The Role of Race in Edmonia Lewis's Death of Cleopatra

This post is an updated and expanded form of an essay that I wrote in my college Women in Art class! I am excited to share some expanded and edited versions of my essays here (since I did spend plenty of time working on them, and I'd hate for them to rot away in my hard drive forever!)

Mary Edmonia Lewis, known more commonly as Edmonia Lewis, was the first professional sculptor of African and Native American descent in America. She created Neoclassical sculptures deeply embedded with racial themes and symbols. Lewis's most celebrated work is her Death of Cleopatra (shown below). This sculpture was displayed as a part of the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, where Lewis was one of a handful of women showcasing their work. Of these few women, Lewis was the only one who was not white, making her a paramount that paved the way for women artists of color in the art world. The strong, ethnically-aware subject matter of Death of Cleopatra makes its inclusion in the exposition even more profound.

Freemason Abbey Restaurant

During our nearly week-long stay in Norfolk back in January, when we were still house-hunting, our roommate Zach introduced us to this restaurant. Never ones to shy away from a good meal, we went along. 

The building is, as the name suggests, an old Freemasons building, and the have kept the historical integrity beautifully inside. Not to mention the absolutely delicious food.

Plucked Up Chicken and Biscuits

Sometimes it's best to make your own opinions about something. When we first moved to Columbus, we were told by someone that Plucked Up wasn't that impressive and that there were other restaurants way better. Being new, we sort of just took their word for it until recently. We had noticed how they were constantly busy, and the menu sounded promising, so we finally decided to check it out. I'm so glad that we did!

Real Techniques Everyday Essentials VoxBox

It seems like Influenster always knows when I need something, because just when I had been talking to a friend about my makeup brushes not doing the job right, I get an email a week later saying I was approved for this Real Techniques campaign. Coincidence? I dunno. What do you think, NSA agent listening in through my cell phone?

The point is, I got 4 new makeup brushes and a blending sponge complimentary from Influenster. The following review is my own honest opinion and in my own words.

Caffe Amici Italian Restaurant

For our 2 year marriage anniversary, Joe and I decided to check out a local Italian restaurant we had heard good things about. I haven't had much experience with Italian dining other than the sad chain restaurants and maybe one or two trips to an Italian restaurant in Beaufort, and Caffe Amici did not disappoint on the positive reviews. It's a little out-of-the-way, tucked in a little outlet shopping center, but the food and ambiance inside makes you forget where you are. We have been back multiple times since!

Upcycled $5 Media Stand to Record Player Cabinet

Something I have always enjoyed about looking through interior design magazines is seeing the various different activities people gave their own dedicated spaces to within the home. You can always tell what someone is passionate about based on what gets its own special place in the home. Some people have a little bar cabinet to house their spirits with decanters of bourbon on top, others have entire rooms dedicated to their computer and console gaming systems.

My husband and I have 2 "designated stations" in our home: one is a special cabinet for our Keurig, coffee mugs, and tea/coffee paraphernalia (I'll feature our coffee station in a future post!) and the other is our Music Station, which took us some searching.

Yummy BBQ Korea House

Tucked in an unassuming little building off one of Columbus' main roads is one of my favorite restaurants I've ever eaten at. Large letters on the front proclaim "Yummy BBQ Korea House," and it is absolutely amazing. We first went on recommendation of a friend, and have been back multiple times the past year, never leaving disappointed or without enough food to spare for lunch the next day. 

My Word for 2019

I have to tell you something, one of my biggest pet peeves is seeing people make their New Years Resolutions. It's not because I have a problem with people wanting to better themselves; that I actually love. The problem is that a lot of the time there's nothing to back these resolutions up, so something like 80% of resolutions are already abandoned by February. 

I've found a combination of goal-setting strategies that works for me, and this year I've decided to implement a new layer to help me stay big-picture focused: I have chosen a word to define 2019 for myself. As you can see, I have chosen the word "Mindful," and thus I will be more mindful in everything I do this year.

Read more about how I chose my word and what it means to me after the jump!

Image Surfacing: An Example of Lee Krasner's Nonfeminist Art

Source

A constant struggle for women artists throughout history has been the question of their sex: does a woman have the same capacity to create art as men? Does subject matter differ between men and women? At what point is a line drawn where gender is no longer a consideration in the evaluation of an artwork and the full focus lies on the artwork itself? During the Modern Era of Art, there were two groups with very strong opinions: the Separatists, who held very anti-patriarchy/pro-matriarchy views and expressed extreme favoritism for female and feminine subject matter, and the Nonfeminists who simply wanted to be accepted artists without the modifiers of “woman” or “female” in relation to their capability or criticism. Abstract Expressionist painter Lee Krasner belonged to the latter of the two groups.

Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!

Just a quick pop-in for Halloween! This year is pretty low-key. The area of our neighborhood gets no trick-or-treaters (despite our lights and candy bowls) so we're keeping it really low-key. I couldn't resist the temptation to dress up, and decided to channel a gender-bent Beetlejuice vibe! 

Wig // Walmart

Hat // H&M

Dress // LuLaRoe Carly Dress

Necklace // Wild Earth Long Station Necklace by Chloe + Isabel

Earrings // Wild Earth Drop Earrings by Chloe + Isabel (discontinued)

Spaghetti Squash Turkey Taco Boats

Lately the craving for a vegetable-heavy meal has been hitting Joe and I both pretty hard. Fresh Market had spaghetti squash on sale so we picked one up, and I decided to make these yummy turkey taco boats! Obviously you can add any number of things to this recipe; tomatoes, jalapenos, peppers, etc. This is just the starting point for a very delicious and clean-feeling dish! One taco boat (half a squash) was enough for a meal for us both!

Recipe after the jump

Georgia O'Keeffe's Spirituality by Introspection

This post is an updated and expanded form of an essay that I wrote in my college Women in Art class! I am excited to share some expanded and edited versions of my essays here (since I did spend plenty of time working on them, and I'd hate for them to rot away in my hard drive forever!)

Georgia O'Keeffe, Source

“When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not.” -Georgia O'Keeffe, Quote 1 

“I hate flowers- I paint them because they're cheaper than models and they don't move.”
-Georgia O'Keeffe, Quote 2 

“I decided that if I paint that flower in a huge scale, you could not ignore its beauty.”
-Georgia O'Keeffe, Quote 3

Georgia O'Keeffe's art is a classic example of American art of the early 1900s, especially with her usual subject matter of cityscapes and close-up views of flowers. Her style of abstraction has been lauded by artists and critics alike. Despite flowers and landscapes being a large part of her portfolio, O'Keeffe's idea of nature is detached, aesthetic, and almost entirely indifferent.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon and Honey Goat Cheese

Everyone has been saying around here that it's "finally starting to feel like fall". Which has to be a joke, because it has seriously been in the high 80's all week and barely dropping to the low 70's at night. Still, part of me can't blame the wishful thinking, I am desperately ready for fall weather, clothes, and food. I've even been sneaking in little pumpkin treats once in a while to get myself mentally ready.

Something I used to not like at all was butternut squash, but I think it's just the way I had prepared it before. It's one of those foods that kind of needs other foods and flavors with it. I don't like just a mash of butternut squash alone. I decided to experiment with making a butternut squash soup by pan-roasting the chunks of squash and other veggies in bacon drippings before pureeing in the blender with stock. It came out so good! And butternut squash is just so good for you and a perfect vegetable to transition from summer to fall cooking with.

This is a very sweet, thick soup; sometimes I'm in the mood for it, but if you want to spice things up, you can add a little red pepper flakes for a slight kick!

Recipe after the jump