ASSIGNMENT INTRODUCTION:
The Prebles’ ArtForms textbook portrays most Post-Modern and Global art as a departure from the Modernist approach to breaking rules or rejecting tradition. Today, a new generation of artists prefer to “comment on life, rather than focusing on perfecting form, creating beauty, or fine-tuning their sense of sight. They want to create relationships between what we see and how we think”. (ArtForms pg. 462)
The topic for this assignment is to examine the work of the Brazilian artist, Vik Muniz, and his series “Pictures of Garbage.” The question of “how a marginalized community discovered dignity” through collaboration and creating art is presented in the film titled “Wasteland.” By breaking down social biases, Muniz used garbage and the community that sprang up around it to create a noble image of a garbage collector. Muniz wanted to use a person’s everyday materials to make imagery and “change their life.” As a human being, what does dignity mean to you? How does Vik Muniz bring value to the lives of the outcasts in the community? In your opinion, can art address some of the major issues facing people today, such as war, poverty, prejudice, and other traumas?
Please refer to the video links for “Wasteland” and then compose a response to the essay questions.
WASTE LAND clip on “Art and Transformation”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gInKde8FmH4 Links to an external site.
WASTE LAND clip on “Pictures of Garbage”
https://www.pbs.org/video/independent-lens-pictures-grabage-wasteland-classroom-module/(Links to an external site.
WASTE LAND clip on “Human Dignity”
https://www.pbs.org/video/independent-lens-human-dignity-waste-land-classroom-module/Links to an external site.
WASTE LAND (website for research)
http://www.wastelandmovie.com/vik-muniz.htmlLinks to an external site.
WASTE LAND (full documentary)
Free access hereLinks to an external site. or rent the movie on Amazon
CRITERIA:
Read the questions (below) and answer ALL questions in both sections: Part I.
Social Responsibility and Part II. Teamwork.
Turn your answers into an essay. DO NOT use bullets or numbers to answer the list of questions.
Use a header for Part 1: Social Responsibility and Part 2: Teamwork.
Word count for the entire essay is between 750- 1000.
Cite your sources throughout the paper.
Plagiarism and the use of AI is prohibited. If plagiarism or AI is detected the paper will result in a 0/100
Submit the paper: Copy the paper (text) and paste it inside the “Text Box”. Click the User Agreement. Then, submit the paper to the instructor.
Late work deductions are as follows
No late work is accepted after the deadline: May 8th
ONE VERY IMPORTANT CAVEAT TO THE EXTRA CREDIT (STUDENT SURVEYS)- if you do not complete the paper or if there is plagiarism or AI on any part of the paper, I will not give you the 20+ EXTRA CREDIT
ESSAY QUESTION PROMPT:
Part I. Compose an essay that effectively expresses and supports your response to the following aspects on Social Responsibility. Structure your essay response as follows:
Identify the social issue(s) in the context of this work.
Summarize Vik Muniz’s perspective, identify his assumptions at the beginning of the project and after the work was created, and also identify possible implications and/or ramifications of his perspective.
Summarize the garbage collectors’ perspectives, identify their assumptions, and also identify possible implications and/or ramifications of their perspective.
How did the economic issues facing the catadores relate to what you have seen before where you live?
Identify the global issue(s) in the context of this work.
Assess the social, political, and economic impact of that global issue.
Identify and provide examples of “social prejudices”. Evaluate the impact of social prejudices on attitudes and behaviors. Give an example of how prejudices will affect human behavior in a social context.
Clarify and identify some of the examples of social prejudices you saw in the film.
Part II. Compose an essay that effectively expresses and supports your response to the following aspects on Teamwork. Structure your essay response as follows:
Explain how Vik Muniz effectively communicates his proposal to the catadores to “change our perceptions of garbage to transform their lives?” Give examples of how Muniz shows interest in the ideas of the catadores. In what ways did the community respond to Muniz proposal to create art with the everyday trash?
Describe the attitudes of both Muniz and the catadores towards working as a team. Do you believe one person monopolized the project or did they all work as a team?
Describe the work ethic of the team. What would happen if Muniz decided to create the work on his own? Would it be as effective? What would happen if others did not support his idea? Would it be as effective?
As a leader, describe ways Muniz takes initiatives to assist the community to see value in their lives as translated into art.
How does Muniz show that he is interested in a successful outcome for the entire group, not just for himself?
This process transformed garbage into art. In doing so, did it also transform the catadores? In what ways did you see this happen?
According to the women who participated in the art project, what was the impact this experience had on their lives? How might their experiences have been different if they were just the subject of the portraits and not part of the creative team that made the artwork?
