Misinformation: Then & Now

 

Misinformation and disinformation have been around forever. They aren't a new feature of our Internet lives. However, bad info can proliferate much faster these days. Sometimes it's intentional and sometimes it's just sloppiness. Let's look at this example from John Seed's humor piece on HuffPost. Seed is obviously making fun of the bloated and pretentious language that we sometimes encounter in the art field. 

But... some people are not in on the joke and think that this is actually an artist statement written by Michaelangelo. Check out this blogpost. Are they in on the joke? I think not. Scroll to the bottom of this link. Here's another bizarre one (scroll down). And another one, sigh. I saved the worst for last. Sorry.

Professional Documents Every Artist Needs

 

Words can never fully describe visual art. They just can't; that's why the work is visual and not verbal. However, it's a terrible mistake to think that your work will "speak for itself" or that words somehow debase or demean the purity of your visual art. This is true for oil painting, sculpture, photography, illustration, animation, graphic design, etc. 

Writing about your work is necessary; it's not something you can opt out of if you want to be successful. Most people want to make a living related to art: maybe it's exhibiting and selling your work directly through a gallery or through a website such as Etsy, and maybe it's getting a job in the art field that isn't directly related to selling your own art. Whatever the case, you will need to represent yourself through the written word. 

In this unit of the class, we're going to work on three of the most common professional documents that all artists will need to produce at some stage of their careers.

1. The Artist Biography (around 120 words, one paragraph)

2. The Artist Statement (around 250 words, two or three paragraphs)

3. The Artist CV or Resume (1-2 pages)

These three documents overlap (think of a Venn diagram), but they each carry out a discreet task. 

It's really tricky for a young artist just starting out because experiences are just beginning to come together. That's why for this assignment we're going to use a time machine. You will need to use your imagination. The year is 2033. You are approximately 30 years old and you've had a successful career. Think of this as an opportunity to envision your aspirations. Try to be both realistic and ambitious. 

This assignment will be delivered in four parts. After composing, revising, and editing each of the documents listed above, you will attach them to a professionally-written email message.

The first of the four documents you will write is your artist biography. This link from MICA is a solid introduction to the components commonly found in a well-written artist biography and artist statement. 

After composing, revising, and editing your biography, cut and paste it into the discussion board for our course. This is due no later than one hour before your class starts. The deadline for the  M/W class is February 1, and February 2 for the T/R sections.

Questions?   csmith@dcad.edu

Peer Critique: What is it, How is it done, Why do we do it?

 

Yes, this video is kind of cringe. So it goes. Listen to Dr. Turner's sound advice. 

You will be working with one other classmate in this exercise. Each essay should receive about 20 minutes of careful attention and discussion. 

Address the following issues:

1) Does the essay have a meaningful (not generic) title? If not, suggest a couple of ideas. 

2) Which of the paragraphs is the strongest? Why specifically?

3) Which of the paragraphs needs the most revision? Why specifically? 

4) What's the most memorable thing about this essay? Why?

5) What did you want to hear more about? Why? 

6) Go through the essay using the "reverse reading" technique and identify little errors in sentence structure (fragments and run-ons). Also check for spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and the other nuts-n-bolts of writing Standard Written English. 

7) Any last words or advice for improving this draft? 

Who is an artist under US law?

 

Read Daniel Grant's article from today's edition of The Art Newspaper. What do you think? Why? Let's have a debate next week. 

ChatGPT Ain't All That

 I was disappointed that my outputs were so lame. Maybe the problem was with my prompts. In any case, I was not impressed. So it goes. It's still fun to play around with.  

 

Kazimir Malevich on Becoming an Artist

 

Kazimir Malevich was a Ukrainian (not Russian!) artist and writer. Tomorrow in class I'm going to read out loud from the bottom of page 29 to the top of page 33. You are free to read the whole thing. Link here.

Example from a former student: Why I Am an Artist

 Why Am I An Artist?

My journey to becoming an artist is not the typical I started drawing when I was little and have not put the pencil down since. My story began on August 30^th, 2016, in my high school gym during volleyball practice. I had just finished my second day of my senior year of high school and was participating in an after-school volleyball practice in preparation for an upcoming game. My team was having a rough day which made our coach push us even harder as punishment. Our punishment came in the form of a brutal serving drill and lots of laps. I however, was dished out the cruelest punishment of the day after my coach served the ball across the net and right into my face. 

It collided with my nose and forehead, bouncing off my face and towards one of my teammates who was able to send the ball back over the net. Now, as a defensive player who spent most of their time rolling around the floor in the back of the court, taking a ball to the face was nothing new to me, but this time, it felt different. I was disoriented and to this day I cannot remember some of the events that took place after the ball high-fived my face. My disorientation led me to not realize how I moved from one side of the court to the other and understand who or how another teammate sent the ball back over the net after it hit my face. I continued participating in practice because I thought I just in shock of what had happened but after I second ball almost hit me in the face because I could not see clearly, I thought something more serious could be going on. I struggled to finish practice and when it was over, I alerted my coach as to what had happened. 

My coach was quite concerned that what I was feeling was quite serious and sent me to the trainer, who recommended I see my doctor if the symptoms did improve over night. The following day I followed up with my doctor since I was displaying the typical symptoms of a concussion: headache, light and sound sensitivity, poor memory, and concentration. After an evaluation, it was quickly confirmed that I did indeed have a concussion. I was told I would be better in a week, then a few weeks, then a few months, and then a few years. To this day, over five years later, I still never recovered from my concussion and since I could no longer play volleyball, I had to come up with a new game plan. I thought about what my strengths were, and creativity was a strength that really stuck out to me because ever since I was little, creativity has been a major part of my life thanks to my mom. 

From the time I can remember, my mom was always making something whether it be crafts or pages to put in my sister’s or my own scrapbooks. Since she was always involved in making something, she had my sister and I do the same thing, always doing crafts, drawing, or painting at my easel. This idea of always creating was a concept I continued and still partake in daily. My creativity gave me a new purpose after my dream of going to college to play volleyball and trying to play professionally was taken away from me. I decided to focus on practicing my skills with an emphasis on painting and drawing and decided my next move would be to pursue a career as an artist and attend art school. 

Focusing on art full time has given me a reason to get out of bed on days where my post-concussion symptoms are unbearable. Some days my injury can feel really debilitating and I can barely leave bed which is frustrating because I have no control over it. I have no freedom from my situation which is why art can be healing for me. I am in control of what I am creating, and art gives one the freedom to create your own rules. There is also freedom in the choice of materials used to bring your vision to life. With all the freedom art brings, it allowed me to create my own safe space to step away from what I was struggling with in life and have an outlet for all the pent-up frustrations I was or am having and that is why I am an artist. 

I Am an Artist

 

This children's book by Marta Altés, is a whimsical narrative about a young artist. Enjoy.

Your assignment is to write an autobiographical essay that addresses the question: What made you want to be an artist? Tell stories or maybe just one extended story. Did you have an influential teacher or family member? Did you see something on television or the internet? Did you find something in nature? Be as specific as possible. You can use slang and non-standard English. You can use foreign words, curse words, etc. You can be philosophical (focusing on the "why") or whimsical, or humorous. or dead serious. Nothing is off-limits. That said, we will be sharing these essays in class, so make sure that you're OK with your classmates and me hearing what you have to say. 

Your essay should be single-spaced, in a 10-12 pt. serifed font. Times New Roman is boring, but it's a standard for academic writing. One full page is a good goal, but feel free to continue on a second page. Think of your essay as a collection of paragraphs with a start and an end.

Upload a finished but imperfect draft on Mon/Tue.

Final essay is due on Wed/Thurs next week.

Questions: csmith@dcad.edu

 

Welcome to Writing for the Arts

Welcome to Writing for the Arts. 

This is our class blog. 

It is ugly and poorly designed.

Bookmark it. 

I can always be reached at csmith@dcad.edu.

Let's have a great semester.