New Forms in Art: Exam

Write an Artist Statement. (30 points)

What is an artists statement? The artists statement describes who you are as an artist and what your art is about. Artists statements are used as marketing tools to sell you and your work; to inform viewers. Brag about yourself and your work. Some General Guidelines Use an economy of words; one page or about three paragraphs is usually plenty. Use active words and present tense; avoid to be verbs and past tense. Keep it professional: use good paper, clean layout, and simple fonts. Discuss your personal art values or aesthetic (the philosophy behind your work; the reasons you create) Describe your style and medium (this is a good place to point out your unique creative processes) Include events or experiences that have contributed to your development as an artist. Give a concise and authoritative close. Avoid pretentiousness; make it easy and interesting to read and understand Planning Begin by brainstorming words and phrases. Do not be concerned about writing complete sentences. The following questions are meant as prompts to help you begin. You may choose to develop other questions. What are your personal art values or aesthetic? How are your personal art values or aesthetic seen in your artwork? What do you like best about the finished product? Describe the medium you use. Describe your style. Describe a theme that runs through your work. Why did you decide to become an artist?

What do you like best about making art? What has influenced your work (Travel? Other artists? Family? Culture?) How does your work reflect this influence? Putting the Artists Statement Together: A Sample Paragraph I: Make a clear and concise statement about your artistic values or aesthetic or why you create. Support that statement with at least two reasons. Paragraph II: Describe one of your works or a body of your work in such a way as to guide a viewer to understanding. This could include your use of the elements of art and principles of design, your unique use of tools and materials, or your style. Paragraph III. Give the reader/viewer closure. Give a few more hints about your work. This is where you can point out a theme or discuss those experiences that influence your work. Review and Revise Edit for grammar, content, understanding, and effective layout. Remember You grow and change as an artist. Your artists statement should also grow and change

Pick out 5 of the following questions and answer thoroughly using complete sentences in paragraph form. Use specific examples to support your answers. One of your answers must include information about a contemporary artist that you watched on the Art21 website. Clarity and Conciseness is a must!!! (10 pts per question)

1. What are the benefits and drawbacks of having a plan when creating a work of art? Compare them to the benefits and drawbacks of spontaneity. 2. How can artists guide or even control the way audiences see and experience their work? 3. What are the qualities or characteristics that define something as art, versus something that is not art? How and why are these definitions established? 4. Discuss the concept of utopia. What makes something utopian? How does technology contribute new ways of defining and imagining utopia? 5. Where do cultural trends come from, and how do they spread? Define the terms street culture and popular culture. How do they differ? In what cases might they be the same? 6. What is an icon? Can a contemporary work of art function as an icon? Why or why not? Give specific examples. 7. How can colors and shapes convey a narrative? Can abstract imagery tell a story? How? 8. Consider the terms traditional sculpture and social sculpture. What forms might these types of sculpture take? Look at examples of contemporary

and historical sculpture. How do they reflect or defy the categories of traditional and social sculpture? 9. Define and discuss the word transcendence. What kinds of experiences are transcendent? Can art be transcendent? How? Why? 10. What are the personal items and objects that are most significant in your life? How might these objects be transformed into art? 11. How has technology changed both the ways that art can be made and who makes it? What new tools, equipment, and methods are artists using, that integrate technology into their processes? 12. Consider the relationship between documentary photography and art photography. Do photographs always reflect reality or truth? Can a photograph be fictional? Discuss these questions, using examples of photographs from the news, art history, and popular culture. 13. How has digital technology influenced the way we take photographs? How has photography changed since the nineteenth century? 14. Describe an instance when you were confronted with something familiar that was distorted, transformed, or even mutilated. Describe artworks, advertisements, or aspects of popular culture that play with or distort familiar genres or subject matter. 15. What subjects, ideas, or imagery are considered taboo in contemporary society, or in particular cultures? Why do you think these taboos exist? How are social mores and conventions of social behavior established, and how are they enforced?

16. What is uniqueness? Discuss the question of whether a work of art is inherently unique. How might the consideration of prints or photographs influence this discussion? 17. Describe the tradition of heraldry. How do symbolic systems like heraldry categorize or represent groups of people? What are some contemporary symbols used to define or describe groups? 18. What are the benefits and challenges of collaborating on art projects? In what ways can context shape collaboration? Does a contemporary context demand cooperation? 19. In what different ways does our society remember current and historic events? In what ways do monuments, textbooks, or works of art convey history and historic events? 20. What do portrait photographers create, for whom, and for what occasions?How do makeup, accessories, clothing, and other props affect identity? How do they affect the way we present ourselves to the world? How can these things shape or create an alter ego, personality, or identity? 21. How is beauty defined? Why might beauty be important to society and culture? In what ways are notions of beauty different within different cultures, and in what ways are they similar? 22. Define and discuss the terms borrowing, appropriation, and plagiarism within the context of art. From what sources do artists appropriate or borrow materials, to create their own art? Why do they do this? 23. How is history perceived, shared, and taught? Research the term social history, and discuss how this approach to history and historical research differs from history, traditionally defined and interpreted.

24. In what ways does personal or family history affect or influence our understanding of the past? What is the role of photography in documenting and constructing personal history?