Art 21 Project

Tyeisha Witherspoon

"Patriotic Poodle," 1994Color Polaroid, 24 x 20 inches

© 2005 William Wegman

William Wegman• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUAdNCz0D94• I choose this artist mainly because of his passion and love for his dogs. He works

with his own dogs which are weimaraners. Wegman not only loves creating art and fashion with his dogs; but his dogs enjoy working with him. In the video link above he describes a time when he gave up using his dogs as props and models and his dog seemed to become depressed and sad. They have a great working relationship. Here is my reaction to Wegmans “Patriotic Poodle”. My sheltie is the “Orioles Dog”. I was inspired by the colors and the attire his dog was wearing which was very patriotic and stylish. The black background made the colors really come alive in his photograph. Above is a link to a great video that describes his work with his dogs. The most challenging part of my response was trying to keep my dog still. It takes patience to work with animals. My sheltie prince is 10years old and it was fun dressing him and photographing him. I truly loved this remake and appreciate the time and dedication Wegman puts into his art.

Orioles Dog

Production still from the "Art in the Twenty-First Century" Season 1 episode, "Consumption," 2001

Segment: Michael Ray Charles© Art21, Inc. 2001

Michael Ray Charles• Michael Ray Charles is an artist from Louisiana whose style is explores the racial

stereotypes drawn from American history, advertising, billboards, and commercials. He analyzes past and future stereotypes in the present day context. Charles uses images of an earlier era and contemporary mass media images of blacks to convey his messages. In all of his paintings, Charles reflect on the notions of beauty, violence, and ugliness. It is a reminder that our past is apart of us and how we are portrayed in society. My response to his Art in the Twenty-First Century" Season 1 episode, "Consumption” is basically a prehistoric female head that is carved out of wood. Even though I did not physically make this prehistoric head I thought it was a good combination of Charles characters which were a mix of minstrel figures, Mammy and Sambos. The prehistoric head has strong features with big white teeth and I added the wilting flower to add a touch of softness to its rough appearance.

Prehistoric Mammy

Angel from the installation "Angels with Crosses and Bullets," 1990-1997Mixed media (found objects), dimensions variable

Photo by the Artist Courtesy the Artist

John Feodorov• John Feodorov is an artist whose inspiration stems from his heritage. Feodorov is

part native American and of European decent. Feodorov was able to experience life as a native American on reservation in New Mexico. His artwork addresses stereotypes but with a humorous interjection of “sacred” items. I chose this artist because I like the fact that he is open and honest about his heritage. He’s not ashamed or bashful about addressing tough racial topics. I love feathers and all the different meanings which is another reason that attracted me to Feodorov. My response to his "Angels with Crosses and Bullets," is an angle who is haloed by a purple dream catcher. My image coincides with his use of an angle and cross across her chest. The colors of the feathers esenuates the angle.

Purple Angel