To Know The Dark
To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.
~ Wendell Berry (1970)
Solstice Greetings!
Opening this week’s recap with a poem seemed fitting for this mid-way mark of the AYB Year of Literacy. We have on-thematic-point Advanced Studio art to share, some brag-worthy accolades for AYB Partnership School PS 6, book reviews by our younger artists, and an invitation to join us in Connecticut for the opening of Well Read, an exhibition of AYB artists responding to the topic of banned book.
Read on…
Monday evening Advanced Studio on zoom explored Subliminal Messaging in Visual Language with AYB Artist Ed Rath. This graduate- level complex session had us all on our toes!
Ed explains: “Subliminal messaging, per the internet, is defined as: Of a stimulus or mental process below the threshold of sensations or consciousness; perceived or affecting someone’s mind without being aware of it.
Subliminal messages are further defined as:
Imperceptible.
Unperceivable.
Subliminal messages are not recognized or understood by the conscious mind but have an influence on it.
Subliminal messages are manipulative. Subliminal messages are trying to get something by you.
There doesn’t appear to be much proof that subliminal messaging actually works, but the idea certainly captures one’s imagination.
On the other hand, visual imagery, expressed with spoken and written language, has the power to communicate multiple layers of meaning using symbols, figures of speech, metaphor, double entendre, irony, allusion, and allegory. The greater one’s command of language, the more one is enriched by such linguistic delights.
Whatever the case may be, we most certainly experience feelings about the world around us and react instinctively to them without always having words to describe them.
My Google searches for Subliminal Messages in Art did not yield much, if one goes by the strict definitions of Subliminal Messaging stated above. The examples that I found contain neither imperceptible nor unperceivable stimulus. Rather, they contain some imagery that is in-your-face-perceivable but does not register to your consciousness immediately. When looking at art, we perceive all of the visual stimulus but cannot always put words to it. Those unverbalized parts, often deeply felt, create a secondary narrative, which coexists with the primary, verbalized narrative. Nevertheless, the secondary narratives do communicate their messages, albeit as an emotional experience. Therefore, I think the words Subliminal Messages in Art are a misnomer. I think the correct description should be Liminal Messages in Art.
The word Liminal is defined as, Of, relating to, or situated at a sensory threshold.
The word Liminal is an adjective that’s used to describe Things that exist at the threshold (or border) between one thing or another.
In the case of artwork, the liminal experience occurs at the border between things we can perceive which can be verbalized, and those that cannot be verbalized. For most people, some parts of a painting can be verbalized but other parts cannot. Those other parts are felt through the perception of seeing.
This common experience can be explained by the fact that childhood development begins with pure sensory experiences, followed much later by language. Language must be learned; perception is a-priori (relating to or denoting reasoning or knowledge which proceeds from theoretical deduction rather than from observation or experience).
After months of investigating, I have concluded there is no such thing as subliminal imagery in art. However, I am still at a loss for a precise word to describe how artwork can communicate a secondary narrative by circumventing the conscious mind. The process, in my opinion, is more akin to hypnosis, where ideas are “suggested” to a subject who is induced into a hypnotic trance. It seems to me that great works of art use a process of association by embedding imagery into the primary narrative to create a secondary narrative, enriching the emotional experience of the viewer.”
Ed showed advertisements, master artworks and his own artwork illustrating the concepts of marketing, political ads, political commentary, social commentary, religious messaging, personal narrative messaging, and philosophical messaging.
Political Commentary: Diego Velasquez: By inserting himself into his large group portrait of the Spanish royal family, Velasquez elevates the role of the artist from mere artisan to cultural royalty.)
Religious Messaging: The Annunciation (Early Sixteenth Century; Flemish) The open book in this painting references the Annunciation of the Immaculate Conception. Open books in other religious paintings allude to knowledge, or in some cases to The Book of Life, which contains everything the deceased has done in their life.
Symbolism of the Open Book: Mitzi by Barbara Grossman. This beautiful image of two women with open books and a sleeping cat was recently on display in a group show at Bowery Gallery.
Personal Narrative Messaging The closed book: The Vocabulary of Pure Forms by Ed Rath: This is my caricature of the prototype modern artist. Wearing Picasso’s striped sailor shirt, Gaugin’s beret, and holding Matisse’s long paint brush, our hero is painting in (my teacher) Frank Gaard’s attic studio in South Minneapolis. The roughhewn garret is heated by (colleague) Dave Johnson’s wood burning cast iron pot belly stove. The details pay homage to artistic influences that shaped my identity as a young artist.
After looking at the examples listed above, we got to work designing an image whose primary narrative is that of a person with either an open or a closed book. After that we added some personal imagery to create an associative, secondary narrative to the main image.
Karla: The book is a window into a different experience. The windows in this collage feature imagery from her Catholic school education.
Nylah: This drawing is about how the pages she has written in her compositional notebooks go out into the world as ideas, personified as a personage made of loose-leaf papers.
Abby: Self-portrait with an open book, indicating that she is open to learning.
Assata: Created two pieces A self-portrait collage of her Life as a Movie and another of Heartbreak memories.
Assata Benoit, Subliminal Messaging l & ll
Travis: A picture of a photo album with pages ripped out, representing the ephemeral nature of memory.
Lila: Hands holding an open book with another hand reaching down with light from the window representing “enlightenment from knowledge.”
Richie: This piece is about a story in development. Entitled “Gaslight,” it is about a woman who notices changes in their home, but her husband tries to convince he she is imagining it, leading her to doubt her own sanity.
Vera created a self-portrait holding an open book. She commented that her connection with books is often better than her connection with people.
Adji: inspired by Ed’s paintings of personified trees, Adji drew a self-portrait as a tree looking in the mirror wishing it was an orchid, symbolizing the desire to be something other than oneself.
Meridith’s piece shows a woman seated with an open book, her hair whirling around her, representing the connection between the outside world and the book.
Ed’s drawing shows a man so absorbed reading the New York Times in a crowded subway car that he is completely oblivious to the people around him.
Marilyn drew a self-portrait taking shelter under a large book, daydreaming while looking at her lemon tree, while her cat enjoys a moment of quietude.
At critique, Jacob compared Marilyn’s image to an image of the ancient Egyptian image god Shu holding up the sky.
Cheyenne drew an open book featuring birds flying, representing generational trauma.
The day after this session Ed found a "Subliminal Owl"!
AYB Advanced Studio in person at our studio at BWAC celebrated the Winter Solstice with a lesson taught by AYB Artist Evelyn Beliveau and party centered on gratitude, with food, art-making, and our annual art exchange. The potluck meal featured a bounty of entrees, snacks, and desserts that were heartily enjoyed throughout the night.
Evelyn summarizes: “My lesson on designing and creating gratitude notes was informed by “The Serviceberry,” a 2022 essay by Robin Wall Kimmerer. We started the day with a few quotes from the essay:
“Gratitude is so much more than a polite ‘thank you.’ It is the thread that connects us in a deep relationship, simultaneously physical and spiritual, as our bodies are fed and spirits nourished by the sense of belonging.”
“There are many examples of functioning gift economies—most in small societies of close relations, where community well-being is recognized as the “unit” of success—where the interest of ‘we’ exceeds that of ‘I.’”
“Each member has an abundance of something, which they offer to others. The abundance of berries goes to the birds—for, what use are berries to the tree other than a way to make relationships with birds?”
In this spirit, I invited participants to think of a person to whom they would like to give a handmade expression of gratitude. Armed with pencils and sketch paper, we drafted messages with heartfelt simplicity, then created thumbnail sketches to work out the placement of text along with any imagery or decoration. Then, we lightly sketched in pencil on mixed media paper, chose a limited palette of two to four colors from a selection of markers, and filled the page with color.
Use arrows to scroll through session photos
Cute characters, sweet messages, and striking palette choices jumped out from the group of finished work. During critique, we noted the variety of styles and “voices,” as well as some frequent themes of nautical blues and cozy quilt-like patterns. Marker is a challenging medium for those who don’t use it often (myself included!) but we rose to the challenge, and now hopefully all of these notes are on their way to beloved recipients.
Gratitude Cards by (top to bottom left to right): Adji Kebe, Mich Goenawan, Shellorene Smith, Chace Mondesir, Ty Fletcher, Briana (Cammi) Camacho, TJ Edgar, Assata Benoit, Gem Mercado, Ed Rath, Rachael Wren, Meridith McNeal, Chace Mondesir, Sammy Koepenick, Evelyn Beliveau, Leah Eliopulos, Liv Collins, Emma Eichler, and TJ Edgar.
Amid a convivial cleanup and continued snacking, the annual art exchange commenced! This is always a special moment, and I treasure the artworks I’ve received in the years I’ve been able to participate, as well as the chance to share my work with this community. This year was no exception, and as we pulled names out of the fez, everyone was thrilled with the pieces they received.”
Managing Director Dennis Buonagura enthusiastically shares that AYB Partnership School PS 6 in Jersey City has been named a 2025 National Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Distinguished School, joining an exclusive club of honorees.
The school, officially named the Jotham W. Wakeman School, is being recognized for excellence in serving its multilingual learner population of students, the state Department of Education said in announcing the distinction Monday.
The honor is awarded to up to two schools per state annually. School 6 was the only New Jersey school named to the 2025 list of distinguished schools.
What We Are Reading
As we set up for critique on Tuesday I got into a lively discussion with AYB Artists Emma Eichler (5th grade) and Chace Mondesir (7th grade) about the books we are currently reading. One of the highlights of my week, I was thrilled to listen to the clear, well described, evocative enthusiastic reviews of both of these young artists. I came home from class and put both of their recommended books on my BPL hold list.
Emma recommends The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin (Viking Books for Young Readers, 2024) . “The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys is an exciting story about Lizzie, a smart girl who works at Bletchley Park during World War II, breaking secret codes. When she finds a mysterious riddle, she gets caught in a dangerous adventure. The book is full of mystery, puzzles, and bravery, and it teaches you a lot about history. If you like secrets and adventures, this is a great read!"
Chace reviews Stowaway by Pam Withers (Dundurn Press, 2018). “Stowaway is about a story of a little kid who goes on a ship with James Cook and other people. As they go to the new worlds, the crew meets different types of indigenous people which most are friendly. But unfortunately more than half of the crew die to illnesses including the person who kept harassing the kid. The rest are later able to get back to England safely after years. It’s a great book to read because it’s talks about a topic barely anyone knows about and it imagines all the different things people would’ve done in this time.”
We are planning on a field trip or two during the winter break, otherwise classes will be back in action beginning on January 6th and Dennis is gearing up to dive into school programming at the same time!
Happy Solstice!
Love,
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