University Open Air: Is Beauty Relevant? A Question for Artists
Beauty is a concept that is assumed to be universally intelligible, but it is seldom defined in our everyday lives. We also live in a world in which we are bombarded with images that bind the beautiful to the realm of advertising. Under capitalism, beauty is manufactured and used to sell us on the idea that it is just another thing to be acquired and possessed, or a standard we cannot live up to in reality, at least not without the right products. Viewed in this light, it becomes difficult not to treat beauty without a degree of skepticism, even cynicism. In this discussion-based workshop, we will examine our assumptions about beauty by defining it for ourselves. We will also look at the relationship between beauty and creativity by exploring what various artists, writers, and thinkers have written on the subject. By linking beauty back to the creative impulse, we can see it as a call to action, an imperative for the artist, and inspiration, even as we grapple with the complexity of its relationship to economic and political ideologies in the contemporary global context. This course is co-taught by Elizabeth Moylan and Tsai-ling Tseng
*Participants should bring their preferred writing and drawing implements along with a sketchbook.
Tsai-Ling Tseng, born in 1991 in Taipei, is a Brooklyn based artist that earned her BFA from SVA in 2016 and her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2018. Tseng currently teaches at RISD and her studio practice focuses on transforming her daily life experiences into visual form. She works to capture the process of transformation itself — not only to make images, but also to use a canvas as a space to think through the possible relationships between art and experience. Colors are the initial marks on her canvas. Tseng tries to find light within these colors, which becomes the main character for her to visualize an unknown yet familiar event of the painting. Images of landscapes, plants, animals, and humans are products of discovery within her painting process. Tseng relinquishes control over specific narrative and allows it to happen spontaneously, whenever images collide. The objective is not only to surprise viewers, but to surprise herself with these unexpected collisions.
Elizabeth Moylan is an artist and writer based in Brooklyn. She recently relocated from Chicago, where she was an instructor of painting, print media, and fiber and material studies. She is currently working on a body of writing inspired by the vivid nightlife of her new home. She has years of experience studying and translating classical Latin and Greek poetry. She considers that early immersion in poetic study as foundational to her artistic practice today. She holds a BA in Gender Studies from the University of Chicago, where she also studied Russian Language and Literature, and an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
*In cases of rain, classes will be either moved to the Prospect Park Boathouse or canceled. Registered patrons will be notified by email on the morning of each course day and are also encouraged to check the UOA webpage and BPL Presents’ Facebook and Twitter pages for updates.
University Open Air is generously supported by The Morris & Alma Schapiro Fund.
101 East Drive
Brooklyn, NY 11225
Beauty is a concept that is assumed to be universally intelligible, but it is seldom defined in our everyday lives. We also live in a world in which we are bombarded with images that bind the beautiful to the realm of advertising. Under capitalism, beauty is manufactured and used to sell us on the idea that it is just another thing to be acquired and possessed, or a standard we cannot live up to in reality, at least not without the right products. Viewed in this light, it becomes difficult not to treat beauty without a degree of skepticism, even cynicism. In this discussion-based workshop, we will examine our assumptions about beauty by defining it for ourselves. We will also look at the relationship between beauty and creativity by exploring what various artists, writers, and thinkers have written on the subject. By linking beauty back to the creative impulse, we can see it as a call to action, an imperative for the artist, and inspiration, even as we grapple with the complexity of its relationship to economic and political ideologies in the contemporary global context. This course is co-taught by Elizabeth Moylan and Tsai-ling Tseng
*Participants should bring their preferred writing and drawing implements along with a sketchbook.
Brooklyn Public Library - Central Library MM/DD/YYYY 60