Part I. (20 points)
Describe your self portrait through a clear and concise 550 word essay. You will be graded on creativity and expressing knowledge and vocabulary gleaned from the past 11 Modules. This is our final Module—show us what you have learned. Cite anything that needs to be cited.
PROCESS.
Read Chaper 3.9
Skim through Chapter 4.10 Identity, Race, and Gender in Art, which is broken up into four categories: Self-Portraits, Feminist Critique, Black Consciousness, Identity and Ambiguity.
After you have read these chapters, design a work of Contemporary Art where the ideas and materials represent you in some fashion. Creating a portrait of oneself can feel like a dangerous endeavor—and often it is. Who knows what you will find as you gaze deep into the crevices of your mind. What has been hidden from you could suddenly be revealed.
I recommend doing some free-form writing before you begin on your portrait. What do you want to say with your chosen material? Make a list of what objects, textures—elements and principles of design—identify you and write why. Make your materials meaningful. The materials and -ism should represent you. They could be ephemeral, magical, food, recyclables, electronics, animals, etc. Your portrait might have your likeness (Mark Quinn, “Self,” p. 38) or it could be about a defining experience (Faith Ringgold, “Tar Beach,” p. 302). Your work might be completely nonrepresentational.
How does your work represent your culture during this time period, at your location.
Write a Formal Analysis. Describe your self-portrait clearly using 8-10 vocabulary words. Cull words your free-form writing.
Use at least one more Method of Analysis (page 184) to tell us about your work. It will likely be a Biographical Analysis and a Contextual Analysis. Be specific in letting us know which method you are using.
Your work should fit cleanly one of the art movements or ‘-isms’ in Chapter 3.9. You must define the category and write how it fits in it. This includes: Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Minimalism, Conceptual Art, Performance Art, Body Art, Earthworks, Postmodernism, Multiculturalism, Visionary Art, Outsider Art, Neo-Expressionist Art, Video Art. Feel free to include information from Chapter 4.10 as it relates to you.
And finally, express to your reader why such a work is needed today. We have been studying why an artifact or a work of art emerges from a culture during a certain a time period—and what that can tell us about the culture. What do you want to say about where your feet are grounded in this day and age?