School Days

Rochester Institute of Technology

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2008

School Days

Hope Rovelto

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ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OFTECHNOLOGY

AThesisSubmitted to the _Facultyof

The Collegeof_ImagingArts and Sciences

In _Candidacyforthe Degreeof

MASTEROF FINE ARTS

School Days

By

Hope Rovelto

,

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I, Hope Rovelto , additionally grant to the Rochester Institute of Technology Digital Media Library (RIT DML) the non-exclusive license to archive and provide electronic access to my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in all forms of media in perpetuity. I understand that my work, in addition to its bibliographic record and abstract, will be available to the world-wide community of scholars and researchers through the RIT DML. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I am aware that the Rochester Institute of Teclmology does not require registration of copyright for ETDs.

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'To

be

is

believe

in

Thesis Statement

Mythesis exhibition,"School

Days,"

isacollection ofautobiographical sculptures.

My

Duringschool I feltcondescension from myteachers and peers; I felt like I was _actually

wearing adunce cap. This _bodyofwork representsthe _feelingof_beingostracized fromothers

ina classroom. I usetheform ofschool chairs _{for my}sculpture. The school chairs are the

primary metaphor_{reflecting my early formal} education. _We, western industrial society, havean

almost universal _relationship withthe school chair. Asan artist, I use its form toconstruct a

Introduction: School Days

"School Days"

focuses onthe memoriesof_my experiences of_earlychildhood education.

The educationalformalities of growth and _learning hadthe opposite effect onme. _My

experience atSomersworth High _School,Somersworth, New Hampshire _drasticallydiffered

from the norm. I recall _{raising my hand}toanswer questions but myteachers would look right

past me and respondto otherstudents. _{Myapathy began to grow,} because as achild_my

rationalewas, "if_myteachers _{don't, why}should I?"

"Forschooladministratorsit is_equally palatable todemand_ofhis orherteachers that_theymake sure

theirstudents achieve high scoreson theeducational assessmentgiven_annuallytoall grades _{four, eight,}

andelevenstudents, aspart_oftheprocess toachieve highschool graduation _bytheend_ofgrade

twelve. _{Not only}are students often discouragedandeven humiliated_iftheydo_poorlyon these _tests,

butteacher'sand administrator'sjobsare injeopardy." - David Solmits

'

My behavior repeatedlygotme kicked out ofclass and I spent a considerable amount of

time inafter school detention. Each year itbecame _increasinglydifficult justto pass _my classes

and advance into the next grade. I remember _havinga _{strong desire}to learn and do_well, but I

didn't know howtoget out ofthe cycle, or_{why I} was identified _{by my}teachersas someone

who couldn't learn. The rigid structure of school_only perpetuated _{my ignorance}and _my

boredomtowards learning. I began to _{hate every}minute I satin aschool chair. I identified the

"There are winners and_{losers;naturally,} thelosers haveless commitmentto the classthen themajority:

therefore,no real sense _ofcommunity, which includesthe_abilityto appreciate andtrustone another,

has been accomplished."

-David Solmits2

Struggling

question myself. I thought, "If I am _{strugglingnow,}what will happento mein thefuture?" _By

the time I reached theage of _18, 1 felt I only hadthree choicesafter high school:go to college,

get ajobto survive,orjointhe military. Somewhere in _my mind I believedthatif I wentto

college, I would havea chance at _livingthe life I wanted instead of_{settling for}whateverI could

get. I was aware of_mytrackrecord and the _only subjectI had success and interest in was art,

so I applied to Maine CollegeofArt. On my _birthday, I received a letter stating I was not

accepted becauseof_{my below}standardgrade point average, and _myweak portfolio. _Deciding

nottogive up, I quickly applied and wasaccepted toWhite Pines College located in Chester,

New Hampshire. Whilethere, _{I brought up my}grade pointaverage and developed a stronger

portfolio; itwas thenthat I reapplied and was accepted to Maine College ofArtand decidedto

.*-Fig. I

It was at Maine College Art from _(1996-2001) that _{I had my first} positive educational

experience. I realized _{that, bygoing} to a school thatfocused on _{my interests,} I had a chanceto

succeed. When my struggles isolated _only to _myacademic challenges, I had a revelation: I was

smart and I learned differently. The _{inflexibility} of _{my early} education had left me behind. It

became clear to me that I am _essentially a visual learner. I face many challenges that most

people takeforgranted. The happiness I feltwhen I came to understand how I _{learn, however,}

was also shadowed _bysadness for 1 2 lostyears ofeducation. It wasthrough _{my determination}

and workethicthat Iwas able togetthrough _my entire academiceducation. _My MasterofFine

Arts thesis speaks about _my pain and the struggle of _being a ghost in the educational system.

After attending Maine College of_Art, I moved outto Seattle, Washington and became an artist

memberatSeward Parks Art Studio. This is where I found a passionfor ceramics and realized I

Content:

Chair

Metaphor

"A chair can function on a physical and psychological level in its interaction with

individuals. _Plus, it _{may embody} meanings and valves which connect with the user at an

intellectual, emotional, aesthetic, cultural and even spiritual level." 3

The chairhas been an objectofindustrial manufacture and has undergone remarkable

innovations sincethe 19th century. It is a symbol of social and economicstatus. I chosethe

school chair as a metaphorto tell _mystory. It isthe strongestvisual imagethat references_my

own experienceofeducation. Thechair I used iswooden, and hasa metal frame for support

and an arm thatwraps around toa_{desk enclosing}theseated student. There is a compartment

for books under the chair, and adesk onthe right sideofthe chair. This chair is both a

poignant image of_{early schooling}and an actual chair from agrammarschool; it is both symbol

and reality.

Initially, Iconsidered _{using found} chairsforthis sculpture, butthe foundchairs _may

enticetheviewerto sitonthe chairs. I wantedtheviewerto not_physically placethemselves in

the chairs butto _mentally place him orherselfto thinkabouttheirown education _by

looking

thechairs. Over_time, I discoveredthat_{by making}the chairs in _claywith _myown _hands, itgave

mecomplete control with _{every step}ofthe _making process. In addition, _creatingthese chairs

out of_claysuggeststhe _fragilityofmaterial as it relatesto _beingveryvulnerable ata _youngage.

The uncertaintyofthe_making processes of_claysculpture mirrorsthatof_my education and life.

There is a_flexibility and forgivenessto _claythat allows meto learn and grow. I chooseto

createthe work through the process of mold _{making because}the _uniformityin each chair

expressesthe educational mold I did notfitinto. Additionally,the press mold allowed me to

take libertieswith each form andto personalize particularchairs toopposethe _group of

My work stems from my unconscious. I start with an idea and I letmyself drift offinto

the materials and processesthatcomplement _my sculpture. I amdrawn to the poeticqualitiesof

takingintangible ideas frommy mind and_watchingthempassthrough_{my hands} toward_creating

and _{making, then transforming}themintoa physical reality. It is throughthe physicality ofform

thatI am abletoarticulate _{my ideas.}

References

Influences

For mythesis exhibition I used multiplesofthe same chair. Inthis_way of_{working I have}

been influenced

by

Anthony

(1993)

consist of over _{1000 Terracotta figures}about 4"

high. _Gormleyfilled a whole exhibition space

withthese figures sothatyou couldn't evenwalk into the gallery;you hadto observefrom the

outside.

Gormley

deflectsthe visitor's attention _{away from} theirfragility, and onto his orher inner

being." 4

When I was_thinkingabout _{my final} thesis show, Iwantedtofill one whole space with ceramic

chairs. Unlike_Gormley, I wanted _myviewerto walkin and out ofthe chairs, to dive intotheir

innerself and reflectontheirown education. Ifeel that the use of multiples can takethe

attention _{away from} the_fragility ofa single object and make theviewerthink aboutthe_meaning

behindthefull installation of_many objects.

Fig.4

In mythesis _exhibition, I hopedto capture amoment oftime. Inthissituationthe

viewers can reflect on theirown _relationshipwith_earlyeducation. In addition, Ican givethem

insight into myexperience. Forthis idea of

freezing

by

everydaylife activities.

Fig. 5

I am the viewer, and I feel apart ofthe piece becauseofits scale and realistic rendering.

Segal states, "The human shapefunctions as an effective void

-denying

monumentalityagainstthe more vivid background provided

by

impersonal equipmentmanufacturedto _{satisfybodily} and psychological

needs."

5The effective

void iswhat_myworkfocuses on. In "School Days", I am attractedto the absent in the

unoccupied chair and its sense ofemptiness.

Leaving

inthe scenarios I've created and allowsthemto see _my perspective.

Fig. 6

Fig. 7 Fig.8

I have also been influenced _by conceptual artistJoseph Kosuth. His piece "One andThree

chairs

(1965)

what is achair? And whatis Art? His interestis the difference betweena specific object,

writingabout that object,and a photo ofthatsameobject. Hewantstheviewerto think about

what is _beingpresented andtheirpersonal interpretation ofthe object.

George Brechtalso questionedthe chairas an art object. His Chair Eventsin 1961 the oneon

the right _Fig.8, Brecht placeda chair under aspot light inthe gallery, anotherin the toiletand

one outside thefront doorofthe Martha Jackson _Galleryin NY. Brechtis

demonstrating

modest interpretationof an _everydayobject such as a chairas an overlookedwork ofart. In

summary, the chair has a_longand _{reoccurringhistory} in artfrom ancienttime topresent.

Fig. 9

Fig. 10

Fig. 12

Fig. 13

Fig. 14

Thesis

Exhibition

Review

Fig. 15

MyThesis Exhibition "School Days"

consists ofamain installation titled "The

Classroom",and five_accompanyingsculptures: _{"Fight", "Frustrations",}

"Talking

the _Corner", and _{"Reflections". Throughout}all ofthis workthe chairs lookthe same, but are

positioned in differentsituations. Thetechniqueof press-molded chairs createsthe same chair

in a uniform manner. This method of_working producesgeneric chairsthatlack individuality. I

chose a_flat,white glaze surfacefor its cold _{ghostlyappearance;} italso represents _myfeeling of

alienation

during

gallery.

Exhibiting

work and pushesthe viewerto look back intotheir past education because oftheir physical

relationship to the chairs. I picked a_galleryspace where I was able tocontrol thewhole

environmentfortheworkand theviewer. Theexhibition is intwo rooms. Thefrontroom

holdsthefourseparate _sculptures, and the backroom isset_{up like} a classroom.

The Fight

Fig. 16

Thissculpture is a composition offourchairs. One ofthe chairs is broken in halfand

leaning upagainstthewall. The otherthreeare_{aggressivelysurrounding}the broken chair, as if

theyare_{ganging up} on the broken chair. I place myselfintothe strugglesofthe broken chair,

fighting my wayto understand _learningthe same_wayas _mypeers.

Frustrations

Fig. 17

This sculpture is also acomposition offourchairs. Each chairwasaltered

during

constructionwith twistsintheir backs and outward _kickinglegs. The fourchairs are _pilingon

top of each other like_theyare wrestling. Thissculpture expressesthe_frustrations I had_trying

to succeed inschool. Likethefigures in Golding's Lord ofthe Flies. Itried to _{fight myway}to

the_topto provethat I could.

Taking

Myself

Fig. 18

This sculpture is one chairthatwasconstructed with two backs. Thetwo backs act as a

mirror image of myself. _{In my} earlier _education, I _truly believed I was the _only one that had

learning

feeling

In

Corner

Fig. 19

This sculpture is made _up of two chairs. One of the chairs is _facing the corner. The

second chair is behind it, so the two chairs sitbackto back. This sculpture depicts the _memory

of_puttingthe bad child in thecorner because _they misbehaved in class. I alwaysfelt I was in the

corner;everyone's backwastowards me, because I hadno support.

Reflections

Fig. 20

This chair _{is quietly facing}all ofthe othersculptures. It represents me as I reflect upon

my education. However, the use of non-descript color and symbolism helpsthe viewertofill in

theirown interpretation and experiences ofeducation.

The final componentofSchool Days isthe main installationtitled "TheClassroom".

This installation is made of 15whiteceramic school chairs. Each school chair is placedin rows

of3

by

viewercan walk_up and down the rows. All ofthe school chairs are_facinga blankchalkboard.

Thechalkboard acts as the_top ofthe _hierarchy(astheteacher_{would) in} aclassroom. I chose

to _keepthe chalkboard blank because I genuinely believethatI was not taught. I did not mark

anyone oftheschool chairs to acknowledge myself, orto _{have any}individuality. Allthe chairs

arethesame so that theviewers can place themselves in the classroom. _Theycan chooseto

placethemselves inthefrontofthe classorto thebackoftheclass. This installationwas_very

importantto show howcoldthe structure of education can be.

The

Classroom

Fig. 2 1

Conclusion

In _creatingthis

body

artist. I believe that"School Days"

successfullycaptures thefeelingsof_earlychildhood

education orthelackthere of. Thecompletion ofthisthesis exhibition speaks about_my

achievements in theceramic graduate _department, and about_myaccomplishments in a

structured educational environment. I struggled and conquered the educational system as a

student; I have worked hard to gain respectasan artist. _{Accomplishingmy Master}ofFine Arts

Graduate Degree isagoal Ithought I would never achieve. I realize_that,to achieve _anygoal in

life,you justhavetowork hard, learn howtoteach yourself withconfidenceto overcome_any

challenges, and believe in yourself. I have grown to appreciatethe chairform as an objectfor

creatingnarratives thatrelateto peopleand life situations. I want _myarttobetangible to all

audiences. There are certain works ofart_byconceptual artiststhat includetheirviewerto

mentally participate intheirwork, that I will continue to admire suchasAnn _Hamilton,

installation artist,Adrian Piper, aconceptual artist, Kathe Kolwitz,a printmakerfrom the

1_900's, Bruce Nauman, AndyWarhol and Robert Rauschenberg, both popartist. _Alongwith

achieving mygoal, I have researched various artiststhat havealso used chairs in conceptual

narratives. Inthe_future, I will continueto usethe chairas ametaphorforthe self, andto

expressthegreat struggles and greatjoys of_{my life} experiences.

"Everywhereyou'llfinda chair,you seethem _here, you seethem there, the_interestingone might make

youstare, cometake aseat, come pull_up achair."-Anonymous

Technical Information

Thedesign ofthe chair came

directly

dollars, at an antiques _{shop in} Maine. It has been de-accessioned from a local districtschool. I

proceededto disassemblethe chair and make atwo-partmold for every piece,which equaled

1 3 two-partmoldsforthe children's chairs and 16 partsforthe school chair. Each chair was

assemble in the wet green ware stage and coated withwhite _sliptoensure extrawhiteness of

thesurface. _Everychair was fired in an electric kiln to cone 08

(

slipwasapplied, then each chairwas sprayed with a white virtuous engobe andfired inan

electrickiln to cone04 _(1945), which achieved_{the white, ghostly finish. The}tabletops on the

school chairsare attached andfinished post-firing.All sculpturewas made of ageneric, lowfire,

white stoneware sculpture _{clay, body}and satin mattbaseglaze.

Fig. 21

Bibliography

I. David Solmits

-"The Roots of

Apathy

Apathy" Local

Voices On Line. REM. Convenor ofCollaborativeCommunityEnterprises 2000.

2. David Solmits

-"The Roots of

Apathy

Apathy" Local

Voices On Line. REM. Convenorof Collaborative_Community Enterprises 2000.

3. Fiell, Charlotte & _Peter, "The _Chair; Design, _Diversity and the Nature of

Connections"

Icons: Chairs. Taschen GMBH _{Hohenzollernring} 2002.

4. _{AnthonyGormley,} "European Fields 1993 Terra-cotta" _Anthony Gormley. Phaidon

Press Limited 1 995.

5. Crow, Thomas,

"Living

Pop"

The RiseoftheSixties _Harry N Abrams Incorporated,

NY 1996.

6. Harrison, Charles, "Objecthood and

Reductivism"

Artand _Theory 1900-1990. Blackwell

Publishers Incorporated, 1992.

7. Livingstone, Marco, _"PopArt A_Continuing History,"Thames @Hudson Inc. 1990.

8. Godfrey, Tony, "Conceptual Art," Phaidon Press Limited 1 998

9. Kotz, Mary Lynn, "Rauschenberg/Artand

Life,"

Harry N. Abrams Incorporated NY

1990.

10. Archer, Michael, "ArtSince 1960" 1997 Thames & Hudson, London 1997.

Figures

Cited

I. Hope Rovelto. "Sit Down."

2000, mixed media _installtion, Student _Gallery at Maine

CollegeofArt.

2. Robert_Rausenberg, 1990"Rauschenberg/ Artand Life." _{Kotz, Mary} Lynn.

3.

Anthony

1993 Terra-cotta _"Anthony Gormley."

Phaidon Press Limited 1 995.

4. _Anthony Gormley, Detail "European Fields"

1993 Terra-cotta"

"Anthony Gormley."

Phaidon Press Limited 1 995.

5. GeorgeSegal, "The bus" 1979 "George Segal."

Van _DerMarck,Jan.

6. George Segal, "Woman in a Resturant Booth" 1961-62. _Harry N _Abrams, Inc

Publishers, NY 1979.

7. Joseph Kosuth "One and _{Three Chair".} 1965 "Objecthood and

Reductivism"

"Art and

Theory 1900-1990." Harrison, Charles.

8. George Brecht, , "Chair Events in

1961"

"ConceptualArt."

Godfrey, Tony.

9. Bruce Nauman, "Cold Coffee Thrown Away"

1 966-67 "Bruce Nauman Work from

1965-1972."

Livingston,Jane &Tucker, Maricia

1 0. Adrian Piper, "I am the Locus#2." 1975 "Conceptual Art."Godfrey, Tony. 1 1. Robert Rausenberg

"Soundings."

1968 "Rauschenberg/ Artand

Life."

Kotz, _MaryLynn.

12. Kathe Kollwitz, "Outbreak." 1903 "Kathe Kollwitz." _Nagel, Otto.

13. Ann Hamilton, "Tropos" 1 960 "Ann Hamilton." Simon,Joan.

14. _Andy Warhol, "Silver Disaster. Electric Chair." 1963, "Art Since I960." _Archer,

Michael.

15-20 Hope Rovelto. "School Days."

2005 MFA Thesis Show,A/V Space. 2 1. Hope Rovelto, SelfProtrait 2005 RIT.

Thesis Images List

I. "Deconstruction

chair"

Low-fire_{clay 24"x} 12"x 1

4"

2005

2. "Rippedchair"

Low-fire _{clay 24"x} 12" x

14"

2005

3. "Twoattach

chair"

Low-fire clay, 26"x 1 5"

x 14"

2005

4. "Together chair"

Low-fire clay 24"x24"

x 1

4" 2005

5. "Togetherchair"

Detail Low-fire_clay24"x 12"

x 1

4"

2005

6.

"Monkey

back"

Low-fire clay 24"x 16" x 1

4"

2005

7. "Halfa

chair"

Low-fireclay, 24"x 1 2"

x 14" 2005

8. "Band aid chair

"

Low-fire clay 24"x 12"x 1 7"

2005

9. "Fall down chair"

Low-fire_{clay 24"x 1}2"x 14"

2005

10. "School chair

"

Low-fireclay, 24"x 1

2"

x 1

4"

2005

1 1. "Upsidedown

chair"

Low-fire clay 24"x 12"x 1 4"

2005

12. "Chalk board chair"

Low-fire clay, 24"x 1

2"

x 14" 2005

13. "FlowerChair" _{Low-fire clay}and decals24"x 1

2"

x 14" 2005

14. "School Days"

Thesisshow installation _{Low-fire clay 2005}

15. "School Days"

Thesis show installation _{Low-fire clay 2005}

16. "School Days"ClassroomviewThesis showinstallation Low-fire_clay 2005

1 7. "Fight" Thesisshowinstallation _{Low-fire clay}2005

18. "In thecorner and _Talking to myself

"

Low-fire _clay3/ 24"x 12"

x 14" 2005

19. "

Pig