Instructions
Art Museum Assignment
Course Objective(s):
CO-1: Identify major works of Western and Non-Western art from the Neo-Lithic to the Post-Modern periods.
CO-2: Identify major artists and their time periods in Western and Non-Western art.
CO-3: Interpret art terminology in relationship to works of art.
CO-4: Describe major works of art.
CO-5: Compare and contrast works of art.
CO-6: Analyze works of art within their social and historical contexts.
Write a 2 page descriiption, formal analysis, and interpretation of one work of art from a virtual museum online. Visit the museum virtually. Alternately you are encouraged to visit a local museum in person. Seeing art "in the flesh" is a different experience than viewing it on a screen! Please visit an art museum, not a children's museum for this project. Use the Week 1 How to Write a Critique format. You are writing in an informal manner and are discussing/describing the object with us. Be sure to review the lesson of Descriiption, Formal Analyze, and Interpretation learned in Unit 2. It may be helpful to review the Third of May, 1808 short videos in Unit 2 lecture. Do not include any artwork that you or any classmates have already written about in class.
Submit your work in the Museum Assignment section. Optionally: also post your paper to the Week 5 Forum designed for the papers.
Museum Paper Grading Rubric:
The Museum Paper is an analysis paper, not a history or research paper. It is worth 100 points.
60 points: If the student demonstrates a clear understanding of the topic being discussed and addresses all required points in the writing prompt. Be sure to describe the artwork, name and discuss line, texture, space, color and shape, and arrive at an interpretation. What does the artwork say to you personally? Be sure that the paper is two full pages aside from the descriiption of the museum. The museum descriiption should not be included as part of the two page length requirement. Try to choose a museum locally so that you can visit in person at some point and see the artwork that you wrote about. Have fun!
30 points: If the student follows the Writing a Critique Guide provided
10 points: If the student has no spelling or grammatical errors
IMPORTANT MECHANICS FOR WRITING ABOUT ART IN THIS CLASS

This document teaches you how to punctuate and identify art works. You will use this for each art object you discuss.
We all understand that every discipline has its own set of terminology. Physics and IT terms elude me and leave me scratching my head, thinking I have NO CLUE what they are talking about! Well, art has its own terminology, too. So, we have to begin with that terminology, so we can all speak the same language; and in order to do, we must also follow the rules for writing the language. So, here are some guidelines for answering questions in this class: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!
Always use artists’ last name, such as, Picasso, not Pablo (his first name).
Be sure to ALWAYS include each artist’s name and the date of an object when discussing an artwork.
Always italicize or underline titles of paintings. After the first 2 weeks, I will deduct points if not done correctly.
HERE IS AN EXAMPLE:
I would like you to provide: Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, 1907
Always include the date of a work of art (painting, sculpture, photography, etc.)
Always give the medium of the work in question, such as, oil on canvas, carved marble, mosaics, fresco, etc—you find these in the captions under the pictures in your text. The materials (medium/media) are important choices an artist makes.
PLEASE do NOT write like you talk. Watch for run on sentences. Draw a breath and place a period, then, start another sentence. IN A CLASSROOM SETTING, WE STRIVE TO BE MORE ERUDITE—MORE CORRECT.
Be very specific regarding facts and terms.
Include page numbers for each image from the book, so that we can all follow.
In order to get comfortable with reading a painting: LOOK at the painting, see what interests you. THEN: READ a painting from the background first. Note what you see, then move to the middle ground, then, look at the foreground. All of the parts are important. This is called exploring the pictorial space.
Artists do not leave in accidents or things they do not want to be there—so each thing means something.
So, think like this: artist/architect, title (italicized OR UNDERLINED), date, medium, and then write.
You may use the internet at any point in this class for research and embellishment; however, YOU MAY NOT USE WIKIPEDIA AS A REFERENCE SOURCE FOR YOUR TERM PAPER.
You must cite any sources you use in your work, whether Forums or Papers.
You may not directly copy from any source. I do not want quotations, I want you to read, think, and write in your own words. It is a very serious problem if you cut and paste from websites or your book. This is called plagiarizing and AMU has a strong policy against this behavior. Check your student handbook regarding plagiarizing.
DO NOT EVER use the same example twice in your assignments. Always find another example.
In art appreciation and art history, writing MORE is always better. This is not a class to be a person of a few words.
Give your questions thought and enjoy really looking carefully at the art.