User:Kristijrn/Technology Is Rough When You Didn't Grow Up On a Computer

I am simply playing in the sandbox for right now, trying to get this figured out. I am a child of the 80's. It was a big deal when, in the 11th grade, we received 5 IBM desktop PC's for our school....black screen with green flashing letters. Computers mean about as much to me now as they did back then.

I have no formal training on computers....everything that I have learned is self taught. I am proud of myself for learning what I have in the past 10 years....I can find almost anything on the internet, make powerpoints, great Word documents, copy pictures, etc etc. However, the Wikipedia is giving me gray hair. It is taking me soooooo long to figure out how to do things. It's like Linear B. I have little free time, and hate to go whining to people for help.....I learn by making mistakes and fixing them.....but it takes me a very long time, and now (despite my best efforts) I am falling behind on my assignments. But hey, once I have something sealed in my brain, it's there, no matter what. So maybe an old dog CAN teach herself a new trick?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/clavalon/5117442505/

http://visitindy.com/indianapolis-attractions-indiana-law-enforcement-firefighters-memorial

Here are some external links to the works on which I will be writing.

Reflections on Wikipedia Saves Public Art Articles: IUPUI Public Art Collection

I was able to read through several of the articles thoroughly. For the most part, they appear to be thorough and well written. The photographs with the articles provided a good visual and I was able to remember seeing most of the pieces on campus at one time or another. Reading through these articles also provided me with a clearer understanding of what I am expected to include in my articles. This will help to guide the focus of my research and work.

While reading through these articles, I also realized that although the works have been visible to me almost every day for the last four years, I never really "noticed" them or took a good look at them; they just seemed to be part of the environment. I can imagine that this experience is true with many people in regard to public art: you can easily take it for granted, and not give alot of thought as to its history, creator, meaning, and the care of the object. Such complacency could lead to the neglect of such pieces. Likewise, I am now seeing the importance of Wikipedia:WikiProject Wikipedia Saves Public Art; to make these objects more noticeable, stress their importance, the proper documentation of such works, and ultimately, making people realize the importance of conserving such works so that they may be enjoyed by future generations.

Reflections on Wikipedia Saves Public Art Articles: IUPUI Public Art Collection

It actually took me a while to find a piece of local art with an already existing article, and then to find one that was in desperate need of correction. Then I decided to look up the Medal of Honor Memorial (Indianapolis). I was very surprised at the serious lack of information on this fairly recent, visible object. Essentially, all the article said was the location of the memorial, a very basic description of its design, and that it won an award in 2001. It did not take much external searching to find some information on the origins of the monument, its designers, and sponsors.

I added new references, internal and external links, and some information which I believe is very basic and crucial for a description of this work. I added how the idea of the monument was generated, the sponsorship of the monument, the design architects, the reason that the particular site was chosen. Additionally, I added information about important dates related to the monument, the number of Medal of Honor recipients that were etched on the walls of the monument at it's unveiling,and additional information regarding the opening ceremonies. To the previous article, I added more detail to the design portion of the article. The original article only had one heading and reference. I added more of both, dividing it into sections.

The original article also only had about 2 or 3 tags. I added probably 10 more.

Before adding more information, the Assessed Quality of the article would be fairly low, since it lacked even basic information, it only had one section, and one reference. My additions were certainly not all inclusive and many more should be made. Unfortunately, I just do not have the time to do it right now. Maybe others will contribute at some point in time. There was only one reference prior to my changes. The information in the article seemed to be accurate, but was just seriously lacking in content.

On a 1-10 scale for how I trusted the article, I would have to maybe give it a 5....not because the information was erroneous, but because it lacked even basic, easily found, verifiable content. I feel that this is an important monument and deserves more attention. I also remember hearing about some vandalism to the monument several years ago. This information would also probably be important to add at some point in time.

Reflections on Wikipedia Saves Public Art Articles: IUPUI Public Art Collection

I was able to do a great deal of my research online, but I felt that I needed to see the works in person and take my own pictures, from my own point of view. I was pretty nervous about this, as the only camera that I have is on my IPhone. I had wanted to enlist the help of one of my friends who is a professional photographer with great equipment, but then Richard said that this would not be necessary. One of my pieces is an outdoor memorial, the other is the George Washington bust, which is inside the statehouse. I have pretty limited time....I set several dates where I expressly intended to go to the statehouse, personally inspect and photograph the pieces, then it seemed that every day that I had chosen, it rained. Of course, this would not have been an issue for the inside bust, but I could not take photos in the rain of the memorial. Finally, the day after Thanksgiving, my children and I made it a field trip. We were also going to visit the state archives. I thought I had been proactive when I looked on the website to see if there was any indication that they were closed; there was not. Of course, everything was closed. I wasn't aware that the day after Thanksgiving was a Federal holiday.

It was freezing cold outside. I decided that, since I had made the trip all the way from Noblesville, I would at least obtain photos of the Law Enforcement and Firefighters Memorial. We circled the statehouse twice and couldn't find it. Finally, I spotted it...but it was actually across the street from the Statehouse, by the government center. It was much more detailed and larger than I had expected. I took many pictures and was unable to send them to a Flickr address, which sent them directly to my page. I believe that they turned out well, and I was able to obtain photos that were much more in depth than those I had seen online.

I spent many hours that weekend working on the article for the memorial. I was very surprised at the lack of information that I was able to find. It was like a scavenger hunt. I found information in completely unexpected places, like the Professional Firefighters Union (I only knew about this organization because my dad is a retired battalion chief from the DC Fire Department.) I had made many of my own observations, but was aware that I could not post "original research" on Wikipedia....I felt like my hands were tied and that I could not write as thoroughly as I had hoped.

Then, I ran into a few other dilemmas.....first, there really wasn't a particular "artist" for this piece...it was a collaborative effort from many different disciplines, including architects, engineers, construction companies, and landscapers. So, I tried to give credit to those individuals whom I found listed as part of the project. I could only find one mention of the initial cost of building the piece, and this was in an archive abstract from the Indy Star. The only inkling of a measurement that I could find was the weight of the bronze shields on top of the pylons. So, in my pictures, I tried to create a context which may give the reader an idea of how large the structures are.

The following Monday, I ventured back to the Statehouse. I had read the self guided tour of the Statehouse, and looked for George, sitting near George Washington, on the 2nd floor, in an alcove around the rotunda, exactly where two separate sources said he was. He was missing, and someone else was in his place. As I walked around the alcove, I noticed that one space was completely empty....it was not the place George was supposed to be, but it was odd. I couldn't stand the thought of leaving empty handed after a second trip. I looked again at all the maps, the tour guide, and asked a few people....no one knew what happened to George. So I went to explore. Finally, I found him in an inconspicuous alcove on the fourth floor, still near the rotunda. But his name plate was now gone. There was no one around, so I was able to get around him pretty well to take some decent photos, although the lighting was less than ideal. I found an etching on the back that said "1732-1932 George Washington Bicentennial Commission." This gave me a scrap of hope, because before then, and despite hours of research and asking other classmates if they had any ideas, I was unable to find out who the artist was, or any provenance on this particular piece. I began doing some research into this Commission, and, voila....the first article that I pulled up had a lovely picture of a bust that looked exactly like the one in the statehouse. I was then able to find out that the original bust was created by a French artist by the name of Houdon, and was done at Mt. Vernon, from a real life mask of George Washington himself. This was incredible, because it is probably an accurate image of our first president. This bust remains at Mount Vernon, which is consequently, one of my favorite places in the world.

To make a long story short, by doing research on this Commission, I was able to obtain some interesting facts.....then I got absorbed and obsessed with solving the entire riddle. But I never could find who had at least made the copy, and when and how it ended up in the Indiana Statehouse. I am still digging and hoping to unlock the mystery. Also, no one knows (or at least I cannot locate the person who does) why or when George was moved from his original place on the 2nd floor.

Thus, this reading response is delayed because I was sucked into research....and it has taken much time. During my research, I also found the names of some Huntington's that were part of the history of this bust. Huntington is my family name and we are descended from Samuel Huntington, who was the first president of the Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Being that I love genealogy, I almost got sucked into that vacuum, but decided that it would have to wait until later.

So, all in all, I have run into a few snags and I have done the best with what I have available. I am continuing to dig and make inquiries, still trying to get "the rest of the story." But I guess that's the beauty of Wikipedia.....the articles are always a work in progress, and they can be changed and edited as new information is discovered.