A student's self-portrait was found deliberately torn to pieces in the Art Building at Mount Holyoke College, disturbing the artist and the author of the article. The author reflects on how exposing oneself creatively is anxiety-provoking due to the desire to elicit an emotional response from others through one's art. While Mount Holyoke aims to encourage self-expression, incidents like this undermine the sense of safety and judgment-free environment needed to take creative risks. The author fears how their own creative writing will be received in an upcoming peer review class.

1. February 5, 2009 G
Mount Holyoke News A&E 5
I think that’s because creative efforts, expressions of the self, seem to strive for, more
The Fast Talker
BY LARISA SUNDERLAND ’11
than flawless execution, an evocation of feeling in another person. Waiting for feedback
on a poem I’ve written elicits an acutely visceral anxiety within me—the awful stomach
twist, weakened knees, shaky hands- similar to the feelings provoked right before can-
didly declaring, say, “I love you,” for the first time. In both instances, internal emotion
SEEKING A SAFE SPACE FOR ART
has been born into the world, and I am left hoping that I can affect a positive response
on an exterior person. If so, the response, in turn, will at once satisfy my craving to elicit
emotion and act as the exterior world’s acceptance of my inner self. If not, I’m struck
with the tormenting knowledge that I have failed to connect with another person in the
way I had hoped, and that my inner sentiment doesn’t interest the external world—a cat-
ast week, I had my surety in the sublime safeness of Mount Holyoke contested
L by a disquieting incident. A friend returned to the Art Building to collect her
portfolio to find that her self-portrait had been torn into several pieces, all of
which had been tucked purposefully beneath the rest of the contents of her portfolio.
egorical rejection of the self. This makes creative work and review of creative work an
inherently intimate exchange and one that should be treated with delicacy that that so
recommends.
When negative feedback has the potential to be that painful, why enroll in a class
When she left the painting it was, needless to say, in one piece, and resting on top of her
that requires creative output and thus criticism of artistic endeavor to begin with? Be-
semester’s pile of work. Beyond what is obviously remarkably disturbing about this oc-
cause the only thing scarier than receiving artistic criticism is the thought of never re-
currence—that one’s belongings are clearly unsafe when left in public spaces, in aca-
ceiving artistic criticism, and being permanently stunted in one’s work and, furthermore,
demic spaces, on this campus—I shudder at what this event implies regarding Mount
in one’s personal growth. Mount Holyoke is all about personal expression and respect
Holyoke's standing as a safe place in which to explore, with as much ease as possible, our
for self-exploration. We’re all here to learn from and support one another, theoretically,
creative identities.
so this must be the best possible place to bare our artistic souls, right?
Putting oneself on display in any fashion, but most particularly artistically, is, well,
Sure, until you peruse the Confessional or, more passively, find that your self-portrait
petrifying. As likely the most graphically maladroit person on this campus, I can't begin
has been defiled in the Art Building. More than an academic experience, Mount Holyoke
to imagine the studio art major’s habitual placement of a painting, or sculpture, or print
has been a place where I’m willing to unravel bits of myself of which I have been previ-
in front of inevitable classmate scrutiny (you know, “peer critique,” that perverse prac-
ously circumspect. I feel I can do that here because there seems to be some sort of col-
tice!). This week, however, I will begin a creative writing class in which peer review of
lective value in what is ours, and moreover, a sense of value in valuing each other's work.
my creative writing will be a weekly exercise— this isn’t something I'm entirely thrilled
This seems incredibly important to uphold if we are to continue to encourage personal
about. I often postpone reading criticism of my academic papers for weeks, and that’s
and collective growth in art and of self. Most of the time this place is one big judgment-
Czech it out: The art Europe denied
just feedback on what I’ve got to say about somebody else’s creative efforts. I’m terrified
free bubble—but for me, for the moment, it’s been popped and I'm markedly missing the
to hear what will be said of my creative efforts.
iridescent sheen of comfort.
BY MAGDALENA GEORGIEVA ’10 If you’re wondering democracy.” Its effects, however, couldn’t have strayed can peek into
PERSPECTIVES EDITOR how one piece of art can farther away from these goals and what it ended up pro- the figures’
offend 27 countries simul- voking was mostly Europe’s strong criticism. The exhibit arses and
taneously, then hire a Czech artist under the name of proves that when a vision of art is placed in a highly sen- watch a video
David Cerny, sit back and watch. He will surely take care sitive political context, controversy can hardly be avoided. s h o w i n g
of this task because he has the necessary background The mosaic of European geographical shapes as- Czech President Vaclav
after angering the lares and penates of the European signed stereotypical and prejudicial symbols to the 27 Eu- Klaus and the head of the
Bulgaria
Union with his newest sculpture Entropa. ropean Union members. The territory of France on the National Gallery Milan Knizak feeding
Officially launched on Jan. 15, 2009, Entropa consti- map is covered with a poster saying “GRÈVE!" that trans- each other slop to the soundtrack of
tuted of a map of geographic symbols representing the 27 lates into “On Strike!” Romania is portrayed as a Dracula- Queen’s “We are the Champions.”
EU member states in a comic fashion intended to provoke themed amusement park with special sound effects. Spain “I seriously, we seriously expected that this will be
Europe’s sense of humor. The sculpture was supposed to is an empty construction site with a concrete mixer placed taken as a joke, as a nice piece of work, as a nice installa-
honor the European Union in the country’s northern part. Luxemburg, a golden tion, and nothing else,” said Cerny about his latest project
member states, celebrate di- chunk, carries a For Sale tag with a telephone number to in a speech in Brussels. Unfortunately, the artwork was
versity and officially contact. The United Kingdom is the missing piece from taken as something else by many who viewed it as humil-
mark the Czech the mosaic. Greece’s territory is covered by a completely iating and reinforcing negative stereotypes instead of
presidency of the burnt forest. Worst of all, Bulgaria is depicted as a series eradicating them. Moreover, the production of this “nice
EU. It was in- of white squats (Turkish-style toilets). piece of work” cost EUR 375,000.
tended to artisti- Although Cerny saw the installation as an opportunity After receiving complaints and widespread criticism
cally illustrate to learn to laugh over stereotypical images and transcend about the exhibit, the Czech government officially apolo-
and complement cultural boundaries, the rest of Europe was displeased gized to the offended member states. “This is not how the
the words of the with such unfavorable representations. But then again, Czech government or the Presidency view EU or any
Czech Deputy the rest of Europe doesn’t have Cerny’s crude humor. member state,” said Czech Deputy Prime Minister
Prime Minister Though not put on display at the European Council build- Alexandr Vondra. This is, however, how the EU under-
Alexandr Vondra ing in Brussels, the artist’s previous works were equally stood Entropa’s political message masked in an inexplica-
spoken at the sculp- controversial. In the garden of Futura Gallery in Prague, ble art form.
The MHN makes our 2009 Grammy predictions
France ture’s launch cere- Cerny designed two nude sculptures that so visitors can
mony, “Freedom of expression is a founding principle of climb on a ladder situated between the figures’ legs. They
BY KIM BOYD ’10
So, once more it’s time for the teeny boppers of Plant and Alison Krauss, “In Rainbows”–Radiohead. I’m going with Lil Wayne here.
STAFF WRITER the world to fall on their knees before their idols There seems to be some buzz going into the Grammys about him.
and worship them in the form of watching the
Grammys. The Grammys, once an expression of a joining of music, now Song of the Year Nominees: “American Boy” –Estelle featuring Kanye West, “Chasing
has come nothing more then a musical blender where different gen- Pavements”–Adele, “I’m Yours”–Jason Mraz, “Love Song”-Sara
res compete against one another in an all out war for popular- Bareilles, “Viva La Vida”–Coldplay. Once again I’m predicting a
ity and the bump that being a Grammy winner may bring to Coldplay win, because that “Viva La Vida” is a song that crosses
CD sales or downloads. Here are the Mount Holyoke News’ genres, and many people seem to like it.
2009 Grammy predictions.
Best New Artist Nominees: Adele, Duffy, Jonas Brothers, Lady
Record of the Year Nominees: “Chasing Pavements”–Adele, “Viva la Vida”– Antebellum and Jazmine Sullivan. Once considered to be a cursed
Coldplay, “Bleeding Love”–Leona Lewis, “Paper Planes”–M.I.A., “Please Read the category, one can hope that the curse is still in effect for at least
Letter” – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Something tells me that Coldplay will one of this years nominees. The teeny bopper idols this year
take it, because everyone loves a comeback story. come in the form of the Jonas Brothers and their Disney chan-
nel music ways. Like Miley Cyrus, they need to get out of the music
Album of the Year Nominees: “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends –Cold- business and go back into obscurity where they belong. Please, oh please, let the Jonas
play, “Tha Carter III”–Lil Wayne, “Year of the Gentleman –Ne-Yo, “Raising Sand”–Robert Brothers win.