The key concepts The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art contained were that term "Lowbrow" was initially used in relation to a lot of paintings or art works with nude women and hot rod cars. The term originated in 1979 by Robert Williams, who says he doesn't care for the meaning. The movement that was influenced by comic books, rock n' roll, hot rods, cold war imagery, and nude women, encouraged a rise in female artists as well. In Lowbrow style, there always seems to be a narrative, there's always something happening, or about to happen, and there are a lot of dynamics. Lowbrow has gained more recognition and acceptance over the past ten years than ever before.
The video Displaying Modern Art: The Tate Approach discussed certain exhibits at the Tate gallery which corresponded directly with the chronology of works. MOMA (The Museum of Modern Art) had an organization in which the placement of artworks showed viewers that the pieces were influenced by other artwork in the gallery, they were characterized by a progressive sequence. The Tate museum is an ideological institution that focuses on class and power. Curators in the museum have chosen to display works of art in four sections, and in each an overarching principal provides a theme for the selection and an exhibition for the works of art. Tate wants its viewers to see art as more than just entertainment.
The video Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology discusses the problems of archeologists digging up the remains of Native Americans and using them for study. Native Americans have a problem with this because they feel that their rights for burial are taken away. In 1985 The Smithsonian National History Museum began inventory of its human remains and discovered that over 18,000 bones were Native American. Along with the bones that were given back for burial purposes will go the valuable date and information of history. Native Americans argue that they are not anthropological, or biological specimen. Establishing the tribal affiliation with the remains is top priority at this time. There are strong tensions between scientists, historians, and museum curators and Native American people, as the remains are involved in war of different perspectives. Native American culture is shown to clash with another set of equally entrenched beliefs.
The last video, George Eastman House: Picture Perfect discusses George Eastman and his home which is now a museum, and historical estate. There are many different kinds of cameras and photographs featured in the house, but the main idea is that Eastman really worked hard to make photography simple enough, and accessible to everyone so that anyone could take pictures. "Kodak" was a name he completely made up for his company. He invented the "Brownie Camera" which was one of the first cameras sold for an affordable price of $1. The Eastman House is the oldest photography museum in the world and is one of the world's premiere motion pictures archive.
I think some of the videos related to my art exhibit because they discussed the organization and reason of placement for works of art, and why it makes sense to place a certain work of art in one spot, compared to another. The videos got me thinking about how I will organize my own exhibit, and if I should take chronology into consideration, and how I should organize my theme. I liked the films, but I though some of theme were just full of facts, rather than focused on art curation and exhibit set-up. I was interested especially in the Native American video, because it told of historical facts I had never heard. After watching the videos I think I am more understanding toward different cultures, and will take this into consideration while organizing and incorporating my theme into my slideshow.
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