Tyler Rapp

Julie Hicks

LBST 1105-H72

November 6, 2015

Mint Museum Response

The Mint Museum in Uptown Charlotte was definitely a memorable experience—and

most definitely my favorite art excursion thus far! The scenery outside of the exhibit truly tied it

all together, with the elegance of the surrounding buildings all encompassed by the intricate city

itself. Moving inside, the first thing that immediately sticks out is the beautiful chandelier above

in the entryway: 220 pieces of hand-blown glass. The blue on the edges of the chandelier were

absolutely stunning. As we moved into the front area at the desks, the place was noticeably

impeccable in the most perfect way. I loved the landscape of the entire museum with art

decorated absolutely everywhere. The next extremely memorable structure was the large piece

made of fiber by Shelia Hicks was a site to see. It was huge and covered the entire wall in

enormous tubular forms. I fell in love with the way the museum was put together before even

entering the exhibits.

Once inside the first exhibit, the art instantaneously sucked me in. One piece that really

stuck out to me was Pipe Dream by John Cederquist, made in 1998. The immediate reaction I

received was that of horror: the fish appears to be suffocating from the pipes holding it tight.

Aesthetically, the shape of the fish fits perfectly into the spiral of the pipes. This effect makes the

fish seem as if it is almost meant to fit into those pipes, which amplifies the feeling of despair for

the fish. The contrast in color between the fish and pipe also places emphasis on the scene as a

whole. It is interesting how the piece merely takes the shape of the fish and the pipes and lacks

any sort of negative space; there is no outside scene, just emphasis on the matter at hand.

Additionally, the value of the colors makes it more realistic and dark. The hues are not very

bright, which again elaborates the fact that this fish may be suffering under terrible conditions as

well as the colors in the lakes, rivers, and oceans on earth.

Personally, the first thing I thought of when I saw this piece was the brand Salt Life.

Shirts of this brand signify swordfish, and other marine life, that look just like this one. In my

hometown, fishing is a vital matter—and one that I (rarely) engaged in. This piece, with the fish

being killed by the pipes, reminds me of my own thoughts about living the “Salt Life.” Many

people tend to fish for sport, not to necessarily eat. Being a huge animal activist, I highly

disagree with the act of hunting for the sake of “having fun.” While most people only seem to

apply this rule to animals such as deer, I believe it should be applied to fish too. I cannot express

the amount of people from my town that would go fishing on a weekly basis—which is just

something I cannot do. This art piece reminds me of my feelings in that fish die every single day

not just from pollution or littering, but from people actively fishing as well.

Culturally, one big moment of this generation is the health of the earth. Global warming

is being debated all the time, as well as the matters humans should take to ensure a high quality

of earth for the future. Another one of these hot topics is recycling and not littering. On beaches,

littering is rampant. Millions upon millions of people walk down beaches every year, eating

food, throwing their trash on the sand, and leaving. These simple acts of leaving trash, a ball, or a

soda can can go a long way for marine life. To me, this art work is applicable in that it touches on

how humanity is treating its future: horribly. However, as time progresses, more and more

people appear to be taking part in the movement to improve the quality of earth’s land and its

animal inhabitants.

The second piece I deeply connected with was Grouse by Thomas Eakins, produced in

1872. The simplicity of the work speaks so much in its aesthetic qualities. For one, the empty

negative space surrounding the dog places immense emphasis on the dog itself. Similar to the

work above (Pipe Dream), this piece does not have much of a background; instead, the entire

piece is basically the dog itself. The shape of the dog also touches on the feelings evoked. The

shape makes the dog appear hunched over a little bit, while its eyes are furrowed and mouth

tightly closed. This display provoked feelings of sadness and anger within me, as the dog appears

lonely and distraught. The contrast of white fur on the dog mixed with the darker background

provide a sense of hope, however. White typically connotes feelings of purity, which, in my

opinion, reveal that this dog has high hopes for whatever is to come. Last, the texture exhibited

by the fur is amazing. I love how the artist used color, lines, and shape to make the dog appear

real right in front of my eyes.

On a personal level, I can connect very well due to a tragic loss I had from my dog near

the beginning of summer. My dog’s name was Haley, a long-haired miniature dachshund. One

day, I awoke to terrible screams from my mom and a feeling of fear from my dad’s voice. I

vividly remember jolting awake and my mom telling me Haley was hurt. Unfortunately, I

thought my mom was over-exaggerating because she tends to make things sound worse than they

are. As a result, combined with the grogginess of just waking up, I got ready for school—already

late—and was about to leave. Before walking out the door, I asked my mom what happened, as

my dad had taken Haley to the veterinarian’s. At the time, we had no idea what actually took

place. But, Haley passed away several hours later from the trauma from what took place.

Essentially, something (either a bullet or a hawk’s claws) struck Haley well enough where one of

her sides and underside was completely gashed on, resulting in a terrible loss of bleeding. From

the art piece, these memories circle around in my head from the sadness I can feel from the

painting.

Moreover, on a cultural level, I immediately think of the phrase, “A dog is a man’s best

friend.” Dogs were one of the first animals domesticated by humans long ago and were used to

hunt and as companions. As time rolled on, dogs were regarded as pets and became near and dear

to the human race. In this piece, which was produced in the 1800s, this same thought was just as

active as it is now. If a dog is upset, so is its owner and surrounding people. In today’s world,

people take their dogs everywhere: to the mall, to eat, to the doctor’s office, and more. Dogs

have become something that many people just cannot live without. Even in my own family, we

already got a new puppy (named Kynlee) only several months after Haley passed away. This art

piece—especially from the collar around the neck of the dog—verifies this feeling of connection

between dogs and humans that cannot be broken.

All in all, I could go on and on about all of the amazing pieces in the Mint Museum.

There were so many fascinating pieces in all many different decades and centuries that were all

so dissimilar in unique ways. From the older pieces, such as Grouse, to the extremely modern

ones, such as the Dyson vacuum, the Mint Museum had a lot to offer. I cannot wait for our last

trip to the Bechtler in a few weeks!