Research: Sculpture to Scale
Intro
One of the most effective ways for emerging artists to develop their understanding of the art world and thereby create more compelling work themselves, is to research the work of significant contemporary artists – ideally by seeing the work in person. This assignment is designed to help you sharpen those research skills.
Research and Sources
For this project, you will focus on a particular sculptural exhibit or piece of work from the Chicago trip, or participate in the performance/ installation Yardage at ArtPrize, and present a 5 minute presentation on it.
For Chicago-based research, you will need to find at least one additional source for this paper:
– a book or exhibit catalog
– a journal from an industry-recognized publication
– newspaper article from an industry-recognized publication
These include Art Journal, Artforum, Art in America, BOMB, The New Art Examiner, other art journals, The Village Voice, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, The Brooklyn Rail, and The New York Times and other major daily newspapers.
Our library’s search engines can help you find books on your subjects. Its databases can help you find journal articles.
On Wikipedia and Googling
Web searches can be important when researching contemporary artists, because their careers are sometimes fresh enough that there has not yet been extensive scholarship on them. However, web searches alone are not the most powerful tools available to you, and the algorithms that generate results rely on the traffic and connectivity of websites rather than the value of their content. Many artists have their own websites, which can offer a good introduction to the artist’s work, but should generally be considered tools of self-promotion. Check these sites for links to articles, interviews and artist statements that may be of use to you.
Wikipedia is not currently recognized as an acceptable source for citation. However, it does have the possibility of giving a general overview on a subject, and this may help you determine the direction of your research and the kinds of questions you want to engage. The bibliography in a Wikipedia page can be useful in directing you to acceptable sources of information.
Presentation
Your presentation should focus on a particular sculptural piece, a comparison between two sculptural pieces, or a sculpture-based exhibit that you write about focusing tightly on a particular sculpture.
The presentation should include:
– A formal analysis of the work – media, scale, placement/ context, aesthetic references, shape, color, finish, etc. [1/4 of the presentation]
– A conceptual analysis of the work: what is the artist’s work about, overall theme, logic, or meaning. [1/4 of the presentation]
– How the piece fits into the oeuvre of the artist who made the work. [1/4 of the presentation]
– Your assessment of the work. The presentation should have a thesis that is specific, unique and challenging, and is supported by your description. Address how well the work conveys its meaning and the extent to which the meaning is relevant – in the world generally or in the art world specifically. [1/4 of the presentation]
Presentation Tips
– do not speak in contractions or vernacular language
– you may narrate your presentation in the first person but do maintain a formal tone
– Avoid crass generalizations, or phrasing that suggests crass generalization: “Man throughout time…” or “In this day and age…”
Project Details
– 5 minute presentation
– title for your presentation: be creative and descriptive
– bibliographical information that includes reproducing pull quotes and cites sources integrated throughout the presentation
– use MLA citation; for examples, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/1/
– minimum 5 images of relevant work discussed in your presentation
– caption of image which includes: artist name, title, medium, date of construction, dimensions. For some pieces, including work that is site-specific, performative, interactive, or otherwise non-traditional, you may want to include further information.
|
Mechanics |
____/10 |
|
Images |
____/10
|
|
Word Choice |
____/20 |
|
Organization |
____/20 |
|
Description |
____/20 |
|
Thesis |
____/20 |
|
Total |
____/100 |
Introduction to Sculpture 