Intro to 2D Design: Museum Assignment

Museum Worksheet Due: Monday 5/19

Planning Your Visit

While your required museum assignment must be based on a visit to one of the museums listed, I will accept response papers (with the same structure) about work that you have seen in galleries, sculpture gardens and other art spaces for extra credit.

Museums are storehouses of our cultural treasures. Some focus on specific times and cultures. Galleries change the artwork they display frequently, and offer special exhibitions showcasing the work of contemporary and local artists. Artworks in a gallery are often for sale, but works owned by a museum are held in its care long term. Artworks can also be seen all around you: for example, a sculpture in your local park, or art in government buildings or in the gallery on your school campus. For information about museums and art spaces in the region, please visit the website and see the link lists to the left of posts. (www.swcart104.blogspot.com).

Visit one of the following museums:

Museum of Photography (Balboa Park)
The Timken Museum of Art (Balboa Park)
Mingei Museum (Balboa Park)
El Cubo, Centro Cultural Tijuana (Zona Río)
San Diego Museum of Art (Balboa Park)
San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art (La Jolla and/or Downtown)
The New Children’s Museum (Downtown)
Museum of Latin American Art –MOLAA- (Long Beach)
The Getty Villa, The Getty Center, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Los Angeles)

Consult the museum websites for information about hours, days of operations, admission fees, and parking. If you turn in a paper on an artwork other than from the options listed above, your instructor may assume that: you can not do the assignment; you have chosen to ignore the assignment; you have not spent the required time on the assignment; or, you are committing academic fraud by turning in a paper written by someone else or for someone else’s class. Whatever the case, your paper will receive a zero. No exceptions.

Bring this worksheet with you and complete it at the museum in pencil. Some museums do not allow pens as a safety precaution for the artworks. It is important to me that we follow this precaution, so worksheets completed in pen receive a zero.

Affix proof of your museum visit (i.e. ticket stub, receipt, stamped brochure, photo of you in the gallery) to your worksheet and staple your worksheet to the end of your paper. It is important to me that you see works of art in a museum, so papers submitted without proof of museum visit will and/or the worksheet attached will receive a zero.

Museum and gallery Do’s and Don’ts:

You may want to get close to a work to study a particular detail, but remember to be courteous to other visitors who may want to see the work at the same time. Do not take photos unless you are sure this is allowed. If in doubt, ask. Some museums permit visitors to take photos if flash is not used.

While you are there:

The experience of seeing works in a museum or gallery is the best way to enjoy and learn about art. Take a little time to look at other works, not just the one you are studying for your assignment. Artworks displayed in the same room may well be by the same artist, or from the same era or culture. You may notice something in these pieces that will inspire extra ideas for your assignment.

Checklist/Worksheet

Record the museum label information; if not stated, leave blank.

Curators usually place labels close to an artwork. These labels contain useful information about the work. Do not forget to make notes of the details given in the labels.

Title: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Date: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Style: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Museum: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Record the gallery setting information; if not stated, leave blank.

Gallery Name: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Wall color: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Lighting: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Record information about the artwork’s physical condition (much of this will be on the label or the museum website).

Medium (materials/process): _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Surface Texture: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Condition: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Size (see label or guesstimate): _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Frame or pedestal: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Describe the artwork: What is it? What is the scene or subject? Provide a brief description to help your reader picture the artwork. Here is an example:

The sculpture is a round orb about the size of a baseball. Through its glasslike exterior one can see a row of miniature houses and trees. Holly bushes, green lawns, and soaring pine trees along a brick road frame them. Powdering flecks of a snowy white settle along the edges of the convex dome that rests on a black, resin base. Are you picturing a charming snow globe with a country village scene?

Describe your artwork here:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Analyze the Artwork’s Elements and Principles

Write detailed descriptions [minimum of 50 words each] of the ten elements of art and ten principles of design in the artwork you have chosen. Consult Part I of the textbook if necessary.

Color and/or Value

Line

Form and/or Shape

Space and/or Depth

Light (Actual and/or Implied)

Mass and/or Volume

Texture (Actual and/or Implied)

Time and Motion

Balance

Unity

Variety and/or Contrast

Rhythm or Repetition

Proportion

Scale

Emphasis

Focal Point

Pattern

Media and Technique

How do the materials and technique affect to meaning or experience and meaning of the artwork? Is the object two- or three-dimensional? What limitations, if any, might the chosen medium create for the artist?

Examples:

Painting: How did the type of paint affect the strokes the artist could make? Was it fresco, oil, tempera, or watercolor? Was it a fast-drying paint that allowed little time to make changes? What kind of textures and lines was the artist able to create with this medium? Does it lend a shiny or flat look? How durable was the medium? Does the work look the same today as when the artist painted it?

Drawing: Consider the materials utilized: metal point, chalk, charcoal, graphite, crayon, pastel, ink, and wash. Is the artist able to make controlled strokes with this medium? Would the tool create a thick or thin, defined or blurred line? Was the drawing intended to be a work of art in itself, or is it a study for another work, a peek into the artist’s creative process?

Printmaking: What is the process the artist undertook to create this work? Did he or she need to carve or etch? Did the medium require a steady hand? Strength, or patience?

Sculpture: Is the sculpture high or low relief, or can we see it in the round? What challenges did the material present to the artist? Was the work created through a subtractive process (beginning with a large mass of the medium and taking away from it to create form), or an additive one?

Modes of Analysis

Consider whether any of the following ways of analyzing an artwork can be applied to the subject of your assignment:

Content: Does the work clearly depict objects or people as we would recognize them in the world around us (is it representational)? Alternatively, is its subject matter completely unrecognizable (is it non-objective)? To what degree has the artist simplified, emphasized, or distorted aspects of forms in the work (or abstracted it)?

Iconographic analysis: Are there things in the work that you can interpret as signs or symbols? For example, is there anything that suggests a religious meaning, or indicates the social status of somebody depicted in the work? Labels often provide good information about iconography.

Biographical analysis: What does the image tell you about the life of the artist? Is it meant to reveal personal experiences?

Feminist analysis: Is the role of women in the artwork important? Is the artist commenting on the experience of women in society? Is the artist a woman?

Contextual analysis: What does the image tell you about the history of the era in which it was created, or about religious, political, economic, and social issues that influenced its creation?

Writing the Essay:

Develop a Thesis

A thesis hypothesizes an argument that will need to be proved. It is not a self-evident statement about the artwork. Developing a good thesis takes critical thought and is an essential step in your assignment. The type of thesis that you will develop for this assignment is very specific, and you must first complete the inventory of art elements and principles. The more time spent observing and writing about the artwork’s visual qualities, the easier it will be to formulate a thesis.

What concepts can you associate with the artwork? What is the artwork’s tone? What can you glean from the artwork by reflecting on its visual qualities? Work with adjectives, which describe tone, or abstract nouns, which express concepts.

Do not try to undertake this step without first having described in detail the elements and principles! A poorly crafted thesis demonstrates inadequate critical thought and effort on the student’s part, and your grade will reflect this.

Brainstorm a list of tones (adjectives) and/or concepts (abstract nouns).

Choose three qualities of the artwork’s tone [i.e. angry] or three concepts [i.e. liberty] you would like to work with from the list above.

1) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

2) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Craft your one-sentence thesis statement using the formula below. Remember to use parallel structure (a list of adjectives or a list of nouns) when writing your thesis.

The artwork conveys (1), (2), and (3).

The painting conveys feelings of loneliness, solitude, and joy.

The artwork promotes ideas of (1), (2), and (3).

The sculpture inspires patriotism, liberty, and independence.

Do NOT mention elements/principles in your thesis! For example, “The painting has line, color, and symmetrical balance,” is not a thesis! It’s a simple observation or statement of fact. Your thesis deals with the tones and concepts of the artwork only. For this assignment, keep the thesis simple and direct. It will be up to the writer to demonstrate the thesis through the visual analysis.

INCORRECT: Through the use of color, line, and focal point, the painting deals with loss, hope, and community.

CORRECT: The painting deals with loss, hope, and community.

Decide on three Art Elements and/or Principles for your Essay

The three body paragraphs of your essay will focus on three different elements and/or principles that you select to demonstrate your thesis. Each paragraph will be focus on one element or one principle.

Brainstorm a list of the elements/principles that are prominent or important to your artwork. Jot down which tones or which concepts the elements/principles help express.

Next, choose the three elements of art and/or principles of design that will best support your argument. You will discuss one per paragraph in the body of your paper.

1) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

2) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Write an Outline for Your Paper

Paragraph One – Introduction

Identify the artwork (artist is known, title, date) and the museum collection.
Describe the artwork so that your reader can picture it.
Describe the condition, surface texture, display [i.e. frame or pedestal], and gallery setting of the artwork.
State your thesis in bold.

Paragraph Two – The First Element or Principle

Develop your argument from general to specific observations. Topic sentences should be general but descriptive, followed by specific examples.

Describe the first visual element or design principle.
Write three to five specific examples to support the topic sentence.
Relate this discussion to your thesis statement in paragraph one: explain how these aspects convey one of the concepts.

Paragraph Three – Second Element or Principle

Describe the second visual element or design principle
Write three to five specific examples.
Relate this discussion to your thesis statement.

Paragraph Four – Third Element or Principle

Describe the third visual element or design principle
Write three to five specific examples.
Relate this discussion to your thesis statement.

Paragraph Five – Conclusion

Summarize your argument but do not restate it verbatim. Say it in a new way.
Relate your discussion of this artwork to something else―another artwork, contemporary events, a work of literature, pop culture, or history, for example. This is a crucial step in demonstrating critical thinking.

Outside Sources: Endnotes, Footnotes, Bibliography

This paper is completely your original thought. You may not include any information other than the artworks’ identification (artist, title, date, medium) from the museum label. You may not include any information, descriptions, analysis, explanations or help from the museum website, catalogs, museum personnel, textbook, and/or other sources.

If you were allowed to use outside source material, your instructor would include detailed instructions on how to cite sources, write endnotes or footnotes, include a bibliography, and similar research instructions. But this is not that type assignment.

It you ignore these instructions about outside sources, your instructor may assume that: you can not do the assignment; you have chosen to ignore the assignment; you have not spent the required time on the assignment; or, you are committing academic fraud by turning in a paper written by someone else or for someone else’s class.

Write a Rough Draft

The body of your paper (the visual analysis argument) should not exceed, nor fall short of, three typed pages, double-spaced.

It is as much an exercise in critical thinking to write a minimum number of words as it is, a maximum. If your paper runs longer than three pages, you have not sufficiently edited your writing. If it falls short of three pages, you have not written enough. There is plenty to say in this assignment. Editing your paper down to three pages should be your experience.

Rewrite, Edit, and Proofread Your Paper

College level writing is expected. Papers with grammar and typographical errors, problems with clarity and organization, and those not written in an academic voice may be failed. Papers submitted that do not follow this visual analysis format may be failed: your instructor is not interested in reading papers that do not reflect the critical thinking necessary for the problem posed. If you write a paper other than what is asked for here I may assume: you can not do the assignment; you have chosen to ignore the assignment; you have not spent the required time on the assignment; or, you are committing academic fraud by turning in a paper written by someone else or for someone else’s class.

Do the Following

Write in “academic voice.” This means that you will use third person, singular point of view and that you will not address the reader directly nor include “I-statements.” Do not use contractions or slang expressions or clichés.

Do not include the exact dimensions of the artwork; rather, describe it in general terms. Spell out all numbers except for dates.

Guard against rookie mistakes: its vs. it’s; there vs. their; verb-subject agreement; possessives; capitalization.

Format Your Paper: These guidelines conform to the Chicago Manual of Style, aka Turabian Styles, preferred by many in the art history field.

Set margins to one inch on all four sides of the paper.
Use the font Courier New 11 point consistently throughout the paper.
Double-space the paper. (Select the “no spacing” style if using Word 2010 and select double-spacing.)
Indent a new paragraph one tab’s length (5 spaces or 0.50 setting).
If your word processing program automatically inserts an additional space after paragraphs, correct it. There should be no extra space in between paragraphs.
Format page numbers to appear centered at the bottom of the page in the footer.
Use Arabic numerals (i.e. 1, 2, 3) for page numbers.
Do not number the cover page. The first page of the written essay is page one.
Start your essay at the top of the page using the one-inch top margin.
Type your thesis in bold and place it at the end of the first paragraph. If you do not put your thesis in bold, I will assume that you: do not have a thesis; do not know what your thesis is; or, have not read the assignment directions.
Italicize titles of artworks (paintings, drawings, sculptures, prints and photographs) but do not italicize titles of buildings. Italicize the titles artworks consistently throughout the paper.
Scan or affix your museum proof to the first page of the worksheet. Staple the worksheet to the end of your essay. If museum proof is too large for the first page of the worksheet, add a fourth page to your essay and title the page “Museum Visit Proof” in all caps, centered, and flush with the top margin.
Make sure that the Museum Assignment Grading Chart is afixed to the back of your worksheet. Do not mark this paper, it is for instructor’s use only.

Staple the cover page to the front of your paper. Format the cover page with the following:
Two inches down from the top margin (or, three inches down from the top of the page) center your title in ALL CAPS.
If the title of the paper is longer that one line use single spaces.
At the bottom of the paper and so that the last lines conforms to the one inch margin rule, type the course information in caps and lowercase, single spaced, centered in the page. Include all of the following:

Your Name

Title of the Class

Section ####, Semester YEAR

Instructor’s Name

Southwestern College

Sponge Bob Square Pants

Art 104, Introduction to Art

Section 09, Summer 2012

Instructor: Jennifer Donovan

Southwestern College

Pages

Museum Assignment