Author: jpou

Student Profile: Ryan McGinley

By: JOHN PEYTON POU

@ johnpeyton

AUSTIN— Attending Westlake High School, home to one of the top golf programs in the U.S., he worried that because of the steep competition and his exclusion from the top 5, he would be overlooked by college recruiters. But, steep competition and a 2 month long illness can’t stop the drive and commitment of young seasoned golfer, Ryan McGinley.

Austin Native and St. Edward’s University finance major Ryan McGinley has been mastering the art of balancing academics with rigorous golf training since the 8th grade. Finding inspiration through the individual and team aspects of golf, McGinley has uses this sport as a foundational support as he navigates his way though numerous tournaments, teams, and universities.

Above:McGinley working out his putt.

McGinley’ says that his father, Patrick, co-owner of local real estate agency McGinley Group, got him interested in sports at a young age. “My dad played lacrosse at TCU, so I did that when I was younger, but stopped in the 8th grade when I saw golf as a more financially stable future” McGinley said.

After graduating from Westlake in 2016, McGinley found himself at Concordia University, the private university of liberal arts and sciences in northwest Austin. Here, he was able to make a name for himself in the golf world under the mentorship of coach Chris Hill. In his first collegiate tournament he shot 13 under par, ranking as number 1 in the country for his first semester of college.

As McGinley gained momentum in balancing his studies with golf, things came to a standstill when he became ill with Mono in the spring of 2017. Having to take two months off from perfecting his craft on the course, McGinley shares that “it was really difficult not being able to get out there everyday like I was used to, but I still had a decent finish for the year.” Logan Young, a Concordia teammate said that he was inspired as he watch McGinley gain his strength back and jump right back into the competition.

In the fall of 2018, McGinley transferred to St. Edward’s University in his junior year to continue his finance major studies. At the same time, Coach Hill was offered a position as head golf coach at the St. Edward’s. “I’ve really enjoyed watching Ryan grow in a multitude of ways, but especially in what he brings to the golf course” said Hill.

“We spend almost 30 hours a week on the golf course, definitely more time than we spend in class,” said St. Ed’s team mate Will Arend.

Off of the course, McGinley enjoys playing football and basketball with his friends and keeping up with fantasy football “all day every day.”While McGinley strives to become a professional golfer, his backup plan is to become a golf coach or use his expected finance degree to get involved in his parents real estate business or investment banking.

Professional golfer Rickie Fowler, one of McGinley’s idols, retweeted a photo of McGinley taking a swing in Fowler’s signature orange golf shirt.


Ryan working on his swing.

Plant your feet. Look up!

A diverse crowd of Austin museum-goers attended the gloomy, yet charming grounds of Laguna Gloria on Sunday, as The Contemporary Austin participated in Austin Museum Day 2018. At 12pm, the main lawn in front of the villa started to come alive as kids built their own sculptures, attendees looked down at their maps and then up to the 32 foot towering figure sculpted by Tom Friedman in 2015, ‘Looking Up.’

One of the most remarkable things about the grounds, aside from the early 20th century Italian style villa, is that it sits on Lake Austin, which the museum refers to as ‘the lagoon.’ There is a specific piece that sits on the bank of the lagoon that I was able to talk to a fellow attendee about.

Court felt a connection to the “fantastical” female siren figure and was even able to quote a Shakespearean reference. She said, “I was reminded of Shakespeare’s sonnet 119 – ‘What potions have I drunk of Siren tears…Applying fears to hopes, and hopes to fears.”

The 21 year old student went on to say “after reading the description of her creation, I was touched by the humanity of her existence, the need for art and culture that exists and feels for all kinds of people.”

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As spectators ventured down the path near the bank, it was common to see groups standing to chat about some of the sculptures that stood freely in the grass. Including this Carol Bove piece.

Check out additional photos of Laguna Gloria below.

Not pictured about 10 feet to the right of the figure looking out on the water was a small boy sitting on a picnic blanket with his mom. They both sat under a yellow umbrella as the young boy lectured his mother, “I told you we should’ve checked the weather.” And she said “It’s just water, you’re not going to melt.” As most moms like do.

About  6 miles south east of the rainy Lake Austin, The Contemporary Austin, Jones Center, on West 6th Street also had its doors open for admission to celebrate #MuseumDay2018. Human Bhaba, Jessica Stokholm, and Deborah Roberts were just some of the many featured artists in the downtown location.

And, the art didn’t have to stop there. Austinites also piled into the doors of The Blanton Museum of Art on the University of Texas’ campus.

Spending a gray and overcast Sunday walking museum grounds in Austin, Texas was the perfect way to spend Museum Day 2018.

Nothing to Lose

  1. Warhol claims that he feels a disconnect from his work. And in the interview he says he feels as if the words are coming from behind him, not from inside of him. I think he cares about his work, he’s just saying that he doesn’t feel that he works hard enough for the acclaim he receives. He makes it known that his assistants do much more, I guess, laborious work than him. I don’t think he ever turns it off because he doesn’t really seemed to ever be turned on.
  2. I suppose Warhol’s concept of really just producing any kind of work he wants, whether it holds meaning or not, may relate to the Conceptual Photo Project- in a way the whole project was based on one subjective feeling evoked via short stories. There was no construct to follow. Like Warhol.

Do you become self-conscious of your ideas?

Oh, wow. Absolutely. I don’t think it will ever stop. In my head I’m asking “who doesn’t?” But, apparently, Warhol.

Thoughts on the nothing-to-lose attitude?

I think it’s pretty great- for some people. It just depends on if you’re the kind of person who feels more validated in everything having meaning and background, or the opposite- nothing really matters so what do you have to lose.

Creative Muscles

How do you suppose you could better prepare yourself as a maker of aesthetic objects/ ideas?

Being hyperaware of your surroundings is something infinitely important when it comes to becoming a maker of aesthetics. To know what you like or even just what catches your eye and makes you look and question an aspect of the design of the object/film/photo/outfit/song/etc. Staying open and broadening your horizons with new films, blogs, and reading also helps in sparking new ideas and aesthetics.

What are things you currently do to practice your creative muscle?

I feel like I do a lot, actually. I always have.

I have 2 tumblr blogs. One private / one public. They both mainly consist of photos I reblog and some that I take and post myself. I have had one of them since 2010. I’ve really always obsessed over the ideas of aesthetic and the look of something. (Usually having an existential crisis along the way from abandoning meaning and emphasizing how it looks.) (I’m joking.) (Kind of.)

I also have 2 instagrams. Same concept- one private and the other public.

The private is where I feel much more comfortable posting more unconventional aesthetics and truthful shots. No fronts. I think having a range of social medias is healthy. Especially being a private person. I mean, I just let my dad follow my real / mainstream account.

 

R E A D I N G 0 0 2

 

How do you make decisions? Are they based upon anything substantial?

Making decisions is a crucial step in getting anything done. There is always pressure and skepticism if it is the “right” decision, but a mentality I think is helpful in relieving this stress is this: “It is never too late to make a better decision.” SO, I try to convince myself with substantial evidence that makes sense to me (from an artists standpoint, I expect this would differ from a designer).

How do you know when something is “good” or working?

It is different each time. Sometimes from the first concept sketch it’s like “oh wow this is gonna be pretty dope,” and other times its like “ok, i’m gonna keep working for another hour and if I don’t feel different than something has gotta give.” Other times, you hope for the audience to enjoy it more than you.

How do you rework projects to make them work?

I think about clothing for this question but it applies to artistic work as well. To remove the last thing you added. Of course this isn’t always the case but it’s these kind of maxims that go through my head once I realize I have encountered a problem that needs rethinking. Turn it around. Get up and think about something else. Revisit. Alter the way you look at it. Bottom line.

Ornamented Existence

“The purpose of good design is to ornament existence, not to substitute for it.” – George Nelson

This quote helped to manifest what the relationship between the artist and the designer is, as well as where the difference lies. While I tried to wrap my head around the rigid explanations of the contrasting roles of artist and designer, this insight from George Nelson began to serve more of a purpose than the first time I read it. So, if we invest in this quote regarding designers, I think it is fair to follow the same guideline for artists; that art is the substitution for reality. Sure, art can be tangible and is real in that sense, but you can not say it is raw reality.

It is hard for me to decide on most things in life, but I suppose I would say I am a designer. But, instead of choosing one, I think it is more helpful for me to weight out why I think both sides apply to me.

Artist: At this point in my life, the vulnerability that comes with sharing art makes me want to recoil and say that I don’t care what people think of it and it’s all about how it makes me feel while producing it and while I stand back and wonder if it’s complete. I think the self-interest aspect of artistry is important and allows you to feel that much more satisfaction if a viewer comes along and connects with whatever you have produced.

Designer: There are days when I don’t want to think about myself, my interests, and especially my issues. I want to listen to someone else’s day, in which I think this can apply to wanting to hear someone else’s needs and wants and doing my best to solve their problems in design.