What was your favorite viral artwork of 2020?

What was your favorite viral artwork of 2020?

Transcript from the Take an Art Break Podcast Episode

Lauren (00:01):

Oh, nevermind.

Lisa (00:02):

Forward live.

Lauren (00:03):

Go for it. Yeah.

Lisa (00:04):

Hi everybody. Happy 2021 and happy m l k day. It’s a kind of a special day today.

Lauren (00:11):

It sure is.

Lisa (00:12):

This is our first podcast of the year.

Lauren (00:15):

So first podcast of 2021. Welcome back everybody. Lisa, why don’t you dive in and tell me what you’ve sent to me.

Lisa (00:22):

Yeah, so I found this really cool article on Art Net News and it’s called these are the most, these are, these are the 25 art projects. That social media went bananas over in 2020. And it’s the author Sarah Casone. And I thought it would be really good cuz I think a first podcast of the New Year kind of reflect on, you know, what happened. Yeah. And a lot of art. I mean, most of us were in quarantine anyways, but there was a lot of art going on and social media when Right.

Lauren (00:54):

You, you and I always take the, the month of January to sort of reflect on the prior year mm-hmm. <Affirmative> and with art moving and, you know, what our goals were, what goals we were able to reach and, and so, and then sort of moving forward what our new goals are. So I, I feel like it’s great to have the first podcast as sort of a reflection exercise. Yeah. 2021. So, cause I

Lisa (01:18):

Also think it’s it’s obviously art is a mirror and, and all these projects in this article were really based on current events, you know, what was happening in the news and people were reacting to them and kind of like processing them and even bringing them home stronger, you know?

Lauren (01:34):

Yeah. And I feel like that’s essentially what our podcast is slowly turning into, basically you and I talking about current events and how art relates to those current events that are happening, if that makes sense. It

Lisa (01:48):

Does. And it, I mean it’s obviously, it’s hot as the personal become the universal, which these art projects did. You know, they become universal and they’re speaking to a lot of people and they take it personally, but then they, it’s collectively So

Lauren (02:03):

Art. Yeah. Art is that language that everybody can understand, right? Yeah. Across the world.

Lisa (02:09):

Yes.

Lauren (02:10):

Visual. Okay. So of those 25, would you like to chat about if you had to pick a favorite, which one would it be?

Lisa (02:17):

Well, I think the one that stood out for me was it’s Kamala Harris and we’ll post the article below. But it’s her and she’s walking in. I don’t like that she’s in High Heel, so <laugh>, you know, and you know, it’s, they’re gonna get it inaugurated on Wednesday, so it’s a landmark thing that she’s a, the first African American woman to be guy. Amazing vice president. I mean, it’s, I mean, it’s so amazing. So the, the image that I love, she’s like got her power suit on, she’s walking, and then in the background, a shadow is of it’s the famous Norman Wa Rockwell painting. And that painting was called The Problem We All Have. And that, that was with a civil rights activist at Six <laugh>. Right. She was the first one to go to an all white school where they were

Lauren (03:06):

Ruby Bridges. She’s awesome. Yeah,

Lisa (03:07):

Yeah, yeah. So it’s just, I mean, I would show it to you. I’ll show it to you if you can see it. I don’t know if you can see it. Yeah. I put some notes, but it’s really powerful and to me it talks about her story and it talks about my God, what bravery, you know what I mean? Like, and what bravery to have dreams and then fulfilling those dreams. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>. So I, I, for me, it’s a very inspirational art break or art or project. And it really, it reflects cuz they, they reflect, it’s kind of multidimensional. Yeah. You know, they, they go into art history, they look at Norin Rockwall. Right. And then they juxtapose it with Kamala Harris, who’s, you know, creating her story. And the artist names are Jordan Jones and Bria Ko. So That’s cool. They were, she’s from San Francisco Young, he’s like in his sixties from Sacramento, and they collaborated together. So that’s just beautiful. I mean, so I don’t know. What do you think? What, what are your

Lauren (04:06):

Favorite I, you know, I I I love, I loved all 25 of them, and I think they all have just, just so much power and all of them. And that one’s definitely stuck out to me because I feel like there’s, I love art when there’s so much being said in such a, like a seemingly simple way. Right?

Lisa (04:31):

Right.

Lauren (04:31):

You see, you see a, you know, a woman, a shadow, but there it’s saying so much because of who that woman is, who the shadow is and, and this current time that we are living in. Yep. You know, and for me, that one basically said it was a sort of an homage to you know, we, we have a past that is helping the present and she’s walking towards the future. So it’s just all the connection of, of which I get obsessed about, like what you do every day basically makes the future for tomorrow. And so it had me kind of reeling around in that realm. And one that really stood out to me was the, the protest art hung on the the White House, the fence surrounding the White House in about June. I, I don’t remember the exact date.

Lauren (05:34):

It, it was erected. Yeah. But the ginormous fence erected around the White House. And, you know, over days after protests, the, the protest signs were hung on the fence. And over time, basically the fence turned into an outdoor gallery of people’s expression, you know, their artistic expression. And I just thought it was so powerful because it, it just kind of happened. And that the act of hanging it is, is just an artwork itself. And I’m just imagining people experiencing the act of hanging their protest poster on the wall and what that says and what that feels like, what it feels like to walk by it. Yeah. I just watched a video of someone walking by it and it was, I mean I’m over here in Oregon and I felt it everywhere in my body and just think about the whole, the whole scene as an artwork.

Lauren (06:37):

Yeah. Sort of like an experiential artwork. Yep. I love that. I, I also love that it’s just, it’s just a reminder that art is this, this powerful means of expressing those things that sometimes people don’t wanna hear, but sometimes they really, really, really need to pay attention to. And that’s what mo all those signs represented for me was just I, I love that people were able to express themselves and then more people were able to receive the message in a even more powerful way. Right. It’s like extended the, it extended the protests that were happening. And it, and it showed it in a different dimension, which is great because sometimes people don’t get it when they see a protest. They might get it when they see a bunch of signs hanging on a fence. Yeah. So I I, you know, I love art projects that don’t feel like art projects, but Totally. All our art projects <laugh>. Yeah, yeah,

Lisa (07:45):

Yeah. So Yeah. Yeah. I loved it too. I mean, it’s powerful and I can imagine going there and how potent that psychic energy because people put so much emotion, passion, they wanna see justice, you know? And so for me, that area became like a sacred, sacred space.

Lauren (08:02):

Definitely. I mean, it was like pe Yeah. It’s people leaving their entire being on a sign. Right. And their heart and hanging their heart, hanging their heart on a fence. Right?

Lisa (08:11):

Yeah. And the beautiful thing is it’s, I love it cuz it’s all, it’s, it’s about, again, it’s about me and the we. So you know what, it’s that you, you put your sign in there, that’s you, but then you become part of this we ness, which is really the movement. 

Lauren (08:27):

Yeah, well we, we talk about that a lot, right? As the, the personal becoming the universal, right. And then back, back again, that cycle that you play as an artist and artists are constantly talking about a quote unquote, they’re quote unquote audience. Who is your viewer? And how do you reach your viewer? And I always come to the conclusion that the deeper you can dig into your personal being mm-hmm. <Affirmative> like your, your personal truth, the more universal it your message becomes. Which sounds almost like an oxymoron, but in my experience, it, it always is. It’s much more powerful the more personal you can get and the more you can truly express your authentic self, the more you will be received. And I, and I think that that sense is that message, right? You, it, it was people coming together and, and creating one communal message, but it was a bunch of different voices, right. Of sending United message.

Lisa (09:30):

I love that. I love what you said about like, the more authentic you are, the more you speak your universally to the world or to the collective, right? Yes. So that means it’s like I, I come to think of, you know, we’re conditioned and then we become egos and we become separate. And I think when you, when you make art and you process it and you get really deep and you go to your core, I think you, that’s who you really are. And so it’s beautiful, you know, that people went there and I think that’s why the, the installation was so powerful because they were, they were speaking from their true, their, their heart, right? Yeah. And, and that’s when people are like, wow, there’s no difference. There’s no separation. You know? Right. We’re all unity consciousness on some level.

Lauren (10:11):

Yeah. Totally. Speaking that. Let’s let’s help some folks take an art break for a few minutes. Yeah. Minutes of our, our podcast. You know, obviously Art is Moving’s got many missions, but our major mission is to you know give you an, an art break to take. So we offer lots of different ways to take art breaks on our website and our podcast. We try to always give ideas. And so we thought we would basically take an art break with you during our podcast. And so Lisa’s got one kind of, she’s ready to guide us soon. If you’re not in a place where you can take an art break right now, that’s cool. Just save us for later and let us know how it went and how you feel and all that kind of good juicy stuff.

Lisa (10:59):

Good juicy stuff. Well, all you need for supplies is a piece of paper and a pen. Okay.

Lauren (11:05):

I

Lisa (11:05):

Got one. So what I did was I was, I was inspired by the, the artwork Kamala Harris artwork and the integration with Norman Rockwell. Right. So I, and for me, that whole message is all about empowerment and these little girls are seeing her and, you know, you can just imagine like what they’re gonna be, you know what I mean? Yeah. Cause this is kinda like setting a beautiful foundation, kind of like re reach for the stars. So I went to Norman Rockwell and the ro the Riveter, you know, you can do it. So what I’d love to do my art break on is empowerment. And you know, you can do it. So what you should do is we’re setting an intention, number one check in with yourself, how you feeling right now? Maybe close your eyes how I’m feeling. Just kind of figure that out and kind of breathe into that space. Then in the middle of your piece of paper, you can, if you have time, you can download something that inspires you. An artwork. Look at Norman Rockwell, maybe get Rosie to the river door. So in the middle of it, write down like you know, something that’s very affirmative, like, we can’t do it, or, you know, I’m a rockstar. <Laugh>, whatever. <Laugh>.

Lauren (12:28):

I’m not you, you are awesome.

Lisa (12:30):

You are awesome. There you go. And this is kinda like a vision board in a way. So what I want everybody to do is create a tree in the center and then what I want you to do is make the branches your wildest, craziest dreams. You know what do you wanna create this year? So kind of like at the base of the paper, do the trunk

Lauren (12:53):

Mm-Hmm.

Lisa (12:54):

<Affirmative> and then just kind of get into this this, you know, and I love the the symbolism of a tree. It’s growing, it’s reaching for the stars. It both have an unearth, so, so in the limbs, once you get to the limbs, you’re gonna write something, a vision, a dream, you know, cuz this is a new year and things are changing. <Laugh> things have changed. Mm-Hmm.

Lauren (13:21):

<Affirmative>.

Lisa (13:26):

So this, I’ll show you my little tree. It’s very little and this is just gonna be the, the sunlight. This is just gonna be the beginning. So you can work on this as much. This is kind of like, we’re, we’re doing this together. 

Lauren (13:37):

We’re giving you like the little spark.

Lisa (13:39):

Yeah. Yeah. Yes.

Lauren (13:46):

All right.

Lisa (13:47):

So let’s see. So then on the free trunk, not the trunk, the, the branches, you’re gonna write some affirmative visions and dreams for 2021.

Lauren (13:59):

Love it. Okay. I’ve got, so far, I have make more art. I’m gonna come up with some new recipes for my baker. Pretty excited about that. And I really miss collaborating. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative> I was doing a collaborative project at least one a year. And yeah, you know, COVID made that a little crazy, so I’m gonna, it kind of helps me remember that I missed that, so thank you.

Lisa (14:27):

Yeah, you’re welcome. I’m going to travel <laugh>, I miss traveling so much. I’m gonna travel maybe in our national parks or something, but, you know, create amazing experiences. I’m gonna make more arts. I’m gonna make a series of paintings, got a vision, love there. I’m gonna, do, you know what I wanna do? I wanna do online workshops and online retreats.

Lauren (14:54):

Oh, not

Lisa (14:55):

Yeah. With my Harmonia Institute.

Lauren (14:58):

Yeah, definitely.

Lisa (15:00):

And then I, on one of the branches, just think of something crazy. Write something like a, a big dream <laugh>, you know, like and so, you know, you can work on this as long as you want or as short as you want, and you can just use the pen. One thing that’s really cool is with pen and e you can do crosshatching, which is basically making two lines and then, you know, crosshatching, you can make dimension in it and just enjoy it. What’s your crazy dream, Lauren?

Lauren (15:39):

My crazy dream is to find so Mamamoo is a delivery sort of for baked goods. And my crazy dream would be to find a warehouse to Oh, to expand the business even further.

Lisa (15:51):

Oh, I love that. I love that.

Lauren (15:53):

Yeah. Baking is definitely one of my many art projects because it, it’s just you. I mean, baking isn’t art. You basically take a bunch of material and you squish ’em together and you make something beautiful. And also how I connect with people, it’s so many things on so many levels for me. So I love that part of my life. So it’d be awesome to be able to expand it to more people in my community.

Lisa (16:16):

I love it. I love it.

Lauren (16:17):

What about you? What’s your vision?

Lisa (16:19):

I, well, I want the, the healthiest year ever for sure. Like health is, you know, you gotta, we’re holistic beings. You gotta come into the mind, body, spirit. And I just wrote this down, I wanna be on a TED Talk with artists moving vision forever that we wanna,

Lauren (16:34):

We always talk about how we do need to do a TED talk together. Yeah, for sure.

Lisa (16:39):

So now we’re gonna kind of end this art break. And remember you can create, you can work on more on this. So I want you to close.

Lauren (16:46):

Yeah. Love it. Okay.

Lisa (16:48):

We’re gonna end it. We’re gonna close your eyes and then ask yourself, how do you feel like after I meant three minutes or how long we did this <laugh>?

Lauren (16:55):

I don’t even know. I don’t know how long it was, but I feel excited. I feel, yeah, that’s how I feel. I feel excited,

Lisa (17:03):

I feel grounded. I think going into this podcast I was a little like I don’t know all over, but I think what art always does for me, it kind of grounds me.

Lauren (17:12):

And yeah, I think, yeah, I love that art always sort of it helps me breathe and so when I can breathe, I can remember sort of why I am passionate about the things I’m passionate about and gives me sort of realex excited about doing them rather than sort of dread some of the tedium involved with them. Because, you know, me, art is a layer of love for me. So it tortures me most of the time. <Laugh>, I mean like the art, art that I make. But so art break really helped me kind of just remember why, why I am here and why I do what I do.

Lisa (17:49):

Yeah. And I, yeah, and I think art for me always makes me go, oh, this is the tool, this is the tool for, you know what I mean, for wellbeing, like I always,

Lauren (17:58):

Oh yeah. Yeah. It’s funny how you and I have been doing it and talking about it for so long yet we still need the reminder by the doing. Right. It’s not just the talking about taking art breaks, but actually physically doing them will remind even co-founders of a nonprofit <laugh> that they still need to take art breaks. So I love that. I great way to start the year off. So thanks for that heartbreak Lisa,

Lisa (18:24):

And let us know what you think of these art break ideas. Totally love to hear.

Lauren (18:28):

And you can always visit our website art moving.org for more our break ideas. And, you know leave a comment or contact us, whoever you feel like contacting us and we’d love to hear from you. So there we go. Have a great rest of your day and week and all that stuff and we’ll see you next time. All

Lisa (18:49):

Right.

Lauren (18:51):

All right.

Lisa (18:51):

My card <laugh>.