Julie Green's Exhibit: Thank God I'm Home by Kaitlyn Arroyo

Kaitlyn Arroyo

Self Image: I

Professor Cacoilo

March 25th, 2022

Kaitlyn Arroyo, Pastries a Delight!, 2022

Food plays a big factor in our lives: we need it for malnutrition and our survival. Desserts are my favorite treat because they are rewarding after a long day of work. This is a chocolate mousse cake made with cocoa powder for that extra sweetened flavor. This chocolate filling will make your tastebuds crave for more! My take on Julie Green's First Meals series is that these people who were once prisoners got a rewarding dish that was important to them, or something they've haven't tasted in years. I would pick a dessert because they are an edible delicacy and something I would order from my favorite restaurant. 

Julie Green's Exhibit

    Contemporary Artist Julie Green created an exhibition called: Thank God I’m Home which is based on the series First Meals that is presented in the Lemmerman Gallery. Based on the paintings that were shown, the labels were used to document Green’s journey of diving into the background of these prisoners who were wrongfully accused of a crime they did not commit. The idea for this exhibit was to show off the celebratory meals that they asked for when they got out of prison after their 10+ year sentences. Many of these people choose fast food options because you can’t get that sort of luxury in prison, so it lets the viewer feel connected to the piece and share that sense of familiarity. Green grew up in Japan which influenced her work to have an Asian aesthetic that symbolized old Japanese prints. One thing that was noted is that she used acrylic paint which was colored down to give it a watercolor effect. 

    The two paintings that captivated my attention the most were Whopper, Fries, and Thorn (2020) and Blind Faith for Juan Rivera (2019). These both share a little backstory that needs to be viewed deeper by reading the label description. In the Burger King painting, the Tyvek landscape is embroidered in this gold and this bronze paint which strikes royalty. The round circle in the center symbolizes a plate that the meal is sitting on and surrounding the plate is an inscribed typography that was used in medieval times. Acrylic, palladium leaf, silk, cotton, and glow-in-the-dark paper were used in this piece that gave the fries a felt texture that looked real. Now, looking the text at the bottom of the piece it reads: “17 years on death row, 1st meal on the outside then thrown up.” This could be depicted in numerous ways. Now the meaning isn’t always literal but there could have been a connection between this person and the burger king franchise. At first, the piece feels kind of light at the fact they can’t eat burger king after not having it in 20 years, but maybe as a kid, they had a relationship and this was their comfort meal.              

    In Blind Faith for Juan Rivera, acrylic on Tyvek paper, silk, glow-in-the-dark thread, Copic marker, turmeric dye, and garam marsala were used to create this piece. These were almost the same materials used as the previous painting except for the Illinois flag which is embedded in the center to symbolize where the prisoner lived. There are tons of religious aspects as the painting seems to emphasize the divine trinity of three main important parts that make up this person’s story. On the left-hand side, the person is blinded by this imprisonment, feeling that there is no escaping, and essentially losing all hope in humanity. However, the right-hand side depicts a much better outcome after being released from the sentence. Juan is now a free man with the same rights that you and I share. He is finally able to live for himself and looks forward to what the future has in store. His first meal out of prison was emphasized to be something with spice, which is the reason the spice packet is the central importance of the painting. In prison, the food tastes very bland and is handled without any care because these were criminals that people served to. No sympathy was shown for these individuals. He quotes:  “I don’t really remember but it was full of spices and flavor and the food was beautiful. I wanted flavors, there you don’t get any flavors.”

    Green passed away on Tuesday, October 12th after her long battle against ovarian cancer. She was a beacon of light for the art community and touched the lives of many individuals with her contributions. Friends quoted her as “A beautiful woman” and someone quoted from the Concord community that: “Her heart was incredibly generous. She knew the impact she had upon things and the Concord community, but she was humble about it. I loved her, and she knew that way before she passed.” These random strangers that she documented showed how completely alienated someone must feel when they’re in prison, and once they’re released having to adapt to this unknown environment that they were set aside from for a long period of time. Being put away from society made these people depressed, suffered from mental health, and have poorer sleep quality. Many of these we’ve all experienced at some point in our life but are able to snap back to reality with the help of our loved ones. Prisoners didn’t have anyone to care for them, and those cast off unrightfully only had a strand of hope to hold onto. 

             Whopper, Fries, and Thorn (2020)                               Blind Faith for Juan Rivera (2019)   

"Good manners must be invisible, they are the 'very art that appeareth not to be art." (Finkelstein 78)

When people view you, it shouldn't be apparent that you're a nice or bad person. There are many people that are quick to judge an individual by their appearance alone and never converse to get to know them for who they truly are inside. This relates to Julie Green's work because many of the prisoners that she documented were pleaded innocent after serving long sentences. They finally found the justice they deserved but at what cost? They already lost half of their life and started over on a clean slate. Without the court system, we wouldn't be hearing any of these stories that are prominent today. 

"The compositional unity of a painting contributes fundamentally to the power of its image, but here the composition is written as though it were in itself the emotional charge of the painting." (Berger 13) 

Composition in a painting relates to how different forms of mediums are set aside, but generally come together as a whole, making it the most structurally pleasing and appealing to the viewer. With the use of color and symbolic imagery, we can get an insight into Green's work on where the person came from, their nationality, and a little of the artist shines through the work to make it more unique. 

"The history of the tradition, as it is usually taught, teaches us that art prospers if enough individuals in society have a love for art. What is a love of art?" (Berger 84)

Art undeniably makes the world go round. It is about reclaiming the space and making it yours. If everyone comes to appreciate art, then maybe everyone will enjoy the little things in life. Art retells a story based on personal experiences and shows passion for something that is truly "loved". In Julie Green's work, she teaches that with art in the world a story could be portrayed in numerous ways just by the stylistic choices and usage of patterns and color schemes. 

"Thank God, I'm Home" Julie Green Exhibition - Nicolette Capua

 

Nicolette Capua, A Love for Pasta, 2022

     If I had experienced what many of these wrongly accused prisoners experienced and finally was let out of jail, the celebratory meal I would want is homemade spaghetti. This is because of my Italian heritage. I grew up loving to eat pasta since my family aways makes it on Sundays. It is definitely my comfort food because it reminds me of home. It holds sentimental value to me because my dad always says "he makes it with love". 

                                                                   

                                                                         Julie Green's Exhibit

     Julie Green is an artist best known for making paintings about fashion, food, and capital punishment. Julie created an exhibition called “Thank God, Im Home” which is based off of the series First Meals. In this series Julie Green got to hear the backgrounds and understand the stories of prisoners who were wrongfully accused of murder. The purpose of this exhibit was to show the first meals these people asked for when they were released from their 10 plus year sentence in jail. A lot of these people asked for fast food meals because they were not able to get that in prison. The primary reason for this is that when they entered jail they were very young and fast food was safe and familiar to them. Julie Green also made her audience feel connected to these paintings with fast food drawings because we all grew up enjoying fast food even though it is unhealthy. In addition to this Green's work extends past these people's individual meals and speaks up for the wide majority of wrongfully imprisoned people.
    The first painting that caught my eye was the Whopper, Fries, and Then, 2020 painting by Julie Green. This Burger King painting is presented on a Tyvek landscape. Various shades of gold and bronze are used to symbolize a higher power in this painting. The landscape is cut out to appear like a plate that a fast food meal can be placed on. In an effort to make the painting appear to be more realistic and to stand out Green uses acrylic, palladium leaf, silk, cotton, paper, and glow-in- the- dark coloring. On the bottom of the plate we see the words “17 on death row, 1st meal on the outside then threw up”. This can have many different meanings, but I feel since an unhealthy meal was the first thing he ate right out of prison, this could have contributed to him feeling ill and vomiting. Furthermore, this demonstrates how the Burger King franchise and all other fast food places are not good for your health and can lead to various complications or ailments. This meal may have been this person's favorite food, thus why he wanted to have it after his tenure in prison.
    This painting portrays several messages about identity, social injustice, law enforcement, incarnation, and power. These people were taken into prison at a very young age and were stripped of their childhood. This person choosing to have Burger King as his celebratory meal out of prison shows how he still associates the outside world with his childhood. Burger king was a childhood meal to him so it was easily the first meal he would think of when stepping out of prison. The failure of law enforcement to correctly identify the innocence of this child shows the corruptness of the modern day justice system. They hold too much power over the citizens to be able to afford making false accusations. These personal narratives highlight larger questions and raise awareness about justice and history. They show us how detrimental it was to these people to be taken away for something they never did. I believe this work is activist because it is prompting change in the justice system and speaking up for these people who were silenced and put away by law enforcement.
    Another painting that caught my eye was called At Home With Family, 2021. What drew me in right away was the color purple used in the painting. This painting has acrylic, fabric, thread, 24K gold, and glow in the dark paint on a Tyvek landscape. In the painting through a house’s window we see a family eating at the dinner table. The story behind this painting is about a black male who was wrongfully imprisoned and when he got out, his celebratory meal he wanted was a home cooked meal with his family. I personally can connect to this because I understand how comforting it is to be able to sit down with everyone in your family to eat and converse with each other. This is a time to reconnect with your loved ones. This person probably missed their family very much and wanted to have a healthy meal at the comfort of his home. In the painting Green chose a fukinuki yatai “blown away roof” Japanese bird's eye perspective to show the family sharing a meal. I thought this was a very interesting approach to the story as it truly draws the audience in and gives us a different view on the house.
    The message this painting gives off about identity, social justice, law enforcement, incarnation, and power is how flawed the justice system is. This person chose to have a home cooked meal instead of eating out, thus showing his familiarity with the warm nature of his family. The social justice system has caused this person to lose time with his family that he now has to make up. These personal narratives highlight larger questions and raise awareness about justice and history by making the audience feel empathetic towards the man. Illustrating his family sitting at the table eating together makes the audience reconcile with the man as he attempts to enjoy the family time he rightfully deserved but was not subjected to due to the chaotic state of the law enforcement system. I believe this work is activist because it is encouraging others to take note of what law enforcement is taking away from us civilians. This painting is a great way to show people what has been happening in the world and that we should take a stand to stop social injustice in society.

Julie Green, Whopper, Fries, and Then, 2020

Julie Green, At Home With Family, 2021

Quotes:

The Art of Self Invention 
By Joanne Finkelstein

“Manners are about strategies of social exclusion; they define the individual's thresholds of tolerance, of what is acceptable or not.” (Finkelstein 78).

    Sometimes it could feel like society is testing you, and it is hard to be your true self. Society's standards can affect people in many ways, and it can all affect our mental health tremendously. Manners show us someone's personality right away. It can tell us who they really are as a person.


Ways of Seeing

By John Berger 

"The history of the tradition, as it is usually taught, teaches us that art prospers if enough individuals in society have a love for art. What is a love of art?" (Berger 84)

    Without art the world would be boring. Art allows us to express ourselves and tell stories we may not be comfortable saying out loud. Julie Greens work illustrates the stories of prisoners who were wrongfully accused of murder and tells us their first meals they picked when they got out of prison. Her work is an example of how art is a great way to inform others about issues as well as express our own feelings.


"And the painter in him - who is both and less than the old man - has found the means to express just that, using a medium which had been traditionally developed to exclude any such question." (Berger 112).

    Expressing yourself through paint should come naturally. Painting is a way to relax and tell your truth through your art. It gives us the freedom to feel however we want to feel. Once you know who you are as a person then you will be able to become more passionate about art.

A Conversation With Myself - Self Portrait Collage Project

 

A Conversation With Myself - Amy Castellon

“Like money, and like fashion, identity itself was in danger of coming out of commercializing smelting kiln without real substance, referent, or real value (Wahrman, 2004: 208).” (Finklestein, 81)

“She has to survey everything she is and everything she does because how she appears to others, and ultimately how she appears to men, is crucial importance for what is normally thought as the success of her life.” (Berger)

My piece is called "A Conversation with Myself". I feel that this is a piece that many people can relate to. Using a designed piece of paper with a trippy background to represent one's subconscious, I placed two individuals standing across from each other, having a conversation. One person is the child version of the other. As children we often don't think about the way we're perceived by society and the people around us. We only thought about what made us happy and we went with it without a second thought. I placed items such as flowers and colorful insects surrounding the child to show her innocence. The child is also portrayed as pink and a light blue, bright colors to also signify her bright and happiness. However, as we grow up society takes its toll on us with its cruelty. The adult is surrounded by a cloud of dark blue with words lingering around the adult while speaking to their younger self. The adult has different patterns and dark colors on them to show how much negative impacts have taken a toll on them. By making this piece, I wanted to show how much society and people change us as we grow, that our younger selves probably wouldn't even recognize their adult themselves. 

Life of Mel

My inspiration for my collage came from seeing the works of all three artists, Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and Wangechi Mutu. I was also inspired by the fact that it is Women’s History month in March and wanted to incorporate that into my collage with a slight twist. Yes, I wanted to include objects that make up a strong woman, but I also wanted to include things that specifically make me an empowered woman. I included things that build me up, such as my dog, my sister, hobbies that I enjoy, as well as words that I feel describe me. 

When taking a look at my collage, I really wanted each thing to have some sort of meaning. The cartoon-like bright posts were inspired by Andy Warhol’s art style, the sunflower’s that I distributed throughout the collage were inspired by Wangechi form of style. Her form of style gives off happiness and is very feminine. Whenever I look at her work, I cannot help but think about how it reminds me of flowers. I also decided to paint the background of my canvas pink so that her form of work could shine through some more. As for Michel Basquiat, I wanted my title to really stand out, so I decided to do graffiti letters for it.

Lastly, I decided to use washy tape to hold up my pictures as opposed to gluing them onto my canvas because the tape has a really big significance in all of this. I wanted the audience to see the tape holding my pictures, because I feel like sometimes we look at what is really holding art up and we might label it as looking “messy” or we would prefer to not see the glue so that it gives it a cleaner look. But, when I talk about being an empowered woman and being strong, I never deny the fact that I have my “weak” moments. It is because of everything that I included in my collage that I am the strong woman I am today, and it is holding me together. The tape also signifies flaws and imperfection which I am not trying to hide. 

 

 

4 Quotes 

“The one thing that’s always missing — I think it’s part of the trauma — is the personal element. My parents don’t often talk about their experiences in terms of how it made them feel”

This quote made me realize just how much the aftermath of trauma is overlooked. I think it’s important for us and our parents to talk about such experiences to finally move forward and heal. 

 

““The work of these women is immense. The regard for them is not.” 

When reading this I was reminded how little recognition women would get and how some those unfair treatments are still seen today.

 

“We are increasingly self-conscious and alert to how others are looking at us”

I relate to this a lot because for the longest time I cared more about the way in which others saw me more than the way that I saw myself. Over the course of years, I have moved away from this unhealthy mindset and starting to love myself more and uplift myself as opposed to tear myself down. 

 

“The well-mannered individual should not laugh too loudly, should not scratch, or sit with their legs splayed out, neither should individuals clean their teeth with a knife, nor cough when others are speaking."

Going back to my other reaction, I feel like we are told to act a certain way or judged to harshly simply for being human which causes us to become self-conscious. 

Self Love - Riya Bhajan

 

Artist Statement: 

    
The artwork I created is artistically inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat and his motif of the “crown” that appears frequently in his artwork. There is no fixated meaning as to why Basquait included a crown into most of his artwork, it could be that he wanted to depict himself as king or to acknowledge the people who influence him through his art, or lastly, to portray his ambition to become great. I interpret and admire the meaning of crown being Basquait’s way of portraying his ambition to become something great. I believe Basquiat used the crown in his art as a way of manifesting his success as a young artist by confidently crowning himself. “It would be no big surprise to learn that the same artist who had self-image issues, struggled to find inner peace, and lingering self-doubt would crown himself. Expressing the special nature about himself through his art may have been a way for him to show the world what he believed to be true about his place in the world while reassuring himself of the same thing.” (IncredibleArt) This concept of knowing your self-worth and your ability to succeed is what inspired my artwork “Self-Love” 

Constantly viewing advertising, fashion, and social media makes it easy for us to compare ourselves. From the way we look to what we have achieved so far in life compared to others, it all makes it difficult to be happy with what you already have. I believe a way of solving (or at least maintaining) this issue of comparing yourself to others is to develop inner confidence of knowing your self-worth. Loving who you are despite the circumstances. It’s easier said than done, but when you make yourself the main focus of your life and be happy with who you already are and what you already have, the lives of other people won’t bother you or affect your confidence. The goal of my artwork is to showcase the importance of self-love. Self-love is a concept that I am still learning and achieving but it’s something I know is completely possible.

Quotes: 

1.  Art materializes the imagination; it turns objects into surfaces that can be overwritten by the imagination. Advertising achieves the same" (page 152)

2. We are increasingly self-conscious and alert to how others are looking at us. Indeed, thinking about how others see us is an engrossing preoccupation. Pop psychology has made ‘people-watching’ and the search for ‘motives’ into respectable pastimes. (page

3. Fashion might suggest that we share the aesthetic values that circulate around desirable objects but, more often than not, these standards elude us. The ‘real’ body is an obdurate reality that resists the promises of fashion. (page 190)

4. When we come to see ourselves through the eyes of others, to evaluate our lifestyle and possessions in relative terms and in comparison with prevailing fashions, then a new level of significance is added to our social experiences. We become self-consciously aware of the other’s importance in defining our own identity-" (page 195)

Alanna Ciarlandini - Collage Self Portrait Project

 

"2014" Alanna Ciarlandini

Jean Michel- Basquiat

Mikalene Thomas

Inspired by the works of Jean Michel Basquiat artwork "2014" is made up of an old journal I used to write diary entries in when I was younger. I like to think of it as the visual representation of a teen girl's mind judged not by the images but by the chaos and randomness of the images which represents how vast the mind can be. This project addresses the themes we have been discussing such as fighting stereotypes and cherishing the differences we come across whether it be our own issues or others. Advertising, fashion, and media play a role in identity and cultural and societal norms because they influence our view of ourselves and each other. The artists and their art help aid us in a visual understanding of themes presented throughout our daily lives and past experiences. 

"Thomas’s jazzy photomontages of women’s limbs and facial features can be construed as commentary on how female bodies are brutally picked apart in contemporary visual culture."

Females are often stereotyped in society and Mikeleine Thomas uses her particular style of art to bring awareness to that. The different components of her artwork represent the counterparts and ideas centered around the female image. Females should not just be viewed as mere objects and they should not be judged for whatever they decide to do and how they want to live their lives. 

"The way in which each sees the other confirms his own view of himself." (Berger)

Berger makes this statement to describe the relationship between two people unequal in power. This quote can refer to seeing one another in real life or as an interpretation in art. When people see a certain group of people portrayed as confident, powerful, and well-presented others may believe that they are inferior to them. I feel like these thoughts and interpretations speak for the mindset and being of the person who developed them. 

"What is a love of art?" 

Berger discusses how both artists and viewers use art to discover the means of life. So what is a love of art? Is loving art appreciating the messages artists put behind their works? Is loving art admiring something that we find pleasurable to look at? There are many answers to Berger's proposed question but what we do know is that art is found in all forms and in none. Art can be whatever a person wants it to be. There is no constant or "right" form of art which is what makes the characterization and usage of the word art so wonderful and expansive. 

"And the painter in him - who is both and less than the old man - has found the means to express just that, using a medium which had been traditionally developed to exclude any such question." (Berger)

Art is often seen as a reflection of the artist's emotions and thoughts. Creating works of art is a form of self-expression that can not only help the artists come to terms with what issues have been on their mind but also be a help to the people who view their work as well. 

Donovan Arroyo "My Earth" Collage

 

    Drawing inspiration from Jean-Michel Basquiat's "Earth" painting, I decided to do my own collage of people, my friends and my pets who help and inspire me throughout my life. Basquiat's "Earth" painting is a simple capture of our planet with a single outline on top of an expressive flurry of brown paint. This is an example of his style "Neo-Expressionism" 

    I decided to do my own take of Basquiat's painting by naming my project "My Earth". I used a blue poster board, different sets of letters and pictures I had on my phone. I made the outline of the earth with the lettering and inside my earth is people who shaped me into the person I am today. I used the theme of self identity because people struggle finding themselves as they grow up and in turn damage their self esteem. If you have a low self-image or low self-esteem, you may not perceive yourself a valuable asset in life and in turn not define yourself as a valuable individual. It is important to have a positive self-image and high self-esteem when creating your self-identity. Your self-identity can be shaped by your friends, family and significant other. By using the words friends, family, love, pets and baseball on my poster board, I acknowledge those things as what made me the person I am today. They inspire me to keep on the right track and always have my goals in mind. Social media plays a huge impact of self identity and self-esteem. Understanding that what you see on social media is edited and fake can help you garner an understanding that you don't need to compete with anyone else except yourself.