GOAL:
Explore one or more of the central themes of the human experience that occur in a variety of different historical contexts by analyzing how these themes express themselves through art.
PROJECT:
Create and curate a digital museum gallery as a blog. The gallery should represent a single theme and should contain 3 works of art (5 for honors) housed in one or more virtual rooms. Your pieces (paintings, photography, poems, music, film, etc.) must represent at least three different historical contexts, time periods, and places. In other words, you CANNOT have a gallery that is “Art about Stalin” or “Hiroshima art.” We will provide you with a slide show containing possible starting points, and you will need to find an overarching theme and more works of art to use. You may use up to 2 works from the provided slide show in your gallery (same for honors), and search for the remaining pieces on your own. The theme that connects them is entirely your choice, but must represent an aspect of the human experience. For example, our sample blog’s theme is “submission and resistance:”
http://submissionandresistanceart.blogspot.com/
CONTENT OF BLOG:
1. Title and Introduction to the theme of your blog (in the sidebar)
2. 3-5 pieces of artistic expression
3. For each piece of art, include a 2-3 paragraph analysis that pays attention to the following:
· Close reading of the piece – What can be observed in this piece? Make an argument about the significance of the various stylistic devices and details used in the art work.
· What is the historical and social context of the piece? Did this piece influence history in any way? Explain.
· How does each piece relate to your overall theme and to other pieces in the collection?
4. 1 sidebar link (2 for honors) to classmates’ galleries with an explanation of how they are thematically connected (1 paragraph for all students, 2 for honors)
5. Additional honors component (choose 1 of the following):
· Create and embed a video relating to your theme
· Create and embed a slideshow relating to your theme
· Create an original piece of art (visual, music, etc.) and embed it in your blog (or link to it)
· An extra element of your choice with the approval of your teacher
BENCHMARKS:
Slideshow: Select works of art to be used in your gallery. Create a slide show (ppt or otherwise) that contains your works of art (with artist, title, and date) as well as a brief description (no more than one paragraph) of the theme you’ll use to connect them. (15 points)
Annotated Bibliography: Choose at least 3 sources (we will provide an “Art Cart” for your reference in the library very soon) that provide details regarding the historical context and stylistic elements of your pieces of art. Cite the sources MLA style and write 1-2 paragraphs explaining what the sources contain and how you will use it. (15 points)
Rough Draft: All written materials (blog introduction and analyses of each work) should be submitted as a document for editing. (30 points)
Blog: Design your blog and send it to me so I can link to it for the rest of the class. (10 points)
Links: Examine classmates’ blogs and create link(s). The link(s) should contain an explanation of how their works/theme is related to the works/theme of your blog. (10 points)
DIGITAL GALLERY RUBRIC (100 points):
Design and layout (20 points)
Gallery is designed creatively and tastefully; layout is easy to navigate
Analysis (50 points)
Works of art are accurately analyzed in terms of stylistic devices and elements; historical/cultural context of work is clear; works are connected to a theme; theme is explained in an introduction on the sidebar
Coherence (20 points)
The pieces in the gallery hold together under a single theme, and the linked galleries are clearly connected. For Honors, the additional element fits into the existing theme and design of the blog.
Grammar/Mechanics/Word Choice (10 points)
Writing is professional and mechanically sound.