HAAARCH's blog

"Methodical Suffering: Chinese Buddhism as a Tool in Zhang Huan's Early Performance Art," by Sarah Horton

At 11:30 am, on a sweltering June morning in 1994, a nude Zhang Huan sat down in a run-down public restroom in Beijing’s East Village, covered in a mixture fish oil and honey. Immediately swarmed by flies, Zhang maintained that position with perfect stillness for an hour, despite the stench and stifling 100° heat. Zhang allowed the flies to cover his body and did not react even as they entered his ears and nose, drawn to the viscous liquid coating his skin.

Sarah Horton

Sarah Horton is a senior majoring in History of Art and Architecture, with a minor in Studio Arts and a certificate in Asian Studies. Her primary area of academic interest is modern and contemporary East Asian art, but she appreciates art from an eclectic range of locations and time periods.

"The University Studio: Oiticica, Rhodislandia, and Peripheral Strategies in Art Making," by Grace Kelly

The students hovered around the small man, his Portuguese accent lilting as he showed them the space they would be making art in. The room was divided into cubicles with flossy white cloth and a mellow orange light that pulsated, creating an embryonic space. Outside, the cold, damp winds of November breezed through the coastal town of Kingston, Rhode Island. Helio Oiticica, a native of Brazil, was out of his element, and not just because of the weather.

Grace Kelly

Grace is graduating senior majoring in History of Art and Architecture with a minor in Spanish and a certificate in Latin American Studies.

Last summer, the University Honor’s College awarded her an off-campus research award, which Grace used to travel to Houston and Austin, Texas. There, she investigated an exhibition, Rhodislandia, by Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica, a project done under the guidance of Professor Jennifer Josten.

"Creation and Contemplation: The Flight 93 Memorial and The National September 11 Museum," by Alice Gallagher

On September 11, 2001 at 8:42 am, United Flight 93 departed from Newark Liberty International Airport heading to San Francisco International Airport. Forty-six minutes into the flight, the route was redirected toward Washington D.C. as the four hijackers on board overtook the cockpit. The thirty-three passengers and seven crew members valiantly attempted to regain control of the plane before the aircraft crashed into an open field in rural Somerset County, Pennsylvania at 10:03 am.

Alice Gallagher

Alice Gallagher is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh, pursuing a major in History of Art & Architecture and Communications with minor in French. She is originally from Princeton, New Jersey, but has had the opportunity to live in larger cities, such as Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Paris. She is aspiring towards a Public Relations career in a museum or gallery, a desire which began after interning in the press room at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2013.

"The Politics of Display: Transnational Convergence in the Chinese Nationality Room," by Karen Lue

The Chinese Nationality Room (CNR) in the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning was one of the first nationality rooms to be built, dedicated in October 1939. These rooms were meant to represent minority groups in Pittsburgh, celebrating their cultures through the creation of a classroom that would embody aspects of each heritage through furniture and décor.

Karen Lue

Currently a senior, Karen will graduate in April 2015 with double majors in History of Art & Architecture and Economics and a minor in French. Her long-term career goals include working as a curator or director of education or public programming in a museum, gallery, or another arts institution. She has had experience as an undergraduate teaching assistant for three semesters and a research assistant in the Visual Media Workshop.

"Radical Muralism in Three Dimensions: A Close Look at Siqueiros' May Day Political Float," by Abbey O'Brien

On May 1, 1936, the streets of Manhattan’s garment district were flooded with over forty thousand Leftist sympathizers in observance of the annual May Day Parade for workers. Many of those involved in the procession carried banners or created ephemeral performance pieces to advocate for worker’s rights. None of these projects, however, were quite as dramatic as the piece that radical Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros and his Experimental Workshop designed for the parade.

Abbey O'Brien

Abbey O’Brien is a senior majoring in History and Art & Architecture. Originally studying Art Education with a minor in Art History at the University of Vermont, Abbey transferred to the University of Pittsburgh in 2013 where her passion for art history flourished. She is interested in a broad scope of modern topics that range from Austrian art during the fin-de-siècle and interwar periods to the impact of the Mexican mural movement.