THE
ISSUE
Spring 2020, No. 3, Vol. 6 Art Edition
American Studies Magazine
editorial
Colophon Do you have a passion for writing, visuals, photography, or drawing? Please, join the The Issue by contacting theissue@ usanijmegen.nl or ask one of the editors. Constructive criticism and comments on the articles are also very much appreciated.
Word of the Board
“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable” This quote makes me wonder how disturbed I actually am, because boy do I love art! Lucky for me, the rest of The Issue’s writers shares this love, and so we have dedicated this Issue to all things that make life more beautiful (or weird).
Spring Issue, Year 6 Editorial Board
Denise Roodbeen, Editor in Chief Luc de Klerk, Coeditor
Writers
Marissa Aarts Roxanne Buis Kimberly Hart Stan Janssen Luc de Klerk Nick de Lange Stan Lentjes Femke van Lieshout Wouter Peer Denise Roodbeen Pip van der Zanden
Design
Milan Lobik
SJEFprint
Ads & Sponsors Bol.com Cafetaria de Fest DressMe Knaek.nl
USA Nijmegen Board
Lieve Dessing, Chair Jeroen Cuijpers, Treasurer Youri van Boxtel, Chief Internal Affairs
Hey guys, How are y’all doing? I’m doing good, regarding the circumstances. February was an extremely busy month of my board year, but no one prepared me for the fact that it was basically my last. It was a shock when we received the information that USA Nijmegen could not host any more events till the end of the year. With pain in my heart, we have to put all the activities on hold. However, safety comes first! Anyway, enough with the moping and sad news. We do have many things to look forward to still. No activities does not mean that the committees of USA Nijmegen aren’t busy. The Selection Committee has found its XVIIIth board, which was announced during our (online!) General Assembly and the members of The Issue have been working hard on this brand new edition of The Issue! I hope the third edition of the year will be a source of entertainment. Besides that, quarantine is not that bad. We can sleep in every day, follow lectures while you’re chilling in your bed, and watch as much Netflix as you like. And hopefully, at the end of the year, we can all join together once again to end the year with an amazing extra activity. But for now, stay home, stay healthy and stay safe! I wish you all the best of luck during this strange time. On behalf of the XVIIth Board of USA Nijmegen Lieve Dessing
Contact USA Nijmegen Erasmusplein 1 Room 12.07 6525HT Nijmegen www.usanijmegen.nl facebook.com/usanijmegen facebook.com/usatheissue The Issue is a quarterly publication by members of USA Nijmegen, the study association for American studies at the Radboud University, Nijmegen. USA Nijmegen cannot be held responsible for opinions and statements of contributors to The Issue. All images belong to their respective owners and are not the property of The Issue, USA Nijmegen, nor other contributors to The Issue.
State of the Union
Chair 2019-2020
You may not always be aware of it, but art is everywhere. Stan J. shows us how the presidential candidates use their creativity to promote their campaigns. Another person who uses their creativity to make money, is the former designer for Apple Jony Ivy. After having rediscovered your iPhone or MacBook, Femke will make us question our reality, by discussing the art of deception. Marissa is going to take us on a tour through her favorite museum: the MET, and will hopefully inspire you to visit it someday! After leaving this museum, your mind will be filled with images of tattoos and graffiti. But don’t worry! Denise and Nick are going to share some wisdom on the history of these unusual art forms. As we share our love for art, Pip shows us with a lovely quiz how confusing the art world actually can be. Wouter has discovered some interesting facts about performance art, which will make for a good read during this boring time. We hope to leave you with some newfound inspiration. Enjoy! Denise Roodbeen Luc de Klerk
editorial
This Issue 4.
An American Portrait
The Art of Tech Design
6.
Conspiracy Theories
The Art of Deception
8.
F(r)amed
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
10.
America Explained
American Ink (150 Years of Body Art)
12.
America Explained
Fairey’s Road to the White House
14.
Foreign Affairs
Jayhawk Madness
16.
Class of 2020
A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words
18.
Quarantine Special
How to Reconnect with Your Inner Artist
20.
Quiz
Is This Modern Art or a Child’s Drawing
Luc de Klerk
Femke van Lieshout
Marissa Aarts
Nick de Lange
Denise Roodbeen
Stan Lentjes
Stan Janssen
Pip van der Zanden
Pip van der Zanden
22. F(r)amed
The Things We Do For Art
23.
Recipe
Green Spinach-Cheese Dip
Wouter Peer
Roxanne Buis
Back This Issue’s Issue
Anything is Art When Put in a Museum
Denise Roodbeen
Sponsors
The Issue | Spring 2020 | 3
SIR JONATHAN IVE
An American Portrait
A LOOK AT THE MAN BEHIND APPLE’S DESIGNS.
4 | The Issue | Spring 2020
THE ART OF TECH DESIGN: A LOOK AT THE MAN BEHIND APPLE’S DESIGNS Steve Jobs called him his spiritual partner at Apple. He is the man behind the iPhone in your pocket, the MacBook you type an essay on, the iPod you carried around to listen to music, and the Airpods that poke out of everybody’s ears. I introduce you to former Chief Design Officer (CDO) at Apple Inc.: Sir Jony Ive. Yes, former, because last November Ive left the company he worked for since 1992. Ive was leading Apple’s design team since 1996 and was involved with the design of all Apple’s products. When Ive announced to leave the company in the summer of 2019, Apple’s value on the stock exchange dropped 8 billion dollars. In comparison when Steve Jobs announced his departure in 2011, the company’s value dropped 10 billion dollars. This shows us how important Ive was to Apple. Although the products he designed are very well k nown, most people are probably not that familiar with the man behind those designs.
reorganization, as he was only second to Steve Jobs in terms of operational power.
Before Ive’s successes at Apple, the tech industry was little concerned with the design of their products but Ive changed the way that the industry looks at design. He once said that with the invention of the silicon chip the way that we understand design had to change. He said: “for hundreds of years the objects that we have designed and made, the appearance, the form, is the function … so the way that we together understand the chair or a cup it’s its cupinnes that we understand, we understand it because that’s its form and that’s its function.” Ive sees it Jonathan Paul Ive was born in London, England. as his job to help people understand what a certain He went to the University of Northumbria at product is and to provide them with context. Newcastle, where he got a Bachelor’s degree in Other tech companies have adopted his industrial design. A year after graduation Ive philosophy, and although they are not all copying joined a London based design startup called Apple you can definitely see the Tangerine. This company got a of design. You could consulting contract with Apple. At “The attention and embracement say that Ive has made industrial the time Robert Brunner was Apple’s leading designer, he was the devotion that he has design “cool” within the tech one who noticed Ive’s qualities and for such little details industry. he got determined to get Ive to work are what make his One of his latest’s success are the for Apple full time. At Apple Ive Apple Airpods from 2016. You see could for the first time fully designs works of can see them every where you look dedicate himself to the craft of art.” these days: on campus, on the design. At his former job at streets, at the station, and so on. It Tangerine, he was in more of a is crazy how these little sticks have conquered consulting role to external companies, and he ears around the world. If you have ever had a pair often got frustrated when companies would not of AirPods in your hands you k now how satisfying completely follow his design ideas. it can be to open the click y magnetic case lid. About the Airpods case Ive said “I mean, for The first assignment Jon Ive got as a fulltime example, one of the things that we struggled with Apple employer was to redesign the Newton was the way that the case orients the AirPod as MessagePad. Although the product was not a you put them in. I love those details, that you’ve commercial success, Ive received several awards had no idea how fabulously we got that wrong, for for his designs. Despite the respect he got from so long, as we were designing and developing it. the design community and the fact that he became When you get them right I think they don’t head of design in 1996, Ive was not very happy demand a lot from you but they contribute far with Apple at the time. In Steve Job’s biography he more than people are necessarily aware for your said: “All they wanted from us designers was a sense of joy and using a product.” The attention model of what something was supposed to look and devotion that he has for such little details are like on the outside, and then engineers would what make his designs works of art. In this regard, make it as cheap as possible. I was about to quit.” some of his work was showcased by the New York Apple was not focused on design at the time, but MOMA and the San Francisco MOMA. on mak ing as much profit as possible in order to Steve Jobs famously said: “Design is not just what compete with Microsoft. This changed one year it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” later when Steve Jobs returned to Apple. Jobs Despite Ive leaving Apple, he will still do some realized that design would be important for Apple work for them via his new company LoveFrom, in order to sell products. Therefore, he reorganized and therefore his and Job’s philosophy on design the company in such a way that Ive’s design will remain to be within the DNA of the company. department would get the leading role in the Jobs will probably look down from heaven how his production process, instead of the software or soulmate will continue to amaze the world with hardware department. Under Jobs’ leadership Ive his designs. finally did not feel restricted anymore. He even got more power within the company during the
Luc de Klerk
The Issue | Spring 2020 | 5
Conspiracy Theories
THE ART OF DECEPTION 6 | The Issue | Spring 2020
Conspiracy Theories
If there is one term that has a major influence on politics and the wider society these days, it’s fake news. Fake news can be found all around you. Yet at the same time, it has firm roots in history. This article will give a historical overview of propaganda and subliminal messaging, with special attention given to the 20th and 21st centuries specifically. In those centuries, deception has been transformed into art. Propaganda as an influential art form really took off during World War I. In that war, the famous “I Want You”- poster featuring Uncle Sam was spread all over the US, urging young men to enlist in the army and make America proud. This poster was based on its British equivalent featuring Lord Kitchener. Another poster with Uncle Sam is “Uncle Sam needs that extra shovelful” encouraging conservation in energ y use. During World War II, the “We Can Do It”- poster with Rosie the Riveter was used to encourage women to take up (industrial) labor to support the country, in the same fashion as the numerous “Buy War Bonds” posters did. These posters were masterfully crafted using immediately recognizable icons so their respective messages got stuck in people’s minds easily. Alongside posters, movies were also a popular method to spread propaganda. Holly wood was very influential during the Cold War (19451991) when instruction videos had to be massproduced to be spread to classrooms all across the country. One such video is “Duck and Cover” (1952), instructing schoolchildren on what to do when an atomic bomb hits. A similar video was also made for adults. During the Vietnam War (1955-1975) a lot of films were produced spreading ideas of militarism, masculinity, and courage. Among these, the famous James Bond-films, portraying the USSR as the enemy, are perhaps the most famous examples. Red Nightmare (1957) is also a good example because the film deals with possible Soviet domination of the US. The US government also spread predominantly positive news of the Vietnam War, such as battlefield victories and strategic progress. Many of these victories never actually happened and very little progress was made at all. The US was actually losing the War, which became clear in the “Pentagon Papers” (1976). The part of the War on Terror that played out in Afghanistan underwent the same process, as seen in the aptly titled “Afghanistan Papers” (2019). To continue with the War on Terror, a lot of money was invested by corporations from the so-called ‘military-industrial complex’ in advertising during e.g. the Super Bowl, beginning in the ramp-up to the Iraq War (2003) and continuing today. An example of this is Northrop Grumman’s “Military Bowl” and a 2014 Jeep ad. What also plays into this is the national anthem being sung in a really passionate way and fighter jets flying overhead
afterwards. Not to criticize this patriotism, but these types of rituals have eased American minds about going into war in the Middle East. These routines hark back to both World Wars, yet from the early 2000s onwards they are carried out on a much more massive scale. Another way of deception that is more common than one might think is subliminal messaging. Subliminal messaging is a method of ‘inserting’ hidden messages in videos and songs, mainly with a goal to gear people towards your message. It has become an art form in itself. One example of this occurs in films, where for only a couple of frames, the logo of a company is shown. McDonald’s and Coca-Cola are notorious for this. This method is so effective, because it is barely visible to the human eye, yet it still works. Reports have shown that these hidden messages indeed have increased appetite for the mentioned products. To return to the introduction with another form of deception we can say that fake news turned truth-bending into an art. Fake news became particularly evident during the 2016 presidential elections when so-called ‘trolls’ from Russia spread misinformation on, especially Facebook and Twitter. ‘Disinformation’ in itself even is derived from a Russian word, coined during the Cold War. This misinformation also catalyzed the spread of fact-check ing, with snopes.com being the most used website. ‘Alternative facts’ also became a thing. The difference between ‘fake news’ and ‘alternative facts’ is often not very clear, but there are some main points “These types of through which someone rituals have eased can tell them apart. ‘Alternative facts’ are Americans’ minds bits of information about going into war explicitly stated as facts and used to ‘counter’ in the Middle East.” the facts presented in mainstream narratives. The term ‘fake news’ is mainly used to state when someone suspects that a news article is completely fabricated, usually to besmirch someone. However one can make it, it can be said that both novelties made the 2016 elections a true surrealist masterpiece. To close off, this article described ways in which art forms, with emphasis on posters and video art/movies, could be used to deceive/ misinform people. Tak ing off during World War I, posters have proven themselves to be great for propagandic motives. This continued during the Second World War. Into the Cold War, Holly wood was successfully mobilized to create anti-communist and militaristic propaganda, while military victories were swept under the rug by the US government. The same happened forty years later. Advertising has been widely mobilized to make Americans more comfortable with war in the Middle East during the War on Terror. Subliminal messaging, alongside the aforementioned, is also a truly artistic form of advertising. Lastly, during the 2016 elections, fake news, fact-check ing and alternative facts became big. Throughout this article, it became clear that deception is true art in itself. Femke van Lieshout
The Issue | Spring 2020 | 7
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
THE MET
8 | The Issue | Spring 2020
F(r)amed
Marissa Aarts
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) is located in Manhattan, New York City. It is one of the world’s largest art museums and displays over 2 million pieces of art. I myself visited The Met in October 2019. Before this, I only knew about the museum due to popular culture, such as Blair from the tv-series Gossip Girl meeting her friends on the stairs, and Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala looks. Although I have visited many art museums in the United States, this was by far my favorite one, and this article will tell you why! The Museum First of all, let me tell you a bit more about The Met. It is located on the eastern edge of Central Park. The museum first opened its doors in 1872, with the purpose of bringing art and education to the American people. It was founded by a group of businessmen, financiers, and artists. In 1880, the collection got too big for the original building, which was located on Fifth Avenue, and the museum moved to its current location in Central Park. As the number of art pieces grew, so did The Met, as the original building is now surrounded by multiple wings that were added over the years. This makes the museum enormous. In terms of gallery space, it is not the biggest museum in the word (which is the Louvre), but it is 58.820 square meters, which is five times as much gallery space as for example the Rijksmuseum. As I mentioned before, The Met displays over 2 million pieces of art, so you can imagine the amount of space needed to show all of those! The Collection The Met is awesome because it is not a museum for just one type of art, but it has everything you could ever imagine! My favorite art movement is abstract expressionism (remember Pollock?), and The Met did deliver. Regardless of what your favorite art movement is, I’m pretty sure The Met has an exhibition on it. The permanent collection consists of classic antiquity, ancient Eg yptian paintings, arms and armor, sculptures, American and modern art, but also African, Asian, Oceanian, Byzantine and Islamic art. I’m certain you will find something that you find interesting! Another thing that I really liked about The Met was the way in which the museum itself was decorated. For example, the section on medieval art looked like the inside of a church. The Asian art was displayed in a gallery that looked like a Chinese garden and the Eg yptian art gallery included a 2,000-year-old temple! There is also a 16th-century Spanish castle patio, a Pompeian villa bedroom from before the Mount Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD, and a room from the Ottoman period in Damascus. Because of this, the museum almost feels like a time capsule, through which you can travel through history.
organized yearly, which is a fundraising benefit in the museum for the fashion wing. Ever since 1948, the Met Gala is organized on the first Monday of May. Personalities from the arts, fashion, high-society, film, and music attend the gala. The theme of the gala is coordinated with the theme of the fashion exhibition of that year, which for 2020 is About Time: Fashion and Duration. You have probably heard of Anna Wintour, the artistic director of Vogue, and also the chair of the Met Gala. In organizing the gala, Anna Wintour is assisted by famous co-hosts, which are Meryl Streep and Emma Stone this year. Not only is the gala one of the most prominent and exclusive social events in the world, it is also one of the biggest fundraising nights in New York City. Since 1995, around $200 million has been generated for the wing. So if you are into fashion, The Met museum is an important place to visit! Fun facts If all of this was not convincing enough, I will end my plea with some fun facts. The Great Hall of the Met is decorated with 5 enormous bouquets, which are arranged by Dutch florist Remco van Vliet. The Met holds the oldest surviving piano, which was made by Bartolomeo Cristofori (the inventor of the piano) and dates back to 1720. The museum is lit (pun intended) by 60,000 light bulbs every day. The mascot of the museum is William the Faience Hippopotamus, a turquoise 20-centimeter Eg yptian statue of a hippopotamus, which originates from 1961 BC. If you plan on going to The Met, it is important to k now that your entrance ticket is valid for three days. It can be very overwhelming to spend an entire day in the museum (your feet will hurt, a lot), so it is nice to k now that you can leave and return later! Remember, there are two million pieces of art, which is also the number of minutes you would want to spend in the museum, so make sure you have enough time! And do not forget to take a photo on the stairs!
Met Gala Another interesting aspect of the museum is that it hosts a wing completely dedicated to fashion. To finance this wing, the Met Gala is
The Issue | Spring 2020 | 9
“THE MET IS AWESOME BECAUSE IT IS NOT A MUSEUM FOR JUST ONE TYPE OF ART, BUT IT HAS EVERYTHING YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE!”
Foreign Affairs
150 YEARS OF BODY ART
10 | The Issue | Spring 2020
America Explained
The Western world underwent an art revolution in the last century which has given us a variety of new artistic expressions. Even for people that are not fans of the modern abstract art pieces which would make Rembrandt turn in his grave (sorry, not sorry), there probably is an art concept that appeals to you. For me, and hopefully, for many others, the art of tattooing is seen as the most personal and down-to-earth appreciation of artistic expression. While the history of tattooing dates back to around 2000-3000 B.C. and has had cultural and religious importance, it was not introduced in the United States until the 1870s. Martin Hildebrandt was one of the first tattoo artists in America to open up a tattoo shop so American citizens could get tattoos. His first costumers were soldiers who wanted a reminder of their lives at home and a way to be recognized if they were killed in combat, investing in tattoos does achieve this. This is why the old American style of tattooing focused on patriotism with American symbolism such as the red, white, and blue color scheme and the bald eagle. During this time the clientele was mostly limited to soldiers and sailors in big cities. The only contact small towns had with tattoos was through the circus, which used fully tattooed men and women as sideshow attractions. While we may frown upon the idea of ‘freakshows’ many men and especially women got tatted so they could support themselves financially and gain fame through self-liberation. These actors were paid generously for their performances and acquired a sense of fame through sensationalized storytelling and charisma. This trend even allowed for women to open up tattoo shops for these kind of circus performers.
36 years later. This ban was supposedly due to a hepatitis outbreak that came from a tattoo shop, leading to a health scare towards tattoo artists, which happened again during the HIV outbreak. The hippie movement and Rock-’n’-Roll counterculture were responsible for many new tattoos and styles within the field of body art. They normalized the use of tattoos and gave it the personal touch that is so admired today. It seemed as if tattoos were fully accepted when celebrities started openly flaunting their tattoo pieces in the 1990s. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Tattoos were still seen as unprofessional and distasteful in work environments and in some cases, tattoos could stop you from getting hired during an interview. It was not until the digital age came to life that tattoos were accepted as a form of art and a personal choice. The presence of tattoos on social media, in movies, and shows such as LA Ink have led to the modern tattoo styles and “In 1961, Tattoo art pieces many of us love today. got banned in a New There still is opposition to the showcasing of tattoos, York City and would such as face tattoos, and how be so until 1997 – 36 far some people go to cover years later.” themselves completely in ink. Some tattoo artists even refuse to do facial tattoos or steer customers away from getting one. Nonetheless, I have always loved the aesthetic of tattoo art and now that I have a couple of tattoos myself, I understand the artistic process and devotion tattoo artists have when creating their pieces. A tattoo can come to mean the world to you and feel like a part of yourself that you never knew you needed until it was there. While for some people tattoos might still be nothing more than ordinary illustrations etched in our skin, for others it is personal, intimate, and beautiful.
By the start of the 20th century, tattoos were still frowned upon or even seen as barbaric self-mutilation by the general audience; although, there were multiple instances of acceptance for tattooing in the following decades. In the 1920s Hollywood popularized make-up but due to the expensive price and low quality, many women used tattoos to replicate the effects, such as the permanent eyebrows. In the 1930s tattoos were used in a functional manner to remember the social security numbers that were introduced but aesthetic tattoos were still controversial. While the 1940s introduced the ‘American Traditional’ style of tattoos and laid the groundwork for modern tattoo art, the 1950s showed that tattoos were still (mostly) limited to male soldiers due to the portrayal of WWII veteran’s tattoos as purely heroic and manly illustrations. It was not until the 1960s - when a blowback to tattoo art gave rise to a huge counterculture - that tattoo art started to get recognized by the general public. In 1961, Tattoo art got banned in New York City and would be so until 1997 –
Nick de Lange
The Issue | Sping 2020 | 11
America Explained
FAIREY’S ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE
When you think of street art or graffiti, you often think of artists such as Keith Haring or Banksy. However, there is another name that you may not have heard of yet, but who has been in the spotlight for quite some time now: Shepard Fairey. Not only is he the man behind the clothing brand OBEY, he is also the artist behind Obama’s famous Hope campaign poster. It’s impossible to capture everything he did in one article, but a selection of his work both political and cultural will be highlighted. As a young boy, Frank Shepard Fairey was a skater boy who went to art school. He drew on skateboards, T-shirts and made stickers which he pasted all over the city’s skateparks. The sticker that made him famous, and received the nickname Obey, was a sticker of Andre the Giant. “Andre the Giant has a Posse” spread all over the Eastern United States, but a lawsuit made him stop using Andre the Giant. Fairey kept using Andre’s face, but instead added the word “Obey” as a reaction against earlier political art, as the word itself suggest antiauthority. OBEY Clothing is another way in which Fairey spreads his often rebellious opinions. The sticker that started it all was an experiment of phenomenology as he calls it, inspired by Heidegger who explains it as the process of letting things manifest themselves. How the sticker spread all over the Eastern States came as a big surprise to Fairey, and it showed him how phenomenology could work for him. He created the clothing brand OBEY for the people who were not intimidated by the irony of the imperative “obey”, and who were part of the Do It Yourself counterculture found in the skateboarding scene. Nowadays, OBEY clothing is designed with political messages under the ideology “the medium is the message.” In the beginning of his career, he stayed close to the skateboarding scene. Inspired by the streets, he used his talents to make guerilla marketing campaigns for big companies such as Pepsi. As his work is mostly anti-capitalist, working for these companies might be hypocrite, but Fairey himself argues that “I am not against capitalism, otherwise I would not live in the U.S.” As his work gained more media attention, he also became more political. His public criticism of Bush’ policies ultimately led him to Obama’s campaign in 2008, for which he was allowed to design a poster. His poster was such a success, that it became visualization of the Obama’s campaign, and the image was spread all over the world. The last few years, Shepard Fairey has provoked Trump on many different occasions. In 2017 he worked together with a foundation that calls itself “an art machine for social change”, and he created three different posters inspired by his Hope poster, that showed people from different minority groups with the words: “We the people are greater than fear.” Fairey said that “Trump is pursuing the presidency out of his own ego rather than a desire to create greatest good for the greatest number of people.” For the April 2020 edition of Rolling Stone magazine, Fairey, an environmental activist himself, designed the cover which features Greta Thunberg. He also created artwork that is designed to uplift people’s spirits during the global pandemic, as well as creating posters to support health care workers. Denise Roodbeen
America Explained
“I am not against capitalism, otherwise I would not live in the U.S.�
The Issue | Spring 2020 | 13
Foreign Affairs
Hey everyone! I have been studying in Kansas for the last couple of months as part of my study abroad experience. Unfortunately, due to the Corona crisis I had to go back to the Netherlands. However, I was still able to go to plenty of KU basketball games. I am glad to share you my experience with college basketball, and KU’s rich basketball history. As a basketball enthusiast, the University of Kansas is one of the best places to go to. The men’s basketball team, also known as the Jayhawks, have a rich winning culture. They are currently the highest ranked team in the nation. They proved that they are willing to fight for this position both on and off the court, with their recent brawl against their arch rival Kansas State.
One of the main reasons why I chose to study at KU is because of their rich basketball culture. I could not be more thrilled when I found out that my apartment is only a 5 minute walk away from the basketball stadium. Parts of the stadium are dedicated to the history of the Jayhawk team. First of all their court is named after Mr. James Naismith. Yeah, that’s right, the mister Naismith. For those unfamiliar, this guy invented basketball. He moved to Lawrence only six years after he founded the rules for basketball, and established the KU basketball team. Ironically, despite being the founding father of basketball, he is KU’s worst coach with a win rate of 48 percent. The coaches who succeeded him did have successful careers at KU. The Jayhawks have set a few impressive records and streaks. For instance, they have made it to the NCAA playoffs for most consecutive years. This streak is 30 consecutive years. They also have set
the record for seasons with a winning record. In their 120 year history, the Jayhawks have had 97 seasons with a winning record. They have also won 5 national championships. Along side these impressive records and titles, KU was also home to some all time greats. Wilt Chamberlain, two-time NBA champion and the only player ever who scored 100 points in a NBA game. Other KU alumni includes NBA champions, Paul Pierce, JoJo White, and Mario Chalmers. Plus current All-star Joel Embiid. I have already been to multiple Jayhawk games, and it is quite an experience. Our basketball stadium, Allen Fieldhouse, can hold over 16,000 people. This is enormous compared to the largest basketball stadium in the Netherlands, which can only hold 4,000 people. Every home game has sold out since 2002. Which has also given Allen Fieldhouse a Guinness World Record for the loudest indoor
JAYHAWK
The Issue | Spring 2020 | 14
Foreign Affairs arena. From the moment you enter the stadium you are being entertained. The Jayhawk cheerleaders together with the marching band and the mascots give you a one way ticket to hype city before the game. Then a few minutes before tip-off, the marching band starts playing our alma mater ‘‘Crimson and the Blue.’’
the basketball game against our rival Kansas State. This year however, there was a lot of animosity surrounding the game. KU had a lead of 21 points, and there were only 20 seconds left on the clock so the game was practically over. At that point a Kansas State player decided to steal the ball to score cheap points. This goes against the unwritten rules of basketball.
have performed exceptionally well on the court, leading to one of their best seasons since the 2008 championship. Hopefully the run will continue into march, as they compete for the NCAA trophy.
During this alma mater you put your arms on the shoulder of your neighbor and slowly sway from side to side. Then, it is bizarre seeing the patriotism as the national anthem plays, and grown men cry with hands on heart. A KU tradition during the national anthem is, instead of singing ‘‘the home of the braves’’, they all say the home of the Chiefs. Referencing to the Football team of Kansas City, which by the way won the Superbowl this year.
The score attempt got blocked and De Sousa (a KU player) stood over him and a massive fight erupted. Both teams were equally to blame for this unsportsmanlike conduct. Even our head coach, Bill Self, was ‘’This fight was one of the biggest in NCAA disappointed in some of our players. This fight history. It was an unique experience, both was one of the biggest in exciting and frightening.’’ NCAA history. It was an unique experience, both exciting and frightening.
Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, go KU! Stan Lentjes
MADNESS I had the opportunity to go to the so called Sunflower game. This is
Luckily this game was an exception. All the other games have been played in a sportsmanlike fashion. The Jayhawks
The Issue | Spring 2020 | 15
We are edging closer to the Primaries and as of this Issue, the first caucuses and primaries are already behind us. In five months, we will know who will attempt to beat Trump and become president. The last few months have been exhausting for the candidates. Constantly holding rallies, traveling through the whole country, and continuously burning each other into the ground on Twitter or on stage. But don’t forget that a lot of time, money, and work is dedicated to something else: the art involved in campaigning. In other words, the creativity that is needed in their fight for the presidency. Let’s have a better look at the artwork involved in the campaigning of the candidates and campaigns from the past.
16 | The Issue | Spring 2020
The Class of 2020
A sea of posters Perhaps the best-k nown piece of ‘merchandise’ in times of presidential elections is a piece of paper with the name of the candidate, usually accompanied by the corresponding year. This concept is better k nown as a campaign poster. You see them every where: out on the streets during rallies, in people’s windows, or glued to the rear of a car in the form of stickers. Hence, you would think that it is vital to have a special poster that stands out from the other ones. Reality is different though. All campaign emblems are in some ways very similar and do not use very flashy designs. Even when people pick the best design of the bunch, it turns out that it is not even a guarantee for success. Business Insider attempted to rank all this primary election’s campaign posters last summer: they named Kamala Harris’ one as the best. However, she dropped out of the race last December. A great poster does not instantly make a great candidate. A slogan with intent Another tool that candidates need for their campaigning is a quality slogan. A quality slogan is one that gets stuck in your head and says something about the candidate’s plan. Take the last two slogans used by presidents, Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’, and Obama’s ‘Yes we can!’. Both of these will probably sound very familiar (or notorious), as they have been repeated endlessly during their years as president. Apart from being catchy, they both express intention central to their plans. Obama’s slogan fuels will-power and Trump’s slogan embraces his will to get a certain scenario from the past back: a great America. Current candidates seem to have watched and learned, and some of them have pretty solid slogans this run. For example, Bernie Sanders’ slogan is a great reflection of his socialistic ideas: ‘Not me. Us.’ Tulsi Gabbard hints at the use of more love in, at times negatively tinted, American politics with her slogan that reads ‘Lead with Love’. However, we have seen some pretty bad slogans in
the history of campaigning too. Take Jeb Bush’s 2016 ‘Jeb can fix it’, that sounded more like an advertisement for a plumbing company, or Landon’s ironically painful 1936 ‘Let’s make it a Landon-slide’, only for his opponent Roosevelt to win - by a landslide. In short, a great slogan can be a useful tool, and a bad slogan can put you off massively. Coming through your screen Alongside the presidential campaign posters and the slogans, there is one thing missing: the presidential advertisements, which are broadcasted on national TV. The United States has longer commercial breaks than the worldwide average. There is more room for more commercials, and especially in times of political elections, a lot of this space is bought by politicians. They pay for half-a-minute-long clips, used to increase their support or to get their message to the people. Every candidate does this in a slightly different way. They all like to emphasize present social struggles, their dislike of the current president, and how their ideas could make America a better place. However, some candidates hardly focus their advertisements on the President and more on their ideolog y, like Bernie Sanders. They talk about the need for change, be it a different approach to climate change or a change in the Medicare system. In contrast, others like Bloomberg and Biden regularly use clips or actions from Trump to put him in a bad light. However, the tone of the advertisements does not influence the amount of views it gets. Whoever pays most, is aired most. There is a lot at stake in the next Primaries and the eventual presidential elections and it is reflected in the amount of money and work that goes into the creative part of the campaigning. There are voters to win and to convince. What better way to get them over the line than with the use of a creative slogan or a strik ing advertisement. Stan Janssen
The Issue | Spring 2020 | 17
Pip van der Zanden
18 | The Issue | Spring 2020
Quarantine Special
One of the most well-known TED Talks of all time is Sir Ken Robinson’s “Do Schools Kill Creativity?”, a video you may have encountered on your Aunt Karen’s Facebook page. The video stems from 2007, but it’s still recognizable for many students who have lost touch with their creative side after years of academic training. Due to the COVID-19 quarantine, however, school is closed and the time spent in lectures can now be spent in pursuit of your inner artist. Here’s how you can get back into that creative mindset. Painting If you’re like me, then you used to love painting, even though you weren’t necessarily good at it. Just splashing around with colors and brushes can be a great way to pass the time, but it can be hard to muster up the inspiration for the subject of your work. A great way to remedy this is to search for a painting tutorial by Bob Ross. Not only was he one of the most wholesome people to ever live, but his techniques are actually very easy to follow. I tried it myself and it came out pretty good. It’s fun to do and because your paintings turn out so well, it can also motivate you to keep trying. Another, messier option is to try to recreate a painting by Jackson Pollock. I will not recommend tak ing the same substances as he did before painting, but I will recommend trying this with your quarantine mates. Take a large piece of paper, lots of paints and splatter your heart out. Don’t forget to put down a table cloth or some plastic to protect your floor, though. I don’t want to get into a fight with your landlord. Crafts If you prefer to make something useful, you can try your hand at k nitting. There are a lot of easy-tofollow k nitting tutorials on YouTube and it’s very relaxing. I enjoy k nitting while listening to a podcast or watching some TV. Spice up your binging sessions by k nitting a scarf for your grandparents or a cozy for your mug. A small tip for first-time k nitters: start by using thicker needles and wool. It’s easier to use and you’ll be finished much faster.
Writing I understand if the options above can sound intimidating, especially if you’ve never worked with your hands before, or if you dropped your arts class as soon as possible. Sometimes your mind can be extremely creative, but your hands don’t seem to cooperate. If this is the case, you could always try the art of writing. Maybe you are interested in journalism and you want to use your k nowledge of America to inform the public: you could start a blog explaining current events in the United States, or even here in the Netherlands. Perhaps you would prefer to write fiction. In this case, there are several exercises you could do to channel your creativity. Think of the one object that you would save from a burning house. Write about this object and what it says about your personality and your life. Don’t start out trying to write a novel; it can be discouraging to write something that long with little experience. You could try to write a short story instead, and maybe even send it in for the next Issue! These times are strange and we all have to find a way to cope with it. Expressing yourself through art can be really cathartic and doing crafts together with your roommates can be a fun activity. If you felt inspired by any of the tips in this article and created something, please send me a picture! I would love to see any work, even if you don’t think it’s good enough. After all, it’s about you being creative and having fun and that is the most important thing!
One of the sweetest things I have seen during the first days of the quarantine, is people sending homemade greeting cards to medical staff or lonely elderly. During these times, we need to let people k now that we think about them more than ever, and putting effort into mak ing a greeting card yourself can be a great way to do that. Grab your scissors, washi tape, and glitter pens and you’ll be sure to put a smile on someone’s face!
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Quiz
MODERN OR ART
Sometimes we come across an article about a famous modern art piece that was sold for millions of dollars and we think to ourselves: my 6-year-old cousin could’ve made this. This thought would send most art history students into rage, because of course a kid wouldn’t be able to do something like that. We may not be art history students, but most of us are very familiar with cultural studies. Are you able to distinguish modern art from children’s drawings? 1.
2.
3. 4.
1. Kid’s drawing (though extremely creepy), 2. Art (Karel Appel), 3. Art (Elaine de Kooning), 4. Kid’s drawing (made with finger paint), 5. Art (Wols, sold for $5.72 million), 6. Kid’s drawing (made using the “messy worm” technique), 7. Art (Trisha Pena). 20 | The Issue | Spring 2020
5.
6.
7.
Pip van der Zanden
The Issue | Spring 2020 | 21
F(r)amed
THE THINGS WE DO FOR ART: THE INSPIRATION FOR PERFORMANCE ARTISTS *Trigger warning* Art can be expressed in many forms. While most people would say that aesthetics are an inherent characteristic of art, some, if not most, artists disagree. More than aesthetics art is about emotion, about expressing your consciousness to outsiders, about pushing the boundaries and make people question what they thought was unquestionable. Performance art might be the art form that does this the most. It pushes the boundaries of what is art and what is not by making artworks that are transient. They only have meaning if you are there. They might even only have meaning to the artists themselves. The following three actions, as performance art artworks are called, defined these three central artists in the branch of performance art. What are their reasons for performing these eccentric actions? 1. Rhythm 5 – Marina Abramovich Marina Abramovich is often called the grandmother of performance art, and rightly so. In 1974 Abramovich’s antiSoviet action Rhythm 5 nearly cost her her life, though. For this artwork, the Belgrade-born artist created a fire in the form of a five-pointed star resembling the communist star. She cut her hair and nails and threw them into the fire. Then she stepped into the middle of the fire in which she had made a smaller, fireless star and lied down for 1.5 hours. After a while, the onlookers noticed that Abramovich was not moving anymore. The fire around her had sucked up all the oxygen, but because of the smoke, the audience could not see that she was in fact unconscious. She was rescued just in time to be saved in a hospital. Afterwards, Abramovich realized that her performance art should be themed around the concept of endurance. She wanted to challenge her own body to show the darker side of humanity. 2. Seedbed – Vito Acconcini Acconcini is one of the most renowned and (in)famous performance artists in America. In 1972 he created a false floor in an empty room of a New York art gallery beneath which he was hiding. When visitors walked above him they would hear murmurs of his sexual fantasies about them through speakers while Acconcini was masturbating and talking into a microphone for eight hours a day. This performance was part of a larger ‘exhibition’ about bonds between people. This one symbolized the present in which you can have a relation without seeing the other. There are no strings attached. Acconcini was present and absent at the same time. This action inspired Acconcini’s art for the rest of his career. From now on his art would be about the relation with his viewers, playing with presence. Marina Abramovich performed the same action in 2005.
“Acconcini was present and absent at the same time.” 3. Shoot – Chris Burden During the Vietnam War a lot of American artists were filled with rage against the government and against the world for all the useless violence. Chris Burden is known for his extreme performance art in which he often inflicts pain on himself, mentally or physically. With his art, he wanted to confront his viewers with the violence in a world seemingly desensitized to pain. For Shoot, Burden let himself be shot in the arm by a friend. For Burden, this was the beginning of a 40-year long career as performance artists in which he continually amazed people with his violent but inspiring wake-up calls.
Wouter Peer
22 | The Issue | Spring 2020
Recipe
GREEN SPINACH-CHEESE DIP
Are you in need of the perfect comfort food that will help you stay at home during this challenging time? This spinach dip is there for you in these lonely times! It is super tasty, and it is so easy to make that there is hardly anything that can go wrong. In about 10-15 minutes this dip is all ready to dip I absolutely love this dip, so I want to share this pure deliciousness with you!
Roxanne Buis
Ingredients: • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 200gr baby spinach • 300gr sour cream • 150gr feta cheese • 2 cloves of garlic • Pepper and salt
and make sure everything is blended into a smooth, light-green, cream that will make you think of some kind of witchy stuff.
Directions: Put a pan (it does not really matter what kind of pan you use, but it does not have to be a big one) on a middle-high temperature on your stove, and pour the olive oil in the pan. Add a handful of spinach as soon as the oil is heated. Stir and keep adding spinach until all the spinach is in there. As soon as the spinach has shrunk, turn off the heat and put the spinach in a bowl.
Variation tips: You can of course always add a different spice or herb to it, and experiment with a different thing. Life is based on trial and error! Do with it what you like, but as soon as you have found a new delicious variation, please let me know because I want to try it :)
Get a hand blender, and put the spinach in. Blend the spinach and add the sour cream as soon as the spinach has changed into a creamy substance. When the sour cream is blended through, add the feta cheese
Add as much garlic, salt, and pepper as you prefer and mix it with the spinach dip. Don’t forget to do a taste test (or multiple)!
Serve the dip with some chips or bread, and this ultimate crowd-pleaser is ready to please the crowd! Your friends will be really thankful to you if you make this for them at a party, believe me.
The Issue | Spring 2020 | 23
ANYTHING IS ART WHEN PUT IN A MUSEUM Art can take many forms, not all of which are easily understood by the public. A banana, duct-taped to a wall in the Art Basel museum in Miami went viral last year, because of the high price it was sold for: $120.000. The work is made by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, called The Comedian. Cattelan is most famous through his work America, which is a full-functioning golden toilet. The idea seems somewhat ridiculous, making a toilet out of 18-karat solid gold, only to be put into the visitors bathroom of a museum. But, Cattelan likes to add many different layers of satire in his work, and does so again in his piece The Comedian. The idea that anyone can just take a banana and duct-tape it to a wall for free makes the price of this work of art seem absurd. Then again, who would pay $120.000 for a banana and a piece of duct
tape, and actually hang it on their wall? His work is clearly a funny critique on the absurdities of art and capitalism, proving that when an artist puts it in a museum, anything can be art. But, he is also part of the problem: he made a lot of money by something that cost 30 cents, and perished very quickly. The difference between what is and what isn’t art is a question that many have asked throughout the centuries, but has never been answered. Marcel Duchamp’s urinal called Readymade, Salvador Dali’s Lobster Telephone and Roger Hiorns’ Dust Sculpture are all examples of artworks that have created a lot of discussion of what art should be. Loved by some, hated by others, and mostly leaving the world questioning the meaning of art.
Denise Roodbeen