Caroline's readings Weds Nov 6th and Mon Nov 18th

Caroline's readings Weds Nov 6th and Mon Nov 18th

1. More, Thomas, Utopia// 1516, From Utopia: Documents of Contemporary Art. Edited by Richard Noble, MIT press, 2009
2. Eggers, Dave, We Like You So Much and Want to Know You Better, The New York Times Magazine, Sept 29, 2013 ( optional reading)
3. Gregory, Alice, Rain Man, The New York Times Style Magazine, Oct 6, 2013
4. Modernism: Searching for Utopia, Modernisn: Building Utopia, Cold War Utopian Ideals. This content was originally written in association with the exhibitions 'Modernism; Designing a New World 1914-1939', and 'Cold War Modern: Design 1945 - 70' on display at the V&A, London.
5. Campanaro, Pamela, From Utopia to Dystopia, Montserrat College of Art, press release fall 2013.

Caroline's readings Weds Oct 30 and Mon Nov 4th

Caroline's readings Weds Oct 30 and Mon Nov 4th

Packet of readings on Marxist Art Criticism

1. Marxist Arts Criticism - Dictionary and Encyclopedia, www.encyclopedia69.com/.../marxist-arts-criticism/marxist-arts-critici.

2. Chandler, Daniel. Marxist Media Theory.  Gramsci and Hegemony, Stuart Hall, Strengths of Marxist analysis. www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/marxism/marxism 

 3. Haacke, Hans, Statement, from Harrison and Wood, Art in Theory 1900 - 2000, pp. 930-931

4. Lipton, Eunice, The Laundress in Late Nineteeth - Century French Culture:Imagery, Ideology and Edgar Degas,  Art History, vol.3, no.3 Sept 1980, pp 295 - 313  

5. Burgin, Victor, What does possession mean to you? solomonthoughts.wordpress.com/...possession/what-does-possession-.

6. Cotter, Holland, Martha Rosler, Photomontages:1965-2004, NYTimes Dec 24, 2004

Greg: Oct. 28: Wish You Were There?

For Greg's discussion group on Oct. 28, we'll be discussing the exhibition "Wish You Were There?" at the Montserrat Gallery. Respond to the art in the show. What common themes do you see among the works here? Read the catalogue about the show. How does or doesn't the art in the show match up with the themes of the essay?

Research paper update:

= Discussion classes of week of Oct. 28: Final research paper due. Full assignment here.

Assignments will lose one letter grade for each week they are late. Failure to turn in a paper will result in a zero, which could result in you failing this class.

Research Paper

Research Paper

Fall 2013.

Senior Fine Arts Seminar                                                                                                           

Caroline Bagenal (caroline.bagenal@montserrat.edu )                                                      updated 09.02.13

Greg Cook (greg.cook@montserrat.edu)                                                                       

Research Paper: Interview an Artist

Write a profile of a living artist. Your research will include (1) your interview of the artist and (2) at least two written sources about the artist (reviews, articles, artist statements, press releases).

Describe and discuss the artist’s work. What is the art about? What does the art look like? How is it made? How does the work’s physical properties convey or embody its meaning? How has the artist’s work changed over the years? How has the artist’s career developed—shows, sales, recognition? What are the artist’s influences/inspirations? What day jobs has the artist held? How has where the artist lived affected the art? How have the artist’s personal relationships influenced the art? Students are encouraged to see the artist’s work in person. Discuss specific artworks in detail—and include reproductions of the artworks.

Address how the art relates to various contexts, such as in relation to themes in contemporary art; to social, political, scientific, spiritual and scientific contexts; to the artist’s biography; to the artist’s peers; etc.

1. Artist interview.

Students must interview an artist in person (preferred) or by phone. Interviews may not be conducted by e-mail. (Students needing special accommodations to fulfill this part of the assignment should discuss them with their teacher in advance.) Students may choose any living artist, except those with ties to Montserrat (student, teacher, staff, alums). Students are encouraged to try to meet the artists in their studios, and photograph the artists and their work for images to include with the final paper. Students must prepare an (at least) one-page transcript from the interview.

2. Research paper.

Your essay will be based on your research – your interview of the artist and reading about the artist. Be sure to note your sources – plagiarism will not be tolerated. The focus of the paper is your selected artist, but in your discussion of their artwork you may also speak about how your own work relates to their artwork.

The paper must include a bibliography listing at least two sources. Bibliography format: Author (last name first), “Title of Reading,” name of newspaper/magazine/blog/journal it appeared in, date of publication, page of publication, web link. Examples:

Book: Dukes Jordan, Matthew, “Weirdo Deluxe: The Wild World of Pop Surrealism & Lowbrow Art,” 2005.

Magazine/newspaper: Meland, Louis, “Top of the Pops: Did Andy Warhol change everything?” The New Yorker, Jan. 11, 2010, pages 57-65.

Web: Caruth, Nicole J., “A Look into the Future with Saya Woolfalk,” Art: 21 Blog, Aug. 18, 2009. http://blog.art21.org/2009/08/18/the-future-with-saya-woolfalk/.

Research paper length: Five page essay, plus separate bibliography, one-page transcription of interview, and of the artist’s work. The paper must be typed and printed out when turned in.

Deadlines:

1. Discussion classes of week of  Sept. 23: Students must provide a brief written update on which artist they have chosen and when they are scheduled to interview them. The sooner you interview the artist the better.

2. Discussion classes of week of Oct. 21: Turn in one-page transcript of (part of) the interview.

3. Discussion classes of week of Oct. 28: Final research paper due.

Assignments will lose one letter grade for each week they are late. Failure to turn in a paper will result in a zero, which could result in you failing this class.

Caroline's readings for Weds Oct 23rd and Mon Oct 28th

Caroline's readings for Weds Oct 23rd and Mon Oct 28th

1. Grayson Perry, bio, Victoria Miro gallery,www.victoria-miro.com/artsts/_12
2. Perry, Grayson, A Refuge for artists who play it safe, http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2005/mar/05/art/print
3. Fullerton, Elzabeth, Dressing for Success, http;//www.artnews.com/2012/09/24/dressing-for-success/
4. Abigail Newbold speaks about ' Crafting Settlement', Journal of Modern Craft, http://journalofmoderncraft.com/articles/abigail-newbold-speaks-about-crafting-settlement
5. Tomic, Milena, Edmund de Waal, London at Alan Cristea, Art in America, reviews Dec 04, 2012
6. Millar, Ian, The Writer and the Potter: Edmund De Waal on his New York Debut, The Daily Beast, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/12/the-writer-and-the-potter-edmund-de-waal-on-his-new-york-debut.html

Caroline's Readings for Mon Oct 21st and Weds Oct 16th

Caroline's Readings for Mon Oct 21st and Weds Oct 16th

1. Stomberg, John, and others, Kara Walker: Harper's Pictorial History of the Civil War ( Annotated), catalog essays, Mount Holyoke College Art Museum. 2013
2. Mendelson, Scott, Review: "12 Years A Slave" Is Among The Year's Best Films, Forbes Magazine, www.foebes.com/sites/scottmedelson/2013/09/30/review-12-years-a-slave-is-a-superb-achievement/
3. Steve McQueen, bio, Marian Goodman Gallery,www.mariangoodman.com/artists/steve-mcqueen/

Greg Oct. 21: Risky business: Performance art and danger

“If An Artist Doesn’t Take Risks, Then It’s Not Worth It.”—photographer Robert Frank.  

For Greg's discussion group on Oct. 21, we'll be looking at the work of Los Angeles artist Chris Burden (whose work is the subject of a just-opened major retrospective at New York's New Museum) and New York artist Marina Abramovic to consider risk-taking in art—particularly in performance art. Check out and respond to the following videos and readings: 

= Chris Burden "Shoot" video (above). 

= "Chris Burden: The body artist" by Roger Ebert, April 8, 1975.

= Chris Burden: "My God, are they going to leave me here to die?" by Roger Ebert, May 25, 1975.

= "The Stuff of Building and Destroying: 'Chris Burden: Extreme Measures' at the New Museum" by Roberta Smith, Oct. 3, 2013.

= "Marina Abramovic" by Sean O'Hagan, Oct. 2, 2010.

= Chris Burden "Metropolis II" video (below).

In your essay consider: Does art need to be risky to be worth it? What do we mean by risky? A major area of performance art has centered on actions that place the performer in physical danger. What are the benefits of such dangers? What are the risks? Can we mitigate such risks and still get the same charge in the art? Is it necessarily in art for actions to be actual (as Abramovic says, "the knife is real, the blood is real, the emotions are real") instead of simulated? Must the performer actually be in danger? How important to such performances are the stories, the legends they foster? Why do we so value risk in art? Do such performances respond to their times? How, for example, might Burden's performances reference violence in our society or war? Do Chris Burden's intentions become clearer in his later works, like "All the Submarines of the United States of America" (1987) or "Metropolis II" (2011)?

  

Bus Trip:
= NY bus trip is Oct. 19.

Columbus Day:
= No class next week because of holiday.

Research paper update:
= Discussion classes of week of Oct. 21: Turn in typed, one-page transcript of (part of) the interview.

= Discussion classes of week of Oct. 28: Final research paper due.

Assignments will lose one letter grade for each week they are late. Failure to turn in a paper will result in a zero, which could result in you failing this class.