Is there such a thing as popular art? The term “popular” leaves a sour taste in the mouths of those trying to win respect from established institutions that seem to determine artistic merit. These institutions are towering monoliths that surroundRead more…
No Trouble for the Treblemakers
A large banner strung between two trees just inside the Northwestern Arch was my only indication that the Treble Makers, an acapella group, would be performing Saturday night. Usually I prefer recommendations from trusted sources before I reserve an eveningRead more…
A Personal Contemporary
Contemporary art museums prefer a very literal approach to what is contemporary: art made extremely recently by living or only recently deceased artists. I don’t disagree with this definition, and I too believe that very recent art is most definitelyRead more…
The Urban Aesthetic: Urban Art Exploitation
On rare weekends between waves of projects and tests, I manage to escape the Northwestern campus and usually treat myself to a day in one of Chicago’s hip neighborhoods such as Wicker Park and Andersonville. However, this attitude and attractionRead more…
Too Many Spider-Men
Spider-Man 2, released in 2004 and heralded as one of “the best screen adaptations of comic book heroes,” won consistently favorable reviews among critics and fans alike (Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times). Tobey McGuire plays Spider-Man (Peter Parker), perfectly capturingRead more…
A Public Intimacy: Exploring Communal Mourning in the AIDS Crisis
In all the other galleries of the Block Museum I could take pictures, but not this one: “Keep the Shadow Ere the Substance Fade.” Maybe that name is what drew me to it. I was not allowed to visually preserveRead more…
A New Look at Old Ideas
“What do ballistic gel blocks, a television commercial, business logos, a large-scale video production of gunfire, and a discarded Honda Dream motorcycle have in common?” When I walked into the MCA’s exhibition featuring The Propeller Group, this question first greetedRead more…
Culture in the Hands of the Critic
The term criticism has a bad reputation, so much so that high school teachers everywhere remind students about “constructive criticism” before any mutual evaluation occurs in the classroom. However, the phrase constructive criticism is, or should be, redundant. CriticismRead more…