Assignment Goals:

The theme for Chapter 10 is “Social Protest and Affirmation.” As you all now know, from examples in the textbook, art happens inside and outside the the whites walls of institutions like galleries and museums. And our chapter reading provides us with many examples of different issues that have been addressed by different artist’s when it comes to protest. This week I want you to keep in mind that artists are humans too. Things that matter to them are based on their first-hand life experience(s). Now I realize that everyone’s life experience is a little different, but your goal is the try to put yourself in the shoes of the artists and try to see why they would make the kind of artworks in this assignment

Instructions:

1. Watch and read all linked content prior to crafting your response(s).

2. Address the questions in the Discussion Prompt

3. Provided embedded image example of artworks that help illustrate the point you are trying to make.

A. Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:

Please watch The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Adichie is a Nigerian author (keep in mind artists are storytellers, regardless of whether they paint, sculpt, dance, or write books) whose work has been translated into over forty languages. As you watch this video, I ask that you shift your perspective from your personal experience to a larger social level, and begin to think about the ways some parts of our collective society may reduce some populations to a single story.

B. Artist as Educator:

Charles White

Keeping in mind that all artists are storytellers, please watch the video Life Model: Charles White and His Students, about Charles White who was an artist and educator at OTIS College of Art and Design in the late 20th century. As students, you are all part of an institutional establishment, but each individual within any establishment has the potential to create change from within.

As you watch the video, pay attention to how Charles White interacted with his students, who he felt art was for, and how he viewed the potential for a diversity of artists to carve out their own places in the predominantly caucasian Eurocentric art establishment. Consider how a single individual can impact a larger community through their own work.

C. Artist Outside a Gallery(s):

JR http://www.jr-art.net

Using massive scale photography of the everyday underrepresented segment of society, JR’s work addresses poverty, politics and gender. Bringing social awareness to the public, JR’s work predominantly exists in the public space.

Requirements

Written Analysis Post:

Your analysis of these three artists should be evaluated in an extensive discussion.

Part 1: Answer all of the following general questions for each of the three artists (keep in mind, authors are artists too):

1. Who is the audience for the for each of these individuals, everyone or a select few? Explain your answer.
2. Artists are all storytellers in one way or another, how did you respond to hearing Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s stories about her life?
3. What role do our own experiences play in the “life” of the artist’s artworks and careers? What I mean by that is, we all come to things from different places in life, so our reactions to everything are personal in some small way. Artists make work and release it into the world, after that the reactions to their work are constantly in flux. Feel free to share examples from personal experience(s) to help explain your answer.

Part 2: Now that you’ve learned about these artists, storytellers, chose the one artist/storyteller whose work/story resonated with you the most personally. Find a specific artwork (and embed it in the discussion) that you feel best represents this message. Include the artist, title, size, and location (if it’s a visual artwork).

Address the following in your post:

1. Artwork embedded, artist, title, size, location.
2. What is the message/goal of the art? Be specific.
3. How effectively does the artwork communicate its message? Provide specific examples in you answer. Does the range (the number of viewers) of audience affect this?
4. Do you think the artist’s success in the artwork is directly related to the size of the audience that see it, since it is about protest? Be specific.
5. If you would like to write about Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; you will have to do a little research to find an artist that you can discuss that relates to the themes in her story. You have flexibility here.

Grammar:

All writing must utilize complete sentences that form coherent, organized thoughts and ideas, utilize proper grammar, and be completed at a college level to earn credit. If you don’t not use correct grammar your grade will be negatively affected. I realize we live in a world of texts, emojis, and tweets and they are totally fine in other areas of your life, but in a college classroom, they just don’t provide enough information to fully explore ideas.

Two Peer Replies:

You must comment on two peer posts by Sunday to earn credit on this portion of the assignment.

Make sure to respectfully comment on others’ choices while replying. Keep in mind that your personal reactions, to art, differ from other’s because reactions are subjective and based on your life experience; often we need more than one set of eyes to see the big picture.

Peer Feedback Goals:

Your goal when replying to peers should be to address each of the following areas in your writing: complement, connection, comment, and quotation.

1. Complement: add to (something) in a way that enhances or improves upon what your peer(s) have written.
2. Connection: a relationship in which an idea is linked or associated with something else. Tell your peers how what they have written is associated with an idea that comes from your own personal experience. How does it relate to your life?
3. Comment: a written remark expressing an opinion or reaction. This can be positive or negative, as long as your comments are respectful and empathetic to your peer’s writing.
4. Quotation: quotation(s) taken from a textbook or some other source are one of the best ways to validate a comment and solidify a connection. (You must always include citations) This just means that you are supporting your ideas with other facts from reliable sources.