For this final project, you will be creating (in theory) a small exhibition of four to six works of art. Of those four to six pieces, one may be a work of your own art that fits the theme of your exhibit.
An exhibit simply refers to a collection of objects shown in a public space like a museum. This project will be both formal analysis and research-based and I expect for you to use sources other than your textbook and notes from class.
No Wikipedia or any publicly edited website as a reference due to their unreliability.
STEP 1: THEME
Select a theme for your exhibit. Your collection of artworks can be based on anything that you would like, such as specific colors, subject matter, historical context, style, a certain artist, a particular medium, etc. All works must have been created between 1940 and the present day. Need some inspiration? Check out great area museums like SFMOMA, the de Young Museum, the Legion of Honor, the Asian Art Museum, or the Contemporary Jewish Museum. If you aren’t able to visit in person, museum websites [all linked above] are a good starting place to explore thematic exhibits!
STEP 2: CHOOSE WORKS OF ART
Select and/or create works of art. Your exhibit should include four to six works of art and can include a work that you created. Any works must have been created between 1940 and 2023. In this imaginary exhibit, there are NO limitations on the works you are able to include. In other words, you are free to include works like architecture or site-specific pieces. For this assignment, please include an image of each work with full citation [title, artist, date, location, medium].
STEP 3: CONTEXTUALIZE YOUR EXHIBIT
The writing part of this assignment involves three main components: an introductory or main label for your exhibit, exhibit labels for each work of art, and an exit label.
• Introductory/Main Label. Imagine this is the first text on the wall that a viewer sees when visiting your exhibit! The text should be two to four paragraphs long. It should explain the idea behind your collection, state the theme of your exhibit, and help guide your viewers to understand your exhibition.
• Exhibit Labels. Each work of art should have its own one to two paragraph exhibit label. Imagine that the person looking at this work may have never seen it before. Consider the following as you write each label:
o Why was this work chosen for your exhibit?
o What role does the work play in the exhibit?
o How would you formally analyze the work and will describing the piece help your
viewers better understand the work?
o What is the content of the work?
o What is the context of the work?
o How can you bring this work of art to life?
• Exit Label. Write two to three final paragraphs that will wrap up the experience for the viewer. This may include what you hoped the viewer learned about the works and theme and/or what you hope they will continue to think about after they leave.
• You should use at least 2 outside sources for this project (not including notes from class or the suggested textbooks) and must cite those sources. Use Chicago or MLA citations (whichever one you are most comfortable using).
All Projects Must Include:
• Four to six images of works of art, fully cited with title, artist, date, location and medium
• An introductory label
• Four to six artwork labels
• An exit label
• A Works Cited page in Chicago or MLA style.
• At least two outside sources referenced in your writing in order to flesh out details of
your works and theme, and offer more in-depth information on the works you have
chosen. Use footnotes or in-text citations based on your chosen citation style.
Keep in Mind While Writing…
• Italicize or underline the titles of works of art. DO NOT PUT ARTWORK TITLES IN QUOTATION MARKS.
• When you first mention an artist, use both the artist’s first and last name. After that,
you can just use the last name or the appropriate artist name (for example, use
Duchamp, not Marcel Duchamp)
• Use spell check!
