For this assignment students can either visit one of the museums listed below or
For this assignment students can either visit one of the museums listed below or elect to
do this assignment virtually.
In this essay you will be discussing an original artwork that you have picked from a
museum or a museum website. Use the same artwork for the MUSEUM FIELD NOTES
(MFN). Follow the instructions below to see what you need to include in your Museum
Paper. Allow at least 45 minutes to look at your artwork. Have a notebook handy and
this handout when you go start this assignment.
Follow these 10 points to get a good grade on this assignment.
[1]
1. Pick a Museum:
Choose one museum from the list of museums, visit it and choose one work
of art from our period (1250 about 1900 ACE) for your paper.
List of Approved Museums for this Assignment: If you wish to pick a different museum,
please contact me via the school email.
Norton Simon Museum of Art
http://www.nortonsimon.org/
Links to an external site.
phone: 626-449-6840
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
http://www.lacma.org/
Links to an external site.
phone: 323-857-6000
The Getty Museum
http://www.getty.edu
Links to an external site.
phone: (310) 440-7300. This museum is free! Call for
parking.
San Diego Museum of Art
www.sdmart.com
Links to an external site.
phone: 619-232-7931. This museum is closed on
Wednesdays.
Timken Museum of Art
www.timkenmuseum.org
Links to an external site.
phone: 619-239-5548. This museum is free!
2. Pick an Artwork
Your artwork should be from the time period covered in this class (1250 about
1900 ACE). Many of the artworks can be viewed on the respective museum
websites. This will give you a first glimpse and facilitate your choice.
3. Describe the Artwork:
Describe the artwork briefly. In your paper, your description should never be
longer than one page. Write down your observations on a note pad. Identify
the artwork and give the medium (painting, oil on canvas, sculpture, etc.) and
dimensions. Try to conquer space with your words. If you give information
about objects or people depicted in your picture, try and locate them in the
picture space. 4. Analyze the Artwork:
Analyze the artwork as you are standing in front of it. These ideas might help:
Are there elements to this artwork that seem unusual, odd, or otherwise noteworthy? If
so, this is the path to research. Why are these questions coming up? Where will you
find answers? It is not enough just to ask the questions. You have to do research to try
to find answers.
Some questions might be similar to these: If there are people represented, what are
their expressions, relations to each other? What is the story? What colors does the artist
use? How does the artist use light in this work? Is there three-dimensional perspective
shown in the work? For sculpture: How much space does the work occupy? What does
the frame or display case look like? Does the way this work is displayed have an effect
on its appearance? Where is the best place to stand to see your artwork? Are you at
eye-level, higher or lower?
What is depicted in your artwork? Is there a story or an event? The title may help you
here, but you may need to do further research to get all the details of the subject. How
is the work represented? Is it realistic or abstract? What kind of texture does the work of
art have? Does it look rough, smooth, etc. (Do NOT actually touch the artwork!) Can
you see brushstrokes? These and other questions might come up.
5. Do Research at the Library:
Take these questions home and to the library website and start your research.
Try and find answers to these questions. Consult academic sources to find
answers to your questions. You might find e-books and articles via the college
library website.
6. Find Three Admissible Sources:
What are admissible sources for this assignment, and how do you quote them
in your paper?
ATTENTION: Please, include only THREE to FIVE (maximum) footnotes in your
paper!
I would like students to use CHICAGO-TURABIAN-STYLE FOOTNOTES. This is what
they will look like.
Admissible Sources for this assignment:
Your sources HAVE to be ACADEMIC, PEER-REVIEWED sources. Examples are:
Book
Author [or editor], Title [underlined] (City of publication [include state or country if not
commonly known]: publisher, date of publication), page numbers. example:
86.Michael Hays, ed., Architecture Theory since 1968 (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT
Press, 1998), 83-86. Sources that are NOT ALLOWED for this assignment:
Newspaper articles, articles from non-art-related periodicals (Time Magazine,
Newsweek, San Diego Reader), generic online sources such as museum websites,
Wikipedia, encyclopedias (online or print), dictionaries, youtube, Khan Academy (or any
other video), etc. You will lose substantial points if you use inadmissible sources.
7. Write your Paper:
After you have done some research you will start to write your paper.
Formal Appearance:
Length: 1100 words of text, double spaced, font 12 pt, Times New Roman or Courier.[2]
Your paper will include THREE to FIVE footnotes referencing the literature you
consulted. Please, attach a cover sheet indicating your name, my name, the name of
our course, course meeting times, the artist and name of the work of art you picked, as
well as the museum where this work is located. This cover sheet and all addenda do
NOT count into the 1100 words required to pass this assignment! A picture of the
artwork must be attached to your paper! The paper must be written in a flowing essay
style. Have somebody read your paper for language mistakes. Consult the writing lab
for proof-reading. Grammar mistakes, major errors in sentence structure, nonsensical
expressions, or typing mistakes have no place in a college level research paper. Papers
with more than 5 language errors will be severely graded down.
8. Follow this Outline:
8.1. INTRODUCTION:
Your first paragraph will be entitled INTRODUCTION. It will be about one paragraph.
Identify the museum, exhibit title, and content and scope of the exhibit. Give your reader
some of the reasons why you picked this particular artwork. Describe your experience
looking through the various museum websites.
8.2. DESCRIPTION:
Your second paragraph will be entitled: DESCRIPTION. You will give a brief description
of the artwork, NEVER longer than a page, ideally shorter.
8.3. PRESENTATION OF RESEARCH:
Your third paragraph will be entitled presentation of research. You might need more
paragraphs to present your research. Use a separate paragraph for the individual ideas
you are presenting (example: biography, color, composition, materials, etc.). Try to find
literature (books, peer-reviewed articles, etc., NOT a generic website such as
Wikipedia!) that mention your artist/artwork. Access GALE or EBSCO Host for
peer-reviewed articles through the College Library site. Your research must be based on
the work of art used in your Museum Paper. The research discusses a number of
aspects of the work of art, such as the time period, style or related ideas. Give the
authors’ opinions and quote them correctly as follows. ATTENTION: You will lose a
substantial amount of points if you quote inadmissible sources. Sources that are
admissible and those that are NOT allowed are listed on pages 1 and 2 of this handout.
Only 3-5 footnotes in your paper!
Quote your sources using Chicago-Turabian-style footnotes. If you don’t know
what Turabian-style footnotes look like consult The Chicago Manual of Style. Basic
formats, however, are shown under ad 6) on page 1 and 2 of this handout.
This website might help you format your footnotes:
http://www.citationmachine.net/turabian/cite-a-boo…
Links to an external site.
8.5. SUMMARY:
Your last paragraph will be entitled: SUMMARY. Now you may express and opinion
weighing all the written sources you consulted previously. You CANNOT have a
qualified opinion if you only do a google search or use inadmissible material!
8.6. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
As a separate page, your paper will include a bibliography. It will bear the headline
BIBLIOGRAPHY. The bibliography must have at least three sources. It is important for
you to visit a library and learn how to use it correctly. List your sources in alphabetical
order according to the author’s last name. You will display this information like you did in
your footnotes. Be advised that you cannot put sources in your bibliography when you
don’t quote them in your text.
Be sure to use peer-reviewed, academic sources! General information from websites
(even museum websites!) or the public domain are NOT APPROPRIATE for an
academic research paper. You will lose a substantial amount of points if you use
inadequate literature for this assignment! Peer-reviewed publications provide a stringent
editorial process that has a quality control function. The internet does not provide this.
There is a lot of wrong or irrelevant information out there. We want to consult experts in
their field and find out what they have to say about a subject matter.
Checklist:
□ 1 Cover sheet with your name, name of class, name of school, name of art work,
□ 1100 words of text (minimum) with 3-5 footnotes using Turabian style at the bottom of
the page,
□ 1 Photograph of your art work,
□ 1 Bibliography (NOT “works cited”) with at least 3 peer-reviewed literary sources,
□ Put ALL THESE ELEMENTS into ONE pdf file and upload only ONE file to Canvas.
Do NOT upload documents in “Pages” format. Canvas cannot accommodate them.
Have fun with this assignment!
[1] Note that students cannot submit papers written for other classes.
[2] Please note that I will deduct points if your paper is longer or shorter than the
required 1100 words of text!