Tyler Rapp

Julie Hicks
LBST 1105-H72
November 6, 2015
Mint Museum Response
The Mint Museum in Uptown Charlotte was definitely a memorable experienceand
most definitely my favorite art excursion thus far! The scenery outside of the exhibit truly tied it
all together, with the elegance of the surrounding buildings all encompassed by the intricate city
itself. Moving inside, the first thing that immediately sticks out is the beautiful chandelier above
in the entryway: 220 pieces of hand-blown glass. The blue on the edges of the chandelier were
absolutely stunning. As we moved into the front area at the desks, the place was noticeably
impeccable in the most perfect way. I loved the landscape of the entire museum with art
decorated absolutely everywhere. The next extremely memorable structure was the large piece
made of fiber by Shelia Hicks was a site to see. It was huge and covered the entire wall in
enormous tubular forms. I fell in love with the way the museum was put together before even
entering the exhibits.
Once inside the first exhibit, the art instantaneously sucked me in. One piece that really
stuck out to me was Pipe Dream by John Cederquist, made in 1998. The immediate reaction I
received was that of horror: the fish appears to be suffocating from the pipes holding it tight.
Aesthetically, the shape of the fish fits perfectly into the spiral of the pipes. This effect makes the
fish seem as if it is almost meant to fit into those pipes, which amplifies the feeling of despair for
the fish. The contrast in color between the fish and pipe also places emphasis on the scene as a

whole. It is interesting how the piece merely takes the shape of the fish and the pipes and lacks
any sort of negative space; there is no outside scene, just emphasis on the matter at hand.
Additionally, the value of the colors makes it more realistic and dark. The hues are not very
bright, which again elaborates the fact that this fish may be suffering under terrible conditions as
well as the colors in the lakes, rivers, and oceans on earth.

Personally, the first thing I thought of when I saw this piece was the brand Salt Life.
Shirts of this brand signify swordfish, and other marine life, that look just like this one. In my
hometown, fishing is a vital matterand one that I (rarely) engaged in. This piece, with the fish
being killed by the pipes, reminds me of my own thoughts about living the Salt Life. Many
people tend to fish for sport, not to necessarily eat. Being a huge animal activist, I highly
disagree with the act of hunting for the sake of having fun. While most people only seem to

apply this rule to animals such as deer, I believe it should be applied to fish too. I cannot express
the amount of people from my town that would go fishing on a weekly basiswhich is just
something I cannot do. This art piece reminds me of my feelings in that fish die every single day
not just from pollution or littering, but from people actively fishing as well.
Culturally, one big moment of this generation is the health of the earth. Global warming
is being debated all the time, as well as the matters humans should take to ensure a high quality
of earth for the future. Another one of these hot topics is recycling and not littering. On beaches,
littering is rampant. Millions upon millions of people walk down beaches every year, eating
food, throwing their trash on the sand, and leaving. These simple acts of leaving trash, a ball, or a
soda can can go a long way for marine life. To me, this art work is applicable in that it touches on
how humanity is treating its future: horribly. However, as time progresses, more and more
people appear to be taking part in the movement to improve the quality of earths land and its
animal inhabitants.
The second piece I deeply connected with was Grouse by Thomas Eakins, produced in
1872. The simplicity of the work speaks so much in its aesthetic qualities. For one, the empty
negative space surrounding the dog places immense emphasis on the dog itself. Similar to the
work above (Pipe Dream), this piece does not have much of a background; instead, the entire
piece is basically the dog itself. The shape of the dog also touches on the feelings evoked. The
shape makes the dog appear hunched over a little bit, while its eyes are furrowed and mouth
tightly closed. This display provoked feelings of sadness and anger within me, as the dog appears
lonely and distraught. The contrast of white fur on the dog mixed with the darker background
provide a sense of hope, however. White typically connotes feelings of purity, which, in my

opinion, reveal that this dog has high hopes for whatever is to come. Last, the texture exhibited
by the fur is amazing. I love how the artist used color, lines, and shape to make the dog appear
real right in front of my eyes.

On a personal level, I can connect very well due to a tragic loss I had from my dog near
the beginning of summer. My dogs name was Haley, a long-haired miniature dachshund. One
day, I awoke to terrible screams from my mom and a feeling of fear from my dads voice. I
vividly remember jolting awake and my mom telling me Haley was hurt. Unfortunately, I
thought my mom was over-exaggerating because she tends to make things sound worse than they
are. As a result, combined with the grogginess of just waking up, I got ready for schoolalready

lateand was about to leave. Before walking out the door, I asked my mom what happened, as
my dad had taken Haley to the veterinarians. At the time, we had no idea what actually took
place. But, Haley passed away several hours later from the trauma from what took place.
Essentially, something (either a bullet or a hawks claws) struck Haley well enough where one of
her sides and underside was completely gashed on, resulting in a terrible loss of bleeding. From
the art piece, these memories circle around in my head from the sadness I can feel from the
painting.
Moreover, on a cultural level, I immediately think of the phrase, A dog is a mans best
friend. Dogs were one of the first animals domesticated by humans long ago and were used to
hunt and as companions. As time rolled on, dogs were regarded as pets and became near and dear
to the human race. In this piece, which was produced in the 1800s, this same thought was just as
active as it is now. If a dog is upset, so is its owner and surrounding people. In todays world,
people take their dogs everywhere: to the mall, to eat, to the doctors office, and more. Dogs
have become something that many people just cannot live without. Even in my own family, we
already got a new puppy (named Kynlee) only several months after Haley passed away. This art
pieceespecially from the collar around the neck of the dogverifies this feeling of connection
between dogs and humans that cannot be broken.
All in all, I could go on and on about all of the amazing pieces in the Mint Museum.
There were so many fascinating pieces in all many different decades and centuries that were all
so dissimilar in unique ways. From the older pieces, such as Grouse, to the extremely modern
ones, such as the Dyson vacuum, the Mint Museum had a lot to offer. I cannot wait for our last
trip to the Bechtler in a few weeks!