Monday, October 17th

Majors Project #3 Due Monday, 10/31/2011

For this assignment, you will need the following:

A sketch book

A pencil

Transportation to, and entrance to a museum (sometimes entrance fees can be quite expensive, so research before you go, and take your student ID with you)

A printed version of this assignment (you will need to have with you the step-by-step instructions and the questions that are listed below)

Time (at least an hour in the museum)

Go to an art gallery or museum (choose from the list below, and do some research to make sure you know what the museum hours are and whether or not the museum is "in-between" shows).

At The Museum

Take some time to look at a few of the works in the museum.

Select a single piece that you think is especially interesting or attractive to you.  This can be a painting, a video, a photograph, a sculpture, etc.  You will be looking at the work for a long time, so make sure you are truly drawn to it.

Step 1: Identify the piece.  Look for a label on the wall near the work.  In your sketchbook, write down ALL of the information that is on the label.

Step 2: Spend at least 15 minutes just looking at the piece.  Use a watch or your phone to time yourself.  Fifteen minutes in front of one piece can feel like a very long time.  Use this time to allow your eye to wander across or around the piece.  If the art is 3-dimensional, view it from several angles. If the art is 2-dimensional, view it from different distances.  Do not rush this step, allow yourself to "be" with the artwork.

Step 3: In your sketchbook, do a sketch of the piece.  Your sketch can be as loose or as detailed as you want, but it should include some indication of the details that you think are important in this work.

Step 4:  While you are still in front of the piece, write one or two paragraphs reflecting on this piece of art.  Think about the following questions and see if their answers have to do with what you like about this work:

What is it made of?  Paint, plaster, wood, graphite, steel?  Look at the label if you are not sure.

When was it made?  What was happening in the world at this time?

How is it made? By hand? What kinds of tools?  Is it hard to tell how it was made?

How big is it? (is it bigger or smaller than you?  is size important to the impact that it has on you?)

To turn in this assignment, show me your sketchbook with the sketch and the writing.