Describe the general information of exhibition first, and artwork and specific focusing on 1-2 of artwork when you describe of artwork, more focus on Mary Blair artwork.
Exhibition critical article review or personal essay.
Based on another exhibition you choose and visit, write an exhibition review to academic standards. (Tip: this type of review is less journalistic, it takes a longer and more in-depth view of the work’s context.) Approximately 1250-words, including notes and a bibliography.
Essays may be monographical (about one artist), or you can discuss a cluster of works in a group show. The exhibition can be: a permanent collection show, a sculpture collection, or a temporary exhibition. Students are expected to conduct thorough further research and analysis on their topic beyond class readings.
A good essay will include:
1) a general introduction
2) a discussion of the exhibition within a social, political, historical context or artistic movement
3) an overview and then a detailed description of one or two artworks
4) an in-depth visual and contextual analysis of these artworks in relation to the exhibition as a whole.
The assignment stresses a combination of good visual observation with thorough library (not Internet!) research, which will be styled according to the Chicago Manual of Style/Turabian. We will practice this is class (also consult library webpage).
Tip: Your paper (critical article-review or personal essay) is about the exhibition first and the art second. Discuss the curatorial decisions or the museum experience in general. What is the contribution the exhibition makes to art or culture, how is it being received (have other reviews been published?), what is its social context or how does it communicate its meaning. Are there any logistical issues that are significant. Is the show saying something new or re-interpreting something familiar.
When discussing a single artwork you will need to: identify the artist and the work; discuss its media, materials and forms; is it part of a movement, discuss the movement or context of the artist; what is the artist saying, representing, or responding to; what is the significance of this artist’s contribution and (when relevant) how does it compare to the other artworks shown.
All papers must have footnotes and a bibliography (at least 5 additional sources beyond class readings: library books, peer-reviewed articles, or articles indexed in library databases). The paper must be typed or word-processed (Times or Arial font, 12 points, double-spaced, 1” margins) and should be polished and well-presented throughout.
