I majored in Kriemelman

Sheila Kriemelman was my professor for my last art class of Iona college, Watercolor. Not only has she been a professor, but a great mentor and friend. I got the opportunity to take a one week intensive class with her where I learned so much about art history, about art, about her, even about myself. This past week has made me realize how passionate I am about the arts and I have her to thank for that.

Honolulu born, SoHo artist, Sheila Kriemelman is an artist and art professor. Kriemelman teaches drawing, painting and art history at Iona College and Mercy College. Her paintings are in prestigious private, corporate and public collections in the United States, London, and Australia. She is listed in Who's Who in American Art and Outstanding People of the 20th Century in honor of her outstanding contribution to human rights through art and education. (Taken from her artist's Bio)

Her main statement is, "My work has always been an expression of my core self." I admire her for this, especially because I was honored to get to know her on a personal level. She truly inspires me as she came to New York following her dream. Her path was not easy at all in many senses, but if it weren't for her hardships, her work wouldn't have as much meaning.

Having her as a guide for the past three days has been truly a blessing. It it her passion and in depth knowledge that really opened my eyes to world of the arts. The two go hand in hand; if you are truly passionate about something, you're knowledge is eventually acquired. I say this because art history and everything we've been learning is everything I've been talking about to my friends for the past three days!

Above is a picture of her studio, her happy place, her getaway. It's filled with everything that brings her the feeling of happiness ranging from pictures, letters, cards, works, etc. It truly moved me to be able to witness this space, along with the works that have been created here.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to be welcomed into her home and into her life. Words can't express how inspirational she is and the amazing person I've come to know. This particular post is dedicated to her, to express how thankful I am for this opportunity. I can now say that I've "majored in Kriemelman."

SoHo Sculpture

Located in SoHo's Petrosino Square, "Survival of Serena" can't be missed! This hyper-realistic work is really intriguing. From far away is one thing, but up close.. it looks so real. To be honest, when I was standing up close to it, I even thought it was raining!

And here's us with our professor! ^

Thursday in the Lower East Side

So Thursday we went to explore the Lower East Side. After learning it was traditionally an immigrant working class neighborhood, I get a better feel for the area. It wasn't as lively as SoHo or Chelsea, but there's still history. My favorite trip in the LES was to the New Museum:

The building is just beautiful, the way it's designed to be off. Also, I LOVE the sculpture of the rose as you can see in the photo. This museum is constantly changing. I think it adds excitement to the Lower East Side, which it needs. When we visited, most of the art was based on artists expressing themselves through videos, and was dedicated to female artists. However, the last exhibit titled "The Parade" by Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg was my absolute favorite.

Using clay, wire, and canvas, these installations of over 80 birds are so fascinating. I personally got a dark feeling from this entire exhibit. Even the faces of the birds have a dark side.

Aside from the fascinating sculptures, the videos highlight dark recesses of the mind. They portray a disturbing connection between human psychology and animal behavior. One particular video had human bodies with bird heads stepping all over what looked to be a human. It began cutting off the limbs of the human. It's almost as if the roles were switched. However, that isn't the only disturbing video, but I'll leave you to experience them for yourselves!

A new meaning of OCD

Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist. In 1977, she voluntarily admitted herself to a hospital where she would spend the rest of her life. Her OCD may have been considered a psychiatric problem, but I think it adds character to her work. Learning her history helps unfold her mystery.

Based in conceptual art, her work titled "Gold Shoes" from 2000 also shows attributes of feminism: i'll let you figure out how..

Interactive Art

The most fun art is the interactive art.

A Wednesday in Chelsea

Chelsea, NYC has more leading contemporary art galleries located in less than one square mile than anywhere else. After visiting this area, I felt like there was a new gallery everywhere we walked. One of the most amazing aspects about Chelsea is that within a decade, it went from nothing to gaining 170+ galleries. 

The Dia Center for the Arts; 1987

The Earth Room

Matthew Marks Gallery; 1994

Gagosian Gallery

Pop Shop; U R NEW YORK

Pop Art can be defined as art based on modern popular culture and the mass media. The Pop Shop in SoHo features this kind of art which I found to be extremely intriguing. It led me to U R New York, a two man collaboration who's street art really inspires me. Their collage works are especially exciting as they use materials found all over, like street signs and such. The team involves two street artists, Mike Baca (2esae) and Fernando Romero (ski).

"Eye of the Beholder"

Their main message is "be who you are." As an artist, that's the most important advice someone can give. After hearing their story, from living broken lives on the streets, in and out of jail, or spending time on probation, I have respect for their artwork. They've now turned their faults into something special and are trying to give back to the community. Their mission statement says, "We want to inspire creativity amongst people specifically the youth so they can pick up where we left off."