GAAH Press Club votes art 2012

The GAAH Press Club went downtown to check out ArtPrize and each wrote a review of a piece of art. In this review they touch on materials used, emotions it made them feel, and whether they thought it was art or not. Also, The Press Club  is excited to welcome new reporters Martin, and Dominic.  

Shirley, age 10

Flap, flap, flap, flap. This ArtPrize project was so cool! It was the one that had the birds with it, the music went so well with the flapping of it. It sounded like it was opera but I am not so sure. It was “Song of Lift” by Martijn Van Wagtendonk. I think that they made it from plastic, wires, and energy. The place that piece was at was the UICA. It was a lot of birds flying with music and a lot of colorful lights. The music was great for the art because the birds were choreographed along with the music. What I thought of the piece was that it was really cool that we saw a second place winner, and even though they wouldn’t win that place, I would vote for that the most. I think that it’s art because the artist might have took a long time and patience to do their art piece. I also think that he took a very, very long time to do the piece of art. I think he might have created it six months ago rather than inventing it at the last point of ArtPrize, so it took him a long time. Mostly I think that making it took more than two months.

Dulce, age 12

The day press club went to ArtPrize, wow! Donny, Edgar and me all wowed as we walked inside the Site:Lab watching a piece of art. It looked like pieces of earth floating in the air and it seemed like you were living the life of an ant. Little pieces of art were hanging so they can look like vines. The name of the art was called “Unnatural History.” The artist was Blane De St. Croix (it seemed French). I read more on the piece of paper saying all the information. The medium was mixed media. 

We kept on walking away from “Unnatural History,” something caught my eye. It was a very large room filled with pieces of wood and metal and animals. It’s called "Habitat." The artist was Alois Kronschlaeger. The medium was also mixed media. I think the artist did an awesome job on this artwork because it made me think about the blocks in Minecraft. That day was the most awesome day ever, because I got the chance to get to see fascinating art. 

Edgar, age 10

On October 6, 2012 me and the GAAH Press Club entered the Site:Lab. I felt like it was a whole new universe. Danny, Dulce, Ms. Lori and I went to see the art all over Site:Lab, until I saw an art piece that I liked called “Breathing Room” by Lisa Walcott.

The art piece looked like a haunted room with a monster underneath. The monster was breathing through the holes in the bottom (it was scary). It is art because the artist was very creative to make people think they just blew them and it was really a machine blowing the bubbles. It was a good piece of art, I hope that everyone can go and see it someday. Some people can go look at the whole ArtPrize.

Indira, age 12

The Press Club and I went to ArtPrize. The title of the best art that I liked was “Song of Lift” by Martijn Van Wagtendonk and the materials Martijn used were sound, light, electronics, motors and a quarter machine. That made them go around, and there was a machine that had purple lights, and the lights would move, and it would make the birds that looked like a battery look purple. “Song of Lift” makes me feel like it’s a beautiful sunny day outside and the birds are flying everywhere. I think it was art because art doesn’t just need paint, it can involve many things.  Art can be about your imagination. I think it was art because the artist had a lot of imagination and art can be anything as long as it is your imagination.

Dominic, age 10

We went to ArtPrize to look at art. The people who went were the GAAH Press Club. The piece of art I like was called “Collective Cover Project.” It was at the UICA, the person who made it is Ann Morton. It was made out of embroidered canvas and found objects. Found objects are stuff that the maker discovered. She made a hat and she covered it with white canvas. The reason I liked it is because the way it looked and what it was made out of.

Antonio, age 11

It was October 6 when the GAAH Press Club went to ArtPrize. The Press Club and I went to the ArtPrize. One of my favorite pieces was “Únnatural History” by Blane De St. Croix. 

It looked like a Mario game. I Just felt like just jumping on the art and pretending it was a real life video game. From the bottom it felt like a death trap because I played a small game on the floor. I was pretending there were pressure plates and whenever I stepped on the wrong tile it would fall. I liked this piece very much because it made my imagination flow all over my brain. Another reason I like it was that it made me think what materials did the artist use. How did he get his inspiration, and why did he do this? It looked very interesting. For me it was a combination of nails and a path of rocks.

I thought it was art because it gave me inspiration in nature. It also showed how nature can be interesting and peaceful. It was awkward also because there was things going through like nails and boxes. 

In conclusion it was a very interesting piece honestly it should deserve at least third place in ArtPrize. I liked it because it gave me a new perspective on things. 

Donny, age 12

It was October 6 when the Press Club went to go see ArtPrize. It was a very chilly when we went downtown. The buildings in downtown were very crowded (a plethora of people in every building). We first appeared at the Public Museum. 

The museum looked old to me. When I first got in the building, a blast of heat hit me. I felt my cheeks and ears get warm. My first sight in the museum was “Unnatural History.” I saw these big pieces that looked like I was underground. I was very curious so I went upstairs and it looked like a dead piece of land. I approached into another room of art. The first piece of art that I saw was a weird, brown, poop looking thing. I found out that the art actually was poo. I felt odd because I never thought waste could become art. 

I went to another room. They said that the “art” was the leftovers from people’s houses. I think that is not art because I have basically the same thing as they have. So I basically disagree with this piece of “art.”

I went into the next room. The room had foam-bubble-shape-like things coming from the holes of the ground. I thought that there was someone washing clothes underground and bubbles came out.

I saw this weird piece of art that came to be my favorite. It looked like splattered white paint on top of wire. It became my favorite out of all the pieces of art. It looked like it was made in the streets. I mostly like splattery things so I guess that’s why I like it so much. But it looked like the artist put enough effort to become art. It was part of the “Habitat Room” by Alois Kronschlaeger. 

I saw so many interesting pieces of art with my group. After all the observation with art, we ate hot dogs! I was starving for food and the hot dog was so warm with the chilly weather. I felt so happy! Well, that was the best day of observing art.

Ivanna, age 10

The Press Club and I went to ArtPrize on Saturday October 6. We went to the old public museum and then we went to the UICA. In the UICA we saw “Song of Lift” by Martijn Van Wagtendonk. They were fake birds and they were made of little batteries that had plastic wings attached to the battery. When they start one section would start flying and another and another and they would all fly together. I liked it because I was it was fantastic how they all flew together. I liked the amazing art. It was very interesting because it has shiny plastic. The music was classical and it was very calm. It went great with the birds flying on the circle and with the string. I think the artist chose a good song for the art because if it was hip-hop or country it would not sound so good and relaxing like the other songs. When I thought about it, it made me want to go and lie on the grass and roll down a hill. And it had great rhythm with the flapping of the birds. 

Martin 

I chose to write about "Surrogate" created by Michelle Acuff. His name was surrogater. All my friends, a lady and I were all looking at the deer. It was ArtPrize, October 6, 2012. It was in the side of the building, the building was big. They both were big and stuck, and they both were the same. The feet were cool because they were so circle. The eye was so creepy, and I poked the eye, and it didn't do anything.