"Writing for the Arts" sections tomorrow have been shifted & Awesomesauce review is due no later than 9:00 am

Reminder: Our class is not meeting at the regular time tomorrow. Instead, we're hearing a visiting artist, Alexa Smith, during Common Hour. Join the Zoom conference a few minutes before we start at 12:45. Here's all the information that you'll need:

 Visiting Artist Talk: Alexa Smith

2/16 at 12:45 PM

Join us as we have a Q&A with Alexa Smith! She's the poetry editor of Philly's Apiary. Alexa Smith is a poet and performer from Washington D.C. She lives in South Philly, attends and teaches for Temple University's MFA program by day, and manages Apiary's editorial process by night. You can find her writing online in Entropy, Interim, Peach Mag, Memoir Mixtapes, and Dark Wood. Alexa will be able to speak on the confluence of art and writing, especially in emerging spaces like DIY publishing and web-based presentation. You can find her bio by scrolling down a bit on this page. http://www.apiarymagazine.com/about-us

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/97072807193

Meeting ID: 970 7280 7193

FINAL Awesomesauce Review Due Next Tuesday, February 16, no later than 9:00 am

 

Please note: Class next Tuesday has been shifted to 12:45-1:45 (Common Hour) so we can hear our visiting artist, Alexa Smith, speak about art and writing. If you cannot make this time-slot, let me know ASAP. I will send an email reminder.

Awesomesauce Installation Shots

 

Check out the first two or three minutes of the Virtual Opening video to get a sense of the show in its physical (not virtual) space.

Group Work for February 9

 Group 1: Brunson

Group 2: Glover

Group 3: McCracken

Group 4: Cho

Group 5: Diaz/Hinson

DRAFT DUE THIS THURSDAY

 Remember to upload the draft of your Awesomesauce review to our Populi page no later than 9:00 am, February 11. This draft will not be perfect, and that's OK. However, it should be structurally complete. This means that it should have a clear introduction to the show itself. The body of your review should concern itself with describing, analyzing, and evaluating the actual work in the show. Your concluding paragraph should summarize your experience of the exhibition and offer an evaluation to your reader. 

You will "like" certain work more than others. And some of the work you might find baffling and difficult to understand. That's ok. Do your best. 

If I were to write this review, I would do it in seven paragraphs. The middle five would be shorter than the introductory and concluding paragraphs. I would give an individual paragraph to Brunson, Glover, McCracken, and Cho. I would write another short paragraph about Hinson and Diaz together.

There is not one correct way to write this essay. We will have a vigorous critique on Thursday. The aim is to improve the final product. Your final review of Awesomesauce is due no later than 9:00 am on Tuesday, February 16.

Questions:  csmith@dcad.edu

Check out ArtReview.com for examples of exhibition reviews

 

ArtReview.com is a great source for reviews about art. Most of the reviews are of actual art exhibitions (like Awesomesauce), but some are reviews of books and performances that center on art practices. You can learn a lot from studying examples that you personally like. 

Graded Assignment Two: Review of "Awesomesauce"

 

DCAD is awesomely proud of our new exhibition of former students and the work they're making now. Six different artists and designers have made sculptural, internet, and video-based installations. Spend some time with the website. If possible, go to DCAD and experience the exhibition from the sidewalk. It was expressly "turned inside-out" so that people could experience the show without going inside the building. This was a necessity forced by Covid-19, but a great example of making lemonade from lemons. (Note: I don't know if I fully understand this proverb.) Check out the "About/Programs" tab on the main page. There you will find a link to the virtual opening (about an hour long) and links to the individual artist talks. The first one is scheduled for this Saturday. Students who attend these Zoom talks and ask at least one question will receive an extra-credit point. 

Let's stay with the single-spaced two-column format. Feel free to take screengrabs and incorporate them into your review essay (make sure to include the credit line with the work's maker, title, and year if it's provided). You will probably need the space of a second page to adequately review the show. 

Remember to assert your ideas about the exhibition and the individual works in it. This is crucial.

Reviews essentially all do the same three things: describe the work, analyze the work, and evaluate the work. You will want to do this with the individual artists as well as the greater exhibition itself. Read chapter 7 in Sylvan Barnet's A Short Guide to Writing About Art (154-169) to learn more about the basics of exhibition reviews.

Change:  The awesomeness website is currently down (Sunday, February 7, 7 pm). Therefore, we're moving the due date for your draft to this Thursday, February 11 (upload by 9:00 that morning) The final review essay will be due the following Tuesday, February 16. If the problem continues, we'll adjust the schedule again. 

If you have any questions, send me an email message: csmith@dcad.edu