Wall and Piece, Banksy

The book I chose to review is Wall and Piece by Banksy.  There are a number of photographers that are featured in this book documenting the artwork of graffiti artist "Banksy."  The main photographer is Steve Lazarides who has managed to capture the underground world of street art.  The book tells us about the work of a man whose identity is unknown, but his artwork is prolific.  Banksy's art is found on walls all over the world, mainly in the UK, but is also found in Berlin, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Paris, Palestine, Vienna, and Bethlehem.  Banksy uses elaborate stencils to put his art on walls more quickly and efficiently.  In the book he says he came up with the idea after running from the police and hiding under a truck for hours.  As he lay under the truck he realized that if he wanted to be successful, then he would need to cut the time it took him to paint his art in half.  This is when he saw the stenciled VIN number on the bottom of the truck.  This is when he realized he could use the same idea in his line of work.  This breakthrough is what has made him the most elusive graffiti artist in the world.  

The book shows all of the artwork Banksy has done up until 2007.  Since what Banksy does is technically illegal his art does not stay up very long, which is why he has a photographer with him to document.  When the UK government polled the public as to whether or not they should keep Banksy's work on the walls or not, there was an overwhelming amount of people that wanted the work to stay so now his art is kept on walls in England instead of removed which was the previous option.  

Banksy's art deals with a number of political and social themes, including anti-war, anti-capitalism, anarchism, nihilism, anti-authority and existentialism.  His work ranges from paintings, to drawings and stencil graffiti.  He has actually snuck his own paintings into Art Museums like the Tate Gallery in London and the Brookyn Museum.  Some of his art was taken down immediately and others stayed up for weeks because no one notices.  

Banksy remains anonymous because he says that the art is important not the artist.  Too many people are concerned with the artist and not the art, so his reason for remaining anonymous is partly because his "job" is illegal and also he wants the art to belong to the people and the street not to the artist.  Overall this book is very interesting and I would recommend it to anyone interested in art.    

Gesu School

On Monday, March 7 I sat down and talked with Janet Maldonado, the reading specialist at the Gesu School who is employed by the District of Philadelphia.  Janet's job entails that she does "early intervention" which means that she tests all the students in grades K through 3 to see if they are on path with the rest of the students.  The test is called the "Dibble Test" and it is designed to target the students who are struggling with their work and take those students and give them extra help in learning the basics such as math and reading.  Janet has about 42 students who come see her in small groups of six to ensure the extra attention that is needed is received.  Janet's formal training for this job was getting her Master's in reading.  She decided to go back an get her Masters after some previous teaching jobs she had made her realize the need for a reading specialist in the younger grades.
The greatest current need for the Gesu School that is not met by the Philadelphia School District is the need for more self contained special education outside the classroom.  The 45 minutes a day that is currently being offered and run by Janet is not enough.  The most positive support received by the Gesu that is a direct result of the Philadelphia School District is Janet herself.  Also they receive laptops, computer assisted instruction which help with math and reading.
The expectations Janet has for the future of her students is that they will be on the same reading level as the rest of their class and they will be on target to graduate and move on to a good high school.

Killa Cam

Camille is a sophomore from San Juan, Puerto Rico.  She is an English major, she loves writing spanish poetry and listening to all kinds of music.  Next year she plans on studying abroad in Belgium.  Camille is very close with her family.  Her primary language is Spanish and she also speaks French.  She has traveled to a bunch of different places like France, Amsterdam, Italy, Spain and wants to travel to South America.  Camille is a happy person who likes to meet new people.  Her favorite color is orange because she feels it "defines" her by being bright, vibrant and outgoing.  She likes helping others, she does weekly service and also teaches French to students in Kensington.  Camille is very smart and can touch her nose with her tongue!  

This project taught me how to use a camera in some different ways.  The process was not difficult once I knew what I was supposed to be doing.  The assignment also gave me some experience in interviewing and photographing someone I did not know.    

Gallery 339

The After Prom exhibit was very interesting, the whole Prom experience is rarely captured on film and it is really cool that Martine Fougeron was able to get this inside look on what actually happens at Prom parties.  I was not sure what to expect when going to the gallery, but what immediately struck me was the simplicity of the layout.  White walls and picture frames, it is simple yet effective enough to capture your attention.  The film upstairs was very cool, it gave some background and meaning to the pictures for me.  Before I watched the film in the upstairs of the gallery, I was not sure who these kids were and if they were just set up for an almost fake prom party, but the movie gave some life to the pictures for me.  After I realized that the photographer was taking pictures of her son's prom party the exhibit kind of blew me away in that I couldn't believe these high school students would want to have their party documented.  The exhibit had some themes of reckless sort of carefree teenage behavior that is expected at prom parties.

The photo I liked the most was Adrien's Red Drizzle.  The picture has a cool contrast of colors with the red of the umbrella and the grass and trees.  This picture also captures the day after a long night of drinking when you wake up at someone else's house and the only cure is your own bed.  His face in this picture sums up the feeling of a long night.