A successful and controversial artist, Damien Hirs Essays

A successful and controversial artist, Damien Hirs Essays A successful and controversial artist, Damien Hirst was born in Bristol, England, on June 7, 1965. He emerged as a leading figure in the Young British Artists movement in the late 1980s and 1990s. Raised Catholic, Damien Hirst grew up in Leeds. Early religion education later factors into his artwork. HIs mother would later describe him as a morbid child. Hirst studied art at the Goldsmith's College at the University of London. While there, he put together a ground-breaking exhibit entitled "Freeze" in 1988. Hirst and his fellow students became part of an emerging movement known as the Young British Artists. They were known for their unusual materials and for their challenging art concepts. One of Hirst's early works, "With Dead Head," illustrates his interest in death and shaking up the art establishment. Career Breakthrough In 1991, Hirst had his first solo exhibition at the Woodstock Street Gallery in London. He also participated in the Young British Artists show at the Saatchi Gallery the following year. There he displayed "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living," a 14-foot-long glass tank with a shark preserved in formaldehyde. The shark had been bought from an Australian fisherman. Business of Art In addition to being a creative visionary, Hirst has proved to be a savvy businessman. He has parlayed his fame and notoriety into an art empire, becoming one of the wealthiest living artists today. Later Work s In 2007, he unveiled "For the Love of God," a glittering, diamond-encrusted skull made of platinum. Many critics were less than impressed with this "celebration against death " . "I've got an obsession with death But I think it's like a celebration of life rather than something morbid." More than 9,000 butterflies died as part of an art work in his exhibition.

Rules to Make Your Book Club Run Smoothly

Rules to Make Your Book Club Run Smoothly When youre starting a book club it helps to set some ground rules to help ensure that all of your attendees feel welcome and want to return. Some of the rules may seem like common sense but making sure everyone is on the same page helps avoid unnecessary conflict.Having established rules can be especially important if you are starting a book club thats open to the general public. If you dislike obscene language, for example, a book club made of just your friends would probably already know to avoid swearing, but if you opened the club to strangers they might assume cursing was fine. Having a rule in place would let everyone know the type of discourse to use. When deciding on rules for your club youll want to think about the kind of conversations youd like to have. Are you focused on deep critical analysis or is it just for fun? Its also a good idea to think about the space youll be holding your book club in. If youre meeting an public area like a library community room it might have its rules about things like bringing food or putting chairs away after the meeting. Its best to be aware of these when making your groups rules. Youll probably come up with a few rules of your own but heres a list of some common book club rules to help you get started. If any of these rules dont appeal to you or you feel are unnecessary for your group simply ignore them and remember the most important thing of all is just to have fun! The purpose of this book club is to read and enjoy literature! So, if you love books, and youre ready to discuss them... youre in the right place.You may find that you disagree with something that another member of the group has said.It is okay to disagree as long as its done respectfully.Inappropriate behavior and/or language will not be tolerated.Please respect the authority of the moderator.Keep on topic, but feel free to introduce information that is relevant to the discussion (historical facts, bio details, book background, related authors or topics).No Spoilers!  All meetings will start on time.When you speak, please state your name.Some book clubs include food or beverages. Dont forget to bring your assigned (or volunteered) food or drink. More Info. General Book Club Questions for Study and DiscussionWhich character do you most like?How To Determine a Reading ScheduleWhat is a classic?Quotes