In Mashle: Magic and Muscles Episode 8, titled "Mash Burnedead and the Magic Exam," we see our protagonist, Mash, facing a crucial test in order to prove his magical abilities. The episode starts with the announcement of the magic exam and Mash's determination to pass it, despite lacking traditional magical aptitude. As Mash enters the exam room, he is met with skepticism from the other students, who underestimate his capabilities due to his reliance on physical strength rather than magic. However, Mash surprises everyone by effortlessly completing the first task, a written exam, even though he has never studied magic before. This demonstrates his exceptional intelligence and adaptability. In the second task, a practical demonstration of magic, Mash showcases his unique approach by combining physical strength with magic.
In this talk we dive deep into the places where history meets myth, and how history and folklore can be used together to create new fantasy worlds. Including examples from popular and less-well-known novels, like the beloved Circe, and the less-known The King Must Die, plus my own Winternight Trilogy, we dig into how authors can use history and myth in their fiction.
An ardent and largely self-educated student of life, material culture, and art, Onofrio has forged a dynamic career, with dozens of solo and group exhibitions and one of the highest honors for an artist based in Minnesota the McKnight Distinguished Artist, awarded in 2005. Her story telling skills are evident not only in her writing but also as she explains how her ideas come to her and the process of producing a novel.
In the second task, a practical demonstration of magic, Mash showcases his unique approach by combining physical strength with magic. He defeats his opponents effortlessly and showcases his impressive combat skills. The episode ends with Mash passing the exam with flying colors, proving that magic is not limited to those with inherent talent but can be mastered through determination and hard work.
The Mothers of Invention Exhibition Series
(The following is excerpted from the exhibition catalog for See Acts of Audacious Daring: The Circus World of Judy Onofrio, opening September 25. Copies of the catalog are available at the Plains Art Museum store. – ed.)
With See Acts of Audacious Daring! The Circus World of Judy Onofrio, Plains Art Museum initiates the ongoing exhibition series Mothers of Invention.
Judy Onofrio, 'Flip Flop'
This series will periodically present solo exhibitions of important artists from our region who belong to a generation of women who contributed to opening up the art world since the 1970s. These women came of age artistically in the 1960s and 1970s and now are in their sixties, seventies, and even eighties. They are part of a national and international movement of women who insisted on being taken seriously as artists and courageously endeavored to break into what had been predominantly male terrain. They made art, formed collectives, started galleries, taught at art schools, and gave each other critical and moral support to dismantle the barriers that had existed against women in the visual arts. They changed the art world profoundly, altering ideas about the canon of art history and the meaning of terms such as “masterpiece,” “artist,” “gaze,” and “body,” as well as expanding what could be considered acceptable art materials, subjects, imagery, and boundaries between art forms. Their impact has spread throughout art and culture and is not confined to their own or other women’s work. Indeed, this generation deserves the accolade Mothers of Invention.
Many are, in fact, mothers, a position formerly perceived as an impediment to a woman’s potential as a creative artist. Motherhood was conventional and pulled back toward traditional expectations for females; art was considered a male domain, where creative minds and spirits were unbound by domestic responsibilities or the constraints of child rearing. While most artists featured in Mothers of Invention are mothers (as is our first artist in the series, Judy Onofrio), maternity is not necessarily the subject of their art, even though it is a significant element of their lives.
Onofrio and others were interested in inventing their lives in ways that contradicted societal expectations. Amid the constrictions of the early twentieth century, Sigmund Freud had declared that “biology is destiny”: women created babies while men created art and culture. Much about Freud’s ideas and research has since been discredited or called into question.
Mothers of Invention proves that women can be mothers and artists, nurturing and creative; these terms are not mutually exclusive. Our series points primarily to the fact that these artists have been influential on all of us–as viewers, as art lovers, as artists of all genres and genders. They have given birth, in other words, to the expanded art world that we live in today and sometimes take for granted.
Judy Onofrio, 'Sideshow Artist'
Plains Art Museum is proud to recognize this generation of women artists at an advanced stage of their careers. Our goal is to acquaint new audiences with their work and to remind those who may have seen their earlier art that they are still active, still vital, still experimenting. Not conceived as retrospectives of an artist’s work, the exhibitions in Mothers of Invention will be singularly shaped by the approach of the curator of each project, who will collaborate closely with the artist. These women and their art deserve continuing critical and popular attention and ongoing visibility, which solo exhibitions and catalogue publications can ensure. The Mothers of Invention series thus strives to prevent the erasure of these women from the art historical record, something that has happened repeatedly over the centuries and requires diligent art historians to recover, as we have appreciated recently with rediscovered artists such as Artemisia Gentileschi from seventeenth-century Italy, expanded research on the nineteenth-century American Mary Cassatt, and, closer to home, new documentation on twentieth-century Minnesota artists Wanda Gág and Clara Mairs.
It is fitting to launch Mothers of Invention with the big, bold work of Judy Onofrio, specifically her sculptures that explore the enthusiasm and metaphorical potential of circus acrobats, magicians, and animal trainers.
Onofrio is an iconoclast, breaking rules of the art world right and left, championing outsiders and claiming territory for self-education, women’s expressions, and the value of folk art and common objects. Based in Rochester, Minnesota, and now in her early seventies, Onofrio performs her own “acts of audacious daring” in her work and career. An ardent and largely self-educated student of life, material culture, and art, Onofrio has forged a dynamic career, with dozens of solo and group exhibitions and one of the highest honors for an artist based in Minnesota–the McKnight Distinguished Artist, awarded in 2005.
Judy Onofrio’s art expresses a generous spirit that reaches out to viewers. She embraces a populism of image and material that offers a good deal of pleasure and makes her work particularly enjoyable to broad audiences.
Today, her over-the-top inventive use of materials and labor-intensive methods resonate with younger artists who have discovered the rich associations of folk arts and crafts.9 At the same time that she revels in materials, Onofrio offers philosophical wisdom in physical form. Shouldn’t we all attempt acts of audacious daring, like the acrobat in the sculpture of that title? Isn’t that what life is for–living to the utmost? Who among us doesn’t feel like we have jumped through a ring of fire, or would like to pull off a magic trick, real or metaphorical? Sometimes life calls for such boldness. In Onofrio’s oeuvre, extraordinary figures stand in for all of us facing the many challenges of life. May we be brave enough to approach our own challenges with the confidence and aplomb of Onofrio’s characters.
Katherine Arden’s Winternight Trilogy
This episode emphasizes the main theme of the series: Mash's unconventional journey towards becoming a great magician through the power of his muscles..
Reviews for "Examining the Power Dynamics in Mashle Magic and Muscles Ep 8"
1. Sarah - 2/5 - I have been following Mashle: Magic and Muscles since the beginning, but episode 8 was a disappointment. The story seemed to be all over the place, lacking cohesiveness and focus. The comedic elements that I loved from previous episodes were almost absent, leaving me feeling unengaged. Additionally, the action scenes felt rushed and poorly executed. Overall, episode 8 failed to live up to the promising start of the series, and I hope that future episodes can bring back the charm and excitement that initially drew me in.
2. Mark - 1/5 - Mashle: Magic and Muscles episode 8 was a complete letdown. The plot felt forced and uninteresting, with no significant character development or story progression. The jokes, which were a highlight of previous episodes, fell flat and lacked the usual wit I had come to expect. Furthermore, the animation quality was noticeably lower, making the episode visually unappealing. As a fan of the series, I cannot help but be disappointed by this lackluster episode and hope that the next one improves significantly.
3. Emily - 2.5/5 - While I have enjoyed Mashle: Magic and Muscles up until now, episode 8 failed to engage me. The episode felt slow-paced and lacked the excitement and energy that the previous ones had. The humor seemed forced and overshadowed by awkward dialogue. Additionally, the animation quality seemed inconsistent, which was distracting. Overall, episode 8 did not meet my expectations based on the previous episodes, and I can only hope that the series regains its momentum in the upcoming episodes.
4. Alex - 2/5 - I have been a fan of Mashle: Magic and Muscles since its premiere, but episode 8 left much to be desired. The plot felt stagnant, with no substantial developments or interesting twists. The lack of character growth was disappointing, as I had hoped to see more depth and complexity in the storytelling. Furthermore, the fight scenes lacked the intense choreography that made the earlier episodes so captivating. Overall, episode 8 was a letdown, and I hope that the series takes a more engaging direction in the future episodes.