With a Plow in His Rear

The title of this blog, With a Plow in His Rear, is the wording used to describe the state seal of Iowa. This description was recently challenged by Rep. Ray Zirkelbach who proposed a bill that would change the wording. Apparently a plow in his rear means something different today than it did 163 years ago. Regardless of what the description says or means, the image of plow was a central theme to the state of Iowa when it was founded and remains a symbol that represents the state today. Visible in multiple sections at the State of Iowa Historical Museum were some of the earliest and primitive plows, to larger plows pulled by team of oxen, and even a hand-held practice plow you could try for yourself. The plow is more then just a farming tool. It represents agriculture, hard work, and the state of Iowa.

It is not surprising that a plow might symbolize the state of Iowa. A plow is used to turn the soil in a field. The field is used to grow agricultural products. Iowa is known worldwide for producing agricultural products. The state of Iowa offers much more than just fields of corn. Des Moines is a hub for insurance companies worldwide. Cedar Rapids hosts companies such as AEGON, Rockwell Collins, and industrial businesses. People outside of Iowa probably do not know these businesses are located in Iowa. People who live outside of Iowa associate Iowa with agriculture, and Iowa should be associated with agriculture. Take a drive from Des Moines to Cedar Rapids and 95% of the scenery will be of corn or soybean fields. Iowa has a lot to offer but on the top of that list is Iowa’s rich soil which used to be plowed manually by farmers.

Does anything symbolize hard work more than having to push a plow through the Earth all day? I am not sure if anyone tried to push the plow demonstration at the State Historical Center, but it was not exactly easy and I could not imagine doing that all day long (and only covering two acres of land). A plow symbolizes being out in the fields, doing hard manual labor, having some sweat on your brow, and knowing you accomplished something today. I think that is a great description of the state of Iowa and the people that live here. Iowans are known for being generous, friendly people who work hard for everything that they have. From agricultural roots, the people of this state maintain the work ethic that farmers using hand-held plows instilled in the fields many generations ago.

Cory Walter

How does a new citizen view an iconic photo?

I think the most interesting thing at the Iowa Historical Building was the citizenship ceremony taking place in the main lobby. The people there were celebrating their new right to vote and can now look at the US flag and claim it as their own. I wonder if these new citizens look at iconic American photos, like the one taken at Iwo Jima, and feel the American the egalitarianism, nationalism, and civic republicanism described in the Hariman and Lucaites essay.

Egalitarianism is defined on dictionary.com as asserting, resulting from, or characterized by belief in the equality of all people, esp. in political, economic, or social life. Each man in the Iwo Jima photo is poised to show his job in raising the flag is equally important. Egalitarianism is a core value of the United States, so each new citizen was in a similar position to the men in the photo.

The nationalism exhibited in the Iwo Jima photo, as described by Hariman and Lucaites, is evident through the flag as national symbol signifying the values of our US society. The people who immigrated to the US and are becoming citizens can look upon a photo like Iwo Jima and relate to the pride the soldiers felt raising the flag.

The civic republicanism described in the Hariman and Lucaites essay is a more abstract aspect of the iconic photo. The people at the citizenship ceremony have chosen to become citizens of the US because of the republicanism throughout the country. It is difficult to look at the photo of the soldiers raising the flag on Iwo Jima and think of the republicanism they may represent, but it can more easily be thought that the new citizens have chosen the US because of the strong republic it is.

The historical society of Iowa was an educational trip more because of the event occurring during our visit than the exhibits. I had never seen a citizenship ceremony before and was surprised how many people were in attendance. I believe it is great that so many people can become citizens no matter how they may look upon an American Iconic photo like Iwo Jima.

-Becky

Kiefer's Untitled

Anselm Kiefer's, Untitled, was one of the pieces I found intriging at the Art Center last week. It was a hard piece to miss, as it covered almost an entire wall, but beyond the size, the elements he chose to use in this piece was what I found most interesting.

At first this piece seems to be a big mess of dark colors and heavy texture, but then I noticed the pointe shoes hanging in the middle. Then I noticed the ladder image and in the background, and there seemed to be multiple train tracks going in different directions, and for me this piece started to become about aspiration. Aspiration itself probably isn't considered an 'emotion,' but I think what comes with aspiration is definately emotional.

In a dancer's mind, the only way you can go is up, meaning you can only get better. You're constantly competeting not only against the other dancers, but more importantly, against yourself. But this mentality goes beyond dance - I think it's how any athlete or even academic feels when they're striving to be the best - something I think the artist understood and knew that almost everyone could relate to. For me this piece forced me to almost reminisce about my own life and different directions I took, ones I could have but didn't, and what else lies ahead, and I think it would force everyone to do the same. Of course everyone's stories are different, which makes it so interesting - every person would bring a different story to the piece.

I think this piece could be used as an example for the "implications" idea discussed by Lucaites and Hariman. This piece is only successful if people can see themselves in the 'image' shown, and if it evokes an aspirational emotion, the "state action" would be people trying to better themselves. It's not a piece that could be easily replicated by any means - especially because I think the physical size and weight are a large part of the impact - but once stood in front of, it definately does have a strong emotional response. As far as Sontag, I think it's interesting that this piece is untitled, or maybe un-labeled. If the artist had named it "aspiration" then the viewer would begin looking at it with that label in mind, instead of coming to it by themselves. Or possibly aspiration wasn't the artists intent at all - and if it had been titled what the intent was, I probably wouldn't had seen aspiration.

-Emma B.

Hopper vs. Sherman

Cindy Sherman "Untitled Film Still #3" 1977

Edward Hopper "Automat" 1927

When we visited the Des Moines Art Center last Friday I was thrilled to see an exhibition on one of my favorite American artists, Edward Hopper. Being a museum person and so-called "art snob", a trip to an art museum is never just a casual visit. I often find myself scrutenizing the design of the museum galleries (why was this painting placed next to this sculpture, etc) and more importantly the exhibitions. But the exhibition "Edward Hopper: Images & Influence", although small, was very relevant and inclusive. When works of art are juxtaposed in an exhibition, more often than not, the relationships will not make sense to the viewer. The curator of this exhibition, however, took works by Hopper that were both familiar and unfamiliar and placed them in a shared space with other artists who also presented common images of American life.

Of these other artists, the photographs by Cindy Sherman, I believe, had the most interesting relationship to Hopper. Both artists depicted women by examining issues of identity and stereotype. For Hopper, the placement of his figures in their environments was key. Using light and shadow to create mood, Hopper depicted emotional themes of solitude, loneliness, regret and boredom within his figures. The painting "Automat" depicts a lone woman staring into her cup of coffee in a restaurant at night. The empty restaurant and no signs of activity on the street outside adds to this sense of loneliness. Similar to Hopper's famous painting "Nighthawks", where figures are sitting at a diner late at night, the scene could be a still from a movie where the characters have been captured just before or just after the climax of a scene.

Similarly, some of Cindy Sherman's photographs are actually black and white film stills. Sherman uses herself as subject matter transforming photography into performance art. She uses make-up, costumes, wigs and the like to take on a variety of roles from archetypal housewife to prostitute. Although she is the actress, Sherman does not consider these images to be self-portraits. Rather each image is "Untitled" with a number which depersonalizes it, making Sherman revealed but yet still hidden. Like the women in Hopper's paintings, she is named by her role but yet nameless and alone.

With art, or any photograph for that matter in this day and age, the viewer should always keep in mind that the image they are viewing may have been created using artistic liberties. I think it was said at the first class when we discussed Sontag that "A picture never lies." The correct phrase should be "Don't believe everything you see." As we know, Hopper used light and shadow to create mood and suspense in his environments. Sherman became a chameleon in her photographs by transforming into different characters using a variety of different disguises. Through my study of art history, I know that the artist almost always has a message or interpretation they want to get across to viewers in thier work and they will use whatever means necessary to achieve it. So the next time you are looking at a work of art, rather than just commenting on the style and stating that anybody can do that or turning up your nose, remember to ask yourself the question "What is the artist trying to say here?" (sorry just a little pet peeve I have...)

By Carolyn Larson

A trip west on I-80

Capitol Images: Preserving the Past, Reflecting the Reality

Sensory overload brought about by the vast number of visual images characterizes the Iowa State Capitol’s third-floor. Immediately as you ascend the Statehouse’s main staircase between the second- and third-floor your undivided attention is captured by the mural painting “Westward”, although only momentarily. For after you have briefly perused “Westward” your eyes cannot help but be lifted to the six mosaics in arched panels. Initially, they remain deceptively far from your vantage point which draws you up the staircase to the third-floor in hopes of getting a closer, less distorted and more neck friendly view of the images. Once on the third-floor you turn around – assuming you didn’t climb the stairs backward – to take in the mosaics more easily. Within the mosaics are human images which depict, from left to right, defense, charities, education, and the executive, legislative and judiciary branches of government. The artistic style harkens back to the Roman Empire, an Empire often credited with having a vast influence on America’s current culture. The images are grand, elegant and colorful – yet white.

Similar to words such as race and gender which, according to Stephanie Wildman in Making Systems of Privilege Visible, seem “linguistically neutral” so too does the mosaic seem visually neutral (89). The soft, stoic faces of the human images do not overtly scream white privilege; they simply link us to the visualization of our historical past. The pictures nonetheless represent the “base of unacknowledged privilege” spoken so thoroughly about in White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh, and highlight McIntosh’s core belief that the “oppressiveness was unconscious” (98). Unconscious in the sense that the dominate white culture at the time of the mosaics commissioning would likely have been oblivious to the underlying statement created by the all white cast of characters pictured in Frederick Dielman’s work. This unspoken statement is “that which keeps people of color off-balance” (Wise 107).

As you move beyond this mosaic and into the rotunda, again you are met with grand, elegant and colorful – yet white – human images. These types of images, in fact, are scattered throughout one of the nation’s most visually stunning statehouses. It is not until entering a private office in the Governor’s suite that you will be exposed to a piece of art which depicts a group of children that encapsulate the rainbow of human skin colors. Not surprisingly that office belongs to the Governor’s policy liaison for cultural diversity, among other topics.

If we are able to overcome the fact that in American society “white privilege is not something (whites) get to decide whether (they) want to keep” then we can start addressing the issues, which to many, are invisible in the Capitol (Jensen 103). This does not mean that the historical images which currently adorn the Capitol need to be removed because of their whiteness. It does, however, indicate that preserving the historical significance of the Capitol cannot overshadow the inclusive nature in which our State has been moving since its inception. If the last piece of artwork installed in the Capitol occurred in 1907 – the six mosaics – then the time has come to commission a new work of art which illustrates the diversity of Iowa’s proud multicultural community and which will symbolize the direction of Iowa’s future.

-- Bob Tuttle

Male Privilege in the 82nd Iowa General Assembly

I visited the capitol with the articles of white privilege and racism in mind. Is the government racist? In my initial glances around the Iowa capitol, I must say that I saw a lot of white people. I was most struck by this overwhelming sea of whiteness when viewing the head shots of all 50 members of the Senate and 100 members of the House of the 82nd Iowa General Assembly. Out of the 50 members of the Iowa Senate, not a single individual appeared to be of a minority race. In scanning the portraits of the legislators, I spotted about five non-Caucasians. That made me think, “Wow, the Iowa government is so racist!”.

In thinking about it further, the idea of affirmative action mentioned in Robert Jensen’s article White Privilege Shapes the U.S. came to mind. Affirmative action means taking positive steps to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). In a state whose government is “by the people and for the people” (Capitol Rotunda), one would think that all races and minorities should be represented. I was quite upset that virtually all of the state’s government leaders are white. White privilege. Whether or not people acknowledge that it’s a problem, it occurred to me that we as a people are supporting and promoting its existence.

I think it would be ideal to employ a modified version of affirmative action in the state government. Make a point to include people of all races and genders, to the extent that it accurately represents the demographics of the state. I originally thought we were horribly racist that approximately only 3.3% of our state’s Senate and House were people of color. In reality, though, that number is not too far off from being an accurate representation of the racial profile of our state. According to the 2006 US Census Bureau, 91% of Iowa’s population is white. We need to bring in about nine more people of color to the state Senate and House to reach an accurate racial sampling of our state.

I am not opposed to having more state government leaders of color, but working with straight numbers seems like a simplistic method to achieve affirmative action. My biggest concern is the fact that of the 150 state senators and legislators, 33 were women. Accurate representation of the state’s population? Absolutely not. Since when did Iowa only have 22% women? This to me is the larger problem. Women are not generally thought of as the target of racism and discrimination as much as colored people, but last time I checked, the state of Iowa consisted of 50.6% women (2006 US Census Bureaus). Of the 150 members of the House and Senate, at least 75 of them should be women in order to accurately represent the population and achieve affirmative action.

There is a larger percentage of both women and colored people in the lower house (legislature) of the Iowa General Assembly, so perhaps they will eventually climb the ladder and stack the Senate. Swati Dandekar, current legislator of house district 36, is running for the Iowa Senate (district 18). She was the first Indian-born US citizen to win a state legislative seat and hopefully will be the first to climb to the Senate and pave the way for both women and people of color. Men, in particular those who are white, have privilege in the Iowa government. Women and people of color are not accurately represented in the state Senate and House. Affirmative action should be enforced by completing the simple mathematical calculations in accord with the census, ensuring that each race and minority is accurately represented in the state government. For example, according to the 2006 US Census Bureau, 2.5% of Iowans are black, therefore 3.75 (4) of the 150 members of the Iowa General Assembly should be black—two of which should be women.

“But we all are the product of both what we will ourselves to be and what the society in which we live lets us be.” (Jensen 103). Society will limit us [women and minorities] if we do nothing to prevent that from happening. In order for my idea of affirmative action in Iowa’s General Assembly to work, women and people of color need to step up. Step up both in terms of voting and advocating for women and people of color in the government, but also for young women and minorities to make it their personal goal to become the next government leaders. I don’t know the exact reason why women and minorities are currently underrepresented. Maybe there proportionately are simply not enough of them qualified in the field right now. If that is the case, women and minorities need to make a point to get the appropriate schooling and qualifications, which would be easier with the state’s support of affirmative action in the government.

The exact pictures that I viewed in the capitol are not available on-line, but there are photos and descriptions of each member of the 82nd Iowa General Assembly available on the following website.

http://www3.legis.state.ia.us/ga/legislators.do;jsessionid=CCBC03EE0231218FF3C81F05B11D00B6?ga=82

Jill Staudt