Jeanette Adams

"There are children in the streets who could solve some of my top problems in physics, because they have modes of sensory perception that I lost long ago" -J. Robert Oppenheimer "Now Oppenheimer realizes in that remark that most scientific problems are really not concept problems but percept problems, that most scientists are blocked in their perceptions by preconceptions and prepossessions." - Marshall McLuhan In my research on Oppenheimer, I found him to be what McLuhan would classify as an "expert" or a "professional". He was highly regarded as the "Father of the atomic bomb", a "genius" in both inventing and physics with high credibility in his field. But in the first quote, it's clear that Oppenheimer was very much aware of this and the differences between "amateurs" and "professionals" that McLuhan points out. Some examples might be that amateurs are much more critical of the "grou

I was stuck at work during our gallery show reception, but this was what it looked like if you missed it too! In the tiny lil Mudd Gallery on the 3rd floor of the library, our class showcased some of our work from this term in a show entitled "Something is Happening" this past week. Preparing for the show, we did some smaller test inkjet prints and did a kind of little gallery walk in the classroom to critique each others photos before getting the full size prints done, which was extremely helpful for me at least in deciding which photos I wanted to present and how I wanted to present them. After that, I designed a photo book which included the rest of my photos as well as the description that I wrote in my previous blog post which you can see here . I think the whole project came together really well in that I accomplished a sort of cohesion between the prints and my photo book and that really helped to get the main point of my project across. Thank you to anybody who took

"Watching a loved one become their true selves holds such great beauty. You get to see them become happier, more confident, and stronger. They shine with pure joy of being themselves and being seen as themselves." Last week I went to a presentation on a photography exhibit "Our Trans Family" by Jeff Pearcy and Meredith Watts which showcases some great photographs and stories of people that identify as trans and their families. In the photo shown above is a family who were very excited to be interviewed and photographed for this project but who also asked that their trans family member not be identified in the presentation of this project. Telling from the photo paired with the quote, this family seemed like such a wonderful example of an appropriately accepting and supportive system in that the trans member doesn't feel outed. I really appreciated what this photo-documentary project is doing to capture and share families like this.

I've studied John Cage before in music history but never quite had any grasp on his ideas, and especially not his piece 4'33". It just kind of seemed like a meme honestly. But now, I can see (or I guess hear) what he means by "everything is music" in this piece. Whatever sounds that occur during this piece  is the music. This morning, I came to the conservatory and it was as if the building were closed. Almost all the lights were off except a couple and no one was seen or heard in the practice hallway. I recorded this improvisation over the course of 4 minutes and 33 seconds while I listened and reacted to what I heard through my bass.

You can see the rest of my photos here . Conserv Going to a Conservatory of Music, I've learned a lot about the expectations and underlying attitudes present in my music education that may not always be visible at the surface. I've begun to notice that there is an elitist culture that emanates from the people and places around campus. Everyday I see the framed white men, "heroes" around the music building that loom over me. I see the pillars of the Chapel with its unmistakabl e resemblance to The Parthenon. Ancient Greece, where civilization ga v e birth to the "essential western classical art style". The building was erected in the name of "our Lord" and this is obvious by the stained glass windows and massive organ within, signifying to others the most "pure" form of music. I see the library with its endless amounts of information on music. Apparently the culmination of one's musical career should strive to end up on these

This weekend I attended the ImprovisationaLU fest where I got to witness some truly fantastic, improvised music and art. While the performers took stage, Lewis Achenbach  also was up front next to the musicians painting live. This in itself, getting to watch him craft these works while the music played was such an awe-inspiring performance. The next day, Achenbach held a workshop aptly titled "Painting with Lew" which I got the opportunity to attend. Creating art to live music being something he does often for a living, Achenbach shared a lot about his goals in doing so and his process when going about this. He discussed his motivations, saying that the creation of his art is his way of showing physically what the music does for him and share that feeling with others. We then got to work on our own live paintings while listening to improvised music and creative guidance from Achenbach. He explains that part of what he is doing while listening to the music is just reaction