Academics

Hello beautiful people!

I hope you are all doing well. 

I have so much to share with you after a long and productive summer, as well as two successful months back in Odyssey! 

I am so happy to say that after almost a full year of painting, researching, and writing, I had my opening for my first solo exhibition earlier this month titled: Unembodied Form: Reclaiming Correlations Between the Environment and the Divine Feminine. After drawing connections through my research on environmental justice and women's rights, I felt I came to a grounding place with my overall statement, and am so grateful for everyone who supported me along the way by offering meaningful feedback. 

Currently, reflecting on this accomplishment, I honestly think I am still processing what I have done and where to go next. I have dreamed about showcasing a body of my work since I was very young, so to realize I have made this dream come true feels incredibly profound- almost in an uncomfortable way because I no longer have the comfort of working on one linear project.

While these feelings have been present since my exhibition, I am being gentle with myself as I navigate the next steps I wish to take in the program. I am currently brainstorming ideas for another (much smaller) solo exhibition which I hope to bring to the broader Albuquerque community through coffee shop installations, and other gallery opportunities. Speaking of which, I just submitted an application for an exhibition space in Gallery One at the Albuquerque City Hall, and am crossing my fingers to hear back from them soon! I am also working on an application through the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards for their portfolio scholarships, which consist of 6 works and an accompanying artists statement (which is amazing because that criteria matches my recent exhibition perfectly!) If I were to receive recognition for my application, I could also receive an exhibition space in New York City!!! So, fingers crossed again!

Going forward, I am hoping to work on rough drafts for a possible mural on campus, or possibly collaborating with local artists, while still creating another body of work. 

That’s all for now,

Have a wonderful rest of your day!!

P.S- here are some photos from my exhibition!

Hello, beautiful people! I hope you are all doing well!

I am very excited to discuss this new chapter in my life with you, as I continue to dive deeper into my passion for creating! So far, although the adjustment back to school is always difficult, I am really enjoying the process of beginning to see my ideas and visions for this project come to life. While research is key for my project, because it involves art history, I think I have honestly spent more time reflecting on my experiences as a woman, and other women in my life.

One thing I have especially been focusing on is which women in my life I would like to paint, and what I will ask them when I speak to them about their experiences of being a woman, walking through a gallery or museum space. I really want to reflect a sense of love, admiration, and power in these paintings I create throughout the year. Recently, I purchased a novel written by Bell Hooks titled All About Love, which was introduced to me by one of my favorite artists, Gio Swaby. A renowned scholar, cultural critic, and feminist, Bell Hooks writes about her philosophy of love and provides new visions for a society filled with lovelessness. Beginning to read All About Love helps me dive deeper into how women models were treated throughout history, and if men painting them was truly an act of love, pleasure, or both. 

I have also been able to squeeze in enough time to work on a rough draft painting, mapping out how I would like the paintings in my exhibition to look. Already beginning to dive into my work for this project has been an incredible experience, and it makes me very excited to begin reaching out to women in my life over the next few months, and starting to paint my community. 

That's all for now, have a wonderful rest of your day!

Hello beautiful people! I hope you are all doing well! 

This month was filled with alot of research and preparation, as my peers and I worked on writing speeches about our Odyssey projects, to perform for our friends and family. Being able to voice my thoughts that have been present for so long to a small audience was honestly such a rejuvenating experience, and it made me feel much more confident and excited for my project. I was especially excited for my speech, because I was able to reach out to two women in my life who I would possibly like to paint, and both of them were able to attend! It was amazing to have two amazing and talented women who I admire very much, watch me take flight as I dive into this project. 

The novel All About Love by Bell Hooks which I began reading last month, is truly fascinating, and I feel like I am already able to view love from a different perspective. I just finished a chapter that touched on the issue of lying, and how it affects love between individuals. Hooks writes about how, so often, women are taught to mask who they really are, in order to attract men or a partner in general. This stems from societal restraints that put women on a pedestal to men. For Example, men are encouraged to propose to women rather than women proposing to men, forcing them to comply with certain societal and beauty standards, which encourages them to lie about who they truly are. 

Personally, I feel like I see this heavily applying to the representation of women in art in general. Because representation of women in art has been heavily dominated by men, we see figurative paintings of women that are painted by men reflecting their view on how women should act and look, rather than how women actually see themselves. In other words, women have, in a sense, been silenced through art history, because there were little to no women artists who were encouraged to show their story, or their experiences as a woman through their art. I truly believe that when you look at someone's art, you are getting a peek into how they see the world and the people around them. I also think that because the majority of the art world has been dominated by men, and we see the female nude represented so much in fine art, we are truly able to see how society, and especially men, viewed women throughout history.  

Another exciting thing I was able to finish this month, was a rough draft for how I would like the paintings in my exhibition to look like. For my first reference, I used a piece that I was able to see in person at The Art Institute of Chicago this summer, done by Gio Swaby, who is one of my favorite artists and by far the biggest inspiration for this project. Working from a figure done by Gio Swaby, and slightly altering it into my style, helped me explore the energy and aesthetic I want to capture in these paintings. 

That’s all for now, have a wonderful rest of your day! 

Hello beautiful people! I hope you are all doing well!

This month was an extremely productive month when it comes to research as well as taking small steps toward my exhibition. I spoke with two women this month, including my mother, who I was also able to photograph. It was a beautiful fall evening, the sunflowers were bright, the sun was shining in our eyes, and I honestly think we both had the time of our lives. We got several beautiful shots and decided on one where my mother is staring at an indigo bunting perched in a tree, her foot resting on a rock beside her, and rows of sunflowers behind her. We both fell in love with this image, and after I printed it out, I began taking the steps to begin painting her. I purchased my first canvas, sketched out my mother’s figure in my sketchbook, and finally transferred it onto my 40- by 30-inch canvas. 

Although I have only begun painting my mother's face, the experience of representing someone I know is drastically different from working from my head, or from photographs of celebrities who I admire. As I blended the soft shadows of my mother's face, I felt a strong sense of love, almost like I was giving back to her the life she gave me. As I gazed upon my mother's face, I think it may be the most realistic painting I have ever done, in that the painting truly shows who my mother is. There are no filters hiding who she is from the world. She is being seen through the eyes of someone who knows her, who understands her, and who recognizes and honors who she is. 

The other woman I was able to interview had wonderful insights relating to how the female body has been represented throughout art history. It was lovely to speak with someone who is so gentle and wise and had so many amazing things to say about women artists, as well as women in the art world in general. It is so easy to become trapped in the often disturbing history of women's representation in art, so being able to connect with women from a contemporary perspective has been life-changing for me. Although researching the treatment of women models throughout history is key to my project, I am also trying to completely immerse myself in contemporary women artists and what they are doing with their art. As an artist, it is so easy to get stuck with what you are doing, and to reach out into the world and see what others are doing both inspires me and exposes me to the modern-day art world. 

On an endnote, I was extremely excited to attend the National Portfolio Day just last weekend! I spoke with several art schools and was able to showcase some of my work. As I lay some of my most recent works in front of administrators for different schools, I felt so vulnerable, but, at the same time, incredibly brave. To speak about my art and my process in front of strangers was such a rejuvenating experience! Everyone was so sweet and supportive of my work, especially my visions for this project!

That’s all for now. Have a wonderful rest of your day!

Hello beautiful people! I hope you are all doing well!

This month was by far the month that flew by my eyes the fastest. It seemed as though the minute I picked up my pen to write down the things I needed to accomplish this month, the calendar had suddenly turned, and it was already December. Although this month went by so fast, several groundbreaking events happened this month and are even going to happen! Recently, I was able to schedule an interview with the visual arts curator from the National Hispanic Cultural Center, and I am so excited to interview her this coming Thursday. These past few weeks have been filled with editing my planned interview questions for her, as well as back and forth emails figuring out what times worked for both of us. This will be my first professional interview, and I am very excited to see where it takes me, as well as being able to connect with professionals in my community.

I met with a friend about two weeks ago to discuss her feelings as a woman in museums and gallery spaces, and although we didn’t speak for too long, it was nice to hear her opinions on the issue. We also talked a bit about how she would like to see herself represented, and I am looking forward to photographing her in the future for a painting. 

I was also lucky to be able to attend a gallery showing in downtown Albuquerque, where I was exposed to an extremely talented artist, who focused mainly on conveying womens stories, struggles, and resilience through her nude figurative self portraits. I was extremely drawn into the stories, compositions, and styles of her paintings, and am hoping to reach out to her as a possible interviewee.

The painting of my mother is coming along nicely, although I wish I was able to work on it more than I can during the week. However, I am usually able to paint for a couple of hours during the weekends, which is helpful for the flow of my project. This Thanksgiving break also offered plenty of time to work on my painting, as well as a recent self portrait I started, which I hope to include in my exhibition. 

That’s all for now, have a wonderful rest of your day!

This first semester in Odyssey was filled with experiences which provided me with knowledge as well as encouragement. When I first started speaking about my topic in person, I was extremely nervous. I was not sure how people would react. If they would think I was wrong or right, or just didn’t exactly understand the points I was trying to make. I understand that discussing the mistreatment of the female figure in the arts is something that many may not want to hear, which caused me at first to feel very quiet. When I first began to speak to women in my life about their experiences, a fire lit inside me that is still growing. Understanding that this idea I had when I was very young, is something women are feeling just like me, gave me the biggest confidence boost I have ever felt. Specifically, speaking with the curator from The Natural Hispanic Cultural Center was a moment when I truly felt like I had immersed myself into my project. Being able to speak with a very wise and educated woman curator about my project provided me with something I had needed to feel ever since I began researching my topic, courage.  

Now, after all of the research I have done, people I have spoken to, and galleries I have visited, I feel more than ready to dive into the second half of my project. One aspect I have struggled with this semester was finding time to work on my paintings. As I started to slip away from my calendar, putting off much of my research until the last minute, I became swarmed with annotations, blogs, and papers that took away much of my time from working on my paintings. The painting of my mother I have been working on shows steady progress, but I am still far from finishing it. One thing I wish I had been able to accomplish this semester was managing my time better, in which I would have dedicated equal amounts of time to both my research as well as my paintings. Next semester, I hope to focus more on managing my time in ways where I can accomplish all that I need to, effectively and efficiently.

Hello beautiful people! 

I hope you are all doing well!

This first month of 2024 has been going by slowly and steadily, and I am happy to say that I was able to get some paintings finished this month! So far this semester I have been focusing much more on the field work for my project, i.e, using my class time to either work in the studio I have access to here at school, or traveling home to work on larger and more intricate pieces for my project. Just last week, I finished the portrait I had been working on of my mother entitled Mother Earth, as well as a self portrait loosely inspired by Frida Kahlo, which I titled Thinking of Life. I was very satisfied with how both of these paintings turned out, although I do wish I could have finished them a bit faster than I actually did. I am aware that last semester it was difficult for me to balance out all of my research, annotations, blogs, and my literature review with the artworks I hope to create for this project. This semester, I hope to manage my time more wisely by treating my artwork equally as important as my other academics. Last semester, I found myself prioritizing my work from other classes more than I was doing with all of the paintings I had to work on. The one message I want to carry with myself going into the new year, is the fact that just because I value doing well in all of my classes, does not make it okay for me to push things I love and care about, (and that have a deadline too) to the side. 

This month I was also lucky to attend a talk done by two curators on tour who curated the current exhibit at the Albuquerque Art Museum; Coast to Coast to Coast: Indigenous Art from the McMicheal Canadian Art Collection. It was such an amazing experience to listen as they explained their collection, as well as the stories behind the art and artists themselves. One key aspect of this collection was the idea that you don’t need incredibly expensive art materials to make beautiful art. Many of the artists that were showcased in this exhibition lived in far northern countries, where, as the two curators explained, it can be difficult to obtain certain art materials as shipping is often ridiculously expensive. One artist specifically worked with colored pencils to express intimate scenes of families, and while I can’t remember her name at the moment, her work often reminded me of illustrations from children's books, and I hope to go back to the exhibit to photograph some of her work for inspiration.

The month ended on an exciting note, as just last week a friend of mine who is very supportive of me pursuing a career in the arts gave me the contact of one of his relatives, who happens to be a curator at the Smithsonian National Gallery. Over the next month I hope to reach out to her for an interview. 

Mother Earth- 40 by 30 in, acrylic on canvas 

Hello beautiful people! 

I hope you are all doing well!

This month has gone by so fast, (as they always do), but I am very excited to say that this month was by far the best month so far when it comes to reaching out beyond campus on events relating to my research. Earlier this month, I applied to show some of my work at a show aiming to represent young artists today in downtown Albuquerque, which was very eye opening as I have shown multiple pieces on campus, but never outside of campus. The curator from the show emailed me back as soon as I sent in my portfolio, saying that he would review my submission and notify me with the results, and I am so excited to see if I am accepted (fingers crossed!) 

I am also happy to say that this month I applied to work as a teaching assistant for a youth summer art camp held by the Harwood Arts Center. Harwood has a strong message of believing that art education is the key to implementing social change, and I think this environment will be an amazing opportunity to get exposure to other artists whose main themes surround ideas of social change, as well as being able to work with young artists, and to help support their visions. I did hear back from the education coordinator from Harwood and am happy to say that I am scheduled to attend an interview this Thursday, (fingers crossed again!)

Other than reaching out into the art community locally, I have also been working on two pieces this month, one of which is the largest I have ever worked with. I was recently inspired by an artist named Firelei Báez, who is a Haitian/Dominican Republic artist, working and living in New York. Drawing upon the rich history and folklore of the Caribbean, Báez uses a siren-like mythical woman called the “ciguapa,” as her main subject. Describing how the “ciguapa” was always defined to her as a devious and sly female figure that had an indescribable appearance, Báez takes upon these representations and uses the “ciguapa” to challenge mainstream idealizations of femininity. When I discovered Báez and her work, something clicked inside me, and before I knew it I was sketching out ideas for a new painting going towards my solo exhibition. 

I have definitely seen a shift within the pieces I am working on this semester. Compared to last semester, where I was mainly trying to paint women I knew personally, I have found that I have been breaking this idea slightly by working more from my imagination and with self portraits. I find that working with my own figure allows me to control my composition more, as well as come to terms with my own identity and I want to see myself represented. As I am working more from my imagination, I also find that it is easier for me to tie symbolism into my work, something that I strongly wanted accomplish as one of my main ideas is how we can use the female figure in art to show personality, history, emotion, and identity, rather than sexualization. 

That's all for now, have a wonderful rest of your day!

Hello beautiful people!

I hope you are all doing well!

These past two months have been very eventful and productive for me, as I recently returned from a college tour trip in the east coast! Because of this, I was able to visit several larger institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the MET in NYC, and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum in Providence. All of these institutions were able to inform my project in some way, and I was incredibly excited and grateful to be able to find some references for future research. At the MFA, I was exposed to Brazilian artist Dinorá Justice, who works with traditional western paintings that objectify the female figure, and re-paints them in an almost floral tapestry resemblance. When I first saw Justice’s work I was amazed at how closely our themes as artists overlap, especially because I haven't been able to find an artist that speaks directly to the theme I am trying to showcase in my work; how the female body has been mistreated in fine art, and how this demeans women’s bodies, personality, and experiences. 

My paintings are all coming together nicely, and I am excited to say that I only have two other works to complete before my solo exhibition, (although that might change depending on how many ideas come up for me.) It has been really interesting for me to see the change of thought throughout my work so far. The painting I am working on currently is drastically different from the first one I did, and I am enjoying seeing myself process how I wish to convey all of the themes displayed in my research. I have definitely been leaning into my practice much more these past months, experimenting with pressed flowers and leaves, wording, and complex imagery. With the combination of realizing I am so close to finishing my field work this year, as well as brainstorming new ideas for the remaining pieces to work on, I feel incredibly excited to jump into what is to come. 

That's all for now, have a wonderful rest of your day!

With love, Miri

This year in Odyssey was incredibly eye opening for me research and field work wise. I was amazed at how much my train of thought changed compared to when I originally thought of my research question and solo exhibition. The more I find out about contemporary women figurative artists, the more I feel as though I stretch my ideas so they are really mine rather than someone else's. When I was first brainstorming how I wanted to present the research I had done in Odyssey through my first solo exhibition, my ideas were limited- because I hadn’t actually done intensive research yet. Therefore, my ideas were based solely on what I saw other women artists that I admired doing; painting women they knew personally to deconstruct walls of inclusion within museum and gallery spaces. 

While the idea of painting women I know personally is not as present as it used to be when I first began my research, the idea of showcasing love/ancestral lineage through my work has grown immensely, and even broken out into new ideas. I have found myself working more and more with self portraiture, as it allows me to control my composition and story in a more immersive way. The more research I do, the more I am able to break down the specifics to how exactly women were objectified and sexualized throughout art history. In February, I came across a very meaningful essay titled Portraiture and the Female Ideal in Renaissance Art, written by Emily Harring, a media studies major at the University of San Francisco. Harring reviews the ways in which the female body was subject to sexualization and objectification in Renaissance artworks. Specifically, a common aspect of women in portraiture was the fact that the woman’s gaze always looked away from the viewer, creating a less personal narrative in the place of an objective narrative. This can be seen in Botticeli’s Birth of Venus, which depicts the birth of the Greek goddess Venus, as she first arrives on land. Rather than gazing at the subjects around her or the viewer, Venus stares at the ground to her right, a calm and gentle look on her face. The way Venus is portrayed allows the viewer to see her as the subject, but also as something to be looked over in a more aggressive way. The fact that the viewer is not forced to look Venus in the eyes, creates a more comfortable environment for them to observe the curves and contrast of her nude body, especially as Venus’s waist and breasts are the main focal point of the piece. Because of this, Venus’s gaze downwards can be seen as no more than an objectification, a way for the artist to exploit her body while also hiding the window to her personality and story from meeting the gaze of the viewer. 

After reading Haring's essay, I began to explore the ways in which I could take styles in works from the past that dehumanized women, and reclaim them in a humanizing way. By researching women artists such as Firelei Báez, Hayv Kahraman, Dana Claxton, Dinorá Justice, Tatiana Lopez and Monica Kim Garza, all of whom work with the action of reclaiming the female figure through styles that have traditionally sexualized and objectified the female body, I gained confidence in following my own voice. Currently, I only have three more pieces to work on before my solo exhibition, two of which are works in progress. In all of the works I have done so far, I take inspiration from the idea of transforming something from the past into something new, as well as the specific research such as Emily Harring’s essay. In these works, I experiment with directing the figure's gaze away from the actual viewer, if not hiding it completely, but doing so in a way that emphasizes story and personality. By doing this, I create a backlash between what has been used to cause harm, into something that can uplift and transform. 

One slightly disappointing aspect of this last semester was the difficulty I faced in trying to immerse myself in an activity relating to my project over the summer. I applied for a guide position at the Harwood Art Center youth summer camp, but unfortunately did not receive a position due to a surplus of applications. I also applied to a paid internship with the City of Albuquerque called the Creative Mayoral Youth Art Corps, but unfortunately they were unable to match me with a mentor based on my application. Because of these rejections, I am still brainstorming activities for this summer, and have already started to act on one of my ideas. 

Inspired by photographer and visual Anthropologist Tatiana Lopez, I have been working on photo transfers from women I know personally, in an attempt to tie my original big ideas into something smaller. In these works I experiment with pressing flowers, and then collaging those flowers surrounding my photo transfers. I have also been incorporating thread and beadwork onto the surface, to demonstrate the connection between creativity, ancestral lineage, and the passage of time. I am hoping to show these works in a small solo exhibition hosted by the Corrales Library, who have a great teen exhibit offering. I also had the idea of possibly teaching a class related to these works at the Corrales Arts Center, although I haven’t heard back from them on whether or not there is an age limit to become an instructor. Fingers crossed though!

Overall, I am very proud of how far my ideas have progressed and cannot wait to see what comes this summer and fall, with my first ever solo exhibitions on the horizon. It is such a surreal and incredible feeling to know my work will be on display soon, and I will be able to show my research, rather than speak about it.