Rhapsody by LASA Ezine

May 2013

Rhapsody Art of Austin Life

GRAFFITI: GRACE OR DISGRACE page 11 BEAUTY FROZEN IN TIME page 9 THE DEGREE OF CREATIVITY page 15

letter from the editors

Taken By: Rhapsody

Dear Reader, After hours and hours of grueling hard work, we have produced this magazine for you to read. We editors are simply high school students the Liberal Arts and Science Academy who all came together because of the mutual love of fine arts. From our magazine, Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fine arts can be experienced. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no telling how breathtaking everything is. We want to talk through art. We hope that every lover and creator of art can flip through an issue of Rhapsody and be inspired without ever leaving their home. Sincerely,

Emily Pencis 2

Zennie Wey

James Asghar

contributors James Asghar

is a hardcore gamer, programmer, and lover of cats. Each of these three things have been with him all his life, even though his parents and siblings wouldn’t let him use the computer on his own until his 3rd year of life (he used his first gaming console at the tender age of 2). On a side note, he is a freshman at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA). Born in Austin, from a very young age he decided to pursue a career in computers, but he was not sure which part of the field. He asked to do an arts magazine to open his horizons and see if he could find a passion that would include both fields, but this is quite difficult as he has to struggle with his desire to make things computerish.

Emily Pencis was born and raised in Austin and has always loved the city’s eclectic feel and quirky art scene. She loves hearing live music around every corner, enjoys savoring the dishes of the many local food trailers, and is inspired by the open outdoors of the greenbelt. She has been singing since childhood and can’t seem to stop. Although she has learned to read sheet music too many times to count, she has yet to absorb the information and tends more towards improvisation. Her muses for artistic, musical, and literary works tend to overlap, largely centered on nature, with the help of friends, she is currently looking into both recording and producing a music video for one of her songs.

Zennie Wey

Taken By: Rhapsody

is a freshman born and raised in Austin. She is the group member who freaks out the most. She knows absolutely nothing about art because her parents thought it would corrupt her mind and stray her away from doing math. They prohibited her from being in any contact of any form of painting or art so she is using this magazine as an academic form of contact with art. As a child, she played violin, piano, and recently, she has PICKed up guitar. She is well versed in the fine art of punning and she really likes playing tennis (sorry for all the “backhanded” jokes but she is just getting in her “swing”). She feels that artwork really brings out her natural “Zen.” 3

contents

6 8 11 4

aMUSE(eum) Me

Follow along as we guide you through three of the coolest museums in town.

The Festivals that Make Austin

How has Austin changed with its most famous festivals?

Beauty Frozen in Time Meet an artist who simply wants to share the beauty of life with the world.

The Degree of Creativity

Spray Canned

Graffiti: Grace or Disgrace?

Showing art from a different angle.

A compilation of graffiti found across Austin, accompanying â&#x20AC;&#x153;Graffiti: Grace or Disgrace?â&#x20AC;?

Where do we draw the line between art and vandalism?

Taken By: Qiang Huang (top), Kerri Morin (middle), and Jeremy Wilburn (bottom) Cover Photo By: Tim Harrison

Farrow and Ball Paint

Making a splash in the world

aMUSE(eum) Me Story and art by Zennie Wey

AUSTIN, renowned for its rich culture and art is home to many extraordinary museums. Not only do the museums feature artists from all over the world, but the museums also attract artists who call Austin their home.

Blanton Art Museum The Blanton Art Museum, located in the center of Austin, holds over 18,000 works that include European paintings, modern and contemporary American and Latin American art, and numerous other prints and drawings. The Blanton Art Museum, according to its website, includes, “engaging, interactive, and inquiry-based tours for K-12 students.” It also “encourage[s] students to draw connections between their lives and the world around them.” This museum allows students to connect Austin’s culture with the art they’re viewing. There are interactive activities that the students can participate in. This museum also provides the perfect site for adults, with themed tours and self-guided tours. At $9 for adult admissions, the Blanton Art Museum proves to be the perfect museum for anyone with a passion for art and culture.

Austin Museum of Art

The Austin Museum of Art (AMOA), located in both downtown Austin and Laguna Gloria not only contains many exhibits but it also “provides rich environments for a wide range of audiences to investigate and experience excellence in contemporary art. The museum accomplishes this through innovative exhibitions, education, interpretative programs and direct access to the creative process,” the museum website stated. This museum serves as Texas’ primary contemporary art museum. “It [AMOA] takes current issues and uses artistic resources available to them to inform the community,” said Suyi Lim, a freshman at LASA. This museum is a pleasure to visit regardless of age.

Umlauf Sculpture Garden Located in South Austin near Zilker Park, the Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum, dedicated to the work of artist Charles Umlauf holds Texas’ largest “touchable” outdoor collection of sculptures. The Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum also offers both guided tours and self-guided tours, making it a perfect weekend getaway for both couples and families alike. It not only features the numerous works of art by Charles Umlauf, the garden also features live art. Inside the Garden, one can occasionally see local Austin artists sketching. In addition to that, a small museum inside the garden not only features artists that went to the University of Texas, but also features art made by the professors of the school. Rated 4.5/5 stars on Yelp, this museum offers an amazing attraction for both Austinites and visitors. Like a sculpture? According to their website, the Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museums also allow visitors to rent sculptures.

The Festivals that Make Austin By: James Asghar AUSTIN is known as the “Live Music Capitol of the World”, for good reason. Every year we have 2 of the largest music festivals in the world, ACL and SXSW. Each one by itself brings tens of thousands of people each day of both events. While there are a few other music festivals they tend to be one time events. Because of these two events, Austin has really grown into its nickname of “Live Music Capitol of the World”.

SXSW: South by Southwest is a set of film, technology, and music festivals, that have taken place every spring since 1987. With each passing year, the event has risen in popularity. As of right now, SXSW is the largest event of its kind in the world because it attracts 2,500+ bands/performers from over 100 location around the nation. While there are a few other music festivals they tend to be one time events.

Taken by Jonah Shaukat

ACL: Austin City Limits Music Festival is a 3-day event in downtown Austin, Texas. It was started 11 years ago and attracts over 225,000 people each year. Over 150 bands come each year to perform in Zilker Park, the location of the festival. Also, this year ACL will be expanded to 2 weekends instead of only one.

Sources: 1. http://austineventsandfestivals.com/ 2. http://imfcon.com/ 3. http://acltv.com/history-of-acl/ 4. http://www.aclfestival.com/

Taken by: bbatsell, ejmc

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Beauty Frozen in

Story by Zennie Wey Art by Qiang Huang

Demo at Newport. This picture is the first Demo that Qiang worked on at a workshop organized by Libby Gilpatric

ubes of paint are strewn across the floor. In a corner next to the window, an easel stands near a single canvas. Next to the easel lies a computer where Huang says he pulls up inspiration. Collections of paintings hang on the wall. This is the workshop of an artist. Qiang Huang, an artist, has lived in Austin ever since his 30s. His specialty, still lives, are based off things such as fruit, vases, and most of all, Austin’s landscape. Starting at a young age, Huang found his passion for art. “I was just like every kid,” Huang said. “I liked to draw. I was just doodling and I was very akin to visual images. I felt that reading text was more effort than looking at pictures so I was naturally a visual person.” His love for art has played a key

role in his life. Art can be a way to gain fame and recognition but for Huang, art is something entirely different. To him, He simply enjoys art because it is his passion. Art works as just simply something he enjoys doing. “If I had money or fame, I would do art. If I was starving, I would still do art,” Huang said. To him, art also acts as something else. It works as a way of communicating beauty to the world. He says that it acts as one of the ways to conduct the need of sharing something to the world. “I consider [art] a particular way of communication like one person wants to share to the world something he or she thinks about or something he or she wants to talk to the world about,” Huang said. To Huang, beauty, in any form of art, is always worth sharing. Huang

took a photograph titled Frozen Beauty. “[The picture] has shown me that beauty can be formed in a difficult time. It may exist for only a short time, but no matter what we have encounter, we need to remain positive,” Huang said. In addition to showing communicating his thoughts through art, Huang also brings two vastly different fields together: art and science. Although Huang majored in physics science, he still kept art as a hobby. His science background combined with his passion for art led him to observe light in a new way. “Basically, I am very sensitive about light, light coming from an artificial source or from a natural source and when the light comes to the world it does all kinds of things so then I will see the drama created by light,” Huang said.

Qiang working on a still life.

Huang also says that the artist acts as the composer that orchestrates the light in where he or she can organize everything in a specific way to create specific effects. He uses light to create three dimensional or two dimensional drama. His interests in light also lead him to the field of holography, the destination where science meets art. Holography, the destination where science meets art interests Huang. Holograms and art are closely related. They both take patience and require visualization. Although a field of scientific research, holograms also show very strong visual effects. They include mysterious effects of showing three dimensional images on a two dimensional plane. “[Holograms] feel magical so I was really attracted to that field,” Huang said. “Since I was trained in science and mathematics and I have a background in art and I am very visual, holograms became a research field that I want to pursue.” All of Huang’s artwork goes back to communication. He says that he wouldn’t call himself particularly religious but he feels close to the Buddhist philosophies so it has influences to his art and painting process itself. Due to his Buddhist those philosophies, Huang not only strives to communicate demonstrate what he feels, but he also tries to convey communicate the nature and tranquil beauty that comes from oneness with the world. In a way, painting works as communication from one mind to another and Huang works as a medium where he can communicate share his ideas and the beauty of the world. Huang feels like a servant of his canvas. He says that his canvas naturally calls him to do the art and it tells him whether it is correct or not. “I try to communicate some sort of Zen effect in my work to try to show that the art is coming out naturally,” Huang said. “I really don’t consider

that painting is created by me. It is a process of the world.” As Huang communicates incorporates a Zen effect into his artwork, he also wants to capture his interest or excitement when he sees something beautiful. To him, the smallest things make a difference. “[Painting] satisfies my own craving or desire to do that for myself and in the meantime, I want to share that with other people so that way, it is very enjoyable and so that all of us can feel happy no matter how small it is,” Huang said. Like he said, beauty, regardless of size, is worth sharing. For him, science meets art and then art meets religion but in the end, sharing the beauty of the world proves to be the most important. As Huang says, “I think that the world without art would be a boring place without flowers, without beautiful skies, trees, seasons … that would be very boring. Not worth living, so I want to share the beauty of the world to everyone.”

Awakening

GRAFFITI GRACE OR DISGRACE

A peek into the morality of expression By Emily Pencis Photography by Brandi Harrison

Taken from the side of a warehouse off Rose Strreet, Austin Texas.

n Saturday February 14, residents of Wood Green, London woke to find a section of wall missing from one of the local buildings, stolen. This particular chunk of plaster hosted a work of graffiti left by the notoriously elusive street artist, Banksy, and the residents

of the neighborhood found themselves hardly pleased to hear of its appearance one week later in a Miami auction house. The stenciled work, known as “Slave Labour” features a young boy hard at work sewing British flags, and held a starting bid of 400,000 dollars. Shortly after its appearance

on auction, the Banksy work was removed on grounds of art theft. Clearly both the residents of Wood Green and interested buyers considered this piece art, but not everyone would agree. Despite Banksy’s talent, his graffiti is still considered, under law, an act of vandalism. But not only

Banksy faces this dilemma. Countless graffitists across the globe cope with the controversy of their “medium” and their work both amazes and outrages scrutinizers. But where do we find the jump rope of a line between vandalism and art and where does graffiti stand along it? However, before the nature of graffiti can be argued, the anomaly itself needs defining, a surprisingly controversial task. Common understanding of the word “graffiti” ranges from any publicly placed art on an unconventional surface to strictly illegal markings. “Graffiti is just artwork on property that the artist doesn’t own and doesn’t have permission to work on,” Monica Li, LASA High School student, said. Many of her fellow students and Austinites seem to share this opinion with her and, in order to produce an even analysis, it is logical to go about observing the issue at hand in a manner that befits the people it affects. Most people consider markings observed on the sides of buildings graffiti and call it as such, even if the owners themselves placed it there. However, how these observers react to in a broad range of ways.

Although few Austinites react outwardly violent in response to graffiti, even those who praise it have limitations. Austinites observe the surface hosting the work, the subject of it, and its overall aesthetic quality when judging graffiti. “Colourful bubble letters and poetic wording--that’s art. However, I believe it’s an artform used on canvases whose owners don’t approve of being used,” Zelda Velasquez, East side Austin resident, said. “Sure, some of it is harsh, like the woman with the baby and the hanger, and can be acceptable because it’s a topic no one likes to talk about. Abortion. There. Done. But if it’s mindless killing, if it’s unneeded genitals, or racial slurs, it’s not art anymore. It’s a tantrum.” Zelda lives in a highly urban area of town, where no house appears the same color as the one next to it, lawn seating consists of rusted metal chairs, and concrete walls invite to graffitists everywhere. Yet, surprisingly enough, she has high praise for the practice of graffiti. She sees it as a vehicle for expression, but remains unwilling to respond positively to the prospect of finding graffiti on her own property.

However, some Austin landowners, particularly those owning quirkier business places in the downtown area, go so far as to pay a graffitist to spray paint on their property. Along sixth street, all kinds of graffiti can be seen, from miscellaneous artistic expressions, to ads for the buildings they occupy, and gang related signs. This last category gives graffiti yet another layer of controversiality. “The prevalence of gang-related graffiti has colored the perception of graffiti in general,” Katherine Nguyen, law student, said. “Without this negative connotation associated with it, graffiti might be regarded as more of a creative medium and less of a territorial tagging mechanism.” Tagging, the placement of a graffitist’s “signature”, affiliated group names, or even a simple message through minimal spray can application and, as Katherine noted, it generally associates with gang activity. Some graffitists tag over graffiti that the community accepts and then the property owners must subsequently paint it over. “When I think about someone tagging over others’ works, I can’t help but think about it like art theft

A collection of various tags layered over one another on the side of a warehouse in Austin.

online. It’s mean, unneeded, and a really rude thing to do,” Zelda said. Despite her more liberal views toward graffiti as an art form, she appears far less tolerant when it comes to the concept of tagging. Furthermore, those who cannot tolerate even aesthetically pleasing graffiti find tagging a pointless, infinitely disrespectful practice. Yet, tagging expresses its maker on a public surface, so it falls under the category “graffiti” and must be taken into account when considering graffiti as a whole. Tagging makes up a significant portion of graffiti’s reputation, and often tagging can degrade the quality of appreciated works, but that doesn’t mean that exclusively sends a negative message. Along 45th street heading towards Guadalupe, a graffitist subtly altered a stop sign to make it read “stop all war” rather than “stop all way”. Although this particular piece breaks a federal law due to its presence on a stop sign, federal property, it greeted drivers with its social commentary months ago and still does. Normally, someone would have removed the marking long ago. Another common occurrence

of tagging can be observed in the pranks of high school students. It is often employed in the way toilet papering or “egging” expresses dislike in a less malignant manner than personally offending the target. “The day before the big game between McCallum and LBJ a bunch of kids came to LASA, I think over night, and they spray painted McCallum things near the bus entrance and it was super obnoxious,” Monica Li said. Many such instances have occurred in the past and it seems that people view this issue loosely, particularly among Austin’s student bodies. If the students knew of the legal significance of their actions, they may not have acted in this way, but presently the student body clearly does not consider graffiti a serious offense. However, the law still forbids graffitists from working on property that they do not have legal authority over and those caught working off their own property usually end up charged with vandalism. “As with most criminal cases, I think that physical evidence and/ or witness testimony would be necessary to prove someone is guilty

of graffiti. Pursuant to the Texas Penal Code, it will have to be shown that the person made markings on the property of an individual without that individual’s consent,” Katherine Nguyen said. Graffiti becomes a heavy offense under certain circumstances,often when the graffitied property belongs to the state or federal government. Although graffiti can usually be removed overnight, even the more liberal Austinites would find themselves enraged to see it on important landmarks or monuments. While most Austinites appear to be rather indifferent towards the presence of graffiti and some even admire it, when used for personal offense, practiced on a surface that the viewer finds particularly important, or employed as a territorial marker, it loses significant value in the eyes of it’s viewers. The reasons why people practice graffiti in the first place make up a wide and varied range, but the way viewers see it is entirely up to them, and whether they place value in its presence or choose to disregard it, it’s influence continues to increase in the modern world we know today.

Spray Canned Story by Emily Pencis

GRAFFITI dominates a large portion of the downtown Austin scene. From hastily sprayed pranks to intricate full-wall murals, graffiti sprawls across downtown and seen as everything from vandalism to advertisement. However, whether such pieces deserve labeling as an artistic expression or a social disturbance sparks debate. In order to help you decide, we have compiled a selection of various examples from across the city, along with commentary from those most affected by the presence of this oddly cultural appearance.

For more visit: http://austintxgraffiti.blogspot. com/

1 Carver Branch Library Taken by Emily Pencis

The George Washington Carver Library, located in downtown Austin, serviced African American citizens before any other in Austin. Originally painted in 1986 by John Fisher, the mural depicts the rich cultural history of the area in and around the neighborhood.

2 Barton Springs Greenbelt Taken by Emily Pencis

Found on a natural cavern in the Austin greenbelt, this piece recently contributes to the growing collection of citywide graffiti. The interior of the cave smells of beer, cigarettes and vanilla candles, all of which are littered across the rocks. A resident places a call about the graffiti just outside the entrance. He seems far from pleased.

45th Street

Taken by Emily Pencis

In Texas, because the law considers street signs federal property, tagging them with graffiti corresponds as a federal offense. However, this particular tag, located along 45th Street headed towards Mopac, has greeted drivers for almost a year with its subtle commentary, “stop all war“.

Jo’s Coffeehouse Taken by Kerri Morin

This was spray painted on the side of Jo’s Coffee downtown by the owner Liz Labert’s girlfriend to cheer her up after a bad day. Many engagement photos featured it and it attracted customers to the shop until, as Austinite Paula Forbes said, “some jerk had to go and tag it, and the owners painted over the whole thing”. Shortly afterwards, the creator, Amy Cook returned in order to repaint the message.

Sources: http://austin.eater.com/ http://www.austinphotobook.com/ http://library.austintexas.gov/

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Creativity The Degree of

Story by James Asghar

What are the benefits of an arts degree in a world that is run by technology? 21

he arts field has numerous amounts of applications and uses in the world of today. Although, over the past fifty years or so the amount of people that graduate in the arts field has declined. As the world is on the road to a more hi-tech society, technology jobs have started paying higher than art degrees and parents have gotten increasingly scared of the arts field, as they do not believe it will lead their children to a economically stable life. As Mark Thoma, from the University of Oregon said, “I think there is a reason for the shift away... based liberal arts education to more focused training.” The quote above states that even from a professional standpoint, the economic output of standard liberal arts should be transferred to a more focused field, due to the fact that the support for schools has fallen due to states pumping a lot more money into the technology field. The main issue of why the arts field is losing people starts when most candidates are quite young, as many parents do not seem as forgiving as some and they do not want them to continue down the arts path, or if they

do, they want them to have at least a job that combines both the sciences and the arts. For example, Saeeda Buzzeo, a manager for Made Well, arrived at her current profession after almost 5 years of university. “My father told me to take...architecture classes, but I decided to just go for a full arts degree.” From a very young age she had loved art, but her father, an engineering major, wanted her to have a more economically stable future, which he believed to be in the technology field. During college, she had worked, part-time, at the Austin branch of Made Well for about 2 years before graduating. She had originally thought she would work for an arts studio as she graduated on an arts degree and not a fine arts degree. She knew that her options were not the most broad when it came to career choosing as she knew she would not be able to make a living off of sculpting, or photography, unless she poured years into creating a portfolio that would give her a better reputation, or unless she signed on as an artist’s assistant. Not wanting to do this, she instead turned to the fashion industry,

where she finds herself today. She used her arts degree to become the fashion coordinator for over 5 stores on top of her manager position. The arts field is dwindling in people as the world gets more and more hi-tech. The highest paid art jobs have a root in math and science in the profession. Multi-media designers and architects are some of the highest paid jobs that still have the core of the job in the arts field. But, in the end people must still have to use math and science, which is true for many things, but when turning to numbers, a lot of potential creativity disappears. Although the light still exists at the end of the tunnel, as the creation of many jobs that need artists. Game designers and marketing managers need the help of artists for their products to sell, and other jobs such as animation studios, such as Dreamworks Animation and Pixar, need so many artists to keep the movies feeling fresh and keep themselves the leading animators in their field. Returning to the architecture field, many people, such as Daniel Pyrek, love this field,

Architecture requires many people to help formulate the building or area that must be built.

Art By: US Mission Geneva (bottom left page), Carol M. Highsmith (top right), Jean-Christophe BENOIST (middle-right), James Asghar (cover)

Picture of Downtown D.C. where Ms. Buzzeo’s store is located to the far right.

A structure that has a lot of creativity and still has many uses.

because even though they can’t go crazy and build a building that looks like a ball with 50,000 spikes, there is still many great things about the field, as it still has many of its roots in the arts field, and combines many of the good things about the sciences as well. Daniel Pyrek has always wanted to be an architect, because of his

love for both the arts and science field. “...I was always in an atmosphere with a bunch of other architects,” from a very young age Daniel had loved the arts and really wanted to do something with it, taking multiple art classes throughout his previous school life. Many people like Saeeda and Daniel really love the arts field and are getting crafty in their use of it. Even though

painting may not be the highest paying job, the skills required are able to fill numerous jobs that are being created, and many former applications of the arts field are being transformed into new jobs that have only really popped up over the past few years.

PRISMACOLORS straight to the point!