Jessica Chappell Assignment #1

Sue O'Donnell's exhibit was a very inspiring narrative of her life mapped out through various conceptual timelines. Her existence was connected and placed together by constellation charts, periodic tables, words, shapes, books, maps, pictures, interactive building blocks, etc. O'Donnell's idea and approach throughout the diverse works was initially my favorite aspect to the show. At first glance, I was immediately intrigued by the array of techniques and communal shapes that trimmed the gallery. Also, her use of light played a key role in the display of many transparent pieces where words had webbed themselves as one. Alluring, I closed in on the actual content of each piece and realized that this was a deeply personal and revealing show. Boys, drugs, and mom were a few topics expressed along with faith, desperation, and hope emotionally co-existing in the art. Her pieces were painstakingly honest; yet she still had the courage to show every curious eye. I personally believe it takes a very strong person to mess up and say, "I'm not perfect, we've all got a past. I'm sorry, and at the same time, I'm not." Prof. O'Donnell went into this exhibit in front of her students and peers with brass balls. I'm proud of her!

The image I chose uses multiple squares to show the pictures and text O'Donnell felt important to represent the piece. The squares are arranged on the wall to form another larger square that "pops" out of the wall an inch or so, giving the work a three dimensional subtlety. Below, there are small "building blocks" that the audience can actually interact with. Everything is black and white; very clean, very precise. The photographs are not full images, instead bits and pieces from larger photos. Text and photos are telling the story on wood surfaces.

I went to the lecture on Sept. 10 and it really did help me understand and see Prof. O'Donnell as a person, a real human being, rather than only a teacher. Many events and stories were shared that on any other academic Thursday would have been coined as inappropriate. This piece is about her family, her youth. I fell for this work more so than the others because immediately I related to the composition. I have two sisters myself and my mother was the leading lady. Those good ol' "sister shots" when you are all still little in matching hats, the random pictures on the fluorescent orange couch your grandma owned when she was 20; pictures of people lost a long time ago, changed, gone. I think that this is a puzzle, broken into 4x4 and 1x1 inch squares scattered about; memories broken for reasons. The images are still there, the instantaneous moments themselves yes, but the essence of their existence is not so clear. Possibly not even there, only enough for an outsider to have a looksy. The photos themselves are not in full; perhaps that's the particular aspect that O'Donnell remembered the clearest or compositionally fit the best. The blocks also forming something greater, grander in size and meaning. O'Donnell is being sincerely honest in her memories and past yet she is very deliberately keeping things from the audience. Perhaps the main objective is to show that all the little pieces and all the big moments of your life are there, they always will be, but that doesn't define who we are. It doesn't make her who she is, it helps ground her and remember where she's been.