Cultural Event #1

This past evening I attended a concert hosted by the music departments entitled "Tuba Voce: Tales from the Gay Tuba Songbook". The concert was select pieces performed by Dr. Daniel Burdick from Edinboro University. 

Dr. Burdick started the evening talking about how he also hid the fact that he was gay until he attended a concert one night. he said that this concert an African American women was singing tradition spirituals in order to get in touch with her past and with herself. He said at this moment he realized that he should not hide who he really was but express it instead. The collection of works in his performance were his was of expressing his inner self rather than hiding it from the world.

Dr. Burdick started the performance with a recitation of "Live Oak, with Moss No. 6" by Walt Whitman. He then played selected pieces from "Songs from the AIDS Quilt Songbook", a few spirituals, a selected Vivaldi piece, and a few works from "Songs from the Gay Tuba Songbook". Between each piece spoke about civil rights, equality, his past struggles with his sexuality, and other stories, insights, and reflections from his past experiences. 

The most moving part of the evening was when we played the Tuba Spirituals. While he played each song, a slideshow newspaper clippings of recent hate crimes against the LGBTA community was displayed. The evening ended with a slideshow of pictures of gay couples who were finally able to be married the day California passed the law allowing gay marriage. Every single person in the pictures had faces of immense joy and relief as they were finally able to do something that they have been denied for many years. 

Overall, the evening was very moving and very worthwhile.  Dr. Burdick opened my eyes to many struggles the LGBTA community faces. Every day they are denied things that many straight people take from granted, they are ridiculed, shunned, and are abused and killed just because of their sexual orientation. The most striking thing I took away from the evening was a quote by Martin Luther King Jr's widow, Coretta King: "I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people and I should stick to the issue of racial justice," she said. "But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King Jr. said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'" "I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream to make room at the table of brother- and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people," This  quote caused me to realize that the fight for civil rights and social equality is not over and that when most people think of civil rights they think of race, the issue goes far beyond race alone. 

We Are...

At first, listening to the NPR podcast was a little strange. It was odd to hear the streets and buildings I see every day described on national radio. As the piece moved on however, I eased into it and thought that it was very well done but did not shine a very good light on Penn State.

Penn State is a party school. There is no denying that. All you have to do is walk on the blue or white loop on any given weekend night and smell the alcohol or listen to the crowds of singing, crying, or puking people. The piece pointed this out specifically as they went on the bus to talk to some drunk freshman girls. The piece also pointed out the darker sides of partying when the talked about the injuries of the wing delivery man, the vandalism and break ins, and the death of Joe Dado. 

When the piece talked about the administration trying to combat drinking, the school was not put in the best light. When Graham Spanier publically denounced drinking, students booed him at football games. The piece also talked about Penn States countless efforts to stop drinking. They then mention The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's successful efforts in curbing student drinking. This part of the piece makes the reader feel bad for the women who is trying to stop drinking here at Penn State, but also makes us seem helpless and  unable to stop the drinking problem here. 

The most memorable part of the piece for me was when the writers of the piece were at the tailgate. Strangers were giving each other drinks and food as Alumni and students were tailgating together. The author of the piece said that there was a wholesome atmosphere to all of the drinking. That football, drinking, and unity among Alumni and students is just part of the Penn State culture. One of the titles of the acts was "A Drinking School with a Football Problem". This part of the piece made drinking at Penn State seem like it was not only the students but the Alumni drinking in an almost harmless and innocent way. 

To me there is no doubt that we are a party school. When the piece first pointed out the girls peeing, the removed stop sign, drunk kid in the house, and countless other things students have done I was disturbed that they showed our school in the light. I then thought to things that I have seen downtown or on frat row on the weekends and realized that while these acts are not the case for every students, there are always the very drunks select few who will do crazy stupid things. 

While I know that the majority of the student body drinks and often drinks a little too much, that is not how I would like our school to be known. We at Penn State have some business, food science, agriculture, meteorology, and many other programs that are ranked in the top five in the entire country. We have superior sports programs (besides football of course) that house national champions and world Olympic hopefuls. We have a great research and arts programs of which many revolutionary breakthroughs have come out, like the Armsby Calorimeter and the first birth control pill. We have a huge alumni base, a generally friendly student body, and an unbelievable sense of unity and pride in all we have. Penn State offers students countless possibilities and gives us chances that other schools just are not able to. So yes, Penn State is a party school and many people in the public view it only as so. Recent events have placed Penn state in an even shadier light after the whole football scandal. We as students need to remind the public of all  great academic programs , athletic teams, opportunities, and student  fellowship Penn State has so we can once again be viewed in a positive light. 

What defines art?

What defines Art? When most people think of art they think of pieces one would find in an art museum; paintings, sculptures, and other untouchable, impracticable decorations. These pieces are ways to look in the past and experience cultures and emotions of which we may not be familiar with. Although art has been in our culture and our history for ages, no one seems to be able to place an exact definition with the word.  Google defines art as "The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture". I think that this definition does not encompass of the true values of art. 


I would define art as any creative form that someone uses to express their emotions, culture, and self to others. I think that art a way in which people can express their feeling and share their culture to others in a creative, self enlightening way. Art is a release that allows people to share something about themselves with the outside world. Most pieces in art museums are beautiful, but also have a very haughty and expensive feel. I am often afraid to move in these museums in fear of damaging a million dollar piece of cloth. While the pieces in these museums are great I do not think they are the only forms that can be considered art.  Every day we pass hundreds  pieces of art without realizing it. Dance, graffiti, doodles, yoga, poetry, paintings, letters, music, fashion. These are just some of the thousands of forms art can take. Art does not have to be beautiful, expensive, or even attractive, as long as the artist was able to express what they wanted in a way that makes them happy. 


The piece of art I chose is a particular series of postcards. I few years ago my friend gave me a Postsecret book. Each page of the book had a postcard on it. Each postcard contained a secret. Some secrets were elaborately drawn with beautiful calligraphy and paintings while some were simply scribbled on the card with a black sharpie. Even though some were more visually pleasing than others, they all had a similar raw emotional effect. I later learned that Postsecret is a fairly well known program. People send in their anonymous postcards in to one guy as a way to finally let out their secrets they haven't been able to express to any other human being.  What started as a simple experiment is now has a touring art exhibit, blow, twitter, and multiple books. While some of the postcards are very "artfully" created and some are just sticky notes tapes to a piece of cardboard I consider all of them art, for they all allow the writers to express themselves in a way they were unable to before.

Postsecret google image

postsecret blog/history site

Palmer Visit

picture from: http://www.michaelrosenfeldart.com/images/image.php?i=9601

The Corn Dance by Edward Laning, American, oil on canvas 30X40 inches

The above piece is about the intrusion of outsiders and tourists and a coveted yearly New Mexican Ritual. In the Middle background of the picture there are Native New Mexicans doing a yearly corn dance ritual. In the foreground of the picture is a group of people who look like tourists. They are dressed in beach attire, drinking, playing games, lying on beach umbrellas, and look like they are ready for a day at Ocean City. These tourists are kicking New Mexicans out of their seats while the native people watching the dance look concerned, annoyed, or confused.

This piece was painted in 1937. The Corn Dance the New Mexicans are doing in the painting above has been performed for centuries but came into the public eye at this time. Outsiders saw this dance as a vacation and started to go to see it. The outsiders made a spectacle of it, dressing inappropriately, invading the citizens' space, and they treated this beloved ritual as a form of entertainment, expecting the native citizens to cater to them. I believe that the painter of this piece wanted to illustrate that we, as tourists, have invaded local spaces, have acted inappropriately, and have turned sacred rituals into mere jokes.

This piece makes me emphasize for the locals. The tourists are kicking locals off ladders and encroaching on their territory. The tourists have ruined the corn dance for the people who have been enjoying it for years. The tourists do not seem to appreciate the dance but just merely want a day outside. I believe that if you travel or go to someone else's town you should respect their space, their culture,and the rules. You should not expect people to move over for you but rather cater to their needs being that you are a mere visitor. The ignorance of the tourists in the painting is an embarrassingly true portrayal of many American travelers.

Edward Laning was an American Painter who lived from 1906 to the 1980's. He had is works displayed in many prominent art museums and painted murals for Ellis Island and the New York Public Libary. Many of his paintings focus on American immigrants and American life in culture in general. He was trusted and respected enough for projects in major new york monuments so I find his work very credible.

I think that the piece is claiming the ignorance and selfishness of Americans. I think it is claiming that we expect people to cater to us no matter where we go with no regards to their culture or needs. The piece shows the discomfort of the locals while making the tourists look completely ridiculous and rude. This elements make Lanings claim very persuasive.

Overall I really enjoyed the visit to the Palmer. It was a nice break from the normal classroom setting. I have been to the Palmer several times before with my family who are all big museum goers. The Palmer is a nice quiet area on campus, it is nice to relax and look at the art and have a break from homework and the tons of people on campus. I will definitely be going back again.