly-sensitive teachers, Monica Wright and Amber Jordan, and we talk about how we handle our anxiety and sensitivity in the classroom. By the end of the show, I hope you find some nuggets of wisdom for your use or, at the very least, feel less lonely in your struggle. 2:59 - Monica and Amber introduce themselves briefly 7:37 - What it’s been like for me as an introverted, socially anxious person 9:01 - What it really means to be a highly-sensitive person 10:02 - Amber’s #1 management tool for dealing with noise in the classroom 13:21 - How Amber avoids light sensory overload in her class 19:54 - Monica’s approach for handling the noise level in her classroom 24:09 - Preventing students from getting uncomfortably close and invading personal space 30:09 - A way to help alleviate the biggest cause of anxiety for new teachers 32:46 - Do this in the first weeks of school for a long-lasting, positive impact 36:57 - Monica’s coping mechanisms for social events at school 39:06 - How we’ve struggled to not take home the emotions of our students 49:39 - Solutions for dealing with our “hot spots” (peak stress moments) 1:01:36 - How Monica and Amber deal with teaching and parenting at the same time 1:08:43 - A tendency among the super anxious to over-plan and be hard on ourselves Transcript at https://artclasscurator.com/87-how-to-handle-your-anxiety-at-school/