The piece of artwork that sparked my attention the most was the Harlem Rose. Willie Cole created this in the year 2005-06. He originally was interested in graphic design, but later on gained interest in the collecting business. He begun collecting discarded consumer objects such as irons, blow dryers, shoes, bicycle parts, etc. As time went on, Cole came up with a construction made of worn-out, scuffed female shoes, which he arranged in a sunburst type of array. The artwork represents when African Americans were once fragile creatures in a vibrant urban setting. The discarded shoes represent an image of the Black women who participated in the Montgomery Bus boycott along with the indomitable civil rights activist, Rosa Parks. Looking at this piece of art up close, I noticed that it really does make a social comment. It makes the point of how tough the black Women really were, and how much effort they put out there to get their point across of how diligently they worked to get through their hard times and how severely bad they were treated.
Harlem Rose definitely brought some sorrow to me when I looked at it for a while. It made me think of how hard of a life those people had to live through. It must have been really hard for their families and people around them to have to deal with this kind of situation. I am the kind of person who feels bad for EVERYONE. No matter what the situation is, I tend to have guilt for the people who are let down in some way or another. This connects to my values in the way that I like to stand up for my own beliefs. Rosa Parks led the Montgomery Bus Boycott and followed what she believed was right. The discarded shoes in the artwork represent independence and civil rights, and how the women would walk for hours and hours because they would not be let on the busses. If I was in their situation, I probably would be scared and emotional, but having the shoes there to show us how they lived, makes me feel like I was in their shoes, literally, and connects me to how they felt back then.
Willie Cole created credibility in his artwork because he truly outlined a sorrowful timeframe in which history made its point. The rest of Cole’s works demonstrate the history of pain and resistance, and fuel his creativity. Others of his mixed-media works contain consumer objects that are recycled and refashioned as well. This shows how much trust, belief, and effort he puts into his artwork and knows that it will all come together in an orderly fashion in the end.
I believe that this piece is making a statement about energy in the shows. How much energy really did come from those person’s shoes? Who wore them and why are they so important? These questions made me think a little bit when looking at this piece head on, and it makes me want to learn more about it.
My overall experience at the Palmer Museum was surprisingly quite interesting. It was very seldom inside, not a lot of people, and very quiet. I expected it to be quiet of course, but I did not expect to be so interested in what it had to offer. I think that the pieces of artwork that really stood out to me were mostly sculptures, or colorful pieces. Nothing crosses my mind when it was just a bland rectangle hanging on a wall. It either had to be more than 2-D, or colorful. I am not usually a museum-goer, so it really surprised me that I felt this way. I felt very comfortable in the museum, and felt a sense of comfort. As I sat on one of the benches, trying to quickly write down thoughts that provoked in my mind from examining it, I felt like a hard-working, comfortable writer. It was my first time in the Palmer Museum, and I think it is a shame that it was pretty empty, but hopefully more people go inside then I think go in, because it really is a beautiful place that is peaceful and can help a person write if they are stuck.
