SpoonBridge
And Cherry
SpoonBridge
Interview Summary
The participant chose to discuss their interaction with the Spoon Bridge Sculpture at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. They chose to discuss this piece because they thought the artist’s choices were interesting regarding their relation to World War II. After learning about the piece in AP History, they were motivated to see it in person with family when visiting Minneapolis for a Multiple Sclerosis conference. During the interaction, they thought about what they had learned in class and considered how the sculpture is a “working piece”; however, it was challenging to engage with due to the busy atmosphere, and they didn’t think there was much to interpret from the sculpture itself.
Throughout the process, they learned that they are a busy thinker. They think that the artist intended for the piece to be a way for people to stop and concentrate on something. Regarding others, they learned about differences in interpretation when it comes to artwork. In terms of their own authenticity, they discovered that they are not as creative as they thought they were. With the idea of “ultimate meaning,” they gained a more abstract understanding of World War II. They did not experience any inspiration or guidance from the supernatural, but felt inspired by the thought of their AP History teacher.
Interview Transcript
Introduction
Interviewer: In this interview. We are interested in asking you about interacting with an artwork created by another artist. We're going to ask you to describe this experience in detail. Do you have any questions?
Participant: No
Interviewer: We’d like you to focus on your interaction with a particular artwork that someone else created. This may be a famous artwork or a work that's not well known. It can be an artwork created by anybody other than you. The artwork could be from any of the following domains: Painting, drawing, sculpture, stained glass, installation, music, songs, dance, performance art, film, literature, theater, fashion, crafts, mixed media, furniture design, architecture, interior design, plastic arts, or any other art form not mentioned. It doesn't necessarily have to be the most important to you, but it should be meaningful and emotionally salient. It helps if your memories are more vivid. But you don't have to remember everything. Please choose your artwork and tell me what it is.
Participant: Okay, um, Let's go with the Spoon bridge.
Interviewer: Okay, do you have a picture of it or anything?
Participant: I do
Interviewer: Okay, perfect
[Participant shows the artwork]
Interviewer: Okay.
Participant: Sculpture at the Minneapolis Institute of art.
Description
Interviewer: Can you describe any important details? Um to me?
Participant: Yeah. So it's a spoon with a cherry on top, and it like sprays water out, and it's symbolic of the like. It's like It's a World War II. Kind of like memorabilia piece, and the same guy who constructed it constructed the shuttle clocks outside of the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City, and I'm from Kansas. And so um I learned about that piece in AP Art history, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. And then I happen to be in Minneapolis um later that summer, and so I was able to go see it
Why did you choose this one? (Specialness)
Interviewer: That’s really cool. What made you choose that one in particular?
Participant: Um I just remember the like when I was there like in the flesh to see it it was just like a lot cooler then, like what I imagined it to be, and, like I don't have any like really personal connections with World War II. But I just think that it's interesting that he chose like a cherry in a spoon.
Interviewer: Yeah,
Participant: to make up his idea about World War II.
Interviewer: Yeah, really interesting objects.
Participant: Yeah.
Process of Interacting
What led up to the interaction? What motivated you to explore this piece?
When and where did the experience happen? Who was involved besides you (if anyone)?
Interviewer: Please tell me about the experience and process of interacting with the work by answering the following series of questions: What led up to the interaction and what motivated you to explore the piece?
Participant: Yeah. So we had some free time when we first got to Minneapolis, and I told my mom I was with my mom, my grandma and I told my mom I said, we're going to the Institute of Art and we're going to see this. She was like, okay, but it was like kind of busy in downtown Minneapolis, and so they just like, drop me off, and they like drove around until I found a spot, and then they came and join me, and they had these chairs where you can like, sit on the grass with the piece, and you can just like watch it, and that's what we did for like an hour.
Interviewer: That's awesome.
Participant: Yeah
What were you thinking and feeling at different times throughout the process of interacting with the artwork?
Interviewer: What were you thinking and feeling at different times throughout the process of interacting with the piece?
Participant: Yeah. Well, I really wanted to like walk on like a bridge part of the spoon. But you're not allowed to do that. Um! And then I was thinking about how he was able to like, make it like a working piece. And how like the water goes up into the cherry. And I was thinking about when it gets cold they can't do the water because it would freeze the sculpture. And I was also thinking about what I learned in AP Art history how they sometimes take the cherry off so they can like repaint it. And then I was thinking about like just like I was telling my mom and grandma like all this when we were there because they didn’t like they didn't understand like what this was.
Can you describe any high points, low points or challenges, or turning points along the way?
Interviewer: Can you describe any high points, low points, challenges, or possibly turning points along the way when you were, you know, interacting with it?
Participant: I would say a challenge was like it wasn't very peaceful. It's like if, when you go like inside an art museum it’s typically like quiet. But this was like out, you know, like a road, and there were like kids. There was also. There's like a park next to it. So they were like kids playing, and there were like people like walking and talking. Um, So it wasn't like really peaceful. But I think that like contributed to the work as well as it like with it being outside Um, I would say a high was definitely like. Sometimes the water like sprays on you. You're like standing at a certain place, so it like connects you to the work um. A low is probably like there's not much to interpret about it like It's just he likes spoons like that’s all that he really like he wanted to explain about the painting so or not painting as a sculpture, but like it's cool as heck, though it's so cool.
Interviewer: Yeah, it did look really cool.
Let's talk about the impact of the artwork on you and your life.
What did you learn from the process of interacting with the artwork? Did you learn anything about yourself?
Interviewer: Let's talk about the impact of the artwork on you and your life. What did you learn from the process of interacting with the piece. And did you learn anything about yourself?
Participant: Yeah, I would say that, like traditional views of art, or like paintings, and like very nice um like clean spaces. So like art museums typically don't have like, I don't know. I always feel like they're just kind of like very plan to like focus like on the artwork. And so with this one being like out in the open and in a busy space, and like, there's a lot going on that you like. Sometimes you have to like, force yourself to like concentrate on the piece. And I think it just kind of shows that there's art everywhere, and how um like. If you focus like. If you're able to focus on different things, you can like notice different parts of the pieces, so like sometimes paintings are like very like messy. There's like a lot going on in them. Um, but like when you break it down like piece by piece, you can see like more parts of it. I would say it showed me that i'm like a busy thinker like I was very distracted when, like looking at it, but like when we went inside the Art Museum, like I wasn't as distracted looking at the different pieces. And this thing is also like huge like. It's like very big, and it made me just think about like how like I don't think I could create something like that. But yeah.
Do you think that the artist intended the work to affect others or the world in any particular ways?
Interviewer: And do you think that the artist intended the work to affect others or the world in any way?
Participant: Um, definitely the world like, from what I've noticed about his other pieces he does is that he wants like big um like obscure objects, so like the shuttle clocks, and he also has one where they're binoculars like in the side of a building, or like a big ice cream cone on top of a building. Um! He just wants people to just like stop and look at something for a little bit, and like kind of take themselves like out of themselves, you know, like concentrate on something that's not you like. Look at this cool spoon.
Interviewer: Yeah.
Did your experience with the artwork affect your understanding of others or “the world?”
Interviewer: Did your experience of interacting with the art affect your understanding of others or the world?
Participant: Yeah, I would say it definitely showed me that um like people can interpret things differently, so like I knew a lot more about this piece then like my mom or my grandma um, but the way like watching them interpret it in different ways. Um was really interesting, but also just like how you can put two things together and then say it's about like World War two
like you can just kind of lie to people, and they just like they just get to believe you, even if that wasn't your like intent behind the artwork you could be like, Yeah, this is symbolic of World War II: And everyone would be like, Yeah, you know, you're absolutely right.
Interviewer: Yeah, it's a good point. Art’s really subjective. And you just kind of feel like, well, this is about what I say it's about.
Participant: Yeah. And everyone's like, Yeah,
When some people think about themselves, they see some parts of themselves as deeply true, real, or authentic.
If this idea resonates with you, did you learn anything about your true nature during the process of interacting with the artwork? Did you have any insights about your own authentic (or inauthentic) self?
Interviewer: When some people think about themselves, they see some parts of themselves as deeply true, real, or authentic. If this idea resonates with you, did you learn anything about your true nature during the process of interacting with the piece. Did you have any insights about your own authentic or inauthentic self?
Participant: Yeah, I would say, I probably like I don't know. I like, think of myself as a creative person sometimes, but then like, so it this isn't the only piece in like this Sculpture garden like there's a big blue rooster, and there's like another like big sign that spells out, love, and I just don't like I just didn't understand how it all went together, and I didn't think that like I was. Kind of leaving I was like I don't think I’m as creative as like as I actually think I am in that Also my mom, like expected me to know everything about each sculpture there was, and I was like I only learned about like one of these things, so like i'm sorry. And so that kind of made me like doubt. My like art knowledge of what I learned the last like two years.
Interviewer: Mhm, moms expect you to know every detail.
Participant: Everything.
Some people believe in ultimate meaning. This is defined as deep, underlying meaning that transcends subjective, personal meaning. It is about the nature of existence and identity, and it may include ideas about the significance of suffering, as well as spirituality.
If this idea resonates with you, did you learn anything about ultimate meaning during the process of interacting with the artwork?
Interviewer: Some people believe in ultimate meaning. This is defined as deep underlying meaning that transcends subjective personal meaning. It is about the nature of existence and identity, and it may include ideas about the significance of suffering as well as spirituality. If this idea resonates with you, did you learn anything about ultimate meaning during the process of interacting with the piece.
Participant: Yeah. So since he says it's like World War II symbolic of like the kind of idea he has is like the bridge of, like the United States helping out and like making everything better. But like just thinking about like World War II in general like so like since I knew about that, like when I was sitting there looking at it like that's what I was thinking about like. World war two like US involvement um, and stuff like that, and that, like you know, think about the Holocaust and all that. It was not like. It was not very fun, but like someone for my mom per se, she was having the time of her life. So. But yeah, I definitely think it made me think more abstractly about like how world war two looked.
Interviewer: Mhm
Some people believe or perceive a reality beyond the physical or material world. This may include religious beliefs/experiences (such as perceived interactions with God) but also may include mystical or transcendent experiences, or interaction with spirits.
Did you have any of these kinds experiences during the interaction with the artwork?
Interviewer: Some people believe or perceive a reality beyond the physical or material world. This may include religious beliefs or experiences such as perceived interactions with God, but may also include mystical or transcendent experiences or interactions with spirits. Did you have any kind of these experiences during the interaction with the artwork.
Participant: No, I don't. I wouldn't say so,
Interviewer: Even if you did not have an experience like this. You may have felt some sort of inspiration, guidance, or encouragement from a non physical or supernatural? Or you may have felt some sense of presence or connection. Did you have any kind of these experiences during the interaction with the piece?
Participant: Yeah, I would say I had some kind of like like a push for me to go see it. Um! But I think that was more of like a like my AP Art history teacher just kind of like sitting on my shoulder. She was like go. I don't know if that counts, but
Interviewer: No, no, I'd say that’s valid.
What was going on in your life around the time that you interacted with the artwork?
Interviewer: Was there anything in particular going on in your life around the time that you went to see it like anything.
Participant: Yeah, I was in um Minneapolis for um a multiple sclerosis like camp conference thing. Um. So like I I have MS and so that's why I was going to it. But um! It was also Minneapolis, like uh shortly it was what, like two months after George Floyd died. Um, So like Minneapolis was also kind of um yeah, like a kind of eerie feeling, there was like, still a lot of um like police presence, and so like there was a lot going on in Minneapolis at the time, so it was kinda. Yeah, it was kinda uncomfortable.
Interviewer: That’s understandable. Well that was great, thank you.
The participant chose to discuss their interaction with the Spoon Bridge Sculpture at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. They chose to discuss this piece because they thought the artist’s choices were interesting regarding their relation to World War II. After learning about the piece in AP History, they were motivated to see it in person with family when visiting Minneapolis for a Multiple Sclerosis conference. During the interaction, they thought about what they had learned in class and considered how the sculpture is a “working piece”; however, it was challenging to engage with due to the busy atmosphere, and they didn’t think there was much to interpret from the sculpture itself.
Throughout the process, they learned that they are a busy thinker. They think that the artist intended for the piece to be a way for people to stop and concentrate on something. Regarding others, they learned about differences in interpretation when it comes to artwork. In terms of their own authenticity, they discovered that they are not as creative as they thought they were. With the idea of “ultimate meaning,” they gained a more abstract understanding of World War II. They did not experience any inspiration or guidance from the supernatural, but felt inspired by the thought of their AP History teacher.
Interview Transcript
Introduction
Interviewer: In this interview. We are interested in asking you about interacting with an artwork created by another artist. We're going to ask you to describe this experience in detail. Do you have any questions?
Participant: No
Interviewer: We’d like you to focus on your interaction with a particular artwork that someone else created. This may be a famous artwork or a work that's not well known. It can be an artwork created by anybody other than you. The artwork could be from any of the following domains: Painting, drawing, sculpture, stained glass, installation, music, songs, dance, performance art, film, literature, theater, fashion, crafts, mixed media, furniture design, architecture, interior design, plastic arts, or any other art form not mentioned. It doesn't necessarily have to be the most important to you, but it should be meaningful and emotionally salient. It helps if your memories are more vivid. But you don't have to remember everything. Please choose your artwork and tell me what it is.
Participant: Okay, um, Let's go with the Spoon bridge.
Interviewer: Okay, do you have a picture of it or anything?
Participant: I do
Interviewer: Okay, perfect
[Participant shows the artwork]
Interviewer: Okay.
Participant: Sculpture at the Minneapolis Institute of art.
Description
Interviewer: Can you describe any important details? Um to me?
Participant: Yeah. So it's a spoon with a cherry on top, and it like sprays water out, and it's symbolic of the like. It's like It's a World War II. Kind of like memorabilia piece, and the same guy who constructed it constructed the shuttle clocks outside of the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City, and I'm from Kansas. And so um I learned about that piece in AP Art history, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. And then I happen to be in Minneapolis um later that summer, and so I was able to go see it
Why did you choose this one? (Specialness)
Interviewer: That’s really cool. What made you choose that one in particular?
Participant: Um I just remember the like when I was there like in the flesh to see it it was just like a lot cooler then, like what I imagined it to be, and, like I don't have any like really personal connections with World War II. But I just think that it's interesting that he chose like a cherry in a spoon.
Interviewer: Yeah,
Participant: to make up his idea about World War II.
Interviewer: Yeah, really interesting objects.
Participant: Yeah.
Process of Interacting
What led up to the interaction? What motivated you to explore this piece?
When and where did the experience happen? Who was involved besides you (if anyone)?
Interviewer: Please tell me about the experience and process of interacting with the work by answering the following series of questions: What led up to the interaction and what motivated you to explore the piece?
Participant: Yeah. So we had some free time when we first got to Minneapolis, and I told my mom I was with my mom, my grandma and I told my mom I said, we're going to the Institute of Art and we're going to see this. She was like, okay, but it was like kind of busy in downtown Minneapolis, and so they just like, drop me off, and they like drove around until I found a spot, and then they came and join me, and they had these chairs where you can like, sit on the grass with the piece, and you can just like watch it, and that's what we did for like an hour.
Interviewer: That's awesome.
Participant: Yeah
What were you thinking and feeling at different times throughout the process of interacting with the artwork?
Interviewer: What were you thinking and feeling at different times throughout the process of interacting with the piece?
Participant: Yeah. Well, I really wanted to like walk on like a bridge part of the spoon. But you're not allowed to do that. Um! And then I was thinking about how he was able to like, make it like a working piece. And how like the water goes up into the cherry. And I was thinking about when it gets cold they can't do the water because it would freeze the sculpture. And I was also thinking about what I learned in AP Art history how they sometimes take the cherry off so they can like repaint it. And then I was thinking about like just like I was telling my mom and grandma like all this when we were there because they didn’t like they didn't understand like what this was.
Can you describe any high points, low points or challenges, or turning points along the way?
Interviewer: Can you describe any high points, low points, challenges, or possibly turning points along the way when you were, you know, interacting with it?
Participant: I would say a challenge was like it wasn't very peaceful. It's like if, when you go like inside an art museum it’s typically like quiet. But this was like out, you know, like a road, and there were like kids. There was also. There's like a park next to it. So they were like kids playing, and there were like people like walking and talking. Um, So it wasn't like really peaceful. But I think that like contributed to the work as well as it like with it being outside Um, I would say a high was definitely like. Sometimes the water like sprays on you. You're like standing at a certain place, so it like connects you to the work um. A low is probably like there's not much to interpret about it like It's just he likes spoons like that’s all that he really like he wanted to explain about the painting so or not painting as a sculpture, but like it's cool as heck, though it's so cool.
Interviewer: Yeah, it did look really cool.
Let's talk about the impact of the artwork on you and your life.
What did you learn from the process of interacting with the artwork? Did you learn anything about yourself?
Interviewer: Let's talk about the impact of the artwork on you and your life. What did you learn from the process of interacting with the piece. And did you learn anything about yourself?
Participant: Yeah, I would say that, like traditional views of art, or like paintings, and like very nice um like clean spaces. So like art museums typically don't have like, I don't know. I always feel like they're just kind of like very plan to like focus like on the artwork. And so with this one being like out in the open and in a busy space, and like, there's a lot going on that you like. Sometimes you have to like, force yourself to like concentrate on the piece. And I think it just kind of shows that there's art everywhere, and how um like. If you focus like. If you're able to focus on different things, you can like notice different parts of the pieces, so like sometimes paintings are like very like messy. There's like a lot going on in them. Um, but like when you break it down like piece by piece, you can see like more parts of it. I would say it showed me that i'm like a busy thinker like I was very distracted when, like looking at it, but like when we went inside the Art Museum, like I wasn't as distracted looking at the different pieces. And this thing is also like huge like. It's like very big, and it made me just think about like how like I don't think I could create something like that. But yeah.
Do you think that the artist intended the work to affect others or the world in any particular ways?
Interviewer: And do you think that the artist intended the work to affect others or the world in any way?
Participant: Um, definitely the world like, from what I've noticed about his other pieces he does is that he wants like big um like obscure objects, so like the shuttle clocks, and he also has one where they're binoculars like in the side of a building, or like a big ice cream cone on top of a building. Um! He just wants people to just like stop and look at something for a little bit, and like kind of take themselves like out of themselves, you know, like concentrate on something that's not you like. Look at this cool spoon.
Interviewer: Yeah.
Did your experience with the artwork affect your understanding of others or “the world?”
Interviewer: Did your experience of interacting with the art affect your understanding of others or the world?
Participant: Yeah, I would say it definitely showed me that um like people can interpret things differently, so like I knew a lot more about this piece then like my mom or my grandma um, but the way like watching them interpret it in different ways. Um was really interesting, but also just like how you can put two things together and then say it's about like World War two
like you can just kind of lie to people, and they just like they just get to believe you, even if that wasn't your like intent behind the artwork you could be like, Yeah, this is symbolic of World War II: And everyone would be like, Yeah, you know, you're absolutely right.
Interviewer: Yeah, it's a good point. Art’s really subjective. And you just kind of feel like, well, this is about what I say it's about.
Participant: Yeah. And everyone's like, Yeah,
When some people think about themselves, they see some parts of themselves as deeply true, real, or authentic.
If this idea resonates with you, did you learn anything about your true nature during the process of interacting with the artwork? Did you have any insights about your own authentic (or inauthentic) self?
Interviewer: When some people think about themselves, they see some parts of themselves as deeply true, real, or authentic. If this idea resonates with you, did you learn anything about your true nature during the process of interacting with the piece. Did you have any insights about your own authentic or inauthentic self?
Participant: Yeah, I would say, I probably like I don't know. I like, think of myself as a creative person sometimes, but then like, so it this isn't the only piece in like this Sculpture garden like there's a big blue rooster, and there's like another like big sign that spells out, love, and I just don't like I just didn't understand how it all went together, and I didn't think that like I was. Kind of leaving I was like I don't think I’m as creative as like as I actually think I am in that Also my mom, like expected me to know everything about each sculpture there was, and I was like I only learned about like one of these things, so like i'm sorry. And so that kind of made me like doubt. My like art knowledge of what I learned the last like two years.
Interviewer: Mhm, moms expect you to know every detail.
Participant: Everything.
Some people believe in ultimate meaning. This is defined as deep, underlying meaning that transcends subjective, personal meaning. It is about the nature of existence and identity, and it may include ideas about the significance of suffering, as well as spirituality.
If this idea resonates with you, did you learn anything about ultimate meaning during the process of interacting with the artwork?
Interviewer: Some people believe in ultimate meaning. This is defined as deep underlying meaning that transcends subjective personal meaning. It is about the nature of existence and identity, and it may include ideas about the significance of suffering as well as spirituality. If this idea resonates with you, did you learn anything about ultimate meaning during the process of interacting with the piece.
Participant: Yeah. So since he says it's like World War II symbolic of like the kind of idea he has is like the bridge of, like the United States helping out and like making everything better. But like just thinking about like World War II in general like so like since I knew about that, like when I was sitting there looking at it like that's what I was thinking about like. World war two like US involvement um, and stuff like that, and that, like you know, think about the Holocaust and all that. It was not like. It was not very fun, but like someone for my mom per se, she was having the time of her life. So. But yeah, I definitely think it made me think more abstractly about like how world war two looked.
Interviewer: Mhm
Some people believe or perceive a reality beyond the physical or material world. This may include religious beliefs/experiences (such as perceived interactions with God) but also may include mystical or transcendent experiences, or interaction with spirits.
Did you have any of these kinds experiences during the interaction with the artwork?
Interviewer: Some people believe or perceive a reality beyond the physical or material world. This may include religious beliefs or experiences such as perceived interactions with God, but may also include mystical or transcendent experiences or interactions with spirits. Did you have any kind of these experiences during the interaction with the artwork.
Participant: No, I don't. I wouldn't say so,
Interviewer: Even if you did not have an experience like this. You may have felt some sort of inspiration, guidance, or encouragement from a non physical or supernatural? Or you may have felt some sense of presence or connection. Did you have any kind of these experiences during the interaction with the piece?
Participant: Yeah, I would say I had some kind of like like a push for me to go see it. Um! But I think that was more of like a like my AP Art history teacher just kind of like sitting on my shoulder. She was like go. I don't know if that counts, but
Interviewer: No, no, I'd say that’s valid.
What was going on in your life around the time that you interacted with the artwork?
Interviewer: Was there anything in particular going on in your life around the time that you went to see it like anything.
Participant: Yeah, I was in um Minneapolis for um a multiple sclerosis like camp conference thing. Um. So like I I have MS and so that's why I was going to it. But um! It was also Minneapolis, like uh shortly it was what, like two months after George Floyd died. Um, So like Minneapolis was also kind of um yeah, like a kind of eerie feeling, there was like, still a lot of um like police presence, and so like there was a lot going on in Minneapolis at the time, so it was kinda. Yeah, it was kinda uncomfortable.
Interviewer: That’s understandable. Well that was great, thank you.
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