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Photographer Cindy Sherman at the Tate Modern

A museum I visited in London called the Tate Modern had a series of portraits in the “States of Flux” exhibit, created by Cindy Sherman. This series stood out to me among the other pieces of art, and I thought I’d share it with all of you. This work of art is a series of portrait, black and white photographs, in which Cindy Sherman is the subject in each image. However, it seems like the subject of each image are different people. Sherman changes her makeup and facial expression in each portrait so much that each portrait looks like people of different ages and gender.

According to the “cindysherman” website, her biography says, that or a work of art to be considered a portrait, the artist must have intent to portray a specific, actual person. This can be communicated through such techniques as naming a specific person in the title of the work or creating an image in which the physical likeness leads to an emotional individuality unique to a specific person. While these criteria are not the only ways of connoting a portrait, they are just two examples of how Sherman carefully communicates to the viewer that these works are not meant to depict Cindy Sherman the person. By titling each of the photographs "Untitled", as well as numbering them, Sherman depersonalizes the images.

Spring Festival-Dragon Year

Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) is just around the corner (Jan.23), and it always reminds me of the childhood I spent with my grandparents in Wenzhou, China. I still vividly remember those experiences. Weeks before New Year, Grandma would start cleaning the house. Grandpa would get the red lanterns out from the attic and hang them in front of our house. He would put red paper cuttings of the word 福fu (meaning blessing or good fortune) upside down on our doors, signaling that it will come in our house.  Most importantly, school would be out for over a month (that was the best part!). I remember going to school from 7:45 to 5 or 6 PM from Monday to Friday, with extra study sessions on Saturdays. My teacher said that we couldn’t watch TV at home (I did anyways), and made us copy pages of Chinese characters every day.

Just a Photo a Day!!!

I (as well as many many many others) have began participating in the 365 Project this year. It is a great opportunity to grow as a photographer as it encourages you to keep your "lens" up all the time and see the world in a different way. It also forces you to be resourceful an take creative pictures in less "photogenic" situations.  you can join the website dedicated to the project at : http://365project.org/ or just do it on your own accord! the important thing is to keep with it even if you have to whip out the smartphone!

happy shooting!!!

Applied Statistics Lab Will Foster Collaborative Research, Provide Statistical Support

 

I’d like to point your attention to the newest installment of the Dean’s Channel where I spoke with statistics professors Arne Bathke and Arny Stromberg. In 2011, UK opened its first Applied Statistics Lab (ASL), with the help of the Office of the Vice President for Research, several UK college deans, and infrastructure grants such as the university's recent Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA), UK statisticians in the College of Arts & Sciences' Department of Statistics, and the College of Public Health's Department of Biostatistics.

The main objectives of this venture are to provide improved statistical services to groups preparing grant proposals, direct faculty involvement from the Departments of Statistics and Biostatistics for study design and data analysis throughout UK, foster collaborative research between scholars who develop quantitative methodology and those who use such methodology in their work, and to become a resource which may be referenced in institutional support for larger grants, in addition to direct statistical support typically included in such grants.

Kentucky Women in the Civil Rights Era

Students in Professor Randolph Hollingsworth's History 351 course created some important biographies of Kentucky women on Wikipedia during fall 2010. Some of the women include Anna Mac Clarkethe first African American women to command an all White regiment. Social activists and political leaders like Dolores Delahanty are also featured. An entry on the Kentucky Female Orphan School tells the story of a school that eventally became Midway College. 

	Kentucky Female Orphan School, 201-203 W. Short; individual 1944-06-07 orig. safety, 5x7 negative; 5x7 print: Collection on Lafayette Studios: 96PA101: digitized 6-9-2007  Long (Robert J.) and Lafayette Studios employees Created by Long (Robert J.) and Lafayette Studios employees

 

A&S English Professor Wins National Book Award

 

In case you missed it during the hectic holiday season, A&S English professor Nikky Finney was featured on “UK at the Half” with Carl Nathe during the UK vs. Loyola basketball game. Finney’s book, “Head Off & Split,” was the winner of the 2011 National Book Award in Poetry. The National Book Awards is one of the most anticipated events in the publishing world. Finney has taught at UK for decades and is a member of the Affrilachian Poets group that includes Frank X Walker and Kelly Norman Ellis.

To hear the "UK at the Half" interview, click here.

 

Educational iPad Apps

While I surfing the web the other day for online technology websites, I found a large amount of iPad apps that can be used for educational use.  I was surprised to find how many there are!  This prompted me to make a spreadsheet of them and categorize them according to the discipline in which they would work best, i.e. biology, astronomy, etc.  Some of them could be very useful for students, especially those who are taking science classes online.  Whereas they may have found it hard to visualize the various parts of a cell or muscular structure, they can now explore 3-D images on their iPad; some apps are even available on an iPhone or iPod.  I am excited to see all of the different educational apps I can find, not to mention various app tools that we could adapt to any class for online education.

How to Download Photographs of You and Your Friends on the A&S Website!

Have you found an image on our website that you love, and must have a copy of?

Here is how you can download and print that photograph and then charish it for the rest of your life!

 

 

1. Go to Univerity of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences website home page at: http://www.as.uky.edu/

2. If you haven't already taken a look at our recent photographs, take a look by choosing the Photos option on our homepage.

3. After you have made a decision on any photographs that you would like to have, return to the A&S homepage to find the FLICKR button. This link will bring you to our photostream on flickr, called UK College of Arts & Sciences. Below is an image of where the flickr button is on our A&S website homepage.

 

4. When you have successfully surfed to our flickr website account, UK College of Arts & Sciences, find your desired image by searching through the photostream, or more efficiently by clicking on the sets link shown here...

 

 

Off Model

Animators refer to a deviation from a cartoon character's model sheet or original design as "off model." I've adopted the term to speak about brand and identity guidelines with students. The hilarious website, Cake Wrecks has provided this perfect, local example of "off model" content in the wild.

Off Model

While jarring - surely, you can admit there's something whimsical and charming about this. It'd never pass snuff as a promotional image for the university (for good reason) but it has a certain je ne sais quoi.

Compare it to the following. This is also off model but probably gets a little more respect (via Gannadene at Deviant Art):

UK Logo by Gannedene