Arts of Africa 600:159

Museum Critique

Due April 13, 2010 in class

You will visit either the Waterloo Center for the Arts, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, or Stanley Collection at the University of Iowa IMU. The purpose of this assignment is for you to look closely and analyze African and/or Diaspora art exhibited in museums. You will write a 1-2 page critical review of the exhibition, specifically addressing 1) an overall assessment of the collection 2) an analysis of one work from the collection 3) a critical analysis of the benefits and limitations of this work’s inclusion in the exhibition. The paper is due in class April 13, typed in 12 pt. font and double-spaced.

1) What was your overall impression of the African/Diaspora collection?

2) Fully identify one work in the collection. Briefly describe its formal qualities.

3) Critically analyze this work in the museum context. How does it fit thematically? What does it explain/elucidate/clarify? Did the museum present the work appropriately? Was original context/function of the work considered? Use what you have learned in class to critique how the work was presented.

Aesthetics and Mechanics:

·  One-to-two pages

·  Double-spaced

·  12-point font

·  Reasonable margins (1-1.25 inch)

Grading Rubric

20 pts total / Exemplary / Adequate / verging on Inadequate / Incomplete/ inadequate
Aesthetics
2 pts / 1.5-2 double-spaced, 12 pt. font typed pages / 1-2 double-spaced, 12 pt. font typed page / 1 typed page / Less than 1 typed page
Mechanics
6 pts / few to no grammatical or spelling mistakes; paragraphs logically follow one another with clear, complete content sentences; transitions and art historical vocabulary used / some grammatical and/or spelling mistakes; coherent organization, some imprecise vocabulary / grammatical and/or spelling and/or vocabulary mistakes hinder coherence; paragraphs lack topic sentences, unity / grammatical and/or spelling and or vocabulary mistakes hinder coherence; disorganized paragraphs
Content
12 pts / Carefully constructed thesis and support from at least 2 works fully address questions from assignment sheet / basic analysis of exhibition and at least 2 works, including consideration of some questions from assignment sheet, but undeveloped or unorganized / little analysis of exhibition; less than two objects used for support; little consideration of questions from assignment sheet; illogical organization / little or no analysis of exhibition; little, if any, consideration of questions from assignment sheet; incoherent