This part of the assignment simulates curating an exhibition related to your artwork from Parts 1 and 2. Up to now you have been analyzing it for formal qualities and significance. Now you will be able to relate it to other pieces of art. For this part, choose 4 new artworks which are not found in your textbook to join your original artwork in a 5 piece “exhibition”. Works can be chosen from any time period or type; the only requirement is that they all have something in common with your original work. This is up to you, and it can be a theme, subject, artist, period, location, or even a formal quality like use of color. What matters is that you identify the common thread in you mini-exhibition and select works that relate to it in some way. For the written part of the assignment, you will explain what the common theme of the exhibition is and why you chose each of your four new works (how each fits). You do not have to write an analysis of each one. You simply have to state what the common thing linking them together is and why you chose each one.
The research for this assignment pertains to finding works that fit the common theme that your exhibit will be organized around. You will have to look into Buddhist statues, ancient family life, or Roman concrete if that’s what your exhibit is about. You aren’t limited to time or place either; portraits could be a nice theme. You must use at least two reliable internet or library sources in researching your exhibit. These may include museum websites, other appropriate sources, or academic journals. Carleton’s library has many internet accessible scholarly resources available to you. They also have subject-specific research guides which may be helpful.
Images can be found in any number of online sources. Google images is a good place to start. Wikipedia isn’t considered a legitimate academic source because of editing policy, but Wikimedia Commons is another excellent image database.
The final assignment will include a brief overview of the exhibition’s general content and the concept that you chose before briefly describing each of your choices. This should include the reason or reasons why you chose them and how they fit into your theme. Here are some possible questions to ask if you are having trouble getting into this. Any of these questions will get you started in the right direction. You do not have to use these ones and are free to choose your own theme.
- What insights do the artworks offer into their society, politics, or culture?
- How is the subject matter presented?
- How do differences in media or form affect what art conveys?
- What would be the effect of this exhibition on visitors?
Your assignment should be formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style and include pictures of your artworks. (https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html). Please use 12 pt Times New Roman, double spaced, with 1-inch margins. Make sure to include page numbers and a cover page with your student number, course number, instructor’s name, and a title for your exhibition.
The assignment is marked according to the following criteria:
- Quality of analysis
- Organization and coherence
- Choice of artworks and quality of identified theme
- Quality of writing
- Citations, formatting, and source quality
