First Year Porfolio Instructions

 Some students have experienced difficulty in understanding all of the moving parts of the FYP process. This is understandable and not at all out of the ordinary. The first step is making sure your documents are ready to upload. Did you name the files correctly? Did you proofread everything carefully? This document is the definitive "last word" about your portfolio and presentation. If you have a question, the answer is probably in this document. Read it carefully. 

FINAL Catalogue Entry: Two Separate Uploads, Due by the end of class on Wed or Thurs.

Hi Writing for the Arts Students,

Please bring your laptops to class on Wed (section 2) or Thurs (sections 1, 3, and 4).

You will be uploading your Final Catalogue Entry in your FYP folder in O365.

You will also be uploading this document to our Populi "assignments" page. 

We will do this in class, so make sure that your document is finished, polished, and ready to go.

Your Exhibition Review: Deadline Extended to April 7

 Please notice the extended deadline for your exhibition review: Friday, April 7, 5:00pm. Reviews that are submitted past the deadline will receive a 10% penalty (one full letter grade). Don't put yourself in this situation. Please respect your work by proofreading it carefully before uploading it. Maybe take it to the Writers Studio for a quick check-up. 

Your review will likely be between six and ten developed paragraphs. Feel free to incorporate your own photographs of the overall installation, particular pieces, and details from particular pieces. Use captions to identify the artist's name, the title of the piece, and the date it was made. You can include materials and dimensions, but they aren't necessary. 

Some people think that an art review has four distinct components: Description, Analysis, Interpretation, and Evaluation. That's not exactly wrong, but maybe it's too complicated. Let's break it down into two components instead of four: Description and Evaluation. I think the analysis and interpretation take place within the description and evaluation. In other words, they don't feel like separate approaches.  

Here is a link to a great 2-page guide to writing an academic art review. I'm giving you a photocopy of this document, but you also might like a digital copy of it. Read it. Think about it. Execute its strategies. 

Here is a six-paragraph art exhibition review written by an undergraduate for an assignment. This reviewer was in a very similar situation as you are currently in.  Let's take a look: click here. 

Questions: csmith@dcad.edu

Troubleshooting First Drafts of Catalog Entries

Below you'll find three catalog entries from last year that were submitted as drafts. Your draft (5 points) is due this week (Monday's section is due on Wednesday, March 22. Tuesday's sections are due on Thursday, March 23.) Upload to Populi no later than an hour before your class starts.

During class today, you'll work in a group with two or three classmates to troubleshoot one of the following three drafts. Your group's task is to correct the things that are clearly wrong and also to suggest improvements. Fixing format and spelling/grammar errors is fairly straightforward, but other issues are less obvious. For instance, maybe the writer never really describes the work, or maybe the writer doesn't connect the ideas behind the work with larger socio-cultural concerns. 

Each group will have about ten minutes to present their findings. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Example #1

Example #2

Example #3

 

Finished Draft of Catalog Entry Due This Week

 Good Morning, Students,

This is a reminder that the finished draft of your catalog entry is due this week (Monday section due on Wednesday, Tuesday on Thursday).

Upload to Populi folder named "Catalog Entry Draft." The draft and final version will be worth 5 points each. 

Each student will meet with me for approximately five minutes to complete a quick critique/edit. I'll also ask about your plans for your exhibition review.

Questions: csmith@dcad.edu

PS: Remember our wonderful and free tutorial service at the DCAD Writers Studio.

Mark Thomas Gibson Review, by John Yau

 

Here's another great review by John Yau, fresh off the digital press. If you haven't already begun thinking and planning your exhibition review, now is the time. 

Opening Moves: Writing an Exhibition Review

 I don't think many people would dispute that the Brooklyn-based art blog Hyperallergic is the most influential source for current art writing in America today. 

Let's take a few minutes in class to explore what Hyperallergic is about, and why it's "required reading" for young artists and designers today. 

Our class activity today is fairly straightforward. Each student will choose one starting paragraph from a current art exhibition that has been reviewed in Hyperallergic during the past few months. 

Each student will randomly choose a number. That number will be the page number of the Hyperallergic reviews from which you will select an opening paragraph that you feel is engaging, smart, intriguing, makes-you-want-learn-more writing. 

Copy and paste that paragraph to the discussion board on Populi. Don't forget to include the name of the reviewer, the date it was published, and the title of the review.

Each student will have the opportunity to talk informally to the class about why they chose that paragraph. What features were appealing? Why? 

Here is the link to the reviews on Hyperallergic.

Writing Your Exhibition Review

 Your exhibition review is due an hour before the class meeting after your FYP review. For some of you (section 2), this will be due on Wednesday, April 5. For sections 1, 3, and 4, your review will be due on Thursday, April 6. Please let me know if this is confusing or if you have any questions. You will be uploading your finished review to your Populi page. 

You must visit the show you choose to review in-person. Two obvious and fairly easy-to-access shows are right under your nose:

    "Project X" at the Young Gallery, DCAD.

    "Nourish" at the Delaware Contemporary. 

I suspect that most students will choose one of these two shows. However, you might want to choose another exhibition at another venue. If that's the case, check with me first. 

More information to follow. 

Opportunities for Artists: Jobs, Residencies, Internships, Etc.

 

Students often ask me about how they can get involved in art-based jobs and opportunities. There aren't any easy or automatic answers. Of course, you have to network and keep your eyes and ears open. 

Hyperallergic, an art blog out of Brooklyn, distributes a list every month. Here's a link to March, 2023. 

First Assignment of Second Module: Catalogue Entry

 

The Whitney Biennial

If you've been paying attention, you'll remember that for your "First-Year Portfolio" exercise you will include a new piece of critical writing: The Catalogue Entry. This brief piece of writing does double-duty as a graded assignment in the Writing for the Arts class. The portfolio day is Tuesday, April 4 (no class that day for any DCAD student, first or second year). 

1) Choose one artist (or one artist collective) and one piece of art from the lists of the past five Whitney Biennial exhibitions (2012, 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2022). Most of these artists you have likely never heard of, and that's OK. Have fun browsing the lists and experiencing really different kinds of art-making. This Wikipedia link might be helpful. Scroll down until the end. Choose from one of the last five Biennials. 

2) Capture an image of the one work you are concentrating on. A screengrab might be the easiest method of getting this image. Make sure it's not too pixelated.

3) Write your catalogue entry. This is typically two longish paragraphs or three medium-sized paragraphs. The first paragraph is mostly informative: Who is this artist (brief bio)? What kind of art is this artist known for? Mention your chosen artwork toward the end of your first paragraph. The second paragraph should really get into close and loving detail about the work itself (formal analysis). The third paragraph should explain the relevance of this work of art to issues in contemporary culture. 

It's possible to write the second and third paragraphs together as one, but I think it's far preferable to open a new paragraph that centers on philosophical issues and questions. 

A good length guideline is around 300 words. Some might be a little shorter and some a little longer.  

Sylvan Barnet's A Short Guide to Writing About Art has a brief chapter on catalogue entries: Chapter 6, 146-153. I don't think it's terribly helpful, but I'll send a link to everyone.

To reiterate: It might be helpful to think of your two or three linked paragraphs as:

1) Who (Where is this artist from? Education? Awards? Solo and group shows? Notable achievements? etc.)

2) What (Choose one work that was on display in one of the last five Whitney Biennials. Write a descriptive formal analysis. Make the reader "see" the work through your words.)

3) Why (What ideas does this work present or complicate? How do these ideas work in the world outside of art? Why is this work significant or important?)

Here's a short video about the 2017 Whitney Biennial. 

2023 is an "off" year for the Whitney Biennial. Next year will bring a new and always controversial exhibition. For those students who take the bus trip up to NYC on April 1, maybe a trip to the Whitney would be fun. 

Here's a link to a successful catalogue entry from last year's FYP.  (381 words)

DRAFT DUE: March 22/23 (upload to Populi)

FINAL DUE: March 27/28 (upload to Populi)

Questions: csmith@dcad.edu