Alice Konitz

I was not sure what to expect with tonight’s presentation with Alice Konitz. I am not familiar with her work and I have little knowledge of sculpture. Her presentation was interesting. Before I went over to the presentation I looked up her work online and was eager to hear the details behind the pieces. I realized after she spoke that having her there to speak about her work was particularly helpful in helping me understand her pieces.
From what I understood from her presentation, Alice Konitz’s work is very personal. The ideas that she uses for inspiration come from her observations gathered from her day-to-day life. Many of her pieces are derived from Los Angeles architecture including both structures like freeways and buildings like a 24-hour dounut shop.
One of her projects called “Owl Society” particularly revealed to me how personal her sculptures are. Konitz created pieces around owls because she felt that owls were particularly interesting birds. Unlike most birds, owls are one of the few birds that have eyes on the same plane of their head.
I am still unsure about the meaning of many of her pieces, but her presentation helped cement her style and beliefs. She definitely explores the ideas she finds inspiring and her pieces reflect her exploration.