12/14/2009
A) Bunce Island was a British slave castle that was used by slave traders to imprision slaves before they were loaded onto the ships and sent to America.
B) Edward Hopper was an artist that had a career in commercial illustration and print making. He is most famous for his paintings of American life showing the struggle of city living. (during the great depression)
C) Georg Phillipp could write in many styles of music and composed hundreds of pieces of music. He is considered one of the greatest German composers of his time. We heard a few songs from Telemann's Tafelmusic, II at the Chicago Symphony.
D) It is the largest pilgrimage gathering in the world with millions of people attending. This pilgrimage occurs four times every twelve years. The next one is scheduled to occur in 2010.
E) The Great Rift Valley is a geographic trench that is in East Africa. It is more than 3700 miles long. In a few million years, Africa will probably split up and form a new land mass.
F) A savanna is land covered with grass and scattered trees or an open canopy of trees. Most savannas are in Africa out of the 20% of them on Earth.
G) Porte de L'Afrique means Gateway to Africa.
H) 1. Military, Economy, Religion (State Power Triad)
2. Architecture
3. Grinding corn with rocks to make flour
Essay:
2) Art can be an expression of a certain belief or certain situation at a given period of time. Back in ancient times, before spoken language, people used pictures as a way of communication. At the Chicago Art Institute, there were many different types of art exhibits. But our tour guide at the African American meusem said that you should not judge a piece of art before you know the story behind it, such as who made it? When it was made? What the society was like at the time? And what was going on in his/her life at that time...
3) Africa has many many problems. Alot of things needs to be done in order to make them a more wealthy and better society. Diseases such as AIDS/HIV is a big percentage of deaths in Africa, so maybe there should be promotions to help promote safe sex. Education is also another big problem. The education rate in Africa is very low in most parts, so if Africa were to educate their citizens, people would be able to help fix the internal issues, and therefore help some of the economic and social issues of Africa. Also it would help them to not persecute their politcal leaders, such as what happened to Nelson Mandela, who was beat and imprisioned.
Posted at 11:29 AM by Chaz Dial
Test 2
12/14/2009
A.) bunce island was a british slave castle that was used by slave traders to imprison slaves befre they were loaded onto the ships and sent to america.
B.) edward hopper was an artisit. one of his famous paintings is Nighthawks, which is at the art insititue fo chicago.
C.) george telemann was one of the greatest german composers, he composed hundreds of pieces of music of all styles.
D.) it is the largest pilgrimage in the world. the pilgrimage occurs four times every 12 years. it is also believed that bathing int he ganges river will cleanse you of your past sins.
E.)the great rift valley is the name given to the continuous geographic trench that runs from northern syria in the southwest asia to mozambique in the east africa it is more than 3700 miles long. the rift valley is continuously moving and in millions of years it is thought to result in the split off of eastern africa.
F.)a savanna is considered to be a transitional place between dessert and forrest. exactly 20 % of the earth is covered by savanna. the majority of the savannas are in africa.
G.) porte de l'afrique can be translated to gateway to africa. there is a famous vintage french travel poster by roger broders that was published around 1930 which shows the port of marseille, france and the steamer ships in the water.
H.) 1. State power triad (military, economy, religion)
2. architecture (made scale models out of rocks before building)
3. hunter/gathers (made flour by grinding corn with rocks)
ESSAY
2.) Art can display the cultures religion and its beliefs on women, goeverment, and can even be a predictor to how educated a society is. Art can be a voice or a secret, it can tell the viewer the story or leave a viewer wonder the events that lead up to the art being created.
3.) there are many things that must be done in africa to create some type of stability and equality. there are many areas that are very plush and educated while other areas struggle and fight sickness and ignorance everyday. if the culture would separate itself from the primative ways and allow it self to be helped then education alone would turn many problems into success stories. their would be no fear of a myth or shildren being raped to cure a disease, they would not jail the future leaders of their socitey also they would fight common grounds that would drastically decrease the mortatily rate due to disagreements over religion and other tribes.
Posted at 11:29 AM by Michael Bailey
A.) bunce island was a british slave castle that was used by slave traders to imprison slaves befre they were loaded onto the ships and sent to america.
B.) edward hopper was an artisit. one of his famous paintings is Nighthawks, which is at the art insititue fo chicago.
C.) george telemann was one of the greatest german composers, he composed hundreds of pieces of music of all styles.
D.) it is the largest pilgrimage in the world. the pilgrimage occurs four times every 12 years. it is also believed that bathing int he ganges river will cleanse you of your past sins.
E.)the great rift valley is the name given to the continuous geographic trench that runs from northern syria in the southwest asia to mozambique in the east africa it is more than 3700 miles long. the rift valley is continuously moving and in millions of years it is thought to result in the split off of eastern africa.
F.)a savanna is considered to be a transitional place between dessert and forrest. exactly 20 % of the earth is covered by savanna. the majority of the savannas are in africa.
G.) porte de l'afrique can be translated to gateway to africa. there is a famous vintage french travel poster by roger broders that was published around 1930 which shows the port of marseille, france and the steamer ships in the water.
H.) 1. State power triad (military, economy, religion)
2. architecture (made scale models out of rocks before building)
3. hunter/gathers (made flour by grinding corn with rocks)
ESSAY
2.) Art can display the cultures religion and its beliefs on women, goeverment, and can even be a predictor to how educated a society is. Art can be a voice or a secret, it can tell the viewer the story or leave a viewer wonder the events that lead up to the art being created.
3.) there are many things that must be done in africa to create some type of stability and equality. there are many areas that are very plush and educated while other areas struggle and fight sickness and ignorance everyday. if the culture would separate itself from the primative ways and allow it self to be helped then education alone would turn many problems into success stories. their would be no fear of a myth or shildren being raped to cure a disease, they would not jail the future leaders of their socitey also they would fight common grounds that would drastically decrease the mortatily rate due to disagreements over religion and other tribes.
Posted at 11:29 AM by Michael Bailey
Test number 2
12/14/2009
A. Bunce Island was infamous for its slave trading. It was the largest British slave castle on the west coast of Africa.
B. Edward Hopper is an American realist painter who painted about the American way of life.
C. Telemann is considered as one of the best German composers of all time. He was a self- taught musician who used different styles of music to make his masterpieces.
D. Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage. It is held four times every twelve years.
E. The Great Rift Valley is a continuous trench, which is 3,700mi in length, that runs from Northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in East Africa.
F. A savanna is a flat grassland, which are often located in tropical or subtropical regions.
G. Port de L'Afrique is a port which connects France to Africa. The name means the door to Africa.
H. 1. Irrigation
2. Weapons
3. Farming
Essays:
2. Art is very influiencial based on society and beliefs. At each exhibit we went to the art was different because of different the different cultures that were being represented. The first place we went to was the Islamic Center, which had only one piece of art. This was a large painting that had 99 names for God. The reason for the lack of art was that it is Islamic culture that they should not worship idols and that their religious center should only be used for prayer and nothing else. The second place we went to was the Art Museum, which contained art from every time period possible. The art here changed from the different time periods. In the ancient eras, art was based on religion. Artists created scultures of their gods and praised them through their art, but as the years went on paintings changed from religion to other views. Modern artists are more abstract compared to these ancient painters. The third place we went to was the Spertus Center. There we saw all sorts of art and artifacts. The theme to this exhibit was "What does it mean to YOU?" Every painting or artifact had a meaning and what the goal of this exhibit was is that they wanted us to dig deeper and find a meaning for each. Though the answers may be differnt, each item would have some meaning. The last place we went to was the DuSable Museum. This museum was very historic in that it had artifacts and paintings that told stories. The story was that of Africa. Art their had alot of meaning and some paintings told stories of the slave trade or hard times. At that museum I learned something very important and it was how to better understand art. Don't just look at the painting, but try and get some back ground on it. Know the artist, where he is from, the time period, etc. This all will help explain even the weirdest paintings.
4. The first night, we got the privilage to hear Reza Aslan speak at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Aslan spoke about the Middle Eastern problem and how he thinks it is going. He first talked about how Obama is not being a realist when it comes to solving the Middle East's problems. He feels that his goals are way to high and he needs to take his attention of the terrorists because they aren't going to change. He also talked about a dividing line that separates the east in west. The east is made up of Islamists or Nationalists and the west is made up of Jihadists or transnationalists. This is were the speech started to get interesting to me. Earlier in the three week, we got to listen to Dr. Ali and she talked about how women are held high and repected, this was very different from Aslan's thoughts. He talked about how they were often mistreated and abused. I would love to hear a debate from the two and figure out for myself who is right.
Posted at 9:40 AM by Michael Cagle
A. Bunce Island was infamous for its slave trading. It was the largest British slave castle on the west coast of Africa.
B. Edward Hopper is an American realist painter who painted about the American way of life.
C. Telemann is considered as one of the best German composers of all time. He was a self- taught musician who used different styles of music to make his masterpieces.
D. Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage. It is held four times every twelve years.
E. The Great Rift Valley is a continuous trench, which is 3,700mi in length, that runs from Northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in East Africa.
F. A savanna is a flat grassland, which are often located in tropical or subtropical regions.
G. Port de L'Afrique is a port which connects France to Africa. The name means the door to Africa.
H. 1. Irrigation
2. Weapons
3. Farming
Essays:
2. Art is very influiencial based on society and beliefs. At each exhibit we went to the art was different because of different the different cultures that were being represented. The first place we went to was the Islamic Center, which had only one piece of art. This was a large painting that had 99 names for God. The reason for the lack of art was that it is Islamic culture that they should not worship idols and that their religious center should only be used for prayer and nothing else. The second place we went to was the Art Museum, which contained art from every time period possible. The art here changed from the different time periods. In the ancient eras, art was based on religion. Artists created scultures of their gods and praised them through their art, but as the years went on paintings changed from religion to other views. Modern artists are more abstract compared to these ancient painters. The third place we went to was the Spertus Center. There we saw all sorts of art and artifacts. The theme to this exhibit was "What does it mean to YOU?" Every painting or artifact had a meaning and what the goal of this exhibit was is that they wanted us to dig deeper and find a meaning for each. Though the answers may be differnt, each item would have some meaning. The last place we went to was the DuSable Museum. This museum was very historic in that it had artifacts and paintings that told stories. The story was that of Africa. Art their had alot of meaning and some paintings told stories of the slave trade or hard times. At that museum I learned something very important and it was how to better understand art. Don't just look at the painting, but try and get some back ground on it. Know the artist, where he is from, the time period, etc. This all will help explain even the weirdest paintings.
4. The first night, we got the privilage to hear Reza Aslan speak at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Aslan spoke about the Middle Eastern problem and how he thinks it is going. He first talked about how Obama is not being a realist when it comes to solving the Middle East's problems. He feels that his goals are way to high and he needs to take his attention of the terrorists because they aren't going to change. He also talked about a dividing line that separates the east in west. The east is made up of Islamists or Nationalists and the west is made up of Jihadists or transnationalists. This is were the speech started to get interesting to me. Earlier in the three week, we got to listen to Dr. Ali and she talked about how women are held high and repected, this was very different from Aslan's thoughts. He talked about how they were often mistreated and abused. I would love to hear a debate from the two and figure out for myself who is right.
Posted at 9:40 AM by Michael Cagle
Test 2.0 (Chicago)
12/14/2009
A) What was the importance (or infamy) of Bunce Island?
Bunce Island would be considered infamous rather than famous. It was one of about 40 slave trading posts that European merchants built along the west coast of Africa. This island is where the slaves were purchased, imprisoned, and loaded on the ships that took them on the middle passage to America.
B) Who was Edward Hopper and why was he important?
Edward Hopper is the best-known American realist of the inter-war period. Some of his paintings include Apartment Houses, Lighthouse Hill, and Nighthawks.
C) Who was Telemann?
Georg Philipp Telemann was a German composer that mastered several musical instruments at a very young age. Telemann is often described as the most prolific composer in history. We heard some of Telemann’s work at the Chicago Symphany.
D) What was India’s Great Kumbha Mela Pilgrimage?
The Gret Kumbha MEla Pilgrimage is an enormous gathering that takes place four times every 12 years. Several events take place during this gathering including theatrical performances and the athletic and devotional practices of holy men. At the end of their journey, the pilgrims bath in sacred waters.
E) What is the Great Rift?
The Great Rift is located in East Africa. The Great Rift Valley has been a rich source of fossils that have enabled scientists to study human evolution. One of the richest areas is the area known as the Piedmont.
F) What’s a savanna?
A savanna is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being too small or too widely spaced so that the canopy does not close.
G) What is Porte de L’Afrique?
Porte de L’Afrique is a port into Africa. A painting by Roger Broders was made of Porte de L’Afrique.
H) Identify 3 ingenious innovations of the people of MesoAmerica.
1) Their ability to master the making of weaponry
2) The invention of agriculture
3) They formed a type of writing called, glyphs
2. On our trip to Chicago, we visited many museums and viewed a great deal of art. It wasn’t until the DuSable Museum that I really began to appreciate the art that I was viewing. Our guide, DeMarcus, told us to look at the name of the painting, the date in which it was painted, and the name of the artist who constructed it before looking at the painting. He told us to do this because this may help us understand what the artist was feeling at the time. When we visited the Art Institute, I didn’t understand most of the paintings, especially the Picasso’s. Picasso liked to make paintings of people with body parts in an odd arrangement. Looking back on his work, I can now make a slightly more educated guess of what he was trying to get across to the viewer. Picasso may have been trying to represent how messed up and unusual the human species is, and possibly that not everyone is made the same.
At the Islamic Center, we did not see a great deal of art. We did however see the stone temple that was placed in the direction of Mecca. Our guide at the Islamic Center told us that in order to lead the sermon you don’t have to be especially qualified. Anyone who is of Islam faith and has read the Koran can lead the sermon, and I thought that was kind of interesting. Our guide informed us that when they pray, they pray directly to God and that is why they don’t have any crosses or items like that. At the Spertus Museum, our guide showed us some artifacts that had been collected and given to the Museum of time. There were several artifacts, but to me the ones that stuck out the most were the toys. The little animals each had a mate in every column except for the column that represented the Holocaust. In that column there was only one animal and it was a bird. The bird was supposed to signify that the only way you could get out was to be a bird. We then went up to the art gallery. Each item in there was supposed to mean something to you and our guide repeatedly asked us that. “What does it mean to you?”
4. The first night we were in Chicago, we went to the Chicago Council and heard Reza Azlan speak. He spoke to us about what is going on in Afghanistan and the other troubled countries in the Middle East. Reza told us of the dividing line that separates the east from the west. The east consists of the nationalists or Islamists and the west consists of the transnationalists or jihadists. After listening to Reza speak and after listening to Dr. Ali speak, it makes me wonder who was telling the truth. Dr. Ali said that women were greatly respected in the Islamic community, but Reza said that women were very much mistreated. I would like to see the two of them sit in a room together and see what would happen. Reza told us that he believes that President Obama is not thinking realistically in his views on Palestine. Reza believes that Obama’s actions are actually going to hinder the progression of peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Listening to Reza, I believe that we are getting ourselves in too deep and it is going to take a disaster for Obama to realize this. By that time, however, it will be too late.
Posted at 9:23 AM by Riley Watkins
A) What was the importance (or infamy) of Bunce Island?
Bunce Island would be considered infamous rather than famous. It was one of about 40 slave trading posts that European merchants built along the west coast of Africa. This island is where the slaves were purchased, imprisoned, and loaded on the ships that took them on the middle passage to America.
B) Who was Edward Hopper and why was he important?
Edward Hopper is the best-known American realist of the inter-war period. Some of his paintings include Apartment Houses, Lighthouse Hill, and Nighthawks.
C) Who was Telemann?
Georg Philipp Telemann was a German composer that mastered several musical instruments at a very young age. Telemann is often described as the most prolific composer in history. We heard some of Telemann’s work at the Chicago Symphany.
D) What was India’s Great Kumbha Mela Pilgrimage?
The Gret Kumbha MEla Pilgrimage is an enormous gathering that takes place four times every 12 years. Several events take place during this gathering including theatrical performances and the athletic and devotional practices of holy men. At the end of their journey, the pilgrims bath in sacred waters.
E) What is the Great Rift?
The Great Rift is located in East Africa. The Great Rift Valley has been a rich source of fossils that have enabled scientists to study human evolution. One of the richest areas is the area known as the Piedmont.
F) What’s a savanna?
A savanna is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being too small or too widely spaced so that the canopy does not close.
G) What is Porte de L’Afrique?
Porte de L’Afrique is a port into Africa. A painting by Roger Broders was made of Porte de L’Afrique.
H) Identify 3 ingenious innovations of the people of MesoAmerica.
1) Their ability to master the making of weaponry
2) The invention of agriculture
3) They formed a type of writing called, glyphs
2. On our trip to Chicago, we visited many museums and viewed a great deal of art. It wasn’t until the DuSable Museum that I really began to appreciate the art that I was viewing. Our guide, DeMarcus, told us to look at the name of the painting, the date in which it was painted, and the name of the artist who constructed it before looking at the painting. He told us to do this because this may help us understand what the artist was feeling at the time. When we visited the Art Institute, I didn’t understand most of the paintings, especially the Picasso’s. Picasso liked to make paintings of people with body parts in an odd arrangement. Looking back on his work, I can now make a slightly more educated guess of what he was trying to get across to the viewer. Picasso may have been trying to represent how messed up and unusual the human species is, and possibly that not everyone is made the same.
At the Islamic Center, we did not see a great deal of art. We did however see the stone temple that was placed in the direction of Mecca. Our guide at the Islamic Center told us that in order to lead the sermon you don’t have to be especially qualified. Anyone who is of Islam faith and has read the Koran can lead the sermon, and I thought that was kind of interesting. Our guide informed us that when they pray, they pray directly to God and that is why they don’t have any crosses or items like that. At the Spertus Museum, our guide showed us some artifacts that had been collected and given to the Museum of time. There were several artifacts, but to me the ones that stuck out the most were the toys. The little animals each had a mate in every column except for the column that represented the Holocaust. In that column there was only one animal and it was a bird. The bird was supposed to signify that the only way you could get out was to be a bird. We then went up to the art gallery. Each item in there was supposed to mean something to you and our guide repeatedly asked us that. “What does it mean to you?”
4. The first night we were in Chicago, we went to the Chicago Council and heard Reza Azlan speak. He spoke to us about what is going on in Afghanistan and the other troubled countries in the Middle East. Reza told us of the dividing line that separates the east from the west. The east consists of the nationalists or Islamists and the west consists of the transnationalists or jihadists. After listening to Reza speak and after listening to Dr. Ali speak, it makes me wonder who was telling the truth. Dr. Ali said that women were greatly respected in the Islamic community, but Reza said that women were very much mistreated. I would like to see the two of them sit in a room together and see what would happen. Reza told us that he believes that President Obama is not thinking realistically in his views on Palestine. Reza believes that Obama’s actions are actually going to hinder the progression of peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Listening to Reza, I believe that we are getting ourselves in too deep and it is going to take a disaster for Obama to realize this. By that time, however, it will be too late.
Posted at 9:23 AM by Riley Watkins
Test - Chicago
12/14/2009
A. What was the importance (or infamy) of Bunce Island?
Bunce Island was home to one of many slave castles (a fortified trade post) the Europeans built along the coast of West Africa. It was one of the most important sites for slave trade through the Middle Passage to the Americas. Most slaves were sent to the southern regions.
B. Who was Edward Hopper and why was he important?
Edward Hopper was an American realist painter and printmaker. Most of his paintings depicted the city life, illustrated through loneliness. One of his most paintings is Nighthawks, which we saw at the Art Institute.
C. Who was Telemann?
Georg Philipp Telemann was considered to be the greatest (German) composers of his time. Telemann was said to be able to write in any style of music and even sometimes came up with new styles on his own. He composed more than 40 operas, 46 Passions and 125 orchestral suites. While at the Chicago Symphony we listened to selections from Tafelmusik II.
D. What was India's Great Kumbha Mela Pilgrimage?
Kumbha Mela is an act of faith done by the Hindus. The Kumbha Mela Pilgrimage occurs four times every twelve years. The pilgrimage usually consists of millions of people, making it the largest gathering in the world. The people travel to the Ganges River to have a bath, which is supposed to wash away sins. The next gathering is in 2010.
E. What is the Great Rift?
The Great Rift Valley is a 6,000 mile long crack in the earth’s surface on the east coast of Africa. The Rift was formed by violent subterranean forces and is still moving. It is predicted that the land could eventually break from the continent.
F. What's a savanna?
A savanna is an area usually found between the dessert and the forest. A savanna is a flat grassland found is tropical or subtropical regions.
G. What is Porte de L'Afrique?
Porte de L’Afrique is French for the “door of Africa”. The city Marseilles in France is the port city where goods are sent between there and France.
H. Identify 3 ingenius innovations of the people of MesoAmerica.
1. Stone materials- spear point technology, Clovis times
2. Hunter-gatherer lifestyle
3. Concept of trade
2. How do you think art is a reflection of a society's fundamental beliefs and actions? Reference your experience at the Art Institute, the Islamic Center, the Spertus Museum and the DuSable Museum?
Art is a release of emotions, a reflection on how that artist feels at the time. Through the art exhibits we saw in Chicago, it is easy to understand that art is a reflection of a society’s fundamental beliefs and actions. The hard part is understanding what the artist is trying to portray and why. The guide at the DuSable Museum gave us some pointers on how to look at art. First the audience should take note of the artist’s name. Then look at where they were from, what time period they painted they master piece. This general information can allow one to fall into the artist’s mind and discover what exactly they were trying to express.
At the Islamic Center, there was barely any art. The Islamic religion does not look at “idols” for their worship of Allah. The only art found at the center was that of a colorful mural consisting of the ninety (or so) different names for Allah, or God. Although they do not look to idols in place of Allah, they can always count on that mural to remind them of what Allah represents.
On the contrary, the Spertus Museum contained art work full of stories by Jewish artists. In the exhibit “What does it mean to you”, the art work was supposed to tell the story. This is where knowing the name, the history would be helpful. Many of the pieces were created by people who were trapped with the terror of the Holocaust.
An artist’s work is an explanation of how they feel, what they have to go through. Some artist’s revolt in their art while others simply reveal what they see. Either way when art is studied and deeply observed at it can tell a story. Maybe reflect a society’s beliefs and actions.
4. What "thoughts" have you had from the remarks of Reza Aslan and his description of the complexity of working with Islamic/Muslim/Arab nations? How are the "pressure groups" different ala Aslan and what conclusions have you made about the Middle East situation ala Aslan? "What does it mean to you?"
To sit in on the Chicago Council on Global Affairs was truly an experience. Reza Aslan made many points and spoke of issues I had little knowledge of. Although I found it hard to follow along with Aslan at some points, he spoke of a few things that I particularly cared to hear. Words are the most powerful weapon. It was a surprising fact that before Obama spoke in Turkey, 90% of the people had a bad opinion of the United States. Aslan started off saying all positive things about our new president until he began to discuss the conflict between Israel and Palestine. In work with Israel, Obama receives an A. In work with Palestine, Obama receives an F. Aslan believes that Obama has too high of expectations for Palestine.
Something that confused me, but kept my attention was the discussion of the split between the east and west, nationalists (Islamists) and non-nationalists (trans-nationalists, Jihadists). Nationalism is the religious form of nationalism. Jihadism is a brand new movement that started in Afghanistan. It surprised me that most Jihadist are wealthy and do have an education. The Jihadists people cannot be negotiated with because they do not only want to rule their region but the world as well. Their goal is to destroy all state structures.
The best thing to do? Democracy in these nations cannot just done in a day. However, 1/3 of Muslims live under democracy already. Countries want democracy now, but, not just one election can bring that. People do not even understand what they are voting for (Egypt Presidential election is a prime example). But two, three, four elections, now they are on a track.
The United States is facing many issues with countries in the Middle East but with ideas from people like Aslan and the work of our country, I think it can be overcome (hopefully!).
Posted at 2:58 AM by Leah Schmidt
A. What was the importance (or infamy) of Bunce Island?
Bunce Island was home to one of many slave castles (a fortified trade post) the Europeans built along the coast of West Africa. It was one of the most important sites for slave trade through the Middle Passage to the Americas. Most slaves were sent to the southern regions.
B. Who was Edward Hopper and why was he important?
Edward Hopper was an American realist painter and printmaker. Most of his paintings depicted the city life, illustrated through loneliness. One of his most paintings is Nighthawks, which we saw at the Art Institute.
C. Who was Telemann?
Georg Philipp Telemann was considered to be the greatest (German) composers of his time. Telemann was said to be able to write in any style of music and even sometimes came up with new styles on his own. He composed more than 40 operas, 46 Passions and 125 orchestral suites. While at the Chicago Symphony we listened to selections from Tafelmusik II.
D. What was India's Great Kumbha Mela Pilgrimage?
Kumbha Mela is an act of faith done by the Hindus. The Kumbha Mela Pilgrimage occurs four times every twelve years. The pilgrimage usually consists of millions of people, making it the largest gathering in the world. The people travel to the Ganges River to have a bath, which is supposed to wash away sins. The next gathering is in 2010.
E. What is the Great Rift?
The Great Rift Valley is a 6,000 mile long crack in the earth’s surface on the east coast of Africa. The Rift was formed by violent subterranean forces and is still moving. It is predicted that the land could eventually break from the continent.
F. What's a savanna?
A savanna is an area usually found between the dessert and the forest. A savanna is a flat grassland found is tropical or subtropical regions.
G. What is Porte de L'Afrique?
Porte de L’Afrique is French for the “door of Africa”. The city Marseilles in France is the port city where goods are sent between there and France.
H. Identify 3 ingenius innovations of the people of MesoAmerica.
1. Stone materials- spear point technology, Clovis times
2. Hunter-gatherer lifestyle
3. Concept of trade
2. How do you think art is a reflection of a society's fundamental beliefs and actions? Reference your experience at the Art Institute, the Islamic Center, the Spertus Museum and the DuSable Museum?
Art is a release of emotions, a reflection on how that artist feels at the time. Through the art exhibits we saw in Chicago, it is easy to understand that art is a reflection of a society’s fundamental beliefs and actions. The hard part is understanding what the artist is trying to portray and why. The guide at the DuSable Museum gave us some pointers on how to look at art. First the audience should take note of the artist’s name. Then look at where they were from, what time period they painted they master piece. This general information can allow one to fall into the artist’s mind and discover what exactly they were trying to express.
At the Islamic Center, there was barely any art. The Islamic religion does not look at “idols” for their worship of Allah. The only art found at the center was that of a colorful mural consisting of the ninety (or so) different names for Allah, or God. Although they do not look to idols in place of Allah, they can always count on that mural to remind them of what Allah represents.
On the contrary, the Spertus Museum contained art work full of stories by Jewish artists. In the exhibit “What does it mean to you”, the art work was supposed to tell the story. This is where knowing the name, the history would be helpful. Many of the pieces were created by people who were trapped with the terror of the Holocaust.
An artist’s work is an explanation of how they feel, what they have to go through. Some artist’s revolt in their art while others simply reveal what they see. Either way when art is studied and deeply observed at it can tell a story. Maybe reflect a society’s beliefs and actions.
4. What "thoughts" have you had from the remarks of Reza Aslan and his description of the complexity of working with Islamic/Muslim/Arab nations? How are the "pressure groups" different ala Aslan and what conclusions have you made about the Middle East situation ala Aslan? "What does it mean to you?"
To sit in on the Chicago Council on Global Affairs was truly an experience. Reza Aslan made many points and spoke of issues I had little knowledge of. Although I found it hard to follow along with Aslan at some points, he spoke of a few things that I particularly cared to hear. Words are the most powerful weapon. It was a surprising fact that before Obama spoke in Turkey, 90% of the people had a bad opinion of the United States. Aslan started off saying all positive things about our new president until he began to discuss the conflict between Israel and Palestine. In work with Israel, Obama receives an A. In work with Palestine, Obama receives an F. Aslan believes that Obama has too high of expectations for Palestine.
Something that confused me, but kept my attention was the discussion of the split between the east and west, nationalists (Islamists) and non-nationalists (trans-nationalists, Jihadists). Nationalism is the religious form of nationalism. Jihadism is a brand new movement that started in Afghanistan. It surprised me that most Jihadist are wealthy and do have an education. The Jihadists people cannot be negotiated with because they do not only want to rule their region but the world as well. Their goal is to destroy all state structures.
The best thing to do? Democracy in these nations cannot just done in a day. However, 1/3 of Muslims live under democracy already. Countries want democracy now, but, not just one election can bring that. People do not even understand what they are voting for (Egypt Presidential election is a prime example). But two, three, four elections, now they are on a track.
The United States is facing many issues with countries in the Middle East but with ideas from people like Aslan and the work of our country, I think it can be overcome (hopefully!).
Posted at 2:58 AM by Leah Schmidt
Yep, another one.
12/14/2009
A. What was the importance (or infamy) of Bunce Island?
Bunce Island was once home to the largest slave castle in West Africa. It exported tens of thousands of slaves to North America and the West Indies until the British Parliament closed it down in 1808.
B. Who was Edward Hopper and why was he important?
Edward Hopper is the best-known American realist painter of the inter-war period. Most of his works depict loneliness and the struggle of living in the city. His most famous work is “Nighthawks,” which we saw that the Chicago Art Institute.
C. Who was Telemann?
Telemann is considered to be one of the best German composers of all time. He composed what is now considered “classical music” from 1720 until his death in 1767. We heard selections from Telemann at the Chicago Symphony.
D. What was India's Great Kumbha Mela Pilgrimage?
India’s Great Kumbha Mela Pilgrimage is the largest pilgrimage in the entire world, taking place four times every twelve years. During this gathering, Hindus travel to the Ganges River, where they believe the waters will cleanse them form past sins.
E. What is the Great Rift?
The Great Rift Valley is a name given to the geographic trench, approximately 3,700 miles in length, which runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in East Africa. In millions of years, eastern Africa could break away from the continent to from a separate land mass, as a result of the constant erosion of land along the Great Rift Valley.
F. What's a savanna?
A savanna is a plain characterized by coarse grasses and scattered tree growth, particularly on the margins of the tropics where rainfall is seasonal, as in eastern Africa.
G. What is Porte de L'Afrique?
This term can be translated to “Gateway to Africa.” Roger Broders created a French travel poster, which depicts the port of Marseille, the French port to Africa.
H. Identify 3 ingenious innovations of the people of Mesoamerica.
1. Tools – For hunting, these people created spears, which were initially made of stone and later made of copper. For fishing, they created fish hooks, canoes, and a salmon trap, which worked by allowing the fish to swim in, but not out.
2. Architecture – These people began creating “pueblos” made of sod, which were sturdier than their former huts made of sticks and grasses. They assembled scale models of their homes prior to the actual building of the houses.
3. State Power Triad – These people lives on the same basic principles that we do today. They created systems of military, religion, and economy in order to properly run their societies.
Discuss in correct grammatical prose two of the following:
2. How do you think art is a reflection of a society's fundamental beliefs and actions? Reference your experience at the Art Institute, the Islamic Center, the Spertus Museum and the DuSable Museum?
Art is a direct link to society’s fundamental beliefs and actions because it is a type of honest, visual story-telling. An artist’s beliefs and actions will always appear in his or her art, and these characteristics will differ, depending upon what society a particular artist lived in.
Our guide at the DuSable Museum advised us to look at art in a way that we might not be used to in order to gain a better understanding of the work. He recommended we first look at the artist’s name, then the date the piece was created, what stage of life the artist would have been in at that time, what the artist’s society was like during the time the artwork was created, and finally look at the piece of art and interpret it based on our previous observations. This technique of viewing art is evidence that a society’s beliefs are reflected in its artwork.
The Islamic center featured little artwork, most likely because they do not believe in praying to idols. Therefore, there were no pictures or statues of who they worship, only a mural of the ninety names they have for their god. The Spertus Museum contained work done by Jewish artists, but the theme of the exhibit was “What does it mean to you?” I believe this sheds light on how understanding the Jewish community is because they are allowing viewers to interpret the pieces in many ways, not only according to the intentions of the artist. The Art Institute contained the largest variety of artwork. Much of the ancient cultures’ art reflected the societies’ religious beliefs. For example, located in the Asian exhibit were statues of the gods the Asian culture worships and of artifacts found in tombs, exemplifying how that society viewed the afterlife. In the African exhibit, there was a sculpture with nails driven into it. This statue illustrated the African culture’s belief that the gods would right any wrongs done to a person if that person drove a nail into the statue, which demonstrates that society’s belief in justice. It was interesting to see the differences between the post-modern and the contemporary American works. Knowing that the realist painters were thought of as rebels because their work was not considered acceptable shows how strict and close-minded Americans were at that time. Seeing some of the shocking images in the contemporary section of the Art Institute represents the open-mindedness of today’s Americans.
4. What "thoughts" have you had from the remarks of Reza Aslan and his description of the complexity of working with Islamic/Muslim/Arab nations? How are the "pressure groups" different ala Aslan and what conclusions have you made about the Middle East situation ala Aslan? "What does it mean to you?"
The speech made my Reza Aslan at the Chicago Council for Global Affairs was packed with information that was new to me. However, I found two comments made by Reza Aslan to be particularly interesting. One being that Jihadist groups are a made up of wealthy, educated people. I have always been told that all terrorist groups consist of poor, uneducated people and that these people join terrorist groups because they do not know any better. I do believe this is true in some instances, but not in the case of the Jihadist group. Aslan pointed out that fact that Jihads are a group of social reformers, and that uneducated people are not likely to be concerned with social movements.
The second comment that struck me was that Jihadist groups cannot be negotiated with because they do not want anything attainable. The United States is able to compromise with Islamic groups that are only concerned with ruling their particular countries (i.e. Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran) because they want something that is seemingly possible. However, the United States cannot make compromises with Jihadists because they do not want only to rule their region, but to control the entire world. This is a scary, but real problem that the United States is facing as a result of the war on terror.
Posted at 12:50 AM by Katie Harris
A. What was the importance (or infamy) of Bunce Island?
Bunce Island was once home to the largest slave castle in West Africa. It exported tens of thousands of slaves to North America and the West Indies until the British Parliament closed it down in 1808.
B. Who was Edward Hopper and why was he important?
Edward Hopper is the best-known American realist painter of the inter-war period. Most of his works depict loneliness and the struggle of living in the city. His most famous work is “Nighthawks,” which we saw that the Chicago Art Institute.
C. Who was Telemann?
Telemann is considered to be one of the best German composers of all time. He composed what is now considered “classical music” from 1720 until his death in 1767. We heard selections from Telemann at the Chicago Symphony.
D. What was India's Great Kumbha Mela Pilgrimage?
India’s Great Kumbha Mela Pilgrimage is the largest pilgrimage in the entire world, taking place four times every twelve years. During this gathering, Hindus travel to the Ganges River, where they believe the waters will cleanse them form past sins.
E. What is the Great Rift?
The Great Rift Valley is a name given to the geographic trench, approximately 3,700 miles in length, which runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in East Africa. In millions of years, eastern Africa could break away from the continent to from a separate land mass, as a result of the constant erosion of land along the Great Rift Valley.
F. What's a savanna?
A savanna is a plain characterized by coarse grasses and scattered tree growth, particularly on the margins of the tropics where rainfall is seasonal, as in eastern Africa.
G. What is Porte de L'Afrique?
This term can be translated to “Gateway to Africa.” Roger Broders created a French travel poster, which depicts the port of Marseille, the French port to Africa.
H. Identify 3 ingenious innovations of the people of Mesoamerica.
1. Tools – For hunting, these people created spears, which were initially made of stone and later made of copper. For fishing, they created fish hooks, canoes, and a salmon trap, which worked by allowing the fish to swim in, but not out.
2. Architecture – These people began creating “pueblos” made of sod, which were sturdier than their former huts made of sticks and grasses. They assembled scale models of their homes prior to the actual building of the houses.
3. State Power Triad – These people lives on the same basic principles that we do today. They created systems of military, religion, and economy in order to properly run their societies.
Discuss in correct grammatical prose two of the following:
2. How do you think art is a reflection of a society's fundamental beliefs and actions? Reference your experience at the Art Institute, the Islamic Center, the Spertus Museum and the DuSable Museum?
Art is a direct link to society’s fundamental beliefs and actions because it is a type of honest, visual story-telling. An artist’s beliefs and actions will always appear in his or her art, and these characteristics will differ, depending upon what society a particular artist lived in.
Our guide at the DuSable Museum advised us to look at art in a way that we might not be used to in order to gain a better understanding of the work. He recommended we first look at the artist’s name, then the date the piece was created, what stage of life the artist would have been in at that time, what the artist’s society was like during the time the artwork was created, and finally look at the piece of art and interpret it based on our previous observations. This technique of viewing art is evidence that a society’s beliefs are reflected in its artwork.
The Islamic center featured little artwork, most likely because they do not believe in praying to idols. Therefore, there were no pictures or statues of who they worship, only a mural of the ninety names they have for their god. The Spertus Museum contained work done by Jewish artists, but the theme of the exhibit was “What does it mean to you?” I believe this sheds light on how understanding the Jewish community is because they are allowing viewers to interpret the pieces in many ways, not only according to the intentions of the artist. The Art Institute contained the largest variety of artwork. Much of the ancient cultures’ art reflected the societies’ religious beliefs. For example, located in the Asian exhibit were statues of the gods the Asian culture worships and of artifacts found in tombs, exemplifying how that society viewed the afterlife. In the African exhibit, there was a sculpture with nails driven into it. This statue illustrated the African culture’s belief that the gods would right any wrongs done to a person if that person drove a nail into the statue, which demonstrates that society’s belief in justice. It was interesting to see the differences between the post-modern and the contemporary American works. Knowing that the realist painters were thought of as rebels because their work was not considered acceptable shows how strict and close-minded Americans were at that time. Seeing some of the shocking images in the contemporary section of the Art Institute represents the open-mindedness of today’s Americans.
4. What "thoughts" have you had from the remarks of Reza Aslan and his description of the complexity of working with Islamic/Muslim/Arab nations? How are the "pressure groups" different ala Aslan and what conclusions have you made about the Middle East situation ala Aslan? "What does it mean to you?"
The speech made my Reza Aslan at the Chicago Council for Global Affairs was packed with information that was new to me. However, I found two comments made by Reza Aslan to be particularly interesting. One being that Jihadist groups are a made up of wealthy, educated people. I have always been told that all terrorist groups consist of poor, uneducated people and that these people join terrorist groups because they do not know any better. I do believe this is true in some instances, but not in the case of the Jihadist group. Aslan pointed out that fact that Jihads are a group of social reformers, and that uneducated people are not likely to be concerned with social movements.
The second comment that struck me was that Jihadist groups cannot be negotiated with because they do not want anything attainable. The United States is able to compromise with Islamic groups that are only concerned with ruling their particular countries (i.e. Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran) because they want something that is seemingly possible. However, the United States cannot make compromises with Jihadists because they do not want only to rule their region, but to control the entire world. This is a scary, but real problem that the United States is facing as a result of the war on terror.
Posted at 12:50 AM by Katie Harris
Test Two
12/14/2009
A. Bunce Island was once home to one of the many British slave castles. This was a place where slaves were taken before they were shipped off to other countries to be slaves there.
B. Edward Hopper was an American artist from the 20th century. He was actually one of the most famous realist painters from America during his time. He was well known for painting things the way he really saw and felt about them. We saw some of his work at the Chicago Art Institute.
C. Teleman was a great German composer and some of his work was performed by the Chicago Symphony.
D. The Kumbha Mela is a huge Pilgramage performed by Hindu's. This pilgramige occurs four times every twelve years and during this pilgrimage people perform a ritual bathing ceremony of enormous proportions.
E. The Great Rift Valley is a piece of land that stretches 6000 km and is located between Lebanon and Mozambique.
F. A savanna is a flat grassland located in tropical or subtropical regions.
G. Porte de L'Afrique is French for door to Africa. This is the name for a port in Marseille, France which leads to Africa.
H. 1. Grinding corn to make flour
2. Transportation- Canals and Roadways
3. The way they farmed to get better results out of their crops and to make farming easier.
1. Well I didn't get to get quite as much first hand experience as I had hoped (due to sickness for those of you who weren't there), but in the few things I did experience I definitly found out why looking at artifacts and things such as art would be so revealing to a people's culture and beliefs at the time. This was most obvious to me during our visit to the Chicago Art Institute. There we were guided on a two hour tour through many different times and cultures. We went to the African exhibit and saw the diffierence in East and West Africe just by looking at the art that had come out of each region. In the East there were books and tablets with Jesus and Mary painted and etched into them. Then when we looked at the west it was a much different culture. There we saw a statue of a man covered in nails. This statue was kept in a "healers" house and people would come to it and when they hammered a nail into it it was believed that this would purify them of any demons or sins. There was also a statue of a king and his queen. This one was particularly interesting because it really gave you a feel for how their culture potrayed the status of men and women. The king was nearly half the size of the woman and was seated on a thrown. The queen was standing behind him towering over him in an almost protective way. This can be translated many different ways, but I would say the most obvious conclusion is that yes the man is in charge and he is the procrlaimed leader, but the woman is the overseer of the family and is a very strong and powerful part of their culture. Also another neat fact about the statue was that the king was wearing a hat with a bird on it to symbolize, that like a bird can see his entire kingdom from above, so can he. We also came to an area of the museum that was full of a bunch of different miniature sized artifacts. There was everything from horses, houses, dogs, clay pillows, and noblemen. These were all things people were buried with. As we looked at these things you could tell that they defintily believed in life after death and that everything you were buried with you could use in the afterlife. It was very cool to see what they believed and how serious they took this belief. It was also neat to see how over time the artifacts got better and more detialed. For example, once the silk road opened up and trade between Europe and Asia became easier things such as colored glaze were introduced to these new cultures and were used in making these artifacts.
2. I think that art, or the lack there of, is the best and most universal way to see a society's fundamental beliefs and actions. Not everyone can read or write, and there are too many languages in this world for any one person to possibly learn, but everyone can interpret art. Everyone can look at a peice of art and get something out of it. A good example of the lack of art was the Islamic center. As we sat and listened to their afternoon prayer we looked around and noticed that it was much different then most religious centers we are used too. There were no paintings of their prophets or important people to their rligion, just bare walls with one painting of just the many names for God. This is important to their culture and religion because they believe there is to be no false depictions of their God and they are to have no idols and since nobody has a picture of God or any of their prophets, their walls remain empty. The Spertus musuem was filled with art and relics Jewish history. I found it very interesting because the theme was "What does it mean to you?". So, the tour guide would tell us all about an object and then ask us the question "What does it mean to you?" This was a very inventive idea as it made you you fill in the blank as to why that peice was important or if it was even important at all. The Art Institute definitly had the largest variety's and examples of art and how it pertained to culture and times. One of my favorite examples was the impressionist's art. I loved how it just told it how it was and was very upfront about their culture dirty little secrets that had mostly been ignored, atleast by the mainstream art world. Such as, the statue of a regular man with all his flaws, instead of the nearly perfect bodies of the men in other sculptures. It was also unbelievable to see how much American art as a whole has changed over just the last couple hundred years. It has moved from your everday self-portait to, well, anything you can think of, from clown torture to a pile of rocks.
Posted at 12:14 AM by Josh Seifert
A. Bunce Island was once home to one of the many British slave castles. This was a place where slaves were taken before they were shipped off to other countries to be slaves there.
B. Edward Hopper was an American artist from the 20th century. He was actually one of the most famous realist painters from America during his time. He was well known for painting things the way he really saw and felt about them. We saw some of his work at the Chicago Art Institute.
C. Teleman was a great German composer and some of his work was performed by the Chicago Symphony.
D. The Kumbha Mela is a huge Pilgramage performed by Hindu's. This pilgramige occurs four times every twelve years and during this pilgrimage people perform a ritual bathing ceremony of enormous proportions.
E. The Great Rift Valley is a piece of land that stretches 6000 km and is located between Lebanon and Mozambique.
F. A savanna is a flat grassland located in tropical or subtropical regions.
G. Porte de L'Afrique is French for door to Africa. This is the name for a port in Marseille, France which leads to Africa.
H. 1. Grinding corn to make flour
2. Transportation- Canals and Roadways
3. The way they farmed to get better results out of their crops and to make farming easier.
1. Well I didn't get to get quite as much first hand experience as I had hoped (due to sickness for those of you who weren't there), but in the few things I did experience I definitly found out why looking at artifacts and things such as art would be so revealing to a people's culture and beliefs at the time. This was most obvious to me during our visit to the Chicago Art Institute. There we were guided on a two hour tour through many different times and cultures. We went to the African exhibit and saw the diffierence in East and West Africe just by looking at the art that had come out of each region. In the East there were books and tablets with Jesus and Mary painted and etched into them. Then when we looked at the west it was a much different culture. There we saw a statue of a man covered in nails. This statue was kept in a "healers" house and people would come to it and when they hammered a nail into it it was believed that this would purify them of any demons or sins. There was also a statue of a king and his queen. This one was particularly interesting because it really gave you a feel for how their culture potrayed the status of men and women. The king was nearly half the size of the woman and was seated on a thrown. The queen was standing behind him towering over him in an almost protective way. This can be translated many different ways, but I would say the most obvious conclusion is that yes the man is in charge and he is the procrlaimed leader, but the woman is the overseer of the family and is a very strong and powerful part of their culture. Also another neat fact about the statue was that the king was wearing a hat with a bird on it to symbolize, that like a bird can see his entire kingdom from above, so can he. We also came to an area of the museum that was full of a bunch of different miniature sized artifacts. There was everything from horses, houses, dogs, clay pillows, and noblemen. These were all things people were buried with. As we looked at these things you could tell that they defintily believed in life after death and that everything you were buried with you could use in the afterlife. It was very cool to see what they believed and how serious they took this belief. It was also neat to see how over time the artifacts got better and more detialed. For example, once the silk road opened up and trade between Europe and Asia became easier things such as colored glaze were introduced to these new cultures and were used in making these artifacts.
2. I think that art, or the lack there of, is the best and most universal way to see a society's fundamental beliefs and actions. Not everyone can read or write, and there are too many languages in this world for any one person to possibly learn, but everyone can interpret art. Everyone can look at a peice of art and get something out of it. A good example of the lack of art was the Islamic center. As we sat and listened to their afternoon prayer we looked around and noticed that it was much different then most religious centers we are used too. There were no paintings of their prophets or important people to their rligion, just bare walls with one painting of just the many names for God. This is important to their culture and religion because they believe there is to be no false depictions of their God and they are to have no idols and since nobody has a picture of God or any of their prophets, their walls remain empty. The Spertus musuem was filled with art and relics Jewish history. I found it very interesting because the theme was "What does it mean to you?". So, the tour guide would tell us all about an object and then ask us the question "What does it mean to you?" This was a very inventive idea as it made you you fill in the blank as to why that peice was important or if it was even important at all. The Art Institute definitly had the largest variety's and examples of art and how it pertained to culture and times. One of my favorite examples was the impressionist's art. I loved how it just told it how it was and was very upfront about their culture dirty little secrets that had mostly been ignored, atleast by the mainstream art world. Such as, the statue of a regular man with all his flaws, instead of the nearly perfect bodies of the men in other sculptures. It was also unbelievable to see how much American art as a whole has changed over just the last couple hundred years. It has moved from your everday self-portait to, well, anything you can think of, from clown torture to a pile of rocks.
Posted at 12:14 AM by Josh Seifert
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