Comments for Megan Cohen-Doyle's Art Weblog http://megancd.wordpress.com Just another WordPress.com weblog Mon, 27 Oct 2008 04:56:25 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on Altered Book Proposal 1 by zapouracalvert http://megancd.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/altered-book-proposal-1/#comment-3 zapouracalvert Mon, 27 Oct 2008 04:56:25 +0000 http://megancd.wordpress.com/?p=53#comment-3 [ZC: First, think about setting the context/background of the project. Let the reader know that this is an altered book project with a connection to the self.] Many people spend their careers analyzing artwork. When they view a piece, they theorize the artist’s motives and inspiration. My Freshman Inquiry class discussed dozens of essays written by these theorists, and my altered book is a compilation of the writings we discussed in class. These writings discuss “works of art” in the loosest sense possible, spanning everything from traditional paint-on-paper artists (such as Frieda Kalho and Chuck Close), to photographers (W. Eugene Smith, Walker Evans), and music artists (Souljah, Ice T). However, I will primarily analyze this book through the pretext of visual art. [ZC: Might you also tell the reader here that you’ve chosen the course packet as your text to deconstruct?] Almost all the artists discussed by this packet are motivated by external environment to complete their work. The artwork is always a subtle statement. The artists turn their artwork into a code for theorists and analyzers to decipher [ZC: Give a brief example for the reader?]. Or they choose to communicate messages, which are often critical of society’s flaws, through their artwork. The packet implies hidden messages have become as integral to professional artwork as canvas and brushes, and I want to dig deeper into this assertion. How prevalent is motivated art, as opposed to non-motivated art? Which demographic does motivated art attract, and is it more popular across a wide range of demographics than non-motivated artwork? I want to become an artist, but this that book implies that the audience, or at least the demographic of intellectuals and art critics, expects “artists” to express relevant, motivated ideas with their work. [ZC: It feels like paragraphs 1 and 2 could be edited down and combined? The context is important, but in a short proposal like this, it’s also important to get to the heart of the matter. Start getting to the connection to the self early on.] I am an artist because I like creating art. The process of drawing is equally as entertaining as the result. I draw if a random event inspires me. Drawings are one of my many pastimes. I like designing art, nothing more or less. I am NOT an intellectual, and my artwork does not try to communicate anything besides aesthetics. The world of motivated artwork is extremely alien to me. As an artist of the general sense, I want to paint, draw and design without being expected to express avant-garde statements. If I were to design my art without being motivated by these things, would I still be an artist? Even if I eventually decided to create my art with a greater purpose, would I have as much fun with it? It is not my intention to dismiss the work of true avant-garde artists, I just want to question if that’s necessary to be a good artist [ZC: Might you also need to clarify what you mean by “good artist”?]. My background might also be involved, since I have heard very little about professional artists before college, and my experiences here indicate that this college is very enthusiastic about the analysis of art. Or that’s probably because I spent a year discussing the avant-garde in Freshman Inquiry, and I haven’t researched any “non-motivated” artists. [ZC: This exploratory thought process is a good one to get you thinking about this potential project. To take this further in terms of the proposal form, get specific and concise with the writing.] [ZC: Consider starting each paragraph with a topic sentence that shows/tells the reader how this all connects to your larger overarching concept.] My initial idea was to cut out a little boy carrying paintbrushes in the center of my altered book, surrounded by several adult artists focusing intently on their work. The little boy represents an artist that enjoys his work, but draws with no purpose. Likewise, the adults are representations of motivated artists. They draw to express their viewpoints, and their work contains forms of social inquiry, political criticism, or propaganda. I will cut this design straight from the book using an Xacto-knife, using as much of the book as necessary to complete the design. I will also use glue to attach various sheets together to form a design. As I have never created an altered book, I do not know if my current concept is too ambitious. If the first idea proves to be too complicated, I could replace the adults with several pictures from the book, and use the extra paper to mount these pictures on top of canvases. The ideas expressed through my work will be subtle when the audience views the work by itself. The viewer could interpret the work in a variety of ways if I do not provide them with an explanation. [ZC: You have a fascinating start here.] Of course, this project is currently in the hypothesis stages. I will study the works and motivations for a large number of different artists, both motivated and non-motivated. Perhaps I will need a list of artists that both do and don’t adhere to my hypothesis. Artist biographies will be very helpful, as will more information on how each group of viewers perceives the fine arts. To research a variety of individual artist, I will study some of their works at the art museum, and research a few artists I found in the museum with more detail. I could also visit PSU’s Monday Night Lectures and meet a few artists face-to-face. While I can’t predict what these artists will talk about, I might learn something relevant to my topic. [ZC: It feels like your scope might be a little broad? How might you narrow focus a bit on a particular kind of “motivation” that a particular artist or group of artists has?] I will also need to read books about motivated vs. non-motivated artworks. These books will help me examine the nature of motivated art itself. I will learn about the amount of motivated art as opposed to non-motivated art, and I would like to learn how different demographics of art viewers receive both motivated and non-motivated art. Perhaps I will understand motivated art better, and correct my misguided assumptions. [ZC: If you do choose to revise this proposal in the end, you will need to get quite specific about artists you will be studying, what “motivated” means and in what context etc. Interesting start!] ****ALTERED BOOK PROPOSAL 1 (SELF) RUBRIC (Emerging, Developing, Competent, Excellent) Focus & Concept (context, clarity, creativity): Developing/Competent Detail & Specificity (development of central idea): Developing Language & Style (description, voice, tone): Developing Organization & Structure (flow, paragraph structure): Developing/Competent [ZC: First, think about setting the context/background of the project. Let the reader know that this is an altered book project with a connection to the self.] Many people spend their careers analyzing artwork. When they view a piece, they theorize the artist’s motives and inspiration. My Freshman Inquiry class discussed dozens of essays written by these theorists, and my altered book is a compilation of the writings we discussed in class. These writings discuss “works of art” in the loosest sense possible, spanning everything from traditional paint-on-paper artists (such as Frieda Kalho and Chuck Close), to photographers (W. Eugene Smith, Walker Evans), and music artists (Souljah, Ice T). However, I will primarily analyze this book through the pretext of visual art. [ZC: Might you also tell the reader here that you’ve chosen the course packet as your text to deconstruct?]
Almost all the artists discussed by this packet are motivated by external environment to complete their work. The artwork is always a subtle statement. The artists turn their artwork into a code for theorists and analyzers to decipher [ZC: Give a brief example for the reader?]. Or they choose to communicate messages, which are often critical of society’s flaws, through their artwork. The packet implies hidden messages have become as integral to professional artwork as canvas and brushes, and I want to dig deeper into this assertion. How prevalent is motivated art, as opposed to non-motivated art? Which demographic does motivated art attract, and is it more popular across a wide range of demographics than non-motivated artwork? I want to become an artist, but this that book implies that the audience, or at least the demographic of intellectuals and art critics, expects “artists” to express relevant, motivated ideas with their work. [ZC: It feels like paragraphs 1 and 2 could be edited down and combined? The context is important, but in a short proposal like this, it’s also important to get to the heart of the matter. Start getting to the connection to the self early on.]
I am an artist because I like creating art. The process of drawing is equally as entertaining as the result. I draw if a random event inspires me. Drawings are one of my many pastimes. I like designing art, nothing more or less. I am NOT an intellectual, and my artwork does not try to communicate anything besides aesthetics. The world of motivated artwork is extremely alien to me. As an artist of the general sense, I want to paint, draw and design without being expected to express avant-garde statements. If I were to design my art without being motivated by these things, would I still be an artist? Even if I eventually decided to create my art with a greater purpose, would I have as much fun with it? It is not my intention to dismiss the work of true avant-garde artists, I just want to question if that’s necessary to be a good artist [ZC: Might you also need to clarify what you mean by “good artist”?]. My background might also be involved, since I have heard very little about professional artists before college, and my experiences here indicate that this college is very enthusiastic about the analysis of art. Or that’s probably because I spent a year discussing the avant-garde in Freshman Inquiry, and I haven’t researched any “non-motivated” artists. [ZC: This exploratory thought process is a good one to get you thinking about this potential project. To take this further in terms of the proposal form, get specific and concise with the writing.]
[ZC: Consider starting each paragraph with a topic sentence that shows/tells the reader how this all connects to your larger overarching concept.] My initial idea was to cut out a little boy carrying paintbrushes in the center of my altered book, surrounded by several adult artists focusing intently on their work. The little boy represents an artist that enjoys his work, but draws with no purpose. Likewise, the adults are representations of motivated artists. They draw to express their viewpoints, and their work contains forms of social inquiry, political criticism, or propaganda. I will cut this design straight from the book using an Xacto-knife, using as much of the book as necessary to complete the design. I will also use glue to attach various sheets together to form a design. As I have never created an altered book, I do not know if my current concept is too ambitious. If the first idea proves to be too complicated, I could replace the adults with several pictures from the book, and use the extra paper to mount these pictures on top of canvases. The ideas expressed through my work will be subtle when the audience views the work by itself. The viewer could interpret the work in a variety of ways if I do not provide them with an explanation. [ZC: You have a fascinating start here.]

Of course, this project is currently in the hypothesis stages. I will study the works and motivations for a large number of different artists, both motivated and non-motivated. Perhaps I will need a list of artists that both do and don’t adhere to my hypothesis. Artist biographies will be very helpful, as will more information on how each group of viewers perceives the fine arts. To research a variety of individual artist, I will study some of their works at the art museum, and research a few artists I found in the museum with more detail. I could also visit PSU’s Monday Night Lectures and meet a few artists face-to-face. While I can’t predict what these artists will talk about, I might learn something relevant to my topic. [ZC: It feels like your scope might be a little broad? How might you narrow focus a bit on a particular kind of “motivation” that a particular artist or group of artists has?]

I will also need to read books about motivated vs. non-motivated artworks. These books will help me examine the nature of motivated art itself. I will learn about the amount of motivated art as opposed to non-motivated art, and I would like to learn how different demographics of art viewers receive both motivated and non-motivated art. Perhaps I will understand motivated art better, and correct my misguided assumptions. [ZC: If you do choose to revise this proposal in the end, you will need to get quite specific about artists you will be studying, what “motivated” means and in what context etc. Interesting start!]

****ALTERED BOOK PROPOSAL 1 (SELF) RUBRIC (Emerging, Developing, Competent, Excellent)

Focus & Concept (context, clarity, creativity): Developing/Competent
Detail & Specificity (development of central idea): Developing
Language & Style (description, voice, tone): Developing
Organization & Structure (flow, paragraph structure): Developing/Competent

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