 |
| Such an extraordinary Puzzle: Lion-Human of Hohlenstein Stadel, 41,000-35,000 years ago, found in Germany, Mammoth ivory. |
What themes have we come across thus far?
these would need narrowing:
gods
life and death
birth
desirable qualities
power
rule
immortality
celebration of life (fisherman, boxers)
afterlife
remembrance
humanity--regular people in daily life
animals
animals and gods
how women are depicted
body
these are probably about the right scope
fishing
figs
birds and the afterlife
representation of souls
abstraction of faces
sports
Colombian masks and global objects with similar purposes and qualities
luxurious materials-- lapis, jade, gold, malachite, bronze (probably pick one and trace it's meaning)
Research Presentation Parameters:
1. Choose a theme that you think is about the right scale to convey meaningful historic context and art historical observations to convey meaningful content in 15-20 minutes, + about 5 minutes for discussion and reflection/remembering.
2. Begin to read, watch documentaries, dive into museum websites and smarthistory.
a. Can you find examples of artists/artisans from at least 3 different cultures from more than 700 years ago exploring that theme?
b. Can you find that theme as having importance in 3 or more places around the globe?
c. Go to JSTOR on library databases. Can you find some substantive articles on this topic?
- if you answered no to a, b or c, you might consider ways to broaden your topics. If you find it in 100 places or times, and a million articles, ask yourself: is there a theme inside the theme that captures your interest? (ie gold jewelry would be too broad, but is gold jewelry buried with the dead narrow enough? gold headdresses? is that too narrow?)
3. How will you teach this topic to the class? Via lecture? documentary? Re-enactment with actors? Podcast? Ekphrastic poetry reading? or full-on spoken word? Ted Talk? Activities? Think carefully about how to ensure people really learn what you've researched.
4. Remember the lessons of the pecha kucha: PRACTICE. Include Artist (where known)Title, date, period, location, scale, materials, and explain the context, content, and if relevant function. Feel free to include your interpretation. Varied presentation methods will engage the class interest more.
5. How will you help the class remember what you teach? Incorporate at least five minutes dedicated to helping support remembering.
We will sign up in class Monday, October 27. Be on time if you want most choice.
Final Submission-- not due until Dec 12, 11:00 am -- this will not be in person, just a submission.
For your 'final exam,' you'll revise your theme so that it stands alone without needing your speech to support it. As you revise your research presentation, think back to our discussions of the ways to approach objects via Art Historical methods: visual analysis, contextual analysis, iconographical reading (that is, consideration of the subject matter and how it's revealed). Have you applied some of those lenses to the objects in your presentation as you consider how different cultures addressed the theme you chose?
You could choose a number of ways to complete your theme assignment :
- Create a frame for it: offer an introduction and conclusion that establish your approach to the theme and what you assert to be true about that theme over time, and draw conclusions about what you discovered overall after completing research and reflection
- offer a self-critique/reflection about the project and how you approached it and what you learned, and include your notes and sources
- Dig in more deeply to each object you chose
- Create a work of art in any medium about the theme and what you have to say about it in your own cultural context
- Publish it as a website or blog with multimedia aspects
No comments:
Post a Comment