Communicative Arts Seminar 1117-497(01) Fieldtrip Essay/Weblog Posting – Museum Visit & Written Assignment Part I This assignment is to take an independent trip to a recognized art museum or gallery in the city. You may take part in the scheduled class field trip, or you may select another museum. It must have some academic, artistic, educational and/or intellectual value. In other words, it must have a serious purpose. It must be a place to see “Art!”. Some suggestions: National Gallery of Art – West Wing Freer + Sackler Galleries 7th & Constitution Ave., NW 1200 Jefferson Dr., SW

Hirschhorn Museum✣ Smithsonian American Art Museum

701 Independence Ave., SW 750 9th St., NW National Museum of African Art National Museum of Women in the Arts* 950 Independence Ave., SW 1250 New York Ave., NW The Phillips Collection* 1600 21st St., NW *admission charge Other Museums may be selected, but you must obtain permission from the instructor. You must spend at least 30 minutes at the Museum of your choice. Bring this sheet with you to make your notes. Locate at least three works of art that strike you as interesting. Describe each chosen artwork in 60-80 words. 1)

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Part II – Answer the following questions in an essay format of at least 200 words. How do these artworks comment on our culture? How does their ‘medium’ or mixture of media determine what and how the artworks comment on society? Which of the three artworks do you think makes the best point? Why?

Name at least three familiar images or archetypes within your selected artworks. What other works of art or TV shows/films or advertisements do these ‘inner images’ remind you of? How do these ‘inner images’ get borrowed back-and-forth? Does this change the Art!-ness of these images? If Art! is defined as ‘any form of media, which makes you, think in a new way,’ how did your three selected works challenge you to think differently? How are they Art!? Part III -- Before you leave, visit the Gift Shop of the Museum. Answer the following questions in an essay format of at least 200 words.

What books and gifts can be purchased at the gift shop? What does this say about the works of art in the Museum? Who decides what goes into this art museum? Why did they get this privilege? Who paid for the Museum? Who paid for the special exhibits? What should have been in this museum, but wasn’t? What should have been in the gift shop but wasn’t? Why do you think these were left out?

How is the value of the artworks in this museum determined? What makes one piece of artwork more valuable then the others? In a world where artworks can be reproduced (like the books and posters in the gift shop) – how does this change the original work of art? Why is a reproduction worth less money than an ‘original’ Can you describe a type of artwork which doesn’t have an ‘original’?

* some of these museums may have an admission charge Answer Parts 1–3 in a single essay/weblog post between 400-800 words All written assignments must be typed, double-spaced and follow standard American English grammar conventions. Again, you must add at least two images, and link to two websites. You may paste material from other websites, provided you adequately cite them. ! “Art” is difficult to define. Please refer to readings & class discussions. Post your essays to your weblog by March 21st, 2016. ✣ Tentative class fieldtrip will be to the Hirschhorn Museum 4-5:20pm, Wednesday March 9th