GUILLERMO ARANDA-MENA

Here is the land, here is the sky here are my friends and here am I. We would like to acknowledge the Woi-worung and Boon-wurrung people for the land on which we play and learn and promise to look after the plants and animals. Hands up, hands down, we are on unceded Wurundjeri land, it always was and always be, Aboriginal land.  (as I learned from a 5 year old). Red Landscape (W.A.) by Fred Williams (1961). Commissioned by CRA Ltd. Now Rio Tinto.  It denotes terra nullius as viewed from an helicopter. Emily Kame Kngwarray (1990's) Emily of Utopia Central Australia. Her art resists interpretation of any kind of map making, diagram or landscape. Instead, it is a daring from songs and musical sounds often found in nature. Emilie's prominence signalled the emergence of indigenous women in contemporary art.  Over 50 years later the perceived landscape of Australia has dramatically changed, not only physically but culturally. It continues moving towards reconciliation and integ...

 Definition: " Gratitude,  thankfulness, or gratefulness is a feeling of appreciation (or similar positive response) by a recipient of another's kindness." It does not take much to make one's educational efforts fell worthwhile... a handful of words, as simple as that. Student A (unrequested) feedback  Dear Professor Aranda Mena, We hope this email finds you in great health and that you had a wonderful and relaxing holiday. We wanted to share with you that we felt really pleased and grateful when we read your message. We found your course genuinely interesting, it was a pleasure learning from you. We think that we managed to affirm several of our own passions while investigating and analyzing the project. We hope our paths cross again in the future. Student B (unrequested) feedback: Received message 03: "Dear Professor, Thank you very much for your thoughtful and encouraging feedback on our Terme di Petriolo Preservation Plan. We are delighted to hear that our pr...

“To me there is no past or future in art. If a work of art cannot live always in the present it must not be considered at all. The art of the Greeks, of the Egyptians, of the great painters who lived in other times, is not an art of the past, perhaps it is more alive today than it ever was. Art does not evolve by itself, the ideas of people change and with them their mode of expression”  Pablo Picasso Guillermo Aranda-Mena Ⓒ2023