Jen Dietrich, my UROP faculty supervisor, is working on a video documentary of Philip Pearlstein, one of the last living artists from the Abstract Expressionist Movement. He is known as the Father of Modern Realism yet his art is defined in the language of abstract expressionism. The documentary focuses on interviews with Philip Pearlstein and other artists from that time in art history in order to learn more about their accomplishments including the development of graduate studies for studio art, the development of the Soho District, the revolutionizing of American art galleries, among many other accomplishments that affected the direction of the art world.

My main involvement in this project was intitially to serve as a cataloger of artifacts. I did have ample opportunities to catalog Philip Pearlstein's artifacts in the vault at the Tweed Museum of Art. The artifacts included his personal items such as photographs, newspaper and magazine articles, films, awards and military medals. I also cataloged videos that included raw film of current Pearlstein interviews. I was responsible for noting any important and pertinent segments. The reviewing, cataloging and notating of artifacts and videos provided me with the experience of handling art work and understanding the documentary in a more in-depth way. This portion of my research allowed me to effectively accomplish one of my UROP objectives; handling art work.

I was able to participate in the documentary process by going to New York City with the film crew. This was by far the most educational and exhilarating opportunity that I have had as a student and artist. I helped haul the equipment and protect the film set. I had the unbelievable opportunity to listen to the interviews with Philip Pearlstein and his peers. I was also able to interact and discuss art directly with these art history-makers. My UROP objective of understanding how small groups of artists can become a movement was met beyond my expectations. I learned that this group spent most of their time together and sought out skilled writers to document their art movement in an academic way by focusing on the art elements and design principles with much less attention on the subject matter. This was so interesting to me since Peearlstein used this method to describe his art; nude human figures.

For an art teacher, the level of credibility increases when they are able to say "I was there". My UROP has provided me the knowledge how a world-class gallery actually operates. I will be able to tell students how important it is to know the language that describes pictures and provide concrete exam;es of how artists' statements affect their careers. More importantly my professional opportunities have grown as a direct result of contacts I have made during my research project. I am having two art exhibits this summer and have been invited to submit a proposal to the Duluth Art Institute. I have been invited to a reception in New York city this Fall and am confident in changing my mind about the geographic limits of my own work.