POST 1 INTRODUCTION to the CLASS
Who are you? What do you make? What artwork influences your art practice?
Hello everyone! My name is Stephanie Rodas
I am a Junior here at NJCU, and I am a Graphic Design Major. I make digital art and designs such as logos, packaging, posters, etc. Artwork that influences my art practice is “My Dress Hangs There” (1933) by Frida Kahlo and “The Two Fridas” (1939) by Frida Kahlo.
In a short post on the class blog, please include the following:
1-Choose two quotes from the Smart History article, Why art history isn’t like math, that stuck out to you and post these to the blog with a short response to each of these quotes.
In the article “Why art history isn't like math” by Dr.Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, they spoke about the power and importance art and art history hold, aswell as the way we humans feel the need to have the art explained to us and want all our questions answered. While I was reading this quote stood out to me, “ Given the tremendous power of images and the ways images shape our understanding, it is unfortunate that art history is not a part of the core curriculum in more high schools and colleges. Art history offers tools that many people would find immensely valuable as they navigate our image-saturated culture”. Saying our world is “image-saturated culture” is such a good way to describe our world today. Technology makes it so simple to share images and take pictures of anything from anywhere, all over the world, and we rely on this every single day. Everyone is able to see any artwork they like at any time, which is especially useful for schools and education, yet art history is not part of the core curriculum in many high schools and colleges. This made me realize how insightful and thought-provoking art history is, and the authors made a really good point on how art history courses could teach individual key skills they could use daily, since we are nonstop looking at images and video content. Due to technology, we are in a very image-saturated, visual culture. It is unfortunate that we don't take the opportunity to educate on art history and how to analyze it with technology in our hands; we are able to see any artwork on our screens. This other quote from the article stood out to me aswell because it put the perspective of the arts' impactfulness in a different light to me. “Art historians are fascinated by moments in history when people destroyed, defaced, or buried works of art, since the destruction of an image is an implicit acknowledgement of its tremendous power and meaning. Art history uncovers just how significant we understand and feel images to be now and through history”. This quote stood out to me because I have seen statues, artworks, and monuments that, over time, have been damaged in some way or have tried to be damaged, and I overlooked that they were damaged. But this quote made me realize that if a artpiece is damaged or broken by someone, it really just shows how impactful, powerful, and moving the piece is. Instead of overlooking the fact that it's broken, I should've questioned why the artpiece is broken and what message the artpiece presents that upset someone so much they wanted to get rid of its existence. This also shows how powerful art can be; it can make people feel different types of emotions and can be perceived in many different ways. At times, I believe some people would find art history not interesting, but in reality, art and art history can be very impactful and educational.
2-Choose at least one artist that influences your artwork and include that inspiration in your introduction post. Have you looked to art and art history in your art education and art practice? What artists or genres would you like to explore furturriculuher?
An artist who influences my artwork and inspires me is Frida Kahlo. I usually don't look at art history in my art practice, but when I have, I have looked to Frida Kahlo. I love her paintings and the colors and details she uses, aswell as how she paints herself to analyze her identity/image and share her pain. Her background and story also inspire me to create and be strong like her. I would like to further explore the artwork from the Guerilla Girls and their public artworks and protests.
3-Post 5+ images of your artwork that shows your artistic style and interests. Add captions for the 5 images that explain the works (include titles and materials/medium)
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| Outside of the booklet I made for the art exhibit "Dreaming of Earth's Sphercity, I Would Offer My Love" by Yayoi Kusama. Made with Indesign and photoshop. 2025 |
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| Outside of the booklet I made for the art exhibit "Dreaming of Earth's Sphercity, I Would Offer My Love" by Yayoi Kusama. Made with Indesign and photoshop. 2025 |
Recipe Book (2024) Indesign and Photoshop
Inside the booklet I made for the art exhibit "Dreaming of Earth's Sphercity, I Would Offer My Love" by Yayoi Kusama. Made with Indesign and photoshop
2025
An article I designed on the topic of where astrology originated, using InDesign and PhotoshopTravel Pamphlet for Colombia (2025) Indesign
4-Write 2-3 paragraphs about yourself, the artist(s) who influence you, describe some of your artwork and what motivates you to make work and explore the creative process. Please include any social issues that you are passionate about, and how you were inspired by the artist(s) you chose. Some questions to consider: What are you studying? What artwork do you make? What topics or issues inspire your artwork or storytelling?
Growing up, I stuck to the same art media: watercolor. I loved painting and eventually moved on to different types of paint. I tried all types of styles like realism, cartoon, abstract, etc., and eventually I got really good and comfortable with my own skills. After entering highschool I moved onto digital art, more specifically, graphic design. I started doing projects like designing calendars and packaging,g and fell in love with design. Sometimes I feel like it's hard to describe my art style since I mostly design packaging and prototypes for logos and whatnot, but usually what inspires me to create is music, movies, and videos. For example, in 2023, I went to the movie theater to watch “Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse”. That movie immediately inspired me to go home and design and paint; the bright, saturated colors used inspired me. Also, many characters had different art styles even though they were in the same movie. It really impressed me how they used art styles from different times and years. I also think artists and music inspire me to create artworks that resemble the aesthetic of that artist or album, for example, in my Silkscreen class in Spring 2025, I created a poster based on the artist “The Weeknd's” new tour. Based on the imagery and aesthetic of the album and tour, I used the colors black, red, white, and gold, and created a poster I was very proud of. I noticed that this plays a part in my school work and projects, when thinking of ideas or even what colors to use, I think of what I currently like or have seen around in my environment.
An artist who really inspires me and I look up to is Frida Kahlo. Throughout my life, I was taught about her artwork, but mostly just knew her for her iconic look: the unibrow. Eventually, I took an art history class here at NJCU, where I learned more about her art and her life. I was really moved by how she turned her pain and suffering into artwork, where she dove into that pain but also dove into the topic of who she is and her image/identity. I realized how deep her artwork is and how no one speaks on her journey in life, and how that plays into her artwork; it's all narrowed down to her unibrow. Her story made me look at her art more beautifully and see how overlooked her work was. This also inspires me to work harder and make art I would be proud of. A social issue that I am passionate about is climate change and recycling. As an artist, I am aware of AI and how dangerous it is for our society, but also for our planet. Even using materials or creating packaging and products can cause harmful damage to our planet. If I don't use materials I can recycle, Everyday I am reminded that I have the responsibility to take care of the planet, and I can make a change with my artwork aswell. My major being Graphic Design, I am inspired to create digital posters, ads, etc to promote being for eco friendly.
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