Rut Exercise 1 "We Could Be Heroes" -- Jacqueline Usterud

Going through the exhibit two pieces especially stuck out to me. One of them was "High Roller" which first of all made me laugh out loud. When something makes me laugh I think it is well made. The work depicts five old ladies and gentlemen playing cards around a table, dressed up in superhero costumes. To me this is a symbol of playfulness and how it it never dies. At first glance the work looked like the Last Supper, which added on to the fun-factor of superheroes around the table. I often think about older people as being calmer, less playful and stuck in a rut, where this piece states the obvious. 

The other piece that stuck out to me was "House Games" by Elzbieta Sablonska with the mother in a superman costume sitting with her son in her lap. I find it creative as it signifies a hero being incorporated into the everyday life and its routines. I often feel like a superhero when I have to run errands, do homework, clean up, do laundry, work out and keep up with tasks and callings, all at the same time. To me this photograph spells out the overall feeling of what it means to be a mother. A mother is the superhero who cleans up after everyone, kisses boo-boo's, nurses and cares for her family, makes a home a home, runs errands, takes care of her peers and her home, works, shops, irons and so on. The everyday woman is a superhero, and will often be viewed as one by her children.

Most of the pieces at the exhibit were interesting to me, but only a few caught my immediate attention. Another one worth to mention is "Fantastic FDNY" which is an amazing collage made out of comic book speech-bubbles and hero cutouts. Incredibly creative, time-consuming and pulled me in with all of its texture and added interest. The artist definitely picked out specific cartoons and clips to tell his story.