Barbara Nwosu’s Personal Development Blog

Author: Barbara Nwosu

Title: “Wearable Art”

Series: The Aesthetic Pleasures of Contemporary Art

Publisher: Wholistic Lifestyle Consultants (2007)

Date of completion or publication: 9/21/2007

Word Count of Text: 386

Brief Description: Art as Fashion

“Wearable Art”

Custom made prints, photos and pottery are easily acknowledged by most as art.  Jewelry is normally considered at best, an accessory. “The Montana WOW® Awards show selects around 150 garment entries designed by a national and international array of artists, designers and inventors and celebrates them in a totally unique environment. Each year the Awards performance combines unique sections into a distinctive two hour theatrical extravaganza showcasing incredible garments, stunning sets, dance, music, lighting and choreography.

This original concept promotes New Zealand as an extraordinary, exuberant and creative place and showcases this creativity to the world. WOW® ‘takes art off the wall and onto the moving body’™ and enables works of art to perform onstage in the ultimate arts competition.

Mt. Clemens High School students were challenged to create something completely

original from fabrics and notions donated to Down To Earth Community Outreach Center.  For some young designers, this was a dream come true. The show was a well earned success for Michigan Works, Anton Art Center, and everyone who played a role in the “Hanging On By A Thread” project.

“A New Phaze” Drill/Dance collective provided a “colorful fusion of dance, music, garments and performance”. This show displayed contemporary visual at it best!  After the show, donations of fabric, sewing machines and other materials started pouring in.   I am extremely proud of the way that this contemporary visual arts project brought the entire community together. It was a true indulgence for all senses.

The Art Center is committed to the advancement of the arts through quality exhibitions,

advocacy and educational programs for Macomb County and its surrounding areas. The mission of The Art Center is primarily educational: to foster and develop interest in the arts among people of all ages and backgrounds, whether that interest is in the creation or appreciation of the arts.

Since its inception in 1969, The Art Center has been housed in the historic Carnegie Library Building in downtown Mount Clemens.  It is the only facility of its kind in Macomb County. The neoclassical structure is listed in the State of Michigan Historic Register. The Art Center presents two annual events and is located in beautiful downtown Mt. Clemens, Michigan.

Visit the Art Center Gift Shop

125 Macomb Place

Mount Clemens, MI 48043

Phone: (586)469-8666

Email: mgielniak@theartcenter.org

http://www.theartcenter.org

Author: Barbara Nwosu

Title: “The Power of Visual Media – Art and Self Esteem”

Series: The Aesthetic Pleasures of Contemporary Art

Publisher: Wholistic Lifestyle Consultants (2007)

Date of completion or publication: 9/21/2007

Word Count of Text: 528

Brief Description: The Effects of Contemporary Visual Art on Self Esteem

“The Power of Visual Media – Art and Self Esteem”

Gorgeous, smart, rich and never make mistakes? The internet and mass media shrunk the world into our living rooms. If you spend a lot of time watching TV, going to movies and reading the daily propaganda, it seems as if everyone is rich, smart, beautiful has perfect lives and never makes mistakes. This is the power of visual media to shape our concepts of ourselves and the world.

Advertising is the most profitable form of contemporary visual art today. Television shows and movies have gotten us turned all around and twisted. It’s a miracle anyone smiles nowadays. Everywhere we go, beautiful people are on billboards, magazines, newspapers and on buildings selling us the idea of being and looking like them.

I’m not judging the ads or the strategy, it works! Visual images sell us lots of everything.  Here’s why: Studies show that babies as young as six months old respond more positively to people who are beautiful. It is human nature to want to look at beautiful people and beautiful things. We want to be like those people in the ads. However, if we don’t feel that we measure up to the unrealistic standards, we often condemn ourselves.

Contemporary visual art forms such as paintings, sculpture, and crafts are considered by many to be boring and not relevant. Many people believe that if they have problems, they can be solved in an hour or less no matter what went wrong. That is, unless you watch Jerry Springer.

Then you tend to believe that everyone alive is related by no more than three generations back. If you buy into these images, no real people go to art galleries, museums, theaters or are interested in visual art today.

So today’s tip, if you can follow it, is to tone down on the tube. This may be harder to do than giving up smoking. Artistic works or objects are commonly accepted as a reproduction, image or interpretation of an idea and not real. Even to most popular media is not “real” even if the word “reality” is in the description. Most of the people are chosen to be on those shows more for their looks than their abilities.

This destructive form of contemporary visual art is crafted to literally exploit our misconceptions that we aren’t as good or as worthy as the people who appear to have dream lives.  Wearing the same clothes as everyone else might get you accepted, and that can be very important. Having the “bling” is nice, but when you do these things only to impress others, you are setting yourself up for problems. All that stuff matters less to those who walk to their own beat.

 When I studied artists throughout history and artists living today, I found that the things that contributed most to actual self esteem and self value are things like integrity, honesty, a solid work ethic, honor, being kind to others, perseverance, taking care of your body and mind, continual learning, optimism, how you use your money, a sense of purpose and being surrounded by aesthetically beautiful or inspirational visual art forms.