Category: History

Alberto Jimenez: What’s Up Now? It’s 2017

 

PHOTOGRAPHY, TEXT AND VIDEO BY ALBERTO JIMENEZ, COPYRIGHT 2017

.

WHAT’S UP NOW? IT’S 2017

.

It is 2017 and with one year of Donald Trump as president we have seen a lot of changes in the U.S political climate. The Black Lives Matter movement has been more prevalent since Trump took office. The people of color community has been more united after the continuous threats and attacks on each minority group. The president’s travel ban and the removal of DACA. Women have also been in the line of fire by the president. The president was caught on audio explaining how when you are a celebrity you can easily grab a woman by her pussy. He has also been involved in various sexual assault allegations. Trump has been in the news a lot, not only for attacking these communities, but because of Russia’s hacking allegations.

My collection explores the several topics that have involved Trump. All pictures have a warm look to it, almost making the picture orange representing the presence Trump has on each topic. Before Trump’s presidency, Trump said he would make marijuana a state issue. However, Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, is completely against marijuana. Another situation in which Trump’s stance is a bit ambiguous is his relationship with Russia. Many believe he knew about the Russia hacking. I touch on these topics by including a picture of someone smoking that I took in my travels to California and the picture of a phone hacked making it seem as Trump being in charge. The other pictures represent situations where Trump has given has stance. For example, the 49ers helmet represents Colin Kaepernick, the NFL player that started the taking the knee movement during the national anthem. Trump took to twitter to give his opinion on this, claiming it to be wrong and disrespectful. Kaepernick’s stance is not to disrespect our soldiers or the flag, but to bring awareness to how disrespected the Black community is in America. He is trying to make people aware that Black Lives Matter which was a movement that originated when the 17-year-old, unarmed Trayvon Martin, was shot and killed and the murderer was able to roam free. I try to capture that Trump has not done anything to help the Black community, he even fails to denounce white supremacy. In fact, he encourages racist behavior by applying a travel ban on large populated Muslim countries and removing Daca. I represent these topics with a united airlines plane and a resist fist with a Dominican flag. We are supposed to be a united nation, but it seems like Trump’s administration divides the nation. Lastly, my picture with a toy cat being choked by an orange hand represents how Trump and his administration is tightening the grip on female oppression.

Trump has had an influence on all these topics and it seems like he has not made anything better. I hope that as a nation, we can unite and solve a lot of the issues that plague our nation today.    

.

.

About The Author: Alberto Jiminez is a Senior enrolled in the School of Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2018. To access additional articles by Alberto Jimenez, click here: https://tonywardstudio.com/blog/alberto-jimenez-robotics/

 

Lecture & Exhibition: South Philly Traditions

South_Philly_Traditions_Harvey_Finkle_mummers_levis_flyer
South Philly Traditions

.
To access additional articles about the photographic works by Harvey Finkle, click here: https://tonywardstudio.com/blog/transformation-new-americans-philadelphia/

 

Exhibition Announcement: Tableaux Vivants 1993 to 2000

Tony_Ward_tableaux_vivants_ficki_beach_hamburg_Germany_December_2017
Opening Reception: December 16, 2017

To view additional Tableaux Vivants by Tony Ward that will be on exhibit in Hamburg on December 16, 2017, click here to access Gallery: http://tonyward.com/early-work/tableaux-vivants-1993-2000/

 

Victoria Meng: Life at the Penn Museum

 

Photography, Video and Text by Victoria Meng, Copyright 2017

.

LIFE AT THE PENN MUSEUM

.

Sometimes on rainy afternoons in the Penn Museum, when the air is more musty than usual, and the light is just dim enough, I feel as if I can almost hear the alluring whisper of the past, the echo of music and laughter from a forgotten era.

On my first day of work at the Penn Museum, my boss took me on a tour. As we walked among the cool, darkened hallways that house over a million artifacts, I learned about the museum’s illustrious history.

At the end of the 19th century, Provost William Pepper commissioned the museum as a humble way to house artifacts. Through the course of the next few decades, the Penn Museum would evolve into a prestigious institution where Philadelphia’s elite could ascend to higher society.

From the exotic architectural motifs to the smallest details in building fixtures, the Penn Museum would’ve been an incredible marvel at the time that it was constructed. Complete with mosaics designed by Tiffanys, seemingly no expense was spared in creating an “eclectic Victorian extravaganza.”

Yet, as I recount my memory of the museum tour, I remember one detail in particular.

In 1929, Alexander Stirling Calder, was commissioned to create a statue for the European gallery. While his father was known for putting William Penn on top of City Hall and his son reached international acclaim for his mobiles, Stirling made his own statement with a depiction of a Greek maiden styled like a Roaring 20s flapper.

Ironically, it was this anachronistic detail that really became my inspiration. This proof that the museum had once been a backdrop for Gatsby-scale parties made history more real to me than ever before. In fact, the more I looked into the Museum during this era, the more true life became stranger than fiction.

At one point in the early 20th century, a glamorous reception attracted more than eight hundred guests. Two of these guests, perhaps under the influence of too much champagne, allegedly climbed on top of and eventually collapsed ancient Chinese tomb figures of camels. While the ruins were eventually restored to original condition, this raucous memory lives on in my imagination.

Ultimately, my inspiration for my portraits was derived from the Museum’s core mission: to help us remember who we are and where we came from. The more I learn about anthropology, the more I realize that although the way that we live has changed greatly, who we are as humans has hardly wavered.

.

.

Simeon_Ristic_portrait_flash_lighting_stop_action_hair
Portrait of Victoria Meng by Simeon Ristic, Copyright 2017

.

About The Author: Victoria Meng is a Sophomore enrolled in the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2020.