Hi readers, my name is Laurelle Watkins and I am a freshman biochemistry major. I went on this trip to gain the opportunity to explore the world of art, outside of the little experience I have had in the field of music. I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the larger artistic field than what I have experienced to this time.

The main focus of our time here is on answering the question “what is art,” while exploring the concepts of who defines what is considered to be art and where art belongs. Through our first week in Los Angeles, we have explored multiple renowned museums, as well as begun a look at different exhibitions of street art. We have plans to look at both well-known artists, as well as various public works around town. While most people know about both of these fields, there is another field we explored, that of an art exhibition that is open to the public.

On January 8^th, we began our day with a tour of the Broad. The Broad was opened by Eli and Edythe Broad in 2015 as a contemporary art museum, with the condition that it is to remain free and open to the public. As such, this museum provides a different atmosphere to many other museums people attend. Approaching its fourth year, there was still a line of people outside awaiting entrance to this museum, a place that strives to make art accessible to all.

In answering the questions, I am beginning by looking at the origins of the Broad. The Broad began as the private collection of Eli and Edythe Broad, consisting of the works they had decided were meaningful. As such, its exhibitions began with a bias of their opinions of what art is. However, the collection has since grown to contain many other artists, though all remain works of contemporary art.

One of the things I find most interesting about contemporary art is the wide variety of pieces this encompasses. Some of the works that I found most impactful were Yayoi Kusama’s infinity rooms. Yayoi Kusama is known for her dot motif, in which she has a near obsession with creating works of repetition which she termed infinity nets.[1] Towards the later end of her works, Kusama has created a series of infinity mirror rooms, two of which are current installations at the Broad. One of the works that I found most impactful was Kusama’s 2013 work, the Infinity Mirrored Room—The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away. This piece featured a mirrored room filled with hanging LED lights that reflected on endlessly, creating a sense of eternity. I found this work to be an interesting, unique look at artwork, one that not many people have explored.

Another contemporary artist whose work was displayed was Robert Therrien, an artist whose works are comprised of a collection of items made either larger or smaller than life. One such item of Therrien’s works was a larger than life table and chairs set, titled Under the Table. Walking beneath this installation brought me back to the days of childhood, and memories of sitting underneath my table while playing hide and go seek, and other such childhood games. This artwork draws people back to a childlike innocence, and to children’s tales like “Jack and the Beanstalk” or Alice in Wonderland.

These artworks specifically stood out to me, but there were many other works of art within the galleries. One of the interesting things about art is that it is a combination of both the artist’s intent and the audience’s experiences. As such, everyone has the ability to gain something new from a work of art, and different people are drawn to different works of art. I recommend taking the time to visit the Broad, as it offers an array of different art works for the public to view.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yayoi_Kusama