Reference no: EM132334608

Assignment: Be an Art Critic

Students are to write seven to 10 (7-10) pages on a piece of art. Students are to choose a piece ofart, describe it and determine whether it is in fact "art". Is it good art, what are the criteria and classifications that you used to make such a determination. There are numerous art galleries orother possible sites in town from which to choose. To situate your findings and any concepts you may need to include a minimum of four (4) peer reviewed sources need to be used. Please see the end of this section for further information regarding sources. Please do not cite your course notes.

This assignment asks for you to think about how you negotiate taste and know your likes.

You are to choose a piece of art (sculpture or painting) that you like and you can physically visit (place and atmosphere and other elements may contribute to your appreciation of the piece). Again there is an element of observational work here - consider the space and how it impacts yours and the publics understanding and interaction with art.

There are no limits on type of art or where it is located - so long as you can get to it.

Much of what we will be talking about will aid in your analysis, as will elements of theory such as Bourdieu.

In terms of material to cover in addition to what is on the outline please consider:

where the piece is located in relation to its place on the art hierarchy

observe who else has stopped to appreciate/comment/etc. and how people access the piece - this will give you a sense of the snobs and omnivore elements that can be connected to the type of art, where you view it, etc.

are there gatekeepers that influence public consumption of the art? Who are they and what is their role (formal/informal, etc)

what does it mean if the piece is in your local gallery/coffee house vs. an institution or elsewhere?

Why do you like the piece?

What kinds of publics does this style of art appeal to? Why?

Etc.

You are also asked to include peer reviewed material for this assignment. Some ways that the materials could be used include: discussions on the type of art and the public, the context and type of the art, class and art, audience, access, ... etc.