Art

Final Art Project

Brooks Golden, in August 2012, with the owl mural he painted along the 16th Street viaduct in Pilsen

Overview

For the past several weeks, we have analyzed works of art according to the Formal Elements of Art (FEA)and the Principles of Design (PoD). Now we're exploring Modern & Contemporary art from myriad artists' global perspectives and learning how society & culture influence artistic styles & trends, as well as an artist's aesthetic decisions.

In this final, research-based project, you're tasked with choosing an artwork in your neighborhood or city, writing about it and then sharing it with your peers at the end of the semester.

While you do have plenty of time to work on it, don't wait until the last minute. Begin looking around and thinking about the art around you. What does it mean to you & the community?

Student Learning Outcomes:

• Understand how art is an important part of everyday life and used as an expressive vehicle for change and awareness in the world or local communities.

• Recognize the difference between objective and subjective responses and interpretations of artwork.

• Use skills to analyze, write and speak about artwork in an informed, articulate manner utilizing language based on the principles and elements of art and the broader lexicon of art.

• Interpret and relate how art reflects the ideals, concerns, beliefs, knowledge and technology of the culture and time it was created.

• Demonstrate the appropriate artistic terminology and the skills of visual analysis necessary to describe critically the works of art in written/oral composition

• Visually analyze an artwork using discipline appropriate terminology; • Identify the basic concepts, media, and elements of art and design present in an artwork; • Contextualize artworks within their respective political, economic, and social

circumstances; • Demonstrate information literacy skills;

EVALUATION: 110 points (full rubric).

• Title and Images = 5 points • Introduction = 10 points • Visual analysis = 20 points • Context = 20 points • Interpretation = 25 points • Conclusion = 20 points • Bibliography/works cited/source credibility = 5 points • Grammar/mechanics = 5 points

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Select ONE artwork from your community/Chicago to explore further and provide a close visual description of the artwork or building, conduct research on it, and prepare a paper to be shared with your peers at the end of the semester. As you go about your daily activities, try to select something that you might see all the time, but never paid much attention to until now. Find something that intrigues you visually or conceptually and play art detective as you uncover more about the artwork. Your quest is to explore your ideas about the artwork while considering the artist's intention - art can be subjective, but your project should be an objective analysis of the evidence. NOTE: The artwork cannot be from the Art Institute or any other museum in the city. Look around.

Start to think about the artwork by exploring the 5Ws: Who? What? When? Where? Why? What's the medium? How was it made? Was it funded only by this artist or was it publicly or privately supported? If a public artwork, why was this site chosen? How does it respond to this particular location or to the community surrounding it? What was the artist's intent? What does it mean?

Visually Analyze the artwork. After you have selected your artwork, take photographs (including close-up views of areas of specific interest) from various angles. Before you begin your research, write a close visual description and analysis of the work exploring the applicable formal elements of art (FEA) and the principles of design (PoD).

Research the artwork. Begin by conducting a general online search using the title or name of the object or even searching by general terms (e.g. mural, corner of 1st street and Harrison) and start collecting information on this work. Try to stay away from dubious sources (Wikipedia is not acceptable for this project, but it does provide further resources) and look to articles in city newspapers (like the Chicago Tribune or a neighborhood paper), city websites (like the cityofchicago.org), the artist's own website, and/or the art gallery that represents them. You are also encouraged to research the artwork at your school's library by searching through books and articles on this artist, written by scholars in the field of art and art history. Check out your campus's library online and ask a librarian or tutor for help.

Contextually analyze the artwork by investigating the original historical, cultural, political, or aesthetic context of the work. You are required to have a minimum of 3 outside credible sources (not including your textbook and remember, Wikipedia doesn't count), referenced in your writing and properly cited using either MLA or APA style at the end of your presentation.

************************************************

STRUCTURE OF PROJECT:

1. Title your project and Include Images.

1. Titles are important and inform your reader/viewer of what's to come or what to expect.

2. Include at least one or two images of your selected artwork. Ideally one wide shot and one close-up.

2. Introduction should answer Who? What? When? Where? Why? 1. Orient your reader/viewer with general background information about the artwork. 2. Why did you choose the artwork? How did you come to know it? 3. Describe the artwork objectively without interpretation – what is it that we see in

the piece? 4. Explain why the work was created - was it commissioned? Privately or publicly

funded? 5. Thesis statement – what is your objective interpretation? What is the artwork

generally saying to its audience?

3. Supporting Arguments & Evidence: Each argument should clearly support your interpretation with evidence derived from your research and observation of the object.

1. Visual Analysis – describe the artwork using the formal elements of art (FEA) and principles of design (PoD).

2. Contextual analysis – provide the artwork's original historical, cultural, or political context. Who were the influences on the artists? Why do they do what they do?

3. Interpretation/Point of View - what does the artwork mean? o Your objective interpretation/POV should be supported through an

explanation of HOW the FEA, PoD & context support your interpretation. o Answering the "HOW" part is crucial to your analysis. It is not enough to

just identify the characteristics and list a few historical facts; you have to synthesize the information into a cohesive interpretation.

4. Conclusion should: 1. Evaluate the effectiveness of the artwork 2. Sum up your ideas & lead the reader out of the paper.

5. Bibliography/Works Cited with at least three (3) *credible sources.

1. Credible sources are those with o An author (if they didn't put their name to it, don't trust it!); o A bibliography of works cited. o The bibliography should be in MLA or APA format. For specific formatting

information style guides check the content bar at left and select the appropriate link.

o If you need help, ask me or a librarian.

A Note on Academic Integrity All of the content of your essay must be your observations only and written in your OWN words. When using outside sources to substantiate your observations, you must quote any direct text used and do so sparingly (no excessively long passages of text from other sources). Make sure you cite your sources as required above. Directly copying from someone else's writing on this artwork and presenting it as your own is considered plagiarism and will cause you to receive an F on this assignment.