Art History Interview 4/12

For my Art History class here at Full Sail University, I completed an interview with an industry leader related to my sports marketing and media degree program. I interviewed Michael Gibbons, the Executive Director and Curatorial at the Sports Legends Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. 

A little of background about Michael Gibbons, he is a life long sports fan that specializes in documentary sports films, the history of Baltimore sports through the Baltimore Orioles, Ravens, Colts, and the birthplace of a baseball player named Babe Ruth. 

The museum he works at is actually two museums in one, with one side being the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum, and the other side the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards. Below the museums is the John F. Steadman Research Center that preserves important manuscripts, artifacts, drawings, as well as audio and videotapes related to motion picture films about sports. 

I interviewed Michael Gibbons on April 9^th 2012 via iChat and followed up with e-mail correspondence. 

Here are the following interview questions I asked Michael Gibbons. 

Kyle #1: What do you see as the role of the visual arts in our mass-mediated world and particularly in your profession?

Michael #1: I work at a sports museum. In that capacity, we use visual arts (graphics, photos, paintings, etc.), in conjunction with artifacts and narrative text to 'interpret' stories in various exhibits throughout our museums.

We also employ visual arts in printed materials and our website.

Kyle #2: With new communications and media technologies, imagery is almost instantly available. Do you believe that this is having a positive or negative influence on the industry (provide example)?

Michael #2: We embrace the use of the new technologies. When we blog or email blast to our constituents, we often employ a photo or graphic to enhance our message. For instance, if I am writing about the opening day of the baseball season, I include a photo from a previous opening day.

Kyle #3: What popular images do you see that are frequently rechanneled throughout the entertainment industry?

Michael #3: In the sports entertainment industry of which I am a part, I see iconic images of many of the players and teams that fall within our mission statement, including Babe Ruth, Johnny Unitas and the '58 NFL championship game.

Kyle #4: Are there particular images that this industry has popularized, and or created?

Michael #4: The Norman Rockwell painting of Oriole great Brooks Robinson is often employed in articles or pieces relating to him. A life-size poster photo of Cal Ripken's "Drink Your Milk" promotion from years ago has become iconic.

Kyle #5: Who is one of your favorite visual artist/s, and or what is your favorite style of visual art?

Michael #5: Even though their work has fallen upon the rock heap of popular culture, I particularly like the work of illustrators like Rockwell and NC Wyeth and Robert Riger. A lesser-known artist I enjoy has the same name as myself, Michael Gibbons, and does wonderful oil paintings unique to his Portland, Oregon surroundings. 

Kyle #6: How has your knowledge of famous artworks influenced your creative process?

Michael #6: As a young boy I had aspirations of following in the footsteps of several members of my mother's family who were wonderful artists. To that end, I concentrated on art in high school and even enrolled for a summer at the Maryland Institute of Art. But during that exercise I realized painting was not something I could do every day...and be happy doing it. Nevertheless, that strong art education has helped me in my professional life in terms of exhibit layout, color selection for galleries, and how to position paintings, photos and graphics in print and display layouts.

A big thank you to Michael Gibbons for the insight and knowledge. Thanks again for interview. 

YouTube address for my podcast interview: http://youtu.be/1FJn_rbdAas 

Sources: 

http-//michaelmay.us/08blog/0104_wyeth_revere  

http-//aaronpocock.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/giant   

http//www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/wpcontent/uploads/joomlaimages/geethanksbrooks

http//3.bp.blogspot.com/_kl4VYh7R3Y/SJJ9HgfwWsI/AAAAAAAAAgs/ECi9Y6Q7G-s/s320/94cripkenm

http//www.michaelgibbons.net/images/Iris%20and%20Roses%2015x15%20t

http-//www.firstartsource.com/Art/AB40499

http-//images.art.com/images/products/regular/13213000/13213784

http-//blog.masslive.com/breakingnews/2008/07/Rockwell

http-//farm6.static.flickr.com/5298/5391463087_bb82720c06_o

http-//i.ebayimg.com/t/Robert-Riger-Drawing-Print-Babe-Ruth-National-BaseballHallFame1962/00/s/MTYwMFgxMjMz/$(KGrHqR,!h4E8J8)QdQFBPFYTd9CBQ~~60_57Babe Ruth Museum 216 Emory St

http-//farm4.staticflickr.com/3037/3044971068_f22e822497_z

http://baberuthmuseum.com/history/brbm/

http://baberuthmuseum.com/history/slmacy/

http://www.michaelgibbons.net/about.htm

http-//www.progshred.com/travel/baltmd08/pics/backeastvisit127

http-//ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51C6HEJ0SPL._SL500_AA300

http//baltimore.sportsthenandnow.com/wp/wpcontent/uploads2009/09/Johnny-Unitas-Colts-300x225

http-//store.cooperstownmusic.com/shop/images/uploads/58NFL

http-//www.popandroll.com/cokeart/GuyPeellaert_AlbertEinstein_BabeRuth

http//www.enderin.com/wpcontent/plugins/wpomatic/cache/61f2a_mica_17db42573ba17fc7f6ab97bb828c90eb0.200

07f83ee1153cd6e3767aa9f5b0d2a5ff.200

http//discoverblackheritage.com/wpcontent/uploads/2009/10/Camden_Station_Baltimore

http-//images.eversave.com/websites/12971/Save_460x305A_59794

http//image.cdnllnwnl.xosnetwork.com/pics32/800/ZR/ZRCLAURHHRBVJKE.2012021421521993a1e196c859805001e61c56d72db686.200

http//www.ballparkeguides.com/resources/Camden%20Yards%20Babe%20Ruth%20Museum.JPG.opt389x313o0,0s389x313

http-//www.bmoremedia.com/galleries/Mastheads/Sports_Legends_Museum

82a73f20636550a9c3cdd9a3340fef56.200

High Renaissance Art History 4/12

How does Raphael’s the School of Athens exemplify the High Renaissance? 

     Raphael’s School of Athens represented a culmination of artistic works from the previous age - the Early Renaissance. During the High Renaissance artists no longer dwelled on the distant past and classical pieces of previous eras but were using their advanced tools, technology, and training to build that perfect piece of art that displayed their level of high talent and confidence. 

Using the images from the text, what work/s do you think best represent/exemplify the High Renaissance and why? 

Art: A Brief History Stockstad, Cothren (Fig. 13-1 page 334)

     The piece of art that best represents the High Renaissance is Raphael’s School of Athens. According to Art A Brief History, Stockstad, Cothren page 340, “Rome rose to become the most active Italian artistic and intellectual center” during the time of the High Renaissance. This is why so many of the Popes sought for architectural changes and paid large amounts of money towards artistic decorating that artists of this era were able to convey with improved thoughts on philosophy, theology, arts and laws upon other core values. 

     With that being kept in mind, the work Raphael did with the School of Athens painting is a perfect mix of everything that was going on throughout the sixteenth century with religion, science, and the arts. The School of Athens displayed sweeping arcs and with the composition of the statues in the background, the group of people separated by a central axis, and such great detail with even the way Plato was pointing to sky and holding one of his books demonstrating the scholarly knowledge and use of geometry in this era.   

If you were to create a Modern Day School of Athens from leaders in your fields of study whom would you include and why?

     As I continue to pursue my Sports Marketing and Media degree, I would have Sports Agents the topic of my “School of Athens” painting. Just like the High Renaissance had in its three great artists (Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael) I would pick three legends of the sports agents’ world and include them into the painting. For this painting I would pick Dr. Lynn Lashbrook of Sports Management Worldwide, Drew Rosenhaus of Rosenhaus Sports, and the deceased Mark McCormack an American golfing agent. All of these individuals lifted the sports agents’ world to unseen wealth and prosperity. With the combination of book smarts and aggressive tactics, these individuals helped make up the sports agents’ market go from individual entrepreneurial business success to a giant corporate structure. 

     Upon further research of the painter Raphael, I would also do a second painting of those same three sports agents. For the second painting I would follow the painting “The Fire in the Borgo” done by Raphael’s assistant-Giulio Romano. I would have the sports agents’ be surrounded by athletes, fans, team managers, and the media in the same style as “The Fire in the Borgo”.  

Sources:

Art: A Brief History, Stockstad, Cothren page 334 & 340

Giulio Romano image of painting:

http://www.cgfaonlineartmuseum.com/raphael/p-raphae45.htm 

Information about Drew Rosenhaus below:

http://www.rosenhaussports.com/  

Information about Dr. Lynn Lashbrook below:

http://www.sportsmanagementworldwide.com/lynnbio 

Information about Mark McCormack below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/front_page/3035005.stm 

Art History 4/12

Hello, 

Ancient Egyptian civilization was based on religion. The Egyptians belief in rebirth after death became their driving force behind their funeral practices, artwork, and overall way of life. The Egyptians believed that each human consisted of a physical body or spirit called the “ka” that lived on even after the physical body had passed. The preservation of the physical form was achieved through Mummification. Egyptians believed that being mummified was the only way to have an afterlife. Ancient Egyptians thought that the afterlife was a continuation of the life as they knew it, thus regardless of social status, they included goods for the deceased. Some of the richest individuals that were buried such as kings and queens had larger quantities of luxury items and more elaborate coffins. The craftsmanship and time put into these coffins is shown in young king Tutankhamun’s tomb. (Image: Art A Brief History, Stockstad, Cothren page 72). The inner coffin of Tutankhamun’s tomb had a gold inlaid with glass and semiprecious stones and weighed nearly 243 lbs. The symbolic inscriptions and different displays on the tomb were specific to that individual inside and showed what was their status in society was and what they represented. 

The ancient Egyptians view on the afterlife in regards to burial rituals and beliefs is not that far off to what is accomplished in today’s society. After death, the Egyptians looked forward to continuing their daily lives as an invisible spirit among their descendants on Earth in Egypt, enjoying all the pleasures of life with none of its pain or hardships. In today’s popular burial process of cremation, ones ashes are spread around within the countryside, letting the individuals be one with the Earth and live on with family members in the form of an invisible ghost or spirit.  

As a society we try to commemorate the life of the tomb owner with the supplies necessary for the afterlife. Whether we have simple burial sites in the form of graves, urns, or even coffins sometimes just as expensive as those gold coffins of yesteryear, we mimic a lot of traditions from ancient Egypt. 

A specific object that is around today that I personally associate with the afterlife is the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The sheer size of this statue makes it stand out and the location at the top of a small mountain is two important aspects to this piece. The way the arms are open signifying acceptance and forgiveness to the clean and simple lines with the only color being white, which signify purity. The Christ the Redeemer statue has been portrayed in several movies such as the animated movie “Rio” for the kids and for adults in the video game franchises Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. This structure and many more just like, symbolize something in some form or another with the afterlife being the main message throughout.  

Kyle Thompson 

Commercial Pitch of Product 3/12

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If you answered YES then I have the perfect all in one product for you. 

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TED is going to be featured in this next month’s issues of New England Medicine and Money Pro. 

All of these features and starting at 2 very low price points. Buy this machine now and you are guaranteed a $9.95 price for adults and $19.95 price infants and the elderly. Both come with our limited multi-year guarantee. 

So I ask you this what do you have to lose, this is the product that will revolutionize the human race. So how many can I sign you up for?

Internal Notes below

1. Hook - With a catchy intro 

2. Sell - What makes it unique

3. Request - Feedback, advice or business card

USA Budgets & Debt 3/12

Well, this is about state budgets. This is probably the most boring topic of the whole morning. But I want to tell you, I think it's an important topic that we need to care about. State budgets are big, big money -- I'll show you the numbers -- and they get very little scrutiny. The understanding is very low. Many of the people involved have special interests or short-term interests that get them not thinking about what the implications of the trends are. And these budgets are the key for our future; they're the key for our kids. Most education funding -- whether it's K through 12, or the great universities or community colleges -- most of the money for those things is coming out of these state budgets.

But we have a problem. Here's the overall picture. U.S. economy is big -- 14.7 trillion. Now out of that pie, the government spends 36 percent. So this is combining the federal level, which is the largest, the state level and the local level. And it's really in this combined way that you get an overall sense of what's going on, because there's a lot of complex things like Medicaid and research money that flow across those boundaries. But we're spending 36 percent. Well what are we taking in? Simple business question. Answer is 26 percent. Now this leaves 10 percent deficit, sort of a mind-blowing number. And some of that, in fact, is due to the fact that we've had an economic recession. Receipts go down, some spending programs go up, but most of it is not because of that. Most of it is because of ways that the liabilities are building up and the trends, and that creates a huge challenge. In fact, this is the forecast picture. There are various things in here: I could say we might raise more revenue, or medical innovation will make the spending even higher. It is an increasingly difficult picture, even assuming the economy does quite well -- probably better than it will do. This is what you see at this overall level.

Now how did we get here? How could you have a problem like this? After all, at least on paper, there's this notion that these state budgets are balanced. Only one state says they don't have to balance the budget. But what this means actually is that there's a pretense. There's no real, true balancing going on, and in a sense, the games they play to hide that actually obscure the topic so much that people don't see things that are actually pretty straight-forward challenges. When Jerry Brown was elected, this was the challenge that was put to him. That is, through various gimmicks and things, a so-called balanced budget had led him to have 25 billion missing out of the 76 billion in proposed spending. Now he's put together some thoughts: About half of that he'll cut, another half, perhaps in a very complex set of steps, taxes will be approved. But even so, as you go out into those future years, various pension costs, health costs go up enough, and the revenue does not go up enough. So you get a big squeeze.

What were those things that allowed us to hide this? Well, some really nice little tricks. And these were somewhat noticed. The paper said, "It's not really balanced. It's got holes. It perpetuates deficit spending. It's riddled with gimmicks." And really when you get down to it, the guys at Enron never would have done this. This is so blatant, so extreme. Is anyone paying attention to some of the things these guys do? They borrow money. They're not supposed to, but they figure out a way. They make you pay more in withholding just to help their cash flow out. They sell off the assets. They defer the payments. They sell off the revenues from tobacco. And California's not unique. In fact, there's about five states that are worse and only really four states that don't face this big challenge. So it's systemic across the entire country. It really comes from the fact that certain long-term obligations -- health care, where innovation makes it more expensive, early retirement and pension, where the age structure gets worse for you, and just generosity -- that these mis-accounting things allow to develop over time, that you've got a problem. This is the retiree health care benefits. Three million set aside, 62 billion dollar liability -- much worse than the car companies. And everybody looked at that and knew that that was headed toward a huge problem. The forecast for the medical piece alone is to go from 26 percent of the budget to 42 percent.

Well what's going to give? Well in order to accommodate that, you would have to cut education spending in half. It really is this young versus the old to some degree. If you don't change that revenue picture, if you don't solve what you're doing in health care, you're going to be deinvesting in the young. The great University of California university system, the great things that have gone on, won't happen. So far it's meant layoffs, increased class sizes. Within the education community there's this discussion of, "Should it just be the young teachers who get laid off, or the less good teachers who get laid off?" And there's a discussion: if you're going to increase class sizes, where do you do that? How much effect does that have? And unfortunately, as you get into that, people get confused and think, well maybe you think that's okay. In fact, no, education spending should not be cut. There's ways, if it's temporary, to minimize the impact, but it's a problem. It's also really a problem for where we need to go. Technology has a role to play. Well we need money to experiment with that, to get those tools in there. There's the idea of paying teachers for effectiveness, measuring them, giving them feedback, taking videos in the classroom. That's something I think is very, very important. Well you have to allocate dollars for that system and for that incentive pay. In a situation where you have growth, you put the new money into this. Or even if you're flat, you might shift money into it. But with the type of cuts we're talking about, it will be far, far harder to get these incentives for excellence, or to move over to use technology in the new way.

So what's going on? Where's the brain trust that's in error here? Well there really is no brain trust. (Laughter) It's sort of the voters. It's sort of us showing up. Just look at this spending. California will spend over 100 billion, Microsoft, 38, Google, about 19. The amount of IQ in good numeric analysis, both inside Google and Microsoft and outside, with analysts and people of various opinions -- should they have spent on that? No, they wasted their money on this. What about this thing? -- it really is quite phenomenal. Everybody has an opinion. There's great feedback. And the numbers are used to make decisions. If you go over the education spending and the health care spending -- particularly these long-term trends -- you don't have that type of involvement on a number that's more important in terms of equity, in terms of learning.

So what do we need to do? We need better tools. We can get some things out on the Internet. I'm going to use my website to put up some things that will give the basic picture. We need lots more. There's a few good books, one about school spending and where the money comes from -- how that's changed over time, and the challenge. We need better accounting. We need to take the fact that the current employees, the future liabilities they create, that should come out of the current budget. We need to understand why they've done the pension accounting the way they have. It should be more like private accounting. It's the gold standard. And finally, we need to really reward politicians. Whenever they say there's these long-term problems, we can't say, "Oh, you're the messenger with bad news? We just shot you." In fact, there are some like these: Erskine Bowles, Alan Simpson and others, who have gone through and given proposals for this overall federal health-spending state-level problem. But in fact, their work was sort of pushed off. In fact, the week afterwards, some tax cuts were done that made the situation even worse than their assumptions. So we need these pieces.

Now I think this is a solvable problem. It's a great country with lots of people. But we have to draw those people in, because this is about education. And just look at what happened with the tuitions with the University of California and project that out for another three, four, five years -- it's unaffordable. And that's the kind of thing -- the investment in the young -- that makes us great, allows us to contribute. It allows us to do the art, the biotechnology, the software and all those magic things. And so the bottom line is we need to care about state budgets because they're critical for our kids and our future.

Thank you

Public Speaking - Beating the Fear 3/12

Beating the Fear

PSP Week 1

Discussion Material

Fear of public speaking is very common. Unfortunately, knowing you’re not the only one who’s scared probably won’t help you get over your speech anxiety. While you’ll have to find your own way to relieve the stress associated with public speaking, we’d like to offer some tips to help you get through the class (and all of the public speaking you’ll do afterward) without fear making the job even harder.

Feeling Anxious or Afraid

There are a number of reasons people become anxious or fearful about public speaking. For many, it happens before the presentation ever begins. We can worry about our preparation, our appearance, the sounds of our voices and much, much more. Others of us might not feel it until we see an audience looking back, or consider the importance of the moment. Each person will have a different source of anxiety and fear, and even the best speakers may never completely overcome their anxiety.

Turning the Bad Into Good

The good news is that feeling a little anxious or fearful can be helpful. As long as we don’t let it get it of hand, it can serve as a reminder that we need to prepare ourselves carefully and give our best efforts.

If you find that your anxiety is hard to control, think about your strengths. Practice your presentation with family and friends to see what parts they like. Those are the parts you do well, and you can build your presentation with similar moments. Playing to your strengths will not only improve the experience for your audience, but will increase your confidence, as well.

The Last Minute Rush

Just before your speech begins, you will probably feel a rush of energy. If you feel anxious or afraid, this may be when it becomes most bothersome. Keeping your cool just before you begin is the best way to beat the fear.

Try not to over-analyze your prepared notes. Fretting over phrases or reworking your remarks at the last minute will only make you appear confused or lost when the time for your speech comes. Remember that unless you question yourself, no one else will doubt you. The audience hasn’t seen your notes, after all, and won’t notice if you miss a minor point or two.

Instead of making last minute adjustments, try to calm yourself. Take deep breaths and put your mind at ease so that you can think clearly when you need to focus on your presentation.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Remember that rehearsal is your best friend. The better you know your material, the less likely it is that you’ll run into complications before or during your speech. If you’ve practiced enough, you’ll find that you can focus on engaging your audience and refining your delivery without having to worry about what you’re going to say.

Beating Your Own Fear

Fear and anxiety are personal feelings, so you’ll have to identify and address them on your own. Once you know where they come from, though, you should be able to overcome them.

Business Goals 2/12

Kyle Thompson

Setting Professional Goals

IDM

Maryanne Harkins

February 24, 2012

Goal Number One: To graduate from Full Sail University. 

1. Have an overall grade between 95-100% for a Cumulative GPA of 4.0  

2. Graduate Full Sail University by March 2014.

3. Complete as many Grants and Scholarships to avoid working a full-time job

4. Connect with former and presently enrolled students at Full Sail, for encouragement and knowledge.

5. Research “how to” videos and articles. Do personal interviews and read books pertaining to my Industry. Be in the top 5% of my graduating class.

6. Find Volunteer Opportunities, and locate Job Fellowships and Internships

7. Achieving my goal would allow my to pursue my passion of sports. I would by living a more enriched life and a life of actual meaning in my opinion.

Professional Goal Number Two: You want to achieve within one year from when you graduate. 

1. Be working for a top notch and established company in a position higher than entry level. 

2. By March 2015, I will be either organizing or running a team. 

3. Getting my foot in the door and having the opportunity to do an internship. Setting myself apart from all of the other applicants with my unique skill set and real desire to succeed. Being on the constant look out to improve my skills with more readings and communications within my industry and my peers. 

4. Establishing more and more connections within the industry with individuals higher up in the corporate ladder. 

5. With my extensive knowledge of the Apple MacBook Laptop and the programs associated with it- iMovie & GarageBand, I will have the knowledge capable of handling the current market place of technology within my industry. 

6. Working with other professional peers in the industry and with my knowledge, I will have a successful plan of action in my career path. Staying up to date and relevant with what the competition have to offer and what it takes to stay on top. 

7. The benefits are a competitive industry that provides myself with a drive to be the best and to be happy for what I have accomplished. 

Professional Goal Number Three: You want to achieve within five years from you graduate. 

1. In five years I will be the manager at my job or I started my own company and I am the president of operations. In either case I will be the boss. 

2. By March 2019, I will be a successful boss in my dream career job. 

3. Rising competition and new technology. I will have to combat these issues by being one step ahead and always being relevant. 

4. Having connections built within other competing companies and a support system of peers that has been groomed and established through years of successful work together. 

5. Being five years removed from my completion of my BA degree, I will have gotten my Masters degree and have shown excellence and mastery of my industry once again. 

6. In my plan of action, it requires furthering schooling (Masters degree) and an even deeper attention to detail in my schooling. 

7. The benefits in this five-year plan would be immense. I would have the creative control of my team and could in return express my ideas and thoughts through a large medium. I will reach out to the young generation that is going to school with the opportunity for the students to intern at my company to give back and continue the higher education of my industry.